Author: Oberon
Sunday November 10th, 2019 - Offering a program of works from Italian and German Baroque masters, the ensemble Pomo D'Oro appeared tonight at Zankel Hall with cello soloist Edgar Moreau. The performance sustained the momentum of what has been - to date - an outstanding classical music season here in Gotham. From Katarina Karnéus's riveting portrayal of The Woman in Schoenberg's ERWARTUNG with the NY Philharmonic to the Schumann Quartet's mesmerizing playing of Berg's Lyric Suite at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, we have simply had one engrossing musical experience after another. And the season is still young.
A six-artist contingent from the larger Baroque orchestra that is Pomo D'Oro took the Zankel Hall stage and very quickly entranced us with the vibrancy and polish of their playing. The opening work. Franz Xavier Richter's Adagio and Fugue in G-Minor, was the perfect piece to open the evening: the adagio's lamenting quality - with duo violins weeping and rich resonances from the viola, cello, and bass - shortly gives way to a pulsing interlude and then to the vigorous and dramatic fugue.
Maxim Emelyanychev, the ensemble's animated conductor, was soon literally bouncing along at his harpsichord as the fugue unfolded. The violinists Edson Scheid and Stefano Rossi, violist Giulio d'Alessio, cellist Ludovico Minasi (such a handsome fellow), and bassist Anna Mara Bator all provided playing that made the music feel so...alive!
Above: cellist Edgar Moreau. Mssr. Moreau won First Prize at the 2014 Young Concert Artists International Competition, and he made his New York recital debut in 2016 under the auspices of YCA. It was a triumphant evening for the young Frenchman, and tonight he again displayed the technique, artistry, and charisma that make him a compelling musical force.
Mssr. Moreau's cello was built by David Tecchler and dates from 1711. We usually think of the cello as a rich-toned instrument, but this one - in the hands of such a passionate and imaginative player - sounds nothing less that astonishing. And the cellist keeps it speaking to us in all its glory at all speeds and every dynamic level.
Seated centerstage, surrounded by the Pomo'Oro players, Mssr. Moreau gave us a Vivaldi Concerto in A-Minor, RV 419, filled with all manner of musical delights. Following the charming yet pensive introduction, the cellist's plush tone and commanding agility were admirable indeed; his bending of sustained phrases had a wonderful freshness. In the Andante, his soulful playing of the moving melodic themes was entrancing. The music seemed to shiver in the concluding Allegro, and Mssr. Moreau shone in the fast passages.
Francesco Durante's Concerto for Strings in G-Minor opens slowly, with affecting playing from the Pomo d'Oro sextet, and then hits Presto, with some lively duetting from the violins. The delicate touch of Mr. Emelyanychev at the harpsichord made a savourable effect in the Lento, and the concluding Allegro tripped merrily along. The composer's sense of humour was evident in some scooped notes and breezy up-sweeps from the violins.
Mssr. Moreau returned for Giovanni Benedetto Platti's Cello Concerto in D-Major. From its bustling, breathless start, the opening Allegro was a gem, and the marvelous authority of Mssr. Moreau's technical prowess was so impressive, including a mini-cadenza. The harpsichord again plays a part in the poignant atmosphere of the Adagio, wherein the cellist's opulent depth of tone stirred the soul. The zesty final Allegro brought forth stunning virtuosity from Mssr. Moreau and his colleagues.
Arcangelo Corelli's Concerto Grosso in B-flat Major, Op. 6, No. 11, opened the second half of the program. Here, the Pomo d'Oro players had many individual opportunities to shine. The Preludio has a hesitant start, and thereafter a suite of dances ensues. The ensemble's cellist, Ludovico Minasi, was exceptional in the Allemande, and the Adagio was particularly pleasing.
Johann Adolph Hasse's Sinfonia #6 in G-minor gets off to a swirling start with an Allegro full of violin flourishes. Hasse is a master creator of plaintive slow movements, as his Andante here attests. And the concluding Presto reaffirmed the Pomo d'Oro's infectious joy in music-making.
Edgar Moreau's playing of the Boccherini Cello Concerto in D-Major, G. 479, provided a perfect showcase for his artistry. Following some high-lying fiorature in the opening Allegro - and a filigree cadenza that took a plunge to the depths - Mssr. Moreau's lush beauty of tone, and his finesse in matters of dynamics, made for a superb Adagio. The concerto's final Allegro was a resplendent virtuoso affair, the cellist swaying and tapping his foot as he reveled in one brilliant passage after another.
Enthusiastic applause and cheers filled the hall, and Mssr. Moreau gave a solo encore. Eschewing an opportunity to dazzle us further with a showpiece, he chose instead the deep and soulful Sarabande from johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 3 in C-Major, wherein the sheer wealth of his tone was a perfect parting gift.
~ Oberon