July 21, 2024
Lewis Hall, Village Green Commons
Cashiers, NC
Risa Hokamura, violin; Zuill Bailey, cello; Victor Asuncion, piano.
Johannes BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin, Op. 77
Antoinin DVOŘÁK: Concerto for Cello, Op. 104
July 22, 2024
Highlands Performing Arts Center
Highlands, NC
David Shifrin, clarinet; Risa Hokamura, violin; Zuill Bailey, cello; William Ransom and Victor Asuncion, piano.
Johannes BRAHMS: Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114
Olivier MESSIAEN: Quartet for the End of Time
Mark Gresham | 24 JUL 2023
American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike launched a faulty update to its Falcon software on Friday, July 19, causing approximately 8.5 million Microsoft Windows systems to crash. Microsoft’s cloud also experienced an unrelated outage. The incident, called the largest information technology outage in history, disrupted daily life, businesses, and governments worldwide. It also significantly impacted airlines. The outage caused 5,078 flights, or 4.6% of those scheduled, to be canceled globally.
One of the travelers affected by the airline cancellations was clarinetist David Shifrin, originally scheduled to play on Saturday and Sunday in last weekend’s concerts at the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in western North Carolina.
The situation prompted the Festival to reverse the order of its two programs that weekend as a potential solution, and it worked. The other musicians—violinist Risa Hokamura, cellist Zuill Bailey, pianist Victor Asuncion, and artistic director/pianist William Ransom—were involved in both programs, so the switch could be facilitated with the hope that Shifrin could arrive in time for some rehearsal before Monday’s concert. As it happened, he did get there on Sunday.
Sunday’s concert at Village Green Commons was entitled “Concerto Night.” Since the Festival is exclusively chamber music, it does not host an orchestra; instead, the audience was treated to a pair of famous concertos in versions for soloist and piano.
First up was Brahms’ Violin Concerto, Op. 77, performed by violinist Risa Hokamura and pianist Victor Asuncion. The piece is regarded as one of the four great German violin concertos, along with those by Beethoven, Bruch, and Mendelssohn. Brahms intended a symphonic concerto rather than a virtuoso showpiece, with the soloist and orchestra in equal dialogue rather than the soloist against an orchestra. That makes it a top candidate for performance as a chamber work for violin and piano, and fortuitously, the transcription is by Brahms himself.
It was a muscular yet lyrical performance, and Hokamura and Asuncion played with matching robustness and excellent balance. Hokamura’s violin part was clear and well-stenciled against Asuncion’s piano, even in the music’s more reflective moments.
After intermission, cellist Zuill Bailey joined Asuncion on stage for another concerto favorite, Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, a seminal work in the cello repertoire, composed between 1894 and 1895 during the composer’s time in the United States. The concerto is infused with Bohemian folk elements and is renowned for its lyrical beauty and poignant melodies, showcasing the cello’s expressive range. Bailey delivered a performance that took full advantage of that character, delving deeply into the work’s inner life with his rich, burnished tone, capably underscored by Asuncion on piano.
Finally came an encore: John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List, brief but hauntingly poignant, evoking emotional intensity through its delicate melody and understated accompaniment.
l-r: pianist Victor Asuncion, violinist Risa Hokamura, clarinetist David Shifrin, cellist Zuill Bailey, and HCCMF artistic director/pianist William Ransom. (courtesy of HCCMF)
With clarinetist David Shifrin safely in Highlands, Monday’s concert could proceed at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.
Shifrin, Bailey, and pianist William Ransom opened the program with Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Trio in A minor. Composed in 1891, it is a significant work in the clarinet repertoire, notable for its introspective and autumnal character, reflecting the composer’s mature style. Its four movements are replete with lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and intricate interplay between the instruments. The performance brought out the work’s celebrated blend of warmth and melancholy.
For the program’s second half, Hokamura and Asuncion joined Shifrin and Bailey in performing Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, written in 1941 while the composer was interned in a German prison camp.
Premiered within the camp to an audience of fellow prisoners and guards, the work is profoundly spiritual and influenced by Messiaen’s Catholic faith and his fascination with time. The eight-movement piece is noted for its complex rhythms, rich harmonic language, and use of bird songs. It has become one of the most celebrated and significant works of the 20th-century chamber music repertoire.
Although written over 80 years ago, Quartet for the End of Time remains challenging for the average classical audience more accustomed to Brahms. Still, the performers gave the piece a compelling performance to cap off the concert. Especially given the unpredictable events of the last few weeks, I truly appreciated the opportunity to hear this deeply mystical, apocalyptic work again. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival: h-cmusicfestival.org
- Risa Hokamura: risahokamuraviolinist.com
- David Shifrin: davidshifrin.com
- Zuill Bailey: zuillbailey.com
- Victor Asuncion: victorsantiagoasuncion.com
- William Ransom: music.emory.edu/people/biography/ransom-william.html
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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