NOVA CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES, Utah Museum of Fine Arts auditorium, Sunday
Under music director Barbara Scowcroft, the NOVA Chamber Music Series has become known for its innovative and oftentimes eclectic programming. And the series' latest installment Sunday afternoon showed NOVA's eclectic bent in its full glory.
In a program of works ranging from Mozart to Brahms to Bohuslav Martinu, the concert focused on bringing together a number of seldom-heard pieces along with one of the 19th century's great chamber works.
NOVA is primarily a showcase for members of the Utah Symphony. On Sunday, symphony violinist Veronica Kulig was definitely in the spotlight in several different ensemble combinations. Kulig has been featured on the series in the past but never to this degree. And in each of the five works on the program, she displayed her remarkable talent and wonderful artistry.
The matinee concert opened with one of Mozart's most innocuous and, for him, lightweight works, the Flute Quartet in A major, K. 298. Kulig was here joined by flutist Sally Humphreys, violist Lynn Maxine Rosen and cellist Stephen Emerson. And even though the content of the work lacks substance, there was nothing arbitrary or superficial with the performance. The foursome played captivatingly, bringing out the melodic elegance and delightful charm of the music with a naturalness that was refreshingly direct.
After the Mozart, Kulig returned onstage for Prokofiev's Sonata in C major for Two Violins, this time with Rosen on violin. The two played wonderfully, giving a performance that captured the alternately jagged ruggedness and fluid lyricism of the work. It was an imaginative and perceptively astute reading of this intensely demanding piece.
Before intermission, Kulig partnered with pianist Heather Conner for a richly colored, impassioned performance of Eugene Ysaye's ardently romantic and expansive "Poeme elegiaque," op. 12.
The second half of the concert began with Martinu's spicy "Madrigal Sonata" for flute, violin and piano. Humphreys, Kulig and Connor played the two-movement work with shimmering clarity, effortlessly capturing the irreverent, easygoing character of the sonata with its rhythmic vitality and restless drive.
The concert concluded with Brahms' dramatic Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, op. 101. Kulig, Emerson and Connor played it with an impassioned intensity that brought out the forceful character of the work. However, it was a less than perfect performance. Too often, the playing seemed to lack definition and depth. There was also no sense of commitment on the part of the three musicians. Consequently, the interpretation felt perfunctory and mechanical.
Another problem was Connor's playing. She plunged into her part with a robustness that frequently overpowered the two strings. With this imbalance, there was no cohesiveness to the performance.
The second movement Presto, however, was the most successful of the four. Here, the musicians managed to capture the subtle interplay among the instruments with their sensitive, expressive and articulate playing.
E-MAIL: ereichel@desnews.com