Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA
Close Encounters with Music
October 21, 2017
by Rebecca Phelps
A warm reception was offered to the opening performance of
the 26th season of Close Encounters with Music series. Clearly the audience was
primed and expecting a first-rate performance of two, much beloved classics of
the chamber music repertoire.
The evening commenced with an informative introduction by
Yehuda Hanani, artistic director of the series and cellist in the evening’s
performance. In his lecture, Hanani went straight to the music with descriptive
insights into the composers and each movement of the pieces, knowing he had an
informed audience, ready to listen and learn.
The program’s pieces are both considered to be giants of
their respective composers’ overall output, and of chamber music repertoire. In
order to present them in chronological order they were reversed from the
program order with the Schumann going first, followed by intermission and then
the Brahms, which was preceded by another introductory lecture from Hanani.
The piano quintet was a new concept in chamber music in 1842
when Robert Schumann wrote his now famous Quintet in Eb major. At the time, Schumann was engaged to
the lovely and talented Clara Wieck, and the addition of a piano to the
standard string quartet gave her an opportunity to perform her fiancĂ©’s music,
perhaps helping to assuage her father’s concerns about his prospective new
son-in-law.
The Brahms Quintet in F minor is surely one of the giants in
Brahms canon, and not for the faint of heart. The demands placed on the players
to successfully surmount this musical mountain of a piece are extraordinary.
The fast passages went at lightening speed; the quiet, pensive ones were played
with delicate control and sensitivity; and the musical conversation amongst the
players had to be developed to a high degree. Chamber music requires team
players who interact with each other, passing the music between them and
understanding their roles to form a cohesive whole. The five performers, all
fine players from diverse backgrounds, came together and did just that. The
audience and this reviewer raved about this outstanding evening of first rate,
high class artistry. Bravo!