Trio Solisti & Alan Kay Clarinet
by
Erik Dyar
The fortieth anniversary season of Chamber
Music Monterey Bay got off to an exciting start at Sunset Center Saturday night
with a concert demonstrating the high quality this exceptional music presenter
has been bringing peninsula audiences, especially in recent years under the
leadership of Amy Anderson. We heard a concert by three internationally-known
musicians competently performing traditional repertoire as well as exploring new
contemporary musical compositions of very high quality. It is refreshing to live
in are relatively small community and still be able hear cutting edge music
making of this exalted quality.
Trio Solisti, made up of Maria Bachmann, violin; Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello; and
Jon Klibonoff, piano; opened with Andalusian composer Joaquin Turina’s Piano
Trio No. 2.
Although it is not a frequently performed
work in the repertoire, these musicians made a convincing case for it. Turina
was part of a cross-pollination of musical ideas in the 1900’s between French
impressionist and Spanish composers. We heard in this piece more influence from
France than from Spain;, and while there were subtle Spanish rhythms and
melodies, the work is decidedly impressionistic.
What became clear immediately was the solid
musicianship of all three performers. The trio produced an exceptional balance
of sound between the members. While the most prominent part of a piano trio
score normally rests with the pianist, Mr. Klibonoff played with complete
control, for he was able to bring out the needed musicality with ease without
overpowering and was completely in context with the music. The result was a
seemingly effortless relationship between the musicians that exuded a
naturalness and impeccable musicianship.
Next we heard the most familiar work on the
program, the Brahms Op. 8 Piano Trio. Often in the piano trio repertoire the
piano part is given the most emphasis by the composer, but here with Brahms all
the players must give strong, passionate performances for the piece to be
successful. Certainly, with Trio Solisti there were no missing links. Right from
the beginning of the first movement, we heard impassioned, beautiful playing
from Ms. Gerlach, followed by the entry of Ms. Bachmann, who is clearly a
virtuoso in her own right. The women, wearing solid color satin gowns, played
and exhibited corresponding flamboyance and charisma. One could not help notice
the contrast with Mr. Klibonoff, who wore all black and exhibited a much more
subdued stage presence. However, his playing had the passion to match the
strings. He was very effective at voicing the thick Brahmsian chords and
dispatching the difficult passages (which are many), although he would
occasionally elicit too harsh a sound from the piano. The trio was especially
effective in the slow third movement where the strong relationship between the
players was exhibited with a heartfelt dialog between piano and strings. The
final movement showed off the group’s extensive dynamic range and was greeted at
its end by sustained applause to conclude the first half of the concert.
The second half was devoted the Central
Coast premiere of contemporary American composer Paul Morevec’s (b. 1957)
Tempest Fantasy for piano trio and clarinet, which won the Pulitzer Prize for
music in 2004. This piece was dedicated and specifically written for Trio
Solisti. It is written in five movements which depict aspects of the characters,
speeches and moods from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The trio was joined on stage
by the fine clarinetist, Alan Kay, and for the introduction to each movement by
Pacific Repertory Theater’s founder and director, Stephen Moorer. Mr. Moorer,
with a few props and subtle costumes, portrayed different characters from the
play and read from the speeches specified by the composer that inspired the
different movements. This was marvelously effective in evoking the context from
which the music springs, Mr. Moorer was great!
Critics often compliment contemporary works and presenters who showcase them by
acknowledging how the audience is “challenged” by these often complex, obtuse
pieces. Implicit in the “compliment” is the obviously pejorative insinuation
that these works cannot be enjoyed effortlessly at first listening or without
extensive study and understanding of their intellectual foundation. Therefore,
it is refreshing indeed to hear a new piece of music that has a rich complexity
that can be contemplated and studied, but is immediately a pleasure to listen
to. Tempest Fantasy is a work solidly rooted in tradition and tonality, which as
Terry Treachout writes in the liner notes for the recording, uses the language
of tonality “without irony or self-consciousness.” This is a brilliant work,
which is completely original, although it doesn’t need to start from an
assumption that the history of western tonal music never existed. It certainly
makes Mr. Moravec a composer to watch and we would be eager to hear more of his
works presented here on the Peninsula.
The first movement begins with Mr. Moorer
portraying the spirit Ariel whom Prospero brings to the island. The music has
the instruments all talking at once with Mr. Kay taking a leading role, the
clarinet adding to the ensemble an effective way to portray idiosyncratic
voices. The movement is stormy as Mr. Moorer’s speech eludes.
The second movement, a slow section, is based on a Prospero speech that
contemplates the nature of existence, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on,
and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” The music is indeed contemplative
and shows off beautiful string playing by Ms. Bachmann and Ms. Gerlach.
The third movement is a description of the character Caliban. Perhaps the most
literally programmatic of the piece, one hears the strange, impish, and
rebellious nature of the character. Mr. Kay uses his bass clarinet that evokes
an image of a monster stumbling over the island.
My favorite movement was the fourth which is based on a speech by Caliban, “Be
not afraid: the isle is full of noises, Sounds and sweet airs that give delight,
and hurt not.” It is simply a gorgeous composition, with wonderful interplay
between instruments, and with the violin taking the lead.
The final movement is a fantasy interweaving different earlier themes back
together for a bombastic finale, based on another Prospero speech. Although it
is aggressive and driving, it also features a calmer and contemplative
interlude. The piano takes the lead with an almost continuous display of
intricate passage work, expertly played by Mr. Klibonoff. The music relentlessly
builds to a great climax to end the piece. The audience seemed to have enjoyed
this long, contemporary work, which says something in itself, giving the
performers a standing ovation.
When artists present their proposed programs, no doubt many music presenters
would shy away from having a contemporary piece that would take up an entire
half of an evening’s program. Maybe the artists might get away with a 10 minute
contemporary piece surrounded by some accepted classics. Kudos should go to
Chamber Music Monterey Bay for taking that risk. It definitely paid off for
Monterey Peninsula audiences.
(Erik Dyar is an architect by profession, but is also an accomplished pianist
who performed recitals in Carmel and Vancouver, Washington this year. He is a
frequent guest reviewer for PENINSULA REVIEWS.)
