JOEL GEHRINGER/Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:00 pm
Capping the season for the Meadowlark Music Festival, Saturday’s performance by Brazilian master pianist Arnaldo Cohen and the Chiara String Quartet was a strong finish for an always-strong music series.
But while the 400-500 attendants in Kimball Recital Hall were treated to classic compositions by the likes of Bach, Chopin and Brahms, Cohen also introduced them to the best of Brazilian piano compositions.
To say the least, these numbers provided the spice and excitement to the night’s performance.
Cohen played solo for the first half of the program. His first piece, Bach’s “Chaconne in D minor,” was a well-chosen opener and one that pulled its listeners in from the get-go.
Cohen worked the song’s natural dynamics well, keeping a careful balance between animation and concentration, but admittedly, nothing less was expected from an artist of his caliber.
Two Brazilian pieces followed: Alberto Nepomuceno’s “Air” and Ernesto Nazareth’s “Odeon,” the latter of which felt like a South American ragtime song, with strong regional and contemporary influences distinguishable.
Cohen’s final solo piece, Chopin’s “Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor,” though well-executed, seemed somewhat dull after the electricity of “Odeon.”
But considering his solo performances alone, Cohen is no doubt a virtuoso, and though the performance was certainly a breeze for this seasoned veteran, he remained professional and engrossed in the moment throughout his set.
After a brief intermission, Cohen was joined by the Chiara String Quartet, newly installed artists-in-residence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music.
The joint performance featured five Brahms pieces, all of which were mostly dominated by the strings.
The performances were all interesting and well done, though highlights in the second half seemed lacking. The one number that really shined was the night’s finale, “Poco sostenuto — Allegro non troppo.” All five performers seemed to pour themselves into the piece, both creatively and physically.
But as the quartet took center stage, Cohen’s contributions seemed to fade into the background. The piano became less and less relevant as the voice of the violin and viola moved to the forefront.
That’s not to say the Chiara quartet didn’t perform well — in fact, their performance was quite engaging.
However, it would have been nice to hear a few pieces in which lead duties were more evenly split between the keys and the strings.
Nevertheless, the five performers received ample laudation from the audience and were called back onto stage twice before the crowd dispersed.
And once again, the Meadowlark organizers found just the performers Lincoln’s classical music lovers were looking for — a healthy mix of new and familiar.
It was a concert of such a caliber that might not be seen again in Lincoln for a while — well, at least until next year’s Meadowlark season, that is.
Reach Joel Gehringer at 473-7254 or jgehringer@journalstar.com.