Saturday, March 14th was one of those balmy days when it was difficult to decide whether to wear a jacket or not. However, all six participants arrived at Chevy Chase House wearing light jackets. Under their jackets everyone wore green tops to commemorate upcoming St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. There were three pianists, a violinist, a flutist, and a singalong on the program, and after a short introduction about the AMSF, the recital began at 4:00 p.m. as 25 residents settled in.
Fittingly dressed in green hat, sequined top, and matching shoes, violinist Stephanie Dailey opened with “Loch Lomond,” which is a traditional Scottish folk song. She then played a medley of Irish Sea Shanties, which included “Drunken Sailor,” “Portsmouth,” and “The Keel Row,” which sailors often sang on their boats. Her third piece was the traditional Irish folk song “Oh Danny Boy” (or Londonderry Air), a tune that several of the residents recognized. Supported by her Bluetooth speaker accompaniment, Stephanie’s pieces caused quite a stir as the animated residents began to clap and sing along.
Stephanie was followed by our first pianist, Joelle Harris, who played Invention No. 14 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) and Fantasia in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), both from memory. These were contrasting pieces, as the Bach required a crisp clean touch, while the Mozart needed a more sensitive nuanced touch with competent pedaling. Joelle showed her skill as a promising young pianist by successfully fulfilling both requirements.
Flutist Sharon Atteh-Chi played next. Her first piece was “Deep River” arranged for flute by W.A. Fisher. It has been called “perhaps the best known and best-loved spiritual” and became very popular in recitals by 1917. The song was published in 1876 in the first edition of The Story of the Jubilee Singers by J.B.T. Marsh. Paul Robeson also famously sang it in the 1940 movie The Proud Valley. Sharon’s second piece was a traditional Irish jig called “The Blarney Pilgrim,” which was very lively and had the residents dancing and clapping in their seats.
Eli Jacks was the second pianist. He played Prelude No.1 in C major by J.S. Bach and two Mazurkas – Op. 68 No. 2 and Op. 59 No. 3 by Frederic Chopin (1810–1849). Though only 2.5 minutes long, the Prelude is a striking piece, and Eli captured its essence as he kept the legato broken chords flowing beautifully. The Mazurkas were slightly longer. A Mazurka is a lively Polish folk dance in triple time with distinct accents on the second and third beat. Eli played with conviction as he highlighted Chopin’s tuneful melodies while keeping the steady Mazurka rhythm.
Jodi Lipson followed, and she played Waltz No. 2 in C minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975). The piece was used in Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 film “Eyes Wide Shut.” It was written in 1938 for the newly founded State Jazz orchestra of Victor Knushevitsky and premiered in Moscow that same year. Jodi’s sensitive touch was well suited to this lovely waltz, and she was able to make the melody sing as her music painted pictures of swirling waltzing couples.
The recital ended with a singalong led by Carol Henry accompanied by Jodi on the piano. Stephanie and Joelle distributed words for the song “It Is Well with My Soul,” which was written by American lawyer, Horatio Spafford (1828–1888). Horatio wrote the words in 1873 after losing his four daughters at sea in a tragic collision of two ships. His wife survived and sent him a cryptic telegram with the words “Saved alone.” While sailing to meet his grieving wife, the captain of his ship informed him that they were passing near the location where his daughters had drowned. In the midst of extreme personal tragedy, Spafford leaned on his faith and penned the famous words which were set to music by Philip Bliss (1838–1876). Several of the residents were already familiar with this song especially on the chorus where Carol divided the audience into two sections and had them echo each other. It was heavenly to hear their voices fill the room.
After the recital we stayed and chatted with the residents. We had explained in the introduction that all AMSF members were amateurs. One dear lady named Bonnie Boekeloo complimented the group and said that we all sounded like professionals. Another resident named John Eisold was so impressed with the music that he shook our hands and asked us to come back! The performers are always encouraged by the receptiveness and warmth of the CCH residents.