Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeSaturday, Oct. 24, 2009
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth opens its season
By CHRIS SHULL
Special to dfw.com
FORT WORTH — The season-opening program of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth on Saturday at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth featured two pieces that swung moods to the extremes.
Seven Romances on Poems of Alexander Blok by Shostakovich was dreary, dank and oppressive — yet always human and alive. "La oracion del torero" ("The Bullfighter’s Prayer") by Joaquin Turina was a study in lightness and gaiety. Both showcased artistry that beautifully focused the clashing moods.
A string quartet of violinists Robert Davidovici and Michael Shih, both also the society’s music directors, violist Susan Dubois and cellist Karen Basrak played the Turina. Tremolos and plucks defined the effervescent opening; then more sumptuous sounds took command, played with a balanced, savory sound. Magic was spun effortlessly.
The Shostakovich Romances were performed tellingly by pianist Shields-Collins Bray, Davidovici and Basrak. Blok’s poetry was sung deliciously by mezzo-soprano Laura Mercado-Wright. The seven songs each captured a world fraught with terror and loneliness. A storm raged, lovers died, the sky bore down. Mercado-Wright conveyed the harrowing scenes with succulent fervor. By voicing the terrors, she dispelled them.
The accompanying instruments wrapped these bleak landscapes with menacing weight and shards of light; in "Secret Signs" the high, plaintive melody played in unison by violin and cello became a cry of liberation. It was an arresting performance; several of the songs ended with sighs.
Two pieces by Mendelssohn were less successful. His String Quartet No. 1 started grittily, with Davidovici’s crystal-bright violin contrasting with the three lower-sounding instruments. The piece pulled together, though, with fiery yet nuanced playing that projected the music’s sunny disposition.
In Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, I wanted more definition in Bray’s piano cascades, more nuance and poetry in his phrasing. His playing seemed dry and tightly wound, odd for a usually gracious and ebullient musician.
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.
