(no subject)

[wanderingsin]

The recital hall is only half full when they arrive. Student recitals are usually pretty small but this evening’s perhaps quieter than normal.

But most of those there seem interested. There’s an air of excitement in those milling about, and a touch of mild distain from a group of well dressed students sipping champagne in one corner of the foyer.

A woman in her early twenties comes over to meet each of the guests in turn. She has the sort of stunning Grecian beauty that would have made do something stupid like turn into a swan or a golden shower.

“Welcome to my Aggie Michaelides’s second year recital, performed by the Disparate Few Quintet. We’re so glad you could come.” She greets, offering them a glass of champagne. “I’m Mags, Aggie’s sister. May I ask your name?” She has a list on her phone rather than a clip board but she doesn’t need to check it. She has most of it by heart.

Comments

[athelstanthescribe]

"Athelstan", he tells her. "Pretty sure I'll be the only one."

[wanderingsin]

Her smile lights up the room. "Oh, you're Sin's artist friend! Oh, I'm so glad you could come. He speaks so highly of your work, and of you as a friend."

[athelstanthescribe]

He can't help smiling back.

"Well, I think the same of him. I wouldn't have missed it."

[wanderingsin]

"He really is a wonderful musician." She beams. "And gorgeous! I'm so looking forward to dressing him for the Biennale."

[athelstanthescribe]

"I don't suppose you'll tell me what his costume is?" he asks lightly, not really expecting her to say yes. "He won't."

[wanderingsin]

"Oh no." She tries very hard to look serious rather than thrilled. "I've sworn him to secrecy and threatened to do terrible, terrible things to him if he tells anyone."

"Please, please don't make me kill him, or you."

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan laughs.

"God forbid. I'll stop pestering him to tell me, then."

[cook_the_rude]

"Roman Fell," says the well-groomed man in black tie, taking the champagne with a charming smile.

[wanderingsin]

"Sin's friend?" She smiles brightly. "I'm so glad you could make it. He really is an amazing musician. There aren't many people who can keep up with Aggie as well as he does."

[cook_the_rude]

"I am so looking forward to seeing that myself," Dr. Fell says. "Do you have a programme leaflet for the evening?"

[wanderingsin]

"I do." She smiles, rummaging around behind a rostrum. "I'm afraid it's not as glossy as we'd like but we spent most of the budget on making the champagne drinkable."

She grins disarmingly and presents him with a home printed, folded program. It doesn't have much on it, the names of the musicians, their areas specialities, and the scholarships or grants they're here on. The rest are mostly cryptic Shakespearean quotes, alluding to something more literary than classical.

Sin Isaurian is listed for both violin and flute.

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Fell sips the champagne again. "You succeeded quite well," he says, smirking as he accepts the flyer. "Whatever did you treat it with?"

[wanderingsin]

"The application of bribery to the catering team." She answers honestly. "Threats occasionally but mostly bribery. Students aren't suppose to have access to the good stuff for recitals."

[cook_the_rude]

"You do have your priorities straight," Dr. Fell smiles. "Your music is excellent anyway, so what to do to keep the audience happy, and come back in increased force for the next recital? Glossy programs is not it."

He sips his champagne again.

"If you need some strings pulled in the culture vulture establishment the next time, do ask me."

He offers her his business card.

[wanderingsin]

The stage is set up simply – four chairs in one corner, a table full of percussive instruments – both traditional and non-traditional. Including an aluminium hubcap.

But centre stage is a large folding screen, large enough for several people to hide behind.

Aggie Michaelides steps out on stage as the lights dim, a mirror image of her sister but rather than an elaborately flowing dress, she’s dressed in a tight black body suit.

She bows, smiling warmly. “Good Evening, I’m Aggie Michaelides. I’d like to thank you all for coming to my second year recital. I know I have quite a reputation for unusual performances,” there a knot of derisive muttering from the well dressed students but Aggie goes on unperturbed, “and I hope tonight’s performance won’t disappoint.”

“Tonight, the Disparate Few Quintet will be performing my composition – It’s What’s Underneath That Counts. A musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I grew up loving Shakespeare and believe that, like Shakespeare, music should be experienced rather than just read or listened to. That was the motivation behind, what my lecturers politely refer to as unconventional performance.”

“Now let me introduce you to the Disparate Few. We chose the name because all of us come from different places, both geographically and personally. All of us are scholarship students, able to study at this most ancient and honourable institution because of the generosity of endowments and private donors.”

She rattles of the obliquity thanks and honourable mentions to all of the distinguished guests (most of whom have names matching the grants), some of them rising to take a bow as their due – mostly older ladies in ancestral pearls and white gloves and in the boxes above.

One by one she introduces the Disparate Few – all of whom are dressed in matching black bodysuits that smooth out physical features beyond general body type.

Barrington Smyth-Jones is a tall, broad-shouldered dark-skinned man with bearings of an aristocrat and dreadlocks down to the small of his back.

Ollie Pickering is a lanky blonde South-African with a surfer’s tan, who moves like he’s made entirely out of knees and elbows. He waves vigorously and whistles to someone at the back of the room.

Min-jun Soo is a slightly over-weight Korean girl with a very serious expression who bows when introduced.

Sin Isaurian in introduced last, smiling warmly. He scans the crowd as he takes his bow, making eye contact with both Dr. Fell and Athelstan, to let them know what it means to him that they’re there. The bodysuit makes him look even more androgynous than normal, rounding him out to look like some melding of male and female.

The music begins with the storm, starting slow and building to a violent crescendo as the boat breaks apart. A complex piece but traditional enough. Min-jun on persuasion plays with an intense passion, seeming to really get in to the sound of the storm.

Sinric puts down the violin and steps behind the screen, returning a moment later with a simple white pinafore tied over the body suit. He takes up a piccolo, playing a high, sweet lament. He has clearly been cast as Viola.

As the story goes on, there are more costume changes – as Viola becomes a boy to serve the Duke, Sinric exchanges the piccolo for a regular treble flute, making several theatrical false starts to get the lower notes.

With Barrington playing Duke Orsino and Aggie playing Olivia, they play out the main storyline as a series of increasing complicated duets. Each character complemented by a single piece of brightly coloured costume over the black bodysuit, swapped and traded as the players change character.

It’s a wonderfully visual performance played by a group with obvious chemistry. But more than that – who clearly love what they’re doing. The duel between Sir Toby (played by Ollie) and Sin’s Cesario is played as a duet, darting and chasing each other across the stage, both Ollie and Sin grinning madly as they become entangled – Ollie fingering Sin’s flute as Sin bow’s Ollie’s violin. Min-jun providing appropriate sound effects as they clash.

As finally the siblings are revealed and the lovers untangled, the piece comes to its completion with the five players moving to the edge of the stage to take their bows. For a nervous moment, there is silence before the applause come – some reserved, others rapturous. A pretty mixed response from a predominantly traditional crowd.

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Fell stands first, clapping enthusiastically.

It seems that he thinks they deserve a standing ovation.

[wanderingsin]

Sin beams as Dr. Fell stands and more people follow. Radiant with joy, he turns to Aggie, hugging her warmly before they take another bow, his eyes sparkling.

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Fell keeps clapping, smiling right at Sin through the audience as more and more of them rise.

[wanderingsin]

All five of them look overjoyed at the reception. Sin turns to hug Aggie as they take another bow, stepping back to let Aggie shine. It was her Como as it in after all.

A few bows later, they head off stage, collecting and packing away instruments as the foyer doors open. There's more discussion and dissection going on around trays of champagne and nibbles.

[cook_the_rude]

Dr. Fell wanders out among them, speaking to a few people he knows, but still alert for when he sees Sin emerge. Or maybe his mysterious other friend that Mags mentioned?

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan is on his feet as well, aiming to encourage the rest of the crowd not to be shy.

[wanderingsin]

Others do follow. Not everyone but more than now. Sin spots him and smiles, radiantly joyous at their success.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan beams back at him.

[wanderingsin]

Aggie blows the audience a kiss and they file off stage, packing away their instruments.

Mags has the tables restocked with more bubbly and trays of nibbles glide through the crowd in the arms of catering staff.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan loiters, waiting as he promised.