September 17, 2006 2:00 pm
Davis Hall, GBPAC, Cedar Falls
with WCFSO members Beth Hoffman & Anita Tucker, violins, Jonathan Chenoweth, cello & Genadi Zagor, piano
Beethoven – Trio in B-flat Major
Dahl – Concerto a tre
Stravinsky – L’histoire du soldat, Suite
‘Three’s Company’ features brilliant music, performers
By George F. Day
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
September 24, 2006
A very pleasant afternoon concert was presented recently in Davis Hall at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. The program consisted of three pieces of chamber music played by members of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra: Jason Weinberger, clarinet; Jonathan Chenoweth, cello; Ganadi Zagor, piano; Anita Tucker and Beth Hoffman, violins. The program was entitled 'Three’s Company,' since each work performed was a trio and three different composers were represented: Ludwig van Beethoven, Ingolf Dahl and Igor Stravinsky.
The concert opened with the Opus 11 Trio by Beethoven. There is seriousness in the second of the three movements, but overall this is a light-hearted work that, in spite of its intricate structure, creates a light, playful mood. In it the master composer designed a kind of musical game in which the piano bubbles along cheerily, the clarinet pours out sweet melodies, and the cello provides support in the series of high-spirited passages. The joyfulness of this gemlike work rises to a climax in the final movement through a series of fanciful variations on a theme taken from a popular opera composed by Weigl at the end of the 18th century.
Concert a tre by Ingolf Dahl, written for clarinet, violin and cello, seems somewhat chaotic at first, resembling a Jackson Pollock painting in sound. But as its complicated harmonic themes develop one is soon aware of a rather strict organizational pattern. [The performers] ended up creating a polished and memorable 'Trio Concerto.'
The final work was Stravinsky’s Suite from 'L’historie du soldat'. The story behind the music is a recasting of the Faust legend. A tired soldier on leave buys a magic fiddle from the devil; the music then portrays a host of the soldier's moods as he copes with the difficulties his purchase provokes. Stravinsky's score is predictably unpredictable, going from the sarcastic, dissonant March of the opening movement to the frenzied Devil’s Dance at the end. The three instrumentalists gave a splendidly spirited reading that clearly pleased the full house.
Thus ended an exciting event: three brilliant musical compositions played by five stellar performers from our home team.
Note: All reviews are edited for length and spelling.