Last spring, we told you about the intimate weekly musical gatherings at 405 Shrader during the spring and fall, and if you missed it, you can read about it here.
Well, Michael and Ellen have announced their fall lineup, and it includes some gems: Chopin, resophonic guitars, the Dvorak Dumky trio (one of his most famous; you can watch the Beaux Arts Trio perform it here, and like all Dvorak, it's gorgeous and slightly unsettling), Shostakovitch chamber music, Tchaikovsky's Scenes From A Russian Village, and, maybe the one we're most excited about, a little Hindemith.
You can see the whole line-up here. Remember, the space is small, so RSVP sooner than later.
Since we last reported on the space, we've been lucky enough to attend a show at the end of last season, and we can tell you now with certainty: you. must. go. Attending a show at 405 Shrader is both charming and a bit surreal, and feels kind of like breathing underwater. The space is tiny and intimate, with high ceilings and an incredibly infectious buzzing energy.
The performances are kinetic, but also informative, and the performers will take time to cheerily explain to you what they're playing and give a brief biography of the composer before each piece. Afterwards, they might stick around and let you chat with them about their performance, or, if you're lucky, they'll let you play their period clavier that they travel with, and you'll get to watch slack-jawed as they load it into a Zipcar (yes, this really happened).
At the exact moment the applause following the final piece finishes, the crowd begins moving their chairs to the outside of the room. A table appears, as if by magic, and within seconds it is covered end-to-end in piles of cheese and crackers and homemade snacks, and suddenly everyone is holding a glass of wine or liqueur, and chatting about classical music and where they live in the neighborhood.
Milenski hangs a bucket from a string attached to the ceiling, and people simply drop in donations on their way out. All in all, it's a fascinating way to spend a Friday night just a few blocks from home.
