Above: pianist Juho Pohjonen
Sunday February 13th, 2022 - A thrilling evening at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presenting masterpieces by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn played by a stellar ensemble.
A violinist new to me, Richard Lin (above), opened the program with Beethoven's Sonata in D-major, Op. 12, No. 1, with the charismatic Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen at the Steinway. Mr. Lin's timbre has an interesting, tangy appeal, and he and the pianist formed a cordial partnership.
Composed in 1797-98, this sonata's opening Allegro con brio features offbeat accents and unexpected harmonic shifts that tease the ear. Rippling piano figurations support serpentine phrases for the violin, with our two players relishing a broad dynamic range, finely aligned.
The central movement is a theme-and-variations affair, with the first two variations slyly providing a division of labor: one dominated by the piano, the other by the violin. The third variation is surprisingly stormy, while the last favors syncopation, and ends in a curiously witty way.
The finale is a lively Rondo, laced with explosive accents and unexpected twists and turns, found Mr. Lin's violin dancing blithely over Mr. Pohjonen's vivacious rhythms. Their spirited performance won the audience's warm approval.
Richard Lin took the lead in the Shostakovich Quintet in G-minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 57, joined by fellow violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, violist Matthew Lipman, cellist Paul Watkins, and Mr. Pohjonen.
Above: Matthew Lipman
The Piano Quintet was composed in 1940, when the composer was, temporarily at least, in favor with the Soviet authorities. The Quintet was an immediate success, and it won Shostakovich the 1940 Stalin Prize; it was soon being frequently performed by Soviet quartets, often with the composer himself at the piano.
This music is panoramic and thoroughly delightful, with never a dull moment. Mr. Pohjonen kicks things off with a dramatic introductory passage, then the strings join in dense harmonies. Mr. Lipman chimes in (this work calls for an exceptional violist, and that's what Mr. Lipman is), and an ascending unison phrase leads to a sudden stop.
An exquisite violin theme, played meltingly by Mr. Lin, commences a fugue as Mr. Sitkovetsky, Mr. Lipman, and Mr. Watkins join in turn. At the Steinway, Mr. Pohjonen commences a solo rooted in the depths, whilst Mr. Lipman's passionate playing leads to a buildup of intensity. With a lamenting quality, the movement ends softly and solemnly.
The Scherzo, commencing with its very familiar theme, is alive with rhythmic string segments, the flow of notes from the piano, a spirited high violin dance, and more wittiness from the viola. Grand plucking accents carry us forward.
For the ensuing Lento, Mr. Watkins provides a steady continuo over which Mr. Lin spins a poignant melody, harmonized by Mr. Lipman. Mr. Pohjonen underscores more affecting playing from Mr. Lin, whose sustained notes shimmer. The music turns dramatic, then slowly dissipates as Mr. Lin lingers on high. The movement's gorgeous finish was spoilt by the sound of a dropped object somewhere in the hall: something that always at the worst possible moment.
But the players held fast, with Mr. Pohjonen immediately commencing the Finale: Allegretto. Close harmonies are heard, and a grand rhythm springs up, like a march or a polonaise. At the Steinway, Mr. Pohjonen outdid himself as the music gets grand, with a big sway. Things calm down for soaring passage with the violins on high. The polonaise resumes, and we seem headed of a grand finale when - instead - Shostakovich gives us a subtle finish. Masterful!
The musicians were hailed with a mid-concert standing ovation, and they were rightly called back for a second bow. A great feeling of joy filled the hall.
Above: Alexander Sitkovesky, photo © Vincy Ng
Following the interval, Mssrs. Pohjonen, Sitkovetsky, and Watkins gave us a splendid performance of Felix Mendelssohn's Trio No. 1 in D-minor for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 49. It was a chance hearing of this work on the radio one afternoon in the mid-1980s that first brought chamber music to my attention: prior to this revelation, I had listened almost exclusively to opera. Still, it wasn't until I'd moved to New York City - where world-class chamber music thrives - that the genre became an integral part of my life. So this evening's performance of the Mendelssohn was a affirmation for me: the composer's melodious masterwork moved me as deeply tonight as it had that afternoon in Hartford many years ago.
Above: Paul Watkins
Mr. Watkins' supremely velvety cello timbre drew me into the music immediately, much as this passage had when I first heard this music so many years ago. The sheer richness of melody in this trio is captivating, and with Mssrs. Sitkovetsky and Pohjonen joining the cellist, it soon became achingly beautiful. They played with such passion, Mr. Sitkovetsky bringing his Old World richness of tone and sense of lyricism to every phrase, Mr. Watkins' poetic warmth a constant balm for the soul, whilst Mr. Pohjonen is simply a magician of the keyboard. If the first movement was sublime, the musicians surpassed themselves in the second, played with heartfelt beauty by the pianist, and illuminated by the perfect harmonies of the strings. The ending of this Andante was perfection itself.
On to the Scherzo, so lively and gracious, played with dazzling virtuosity...and a deliciously delicate ending, à la MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. And then the finale, Allegretto assai appassionato, so speedy and so spectacularly played. The audience's vociferous standing ovation - demanding a second curtain call - was the only possible reaction to such magnificent music-making.
~ Oberon