CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER, MADSEN RECITAL HALL, HARRIS FINE ARTS CENTER, BYU, JAN. 21
Pierre Jalbert is a 40-ish American composer who can wow both audiences and musicians. The secret to his success lies in the immediacy and appeal of his music. But what he writes isn’t easy listening – not in any sense of the term. True, Jalbert’s music is tonal, but there is a freshness to it that is invigorating. And there is an intensity of expression that gives his works depth and substance. His music is compelling for all the right reasons.
A few years ago, when pianist Wu Han first came across Jalbert’s music, she fell under its spell. She commissioned a work from him for her and her husband, cellist David Finckel, and she promotes his music as much as she can.
And when Wu Han and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center played in Madsen Recital Hall at Brigham Young University Jan. 21, one of Jalbert’s works was on the program.
His Piano Trio, which he wrote in 1998, is a riveting work. The two movements that make up the piece are very different from each other, but there is a surprising cohesiveness that binds the two movements together and makes the work as a whole organic.
The first movement is intense and driven. It’s charged with bold rhythms that occasionally flirt with jazz figurations which add a touch of edginess. The movement is also imbued with passionately crafted expressions that go hand in hand with the robust rhythmic figures, yet there is a wonderful undercurrent of lyricism that connects everything.
The slow second movement is an incredibly heartfelt and soulful prayer that is utterly mesmerizing for its emotional outpourings that grab the listener. One doesn’t want this music to end, and when it does one remains wrapped up in its warmth and transcendent beauty.
Wu Han, violinist Arnaud Sussman and cellist Andreas Brantelid gave a gorgeously crafted account of the work. They captured the minutest subtleties in tempos, dynamics and phrasings and brought the music to life. Their ensemble playing was of the highest order; it was in fact intuitive. One hardly ever sees this kind of intimate and perceptive collaboration and when one does come across it, it elevates the musical experience to another level.
This instinctive sense of collaboration was evident in the other two works on the program as well.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Trio in D major, op. 9, no. 2, which opened the concert, was a stunning example of how a well blended and homogeneous string sound can bring depth to and a fuller appreciation of the music. Violist Mark Holloway joined Sussman and Brantelid here for a delightfully compelling and fabulously expressive reading. Their playing was fluid, light and airy and captured the youthful character of the work.
The four finally joined forces for the closing work, Johannes Brahms’ powerful Piano Quartet in G minor, op. 25. Their account was full of passion and intense expressions that conveyed the emotional range of the work brilliantly. And the finale, with its demanding piano part, was played seamlessly and flawlessly with Wu Han displaying her immense technical acumen. Their performance of this quartet showed how Brahms is meant to be played. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
