CMS: Summer Evenings I

Above: violinist Erin Keefe, photographed by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Wednesday July 15th, 2015 – Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center are presenting their inaugural Summer Series: three concerts at Alice Tully Hall. The scheduled programs feature works by the greatest composers played by some of the finest musicians of our time: a surefire recipe for success.

Tonight’s opening concert was sold out, with music lovers outside Tully Hall pleading with anyone who might have a spare ticket. Onstage, as the house lights dimmed, the Society’s co-artistic director Wu Han welcomed us with her usual warmth and enthusiasm, ending her speech by wishing us all “…happy summer fishing…I hope you catch some trout!” – a reference to the program’s closing work, Schubert’s beloved “Trout” quintet.

Erin Keefe and Juho Pohjonen then appeared for Mozart’s B-flat major violin sonata, K. 378. Ms. Keefe’s gown, in rich shades of tourquoise and purple, evoked Klimt: it appeared someone had thrown handfuls of gold dust onto the frock, giving it a shimmering sheen. Ms. Keefe plays as handsomely as she looks and – joined by Mr. Pohjonen, who was at the keyboard for all three works tonight – they set the evening on its way with their gracious rendering of the Mozart. 

In the opening movement, Allegro moderato, the two players trade off cascading motifs. The heart of the sonata, the Andante sostenuto e cantabile, has a touching song-like quality which the violin introduces almost hesitatingly, the pianist seemingly completing each ‘sentence’. Later, the violin takes up a more sustained theme, the opening bars of which seem to have been drawn from the old Jesuit hymn ‘Schönster Herr Jesu’; we used to sing this tune in church under the title ‘Fairest Lord Jesus’, and hearing it again this evening gave the sonata a personal appeal.

The concluding Rondo: Allegro had a joyous lilt and the players showed especial affinity for the sprightly, deftly driven final section. They linger momentarily as if thinking of going off on a different tangent, but instead they resume the original trajectory and there’s a charming rush to the finish line.

Tonight’s performance of Beethoven’s piano trio in E-flat major (Op. 70, #2) kept me enthralled, both by the intrinsic beauty of the music itself and by the exquisite details brought forth by the three players: Mr. Pohjonen (piano), Paul Huang (violin) and Jakob Koranyi (cello).

Juho Pohjonen is a poet of the keyboard; he seems both a wonderfully attentive colleague and a player whose musicality reaches us from his own personal dreamworld. Treading this line between keen awareness and a deep spirituality, this enigmatic pianist is always fascinating to encounter. Violinist Paul Huang, the youthful-looking but already superbly accomplished current holder of a prestigious Lincoln Center Career Grant, proved his capacity for keeping an audience of serious music aficionados under his spell at his Morgan Library recital earlier this year. Depth of expressiveness and poignant lustre of tone have set cellist Jakob Koranyi among the most admirable musicians of the day; his mastery of dynamic control, so often encountered in the Beethoven trio tonight, is a particular joy.

Dressed in white dinner jackets, the three young men reveled in the slow melodic unfolding of the Poco sostenuto in the opening movement of the trio which had begun with an almost melancholy phrase from the solo cello which is taken up by the violin then the piano in turn. Beethoven’s heritage, as successor to Mozart and Haydn, illuminates the second movement; then the third seems to herald Mendelssohn with its lyricism and grace. In the Finale: Allegro, the three players produced a wealth of nuanced detail which was wonderfully fresh and luminous, and never for a moment seemed fussy or merely ornate. 

In their revelatory performance, Messrs. Pohjonen, Huang, and Koranyi were truly inspiring; their generous playing and impressive artistry set this Beethoven firmly in the top echelon of memorable musical experiences of recent seasons.

Schubert’s “Trout” quintet was sumptuously played by Ms. Keefe with Roberto Diaz (viola), Mr. Koranyi (cello), Timothy Cobb (double bass) and the luxuriant pianism of Mr. Pohjonen. Making their mark in the ensemble, Mr. Diaz’s caramel richness of tone and Mr. Cobb’s genial tread (and his amiable seizing of every melodic moment) meshed with Mr. Keefe’s arching lyricism, Mr. Koranyi’s striking opulence of expression, and the combination of delicacy and power in Mr. Pohjonen’s playing, to hold the audience in a state of receptive eagerness.

The inclusion of a variations movement, where Schubert’s popular song “Die forelle” is heard in a variety of rhythms and textures, was part of the composer’s agreement with Herr Paumgartner, the wealthy amateur cellist who commissioned the quintet. Schubert then has the last word; after a false ending which – as usual – fooled the audience into premature applause, the composer tacks on an Allegro giusto which is both short and deliciously sweet.

The Society’s remaining two Summer Series performances (July 19th and 22nd) are reportedly nearly sold out, but it’s worth a try by going on-line here, or by calling the Alice Tully box office (212-875-5788), or by going there in person. 

The Repertory:

• Mozart Sonata in B-flat major for Violin and Piano, K. 378 (1779-80)
• Beethoven Trio in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 70, No. 2 (1808)
• Schubert Quintet in A major for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass, D. 667, Op. 114, “Trout” (1819)

The Participating Artists: