Latin American Music for Cello and Piano (1/3/2015)

Brinton Averil Smith (cello) and Evelyn Chen (piano) performed a very interesting concert to start off the new year at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts on a somewhat dreary Saturday afternoon.

Estrellita (1912) – Manuel Ponce (1882–1948) (arr. Jascha Heiftetz) (1920s)
Seguida Española; Vieja Castilla, Murciana, Asturiana, Andaluza – Joaquin Nin (1879–1949)
Sonata, Op. 21; Allegro Agitato, Romanza, Molto Allegro – Henrique Oswald (1852–1931)
O canto do cisne negro (1916) – Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Ponteio e Dança – M. Camargo Guarnieri (1907–1993)
Elegia (1995) – Raimundo Penaforte
Graciela y Buenos Aires – José Bragato (b. 1915)
Pampeana No. 2, Op. 21 (1950) – Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983)
Tango (Por Una Cabeza) – Carlos Gardel (1890–1935) (arr. John Williams)

Estrellita is a charming tune that was laid out nicely, at one point passing from the cello to the piano and back. This arrangement was made by Mr. Heifetz when he realized he had no Mexican music on his Mexico City debut concert. Estrellita was being played by a café band while he was dining—he jotted the tune down on a napkin and created the arrangement that very afternoon. Do an internet search on it; I’m pretty sure you’ll recognize the tune. It was a nice light way to start the program.

The first movement of the Spanish Suite was a traditional sounding tune, mostly sweet and gentle. (I learned later from the program notes that the entire suite was based on traditional popular songs.) After the phones stopped ringing (really, concertgoers? really?), the second movement had a brighter tempo and rhythm with a dance-like quality. The third movement was slower, explored the lower range of the cello, and had a dirge-like feel in the accompaniment, though not depressing. The last movement was a highly rhythmic perpetual motion waltz.

The opening theme of the Sonata was brisk and energetic followed by a gentler second theme that was more singing in tone. It alternated back and forth between brisk and gentler, using lots of themes. The second movement was very songlike, with lush tunes and accompaniment. Once again, there were lots of themes bundled together, some of which seemed a little predictable. Not really such a bad thing for a Romance. The last movement had lots of themes again. Not exactly disjointed, but not exactly of a whole, in my opinion.

After the intermission, the Black Swan began with Debussy-like arpeggios supporting a slightly mournful cello tune. (And doesn’t the cello do mournful quite well?) It was a little on the light side for my taste. That said, the playing by both artists was extremely good during the entire concert, lest it sound as though I’m quibbling too much.

The Guarnieri was a pair of pieces, both of them a mix of traditional and modern. The, second, dance portion was more energetic, with hints of Latin jazz. Elegia had a solo piano opening, then a solo cello portion, together featured as an introduction—the elegy itself was sweet, like a slow dance form. Always a bonus for me, the composer was in the house and took a bow.

Graciela moved us into tango territory. After a solo piano intro, a cello/piano tango followed in a mournful mode, even when the piano rhythms picked up the tempo, leading to what seemed to be a cello cadenza. After a jazz-style up beat tango the piece moved back to a more relaxed section. Pampeana had a brief intro that led to driving rhythms in both the piano and the cello. By way of much more modern harmonies and a melody for the cello, the piece had a fairly segmented approach, with some segments working better than others.

Tango (Por Una Cabeza) had an intro, and then laid out the tune followed by a more expanded section for the piano and cello, shifting back and forth and finally pulling out all the stops. There was a bit of sameness to the second half of the program because the basics of cello and piano literature had been so thoroughly covered. Could one or two of the shorter pieces have been dropped? Perhaps. But they were all enjoyable, and it was a good kickoff for my new year of places to go and things to see.

ConcertMeister