Chamberfest: Opening Night.

Opening Night.

The James Ehnes/Jon Kimura Parker concert last night was wonderful. I really only have one point to touch upon in this entry. For me, it was a delight to see the interaction and interplay between these two performers. Chamber music is largely dependent upon the abilities of performers to connect to one another’s musical sensibilities and then present a united front whereby they can turn outwards and share the music with their audience. Knowing that the repertoire for last evening’s concert is dependent upon such interplay – whether it was Mozart’s exploration of the interactive potential between the violin and piano or Ravel’s belief that the instruments are “fundamentally incompatible” – I went into the concert with a real sense of what to listen for.

From the outset of the Mozart, it was clear that both Ehnes and Parker are seasoned professionals that share a musical intuition and sense of storytelling. Their abilities to shift gears at the drop of a hat, or to turn their energies on a dime is a treat for concert-goers. From beginning to end, they created their space and shared with the audience their appreciation for this music, even through the less compelling parts of the repertoire.

Craig Pedersen
www.craigpedersen.com
www.newmusicottawa.blogspot.com
(this post has been cross-posted at chamberfest.wordpress.com)