Juilliard Chamber Music: Mendelssohn and Schoenfield

This week's Wednesdays at One performance was given over to Juilliard's Honors Chamber Music program.  The Altezza Piano Trio - Momo Wong, violin; Khari Joyner, cello; and Qilin Sun, piano - are one of the ensembles participating in the prestigious program this year.  Coached by Natasha Brofsky and Joseph Kalichstein, the musicians gave a roughly 50 minute recital that featured works by Mendelssohn and Paul Schoenfield.

The performance began with Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op.  66 (1845).  By the time he had written the Op. 66, Mendelssohn was an experienced composer and had attained full mastery of the effects he sought to create.  This was the second trio Mendelssohn had written and if it was not as popular as the Op. 49 it was still a work of genius, particularly in the balance the composer achieved in blending the three parts, giving each instrument a distinct voice while integrating them seamlessly into a whole.  The work proceeds from a fiery opening to a gentle second movement that is reminiscent of Mendelssohn's "songs without words" for piano.  The sprightly third movement scherzo leads directly to a passionate, but not overly dark, finale.  The inclusion of the old Lutheran hymn in the final movement endows the work with a Romantic flavor.

The second and final work was shorter but equally enjoyable.  This was Schoenfield's Café Music, described by the composer as follows:

"The idea to compose Café Music first came to me in 1985 after sitting in one night for the pianist at Murray’s Restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Murray’s employs a house trio that plays entertaining dinner music in a wide variety of styles. My intention was to write a kind of high-class dinner music – music which could be played at a restaurant, but might also (just    barely) find its way into a concert hall. The work draws on many of the types of music played by the trio at Murray’s. For example, early 20th-century American, Viennese, light classical, gypsy, and Broadway styles are all represented. A paraphrase of a beautiful Chassidic melody is incorporated in the second movement."

The work was written as a commission from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra who gave it its premiere in 1987.  It was a fun, rambunctious piece that was a big hit with the audience; they gave it a standing ovation at its conclusion.

With recitals such as this, Juilliard has made itself into one of the country's foremost resources for high quality performances of chamber music.  The Wednesdays at One series is just one of  a series of opportunities music lovers have to hear the greatest works in the chamber repertoire.  There are also the Sunday afternoon recitals at Morse Hall, the period instrument performances given by the Juilliard415 at Holy Trinity Church and, in January, the annual Chamberfest extravaganza.   It's to the school's credit that it helps keep alive the tradition of fine chamber music even at a time when the general public has increasingly forsaken cultural pursuits in favor of mass market entertainment.  The works played at these recitals represent a cultural heritage handed down over the centuries from the world's finest composers, and it should never be allowed to become forgotten through the indifference of those unable to appreciate its importance.