Ases Tod

This may sound absurd to some, but while I was away on my wonderful vacation in paradise, I found myself missing my cello. Things somehow did not seem complete without my beloved instruments there with me.

So now we are reunited again! I spent a few hours each day, for the past few days practicing in preparation for Bayshore rehearsal. One of the pieces we worked on tonight was the second movement, Ases Tod, or Ases Death, from Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite #1. Ases was the mother of Peer Gynt. She died of a broken heart after Peer ran off from home with no explanation. He returned just in time to hold her in his arms as she lay dying.

I missed our last two rehearsals and tonight, I could hear that we've made some great improvements in phrasing and tonality. Ases Tod is powerful, emotional, and very moving, and that came across loud and clear. It gave me shivers tonight, as we played it. Through the music, you can feel Ases' life ebbing away, then, she appears to recover momentarily, then fades away forever.

Yes, Ases Tod is a bit melodramatic, but there is certainly no mistaking this piece is about death, sadness, loss and mourning. Here it is, performed by the Junge Philharmonie Rhein-Neckar.