Tue 1/24
A Far Cry, a Boston-based chamber ensemble in residence at Baldwin Wallace University, gave listeners a sample of its “globe-trotting sonic adventure” style in a lively concert January 24 in Gamble Auditorium.
The 18-member ensemble, unofficially known as “The Criers,” is notable not only for innovative programming (a mix of very old and very new compositions), but for its model of how musical groups can be sustained. The group changes leadership responsibilities according to the pieces and players selected for a given performance. With a welcoming attitude toward “guest criers,” this has proved a viable way for the ten-year-old gathering of musicians (a flock?) to thrive.
The BWU program moved chronologically through musical time, taking as its first offering selections from a transcription of the Codex Calixtinus (12th-century vocal music). Following this, we heard a stunning version of J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor. Supported by the rest of the ensemble, violinists Jae Cosmos Lee and Megumi Stohs Lewis crafted an engrossing duet that beautifully conveyed Bach’s passionate, romantic nature. It was an edge of the seat moment.
Lembit Beecher introduced his The Conference of the Birds as a recent work inspired by a 12th-century Sufi poem as illustrated by Czech-American author and illustrator Peter Sis (take a look). At first it seemed disconnected ( birds can be very individual creatures), but then it swept to a persuasive ending, one amplified by ensemble members using pieces of what appeared to be sandpaper to suggest fluttering wings.
The final piece, Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, used a “prepared” piano (objects are placed in the strings) so its notes vibrated. Long pauses between musical phrases allowed piano and other string sounds to linger. Violin soloists Alex Fortes and Miki-Sophia Cloud handled the switches between sound and silence with grace. Did I think the final pause might have been too long? Maybe.
BOTTOM LINE: I’d like to hear more from this group. Actually anyone can see various videos on YouTube (and also on their Facebook page.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]
[Photo by Yoon S. Byun]
Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, OH 44017