After each movement, we sort of sat there in relief and apprehension. It was silent for a while. Then, Alastair Willis reminded us how that was only half of Mahler 5. Yes, much progress has been made, but there is still room for lots of improvement. With less than two weeks till our first performance, Mr. Willis strongly encouraged us to take this piece seriously. For the strings, we just had 3 nights in a row filled with sectionals, conductor auditions and combined rehearsals. Many of us are physically and emotionally exhausted from the rehearsals and it will require even more concentration and focus individually for the last two weeks. This is the ultimate test of endurance!

On Saturday, Jun Iwasaki helped the strings with some technical aspects helped us understand the stylistic elements that make Mahler so unique. Oh and how can you forget the “shire melody” in the 3rd movement?

Brian Ki, Viola, Co-principal

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