Author: Philip Gardner

Above: violinist Bella Hristova, photographed by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Author: Oberon

Tuesday March 28th, 2023 – Works by Anton Arensky and Johannes Brahms were on the bill at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center this evening as violinist Bella Hristova, cellist Dmitri Atapine, and pianists Wu Qian and Wu Han teamed up for some magical music-making.

The concert commenced with Arensky’s Six Children’s Pieces for Piano, Four Hands, Op. 34, composed in 1894. These charming miniatures found our two pianists side by side at the Steinway, with Wu Han presiding over the upper octaves and Wu Qian the lower.

To give the pieces their English titles, we start with Fairy Tale which begins in the minor key, has a folkish feeling, and then becomes quite dramatic. Wu Han plays a series of decorative trills as the music ranges from hesitant to animated. Then, Wu Qian plays the familiar two-note birdcall that signals the delightful Cuckoo bird is nearby. This is a sprightly little piece with a subtle finish. The mood changes for Tears, which has the feel of a lament, with a deep bass line supporting a hymn-like melody. The ending is very quiet.

Rippling motifs underscore the lovely Waltz, which gets quite bouncy. A passing reverie turns expansive before fading away, as if the dance was continuing in another room. Cradle Song appropriately has a slow, rocking feeling; the melody is that of a gentle lullaby. The concluding Fugue on a Russian Theme is tuneful and jovial. The music turns grand, and the two pianists have a grand time playing it.

Listening to Bella Hristova and Dmitri Atapine (above), joined by Wu Qian, play the Arensky Trio No. 1 in D -minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 32, makes one wonder why we don’t hear more of this composer’s gorgeous music. He wrote copiously for solo piano, and numerous chamber works as well. And why cannot we hear more of his large orchestral works – which include two symphonies – or his choral pieces?  He also wrote three operas, which must be wonderful to experience.

At any rate, we must be thankful for any opportunity to hear the music of this pupil of Tchaikovsky, especially when it as a luminously played as this evening. The introductory theme of the opening Allegro moderato, first played by Ms. Hristova and then taken up by Mr. Atapine, is hauntingly beautiful. These virtuosos bring such richness of timbre to everything they play, and this trio – a veritable font of melody – affords them so many opportunities.

It is restless, passionate music, interrupted by a Springlike interlude in which Wu Qian spins lovely swirling passages from the Steinway. Now a sense of drama takes hold; the opening theme recurs, played – if it’s possible to imagine – even more thrillingly. There is a coda full of lyrical grace before the movement ends quietly.

The ensuing Scherzo opens with an odd, stuttering quality. There are crisp plucking and jaunty melodies to be savoured, whilst at the keyboard Wu Qian offers cascades of notes decorated with lively trills. Now a swaying feeling takes over, and the music gets grand. After a brief hesitation, the stuttering resumes and the Scherzo comes to its whimsical finish.

The evocative Elegia is the heart of the trio: Mr. Atapine opens with a pensive theme, then the string voices entwine as Wi Qian introduces poetic phrases from the keyboard. The music seems to evoke the memory of a lost love as the gently rocking strings sound over the quiet rapture evoked by the pianist. Ms. Hristova in her high range, the pianist pulsing quietly, and Mr. Atapine plucking ever so gently give the music an ethereal quality. Ms. Hristova takes up an autumnal melody as Mr. Atapine’s deep resonance sounds and the music fades away on a sustained chord.

A reverential silence filled the hall, and then the agitated drama of the final Allegro non troppo sprang up. Things cool off, melodic phrases are exchanged, but then restlessness builds and the music becomes impassioned. From a sudden silence, Wu Qian’s shimmering notes are heard as the strings sing softly. The music ascends, and becomes reflective with the poignant violin and the soulful cello sounding. Then, out of the blue, a bustling rush to the finish line springs up. 

The music of Johannes Brahms took the limelight after the interval: our two pianists returned for selections from the composer’s Hungarian Dances for Piano, Four Hands; Wu Qian was now playing the upper range and Wu Han the lower. These delightful pieces were written between 1868 and 1880, and they are chock full of rhythmic and melodic variety, spiced with a dose of paprika. The two women seemed to be having a blast playing them, much to the audience’s delight.

Bringing the evening to its close, Wu Han, Ms. Hristova, and Mr. Atapine illuminated the Brahms Trio in C-major Op. 87, with sumptuous playing.

In the opening Allegro, a unison theme for violin and cello develops int something big ad thrilling. When cal finally settles in, a sense of yearning is felt. The textures created by the three players are rich indeed, each displaying alluring tone that meshes into a persuasive whole. Epic grandeur develops as we relish Wu Han’s superbly polished playing, which takes the movement to a royal finish.

Unison strings again herald the Andante con moto: a theme with five variations. The music takes on a gypsy air, reflecting Brahms’ interest in Hungarian music, which began in his youth. Here the blend achieved by our three artists was nothing short of remarkable, continually drawing me in to the music, which reaches a touching, quiet ending.

In the brisk Scherzo, I sensed a Mendelssohnian enchantment. Lush melodies sprang up, and there’s a songful outpouring before a feeling of Puck lurking about returned at the music’s sudden stop.

From its opening agitato, the concluding Allegro giocoso brings an abundance of delicious melodic and rhythmical treats, and the Mendelssohn mood continued to be felt. The musicians were warmly cheered as they took their bows, and I simply must mention Ms. Hristova’s bejeweled shoes, which added an extra sparkle to an already brilliant evening.

~ Oberon