The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center opened their season in a fantastic way at Harris Theater on Tuesday night. Based on an American-inspired theme, the program included well known and lesser-known works written in the US. Three of the composers actually were Americans: Aaron Copland, Henry Thacker Burleigh, and Arthur Foote. A Czech composer, Antonín Dvořák, was brought to America in the 1890s to direct the newly established National Conservatory of Music in New York. He was also on the program.
CMS of Lincoln Center employs a large assortment of musicians enabling them to cover the whole chamber music repertoire. 13 musicians took the stage on Tuesday night, including the co-artistic directors, pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel, who was a founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, with whom he played for 34 years.
Han introduced the evening with praises to the Harris Theater, which has been around for 20 years, and a thoughtful explanation of the program. She retold the story of how Dvořák discovered the African American Burleigh, who was a janitor working at the school, beautifully singing American folk songs and spirituals from the south. Dvořák himself regularly drew from folk music, and he befriended Burleigh. With his help, Burleigh got a formal music education as a baritone and composer, and he set to music several folk spirituals and other music from the American South. While he emphasized vocal music and popularized Black American art songs, Burleigh also turned to instrumental music, which is how the concert opened on Tuesday.
Right after her remarks, Han sat at the piano with violinist Francisco Fullana for a lovely performance of Southland Sketches. This work in four movements has plenty of lyricism and soul, which Han and Fullana milked to the fullest. In the third piece, Allegretto Graziano, Fullana showed off nice technique, playing harmonies on the violin with double stops. He also had a very animated stage presence. His ensemble interaction with Han was great.
Finishing the concert’s first half was my favorite work by Dvořák, String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97, American, which he wrote while he was here in the US. As Han mentioned, it’s not well known or frequently performed, which, to me, is a shame. It’s a delightful work, filled with mood, drama, and passion.
Providing this excellent performance were violinists Danbi Um and Sean Lee, violists Paul Neubauer and Daniel Phillips, and cellist Edward Arron. From the opening introductory sections, they produced a lush, oozing sound that carried the oomph of a larger ensemble. Intonation was generally great, even better after Neubauer did a quick tune up after the opening movement. I really liked their quiet approach to the finale, which splendidly built up to the dramatic ending.
Enjoying an excellent performance of a favorite work is what I live for. Luckily, that was only the first time that happened on Tuesday night. It happened again later.
The concert’s second half started with another little appreciated work by another American working at the turn of the 20th Century, Arthur Foote, who was from Boston. His Nocturne and Scherzo for flute and string quartet added to the night-music popularized by Frederic Chopin.
Flautist Tara Helen O’Connor opened the piece with a lovely melody while Sean Lee and Kristen Lee on violins, Neubauer on viola, and Finckel on cello played quiet backfill. As their playing intensified, they succeeded in producing the night affect on the sound. The Scherzo was filled with fun a frolic. It was reminiscent of Mendelssohn, although with harmonies more typical of the early 20th Century.
To close the concert, CMS Lincoln Center brought everyone back onstage for Aaron Copland’s 13-part arrangement of Appalachian Spring, my favorite piece of American music. In addition to Han on piano, O’Connor on flute, and the eight string players who had already played, they added David Shifrin on clarinet, Marc Goldberg on bassoon, and Anthony Manzo on double bass. While lacking the brass and percussion scored for full orchestra, Appalachian Spring “light” is every bit as dramatic and passionate.
From the quiet, sunrise-like clarinet opening, they played with care and precision. Immediately afterward, Copland uses a rising, six-note theme, in pairs of three, and the players passed it around effortlessly. A common challenge is ensuring that the obligato piano does not overwhelm, but Han blended with the other players seamlessly. This music is remarkable for how poetic and sentimental it is, especially in the variations formed by the Shaker theme “Simple Gifts” and the passages leading up to it. This performance captured those feelings magnificently.
For the second time in the evening, I got to hear a fabulous performance of a favorite piece of music. Ahhhhh. … The joy of living!
CMS Lincoln Center returns to Harris Theater on December 13 for its annual performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. This is always a treat. Ticket info can be found here.
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