Sevenars Music Festival, The Academy, Worthington, MA
July 9-August 13, 2017
by Michael J. Moran
Among local summer music festivals, Tanglewood may have the
bigger name, but the music making at Sevenars is just as distinguished, the
venue is a lot more intimate, and the repertoire on any one program is likely
to be a good deal more eclectic. Such was certainly the case at the opening
concert of the 49th season of this beloved family-based festival, founded by
Robert and Rolande Schrade and named after the first letter of their names and
those of their five children.
The featured performers were pianists Rorianne Schrade, her
brother Randolph Schrade, their brother-in-law David James, his daughter
Lynelle James, and his son, cellist Christopher James. As Rorianne quipped
before the last piece, the concert could have been titled “From Summerland to Summertime,”
as it opened with a tender performance by herself and David on two pianos of
William Grant Still’s brief and lovely meditation “Summerland,” and closed with
a rip-roaring account by herself and Lynelle of Percy Grainger’s 20-minute
knuckle-buster, “Fantasy on George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.”
The tempo picked up after “Summerland” with a virtuosic
rendition by David and Christopher of Paganini’s typically challenging
“Variations on a Theme from Moses in Egypt,” a rarely heard opera by Rossini.
Their Tchaikovsky “Pezzo Capriccioso” was an engaging mix of liveliness and
poignancy. Randolph brought clarity and emotional depth to two Brahms pieces, a
“Capriccio” and an “Intermezzo.” He and Christopher played the familiar
“Meditation” from Massenet’s opera “Thais” radiantly. After a sunny account by
Christopher and Rorianne of Cassado’s charming “Requiebros” (“Compliments”),
the first half of the concert closed with Lynelle’s powerhouse rendition of
Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz No. 1.”
In total contrast, Christopher opened the second half with a
stately performance of the “Prelude” from Bach’s sixth cello suite. And David
invested the theme and variations in Schubert’s B-flat Major Impromptu with
drama and flair.
Sevenars intermissions offer free home-baked treats, and the
musicians line up after the concert to greet, thank, and chat with audience
members. Area classical fans are well-advised to include Sevenars, along with
Tanglewood, on their summer “to do” list.
