Spring Break
Ames Piano Quartet Wows Audience at
David Rose
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Focus
The Ames Piano Quartet came to campus last night and left a lasting impression on the von der Mehden Recital Hall. The quartet, made up of pianist William David, cellist George Work, violist Jonathan Sturm and violinist Maholn Darlington. They played three pieces, Beethoven's Quartet for piano and Strings (Op. 16), Hoiby's Dark Rosaleen - Rhapsody on an Air by James Joyce (a clear crowd favorite), and Brahms' Quartet in G minor, Op. 25.
The concert was preceded by an informative and passionate lecture by UConn music history Professor Dr. Glen Stanley. Stanley introduced the three pieces that would be played and gave the audience a few tips as to what they should look out for. He joked about the line-up, declaring it to be "unusual to have Beethoven as an hors d'ouevre."
The first number was split into three movements, the first two were moving, yet not intrusive or overly intense in nature. They soared to giddy heights with strings then descended and yielded to the soft decadence of the solo piano. At times it seemed reminiscant of passing clouds while at others the chatter of spring birds. The third movement galloped and pranced like a frisky horse before it subdued and became like rain on a window as the notes trickled out of the piano.
The second number, Hoiby's Dark Rosaleen, was a bold choice-a modern piece, composed in 2000, around a melody written by the Irish author James Joyce. The music was melancholy and somber, a revelation in the inconsequence of human suffering. The music plummeted to great depths of sorrow. It had a power and intensity not seen on the first piece and it resonated with the audience.
"I liked it, it's a strange piece, based on Bartock, it did sound like rather like Irish Music" said Dan Grieder of Mansfield.
Steve Hardis, also of Mansfield, agreed, "The dissonance of the violin and viola was amazing when they clash against each other."
It was indeed, Death and the Devil stalked among the notes. The piece brooded and hunted the audience, yet remained fragile and tender, not soft but with its hard outer shell broken. You could feel Hoiby and Joyce frowning at you over the top of the piano.
The final number was also the longest and the fact that it was by Brahms highlighted just how brave it was to play such a modern second number. It was energized and busy, a dignified rampage that flowed across the audience like a powerful animal. Intense, yes it certainly was, but also gentle and very much in control of itself. The music was frosted with an ironic sense of humor; the piece would pause to smile at its audience, one eyebrow raised, then would take flight and swoop gracefully above their heads.
The juxtaposition of the chipper violin and the more sober viola darkened the tone yet allowed for a delicate skip in the melody. That hop step gave a sense that Brahms was feting existence in all its myriad of forms. Births, marriages, deaths and existence-the Ames Piano Quartet celebrated them all in their expert handling of the pieces.
The concert was preceded by an informative and passionate lecture by UConn music history Professor Dr. Glen Stanley. Stanley introduced the three pieces that would be played and gave the audience a few tips as to what they should look out for. He joked about the line-up, declaring it to be "unusual to have Beethoven as an hors d'ouevre."
The first number was split into three movements, the first two were moving, yet not intrusive or overly intense in nature. They soared to giddy heights with strings then descended and yielded to the soft decadence of the solo piano. At times it seemed reminiscant of passing clouds while at others the chatter of spring birds. The third movement galloped and pranced like a frisky horse before it subdued and became like rain on a window as the notes trickled out of the piano.
The second number, Hoiby's Dark Rosaleen, was a bold choice-a modern piece, composed in 2000, around a melody written by the Irish author James Joyce. The music was melancholy and somber, a revelation in the inconsequence of human suffering. The music plummeted to great depths of sorrow. It had a power and intensity not seen on the first piece and it resonated with the audience.
"I liked it, it's a strange piece, based on Bartock, it did sound like rather like Irish Music" said Dan Grieder of Mansfield.
Steve Hardis, also of Mansfield, agreed, "The dissonance of the violin and viola was amazing when they clash against each other."
It was indeed, Death and the Devil stalked among the notes. The piece brooded and hunted the audience, yet remained fragile and tender, not soft but with its hard outer shell broken. You could feel Hoiby and Joyce frowning at you over the top of the piano.
The final number was also the longest and the fact that it was by Brahms highlighted just how brave it was to play such a modern second number. It was energized and busy, a dignified rampage that flowed across the audience like a powerful animal. Intense, yes it certainly was, but also gentle and very much in control of itself. The music was frosted with an ironic sense of humor; the piece would pause to smile at its audience, one eyebrow raised, then would take flight and swoop gracefully above their heads.
The juxtaposition of the chipper violin and the more sober viola darkened the tone yet allowed for a delicate skip in the melody. That hop step gave a sense that Brahms was feting existence in all its myriad of forms. Births, marriages, deaths and existence-the Ames Piano Quartet celebrated them all in their expert handling of the pieces.
Be the first to comment on this story