Music Ed

Sunday’s concert featured the Con Brio Ensemble—Paul Roczek, violin; Hamilton Berry, cello; and Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, piano.

There were three works on the program—Sonata in D Major, Op. 94 for Violin and Piano, Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953); Sonata in E minor, Op. 38 for Cello and Piano, Johannes Brahms (1833–1897); and Trio in E minor “Dumky” Op. 90, Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904). And no, there will not be a test.

First off, kudos to Mr. Berry for filling in for the scheduled cellist, who had to withdraw due to an injury. I’m unsure whether that affected rehearsal time, but his playing was great throughout. Ms. Mittler-Battipaglia and Mr. Rozcek were also in fine form.

The Prokofiev Sonata (Moderato, Allegretto scherzando, Andante, Allegro con brio) had shifting moods in the first movement, shifting rhythms in the second, in the third, a sort of wandering of the piano/violin lines—seemingly away from each other yet ending together, with a real feeling of continuity in the con brio. But CM, what is con brio? It’s literally, from the Italian, with vigor. So, it’s not frantic or overboard on anything—it’s vigorous, bracing playing. And this was. Also of interest, the piece was written as a flute sonata in 1943, and then was retooled as a violin sonata in 1944. According to the program notes, it has stayed in the repertory for both instruments. And no, there will not be a test.

The Brahms Sonata (Allegro non troppo, Allegretto quasi Menuetto, Allegro) had a soulful quality in both the composition and the execution. It didn’t cross the line into mournfulness or sadness/angst, just soulful. The end of the second movement has the cellist strumming the strings á la a guitar. Again, from the program notes, “Brahms first wrote three movements of the Op. 38 sonata in 1862, but omitted a finale. In June 1865 he composed a new concluding movement and dropped the second, an Adagio, producing the present three-movement work.” And no...well, you get my drift.

Hmm, two works, so far, that ended up not quite as they set out to be.

The Dvořák Trio has six movements listed, many of which have multiple tempi, so they will not all be spelled out here. Of note, a “Dumka” (“Dumky” is the plural) is “a Slavic folk song with a pervasive melancholy or pensive quality that is relieved by sharply contrasting interludes, which range from serene to exuberant.” Indeed, this says it all, and Con Brio played the trio exactly as those program notes describe it. Con brio with a dash of melancholy and exuberance thrown into the mix. Bravo!

Have we all learned something here today?

ConcertMeister