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The Seattle Chamber Music Festival is all aglow in its 25th season -- capacity houses and smiling faces -- and much to admire musically. The Lakeside School branch of the festival closes its four-week season tonight, and the Overlake School two-week season opens Wednesday in Redmond.
Rachmaninoff's "G Minor Cello Sonata," with Amit Peled and Jeremy Denk as its exponents, was the hit of Wednesday night's concert. With justification. The presence of the broad and brooding sonata in the festival's repertory dates to its first year, in 1982. Then the cellist was Stephen Kates. People who were in St. Nicholas Hall that night remember his electric performance well, although he never returned to play at the festival.
The audience will recall Peled's performance too. The young Israeli cellist, who now lives in Baltimore as a member of the Peabody Conservatory, very quickly established himself at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival with his richness of sound, no doubt helped by his Andrea Guarneri cello, as well as an expansive musicality and able technique.
All these he put to good use in the Rachmaninoff. He was not embarrassed by the full-throated romanticism of the work or its emotions, at once urgent and lyrical. Rather, he found the means to express all that Rachmaninoff wanted to say, which was considerable. Beauty was coupled with drama.
Denk has had a good season at the festival. He was an able partner with Peled, working hard to be supportive but, I think, not always quite comfortable with the Rachmaninoff manner.
Baritone Randall Scarlata, who made a powerful impression Monday night in Schumann's song cycle "Dichterliebe," returned Wednesday in Ravel's evocation of Madagascar, that large island some 250 miles off the southeast coast of Africa. "Chansons madecasses" consists of just three songs, but they cover a surprisingly diverse range of feelings, which Scarlata expressed with skill and personality. There was sensuality, theatricality, sweetness. His colleagues -- flutist Lorna McGhee, cellist Ronald Thomas and pianist Anton Nel -- were excellent.
The evening closed with Ernest Chausson's "Concerto," a kind of barn-burner from the late 19th century, scored for violin and piano, in starring roles, joined by a string quartet. It is curious, almost salon music except its temperament is too excitable, and extremely demanding on the two soloists, especially the pianist, who must spend the evening running up and down the keyboard. It is hard to give musical shape to the piece, and the six musicians did not always succeed.
Violinist James Ehnes and pianist Adam Neiman played the crucial roles with spirit and determination. Ehnes possesses a sweet but penetrating sound and a refined musical sensibility, which found a natural home in the Chausson. Neiman has always had impressive fingers, and they were put to nearly every test imaginable. In the quartet were Phillip Levy and Steven Copes, violin; David Harding, viola, and Toby Saks, cello.
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