The Central Presbyterian Church, on E.64th and Park Avenue gave us an appetizer, a little starter to get us ready for a what we anticipate to be a delicious banquet of opera in New York for the 2004 - 2005 season.  I was hungry for wonderful music after the summer (although there was some spectacular opera if you knew where to look) and this was a great first taste.  It was a lovely venue for music, and fortunately they will be having music once a month for the fall and perhaps even the winter and spring.  Tonight is their 75th anniversary I was very fortunate to attend their celebration. 

The evening started with Bradley Brookshire's brilliant performance  on the harpsichord playing the imaginative Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue. The concert then moved to the Sonata for Oboe and Cembalo featuring Humbert Lucarelli, who was referred to as "the greatest living oboist" this evening by Arianna Zukerman, internationally renowned soprano, and by the New York Times as "America's leading oboe recitalist". 

The remainder of the concert was about Arianna Zukerman.  It began with the "Ich Folge Dir" The Passion According to Saint John.  This is Bach's second passion, although The Passion of Saint Matthew which is the first is lesser known.  Ms. Zukerman, accompanied by Flutists Melissa Healy and Jessica Willis and the Continuo of Harpsichord and Christine Chu's cello, dazzled the audience with her expressive interpretation of this baroque standard.  

Ms. Zuckerman then moved to the darker "Seufzer, Tranen, Kummer" from Cantata 21.  Her soprano, just as pure and strong in the lower registers as in the high, was haunting as it filled this lovely neo-gothic sanctuary.  And we ended our one hour concert with 'Schafe konnen sicher weiden', a lovely dream about when sheep can peacefully graze and the peace rules our land.  This timely message could not have been carried more beautifully. 

It was a small and intimate concert with huge talent. The perfect taste of what is to come this season.  In this city we have the good fortune of having local talent that is world class.  And sometimes, like tonight, we get to see them in a simply gorgeous venue for a small suggested donation.  How great is it to live here!