A genius in the family / Hilary Du Pré

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

169-170

text excerpt

The Newbury String Players were giving an afternoon concert conducted by Kiffer on Sunday 27th June in a pretty little church in Great Bedwyn, near Marlborough. Celia Nicklin, the oboist, was playing a Vivaldi Concerto, while Jackie was to perform the Rubbra Soliloquy. Together they were Veris Gratia by Kenneth Leighton. […] We ate an early lunch and left for Great Bedwyn. It was a hot, shining day and soon Jackie was in full flight playing the Rubbra, her long golden hair tossing about her. I was almost nine months pregnant and had a very wriggly two-year-old Theresa on my lap, but when Jackie played, the poignancy of her sound stilled my little girl. There was no movement from her, or anyone in the audience. During the interval Theresa and I were joined outside by Jackie and Celia, where we played a lovely game of hide-and-week among the gravestones. The audience and the orchestra had spilled outside into the June afternoon to enjoy the peace of that lovely day, but when the interval came to an end I stayed outside with Theresa. We played about to the strains of the Elgar Serenade seeping through the walls, until the time came to creep inside to hear Jackie and Celia in the Leighton. Theresa was full of fresh air and energy and as soon as she saw ‘her’ Jackie in front of the orchestra, she struggled to leave my lap. I contained her, but again it was the sound of Jackie and her Davidoff that caused Theresa to relax completely, dissolving in my arms to the performance.

excerpt from 'A genius in the family / Hilary Du Pré' pp. 169-170 (267 words)

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1406054873263