By Eileen Wingard
LA JOLLA, California — The final concert of this year’s Summerfest celebrated many aspects of the festival. Opening the concert was Starburst, a short, glistening work by Jessie Montgomery, the festival’s composer-in-residence. Next on the program was the Concerto for Violin and Piano, a rarely programmed composition by 14-year-old Felix Mendelssohn, and concluding the evening was Brahms’ glorious Serenade in D major for Orchestra in its original nonet version.
The prelude, free to ticket holders, showcased four young professionals, pianist Stephanie Tang, violinist Jake Dongyoung Shim, violist Joseph Skerik and cellist Jakob Giovanni Taylor, mentored during the festival, in works by Caroline Shaw and Maurice Ravel.
In addition, Todd R. Schultz, President and CEO of the La Jolla Music Society, announced the five-year contract extension of pianist Inon Barnatan as director of Summerfest, lauding his creativity, artistry and organizational skills. Schultz also launched a $60 million endowment fund for the society, half of which has already been raised.
First on the program was the three-minute piece, Starburst, composed by Black American Composer Jessie Montgomery for the Sphinx Virtuosi, the acclaimed self-conducting string ensemble comprised of eighteen Black and Latino artists. Exploding gestures and fleeting melodies overlap above a rapid pulsation, mirroring the creation of new stars in the universe’s galaxies.
Next was Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin and Piano. The brilliant composer wrote this work three months after his 14th birthday. Although he performed it at the piano with his violin teacher at his Berlin home, it was not published until after his death.
In the first movement the string orchestra opens with a long introduction inspired by Baroque-style counterpoint. The soloists enter, the piano, then the violin, with virtuoso flourishes. The traditionally-structured first movement features an impressive cadenza for both instruments at the end. In the second movement, a gentle Adagio, foreshadowing the Songs Without Words the composer would write four years later, the string orchestra introduces the movement, then drops out while the violin and piano play alone until they are joined by the orchestra at the end. The last movement, Allegro Molto is characterized by the elfin energy found in Mendelssohn’s later works such as his Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The two soloists, violinist Benjamin Beilman and pianist Inon Bernatan, distinguished themselves with their virtuosity and precise ensemble. Their performance was truly a tour de force.
The final piece on the program was the six movement Serenade In D Major by Brahms. This piece was written over a period of nine autumns when Brahms was employed by the music-loving court of Detmold near the Teutoberger Forest, where he could take daily walks. He originally wrote it for nine instruments, however, his dear friend Clara Schumann encouraged him to expand it for orchestra because of its heavy textures. The original chamber music version was lost and this nonet was reconstructed by Jorge Rotter, an Argentine composer and conductor.
The first movement, Allegro molto opens with a horn call theme played above a string drone. It meanders to other sunny realms, ending with the flute echoing the originalvhorn call. The second movement, Scherzo: Allegro non troppo is characterized by lilting syncopation. The third movement Adagio has beautiful dialogue between the strings and winds.
The fourth movement, Minuetto 1 and 2 is followed by a bright Scherzo which leads into the closing Rondo: Allegro. The rondo theme is in a galloping dotted rhythm. One can imagine horse riders along the forest paths racing to the finish line.
The nine musicians performing this work were violinist Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony; violist Misha Amory, faculty of Curtis and Juilliard; cellist Zlatomir Fung, first-prize winner at 2025 Tchaikovsky Competition; string bassist Samuel Hager, San Diego Symphony musician; flutist Rose Lombardo, principal, San Diego Symphony; clarinetist Anthony McGill, principal New York Philharmonic; clarinetist Jay Shanker, assistant principal, Milwaukee Symphony bassoonist Peter Kolkay, faculty, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University; and French hornist Mark Almond, principal, Chicago Symphony.
The ensemble was superb. The four string players blended with great beauty. The clarinets sang with lovely clarity, often supported by the outstanding bassoon. The horn was prominent throughout. I felt particularly impressed by flutist Rose Lombardo and Samuel Hager, members of our San Diego Symphony, who shone right alongside some of the finest players in the country.
With the offerings of the La Jolla Music Society, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Opera and Mainly Mozart, our flagship music organizations, we are treated to some of the greatest music performed by the world’s most talented musicians. Hopefully, our citizens will continue supporting these outstanding musical institutions in our region so that they can continue to thrive.
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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.