The 2015-’16 classical season continues to unveil itself as various groups begin a new concert year. Last week the Frankly Music season kicked off with a concert at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Violinist Frank Almond was joined by others in a program of J.S. Bach and Johannes Brahms.
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 was played with rhythmic energy and a buzzy Baroque groove. Almond was joined by two violinists, three violists, three cellists, a bassist and a harpsichordist. The acoustics of the church are not at all ideal for intricate music played by a large ensemble. I was frustrated at the sound being rather blurred throughout.
The Art of the Fugue was Bach’s great statement of mastery of counterpoint, the play of interdependent single-note musical lines. Abstract and harmonically daring, historians debate why he wrote it and for what instrumentation. Almond, Mario Gotoh (violin), Caroline Coade (viola) and Edward Arron (cello) played seven movements selected from the set of 17 movements. This music has a minor-key gravity about it and this performance established that contemplative, meditative mood. The players gave sensitive consideration of balance and dialogue between parts. The acoustics of the church were better served with fewer instruments playing.
That mood bordering on sacred reverence continued with Almond playing Bach’s great Chaconne from Partita in D Minor. In this piece Bach explored every possible technique for solo violin, especially in creating multi-voiced music and harmonies. This is one of the great monuments in violin literature. Almond played it with heartfelt sincerity, rising to its challenges with style and accomplishment. Good as it was, the Bach half of the program felt a little long to be honest, running more than 90 minutes.
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After intermission the style shifted with Brahms’ String Quintet in G Major, Op. 111. Brahms has always been a favorite of Almond’s. He seems to have a special affinity for this music and plays it particularly well. With a second violist (James VanValkenburg) joining the aforementioned string quartet, this quintet emerged with soaring tone, shape and elegance. Arron, a frequent Frankly Music guest, played with especially noteworthy passion.
