Crystal Clear Violin and Cello Concert at Wee Jasper
 

Take a candlelit cave redolent with eddying shadows and the gentle fluttering of bat wings, add the deep resonance of an 18^th century cello and the piercing stridency of a Hungarian violin and you have all you need for a magical and memorable evening.  The audience, pleasantly replete with soup and Austrian strudel, sat mesmerised as “Édua Amarilla” Zádory ("glistening moonrise" in Hungarian) and Murrumbateman's own David Pereira took it in turns to play solo and then duet: this was a melding of world-class virtuoso musicianship.

A series of lively Hungarian folk dances made the candlelight dance and sent the bats from their roosts. Édua's passion and incredible nimbleness was apparent from the start as she took us through Bartok to Handel.  She sent shivers down our spines with a couple of solos written specially for her by Austrian composer Johanna Doderer entitled  "A Breath of Time". David provided a thoughtful and tender contrast to Édua's urgency and in duet their delight in each other and their playfulness shone through to give the audience an entertaining and exquisite musical experience.  The acoustics in the caves are sensational and the notes of the violin and cello echoed eerily in and out of the stalactites and crystal pillars – from notes so soft that the resin on the bow could be heard to the brilliance of powerhouse dynamics. 

Outside it was a million star location with the Milky Way scattered over the inky black sky.   We spent the night at Cooradigbee Homestead where our hosts Ian and Helen made us more than welcome with a roaring fire, a gourmet dinner and tall tales of times gone by.  All in all, this was one very enjoyable weekend!

Nikki-Lynne Hunter 29 May 2011