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Linton's "Strings and Winds" a Lovely Autumn Serenade

Mary Ellyn Hutton
Posted: Oct 12, 2009 - 2:03:02 AM in reviews_2009

   Richard Waller, founding artistic director of the Linton Chamber Music Series, didn't know he would be a part of the program for the second concert of Linton's 2009-10 season Oct. 11 at First Unitarian Church.
   That's what you get for turning 80.
   Waller doesn't officially pass that milestone until Nov. 15, the same day as the next Linton concert.  But when artistic director/violinist Jaime Laredo learned Waller would be out of town then, he cooked up an early birthday salute.  Violist Ida Kavafian even had a tonette handy to insert a straight up "Happy Birthday" into violinist Cindy Wu's wacky birthday variations.  (The tonette was Waller's favorite instrument when he did promotion spots for radio station WGUC-FM during the 1980s.)
   It was a lighthearted moment that underlined Linton's motto, "Music Making Among Friends."  Waller could hardly stay out of it and he grabbed Kavafian's tonette and rendered a jazzy "Happy Birthday" for Cincinnati Symphony principal oboist Dwight Parry whose birthday was last week.
   The real theme of the concert was serenades, and Laredo and Linton co-artistic director/cellist Sharon Robinson chose three for performance by themselves, Kavafian, violinist Celeste Golden and Cincinnati Symphony principal players Owen Lee (bass), Randolph Bowman (flute), Dwight Parry (oboe), Richard Hawley (clarinet), William Winstead (bassoon) and Elizabeth Freimuth (French horn).
   The first serenade was the best known and most obvious, Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" with Laredo, Golden, Kavafian, Robinson and Lee.  Samuel Barber's 1956 woodwind quintet "Summer Music," Op. 31, featured the CSO winds.  Giving the program a juicy twist, Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D Major for strings and winds, Op. 11, was performed in its original chamber ensemble version.
   It was a sunny but crisp autumn day and a full house of Linton fans was on hand for the occasion.
   Mozart's iconic work was a pleasure to hear, as always, though one felt that the musicians' rehearsal time had been spent on the other selections at its expense.  There is nowhere to hide in Mozart -- ever -- and there were occasional lapses in balance, intonation and ensemble unity.
   The Barber, a rarity for the composer since it is for winds only, was performed with style and conviction, packing a lot of summer into its scarce 12 minutes.  One felt clouds give way to sunshine, or perhaps heat to cooling breezes as the flute, clarinet and oboe bubbled up after the bassoon and horn's leaden beginning.  There was a beautiful melody, first heard in the oboe and a reverse in direction before a bright, cheerful close.
   Brahms' Serenade No. 1 is full of riches, both in its symphonic and chamber ensemble forms.  It has six movements:  an opening Allegro and a Rondo Allegro finale enclosing a pair of Scherzos, a Menuetto and a slow movement Adagio.  It was a treat to hear the close blends of solo winds and strings and to enjoy the beautiful sound produced by individual players, such as Kavafian on viola.
   Clarinetist Richard Hawley led off the Adagio with a beautiful, throbbing melody that gave way to an even more ravishing and long-breathed one.  Violinist Golden had a moment in the Menuetto that lived up to her name, and hornist Freimuth opened the second Scherzo (Allegro) in heroic style.
   The finale, with its buoyant dotted rhythms, worked up a nice head of steam.  Things grew almost precipitous toward the end where Brahms inserted a little ritard and a moment of reflection before ringing the curtain down on the work.
   The concert repeats at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at Congregation Beth Adam, 10001 Loveland-Madeira Rd. in Loveland.