Whenever the occasion arises for a live music concert here in the various set locations in Idyllwild, hope issues forth for a glorious outpouring of sound which, given the opportunity, should be able to roll down the mountain ridges with the fluid ease of the many creeks and rivulets now in evidence. Thus, Monday, May 15 evening’s Spring Chamber Music Recital at the Lowman Concert Hall promised further relief for the senses to those in attendance.
The proceedings began somewhat somberly, as well as traditionally, with the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s “String Quartet in G Minor”; an unexpected choice of material that is certainly not springlike in nature. However, the four players sustained the proper natural spirit of the work, giving well-deserved sonority to the chiefly tonal resolutions demanded by the composer throughout, ending on a unison chordal cadence in the minor mode that the performers seemed to consider well-placed. Generally what was effected was a well-meant introductory establishment of complimentary string sound put forth vigorously enough as required.
Featured in the program’s next three items were the lower registers of sound, most effectively presented by bassoonist Robert Nael. The opening movement of Georges Auric’s “Trio for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon” had the insistent dash of good humor present in most of that composer’s works, with asides from all the instruments pointing toward a happy conclusion. There followed the complete “Quartet for Bassoon, Violin, Viola and Cello” of Brooklyn-born bassoonist / composer Bernard Garfield, expressly a work designed to show off the the instrument’s capabilities in the hands and fingers of a more than competent performer, as Mr. Nael is without a doubt.
That talent’s display was bolstered by the following first movement of the Rimsky-Korsakov “Quintette” (for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano). Admittedly written as a conservatory exercise piece, the movement nevertheless featured instrumental interplay, not always with equal motivic impulses, which all five players essayed with more than evident delight at their individual productions.
The stage was thus set for the major opus on the program, the first movement of Antonin Dvorak’s “Piano Quintet in A Major.” The string complement, led by 1st violinist Derrick Giuntini, supplied the rapturous sound and lively folk rhythms of the composer’s mature period, with another solid basis provided by pianist Zeyu Wang in the more conventional slower sections, giving a feeling of correctness and (in contrast to the Grieg) a resolution well-placed in the major mode.
Somewhat of a surprising conclusion to the concert was offered by percussionists Uchyu Ono and Haru Imanishi, with their choice of the piece “Catching Shadows” in the two-marimba version by Mexican-American composer Ivan Trevino. This proved to be a workout for both performers; effectively chasing as well as catching the evanescent strands of sound produced in tandem. Both players reached a satisfying complimentary production of mallet work, and the audience was left with a relaxed and pleasing variety of sonic experiences. One always should hope for more of the same during the coming months, should all be well in the meantime.
