PARADIGM CONCERT SERIES, Joel Rosenberg director, All Saints Episcopal Church, Saturday, Nov. 13, 8 p.m.Beethoven and Brahms wrote some of the best-known chamber music in the repertoire. So it comes as a pleasant surprise when you get a chance to hear some of their music performed in a slightly different instrumentation than originally conceived.
This was the case Saturday when the Paradigm Concert Series presented a program consisting of Beethoven's "Archduke" Trio and Brahms' Piano Trio in B major, op. 8. And in both works, the cello was replaced by a viola to great effect.
The concert opened with the "Archduke" Trio, played by Johan Jonsson on violin, Joel Rosenberg on viola and Jeffrey Price on piano. These three artists were superb. They played this trio with sensitivity and finesse.
The opening movement was dignified and stately, yet also spirited, and the performers brought out the underlying passion in the music without sacrificing the inherent lyricism of this work.
Price did an excellent job keeping his instrument in balance with the two strings. Balancing the sound a modern grand piano produces with that of a violin and viola requires a certain amount of restraint on the pianist's part. And Price was indeed careful not to overpower his collaborators.
The second movement, Scherzo, was played with a bouncy lilt to it that gave the music the right amount of infectious humor. This contrasted nicely with the more serious Trio section.
The slow movement is one of the loveliest pieces Beethoven wrote. And the three musicians created magic in their delicately crafted and thoughtful interpretation. The movement is a set of variations on the opening theme, and Beethoven explores all of the different possibilities of expression that this theme presents.
The slow movement segues into the finale, a joyful piece that dispels the seriousness of the other three movements. There is a lot of Mozart in the theme, but its development is distinctly Beethoven in the wide range of expressions the composer subjects it to.
Using a viola instead of a cello lightens up the music, of course. But if anything, it makes the different musical lines clearer, with the result that the music is more well-defined and succinct. But that isn't to say that this music should only be played on a viola. To the contrary, the choice of instrument shows the music in a different light and context -- and the use of either a viola or cello is equally valid and musically correct.
After intermission, pianist Bonnie Gritton joined Rosenberg and Jonsson for an incomparable performance of the Brahms Trio. These three artists brought out the intensity of spirit and the fierce passion of this work beautifully. It was an articulate and carefully crafted interpretation, and this brooding work has seldom, if ever, been performed so magnificently as it was at Saturday's concert.