|
CHAMELEON SERIES
IRIS VAN ECK/ KEMAL GEKIC
HANDEL/ BEETHOVEN/ DEBUSSY/ JANACEK/ BRAHMS (1-13-08)
By Lawrence Budmen
Cellist Iris van Eck and pianist Kemal Gekic proved a near perfect duo, matching sonic power and vivid instrumental personalities at the Chameleon series’ afternoon musicale on January 13 at the Leiser Opera Center in Ft. Lauderdale.
The players captured the Mediterranean languor of Debussy’s Sonata in D minor, making child’s play of the tricky rhythms and dissonant harmonics of the Serenade et Finale. The first of three sonatas for varied instrumental combinations penned in the final two years of the composer’ s life, this score ventures beyond impressionism to embrace the astringent textures and motoric thrust that were sweeping Europe via the balletic scores of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Van Eck and Gekic illuminated the Gallic enchantment of this path breaking work which still sounds astoundingly modern in the 21st century.
Beethoven’s Sonata in C Major, Op.102, No.1 is one of those remarkable creations from the master’s late period that reinvented the chamber music genre. Gekic lavished a whirlwind of pianistic exuberance on this emotionally volatile score, channeling subtlety as well as thunder. Van Eck’ s warmly expressive delineation of the Adagio preceded an appropriately brusque Allegro vivace.
From the first solemn chords to the bright, lithe finale, the duo brought dash and sparkle to the Baroque felicities of Handel’s Sonata. Van Eck’s dark tonal palette and measured, expansive pace probed the depths of the soulful Sarabande. Gekic exhibited unusual delicacy in this stylish recreation of an early instrumental showpiece.
Leos Janacek’s Pohadka (fairy tale) was a fascinating panoply of repetitive figurations that suggested contemporary minimalism and vivacious Czech melodies that would not have been out of place in a Dvorak string quartet. The musicians’ incisive performance offered a wealth of instrumental coloration. Every pianistic hue and plucked string motif was tellingly projected.
Gekic’s penchant for fiery octaves launched Brahms’ Sonata in F Major in blazing style. Van Eck eloquently spun the main theme of the Adagio affetuoso, a quintessentially Brahmsian melody of elongated passion. Instead of the usual heavy handed sobriety, the cellist exhibited a light touch in the charming Allegro passionato, reserving appealingly pensive edginess for the movement’ s secondary theme. The explosive fireworks of the concluding Allegro molto were dispatched with dare devil verve and precision.
Copyright Sun-Sentinel
|
