American Chamber Players in no hurry to satisfy hungry Syracuse crowd

Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music audience wondered “where’s the beef?” but got their just desserts in the end

By David Abrams
http://cnycafemomus.com/David_Abrams.html

Good things come to those who can wait, or so they say. But don’t tell that to a hungry crowd of music lovers.

Classical music aficionados in Syracuse have worked up a hearty appetite for professional ensemble performances since the demise of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. Just look at the sold-out houses, overcrowded parking lots and long lines waiting to enter the auditorium at the first two Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music concerts this season.   

The crowd’s craving for musical substance had to be placed on hold once again, however — this time during Saturday evening's four-work program presented by the American Chamber Players. Like last month’s SFCM program with the Orion Quartet, American Chamber Players chose to save the meat and potatoes for the final two works on the program. 

Mozart’s light and fluffy Quartet for Flute and Strings in A Major, K.298 (1786), which opened the concert, is a straightforward and uncomplicated work in the style of a divertimento, with simply constructed melodic lines that unfold predictably. Save for some grace-notes and turns, the writing makes precious little demand on the technical capabilities of players.

The flute throughout the three movements is treated here not so much as a soloist than as an equal player in a homogeneous, chamber-like texture of four players. Flutist Sara Stern’s generally reserved style of delivery proved well suited to such an arrangement during the innocuous set of variations that opens the work, and her modest-sized but polished tone consistently maintained a suitable balance with the strings.   

Perhaps the most engaging movement of the Quartet is the amiable Rondieaoux finale — a whimsically titled rondo based upon a borrowed tune from Paisiello’s opera buffa, Gli schiavi per amore. The four players here achieved a relaxed and cozy ensemble, generating a level of comfort that underscored the easy-listening character of this work.

Ernest Bloch’s Concertino for Flute, Viola and Piano (1948), which followed the Mozart, begins with an attractive folk-like theme in the style of Bartok and then begins a slow spiral downward into a bland, amorphous musical experience lacking in substance and imagination. The writing is aimless, consisting principally of a meandering potpourri of musical styles that include brief touches of Bartok and Ravel.  

A work such as this requires careful crafting (and a consummate performance) by the players in order to smooth out the rough edges and turn the music into a persuasive listening experience. It didn’t get it.  

The ensemble comprising Miles Hoffman, Stern and pianist Reiko Uchida never gelled into a cohesive whole, although in their defense they didn’t have a whole lot of substance with which to work. There were also pitch problems, as Bloch’s writing for the viola, which often sits in the higher registers, invites problems of intonation that Hoffman could not always solve. Moreover, Hoffman’s big, portly tone — which helped produce several thrilling moments in the Dvorak Quartet later in the program — dominated the three-voice texture and created balance problems that dwarfed the other players. 

If the Bloch piece had to be programmed, it would have made better sense to do so after Phillipe Gaubert’s Three Watercolors for Flute, Cello and Piano (1926), an attractive French work of far greater harmonic substance, passion and intensity. This would have provided a weighty stylistic contrast to the lighthearted Mozart Quartet.  

Gaubert, a flutist and composer, was one of a long line of Paris Conservatoire composers known for his many solos de concours (contest solos) showcasing the flute. The music looks, feels and sounds so French you can almost smell the perfume. 

Set as a series of mood pieces, Watercolors takes the listener on a pleasant journey from morning to evening, ending in a serenade seasoned with Spanish exoticism. The harmonies are often unpredictable and the juxtaposition of timbral colors is consistently pleasant. In this performance, Stern and Uchida were joined by cellist Stephen Balderston — whose playing throughout the evening was consistently first-rate. 

The opening of the sensuous first movement (On a Clear Morning), consisting of a nicely shaped phrase set in unison between cello and flute, was a sign of good things to come. Stern’s tone, while still somewhat small, was shapely and balanced, and her pitch throughout the evening was exceptional. 

Balderston’s opening solo in the second (Autumn Evening) movement was handsomely shaped, and he played with deep expression throughout this work and the Dvorak Quartet. The captivating final (Serenade) movement, with its pronounced Spanish exoticism, gave pianist Uchida a chance to display her talents mimicking the arpeggiations of a harp — a clever piece of writing, indeed.

Following intermission, the American Chamber Players served up its most satisfying effort of the evening with a superb rendition of Antonin Dvorak's mammoth Quartet in E-flat Major for Piano and Strings, Op. 87 (1890).

Violinist Joanna Maurer, dormant since the Mozart Quartet that opened the program, joined Uchida, Hoffman and Balderston in what proved to be the program’s tour de force. The three players ripped into the sharply defined dotted-rhythmic figures that permeate the opening Allegro con fuoco with flamboyance, capturing the Bohemian/Gypsy ethnic flavors of this movement in convincing fashion. Blend of sound among the three strings was especially rewarding, with a combination of warmth and vigor that captured each mood Dvorak laid before them. 

The slow (Lento) movement, which carries as much dramatic weight as the colossal first movement, reminds me of the slow movement of Schubert’s celebrated C Major Quintet with its ethereal opening and cathartic, contrasting middle section (which the four players milked for all it’s worth). Balderston’s large and mellow tone in the cello’s tenor register was a treat to the ears, as was Uchida’s passage-work, which spanned virtually every dynamic level.

The tongue-in-cheek third movement, a Viennese waltz that the players seasoned with a generous garnishing of schmaltz, eased the tension generated in the prior two movements. The relentless, driving rhythmic propulsion of dotted-note figures in the middle section recalls Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet. Uchida produced some brilliant moments in this movement during the many delicately shaped, rapid finger-work passages.  

The Quartet concluded with an irresistible Gypsy dance that had the crowd’s feet tapping in unison. Balance and ensemble interplay was tight, as the movement’s four-note motif passed seamlessly from one player to another. This is the piece they came to play, and this is what sent the listeners home content.  And on a full stomach.

Details Box:
What: American Chamber Players
Where: Lincoln Middle School, 1613 James Street, Syracuse
When: October 22, 2011
Time: about 2 hours, with intermission

Attendance: About 400 (sold out)
Information: call (315) 446-3424
Ticket prices: Regular $20, Senior $15, Student $10
Website: http://syracusefriendsofchambermusic.org

Next: Jupiter String Quartet, 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12