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| Noam Buchman (Ilan Besor) |
The musical terms "serenade" and
"divertimento", with several examples appearing in 18th-century
musical repertoire, are often interchangeable. They represent pieces that are light-hearted
and easy to listen to, often performed on social occasions, such as at banquets
or as after-dinner music. On November 16th 2024, one of those mild, sunny Jerusalem Autumn mornings, this writer joined the audience attending
"Mostly Serenades", the most recent concert of the Eden-Tamir Music
Centre's "Flute Sounds in Ein Kerem - Noam Buchman and Friends"
series. The artists performing were Gilad Hildesheim - violin, Irit Livne -
viola, Yoram Alperin - 'cello and, of course, Noam Buchman - flute.
Joseph Haydn's Divertimenti in G and C major, published in
London, were the composer's first chamber works for flute, a popular
instrument in England for domestic music making, especially among those women
who could not perform in public. The Jerusalem program opened with Haydn's
Divertimento for flute, violin and 'cello in G major, Hob.IV:7, with playing
articulate, rich in contrasts, with tempi gently flexed, the trio's playing bubbling
over with Haydn's esprit. Their reading of the Adagio (2nd movement), was
singing, carefully paced and with some attractive embellishments in the flute
part. As to the "comments" by the 'cello, we were reminded of the
melodic importance Haydn addressed to this instrument.
Max Reger's music came under harsh disapproval on the part
of critics, who accused him of “a lack of feeling” and being "too
complicated”. Influenced by the tradition of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, he
also borrowed extensively from the rich chromatic harmonies and style of
Richard Wagner and his followers. The instrumentation for his Serenade Op.141a
for flute, violin and viola, however, is distinctive, opting for the bright
tones of the flute, violin and viola, indeed, endorsing the overall enchanting
mood of the piece. Buchman, Hildesheim and Livne articulated the features of
the piece - the playful, witty unpredictable turns of the opening Vivace, the
more pared-down, hymn-like Larghetto and the lively romp of the Presto
movement, its dancelike theme interspersed with more tranquil, reflective
moments, the. performance seamlessly negotiating the music’s capricious
kaleidoscope of moods and tempi.
An atypical work, and one probably unfamiliar to many in the
Eden-Tamir Centre audience, was Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Assobio
a Játo" (The Jet Whistle) for flute and 'cello (1950), a piece reflecting various aspects of the composer - his interest in Brazilian folk idiom as
well as in more traditional musical forms, his eccentricity and his sense of
humour. Attesting to the composer's predilection for writing high- and
low-voiced instrumental duos, the piece is primarily a musical joke, yet
cleverly playing on the natural characteristics and sound production of both
instruments. Throughout the three short, nuanced movements, Alperin and Buchman
partner in fluid lines and masterful teamwork, switching lead and
accompaniment, sometimes playing together in such tortuous, conflicting
counterpoint as to create a semblance of total independence. The artists create
the work's chromatic soundscape, its large range of timbres and its many states
of mind, from the pensive to the uninhibited. Then, as they reach the third
movement (Vivo - poco meno), they meet the score's directive demanding
that the flautist blow directly and forcefully into the flute, his (or her)
hand almost covering the mouthpiece. Combined with a glissando, the resulting
strident whistling sounds like a jet plane taking off…or was the inspiration for
this work the coffee machine at Villa-Lobos' local cafe?
As to the program's flying visit to Germany, Austria and
Brazil, landing in Hungary felt like we were in transit, hearing just one
movement of Ernö Dohnányi's Serenade for string trio in C major Op. 10. Clearly
inspired by the serenade tradition, the work's laconic use of form and economy
of means constituted groundbreaking writing in 1902. Hildesheim, Livne and Alperin gave a zesty,
fresh and articulate reading of the final movement, a bustling Rondo propelled
by a rapid main theme framing contrasting episodes and associative of the folk
character prevalent in the music of Dohnányi’s countrymen.
The Saturday morning program concluded with L.van
Beethoven's Serenade for flute, violin and viola in D major Op.25 (1801).
Comprising six movements and written primarily for the profitable domestic
market, its layout is in accordance with the pattern of the Classical serenade
or divertimento of Mozart’s and Haydn’s time. Observing all repeats in the name
of formal balance, the artists showed the audience through the work with charm
and vivacity. In the Serenade’s centrepiece, a set of variations on a theme
announced by the strings in double stopping, each instrument takes the lead in
turn with florid passages as the theme becomes varied. Altogether, the artists gave splendid expression to the work's range of gestures and to the bright buoyancy of
music for which the viola serves as its bass instrument. Indeed, whatever or
whoever prompted Beethoven to write a composition for this unusual yet
agreeable mix of instruments (was it a nobleman playing chamber music with friends?), the
Serenade is invariably cheerful, creating the style and ambience reflecting the growing appreciation for informal outdoor music
among Vienna’s elite.
But the serenades did not finish with Beethoven. For an
encore, the artists performed the mellifluous Andante cantabile from the
Serenade for Strings Op.3 No.5 in F major, a work attributed to Haydn, but possibly
written by Roman Hofstetter.
It was a concert of high-quality performance and interesting programming.
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| Gilad Hildesheim,Irit Livne,Noam Buchman,Yoram Alperin (Yoram Livne) |
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