Critical Acclaim for our 2005-06 Season
The Washington Post
Monday, March 27, 2006; Page C05
by Joan Reinthaler
Every once in a while, a performance puts all others in perspective and reminds one that in great music there is always more to be revealed. At Georgetown 's Dumbarton Church on Saturday, the Vogler String Quartet's readings of the Beethoven Quartets Op. 59, No. 3 and Op. 130 and the astonishing "Grosse Fugue," Op. 133, offered such a performance.
The Vogler highlighted the powers of reflective thought in music of such complexity that just making sense of its structure can be a struggle. Its sotto voce passages were both moments of respite and staging grounds for eruptions to come. There were ritards that took on such personal qualities that they might have come straight from the lieder repertoire.
The brief rest scored into every other measure of the first violin line of the "Alla danza tedesca" fourth movement of the Op. 130 quartet was played exactly as written, but was shaped with such delicacy that there was none of the abruptness that so often characterizes it.
Some of the quartet's tempos were daring. The fugal Finale of Op. 59 was taken remarkably fast, for instance, and the final Allegro of Op. 130 also moved very quickly -- but the exquisite balance, clarity and dynamic shading that the Vogler managed made both of those breathtaking rather than breathless. It was this same combination of balance, clarity and dynamic shading, along with huge dollops of energy and ensemble, that produced a "Grosse Fugue" of extraordinary transparency and coherence.
The Washington Post
Monday, January 23, 2006; Page C05
by Gail Wein
There's not much music written for eight cellos and voice. But that just spurred Cello Octet Conjunto Iberico to write new compositions and rearrange existing ones. Saturday at Dumbarton Concerts, the octet was joined by soprano Pilar Jurado, who enchanted the audience with her earthy voice and emotional range.
The best-known work for this combination is "Bachianas Brasileiras" No. 5 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and there is little other music in the world more exquisite. In its "Aria," Jurado's wordless voice took command, at times blending so perfectly with Robert Putowski's solo cello that the distinction between the two was nearly imperceptible. The second half of the piece, "Danca," was a fulfilling contrast, at once dramatic and lively, with Jurado emoting a story rather than simply singing the words.
Manuel de Falla's "Seven Popular Spanish Songs" were originally scored for voice and piano, but are most often heard in instrumental arrangements, so director Elias Arizcuren's captivating arrangement was refreshing. Jurado fit her voice stylistically to these folk songs, producing the notes effortlessly while the cellos provided the accompaniment.
The repetitive ostinato and subtly shifting harmonies of Philip Glass's "Symphony for Eight" (arranged by Arizcuren) did not appear to be virtuosic material on the surface, but the octet met the real challenge by keeping its performance interesting all the way through. On the other hand, "Fandango" by Cristobal Halffter showed off the ensemble's versatility with brilliant themes and an array of textures, though even this variety became unexciting by the end of the piece.
The Washington Post
Monday, October 17, 2005; Page C05
by Joe Banno
Sixteen voices singing the music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and his contemporaries, in an intimate church space with clearly focused acoustics, is an attractive proposition. The Palestrina Choir's appearance Saturday at Dumbarton Church (part of the Dumbarton Concert Series) provided the kind of rarefied beauty that high-church Renaissance polyphony demands.
Let early-music scholars debate the finer points of Tomas Luis de Victoria's treatment of canonic form, vs. that of, say, Cristobal de Morales or Johannes Lupi (to name three composers on Saturday's program). It didn't take a specialist's ear to appreciate the stark beauty of Josquin Desprez's "Salve Regina," the inventive volley of melodic ideas across different voices in the "Ave Maria" of the seldom-encountered Nicolle des Celliers d'Hesdin or, indeed, the vaulting lyricism, grace and quiet majesty of the half-dozen Palestrina selections.
The choir's founder and music director, Michael Harrison, has honed a stylistically apt sound from his ensemble of mixed voices -- airy and pure while not lacking in warmth, agile in maneuvering ever-shifting dynamic levels, and possessing the ability to let a phrase blossom robustly, then fade into the ether. The sensitive singing of the trio and quartet of individual voices in the Sanctus from Palestrina's "Missa Ave Maria" demonstrated that this is very much a chorus of fine soloists -- which made their seamless ensemble blend that much more admirable.