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Milwaukee Musaik March 19, 2023
Milwaukee Musaik at the 'Romantic Adventures' performance
Milwaukee Musaik, a collective of musicians mostly from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, mounted a chamber music program at Brookfield’s Sharon Lynne Wilson Center on Sunday afternoon that was about as perfect a lineup as one could ask for. Under the title “Romantic Adventures,” music of Mélanie Bonis and William Grant Still (both traditionally underrated, both increasingly programmed) shared a bill with a legendary Brahms piano quartet.
But a distracting electric hum in the hall cast a shadow over this concert. It sliced through every silence in the music and never quite disappeared from the mix. I mentioned this to staff at intermission, but it remained in the second half, only occasionally swallowed up by Brahms’ most fervent climaxes.
So about the music. In Mélanie Bonis’ Scenes de la Forêt, Heather Zinninger had a lovely touch in the flute’s bird calls. Harpist Kelsey Molinari got to showcase her skills in some fast arpeggios in the second movement. Violist Nathan Hackett was a bit too subdued throughout and could have played out more to fill the texture.
Ennanga, by William Grant Still, took its title from a Ugandan harp that the composer strove to emulate on a concert harp. It was a treat to hear the harp featured twice in a row, especially with Still’s fresh writing and impressive cadenzas. Kelsey Molinari shined once again, supported by piano and strings in pentatonic melodies and fun dance rhythms.
The 40-minute G-minor piano quartet of Brahms was given a satisfying performance, with heartfelt playing and a unified interpretation among the players. Pianist Melinda Lee Masur was incredible; I heard intention in almost every note and subtle playing that showed special affinity with Brahms. In the second theme of the Andante, her voicing of the chords was pretty much ideal. Jeanyi Kim’s violin tone was a little thin at times to be leading this rich music. The group kept the Scherzo light and well-phrased, and the finale was full of truly exciting moments.
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Alexander “Sascha” Mandl, violinist and board president, later emailed me wonderful, thorough notes on the music that somehow had not been included in the programs. Between those notes and the programming choices, it’s clear that Milwaukee Musaik has a passion for engaging chamber music. It was just too bad that we also had to engage with a foreboding hum on our Romantic adventure.
