INTERMEZZO, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah, Monday.
When the nights get warm and the days get long, most classical groups reach for their favorite pops repertoire. But not the Intermezzo Chamber Music Series.
This group reaches for another kind of summer fare, an appropriately light yet substantive collection of lesser-performed music — which ends up being a delightfully satisfying summertime treat. The real secret to its success, however, is pairing excellent programming with excellent performances. The result is wonderful.
The series opened its season Monday evening with a "Rocky Navarro Memorial Concert," which featured repertoire from the early 20th century (give or take a few years).
The gentle, rhythmic sway of the beginning of Rachmaninoff's "Fantasie-tableaux" Suite No. 1 for two pianos Op. 5 set the tone for the evening. Pianists Vedrana Subotic and Karlyn Bond appeared wearing color variations of the same dress, which served as a visual metaphor for their in-sync, lovely performance of this piece. The only interpretive disagreement this reviewer had was in the last movement, "Paques (Easter)." Although the music is clearly meant to depict bells, a little less pedal would have achieved the same effect with more clarity, since the sonority of two pianos together already creates a sense of amplification and pedal-like blending.
Baritone Anthony Zoeller with accompanist Bryan Stanley followed with Mahler's "5 Ruckert Lieder." With a pleasant, full voice and a wide dynamic and expressive range, Zoeller managed to capture the mood of each poem, in turn communicating each to the audience.
Bartok's Deuxieme Sonata followed intermission. Of all the pieces on the program, this was the least like the others — both in tonal language and intensity. Tending toward a more heavy, serious tone, it seemed a little out of place at first. By the end of the piece, however, violinist David Porter and Subotic's performance was convincing enough to override such concerns. Vivid, colorful, and engaging, the presentation seemed to be able to draw the audience into a work that might otherwise have seemed unfriendly and intimidating.
The program came to an exciting finale with Ravel's Piano Trio in A minor. Subotic, Porter and cellist Matthew Johnson joined forces for a dynamic performance of this charming, multi-hued piece. This selection seemed to pull the rest of the program together by combining the beauty and lyricism of the first half with the explosive energy of the Bartok — all in the exotic, fascinating language of Ravel.
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com