Hoping for John Locke

Molly has a concert this evening. As an extension of the annual Schubertiade, much of the musical life at Old Ivy in February revolves around Schubert. Tonight, Molly will perform Schubert's second Piano Trio together with Henry Wang on violin and Dorothy Bangs on cello.

Henry, one of the few violinists at Old Ivy not named Chang, is a bit of a jokester. Three weeks ago, when they first met to rehearse the piece, he joked: "Hey, we can call ourselves the Wang-Bangs-Bloom Trio!"

Molly didn't laugh. "No thank you, I'd rather not do that." That is Molly's polite way to say "go fuck yourself, dork."

Dorothy chuckled. "At least my last name isn't Fux."

Roderick, of course, is in the audience tonight, together with Anna, Megan, Emily Pointe and Henry Witherspoon. The Schubert is one of Roderick's favorite works, especially the fourth movement, which begins with a remarkably jolly but complex tune played by the piano alone:

Tee-ya-ta-ta tum tum tum,
Tee-ya-ta-ta ta, ya-ta-ta ta,
Tee-ya-ta-ta ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta tum,
Ya-ta-ta ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta tum,
Ya-ta-ta tum-te tum-te tum-te tum-te tum-te tum-te tum,
Ya-ta-ta tum-te tum-te tum-te tum-te ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta tum,

At which point the piano and cello come in to repeat the tune, develop it a little, then play it again with some dramatic variations. This time, at the end of the tune, the trio brings the music to what seems like a dramatic closure, but isn't; after a brief silence, they move into uncharted waters in a minor key.

All of this happens in the first minute and a half.

Anyway, Roderick likes it. Before the concert, he found this YouTube clip of a famous performance.

The performance tonight is excellent, though Dorothy has a bit of an upskirt problem, an occupational hazard for female cellists. The problem is compounded by the unfortunate decision to seat Dorothy facing the audience, and by Dorothy's sartorial choices, which do not include underwear.

In any case, the audience is not left in doubt about whether or not Dorothy waxes down there. The answer: she most certainly does not.

At the post-concert reception, Molly introduces Henry and Dorothy to Roderick, Anna, Megan, Emily and Henry. Introduced to Dorothy, Roderick wonders if he should comment on the view, but decides against it, reasoning that ladyparts rarely make good conversation in social settings such as this.

Dorothy, invited to comment on her performance, says "I muffed that solo in the second movement." Megan, who is in mid-drink, sprays.

Roderick, seeking to change the subject, discusses the pros and cons of ventilation.

Emily Pointe stands close to Roderick, fiddling her drink. She hopes that John Locke will be mentioned.