Aston Magna Music Festival, St. James Place, Great
Barrington, MA
July 14, 2018
By Barbara Stroup
For Aston Magna’s fourth offering this season, Director and
violinist Daniel Stepner programmed a rich program of selections from three
Classical and early Romantic composers in an instrumental program of enchanting
variety and secure musicianship.
Mozart’s Quartet in B Flat gave Mr. Stepner and clarinetist
Eric Hoeprich an exchange of lines and melodies that were sweet and soaring.
This reviewer would be content to just hear scales from Mr. Hoeprich – his
sound is so pleasing. The definitive first movement was followed by a lush,
transporting Andante that was moving but not sentimental. After the bouncing
happiness of the third movement rondo, the quartet received its first rousing
thank you from the audience.
But there was much more to come. A Trio by Bernhard Romberg
hints broadly at the Romantic era and featured cellist Jacques Lee Wood.
Described as a “difficult” work by its name, this piece allowed Mr. Wood’s
virtuosity to shine and at times, it even showcased the usually reclusive sound
of the viola played so well by David Miller. Supported by the sensitively
present bass playing of Anne Trout, a frequent consort member at Aston Magna,
the piece revealed a lesser-known but worthwhile composer of the late Classical
and early Romantic era.
Regarding the Septet that closed the program, we may all
share some relief that the composer’s advice was not followed. Beethoven said,
“Burn this!” to lament what he considered the work’s over-popularity, but the
six-movement piece is another testament to the variety of his amazing
compositional skill. The post-intermission offering brought all seven
instrumentalists to the stage; it offers virtuosic opportunity for the violin,
trio work for the strings, a reflection of a keyboard piece known to most piano
students, a march tempo theme with many variations, and several opportunities
to hear the horn, the bassoon and the clarinet played so beautifully. How often
does that happen?
The writing for this combination of instruments --- strings,
reeds, wind – is just magnificent and it was matched by the accomplished
musicians on the stage. Thank you to these masters of their art for bringing
these sounds to St. James Place.