Do you also feel that the word "intermezzo" refers to a brief pause?
It reminds me of a radio show I listened to when I was a kid... it broadcasted classical music. That music was like a little dose of culture we could absorb among all the other grey events happening around us. A break from everyday things and an immersion in peace. Maybe the show was called that, hence the connection I see. I don't know anymore, it was a long time ago.
If I move forward a little in time I can reach another intermezzo, this time with a more personal connection. It wasn't a radio program I used to listen to - this time it was a piece I played with a colleague.
These photos were taken by a photographer friend, in one of our rehearsals in the school where I worked as a piano teacher. Every year we had a concert to bring classical music to the audience and show examples to the parents. Another reason was to inspire the little students. And not less important - to stay in shape as performers.
Sometimes the teachers focus too much just on passing on the knowledge to students but then they forget to maintain their own practicing and performing levels. These concerts were perfect not to let it happen.
I played with a double bass player colleague for one of these concerts. He chose the piece which I loved actually. Intermezzo op 9 by Reinhold Glière.
We can listen together to this piece while I write these memories and you read them. Shall we?
Probably we also had the piece recorded at the concert but I can't find it now. It happened in 2011.
The photos, yes, they are here, I found them this morning while I was trying to do some cleaning from unnecessary photos and documents on my laptop. A friend of mine, the photographer I mentioned came to the school one morning while we were working on the piece. He was very subtle while moving around with his camera and didn't interrupt with his presence the working process on the musical piece.
There were things to work there as it is not a shallow musical piece. If you are listening to the video you can hear a dialogue between the double bass and the piano. In these cases it is important to have the musical ideas aligned with the person you play with, it is not enough to learn your part at home and put it together in one rehearsal. So we practised together many times, usually in the mornings before the lessons or in our breaks between them.
Intermezzo in breaks - that was a good match.
{However, I have to confess - sometimes I needed coffee or a snack during those breaks and the piano scores were not edible.}
These photos are a good reminder for me too, maybe to find these scores and a double bass player here where I live now and perform this piece. The black shirt (or dress - not sure what was it actually?) with flowers is better I don't search, I know I didn't bring it with me. And it is not certain I would ever wear it again lol. You also have my permission to laugh at it if you want. 😁
