Serafin String Quartet Opens The Arts at Trinity's 2012 - 13 Season

WARNING! I’m not a musician and I have never studied music, so this review of Serafin String Quartet will not feature any technical aspects of the concert, just my observations and feelings.

The Serafin String Quartet’s Concert began the 2012 – 13 season of The Arts at Trinity (Trinity Church). Unfortunately, it was a one-night only concert, but don’t you fret, the Quartet will end the The Arts at Trinity’s season with another performance on Saturday, April 20. 

The Quartet includes Esme Allen-Creighton on the viola, Lawrence Stomberg on the ‘cello, and Kate Ransom and Timothy Schwarz on the violins; pianist, Victor Santiago Asuncion joined the Quartet for the second act.  The evening included classical pieces by the renowned composers – Ludwig van Beethoven, Ernst Von Dohnanyi, and W.A. Mozart.

The first act included Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, K. 136 and Beethoven’s String Quartet in Eb Major, Op. 74 (“Harp”), while the second act featured one piece, Dohnanyi’s Quintet for Piano and Strings in C Minor, Op. 1.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert at Trinity. The splendid performance was fitting for the 1890 Church with its gorgeous Tiffany stained glass windows. The music ranged from soft and delicate to joyous and loud. At times I would close my eyes and let the music transport me to another place and time, while other times I watched the musicians expertly play their instruments or let my eyes wander the church as it was being filled with the glorious sounds resonating from the group.

I particularly enjoyed Dohnanyi’s quintet. I loved the movements of the music; it went from being pure and jovial to dark and intense. I also enjoyed watching the musicians take on Dohnanyi’s musical journey. They remained in control as the piece ebbed and flowed, each musician masterly playing their respected instrument.

Although you won’t be able to see this performance, you will have the opportunity to enjoy other great performances at the Church, including: Rivales De La Sierra on November 24, Tiffany at the Organ on January 19, City Theater Company’s A Night at the Improv on February 23, Photography Contest & Exhibit on March 10, and Serafin String Quartet on April 20. Visit www.theartsattrinity.org for more information about these upcoming performances.  

Market Street Music features Organ Recital at First & Central

Gabriel Kney organ at First & Central Presbyterian

When you walk into the First and Central Presbyterian Church at Rodney Square, you walk out of the night and into a brightly lit space.  The organ console is at the very center of the chancel.  The organ case is behind the console with its beautiful white wood housing encasing the massive ranks of the 1989 instrument built by David Kney.

David Schelat started with Dieterich Buxtehude’s  Praeludium in D major and the church filled with sound.  The acoustics  created a swirl of sound as each new line chased the prior one into oblivion.  

Mr. Schelat then played selections from Bach's Orgelbüchlein, choosing several short pieces which demonstrated the range of sounds the Kney can produce such as the Zimbelstern bells for the New Year: In you is joy (BWV 615).

David Schelat, organist &
Music Director, Market Street Music

The Toccata and Fugue in A minor by Johann Ludwig Krebs was the centerpiece of the program.  Mr. Schelat has such technical mastery that the complex pedal lines, the fast scales, contrasting themes played simultaneously and the registration seemed to magically unfold.   The virtuosity of this piece rivals anything by Bach, with whom Krebs studied.

After the intermission, Mr. Schelat played one of his own compositions — an organ sonata in three movements.  The piece is quite melodic, but has innovative ideas such as the melody line played in the pedals for the folk song movement, with the keyboard playing an arpeggiated harmony.  The relatively short piece, with its clear conception, was written for a colleague, Michael Britt, who premiered it in France.

Mr. Schelat used a lot of dynamic variation with the swell pedal for the Cesar Franck Fantaisie in A and the Piece Héroique,  His encore, one of the Noel variations by Charpentier gave us an opportunity to hear the organ’s reed and piccolo stops.  

This was a great tour of an amazing organ led by a local virtuoso, right in the center of Wilmington.

See www.marketstreetmusicde.org.

The Newark Symphony Orchestra: A Crowd-Pleasing Season Opener!

What a relief — classical music is not dead! The Independence School's 900-seat auditorium was nearly full for the Newark Symphony Orchestra's season opening concert.  The program, which included Aaron Copland's Fanfare for a Common Man, Antonin Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104 and Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E minor, was a crowd pleaser.

Newark Symphony Orchestra, led by Simeone Tartaglione

The Newark Symphony's Music director, Simeone Tartaglione conveyed his musical ideas passionately and precisely as the community orchestra's leader.   With Copland's Fanfare for a Common Man, he showcased the group's excellent and strong brass section. 

Cellist Ovidiu Marinescu wowed the audience with his virtuosic playing in Dvořák''s challenging and soulful Cello Concerto in B minor.   The concerto, which is not unlike Brahms' concerti and symphonies, is full of longing and tragedy.  Masterfully constructed, the concerto showcases the soloist and allows him to lead the orchestra.

Tartaglione's love for Brahms — and Brahms' Fourth Symphony in particular — was evident in his conducting and in his pre-performance discussion.  An optimist, his discussion highlighted the salvation in Brahms' triumphant themes, which juxtapose the deeply tragic ones.   Once again, the brass, joined by an equally stellar woodwind section, excelled in the performance of this rich symphonic work.   But there is no happy ending with Brahms: A composer who felt more deeply or understood the human condition more thoroughly has never existed.  
See www.newarksymphony.org.