The Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet

Pictured: The Tubbs Fire of 2017 descends on Santa Rosa, CA.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a concert featuring the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet. The performance was at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, Nevada, which is only a block or two away from the Governor’s mansion. The selection of pieces presented by the group – Mendelssohn and Rimsky-Korsakov - involved some extremely complex movements. Of course, the musicians gave a splendid performance, and the audience was absolutely delighted with the experience.

After the show, we joined the musicians and some of the concert organizers for dinner at J’s Bistro, in oldtown Dayton, Nevada, of all places. Friendly atmosphere and good food made for a pleasant close to the evening.

The Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet was originally formed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1939, and has continuously existed since then, albeit with different musicians. The present-day members have been with the group for decades, in some cases. The superior performance quality of the quartet is a direct reflection of what happens when you have top-notch musicians working together as a group for many years.

My first experience performing with the Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet was in Napa County, California, on Sunday, October 8, 2017, in the city of Yountville. It was a wonderful experience, and the audience seemed very pleased with the show. Following the concert, we joined the musicians and some of the concert organizers for dinner in one of Yountville’s posh restaurants. Afterwards, we said our goodbye’s and headed for Healdsburg, north of the City of Santa Rosa, where we planned to overnight with our good friend, Ann Boone. During our drive, the wind was howling, sending dust and debris flying everywhere, and forcing us to reduce speed. What we would not learn until the following day, was that this evening was when the Tubbs Fire began its march to Santa Rosa. The course of our travel to Healdsburg put us directly in front of what turned out to be one of California most devastating wildfires in the State’s history. We have since had other collaborations with the Rimsky-Korsakov quartet that did not result in a calamity – so we are sure it was not a bad omen for us. The group plans to return to the U.S. in October of this year, so I’ll be trying to line them up for some projects here in Lassen County if possible.

This weekend, I am doing a throw-back Saturday show, briefly returning to my cabaret-singing days with Subbotya – a Russian pop/folk music group. Except that it will just be me and my master accompanist, Aren Long. So, if you would like to experience an evening of Russian art songs while enjoying an eastern European feast of foods, wine, and ales, stop what you’re doing and immediately call 775-870-9095, and tell them you want tickets to the show, “Wistful Dreams”. Showtime is 6pm, this Saturday, March 23rd.

And that’s the way it is, Tuesday, March 19th!