South Florida Classical Review

Louise Farrenc’s Nonet was performed by New World Symphony musicians Sunday in Miami Beach.

A brightly melodic French divertissement and a masterful essay by a neglected American composer formed the high points of the New World Symphony’s first chamber music concert of the season on Sunday afternoon. 

Violinist Martin Beaver joined the orchestral academy’s fellows on the stage of the New World Center for two staples of the string quartet literature. Interestingly, it was the less familiar repertoire that received the biggest audience response.

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) was a French pianist and composer of the romantic era. Her considerable catalogue of solo, chamber and orchestral scores disappeared from concert performance until the present century when artists began playing and recording her works. 

Farrenc’s Nonet in E-flat Major for strings and winds has become her most played composition. It is a charmer, filled with elegant and tuneful melodies. With a slow introduction in the style of the classical period, followed by a bustling Allegro, the first movement is unabashedly entertainment music. (The enthusiastic applause at the movement’s conclusion indicated that Farrenc’s opus indeed succeeded on that level.) A graceful theme and variation form the Andante con moto and a Mendelssohnian Scherzo precedes the galloping finale.

The nine players brought out the verve of Farrenc’s writing. Sadie Hamrin’s violin soared in the lyrical pages and she exhibited skill and precision in the extended cadenza of the opening movement. Andrew Port’s oboe solos were full toned and agile, well balanced with Brendan Fairleigh’s clarinet and Lyric Rivera’s flute. Braydon Ross contributed fine horn playing and  Nina Laube’s bassoon excelled at lyrical moments as well as rapid-fire sections. Daniel Guevara (viola), Jordan Gunn (cello) and Esther Kwon (bass) provided sturdy support.

David Diamond (1915-2005) was one of America’s finest and most strikingly inspired composers. Once frequently programmed at both chamber and symphonic concerts, his vast output has fallen off the repertoire radar and awaits a new generation of artists to revive his distinguished scores. 

Diamond’s Quintet in B minor for flute, piano and strings was conceived in 1937 when the composer was in Paris, studying with renowned pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. The score recalls the early neo-classical works of Aaron Copland but with a harder edge. The three brief, terse movements are packed with invention and incident, despite the score lasting a mere thirteen minutes. 

There is more than a touch of Gallic perfume a la Fauré in the Romanza (second movement).. The final Molto allegro suggests a Baroque Gigue on steroids. A terrific score with a unique combination of instruments, the piece demands a polished and high-spirited performance and that is exactly what it received from the New World players. Flutist Elizabeth McCormack was on top of the music’s whirlwind flourishes and her purity of tone in the dreamy second movement stood out. Pianist Pei-Hsuan Shen assayed the keyboard passages brilliantly at fierce speed. The dark sonority of Rituparna Mukherjee’s viola and clarity of Mai Matsumoto’s violin and Matt Udry’s cello were potent. A cheering ovation greeted the performance. More of Diamond’s work should be heard at New World.

Violinist Martin Beaver joined New World members for quartets of Schubert and Samuel Barber.

Guest violinist Beaver, a faculty member at Los Angeles’ Coburn School and the final first violin of the Tokyo Quartet, was featured in string quartets by Schubert and Samuel Barber which bookended the program. 

Beaver’s silken tone and strong leadership commanded a well-coordinated reading of Schubert’s Quartet in C minor (“Quartettsatz”). The main theme of the single movement vignette was phrased with broad eloquence but there was an appropriate suggestion of grit in the turbulent episodes. Violinist Janani Sivakumar, violist Michael Ayala and cellist Alexander Wu were Beaver’s excellent colleagues.

Barber’s Quartet in B minor is most famous for its second movement, which in its orchestrated version became the Adagio for Strings. Dating from the 1930’s, the entire quartet is a worthy conception. From the bold opening bars, the players gave emphatic resonance to Barber’s romantic ethos. The sweetness of Beaver’s sonority and sense of flow imbued the Adagio with freshness. Cellist Mizuki Hayakawa spun the familiar melody deftly, the music played by all with expressive intensity. Unfortunately, at the big climax, some audience members applauded, breaking the spell of the coda. 

Without pause, the foursome launched into the abrupt opening of the Molto allegro finale. Their iteration mixed visceral power and energy with supple musicality and fine ensemble skills. Violinist Floriane Naboulet and violist Joshua Thaver were vital participants in this outstanding reading of an American chamber classic.

Stéphane Denève conducts the New World Symphony in Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Nikolaj Szeps Znaider. Ziwei Ma conducts Guillaume Conesson’s Maslenitsa. 7:30 p.m. October 25 and 2 p.m. October 26 at the New World Center in Miami Beach. nws.edu

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