Oberlin

Kicking off the 2013-14 Oberlin Artist Recital Series, the Jupiter String Quartet joined Oberlin faculty and alumni to explore "Intimate Masterpieces" of Maurice Ravel.

It was the second time this mix-and-match band of highly regarded classical musicians came together, as they previously met to record the same program for the Oberlin Music label. Although the repertoire ranges from simple to complex, light to dark, pleasant to haunting, a continuity exists in that each work demonstrates interesting and particular sentiments, a testament to Ravel's compositional style.

The String Quartet in F Major is one of Ravel's most performed and recorded works. The intensely romantic piece invites a lush expression from the ensemble, a task that the Jupiter handled adeptly. The balance of the ensemble was of particular note, as the quartet called attention to intriguing sonorities as well as solo lines, and engaged dramatic shifts in dynamics and texture.

The Jupiter also created clear elements of excitement and serene beauty throughout the work. In the first movement the quartet achieved a tremendous momentum in the development, unleashing an unrestrained climax, then settling into the recapitulation and its beautiful primary theme. This preceded a rambunctious pizzicato opening to the second movement, a texture that bookended a hushed and sensitively played middle section.

Oberlin alumna Ellie Dehn demonstrated impressive vocal flexibility, breaking away from her demanding opera engagements to perform in a much more intimate style two very different sets of songs by Ravel. The first set, in collaboration with harpist and Oberlin faculty member Yolanda Kondonassis, was musically straightforward and light. Although these Cinq mélodies populaires grecques lacked nuance, the simplicity of the composition and presentation served well to separate the weighty quartet from the following piece, a more deep and complex song cycle.

Dehn, flutist Alexa Still, Jupiter cellist Daniel McDonough, and pianist Spencer Myer displayed a more introspective side of Ravel in Chansons madécasses. The three songs are of a dark and chromatic flavor, appropriately matching three equally as haunting and emotionally complex poems. Dehn performed the tender melodies of the first and third songs with incredible care. In the second song, "Aoua!," Dehn threw her voice into a context of ferociousness, effectively changing color and mood to reflect the disturbed opening of the respective text. 

The evening closed with a brilliant performance of Introduction et Allegro, a work originally commissioned to showcase an early 20th century company's double-action pedal harp. Kondonassis executed her part with an incredible virtuosity. Her agility and impeccable clarity caused the harp to sound similar to a piano with the warmest, most soothing tone imaginable. 

In order to provide a clearer insight into the music of Ravel, Oberlin faculty members Sigrun Heinzelmann and James O'Leary provided mini-lectures at the start of each half of the program. Extending the evening from a Ravel performance to a Ravel marathon, the discussions disrupted the flow of the concert and did not enhance the understanding or appreciation of the music that followed.