Ashokan Farewell- The Downtown Chamber Series

"Ashokan Farewell" by Jay Ungar, arr. by Gabriel Lefkowitz
recorded December 2011 at The IceHouse, Phoenix AZ
Robert H. Simonds, violin; Alex Laing, clarinet; Peter Anderegg, cello; Mark Dix, viola
Sculptures by:
Richard Bloom "Updraft" steel, concrete (center) [e-mail]
Kyle Blalock "Introvert" steel, neon (right side) and
"Yoshi, decadence and decay" steel (left side)
[e-mail]
Audio/Video by Adam Murray
www.downtownchamberseries.org/
/ 148051338592658
@dtchamberseries
theicehouseaz.com/
www.gabriellefkowitz.com/

[@Dan-vj3qu]

11 years and yet to hear a version better than this!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Wow. That is high praise! Thanks for listening

[@bradykelso8682]

Fabulous performance from four great musicians!❤

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for listening and for the kind words.

[@danielz6201]

First heard this melody when we all did in 1990 and still love it!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

It's a enduring tune. Thanks for listening.

[@cubuffdoc]

Such a hauntingly beautiful rendition of this composition- the clarinet is a lovely addition!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thank you for listening!

[@lanslay7342]

Absolutely beautiful and very beautifully done!!🛐👍👏✝️🌹✝️❤️🕎💕💓🔯🇺🇸

[@tutts0558]

First heard this played by the Royal Marine Band ....just beautiful.

[@globalwarrior2795]

The finest version I've ever heard simply Beautiful.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for the kind words. We appreciate it.

[@globalwarrior2795]

@@DowntownChamberSeries you're more than welcome it was wonderfully played.

[@jamesreed7528]

Fantasti! The clarinet adds a new dimension to one of my favorite melodies. It blends well with the strings. Thanks.

[@stephenadams2926]

Best version for me ! Well done ! Thank you !

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

That is high praise, Stephen! Many thanks for listening, we really appreciate it.

[@bluegrassrle]

Beautiful

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for listening!

[@dannyrodriguez8679]

you guys have such great tone

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks Danny. That is very kind of you to say. We appreciate it.

[@polo02eg]

Watching this during covid 19

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Glad to provide a brief distraction.

[@karmacounselor]

The clarinet is so welcome to hear in this beautiful piece! Thank you so much!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for listening long enough for to pick up the clarinet!

[@karmacounselor]

@@DowntownChamberSeries thank you! I played clarinet for years and love the sound...thanks again!

[@karmacounselor]

@@DowntownChamberSeries Thanks to the phones we have now, I can play music at the graves of my parents and others. I like to play the Ashokan Farewell to them, so I will keep the link to your version and play it at graves from now on. I like to think they can hear it from the 'other side'. Thank you so much!

[@karmacounselor]

@@DowntownChamberSeries Is Alex improvising, or does Gabriel Lefkowitz have the clarinet part? I played Eb so I learned to look at Bb music and transpose as I went along. I had no idea that doing that was amazing until now when I think back on it....the timing of this question is because yesterday when I was substitute teaching, the orchestra teacher played this on her violin as an example to entice the 4th graders to sign up for orchestra lessons. I will tell her about the clarinet part.

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@BOK602]

Wonderful arrangement! Achingly beautiful performance.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks Johanna. It was filmed in a wonderful old building "The Icehouse" in downtown Phoenix.

[@kiplingslastcat]

I've been working on this tune for a few weeks now... this is such a beautiful rendition.

[@bertshutler5973]

just lovely

[@cliffsandifer3877]

hazzah....this tune put some food on the table for Jay Ungar

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Jay wrote a banger.

[@bluegrassfan23]

That is so moving!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@countrookularich4493]

I liked that a lot!!

[@e15pud]

Great sound from the cello 👍

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

XOXXOXO WE LOVED WHEN A CELLOIST SAT IN ON OUR JAM.. BEAUTIFUL!

[@ingenuity168]

Very well played. Excellent.

[@larryhavel7066]

Perfect, Ken Burns!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for listening, Larry.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks. It means a lot, especially coming from someone who knows these instruments so well.

[@johannawesley4450]

Very nicely done--- great acoustics. :)

[@Lulubrandao]

Sent to Chris & Luciane from brother Philip - thank you for 4 minutes of blissful listening - congratulations and continued success. Abraços, C & L

[@josebrito4694]

Amazing...Congratulations Since Itu/ São Paulo/ Brasil

[@egonspengler1867]

This rendition sounds like a movie theater...Got my soda, and my popcorn, watching Ken Burn's Civil War. Can hear it now! By the summer of 1861, Wilmer McClain had had enough....

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Many thanks for listening...and watching with popcorn.

[@Paul-fp1gr]

This is the tune that prompted me to take up violin.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for your very kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks very much for your kind words.

[@johannawesley4450]

Coolio! =) It looks like a beautiful building, even from what little I can see in the video.

[@rodhooper6283]

❤

[@wallywam1]

Dude can play a mean licorice stick

[@timo4themusik902]

♥️♥️♥️

[@taylorunice]

omg was rocking out to this! just played this piece at my symphony concert and we killed it !!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Glad you liked the video and we bet an orchestral version is awesome.

[@taylorunice]

very neat y'all are from az! i live in the southern part of az!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Glad you enjoyed it. Vibrato is learned liked anything else: slowly and deliberately. If you want more info let us know and we'll direct you to some resources on technique. And shoulder rests help most violinists and violists.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

That violin was purchased from a dealer in Boston. Probably best to focus on finding the best instrument for you rather than chasing after a specific maker. But a quick search turned up one from 1921 at A440 in Chicago.

[@raheloktarinasitanggang6180]

Amazing...I dream of playing chamber as amazing as this. But I'm still a beginner in Violin haha

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Rahel Sitanggang Thanks for the comment. Keep practicing and find some good friends to play with and you'll be there in no time.

[@raheloktarinasitanggang6180]

Amen. I believe one day it will happen. Thanks for the encouragement.

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for the compliment and your interest. Send us a Personal Message on KZbin and let us know a little bit more about what you have in mind. And we'll go from there. Thanks

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for your interest. Rob's violin was made by Mario Bedocchi in 1927.

[@turtlejoy4ever]

i love it! i'm playing it as part of our school's spring concert. hopefully, i'll get the violin solo. if i do, how do i do vibrato? does a shoulder rest really help? thanks for reading this!

[@leitfie3579]

Ideally, vibrato comes from the rapid movement of the wrist, backwards and forwards, varying the pitch of the note nfinitesimally, which creates this warm, attractive sound. Look at good players and you'll see how it is done, which is not the same as making it happen! It's a matter of practice, and really you'd be best to find a good violin teacher to help you with it. I've just noticed that your comment was posted 10 years ago - so probabky you solved the problem long ago!

[@veronicagaudet01]

Simply beautiful and would love to feature this on a civil war website. How would one go about contacting you for that?

[@kayrogers880]

Name of the music! TYIA

[@Biber0315]

Is this arrangement available?

[@a_missippian]

flute way too embellished - less is more here

[@danvanhoose6783]

Ending was a bit too much .

[@Cladman3001]

Excellent!

[@DowntownChamberSeries]

Thanks for listening, Bob