Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (7/14/2020)

Sort of. Obviously, the performance was not ‘live’ in these Covid-19 times. That said, this program was originally scheduled for NYC on 7/14/2020, before all live concerts were canceled. As a result, all six performers gathered in Boston to stream this all-French program on Bastille Day. I normally don’t make comments like this, but I feel I must here. The audio broadcast left a little to be desired. There were audible ‘pops’ in the sound, akin to what you might hear on an older vinyl recording. There were two live video feeds—WGBH(?) and the Violin Channel—so it’s possible that one stream might have been better than the other. I’m not tech-savvy enough to have explored that. Anyhow, here’s the program:

Marc-André Hamelin, piano; Lara St. John, violin; and The Ulysses String Quartet

Claude Debussy – Sonata for violin and piano, L. 140
Allegro vivo; Intermède: Fantasque et léger; Finale: Très animé

Maurice Ravel – String Quartet in F major
Allegro moderato – très doux; Assez vif – très rythmé; Très lent; Vif et agité

Amédée-Ernest Chausson – Concert in D for violin, piano and string quartet, Op 21
Décidé; Sicilienne; Grave; Très animé

The Debussy was played from memory by Ms. St. John (in fact, she played from memory throughout) while Mr. Hamelin played from a paper score (throughout, sans page turner—social distancing does not allow for that). The first movement was sweet and lyrical with some more powerful and rapid phrases, as well. The second was a little more rhythmic and almost playful except that the music seemed very serious. The final movement was brisk but still serious, though not in a heavy way.

The first movement of the Ravel string quartet was tuneful, with harmonies that were almost harsh; it was also dramatic at times and had a quiet ending. The second movement opened with pizzicato (plucked strings) playing from all four. That was followed by a mix of bowed and pizzicato playing, a second section where all players (maybe not the cello?) muted their strings, followed by a section that was very similar to the opening. The third movement featured a slow theme in the viola that was then taken over by the cello and then passed on to the first violin. The movement was somber yet not mournful, and even included a brief, fun, dancelike section. The last movement was brisk though still fairly serious.

The Chausson began with a dramatic opening for solo piano, joined by the low strings of the quartet, then the entire quartet, and finally the violin soloist. The movement was dramatic throughout. The second movement had a gentle dance quality incorporating all six players from the very beginning—a lush quality followed soon after. The third movement took us back to a piano/solo violin duet followed by a piano string quartet section. It once again was serious in nature with a quiet ending. The last movement was much more brisk, not quite happy, but at least more hopeful, leading to a very dramatic conclusion.

Lest it seem as though this was an all-out serious, downer concert, the encore, Un Petit Denouement, was a delightful mash-up for all six players, arranged by Ms. St. John, that included Frères Jacques, La Vie en Rose, Saint-Saëns’ Swan, La Marseillaise, and Offenbach’s Barcarolle. Oh, and all six performers wore berets.

Bonus: Added information gleaned from interviews with the performers included that the Debussy was a later work in his canon and was considered a ‘salon sonata’. And Mr. Hamelin has a Boston connection and actually chose the Steinway piano (from the New York factory) that was used in the concert.

ConcertMeister