Editor's note: While attending a cello concert on April 16, I saw a young man taking copious notes on a yellow pad. At intermission I asked him why. He said he was a 17-year-old student from Lake of the Pines who was taking Ken Hardin's music appreciation course at Sierra College, Music 002.

As the Prospector has already run a review of the concert by our regular reviewer, Charles Atthill, in the March 20 issue, I thought it would be fun to share a student's view of the same concert, which featured cellist Amit Peled and pianist Eli Kalman.

Do you think Mr. Harris, who plans to major in business, deserves an A on this review?

When I think of cello music, I think of an orchestra with lots of instruments, with a lonely cellist or two hidden away.

After seeing Amit Peled's flawless performance, my view of this instrument will be forever changed. Amit played with amazing style and grace. Each piece not only came out through his instrument, but in his face and body.

The lights dimmed, and there was applause as Amit and Eli walked out on stage. Amit's performance was an incredibly pleasing experience. Not only is Amit an extremely gifted musician, he is also an excellent performer. To play the cello - an instrument with no frets - as flawlessly as he does must be a challenge, to say the least. I was very impressed by the way his fingers always knew exactly where to press and by how he seemed to have memorized every piece he played.

He began to play the first piece: a sonata for cello and piano in G minor. The first movement of the piece was slow and heartfelt. Amit handled the cello with delicacy and grace. When the movement ended, there was a pause, Amit inhaled sharply, and he began the second movement: a quick and spirited melody. The way Amit handled the change between movements with his whole presence intrigued me. I enjoyed not only the music but also watching Amit play the rest of the piece.

The second piece that was performed was a cello solo written by György Ligeti. Before playing this particular piece, Amit explained that it was written as a love song for Ligeti's girlfriend, who was also a cellist, and that it employed a technique that was new at the time: plucking a string and sliding up or down on the cello's neck to create an ascending or descending note ending.

Amit said that Ligeti's piece used the downward sliding to indicate his girlfriend's voice and the upward sliding to indicate that he was talking. Amit continued, saying the second movement was written after this girlfriend of Ligeti's broke up with him; it was much angrier. There was a wave of laughter, and Amit began to play.

The piece was quite beautiful - a flowing melody occasionally interrupted by the unusual sliding technique, which seemed to me to mimic a conversation: As soon as the sliding up had finished, there was a sliding down to respond, and vise versa. When the first movement ended, the mood of the piece was palpably changed. The melody became discordant, almost unpleasant in parts, and the tempo changed from flowing and elegant to an almost murderous pace.

Amit performed the piece almost as if he were the one who had written the song. His facial expression turned to anguish, and he wielded his bow like a weapon. His movements mimicking a stabbing motion. The afternoon of music continued on in this pattern, and all the pieces were played as flawlessly as the first.

After experiencing Amit's performance, I have gained a new appreciation for this wonderful instrument and the kind of feelings that can be expressed through cello music. His emotional connection with the music and the way he expressed his music physically through his face and body was truly extraordinary. I will look for more of Amit's performances and those of other cellists in the future.