BALTIMORE, Maryland September 15, 2014 - It has the innocuous name of "Community Concerts at Second." The group of music lovers who organize the shows sponsor two sets of concerts that run each year from September through May. One set features chamber music talent from all over these United States playing concerts later on Sunday afternoons about once a month. The second set features members of the extremely wonderful Baltimore Symphony Orchestra playing chamber music selections of their choosing on Sunday evenings. All of the concerts are staged at the beautiful - and accoustically superb - Second Presbyterian Church just south of Loyola College in the northern part of Baltimore. Best of all, and most amazing of all, all of these concerts are free. Now, there is a collection plate at the doors that gets filled up fast with free will gifts, and from time to time a member of the governing board gets up and asks for contributions. But that is it.
Last night was the first of the Sunday night concerts, and it was superb. The concert started with two brass selections. First was Victor Ewald's Quintet No. 5, played by Andrew Balio on trumpet, Nathaniel Hepfer on trumpet, Phillip Munds on horn, Aaron LeVere on trombone and Seth Horner on tuba. Ewald had two accomplished professions: not only was he an accomplished and oft-performed composer, he was also one of his time's best civil engineers. He lived most of his life in St. Petersburg, Russia, and he is known as a composer who adopted the methods and, if you will, spirit of Johannes Brahms, to the genre of brass instruments. For those who know about these things, the one group of instruments Brahms did not do much composing for were the brass instruments. Ewald admired Brahms' music and did what he could to bring his style and methods to the brass section. Amazingly enough, Ewald himself was an accomplished cellist. The quintet on display for this piece was superb, accomplished, and meshing the sounds of their instruments in a beautiful way. The audience of several hundred gave them a very warm reception. Next, the Sextet in E-flat Minor by Oskar Bohme was played. Bolio, Hepfer, Munds, Levere and Horner returned, joined by a third trumpet played by Rene Hernandez. Bohme was born near Dresden, Germany in 1870. He was a member of several orchestrals in Eastern Europe and Russia before expiring in exile ordered by Josef Stalin in either 1938 or 1941. Because he died in exile, his music was not played often during his life. In these later days, however, his scores are being performed with increasing regularity. On You Tube, for instance, the Sextet heard last night in Baltimore can be seen and heard played by several different performance groups. It is a beautiful and soulful piece, reflecting Bohme's frequent association with orchestras associated with large operas. The Baltimore Symphony Sextet on display last night was superb and accomplished, and the music reflected that.
The third selection on the program was Gabriel Faure's elegant Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, opus 13. Faure is the famous and beloved French composer of the late 1800's and first quarter of the twentieth century. He was regarded, in his time, as extremely modern, and even cutting edge. But when he died in 1924 at the age of 79, he was given a state funeral. The superb virtuoso, Qing Li - who the BSO is supremely fortunate to have as a member - played the lead, accompanied by the equally virtuistic Choo Choo Hu on piano. The demanding and elegant Sonata involves a wide range of musical styles, from the soulful and mournful, to the up-tempo and lightning fast. In one part of the Sonata, Qing Li plays pizzicato while Hu plays up tempo and forcefully. Quickly enough, the Sonata returns to elegance. It was amazing to hear and see, and the audience was on its feet at the end. If you have never heard Qing Li play, you are missing an accomplished and extremely talented violinist.
The final piece, Ralph Vaughan Williams' String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, is a haunting and, at the same time, captivating work. Williams, of course, is the legendary English Composer who, although born to an upperclass family (his mother was a member of the Wedgwood family which made Wedgwood China), he enlisted as a private in the Royal Army and earned a promotion in the artillery corps, where he served with gallantry and valor in World War I. Williams was also related to Charles Darwin. Williams was a collector of and student of English Folk Music, and included many of the styles and rhythms in his compositions. The quartet heard last night was composed by Williams between 1942 and 1944 and thoroughly reflects the English Musical Style to which he is always associated. It is unusual in the sense that the violist instead of the first violinist or cellist, plays the lead or principal part. BSO Violist Rebekah Newman played that role with her rich and resonating style that was, for me, extremely memorable. Ivan Stefanovic and Angela Lee were the violinists and Seth Low was the cellist. They were superb. The audience responded with a standing ovation.
The Concerts continue at 3:30 pm on September 28 with a performance by the oft-praised Trio Cavatina. It is a Piano Trio (piano, cello and violin) formed at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont in 2005. Their program will include works by Beethoven and Schubert and a recent composition by Douglas Boyce. The next Sunday night concert is October 5 at 7:30 pm, where the program will include Martinu's Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano; York Bowen's Fantasie for Four Violas, Opus 41; Rossini's Duet for Cello and Double Bass in D Major; Robert Patterson's instrumental piece entitled "Embracing the Wind," composed for a trio of instruments: flute, viola and harp; and, to conclude the concert, Mendelssohn's legendary String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Opus 80.
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