A Beethovenish Birthday
Monday night, thanks to my friend Deb, I had a very lovely evening by way of a birthday treat. True, it was two weeks after the event but then, I was out of the country at the time. Besides, I was well rested this way. Further besides, this Monday was the scheduled date of the event.
It was the most pleasant surprise when she called some days before: "Hey! Are you free Monday night? Would you like to go to a cello concert at the German Embassy?" My answer was multiply positive. That Deb might invite me to a cello recital is not totally out of the blue, since her daughter has been my cello student for the last four years.
The Beethoven Society of America sponsors a series of musical programs at the Embassy of Germany in Washington, DC (the embassy website). This past Monday was to be a recital by David Hardy, principal cellist of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1994 (brief bios here and here), and Lambert Orkis, piano (his website). As a special feature, we also had a performance of Chopin's Scherzo #4, op. 54 by George Fu, the winner of the 2006 Beethoven Society Piano Competition.
Being the German embassy, I suppose, there was a list of rules about where we could park and not park and when we were allowed to arrive at the embassy and be allowed in. In fact, we got there early and the welcoming party was standing behind the imposing gate but sadly explained that they could not open it until 7pm (precisely!). We had a nice walk down the street (Reservoir Road, near Georgetown) and looked at the garden in the embassy grounds. Huge wisterias grew along the security fence.
We were allowed in at the appointed time with relatively little in the way of security checks, although our name was validated against the guest list. It's rare that I go to an event where entry is arranged according to a guest list. Fortunately, I had dressed appropriately. We were directed to the auditorium where we waited a few more minutes.
The auditorium itself was quite a pleasant, and pleasantly shaped, space for such an event. I read from the website that the chancery was constructed in the early 60s (officially opened in 1964), and designed by Egon Eiermann. The style was what was considered modern but not too outré at the time, and it's still attractive today. The auditorium was a rectangular box, the walls mostly floor-to-ceiling windows with embedded lattice-work in wood; the floor was a random mosaic of two-inch stone disks in ruddy colors. The wood accents in the windows and ceiling were all stained in a dark red-brown color, so the overall effect was warm and comfortable in contrast to the colder feel one might expect from a largely steel-and-glass building.
Naturally, the program for the recital would prominently include some Beethoven. Here is the program:
Suite Italienne, Igor Stravinsky
Cello Sonata in A Major, op. 69, Ludwig van Beethoven
intermission
Variations on "Bei Männern, weich Liebe fühlen" (from Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte), op. 46, Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata in a minor, Edvard Grieg
The Stravinsky pieces are charming and very appealing, and show off the players virtuosity quite delightfully.
The Beethoven sonata, to my mind the major piece of the evening, was played very, very well by the duo. This is Beethoven's most performed cello sonata — hence not really my favorite, plus the fact that it was the g-minor sonata that I had performed myself all those years ago and know the best — but it sounded fresh and convincing. Deb said that she thought they really enjoyed playing it, and I think she's exactly right. Together they seemed to have a coherent narrative and the work made a dramatic whole rather than three movements with a bunch of notes.
The variations were cute and nicely done. The Grieg is a huge piece with lots of orchestral demands made of the two people playing it. Deb found it appealing but said she felt that the last movement went on rather too long; I agreed, but it was the style of the time. I didn't find the sonata very compelling musically, but it made for great spectator sport. I certainly won't fault the performers, who played the entire program with energy and commitment.
About Mr. Orkis particularly we noticed a remarkable precision in his playing, a thing that I always enjoy in piano performance: close attention to the release of notes, the lengths of notes, and the dynamics of individual notes. Some performers are rather sloppy about such things to the extent that it makes a remarkably crisp sound with those who pay attention to it. Mr. Hardy also exhibited a sense of precision, and I'm one who prefers good technique in cello playing; I tend to discount the music making if the notes aren't in tune to begin with. Both of the evening's performers gave very satisfying performances, and their ensemble playing was notable as well.
Finally, I might mention the piano, evidently a German instrument built by Blüthner, an 8-foot concert grand. I had never heard one before. To my ear the sound was agreeably bright without being strident, and Mr. Orkis' sensitive playing certainly made the mechanism sound extremely responsive.
It was good chamber music in a pleasant venue with good friends all made for a delightful and memorable evening. Thanks Deb.
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on Wednesday, 16 May 2007 at 22.17
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Happy Birthday! I am so envious of your wonderful celebration. I adore string music, having lived with violinists throughout university. A performance that is both precise and evidently enjoyed by the performers is a treat. And to view it as a guest of the Embassy, well! Thanks for the report.
on Thursday, 17 May 2007 at 01.47
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How nice to have a friend who knows just what would strike a welcome chord in honor of your birthday. Bravo for Deb and an ex post facto happy birthday to you.
on Thursday, 17 May 2007 at 21.18
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Your post was a delightful suprise. What a great description of the evening! I enjoyed it just as you described it and enjoyed it again reading your post. It was such wonderful fun — the delicious dinner at Figs, the intellectual conversation about herbaceous perennials and algorithms, the stroll with the view of the grounds and the concert. I hope we can do something like this again.