Mixon
Hall
June
26
Harkness
Chapel
June
28
 |
| Taking the tour of Rome: Cohen, Albers and Murrath. |
Maybe
there’s something to be said for a break. The second week of the
festival opened with a burst of fresh energy, fueled by a few days
off, an influx of new performers and bold programming that took
listeners on some wild rides.
The
centerpiece of Wednesday night’s concert was The Companion Guide
to Rome, a 2010 work for string trio by American composer Andrew
Norman. Just 33, Norman has already amassed a long list of awards and
compositions noted for their spatial dimensions and architectural
references. Those elements permeate Companion Guide, a
collection of nine portraits of churches in the Eternal City filled
with quick turns, sharp changes of mood and atmosphere, and touches
of humor like the sudden intrusion of a car horn.
Though
much of the music is abstract, it invokes very specific images and
feelings. Late afternoon light dapples a high ceiling in the
“Cecilia” movement. Whimsical note-bending and whirling turns in
“Ivo” left this astonished critic feeling slightly dizzy, as if
the twirling had been an actual physical experience. Norman’s
ability to translate tactile sensations into music is remarkable, and
was helped in this case by a fine performance from violinist Diana
Cohen, violist Dimitri Murrath and cellist Julie Albers.
What
to pair with a groundbreaking work like Companion Guide? The
Cohens dug up a perfect opener, an obscure Biber piece titled
Battalia à
10, which portrays a military skirmish in vivid and inventive
terms. To re-create the sound of a marching drum, for example, bass
player Scott Dixon inserted a page of the score between his strings
and tapped them with his bow. With eyes closed, you couldn’t tell
the difference. He and the other nine players gave a bright, animated
rendering of the rest of the piece, led by first violinist Amy
Schwartz Moretti.
Most
of the ChamberFest programs closed on a traditional note, as in this
evening’s Sextet for Two Violins, Two Violas and Two Cellos
by Brahms. The instrumentation – essentially a trio doubled –
opens up some interesting structural variations and tones. For
listeners who prefer to sit back, close their eyes and be carried
away, it’s also captivatingly beautiful. The ensemble played it
with a sophisticated combination of expression and technique, topped
by golden sounds from violinists Schwartz Moretti and Noah
Bendix-Balgley.
Mixon
Hall makes good music better with its superb acoustics, but Harkness
Chapel does the opposite, diffusing the sound and adding a jangle
around the edges. This robbed Friday night’s concert of some
impact, though the playing was once again sharp and the program
outstanding.
The
high point was Ravel’s Trio
for Piano, Violin and Cello. Written in 1914, it is a
brilliant work that makes heavy demands on both the players and
audience, with increasingly intricate themes, overlapping time
signatures and virtuoso coloring. A sensitive first movement featured
flowing keyboard work by Matan Porat and deeply felt, melancholy
strings from violinist Yehonatan Berick and cellist Julie Albers.
Tight ensemble playing carried the rhythmic surges of the second
movement, building to intense third and fourth movements marred a bit
by a leaden quality in the lower piano registers. But the overall
effect was lustrous, especially Albers’ lead cello lines.
The
opening piece, Ginastera’s Pampeana No. 2, was also weighed
down by the keyboard, though Porat and cellist Robert deMaine wound
it up to a snappy close. Gershwin’s Three Preludes for Clarinet
and Piano opened the second half, with clarinetist Franklin Cohen
finding fresh nuances in the well-known melodies and Orion Weiss
providing stylish accompaniment.
Messiaen’s
Theme and Variations for Violin and Piano was elegantly played
by pianist Porat and violinist Bendix-Blagley, though it never
developed any legs, perhaps because this early work seems so
conventional in light of the composer’s later achievements. And a
foursome of Weiss, deMaine, violinist Diana Cohen and violist Dimiti
Murrath provided a satisfying, comfortable finish with an unabashedly
romantic rendering of Schumann’s Quartet for Piano, Violin,
Viola and Cello. Featuring particularly sweet sounds from Cohen,
it was both intelligent and accessible, a spirited refresher on a
muggy evening.
The
same might be said of the entire Friday program, which alternated
familiar anchors with bold, modern innovations. Acoustics
notwithstanding, it was an invigorating excursion.
For
more on The Companion Guide to Rome:
http://andrewnormanmusic.com/archives/45
For
more on Diana Cohen:
http://chamberfestcleveland.com/portfolio/diana-cohen/
Photo by Gary Adams
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