Close Encounters with Music
Mahaiwe Theatre, Great Barrington, MA
April 17, 2016
by Barbara Stroup
The eclectic “Close Encounters” series at the Mahaiwe
continued with “Fiddler Off the Roof,” a program of Jewish (?) music. Artistic
Director Yehuda Hanani again offered insights (in the form of questions!) into
what might make such a definition possible, noting that the element of
“longing” must be included, and referencing the relationship between the
inquiring nature of Talmudic study and the uprising (questioning) interval of
the syncopated fifth.
The program varied from Mahler to Gershwin -- and the
musicians were of the same high caliber that the audience has come to expect
from this series. This review, however, must start by attending not to the
performers at the front of the stage, but to the pianist behind them. Michele
Levin’s artistry was superb – both forceful and delicate, whichever the music
required. Her solid and accomplished support provided the backbone for
everything the soloists did, and, finally, was beautifully highlighted in the
post-intermission Mendelssohn Trio.
The program started with a fine example of the inquiring
interval mentioned above: two David Schiff Divertimenti featuring clarinet,
cello and violin. In all of Sarah McElravy’s violin playing (she was also
featured in the “Hebrew Melody” of Paul Ben-Haim), there was fine technique
highlighted by a rapt attention to dynamics. She accomplished an incredibly
quiet reverence with her ultra pianissimo passages. Paul Green’s clarinet sound
was crystal clear – both instrumentalists avoided over-reliance on vibrato –
and his “Klezmer Medley” that concluded the first half was rhythmic enough to
inspire toe-tapping. Alex Richardson provided vocal selections that ranged from
Mahler to Gershwin and his fine operatic tenor was well-suited to them all.
The program included a premier of “ZEMER” by Paul
Schoenfield that featured a folk-like melody by Rabbi Max Roth, who was in the
audience; it concluded with an inspired performance of the Piano Trio. Once
again, Hanani brought his own cello artistry to the Mahaiwe stage. Audiences
hope for much more of his “Close Encounters” programming genius in the future.
