Alexander Meshibovsky, violin; Osceola Davis, soprano; Gary Dranch, clarinet; Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, piano
Meine Seele hort im Sehen; In den angenehmen Buschen; Flammende Rose, Zierde der Erden – Handel (1685–1759)
Sonata in G Major, Opus 78 for Violin and Piano – 1. Vivace ma non troppo, 2. Adagio, 3. Allegro molto moderato; Scherzo from FAE Sonata for Violin and Piano – Brahms (1833–1897)
The Shepherd on the Rock (Der Hirt auf dem Felsen) for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano – Schubert (1797–1828)
Five Pieces for Violin, Clarinet and Piano – 1. Prelude, 2. Gavotte, 3. Elegy, 4. Waltz, 5. Polka – Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Paganiana for Violin and Piano – Paganini-Meshibovsky
The first of the three arias for soprano, violin and piano was bright and pleasant, with some vocal embellishments in the repeat of the main themes. The second was also brisk, though it included some tempo variations—my notes say OK, but with a lack of a chamber music vibe. It had a really fun ending, though. The third was also up tempo and had a better chamber music feel, possibly just from the actual composition style. It was the best of the three for me.
The first movement of the Brahms had a staid intro, with touches of slightly florid writing. It was rather gentle and pretty, but also playful, with some drama (sort of a kitchen sink approach, I felt). The second had an introduction that was piano only, and somewhat somber. The violin joined in with some lovely phrases that were poignant without being maudlin. More touches of drama were added here, as well, but I felt that the musical ideas wandered a bit. The final movement got off to a subdued, though fun, start. Somehow I wanted it to be more fun than it was. The ending was rather quiet. The violinist played the second Brahms piece from memory, and it was a lot more fun. There was a much better interplay among the two musicians, and more cohesive musical ideas that were more fully realized. There was a nice song-like tune in the middle section before returning right back to the energy of the beginning. I liked this piece better than the first sonata.
The Schubert had a lovely piano and clarinet opening, and when the soprano joined in I noticed that this piece was much better suited to her voice and sound (possibly because she was more familiar with it?). It was fun to listen to and had great writing, nice interplay between all three, and a clear setting of the text. The clarinet seemed somehow to add a lot to the setting of the text, too. This was pure fun for me to listen to.
My notes for the Shostakovich are slightly cryptic and stream of consciousness, so here goes. The Prelude was fairly gentle but substantial and slightly dark, even with a bit of a dance thrown in. The Gavotte was perky without being too cute. It had an A-B-A form (first section-contrasting second section-return to the form and notes (mostly) of the first section) and a cute ending. The Elegy was calmer but still full bodied, with the clarinet featured, then the violin, then both. It was also in A-B-A form with a brief coda at the end. The Waltz was energetic but not too much so; it also had a touch of a folk song feeling. The Polka was, a-one, a-two, and off we go! It was tons of fun from start to finish.
Paganiana was a reworking of Paganini phrases for violin and piano that were interesting and hinted at virtuosic but I wasn’t blown away. For me, Schubert and Shostakovich were the pieces that were my favorites of the afternoon.
ConcertMeister
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