Well, opening day wasn’t too jam-packed for me – so I can stick to the one event I got to: the first program of the main chamber series I told you about a few blog posts back. As predicted, the aural thrills flew thick ‘n fast, in a program that served as an intermittent tribute to festival father Gian Carlo Menotti. Surprisingly, the Dock Street Theatre wasn’t exactly jam-packed either, though the empty seats were few.
Soprano supreme Courtenay Budd, backed up by series host Charles Wadsworth at the Steinway, delivered an ear-grabbing pair of opening arias. Both ‘Steal Me, Sweet Thief’ and the famous ‘Telephone Aria’ demonstrated Menotti’s engaging modernity, plus his special knack for lovely and lyrical vocal writing. Budd’s spine-tingling high notes produced some of the afternoon’s most intense eargasms.
Then we heard something very rare and different, courtesy of virtuosic harp vixen Catrin Finch: a stunning arrangement of Smetana’s orchestral warhorse The Moldau. The piece portrays the course of a mighty river – and the harp’s cascading, uniquely “liquid” sound suited it to a T. Beyond that, you simply can’t imagine how good she is until you hear her for yourself.
Back to Menotti: his unjustly neglected Suite for Two Cellos and Piano – a work that Wadsworth himself commissioned from his old friend nearly fifty years ago. Written for Gregor Piatigorsky, America’s greatest cello virtuoso of the mid-1900’s, it turned out to be a well-made and engaging number. Cellists Andres Diaz and Chris Costanza – along with piano whiz Wendy Chen – revealed its glories to the fullest.
Subtract Costanza from that lineup and add the vibrant violin of Chee-Yun, and you have the cast for the program’s curtain-closer, the deep and exquisitely crafted Piano Trio in B Major by Brahms. No complaints about any of these amazing players – but special kudos must go to Ms. Chen – the winsome and wonderful piano workhorse of this series. She was onstage for the better part of an hour. Basides, Brahms’s piano parts are never easy, and Chen managed to bring both virile vigor and diaphanous delicacy to this very demanding music.
When Doc W. first strolled out onto the stage today, I caught myself smiling and sighing: as if a dear and comfy friend had just come home after a long time away – and for us Spoleto freaks, a year can be a very long time. But here, his return was especially poignant, as he shared with us his honest affection and praise for his dear departed friend Gian Carlo — the founder of our fabulous artistic feast.
If you didn’t make it, don’t despair: the program will be repeated twice today (Saturday, 05/26). The scalpers were out in force for the opener, so get there early and you may get lucky.
