“Journeys Through Deep Water” @ Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth
Rodolpho Leone, piano; Gary Levinson, violin; Felix Olschofka, violin; Michael Klotz, viola; Bion Tsang, cello; Brian Perry, bass
—Jan Farrington
A Saturday Afternoon Concert with the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth (CMSFW) was a pre-pandemic pleasure—and one I was happy to rejoin for their latest program at the Modern Art Museum, “Journeys Through Deep Water.” The loyal, attentive audience, the camaraderie among the musicians onstage, and the always-intriguing selections make this an appointment to keep as often as you can.
The March 12th program (formally dedicated to “the citizens of Ukraine and freedom loving people throughout the world”) featured both a Brahms trio and quartet, and between them a fascinating quintet by the most famous 19th-century composer I’d never heard of, Louise Farrenc. A disclaimer—I’m a theatre critic by trade, without formal music background (though an enthusiastic listener for many decades). What you’re about to read is my experience of the concert, and opinions on my analysis of the music will (and should) vary.
Italian-born (and California-based) pianist Rodolfo Leone made a marvelous debut in Johannes Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87, with CMSFW artistic director Gary Levinson on violin, and Bion Tsang on cello. This is a mature work of Brahms, opening with strings forward and piano following, and a sense of momentous happenings in a tension-filled minor key. The violin shimmered, the cello settled into a rich, resonant groove, and pianist Leone produced a singing quality, at once precise and packed with emotion. The scherzo was, as advertised in the pre-show talk with Levinson and Dr. Till Meyn, a wild, dark ride through an unsettling swarm of notes from piano and strings. Thank goodness for the strong, stately finale.
Louise Farrenc’s mid-century (19th century, that is) Piano Quintet No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 30 showcased the well-honed craft of this determined (and in her time, immensely popular) woman composer. Ferrenc was then the only female on the faculty of the prestigious Paris Conservatoire—a professor of piano for 40 years. Levinson and Meyn described her as “more rococo” than Brahms, with a non-Germanic style that says “I am from Paris.” And so it was, the opening rondo marked by Leone’s fleet and high-flying piano, with four stringed instruments digging deep beneath. (I think I’m starting to “get” the concert’s title.) For this, violinist Felix Olschofka replaced Levinson, with Michael Klotz on viola and Brian Perry on the double bass, both adding welcome muscle and vibrancy to the strings.
Farrenc wrote music virtually every day of her career, and like those who do (think Bach), practice makes pretty darned good. Though I agree with a comment that her music has an “ambiguity” that leaves us unsure of where she’s taking us—it’s still a more than interesting journey. And again, pianist Leone, half smiling at times, did a gorgeous interpretation of Ferrenc’s filigreed, light-as-air piano line.
The younger Brahms was already a master when he composed the Piano Quartet No. 2 in A Major, Op. 26—about a quarter-century before the trio that opened the program. (Levinson returned on violin, accompanied by Leone on piano, Tsang on cello, and Klotz on viola.) After the short intermission, we were ready to sink into the strength and beauty of Brahms. An opening fanfare of strings (is there such?) led into a piano section that made me tear up, though I couldn’t define the reason. Over the next movements, the beauties of serenity and order gave way to a lively but relaxed scherzo and a rollicking country-dance finale that brought the program back around to Eastern Europe—much on our minds just now.
The artists were brought back for a deeply deserved standing “O”—and going up the stairs, an older gentleman told a young man approaching him (did they know each other, or was this something he just had to say?): “You will go a long way before you encounter another series of performances as extraordinary as these.” One man’s opinion, but definitely the vibe as the Society’s audience went off to their weekend doings.
AD Levinson had news, too. From November 7-13, the Society will host the internationally known Miró Quartet—who will play all 16 of Beethoven’s Piano Quintets. The event will attract an international audience, and tickets go on sale June 1. [And a note from Onstage NTX: Our team has just added terrific music critics Wayne Lee Gay and Gregory Sullivan Isaacs, so watch for more—and more—music reviews upcoming!]
WHEN: Next Saturday Afternoon Concert April 22, “Flavors of Ethnic Souls” (Arensky two-cello quartet, plus Beethoven, Borodin, and Piazzola)
WHERE: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
WEB: cmsfw.org (for the Beethoven event, cmsfw.org/beethoven-quartet-cycle)
