By: Philippa Kiraly
I can’t think why the UW World Series isn’t packed for every concert, the quality is so high and the experience so rewarding. Only the dance series seems to draw those capacity crowds nowadays. A case in point was the Ritz Chamber Players’ performance Tuesday night, when maybe two-thirds of Meany Theater seats were filled, yet the concert held plenty to draw the ear, warm the heart and engage the intellect.
It is still all too rare to have classical music groups whose members are African-American. Founded by pianist Terrance Patterson and now in its seventh season, the Ritz mentions this up front on its web site and makes a point of including music of African-American composers on its programs, but the thrust of its music-making is from the classical repertoire and the performers are unabashed classicists with high-level resumes.
Tuesday’s performance included Handel and Ravel, Mozart and Brahms, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, the group’s first composer-in-residence, who died in 2004.
The Ritz performed the last piece he wrote, Movement for Violin, Viola and Cello. Although Perkinson was widely influenced by jazz and blues, this is only evident here in some of the modern tonality. Otherwise, Movement has much more of the linear feel and orderliness of Baroque music, and the plucked cello role gives the sense of a lute. Ably played by violinist Tai Murray, violist Amadi Hummings and cellist Tahirah Whittington, I wished it had been longer.
Six members of the Ritz came for this concert including the string players mentioned above, plus flautist, pianist and soprano. The programming reminded me of that followed by Seattle Chamber Music Society in its concerts, where the works performed are for varied instrumentation. I like the opportunity to hear different timbres in chamber music juxtaposition.
In two of Handel’s German Arias and Ravel’s Chansons madecasse British soprano Alison Buchanan was accompanied by flute (Demarre McGill), cello and piano (Terrence Wilson). Neither composer’s work received a totally satisfactory performance. Buchanan’s voice is open, sweet and easy, the sound even from top to bottom of her range and her interpretation thoughtful, but she has a strong omnipresent tremolo which obscured the line in the Handel, making runs and trills fuzzy. The arias, Susse Stille, sanfte Quelle, HWV 205, and Meine Seele hoert im Sehen, HWV 207, came from settings Handel (as well as a host of other composers) made of the Passion story as told by Barthold Heinrich Brock. Buchanan was more successful in the slower, second one.
The three Chansons madecasse, with words by Creole poet Evariste Desire de Forges, are luscious, sensual pieces, but the Ritz’ interpretation was disappointingly temperate. Physical passion marks the first, Nahandove; a fierce cry of warning imbues the second, Aoua! The third, Il est doux, is more languorous, and while the Ritz’ gave a performance beautifully together and expressive, this is not a work where less is more. Ravel’s writing is spare and the work comes to life through the emotions portrayed by the performers in their playing and singing. I’d have liked more of a let-it-all-hang-out attitude.
Mozart thoroughly disliked the flute. He wrote for it only when he had to, and it is obvious in the Flute Quartet No. 3 in C Major that his heart wasn’t really in the writing. It seems to be more dutiful than inspired, even predictable in places. He does well by the flute, but whichever instrument has the melody is accompanied by relatively pedestrian harmony in the others. Nevertheless, even Mozart at less than his best was a delight to hear as elegantly played by the Ritz, particularly McGill who gave his part lightness, precision and nuance.
The concert ended with a fine performance of Brahms’ Piano Quartet in G Minor. Sometimes players forget that this was written in the 19th century and hack it to bits in late 20th century style. Not here. The Ritz performed it with rich warmth and mellow tone, allowing the music to sing and shaping the phrases gracefully.
Cellist Whittington and violist Hummings both drew strikingly beautiful sound from their instruments, both playing in a relaxed way which released, rather than forced, the music to flow out. While violinist Murray played similarly, her instrument seemed not well matched to the others. Its tone was smaller, though sweet, and I sometimes could not hear her, particularly in the muted second movement. Pianist Wilson also allowed the music to flow out, though with all the necessary energy in this great vehicle for his instrument. The fourth movement, the Rondo alla Zingarese, resounded with urgency and crisp vitality. It brought the audience to its feet with prolonged cheers.
