On Sunday afternoon, musical contrast took center stage at the Seattle Chamber Music Society‘s Winter Festival. The two-week festival, held at Benaroya Hall’s Nordstrom Recital Hall, began last weekend with three days of concerts and recitals featuring guest artists from around the world. Long known for innovative and exciting programming, the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) continued the tradition with Sunday’s concert, which paired Brahms’ Sextet for Strings in B-flat Major with Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Also on the program were solo piano works by each composer, which provided musical insight into the chamber music pieces.
Although both composers were visionaries of their time, their musical voices couldn’t be more different. Brahms’ chamber music is filled with rich harmonies and singing melodic lines, characteristics that are representative of the late 19th century Romantic Era. In contrast, Bartók’s 20th century compositions evoke a sonic world of throbbing rhythms and unusual dissonances. It’s refreshing to experience such radically different musical styles in the same program.
Bartók dominated the first half of the concert, which began with the Suite (Op. 14) for solo piano and culminated in a thrilling performance of the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Though he was born in 1881, at the height of the Romantic Era, Bartók’s music explores new forms of expression, using a harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic language that drew influence from a wide variety of sources, including Eastern European folk tunes and the emerging Serialist movement. Pianist Jeewon Park’s lightning-fast rendition of the Suite emphasized the piece’s driving rhythms and dissonant harmonies, hinting at the intensity of the music to come. Her performance of the jumpy second movement and melancholy fourth movement were particularly effective.
After the Suite, Park was joined onstage by pianist Max Levinson and Seattle Symphony percussionists Michael Werner and Michael Crusoe for the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. This exciting work, composed in 1937, features seven different percussion instruments, from triangle to timpani. It’s quite a visual spectacle to witness the percussionists navigate the complex score, which often has them rapidly jumping from instrument to instrument.
Yesterday’s performance virtually crackled with electricity. The quartet displayed razor-sharp ensemble coordination, which was particularly effective at moments when the instruments echoed each other. The buzzing hailstorm of the first movement was followed by a delightfully haunting second movement, which opened with suspenseful taps on the drums, cymbals, and timpani. The ensemble kept the intensity level high throughout the piece. Park and Levinson balanced each other perfectly, even during sections when tornadoes of notes seemed to be flying out of both pianos. Just as they anchor the Seattle Symphony, Werner and Crusoe provided a solid foundation for the quartet, propelling the energy of the piece forward.
Brahms’ monumental Sextet for Strings in B-flat Major — written in 1860 for pairs of violins, violas, and cellos — served as the focal point of the second half of the program. This was preceded by Levinson’s performance of the Theme and Variations in D minor for solo piano, which is a transcription of the Sextet’s second movement. Though Levinson’s playing brought a rich sense of character to the piece, the Theme & Variations lacked the diversity of tone and texture that Brahms was able to access with the string sextet version.
In contrast to the percussive intensity of the Bartók, the Sextet was lush and warm, full of rich string tones. Up-and-coming youngster Emily Daggett Smith shone on first violin, bringing energy and eagerness to the hefty role. Her bright, clear tone provided a fascinating contrast with first violist Toby Appel’s bold, rich sound, especially in the call-and-response sections of the first movement. The two were joined by SCMS Artistic Director James Ehnes on violin and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt on viola. Cellists Julie Albers and Jeremy Turner made up the powerhouse cello section, which stood out in the second movement, especially during sections with lightning-fast runs played in unison. The fourth movement was characterized by two outstanding solos — Albers’ soaring cello melody at the opening, and Appel’s wry viola chuckle at the very end.
Sunday’s concert was well-attended by an enthusiastic crowd that filled nearly the auditorium. Based on the popularity of last weekend’s concerts, the festival is off to a successful start. Next weekend’s line-up features all six of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg concertos as well as works by Debussy, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Telemann, and more.
