Chicago Chamber Musicians's Vibrant concert marks ensemble's 20th year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) November 9, 2006 -- Every concert has moments that stand out from the rest. Chicago Chamber Musicians presented the third concert of its 20th anniversary season Sunday night at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Evanston (repeated Monday at the Chicago Cultural Center), and there were more than a few memorable moments.

Particularly fine was the third movement of an octet by Louis Spohr (1787-1859). It was a set of variations on the "Harmonious Blacksmith," Handel's delightful harpsichord air for which he himself wrote a set of increasingly difficult variations. Violinist Jasmine Lin sat in the first chair and lit up the stage with Spohr's show-stopping variations.
The theme danced back and forth between the players, at one point being plucked by Rami Solomonow on his viola. It was as if we were watching shifting shapes in a kaleidoscope. The movement was long, but ended far too soon.
This season also marks the 10th anniversary of the CCM Brass, which opened the program with "Centone No. 6," five short pieces for brass by Thomas Weelkes (1575-1623).

Three were bright, one was somber, and one, titled "Death Hath Deprived Me," was heartbreakingly beautiful. It began as a dirge, then moved to a piercing cry of loss. The powerful brass summoned up the anguish, and then, with just as much strength, moved to phrases of abiding peace.
After intermission, the ensemble presented Brahms' "Liebeslieder Walzer" for vocal quartet and four-handed piano. Guest singers were soprano Carole FitzPatrick, mezzo soprano Emily Lodine, tenor Hoss Brock and baritone Jeffrey Strauss.
The set included 18 songs, some only four lines long and humorous, as when Brock and Strauss sang in German, "I would have become a monk long ago, if it were not for women!" Most of the songs were about love's joys and sorrows.

The singers took care to enter into the spirit of each song, making the performance vibrant and focused. Whether fussing about spiteful neighbors in "Nein, es ist nicht auszukommen" or dreaming about a beautiful lady in "Ein kleiner, hubscher Vogel," the quartet communicated emotion to the audience and blended their voices without a trace of ego. Brock had a soulful solo, "Nicht wandle, mein Licht," which revealed a voice full of nuance and depth.
All the while Chicago Chamber pianist Deborah Sobol and guest pianist Kuang-Hao Huang provided graceful accompaniment, articulating the Brahms score in all its beauty.
Favorite moments all, and not soon forgotten.

Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Posted by DOROTHY ANDRIES

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