RSS 2.0 FeedSeptember 30, 2009, Classical
Youth and passion equal brillant playing
The young violinist Stefan Jackiw and his collaborator Max Levinson started a bit slowly with a too-mellow Beethoven sonata, but came to brilliant life in moving renditions of Copland and Lutoslawski pieces, and then ended with a spectacular Brahms sonata that sang with glorious Romantic passion.
After a surprisingly calm Beethoven sonata to begin his September 26 Harriman Jewell Series concert, the young violinist Stefan Jackiw displayed great sensitivity, feeling and not a little fireworks in welcome performances of Copland, Lutoslawski and Brahms.
Beethoven's Sonata No. 1 in D Major, an early work, is admittedly not of the period of Beethoven's great booming symphonies, but still calls for some degree of passion and flair from its performers. Jackiw's able collaborator Max Levinson on piano, seemed to possess more of it than did the violinist in the recital's opening number. Although Jackiw displayed a delicate soft touch, and more than sufficient technical skill for the piece, his interpretation was a bit too restrained for this reviewer's taste. In a word, Beethoven should be more robust.
The rarely performed Sonata for Violin and Piano by Aaron Copland, however, offered a contrast in style which brought great pleasure to the Folly Theater audience. Written during the World War II years, Copland's Sonata came at the end of his quirky early compositional period and is just at the cusp of the years when he brought forth many of the popular ballet and symphonic scores which are the foundation of his fame. Foreshadows of his mature, angular style abound in the Sonata, and while dissonances are heard, they are relatively tame by modern standards and do not stand in the way of a truly beautiful sound. Jackiw and Levinson, equal partners in this one, seemed to have a real feel for the passion of Copland's work, and alternated spirited attacks with expansive feeling, just as one feels the composer would have intended. It was an impressive rendition, and showed the piece worthy of being heard again and again.
Jackiw opened the recital's second half with a furious rendition of Subito by Witold Lutoslawski, a 20th century Polish composer who emerged from the shadows of Nazi oppression to become a significant force in music during the 1950's and 1960's. His six-minute composition is fiendishly demanding on the performers, calling for terrific technique and furious abandon. It is the musical equivalent of a short fireworks display, and both performers leaned into it with gusto.
Saving the best for last, Jackiw and Levinson offered a glorious rendition of the Brahms Sonata No. 3 in D Minor. Johannes Brahms didn't write any operas, but he didn't have to; in his orchestral pieces the instruments are given stirring melodies as great as those in any opera, and in the best performances the instruments are made to sing. This point was not lost on these performers, and both violinist and pianist offered a gloriously Romantic and passionate reading, expansive and dramatic at all the right moments. Both displayed impressive technique, but it was all at the service of expression, as it should be. They were lost in Brahms' world, and took the audience right along with them. It was a performance to treasure.
Only 24 years old, Jackiw already demonstrates a brilliant ability to lift his audience and carry them along with him. As he matures and gains even further nuance, his career may well become one of the most celebrated of our time.
REVIEW
Harriman Jewell Series
Stefan Jackiw, violinist
With Max Levinson, piano
Saturday, September 26, 2009
www.harriman-jewell.org
City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor
A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony. He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony.
Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera). He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.
In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization. He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations. When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.
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