The 30th season of the Colorado College Summer Music Festival has reached its midway point. And although circumstances threatened to derail the music making, Thursday night's Faculty Artists Concert at Packard Hall kicked its quality and excitement into high gear.
In a testament to the artistic beachhead that music director Susan Grace and her colleagues have established, the loss of two key musicians, faculty violinists Steven Moeckel and Daniel Phillips (Moeckel to a fractured wrist and Phillips to double pneumonia), was brilliantly handled.
Joining clarinetist Bil Jackson, violinist Stefan Hersh, violist Ginny Barron, cellist David Ying and pianist Jon Nakamatsu for Prokofiev's 'Overture on Hebrew Themes' was highly lauded violinist Ellen dePasquale, brought in to bolster the depleted roster. Jackson's smooth clarinet set the mood for this atypical composition from the Russian 'enfant terrible.' Flawless and patient playing produced a charming aura with Barron's viola matching Jackson as a creamy lead voice.
The sonic picture dramatically shifted for Verne Reynolds' 'Trio for Trumpet (Kevin Cobb), Horn (Michael Thornton) and Trombone (John Rojak).' This 'power trio' played out like a treatise on their instruments exploring sounds, textures and possibilities.
The most welcome musical surprise of the evening came courtesy of composer Osvaldo Golijov and his 'Last Round for Double String Quartet and Double Bass.' With his primary responsibility as conductor of the student-comprised Festival Orchestra, violinist Scott Yoo was scheduled to appear in only two faculty performances this summer, but the fallen violinists pressed him into service. He joined Hersh, violist Phillip Ying, cellist Bion Tsang and bass player Susan Cahill on the faculty side. As a highly energetic and breathtakingly beautiful tribute to 20th-century tango master Astor Piazzolla, the music's soulful sounds were welcomed by all.
Violinists Robyn Quinnett and Antonio Cevallos, violist Seido Karasaki, cellist Ray Kim and bass player Yu-Chen Yang are students at the festival. But they neither looked or sounded like anything less than their teachers.
With all the excellence that had preceded it, the performance of Mendelssohn's 'D minor Piano Trio' left the music from the concert's first half in its wake. Yoo, David Ying and Nakamatsu forged a dream ensemble that produced an immortal performance.
From the get-go, this oft-performed, 175-year-old masterpiece seemed to be having its concert debut. Even though Yoo had only a short time to prepare for this performance, he made sure this was a close-knit conversation as he and Ying rung out every bit of passion possible. Nakamatsu's keyboard clarity acted as musical arbiter to the strings.
The dramatic first movement was countered by the seamless poetry of the second. The scherzo blended intense rhythmic drive with the composer's signature fairyesque aura. For the finale, the trio added a sense of spontaneous creativity that both honored the structure of the music and brought the house down.
COLORADO COLLEGE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVALWhat: Faculty Artist concerts, Festival Orchestra concerts, Music at Midday and community concertsWhen: Through June 29Where: Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St., and the Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado CollegeTickets: $30 faculty concerts, $25 orchestra concerts, free student chamber music and community concerts; 520-7469; ticketswest.com; Worner Center, 902 N. Cascade Ave.Next: Faculty artists perform contemporary chamber music including music by Carter, Daugherty and Penderecki, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Entities 0 Name: Jackson Count: 2 1 Name: Nakamatsu Count: 2 2 Name: Packard Hall Count: 2 3 Name: David Ying Count: 2 4 Name: Yoo Count: 1 5 Name: Astor Piazzolla Count: 1 6 Name: Phillip Ying Count: 1 7 Name: Colorado College Count: 1 8 Name: Moeckel Count: 1 9 Name: Bil Jackson Count: 1 10 Name: Steven Moeckel Count: 1 11 Name: Phillips Count: 1 12 Name: Yu-Chen Yang Count: 1 13 Name: Stefan Hersh Count: 1 14 Name: Horn Count: 1 15 Name: Osvaldo Golijov Count: 1 16 Name: Cornerstone Arts Center Count: 1 17 Name: Antonio Cevallos Count: 1 18 Name: Barron Count: 1 19 Name: Robyn Quinnett Count: 1 20 Name: N. Cascade Ave. Count: 1 21 Name: Russian Count: 1 22 Name: Jon Nakamatsu Count: 1 23 Name: Colorado College Summer Music Festival Count: 1 24 Name: COLORADO Count: 1 25 Name: Verne Reynolds Count: 1 26 Name: Worner Center Count: 1 27 Name: Michael Thornton Count: 1 28 Name: Penderecki Count: 1 29 Name: Ray Kim Count: 1 30 Name: Prokofiev Count: 1 31 Name: Ginny Barron Count: 1 32 Name: Hersh Count: 1 33 Name: Susan Grace Count: 1 34 Name: Susan Cahill Count: 1 35 Name: Bion Tsang Count: 1 36 Name: Carter Count: 1 37 Name: Mendelssohn Count: 1 38 Name: Daugherty Count: 1 39 Name: Scott Yoo Count: 1 40 Name: Seido Karasaki Count: 1 41 Name: W. Cache La Poudre St. Count: 1 42 Name: Festival Orchestra Count: 1 43 Name: Daniel Phillips Count: 1 44 Name: Ying Count: 1 45 Name: John Rojak Count: 1 46 Name: Ellen dePasquale Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1mpMWvK Title: How One Generation Was Single-Handedly Able To Kill The Music Industry Description: The old music industry is dead. We're standing in the ruins of a business built on private jets, Cristal, $18 CDs and million-dollar recording budgets. We're in the midst of the greatest music industry disruption of the past 100 years. A fundamental shift has occurred - a shift that Millennials are driving.
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