Roussel ranks with the best Julie Baumgartel, violin Yet, ever-present dangers are twofold: their collective skills will send the core members on to greater heights (think artistic market value); the audience base (a sea of silver or shining heads) will, in time, have to join the Ghost of Rodman Hall to attend—good for the soul but ruin for the box office. And, as has been opined in these pages before, but can’t be said too often, the venue’s new management is further encouraged to reward both the performers and the listeners for their patience and diligence by (a) retiring and replacing the piano (whose upper register is already in a “better place”) (b) inviting Dave Lennox to “teach” proper concert etiquette to the heating system’s fans so that the pianissimos can be heard rather than imagined (c) investing in seating that will leave the patrons artistically refreshed rather than booking an immediate appointment with their chiropractors. These suggestions come with a shared love for the art and the surety that as the concert experience improves so will the demand. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! To the music … Daniel Swift, Niagara Symphony Orchestra music director ,chose the far-reaching program and was the affable commentator. On paper, it was a veritable buffet of all things French from 1857 – 1936. In person, only the work actually created in the ‘20s managed to captivate from stem to stern—but that had less to do with the epoch and than with Julie Baumgartel’s spectacular reading of Roussel’s gripping violin sonata. Quite simply this was the finest effort heard from Baumgartel to date (her earlier assignment of the Satie “Choses” was also commendable for its gentle dignity, technically adept mini cadenza, and her unabashedly human reaction to a mute that had a mind of its own!). With Cécile Desrosiers heroically following very shift and nuance, the powerfully energetic Allegro con moto was unleashed, not just played. Then the Andante was rendered with compelling lyricism and a fulsome hue even as the piano’s ostinato soldiered on with a fatalism that could trace its origins back to the stark reality that was Roussel’s post-WW I life. The saucy Presto, happily arrhythmic burbled along brilliantly with only some of “slides” being a tad too damp for my taste. The total effect will be remembered for years to come. With this level of excellence Baumgartel has raised the bar—both for herself and her colleagues. Merci mille fois! The remainder of the program, through no fault of the practitioners, paled in comparison; none of the works could match the level of emotion and sensation found in the sonata. Milhaud’s “Suite” had its moments especially the Rodeo-like Jeu and featured fine “dueting” by Baumgartel and Zoltan Kalman. Earlier Kalman began the proceedings, deftly employing his flexible tone and incredible breath control in Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie, where Desrosiers acquitted herself admirably in the shimmering soundscape; its orchestral version should find its way over to Brock for a future NSO concert. Douglas Miller sauntered easily through the peaks and valleys of Casella’s Sicilienne et Burlesque even as the composer’s initial optimism morphed into a disconcerted march whose colour and chords would later find their way into Ibert’s Divertissement. Miller and Kalman teamed for Saint-Saëns’ slight Tarantelle, but their pleasantly jaunty approach (with Desrosiers egging them on) gave none of the insects residing in the walls any cause for concern.
|
905.938.9755 - jamesweggreview@bellnet.ca
- Copyright © 2001-2007 James Wegg & Associates/JWR
The content of this page is the sole responsibility of JWR and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of its advertisers and sponsors.