It is a special treat when it is the faculty s turn at performing. Last Saturday in the Concert Hall, two distinguished faculty members of the music program, Haroutune Bedelian, playing the violin, and Lorna Griffitt, on the piano, took the stage for the first concert in the UCI Chamber Players series. He studied for many years at the Royal Academy of Music in London and it certainly shows, although he had trouble with some very high notes during one of the pieces. Griffitt played the piano with technical skill and grace. On the other hand, for many of the works, it seemed that technique was all there was.
Technique is needed, but there has to be some feeling as well.
On the whole, the audience recognized the exceptional performance and were very liberal with their applause. Unfortunately, most of the audience was not properly attired for a musical evening such as this, preferring to look like slobs in jeans and t-shirts. During the last piece of the evening, some children, who had most likely been dragged to the performance against their will, grew restless and began talking and making noise. Distressingly, their parents did nothing to quiet them. Such an outburst only serves to add fuel to the debate that children should not be permitted to attend concerts of this type unless they are able to comport themselves in a civilized manner.