When Music Director Michael Barrett told the audience at Onion Creek to stay in their seats for a little “surprise,” he said he had never seen anything like it in his entire career . A group of artists were demanding the opportunity to play a piece. It was like a revolu-tion. Here is the story. Patrons at the September 4 Colorado River Ben-efit Concert had enjoyed an exhilarating performance of Cesar Franck’s Quintet in f minor for Piano and String. Violinists Maria Bachmann and Ayano Ninomiya, vio-list LP How and cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach joined pianist Andrew Armstrong to send the audience back up river in a swirl of surging melodies and lush harmonies as only this masterpiece of high Romantic chamber music can deliver. The musicians felt such a strong connection to the music and so enjoyed playing with each other that they decided they just weren’t done with the Franck just yet. They simply had to do it again. They went to Michael Barrett and asked for a chance to play the piece again. Or should we say, they descended on his condo like “Franck Revolutionaries,” only lacking scythes and pitchforks and threatening the guillotine. But what could Michael do? The programs for the rest of the weekend were set and they were very full. And yet, how could we not share this wonderful gesture by these musicians with our Festival audience? Michael came up with a solution worthy of Solomon. Rather than play the entire 40-minute piece, the artists could play one movement – of their own choosing. At the end of the concert, as the applause for Derek Bermel’s atmospheric Soul Garden was fading, Michael came on stage, told the story of the musicians’ joy in their collaboration and in the music and invited the audience to stay for an encore. Everyone settled back into their seats and were treated to a passionate performance of the last move-ment of Franck’s Piano Quintet. The Revolution was over, and the Festival patrons were the winners.

Franck Revolution

Fall 2008