Concert Review - Voila Viola!  March 5, 2010

An Evening of Brahms Sonatas and Songs

(Opus 120 Sonatas and 2 Songs for Alto, Viola and Piano, Opus 91)

The greatest gems in the viola repertoire are, without question, the Brahms Sonatas.  This beautiful pair of works comprising Brahms' last opus were first written for clarinet and piano.  At the urging of his friend, the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, Brahms later arranged the pieces for viola.

Each sonata has its own distinct character:  The f-minor journeys from a dark and brooding first movement to a playful Finale in F-major.  The Eb opens with joyful serenity, and, after a tumultuous second movement in eb-minor, recovers its amiable tone.  As do so many of Brahms' "pairings", the two sonatas complement each other like yin and yang.  It's impossible to choose a favorite, and I find that if I'm playing one, part of me wishes I were playing the other!  So the opportunity to hear both pieces in one evening was a rare treat.  The lovely, but seldom heard alto songs provided a contemplative interlude between the two.
 

With top-notch performers from the Cleveland Orchestra viola section, the concert was a sublime experience.  Lembi Veskimets played the f-minor first movement with true appassionato intensity, the second movement with such nostalgic fragility that the woman next to me claimed it brought tears to her eyes.  The waltz-like Allegretto grazioso soared effortlessly, and in the Finale Ms. Veskimets roused the audience with an exuberant romp to the last sky-rocketing F-major arpeggios.

Brahms' music is characterized by rich harmony, expressive melody and ingenious counterpoint.  In his sonatas, the piano is always an equal partner, and pianist Alicja Basinska provided the utmost musical depth and sensitivity in her collaboration with Ms. Veskimets.
 

Ms. Basinska also collaborated in the Opus 91 Songs, with violist Mark Jackobs and mezzo-soprano Lindsey Anderson.  In each song, the two instruments created an atmosphere - now stormy, now calm - for the text, which was delivered in rich and emotive tones by Ms. Anderson.  Piano and viola launched the first song with a turbulent introduction representing deep yearnings of the heart.  Mr. Jackobs' warm and expressive tone dove-tailed beautifully with Ms. Anderson's voice.  The second song, based on a German yuletide folk tune, begins with a lilting theme for solo viola, which was rendered with touching simplicity by Mr. Jackobs.  Sitting in the chapel of Plymouth Church, the mingling poetry of text, music and architecture transported me to a Viennese salon, where these songs may have had their first hearing.

To bring the program full circle, Lynne Ramsey performed the sunny Eb sonata, with Oberlin Conservatory pianist James Howsmon. If any clouds of Sturm und Drang remained, they were quickly dispelled by Ms. Ramsey's vibrant sound and buoyant phrasing. Mr. Howsmon's clear and powerful playing added brilliance and depth to the performance. The audience was in high spirits at the end of the evening. "It doesn't get any better than this!", one person was heard to say. And I still found it impossible to choose a favorite - between the pieces or the performers!

    - Lisa Boyko

Voila Viola ’09 Review

On a cold evening in late February viola enthusiasts scurried into the Cleveland Music School Settlement, a massive Tudor-style mansion on Magnolia Drive.  As they relaxed in the warm glow of Glick Recital Hall, their decision to brave the blustery conditions was rewarded by the genteel sounds of music from a distant time.

The beautiful 18^th-century ballroom, complete with crystal chandelier, was the perfect setting for an evening dedicated to the music of Bach.  Four of the five pieces on the program utilized the harpsichord (no modern piano sounds tonight!) enhancing the richly mellow timbre of the viola.

As in last year’s all-Bach program, which showcased the six Solo Suites, this concert featured a series as well.  The three Gamba Sonatas were engagingly performed by Kirsten Docter (with Karel Paukert), Mark Jackobs (with Alicja Basinska) and Lembi Veskimets (with Eric Charnofsky).  Though not as well known as the Suites, these gems are lovely examples of Bach’s contrapuntal writing.  Each duo illuminated the ingeniously inter-woven melodies with buoyancy and clarity. The expressive slow movements provide ample opportunity for emoting and ornamenting, which the performers certainly took advantage of.

The only hint of “modern times” in this program was the arrangement for four violas of the famous Chaconne (from Bach’s d-minor Partita for solo violin).  Dubbed “Transformations”, it was not a verbatim transcription, but more a fleshing out of the wonderful harmonic progressions and rhythmic figures.  The melodies were equally distributed between all four parts, played by Lisa Boyko, Laura Shuster, Christiana Reader and Richard Waugh.  The group achieved a beautiful, warm blend of sound and a natural musical flow between sections, which held the audience spellbound for the duration of the 17-minute piece.

A reception, with delicious punch and cookies and lots of friendly conversation, took place during the longer-than-usual intermission.  Audience members chatted with performers in the wood-paneled hallway and foyer outside the ballroom.  But there was more music to enjoy, and people eagerly took their seats for the second half of the concert. 

Lynne Ramsey and husband Jeffrey Irvine provided an exciting grand finale with the ever-popular Brandenburg Concerto no. 6.  The soloists were supported by a full ensemble, which included Bryan Dumm, cello, Mark Atherton, bass, Anne Lockard, harpsichord, and violists Laura Shuster and Christiana Reader.  The group delivered a spirited performance and the audience responded with energetic applause. Nearly $500 were raised for OVS competition prizes, and all agreed it was an evening well spent!

I have only seen a few concerts that were daring enough to program a lot, all at once, of a great thing.  But my experiences hearing all three Beethoven Opus 59 quartets, or all five Beethoven Cello sonatas, or even all twenty-four Paganini Caprices, have now paled in comparison to an even better all-in-one-sitting concert.

“How Suite It Is!”, the Ohio Viola Society’s recent celebration of the six Bach suites, was a fund-raiser for that organization’s annual competition. Cleveland Orchestra violists Stanley Konopka, Richard Waugh, Lisa Boyko, Lembi Veskimets, Eliesha Nelson and Mark Jackobs performed the suites in chronological order to a large and generous audience in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s beautiful new Mixon Hall.  The hall’s acoustics are adjustable and thus were tailored to the advantage of our unique instrument.  Clearly those who would attend such an event are wont to revel in that chocolate sound of which violists are so proud.

The program was ambitious, slightly over two hours in length, but came off like a satisfying six-course meal.  Each performance was well-nigh flawless.  The real treat, however, was in the display of six richly unique voices, each one a fitting part of the overall repast, but imbued with the individual’s personal flair.  Such a concert also lent itself to compositional comparisons among the suites.  For me, it prompted some reconsidering of my current “favorites” and “least favorites”, reinforcing the wise words of my first teacher, Deborah Price.  “Bach is music that you will live with for a lifetime.  It is endlessly new.” 

To conclude, the concert was supremely enjoyable and highly educational.  The fact that Bach left us such extraordinary repertoire is certainly worthy of celebration.

– Annalisa Boerner, February 2008

Stanley Konopka