Mixon
Hall
June
29
Dunham
Tavern
June
30
Refined music with a rustic touch at Dunham Tavern. |
There
wasn’t an empty seat in the house at either of the concluding
ChamberFest concerts. And truth to tell, there weren’t many
throughout the rest of the festival. That speaks to smart organizing
skills and marketing savvy, but more importantly, reaffirms the
timeless appeal of quality programming performed by high-caliber
players.
The
template that worked so well came to the fore again on Friday night,
with traditional chamber works by Haydn and Brahms setting the stage
for a blowout reduction of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The
former kept the traditionalists happy, while Stravinsky still pushed
the envelope, fully 100 years (to the day) after Parisians hissed and
booed what is now regarded as one of the most influential musical
works of the 20th century.
After
a heavy modern workout on Friday, pianist Matan Porat brought a
lyrical quality to Haydn’s Trio for Piano, Violin and
Cello (XV:28), embellished nicely by violinist Noah
Bendix-Balgley and cellist Tanya Ell. The interpretation was
straightforward but the tempo and sound were seductive, if a bit
mechanical at times.
Brahms’
Quintet for Clarinet, Two Violins, Viola and Cello (Op. 115)
was perhaps the most emotional piece of the entire festival – not
surprising, given its dedication to ChamberFest Managing Director
Christina Gaston, who died unexpectedly in April. The piece lends
itself to muted strings and the somber tones struck by clarinetist
Franklin Cohen, though the emotional intensity that he and violinists
Yehonatan Berick and Diana Cohen, violist Dimitri Murrath and cellist
Robert deMaine brought to their performance was striking. A virtuoso
closing fade evoked a passing moment, and life, beautifully.
There
were only four players for the Rite of Spring reduction, but
their two pianos and dual percussion sets filled the entire stage.
And the piece lost nothing in power or impact, with Porat and Orion
Weiss providing seamless, interlocking keyboard lines, backed by
explosive punctuation from Alexander Cohen and Scott Christian. It
was fascinating to hear the work broken down into its component
parts, which sounded no less radical sans orchestration. And no less
primal – a reflection of the precision and quality of the playing.
Sunday’s
closing concert offered a warm contrast, not just to the fireworks of
Saturday night, but in the setting and scope: British and German
works played in an American barn. Or more precisely, Dunham Tavern,
the restored 19th-century settlers’ home and stagecoach stop on
Euclid Ave. Rebuilt after the original burned down in 1963, the new
barn offers an open, rustic wooden space that produces a surprisingly
rich, full sound.
Two
brief sweeteners to start: A Fantasia in F major and Chaconne
by Purcell, played with spirit and zest by violinists Noah
Bendix-Balgley, Amy Schwartz Moretti, cellist Tanya Ell and violists
Yu Jin and Yehonatan Berick. Ell had some particularly nice lines in
the Chaconne, showing how to put a lilt in the low end.
Britten’s
String Quartet No. 2 (Op. 36) has some structural ties to
Purcell, but those are quickly forgotten in this work’s endlessly
fascinating and unconventional tones, textures and colors. It calls
for superb technical command, which violinist Diana Cohen and cellist
Julie Albers showed in several skillful turns. Violinist Schwartz
Moretti and violist Murrath were even better, playing solos and lead
lines with virtuoso precision and flair.
Schwartz
Moretti was also a standout in the first violin seat for
Mendelssohn’s Quintet No. 1 for Two Violins, Two Violas and
Cello (Op. 18), playing with tenderness and careful attention to
detail. The piece starts with focused intensity but lightens up as it
progresses, and violinist Bendix-Balgley, violists Berick and
Murrath, and cellist Robert deMaine joined in bringing it to an
exuberant, impassioned finish.
Interestingly,
the predominant feeling among the ChamberFest staff as the audience
gathered in the garden for après-concert
ice cream was, “We’re so sad!” Riding an emotional high usually
ends with a bumpy landing, though the staff wasn’t alone. The
energy of the festival came not just from the dazzling performances
onstage, but from a full schedule of talks, socials and special
events that made the audience part of the action. So the letdown was
a shared emotion. And the festival set standards that the Cohens will
be hard-pressed to top in 2014.
For
more on Dunham Tavern: http://dunhamtavern.org/
For
a video of Pierre Boulez discussing and conducting The Rite
of Spring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAI_Id4ve-M
Photo by Gary Adams
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