I didn’t choose June. June chose me, with its temperature approaching 96°F and a heat index forecast to feel like 102. Yes, June chose me early one Sunday morning a few weeks ago in the form of an email floating into my inbox, with promises of seeing Benini’s art in a museum reminiscent of a Greek temple.

“Michael, we have to go!” I say loudly so he can hear me in the next room.

 But before making plans to see the creative genius of Benini, I check to see what else is going on in Victoria during the month of June. I book us a teeny tiny bungalow with two white rockers on the front porch. Then I discover Sunday brunch at the Pump House—check. I read about sky high Sendara’s at the edge of historic downtown. Monday dinner—check.  But the pièce de résistance is tickets for two at a quartet strings concert at the Loretta Chapel in La Bahia in the small historic town of Goliad for Saturday night.

Victoria Bach Festival

Held the first week in June, and in existence for the past 42 years, I am amazed and delighted to discover an event dedicated to classical music in Victoria, Texas. Featuring artists from around the country, as well as from Texas, Vctoria Bach Festival is a week long celebration of  music. It is a mix of intimate concerts by talented soloists and chamber groups, as well as symphonic performances. It is probably something many residents of Victoria look forward to all year long.

There is not just one venue but seven, dotted around the city as well as in a few smaller towns within a 30 mile radius. La Bahia in Goliad is the smallest of these, and one that drew me to it the moment I saw it. So, I feel somewhat an interloper, sitting here in this tiny cozy unair-conditioned place with three foot walls and soaring ceilings, where each pew barely holds three adults and there are not enough rows to cover the entire alphabet.

The chapel is full.

Tonight’s program sits on my lap unopened.

The Aeolus Quartet

When at last the Aeolus Quartet takes the impromptu stage I am very ready to hear them perform. But first they tell their small audience that the Loretta Chapel in La Bahia is their favorite venue. Intimate. Historic. Amazing acoustics.  It seems they take an eternity to warm up, with bows arched and pulled at warp speed across the stringed instruments they hold. There are thweeeengs and thwaaaaaaangs and long long whines and suddenly I realize that they are not just warming up.

The music is—erratic. Disjointed. Discordant. Jarring.  I remember Neil Diamond singing about a Beautiful Noise.  I would almost think that this is of what he sang, but the composer, Missy Mazzoli, had not even been born when it was first released. The title of the piece is Quartet for Queen Mab. I’m not sure I’m extremely fond of the music, and I sure don’t understand it, but I can tell the execution by the musicians is superb.

When silence reigns I open my program and read the composer’s notes.

Queen Mab is an elusive creature from folklore and literature, a tiny fairy who drives her chariot into the nose of sleeping people.  She enters their brains, eliciting dreams of their heart’s desire.  This quartet embraces the wildness of Queen Mab’s journey and the dreams that result; Baroque ornaments twist around long legato lines and melodies ricochet between players.  The music follows a sort of intuitive dream logic but returns again and again to the opening material, resulting in a sort of insistent, insane ritornello…—Missy Mazzoli

At least I understand where the composer is going. Like abstract artists, she wants to shake things up a bit—make us think. Which makes me think about how I feel when I hear Beethoven’s  Ode to Joy. Or Vivaldi’s light and playful Four Season’s. Or the thunder of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. However, I’m still not sure. It may take me time to get used to this new sound—an aquired taste. Like fine wine.

The last half of the evenings concert is all about Beethoven. I make a note to myself to once again watch Immortal Beloved as I listen. The young musicians are magnificent. The acoustics—unbelievable.  When they join forces, all playing in unison, it sounds like the entire string section of a large symphonic orchestra. Amazing!

I want the world to know about this place. This opportunity. The beautiful sounds of the Aeolus Quartet. But the space available is barely a fraction of the smallest fraction of those living in the surrounding area. As an interloper, I feel extremely lucky. I’m glad this concert is not just for invited VIP guests.

Victoria Bach Festival

“The Festival is committed to performing masterworks of the classical repertoire as well as new music, and to giving local musicians the opportunity to perform with nationally acclaimed artists. Core values include artistic excellence, creativity, hospitality, accessibility, and fiscal responsibility. VBF is noted for its welcoming environment for musicians and audience members, and strives to be inclusive and accessible through outreach concerts, post-concert chats with artists, and open rehearsals.”

To learn more, click on the link above.

Aeolus Quartet

“Praised by the Baltimore Sun for combining “smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery,” the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks and new cutting-edge works to widely diverse audiences with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor.”
To learn more, click on the link above.