The Grier family St Lawrence Church May 18, 3pm
EVERY now and then, we are lucky enough to attend concerts which uplift the spirit and fill us with gratitude at being alive and hearing such music. This was one such concert.
The Grier family, made up of 12-year-old cellist Indira, 15-year-old violinist Savitri, and their father, the eminent musician Francis Grier, gave a truly moving all-Bach concert.
It was the youngest, Indira, who started the concert with the famous first of the six solo cello suites, the Suite for unaccompanied Cello in G.
If she continues like this, Indira will surely continue to be one of the most brilliant young cellists I am aware of, and certainly at this point in time, the best cellist of her own age that I have heard in a live performance.
Her sound was stunning, her vibrato exceptional, the ends of her phrases were spellbinding. She also displayed a musical maturity far beyond her years.
The height of the back of the pews in front of me meant that I was often unable to see her. Based on listening only, one would have been forgiven for thinking that this was a performance by someone much further along in their career.
Her way of phrasing even reminded me, at times, of Pablo Casals' approach to this suite - which is praise indeed.
We saw Francis Grier - composer, organist, pianist and psychoanalyst - performing three Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered
Clavier, Book 1, at the organ.
He impressed us all with his wise choice of organ sounds, flawless technique, ease of communication with the audience and, most of all, wonderful musical sensitivity and taste - a beautiful interpretation of these three works indeed.
His daughter Savitri closed the concert with one of the most beautiful works for solo violin written by Bach, his Partita for unaccompanied Violin in B minor, BWV 1002.
Savitri, Brent Young Musician of the Year 2007 and Three Rivers Young Musician of the Year 2007, showed astonishing technique that just took one's breath away, coupled with incredibly mature musicianship and understanding of Bach's lonely, existentialist-like sound world.
This was a stunning performance that most performers, irrespective of age, would have been proud of.
I was left quite spellbound by the end of this family's truly unique concert. I strongly advise attendance at their next concert, at St Mary the Virgin Church, Kenton, on July 6 at 5.30pm.
I will definitely be there to listen to another performance from a family for whom musical talent is such a natural gift.
