"Faculty recital" is a dry term that fails woefully to describe the excellence of the nearly three hour performance yesterday evening before a full house at the Juilliard School's Paul Hall. It would be far more accurate to characterize it as a unique gathering of musicians' musicians. Though none of those who appeared onstage may be household names, together they represent the most notable pool of musical talent available to classical music lovers in NYC. It was an education in itself to hear cellist Joel Krosnick and his associates explore the entire range of the repertoire from baroque (Bach) to modernism (Elliott Carter) to impressionism (Debussy). And that was only the first third.
Using the cello as a focal point, the program dealt with any number of musical styles. Among the most notable pieces were two canons from J.S. Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge, performed by Joel Krosnick and Laurie Smukler, Ralph Shapey's Duo Variations for cello and violin, performed by Joel Krosnick and Ronald Copes, and Mozart's String Quartet in D, K. 575, performed by the full Juilliard Quartet. There was even the world premiere of a new piece by Richard Wernick, entitled For Two, for two cellos that Mr. Krosnick performed with Gwen Krosnick.
One of the highlights of yesterday evening's recital was a rare appearance by the pianist Seymour Lipkin. (A New York Times review from March 1981 stated: "Seymour Lipkin gave his first piano recital in 20 years Saturday night... If another year goes by before his next one, it will be too long.") His performance of the Beethoven Piano Trio in D, Op. 70, No. 1 (the Ghost), together with Joel Krosnick and Laurie Smuckler, was an unusual opportunity to hear an incredible musician perform a composition Wikipedia terms one of the "best known works in the genre."
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