‘Three’ was the theme at Summerfest’s final concert of the season

By Eileen Wingard in La Jolla, California

The final concert of Summerfest at the Conrad on Saturday evening, August 29, titled, “The Rule of Three,” was also the name of the first selection on the program. It was a Sonata for two violins and viola by the current Dean of Music and Chair of Composition at the Juilliard School, David Serkin Ludwig.

It consisted of nine miniatures I-IX, inspired by the trio sonatas of  Baroque composer, Arcangelo Corelli. Some of the short movements had the strings playing lyrically, while others were more agitated. Several used pizzicato and the work concluded with a fugal finale. The nine selections were expertly executed by violinists Owen Dalby, artist-in-residence at Stanford University; and Njoma Chinyere Gevious, Sphinx first prize winner; and violist Jonathan Vinocour, principal of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

Composer Ludwig, grandson of the great Bohemian-born Jewish pianist, Rudolf Serkin, and nephew of American pianist, Peter Serkin, has received commissions from the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra and soloists such as pianist Jeremy Denk and violinist, Jennifer Koh. His choral work, The New Colossus, based on Emma Lazarus’ poem engraved below the Statue of Liberty, was performed at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

Next on the program was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos. Three concert grand pianos, all with lids removed, were positioned next to each other on the stage, with the middle one facing in the opposite direction so all in the audience could see the keyboard of at least one of the pianos. Summerfest Director, Inon Barnatan, played  the first piano; world-renown soloist and son of Israeli violinist, Miriam Fried, Jonathan Biss, played the second piano; and Anthony Ratinov, pianist of the Kairos Piano Quartet, was on the third piano.

They were accompanied by a chamber orchestra comprised of Summerfest participants plus added members from the San Diego Symphony, violinists Katheryn Hatmaker, Wesley Precourt and Cherry Yeung, and oboist Sarah Skuster. Barnatan conducted the opening bars and then concertmaster Owen Dalby kept the orchestral forces together as they accompanied the three movements, Allegro, Adagio, Rondeau: Temp di minuetto.

It was a delightful piece of Mozart writing with pearly runs executed by each of the three soloists, and a virtuosic cadenza in the first movement. The second movement rose to melodic heights, and the last movement was a delightful rondo romp. The concerto was commissioned by a Contessa to be played by herself and her two daughters. The younger daughter, less skilled, had Mozart write an easier part for the third piano. However, the younger pianist, Anthony Ratinov, played with the same verve and accuracy as his more famous partners and is a pianist to be watched.

After intermission, Dvorak’s Terzetto in C Major for Two Violins and Viola featured Canadian violinist James Ehnes, American-born violinist Stephen Waarts and British violist Timothy Ridout. The musicians brought

delicious romantic fervor to the four-movement work, unusual in its instrumentation. The last movement of the 20-minute piece, a theme and ten variations, was particularly notable for the individual character brought to each contrasting variation by the three outstanding musicians.

The concert concluded with a Triple Concerto for Three Violins and Chamber Orchestra by the Finnish composer, Olli Mustonen. Once again, James Ehnes and Stephen Waarts took to the stage. This time, they were joined by violinist Simone Porter, artist-in-residence with the Oregon Symphony. Olli Mustonen, Finnish-born pianist, composer and conductor, is the current conductor of the Turku Philharmonic.

The four-movement concerto was full of virtuosic demands. The second movement Vivace had Slavic flavor and the last movement, Finale, drew to a rapid-fire end. The chamber orchestra, in addition to strings, included two oboes, timpani and triangle. The timpani’s thunder added to the exciting conclusion.

I was accompanied to the concert by my former viola student, Gabriel Mayer, who just received his Masters Degree in Viola Performance from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He was thrilled to hear the string

soloists, especially principal violist of the San Francisco Symphony, Jonathan Vinocour, and Britain’s leading violist, Timothy Ridout, whose recent Glasgow recital Gabriel had attended. “The soloists were all brilliant!” Gabriel exclaimed.
Summerfest Director, Inon Barnatan, is to be congratulated for the wonderful collection of world-class musicians he  assembled for this 40th anniversary season of the La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest.

The La Jolla Music Society’s new season begins this month with two jazz concerts in the JAI, September 20, the Fred Hersch Trio, and September 25, the Linda Mah Han Oh Trio. For ticket information: 858-459-3728.

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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.