 2011-2012
Friday, January 27, 2012 Chamber Soloists a perennial cause for celebration
By D.S. Crafts For the Journal
The concert we’ve come to know as Figueroas, Felbergs & Friends has now come of age. Authorized this year with the Roman numeral VIII, this presentation of the Albuquerque Chamber Soloists is perennially a most welcome musical event, as a capacity crowd at St. Paul Lutheran Church gave testimony on Sunday afternoon. The Felbergs, David and Arlette, began the afternoon with Bach’s Sonata in E Major for Violin. David began the opening Adagio with a clear, full tone as violin pits itself against two voices in the piano (originally harpsichord), combining rational fugal energy with an intimate, even personal expression. The gorgeous Adagio, ma non tanto, was conceived in the compositional vein which reached its zenith in the composer’s “Erbarme dich” from the “St. Matthew Passion.” The two Allegro movements sparkled with interweaving of voices and superb playing throughout.
Believe it or not, Beethoven had planned to write an opera on “Macbeth.” That project never came to fruition, but his sketches for the witches’ scenes found their way into the Piano Trio, Opus 70, No. 1, which is nicknamed “Ghost.” Violinist Guillermo Figueroa and cellist Dana Winograd joined Arlette Felberg for as swift a reading of the opening Allegro as I’ve ever heard. The opening unisons flew off the instruments, setting the pace for a thoroughly invigorated movement. Though there are atmospheric effects in the Largo (built from the “Macbeth” sketches) such as the ominous bass trills in the piano, Beethoven takes the material into ethereal reaches well beyond mere scene setting. In the final Presto movement imitation of phrases were gauged perfectly. The second half opened with two character pieces by the Nuevo Tango master Astor Piazzolla, beginning with the lovely “Oblivion.” The remarkable “Otońo Porteńo” (Buenos Aires Autumn), written in 1969, had about it an element of danger in the exuberant playing. It also featured a moving solo by cellist Joanna de Keyser.
Max Bruch is today known primarily for his Violin Concerto and the Fantasy on Scottish Themes. His Octet in B-flat major for strings, written in 1920, was published only after his death. The full complement of strings, including double bass, played the piece for the opulent Romanticism that it is, eliciting a rich blend of string sonority coupled with the fulgent musical camaraderie that is the hallmark of these ACS concerts. Indeed the outer movements both have clear references to Mendelssohn. This for a piece written in 1920? But does that diminish one’s enjoyment of the music today? Not one whit. Its anachronistic qualities become irrelevant. Better a work of quality in what was an antique style than an ill-conceived formal experiment that no one wants to hear. The next concert of the Albuquerque Chamber Soloists will be on Feb. 26 with the music of Dvorák, Grieg, Brahms and Baker.
Saturday, January 15, 2011 Felberg/Figueroa combination an irresistible force
D.S. Crafts For the Journal
The secret is out, if it ever was a secret. As the capacity house at St. Paul Lutheran Church testified, when the Felberg and Figueroa families join forces in an Albuquerque Chamber Soloists concert, one is assured of music making at the highest level. Sunday's concert brought together some of Albuquerque's finest musicians for music by Schubert, Strauss and Dvorák. The nine musicians taking part in the concert played musical chairs throughout the afternoon, recombining in new arrangements for each piece, David Felberg even changing instruments — viola to violin.
Schubert undoubtedly wrote the best "unfinished" works of any composer. As with the "Unfinished" Symphony, the Quartettsatz (Quartet Piece) offers some stunning music. But here there is only one movement. Nothing is unfinished about this piece in itself, only that it was intended as part of a larger work. This beautiful though isolated movement began the program. Metamorphosen for String Septet is among the last works written by Richard Strauss. The individual lines wind in and about, over and under each other like a never-ending snake or rather a septet of snakes. While that metaphor may convey the formal proportions of the work, it fails to describe the beauty of the harmonies when the long polyphonic lines are combined vertically.
However, the work is short only on contrast. With a playing time of nearly half an hour, I have always felt it too long by half. One has the feeling of strolling through an endless field of flowers. The seven players are engaged almost continuously with only some minor respites for the two violins, creating a similarity of texture throughout. One need only compare it to the Barber Adagio (played on the last ACS concert) in a similar aesthetic vein. Barber's work is far more effective in far less time. The performance, with Guillermo Figueroa as first violin (and most likely as de facto conductor), cast the work in the best possible light and emphasized as much as possible what dissimilarities exist. Whatever misgivings one may have about the work, this rendition was expertly wrought.
Dvorák's Piano Quintet, Opus 81, filled the second half. This is a work fundamentally of contrast. The first two movements are expansive, well over 10 minutes each. The ensemble began the Allegro quite slowly, then charged into the second theme, as though to magnify the disparity of tempos already in the score. Color and dynamic shifts were abundant throughout the movement. The main theme of the Dumka movement was made into a popular song in the '40s. The song garnered dubious acclaim, while this movement remains among Dvorák's most praised. Here it began in an almost melancholy temperament, then shifted gears several times, spinning out luxuriously and thoughtfully sculpted. The Scherzo (Furiant) was full of playfulness and a romping gaiety as the pathos of the Dumka turns to jocosity. The Finale, a characteristic example of Dvorák's folklike lyricism, was jaunty and brusque as a ride through the Bohemian countryside.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Chamber Soloists stage a bash
By D.S. Crafts, For the Journal
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Musical Families Combine for Stirring String Concert
By D.S. Crafts, For the Albuquerque Journal
June 7, 2008
Big Bash Strikes Balance
By D.S. Crafts, For the Journal
October 16, 2006
Mendelssohn Octet Caps Chamber Concert
by D.S. Crafts, For The Journal
January 10, 2006
Chamber Soloists Embark on 'Voyage'
By D.S. Crafts, For the Journal
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R. Gutchen 
A Tradition of Friends Playing for Friends