“Bohemian Tunes” @ Blue Candlelight Music Series
—Gregory Sullivan Isaacs
The Blue Candlelight Music Series is always a refreshing reminder of the era of elegant salon concerts in stately homes. This is how chamber music originated and was meant to be performed, although we usually hear it in larger and more sterile concert halls. Sunday’s concert “Bohemian Tunes” featured four outstanding soloists in a program of boisterous and hot-blooded music, exactly as the concert title implied.
The artists were pianist Marina Radiushina, violinist Misha Vitenson, and cellist Bion Tsang. There was even an appearance by pianist and co-artistic director Baya Kakouberi.
Misha Vitenson, whose native city is Tashkent, Uzbekistan, has an impressive list of first prizes in a host of prestigious violin competitions. In 2002, he joined the Amernet String Quartet as well as accepting a position on the faculty at Northern Kentucky University as an Artist-in-Residence, teaching violin and chamber music. He is an Artist-in-Residence at Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts.
Marina Radiushina, born in Odesa, Ukraine, has an equally impressive list of competition prizes. Currently, she serves on the faculty of the Florida International University in Miami and is the co-founder and artistic director of the Miami Chamber Music Society, as well as the artistic director of the Mainly Mozart Festival in Miami.
Bion Tsang, was born in Michigan of Chinese parents. His list of accolades rivals that of the other musicians. His early training was at The Juilliard School, and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and his Master of Musical Arts degree from Yale University,
Born in the city of Tbilisi in Georgia, Baya Kakouberi’s impressive resume, packed with accolades and distinguished teachers, is well-known to the Blue audiences. Before intermission as a change of pace, she joined Radiushina for a muscular performance of four of Antonin Dvorák’s much beloved Slavonic Dances.
The program presented Josef Suk’s Piano Trio in C minor, Op.12, Leoš Janáček’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Bedrich Semétana’s Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 15. They all date from the turn of the 19th century and are replete with the ultra-romanticism and virtuosic displays that painted 20th-century composers into such a stylistic corner. The trio played selections with all of the passion and technical brilliance that they require. It was a truly impressive experience.
While it was an intense, exciting, and involving performance, it was also too loud for the limitations of the venue. For the first half, the lid on the grand piano was fully open, forcing the string players to push harder for volumr. Although the lid was partially closed after intermission, Radiushina’s forceful approach to the piano continued to drive the dynamic levels.
Of course, this can be partially explained because the guest artists were not used to the room’s acoustics. Although they rehearsed there beforehand, the addition of the sold-out audience does less to moderate the live acoustics than they might have expected.
WEB: Next concert February 18; for info: bluecandlelight.org
