In the concert, the performance of the Vasks quartet goes very well, mainly because the string players are on tremendous form. This is maybe the only piano quartet in the whole world where the piano part is easier than the string parts. The work is indeed almost 45 minutes long, making it one of the longest piano quartets. The audience responds with enormous warmth, though I later discover this was as much a sign of their appreciation of the playing as of the piece. Vasks is very happy, though he intimates that he might cut the work before it's printed and published. I mingle with the audience to canvas their reactions. Some of the musicians see the faults in the work - basically the imbalance between substance and length - but many people loved it, and all agree that it is sincere and gripping - an accolade that many contemporary works would not gain from an audience after a premiere. << less