Last Friday, October 9, Richard Marshall offered a viola recital for the residents of Kendal at Granville. The Amelia Room was packed and the audience delighted by the performance.
For many years Marshall has been a member of the Minnesota Symphony. He is also the son of an emeritus member of the English Department at Denison University. This local tie meant that his appearance at Kendal provided an opportunity for many of his relatives and friends to hear him perform. Since his accompanist, Philip Everingham, was also a local figure – the organist at the First Presbyterian Church – the occasion was altogether a memorable and happy get-together of music lovers and friends.
Before playing, Marshall set the stage for the evening by speaking a bit about his enterprise and his instrument. He called his diverse program the "Marshall Plan." He followed that remark by immediately referring to his imminent performance as a "Marshall Art." We had been alerted by quips. A chuckling audience was prepared for an evening of entertainment.
The program was varied. Marshall began with an unaccompanied bouree by J. S. Bach. As he proceeded through his diverse program he evoked the schmaltz of Vienna with several lush compositions or arrangements by Fritz Kreisler, shifted eras by introducing us to a lovely work by Maria de Paradis (a contemporary of Mozart's), brought the room to silence with the haunting Vocalise by Rachmaninoff, and concluded the evening with the familiar "Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking" by . . . Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin? Who knew? I sure didn't.
A standing ovation followed the concert. No surprise there. The music was lovely, the performance splendid, the entertainment value high, and the sense that we were welcoming a local boy home gratifying. It was a memorable evening for Kendal.
