Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeThursday, Jul. 02, 2009
Mimir Chamber Festival gives students chance to learn from masters
By CHRIS SHULL
Special to dfw.com
As the Mimir Chamber Music Festival gets under way Monday at Texas Christian University, classical music lovers will rightly focus on public recitals played by the festival’s artists beginning Thursday.
At PepsiCo Recital Hall, some of Fort Worth’s — and America’s — most accomplished musicians will play small ensemble pieces by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and other beloved composers.
But most of the festival’s music is made away from public attention in TCU’s music studios and practice rooms. Eighteen college-age music students — formed into string quartets, piano quintets and other small groups — will learn classical chamber pieces under the guidance of experienced performers. The students will receive hands-on coaching for three hours a day and practice together for three hours more. They’ll also attend master classes and sit in on faculty rehearsals.
For the featured artists, coaching and concert preparation constitute 13-hour days that continue until the festival concludes July 17.
"It’s rapid-fire," said Curt Thompson, founder and director of Mimir and violin professor at TCU. "We’ve tried to create an intense chamber music experience for performers, students and audience."
Mimir is in its 12th summer season at TCU. The public face of the festival is the six recitals played by the teaching artists. The rotating lineup of musicians will include Fort Worth favorites Thompson, pianists José Feghali and Alessio Bax, soprano Allison Ward and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra first cellist Karen Basrak.
Visiting players include renowned pianist John Novacek; violinists Nathan Cole (of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Erin Keefe (Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center) and Stephen Rose (the Cleveland Orchestra); violist Che-Yen Chen (San Diego Symphony) and Kirsten Docter (Cavani String Quartet) and cellist Brant Taylor, who is in the Chicago Symphony and the pop band Pink Martini.
The first recital Thurs- day will feature two string quartets by Beethoven and the Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 5 by Dvorak. ("People are going to think the Dvorak quintet we’re playing is the same one they heard at the Cliburn [competition semifinals]," Thompson said. "It isn’t. Same key, but this is an early work.")
With the performances come rehearsals, which the guest artists must schedule around student-coaching sessions and in the evenings.
"It is a grueling schedule," Thompson said. "On the other hand, there’s so much friendship and love and commitment, we experience a phenomenon we call Mimir time. The clock seems to slow. An hour seems like 6 hours; the level of attention is so intense, one day seems like a week. We get in such a zone hour by hour that it is some of the most productive few days any of us has throughout the year."
Many of the faculty performers return to Mimir year after year — cellist Taylor has worked the festival since its inception, violinist Rose for 11 summers.
That continuity and friendship helps solidify recital performances with comparatively short rehearsal time.
"Chamber music is classical music’s version of jazz," Thompson said. "There’s a lot of freedom within it, but there’s a lot of responsibility. There is a great deal of spontaneity in terms of phrasing and dynamics and balance and everything else. Much of that is ironed out ahead of time, but you have to be so responsive to what’s going on around you."
A consistently high level of musicianship elevates Mimir recitals. Most of Mimir’s performers also play at other prestigious music festivals around the world — pianist Bax, for instance, will perform this summer at the famous Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
"Because we know each other so well, a raised eyebrow tells you something’s up and you better pay attention," Thompson said. "Chamber music at its best certainly is telepathic to a degree, where you feel what the other person is going to do."
$25; $15 for seniors and TCU students and faculty.
817-257-5443; www.mimirfestival.org
Alessio Bax, piano; Curt Thompson, Nathan Cole, Stephen Rose, violin; Kirsten Docter, viola; Brant Taylor, cello
— String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 18, No. 6, Beethoven
— Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 5, Dvorak
— String Quartet in C major, Op. 59, No. 3
Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
John Novacek, piano; Curt Thompson, Nathan Cole, Stephen Rose, violin; Kirsten Docter, viola; Brant Taylor, cello
— Piano Trio in E-flat major, Haydn
— String Quartet No. 4, Schafer
— Piano Trio in G minor, Smetana
July 12, 3 p.m.
John Novacek, piano; Curt Thompson, Nathan Cole, Stephen Rose, violin; Kirsten Docter, viola; Brant Taylor, cello
— Fratres for String Quartet, Pärt
— String Quartet No. 2, Shostakovich
— Piano Quartet in B minor, Op. 3, Mendelssohn
July 14, 7:30 p.m.
José Feghali, piano; Curt Thompson, Erin Keefe, violin; Kirsten Docter, Che-Yen Chen, viola; Brant Taylor, cello
— Piano Trio in G major, Mozart
— String Quartet No. 1, "Kreutzer," Janacek
— String Quintet in F major, Brahms
July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Young Artist Concert
July 17, 7:30 p.m.
José Feghali, piano; Curt Thompson, Erin Keefe, violin; Che-Yen Chen, viola; Karen Basrak, cello
— String Trio in D major, Taneyev
— String Quartet in G minor, Debussy
— Piano Trio in D minor, Mendelssohn
DFW.com is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impractical for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since DFW.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not DFW.com.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking the exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators; we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.
