Author: Philip Gardner

Above: violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and pianist Wu Qian, featured performers at tonight’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concert

Wednesday July 22nd, 2015 – Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center‘s inaugural Summer Series wrapped up this evening with a most impressive and enjoyable programme. The formula for these Summer concerts (as for all of the Society’s concerts, really) was a simple one: great music played in a wonderful space by first-rate musicians. That the series was a genuine success came as no surprise to me; and the best news is, planning for a Summer Series 2016 at CMS seems already to be in the works as I write this.

The Society draws from an A-list roster of musical artists, sometimes featuring established ensembles – such as the Amphion String Quartet who headlined the second concert in the Summer Series – and sometimes gathering together players from diverse musical backgrounds to illuminate a particular convergence of works. For tonight’s programme, pianist Wu Qian and violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky were the central figures; this husband-and-wife team (who make up two-thirds of The Sitkovetsky Trio) played in all three works. Joining them were the delightful young violinist Danbi Um, viola paragon Richard O’Neill, and the distinguished veteran cellist Laurence Lesser.

Antonín Dvořák’s Bagatelles for Two Violins, Cello, and Keyboard, Op. 47, opened the evening; this series of miniatures alternates spirited dance rhythms with soulful slower movements, all drawing upon the folk music which so often inspired the composer. Plucking cello, rhapsodic violins, and flowing piano motifs are among the attractions of these five small wonders. Wu Qian was at the keyboard, with the two violinists and Mr. Lesser’s amiable cello assuring a most appealing exploration of the unfolding thematic material which abounds in these charming, deftly scored bagatelles. 

Robert Schumann’s Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 121 was given a remarkable performance by Mr. Sitkovetsky and Wu Qian. Although stationed in a way that seemed to preclude eye contact, the two developed an extraordinary telepathic rapport. Mr. Sitkovetsky had removed his white dinner jacket and, all in black, he proved as fascinating to watch as to hear, with expressive body English and moving in an almost choreographic response to the music.

Following a passionate, slashing start, Mr. Sitkovetsky intoned a heartfelt solo passage before the eruption of energy that propels the sonata’s first movement. The violinist’s playing is wonderfully rich, plumbing the depths of feeling with his resonant tone. For the energetic opening of the second movement, the violin/piano collaboration was rhythmically driven, though lapsing at one point into a melodious interlude.

A mandolin-like plucking motif opens the third movement, which evolves into a haunting theme: here Mr. Sitkovetsky’s Olde World sound and his ability to transform melody into poetry was at its most moving. In the final movement’s expansive variety of themes and energies, violinist and pianist were simply thrilling, causing the audience to celebrate their joint artistry with prolonged applause and calling the duo out for a second bow. 

Danbi Um, in a glamorous deep emerald gown with a diamond clasp, looks as elegant as she plays. She took the first chair for the evening’s concluding Brahms (the Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 34) and, with her ravishing ascents to the upper range, graced the music at every moment. The big singing themes of this work were delivered with striking lushness by the players – Mr. Sitkovetsky and Wu Qian, violist Richard O’Neill, and cellist Laurence Lesser joining Ms. Um; they sometimes created the sonic illusion of a much larger ensemble with their plush tone. 

The performance was brimming with marvelous moments, including (in the first movement) a lovely violin/viola ‘conversation’ and a luminous moment when Ms. Um, with her refined tone, passed the melody to Mr. Lesser who took it up with achingly beautiful expressiveness.

The somewhat hesitant opening of the second movement – with Mr. Lesser’s subtle plucking motif – took a few moments to bloom into melody. Mr. O’Neill, a player we can admire as much for his artistry as for his humanitarian and charitable work, had a deeply moving theme with which to entice; then Mr. Lesser’s cello took a series of ever-deepening plunges. At the piano Wu Qian’s gently lilting playing underscored the ensuing rise of the string voices. In a moment of sheer perfection, Ms. Um and Mr. O’Neill jointly tapered the movement’s final note til it vanished into the air. 

After some treading in a minor key, the third movement bursts forth; the pianist continually sounds a heraldry of march-like calls to action. Later, Wu Qian’s piano segues into a more lyrical passage where she is met by the Mr. Lesser’s genial cello…but their encounter is fleeting before another onrush of almost military vigor. Things calm down again momentarily, only to surge forward again with a triumphant feeling.

A pensive – almost eerie – feeling pervades the opening of the quintet’s finale. In music that is passionate and harmonically rich, we experience a mixture of vivid dance themes and passages of almost tragic-sounding lyricism. 

As our estimable ensemble of players drew the evening to its close, the audience hailed them with sincere appreciation and affection. The evening was perhaps best summarized by a remark the man seated behind me made to his wife just as the house lights went down for the Brahms: “This is the place to be!”

The Repertory: 

• Dvořák Bagatelles for Two Violins, Cello, and Keyboard, Op. 47 (1878)
• Schumann Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 121 (1851)
• Brahms Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 34 (1862)

The Participating Artists: