Frankly Music’s Dramatic Contrasts

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Photo: Frankly Music - Facebook

Frankly Music March 16, 2024

Frankly Music with cellist Tomás Varga

Frankly Music gave an interesting and excellent concert last weekend at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. I have found that this hall sounds best in small groups of musicians. A larger group tends to get muddled in the sound. Frankly Music continues to be an upstanding chamber music series, the likes of which would be welcome in any city.

Cellist Tamás Varga was the featured artist. It is not every day that a principal player from the world-famous and revered Vienna Philharmonic comes to town. The fact that artistic director Frank Almond has relationships such as this greatly elevates the series. Varga is a phenomenal player. His tone and artistry are of the highest level.                                                                                                                                  

Varga’s account of a Bach suite for solo cello showed a deep understanding of style. Bach performances can sometimes be approached with impersonal precision that undermines phrasing and musicality. Not so with Varga’s performance, which was satisfactorily subjective without becoming too romanticized.

He next played George Crumb’s Sonata, music with a firm foot in the 19th century German style, but with faint hints of the forthcoming atonality. Varga made great sense of this showpiece without becoming a shallow display of technique. I was impressed by how well tuned his melody in octaves was delivered, which can be a danger on a string instrument. 

Violinist Almond joined Varga and violist Toby Appel in the string trio by German composer Max Reger. The lilt of the third movement was particularly persuasive, with lovely, unified musical intentions.

The concert ended with Brahms’ Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 60, composed in 1875, Pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion joined with players, bringing a beautiful touch and instinctive sense of balance.  This music shows vivid dramatic contrasts and was a fitting ending to the program. Varga’s playing of the cello solo of the third movement was a lesson in shaping a phrase.