By Eileen Wingard
LA JOLLA, California –Marc-Andre Hamelin was one of the stars of the La Jolla Music Society’s 2016 Summerfest this past month. The entire concert on August 24 featured the Montreal native in multiple roles, as a piano virtuoso, a chamber musician and a composer.
I was familiar with Hamelin’s name from the list of soloists engaged by my friend, the former conductor of the San Diego Symphony, Yoav Talmi, when he was the music director of the Quebec Symphony. For example, the 2007-2008 brochure of that orchestra lists Hamelin as the soloist in that season’s opening concert, performing Saint-Saens Concerto No. 5, the Egyptian. But this was the first opportunity I have had to hear this Canadian pianist.
Hamelin’s solo offering was Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, a revolutionary work, dedicated to Robert Schumann. It is in a single movement, rather than in the usual three. Clara Schumann refused to play it, in spite of its dedication to her husband, so Liszt’s son-in-law, Hans von Bulow, gave the piece its premiere in Berlin in 1857. Even to today’s listener, it sounds quite modern, although one can discern an overall structure of three sections as themes are continuously transformed throughout the work. Hamelin proved his soloistic metal as he plumbed the depths of sound from the Steinway Grand or stroked the keys with soft embrace. There were no theatrics in his performance, just sincere emotions, transmitted through the music.
After intermission, the powerhouse pianist took on the role of chamber music player as he was joined by Paul Huang, prize-winning Taiwanese violinist and Russian-born cellist, Mischa Maisky. Maisky had thrilled audiences, earlier in the festival, with two evenings of Bach’s Suites for unaccompanied cello. The threesome performed Tschaikowsky’s Trio in A minor, written in memory of Nicolai Rubinstein, founder of the Moscow Conservatory, who was a dear friend of the composer’s. Although the main theme is a heartfelt lament, which is repeated often in the first movement and comes back in splendid grandeur at the end of the last movement, the intervening material is not somber, but rather intended as a celebration of Rubinstein’s life. The work was given a fervent reading, although, occasionally, the piano overwhelmed the strings, and there was not always unanimity of interpretation by the violin and cello. However, the music was generally well-served by the three virtuosi.
The program’s opener was a work in four movements for cello and piano composed by Hamelin,Four Perspectives. It was performed by Hai-Ye Ni, principal cellist of the Chicago Symphony, with Hamelin at the piano. The piece had many interesting textures. The first movement began with the cello playing a sustained crescendo on a single pitch. This was followed by a flurry of rapid notes, Ni’s left hand darting all over the fingerboard. The second movement had a recognizable melody and utilized cello pizzicato. The third movement included some wild sounding trills. The fourth movement began with dissonant chords in the piano and was followed by a flow of frenetic notes, reminding me of The Iron Foundry, a piece by an obscure Russian composer which I heard many years ago.
The audience responded with a strong ovation. I am not sure if it were for the excellent performance, or the music itself. I found Four Perspectives to be more interesting than many contemporary compositions, and fully engaging, just not particularly pleasurable. But, I keep reminding myself that, when I first heard Prokofiev and Shostakovitch, I did not like their music, but familiarity bred love, and now, their works are among my favorites.
Our community is fortunate to have a festival of this caliber, bringing to us world class musicians playing masterworks from the past and exposing us to contemporary works which might someday be the masterworks of the future. Bravo, La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest.
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Wingard is a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony and a freelance writer specializing in the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com.