<<  -- 4 --  Tess Crebbin    UNITING EUROPE

Mozart, which followed, should have provided some lighter relief, but after Ah spiegarti o Dio K178, with Pasquale Anfossi's text from the opera Il curioso indiscreto, Scholl chose to stay on the tragic vein and to draw his concert to a close with some of the most heartbreaking Mozart there is: the 1787 Abendempfindung an Laura (K523, text by Joachim Heinrich Campe), that ends by looking forward to Laura standing at the grave of the man who loves her and crying a tear for him that becomes his sweetest pearl. This Scholl sang with such immense drama that when it was all over, everyone was spellbound and wanted more. Feet stomping, bravos, and determined clapping made it clear that nobody was willing to go home, and brought the singer back on stage for his encore. Had the lights not come on after that and yet another half dozen curtain calls, Scholl would have sung all night. It seems that people can never get quite enough of him, which accounts for his enormous success.

Also deserving of a special mention is Markus Märkel, his accompanist, whom Scholl met when they were both studying at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Born in the same year as Scholl, Märkel is somewhat of a miracle man at the harpsichord. Before he finished his studies in organ and harpsichord with top marks, he already started teaching at the same school at which he was a student. Together, Scholl and Märkel are a great team and at the reception that followed we were graced by the presence of them both and they took great pleasure in mingling with their public at the post-concert reception.

It was a great evening and now it will be very interesting to see what is going to happen with the Europamusicale in future. Meanwhile, for all those who wish to become part of this exciting venture, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Every European country has the right to become part of the foundation's board of trustees and may nominate a representative. France, for instance, sends Radio France's Music Director Rene Koering, and there are many high profile people from other European countries as well. For music enthusiasts, there is always the chance of donating funds to the Europamusicale and the many ways in which this is possible are outlined on their website: www.europamusicale.com