Cleveland
Institute of Music
February
20
Cleveland
State University
February
19
Plymouth
Church
February
17
Duo plus one: Warner, Umble and Warner. |
The
past week has brought a surfeit of chamber music, a welcome respite
from the leaden skies and gloomy days of February. There’s nothing
like small halls filled with elegant, uplifting music to chase the
winter blues.
In
that regard, pianist Carolyn Gadiel Warner’s annual gathering of
friends at the Cleveland Institute of Music on Wednesday couldn’t
have been better-timed. And what a group of friends! A longtime
member of the CIM faculty and Cleveland Orchestra, Warner was joined
by a supporting cast that included fellow orchestra members John
Clouser (bassoon), Mark Jackobs (viola), Jesse McCormick (French
horn), Frank Rosenwein (oboe), Marisela Sager (flute) and Stephen
Warner (violin). The latter is also her husband and partner in the
Cleveland Duo; they play frequently with alto saxophonist James
Umble, who joined them in Mixon Hall.
“It’s
an unusual program – none of it is in the mainstream repertoire,”
Warner cautioned in her introduction. Which turned out to be a bonus.
Instead of the usual Bach, Brahms and Beethoven fare, the audience was
treated to late 19th/early 20th-century works by Darius Milhaud,
Ernst von Dohnányi and
Ludwig Thuille. Each had distinctive points of interest, and all
benefited from fine playing.
Composed
for a 1923 ballet, Milhaud’s La Création
du Monde reflects the composer’s fascination with American jazz
– actually, more like an obsession in this happy cacophony of
Gershwin-like street sounds and catchy melodies. If it sounded
anemic, that’s because La Création
was originally written for a 29-piece ensemble which included
five timpani. Still, it was well worth hearing in Warner’s
arrangement for quartet, particularly the soulful sax work by Umble.
So was von Dohnányi’s
Quintet for Piano and Strings No. 2 (rather
than the more familiar No. 1),
a melodramatic work that swoops and swells and features lots of
anxious quivering in the strings. The sound became ragged around the
edges in the final movements, and no wonder – the piece is nearly
30 minutes long, and demands intense concentration throughout.
Otherwise, the playing was sharp and thoughtful.
Thuille’s
Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet
was gorgeous, a relatively straightforward late Romantic work that
sounded surprisingly modern at times in its melodies and tonal
combinations. The wind and horn ensemble was quite good, turning in a
polished, spirited performance that featured sparkling solos by
clarinetist Elinor Rufeizen. That fit perfectly with the snow falling
outside the glass wall behind the performers, which added a touch of
enchantment to the evening.
A supple stylist. |
At
Cleveland State’s Drinko Hall on Tuesday, faculty member and
pianist Robert Cassidy put together a more familiar program that also
featured high-caliber Cleveland Orchestra talent (and another
husband-wife team) in cellist Tanya Ell and clarinetist Robert
Woolfrey. Cassidy opened with a solo performance of Bach’s Italian
Concerto (BWV 971), showing a
fluid, supple style and a fine balance between technical precision
and sensitive expression.
Ell
joined him for Beethoven’s Sonata in G minor for Piano
and Cello (Op. 5, No. 2) and
displayed impressive command of her instrument, particularly in
playing on the bridge to establish the opening low tones. Ell
squeezes an amazing amount of expression out of the cello, and worked
well with Cassidy, creating a delicate interplay with him in the
final movement. Woolfrey’s turn with Cassidy was less satisfying,
mostly because of the piece, Introduction, Theme and
Variations for Clarinet and Piano
by Rossini. Woolfrey was up to the technical demands of the
fast-paced, repeating clarinet phrases, but the work itself never
develops much beyond a set of dexterity exercises.
The
full trio established an authoritative sound immediately in the
finale, Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B-flat major
(Op.11), better-known as the Gassenhauer Trio.
Their deft handling of the many shifting tempos was seamless, and the
intelligence and verve of their performance left this critic wishing
there had been more trios on the bill. Still, the concert (part of
the John A. Flower Faculty Concert Series) more than merited the live
broadcast slot it was given on WCLV.
Have lute, will travel. |
For
pure escape, there is nothing better than Baroque, and Debra Nagy’s
Les Délices
ensemble offered a particularly refined retreat with a “Portrait of
Love” program at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights on Sunday
afternoon. British lute and theorbo specialist Nigel North joined the
group and established a warm, fluid sound with entrées
and other short solo pieces in the first half, which focused on early
music (Robert Ballard, Pierre Guédron).
Both North and soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw had an opportunity to
showcase their dexterity on an engaging duet, Gabrielle Bataille’s
Ma bergere non
legére.
Shaw
was best when she had a chance to be expressive in later works, like
Michel Lambert’s D’Un
feu secret. But
the group’s exquisite sound comes primarily from two players –
Nagy on recorder and oboe, and Emily Walhout on viola da gamba –
who were outstanding. Walhout transfixed the audience with a
commanding solo, De Machy’s Prélude,
eliciting enthusiastic and well-deserved applause. And Nagy took
every piece up a notch when she came in, especially with
ornamentation on selections like Joseph Chabanceau de la Barre’s
J’avois juré.
Nagy
said farewell to the packed house with a reminder that the group’s
next Cleveland concerts (April 20 & 21) will feature “one of
the world’s finest hurdy-gurdy players.” We can hardly wait.
For
more on Les Délices:
http://www.lesdelices.org/LD/Home.html
For
more on Robert Cassidy:
http://www.robertcassidypianist.com/
For
more on Carolyn Gadiel Warner and the Cleveland Duo:
http://www.clevelandduo-umble.com/
Robert Cassidy photo by Roger Mastroianni
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