 |
Friday, July 8, 2005
A lovely evening was had thanks to mostly superb playing at chamber music festival
Pleasures were abundant Wednesday night at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival.
 | MUSIC REVIEW | ||
| |||
The first half, in particular, had much to offer, from a tiny quintet of Luigi Boccherini to music of George Gershwin and Francis Poulenc. There were diverse interests, a touch of curiosity and superb playing.
Boccherini's little work, scored for a double brace of violins and cellos plus a viola, was felicity itself, with its tender sprouts of melodious accents.
The key is not to overdo, and the five musicians never came close. They played with flourish but flourish suitable for the 18th century of the composer rather than someone of a later age. The big parts went to the first violin and first cello -- Carmit Zori and Robert deMaine, respectively. They played with welcome panache and easy charm. Their able colleagues were James Ehnes, violin; Toby Appel, viola, and Toby Saks, cello.
If there were a moment to swoon, it came with Gershwin's Lullaby, written for string quartet. With the identical principals of the Boccherini, except Saks, and with Ehnes and Zori changing first and second violin, the ensemble's same attention to style and detail prevailed. Lullabies by nature are tender creatures, and Gershwin's is not any different. It is clearly a work of the American master. The four got the juice Gershwin provided with considerable subtlety but knew when to not push forward.
Poulenc did not write a lot of chamber music but his clarinet sonata is a major contribution to the field. It has all the flair the French composer could muster, rich in piquant melodies and rhythmically alive. The clarinetist was Frank Kowalsky, an old-festival hand. He was pretty near his best, giving a performance of aplomb and stylistic flavor. His able partner was Alon Goldstein.
The evening ended with a warhorse of the 19th century -- Brahms's F Minor Piano Quintet. His large-scale chamber works often end such concerts. Inevitably they make a big impression and get people to their feet.
However, this reading was not so persuasive. It was filled with inner tension and occasional awkwardness. No one seemed at ease except perhaps the fine pianist, Shai Wosner. The four strings players -- Jonathan Crow and Ida Levin, violin; Roberto Diaz, viola; Steven Doane, cello -- struggled, valiantly certainly, throughout much of the piece.
More headlines and info from Northgate, Shoreline.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
· American String Project comes to life again in spring
· Moscow Virtuosi opens U.S. tour here
· 'I Puritani' makes rapturous debut
· Choral Arts intertwines music with U.S. literature
· With the great Paul Taylor, you get humor and the human condition
· Seattle Opera aims for the high notes in a challenging production of 'I Puritani'
· Andsnes brings alive tone poems on the piano
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
