Piccolo Regio Giacomo Puccini / at 05:00 PM

THREE MINUETS AT A FEAST

The feast in question is Babette’s, which is evoked by the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning Danish film. The three minuets included in the program meld superbly with the pastoral from the film. Luigi Boccherini’s is somewhat of an appetizer, an invitation to dance. Schubert’s piece expands with a sense of longing, conjuring up a sumptuous roast. For the finale, the minuet by Beethoven proves to be a surprisingly delicious dessert, crammed with jolts, pauses and syncopation which, at this point in the meal, make any manner of dancing unthinkable.