THREE RARELY PLAYED WORKS FEATURED AT SUNDAY’S BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL CONCERT

BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL PARK CITY, Temple Har Shalom, July 13; the festival runs through Aug. 11, tickets at the door or at www.beethovenfestivalparkcity.org 

The Beethoven Festival Park City closed out its first week with a superb concert of three rarely played works.

Opening the matinee concert Sunday was Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, op. 96, played by Brigham Young University violinist Monte Belknap and pianist John Jensen.

While the 10 violin sonatas Beethoven wrote are staples in every violinist’s repertoire, the Tenth in G major isn’t heard very often. Perhaps it’s because this work is so unlike much of Beethoven’s music. It doesn’t have the dramatic power or compelling passion that one associates with Beethoven. Instead, it’s a quiet, reflective piece that has a distinct pastoral character.

Belknap and Jensen gave a wonderfully nuanced and beautifully phrased account of the sonata. They captured the intimacy of the music with their subtle and sensitive playing.Their choice of tempos was spot on and allowed them to bring finely honed expressiveness to their reading.

Paired with the Beethoven in the first half was Borodin’s magnificent Sonata in B minor for Cello and Piano, played by Jensen and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra cellist Armen Ksajikian.

Best known for his operas, Borodin wrote a few chamber works, the most famous of which are his two string quartets. But the cello sonata is perhaps an even better work than the quartets. It’s a challenging work for both players, especially for the cellist, and the two acquitted themselves wonderfully. From the boldness of the opening to the many softer lyrical passages throughout, Jensen and Ksajikian showed a mastery of the work that allowed them to give a compelling and utterly fascinating reading.

Rounding out the concert was David Carlson’s Quantum Quartet, for clarinet, viola, cello and piano, played by festival co-directors Russell Harlow, clarinet, and Leslie Harlow, viola, together with Ksajikian and Jensen.

Quantum Quartet was a festival commission and was premiered in 1998. For the festival’s 30th anniversary, the Harlows thought it would be fitting to bring it back into their repertoire. It was a fortunate decision, because it’s a well crafted work that places great demands on the four musicians. The quartet of players made short work of the piece, giving a tour de force performance that was quite powerful. They brought out the many changing moods and captured the evocative character of the music. It’s a work that these four ought to record and release on CD.

As a special treat, Ksajikian played an encore — a beautifully expressive reading of the prelude from J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 2 in D minor.

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About Edward Reichel

Edward Reichel, author, writer and composer, has been covering the classical music scene in Utah since 1997. For many years he served as the primary music critic for the Deseret News. He has also written for a number of publications, including Chamber Music Magazine, OPERA Magazine, 15 Bytes, Park City Magazine and Salt Lake Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He can be reached at ed.reichel@gmail.com. Reichel Recommends is also on Twitter @ReichelArts.

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