Joan Kwuon Tickets

The concert was a most enjoyable one, though not one of the very highest caliber. It is not clear if Kwoun, Smiirnoff, Robinson and Babyan regularly reform together. While each is an excellent musician, as a Piano Quartet they were not as seamless as the very best chamber groups, suggesting this was a "pick up band" of players associated with the Cleveland Institute of Music. Even so, they played the frequently performed Mozart and Brahms piano quartets well. The Kay duet was also well-played, though the music itself was unmemorable, one of a number of LC commission scores probably best left to moulder in the library stacks. We would certainly take other opportunities to hear these musicians, individually as soloists, as members of other chamber groups, or once again in this configuration.

Great performances of the Mozart and Brahms piano quartets, separated by a puzzling set of pieces for violin and piano by Ulysses Kay. The Washington Post reviewer had it exactly backward.

Four excellent players who had never before performed publicly as a group rendered an interesting program of two piano quartets (Mozart g minor K.478 / Brahms g minor, Op. 25), separated by a violin/piano duet ("Five Portraits") commissioned of composer Ulysses Kay by the Library of Congress in 1972. The Mozart work is wonderful, charming, and an easy listen for any audience, yet had the reputation in its day for being extremely difficult to perform--a situation which would exacerbate the composer's growing reputation for writing pieces that were too complex. This complexity was born out by ragged moments in this performance, which seemed in dire need of more rehearsal. It was clearly not performance-ready for a major stage, but suitable for this performer-friendly series, always more appreciative than critical. Ulysses Kay's "Five Portraits" was unyielding in its discordant sonorities and obtuse structure. It had a promising beginning that quickly morphed into an academic severity aimed to alarm rather than please. I was amazed to read that this African-American composer was the nephew of Joe "King" Oliver, the iconic jazz pioneer from New Orleans who mentored the great Louis Armstrong. Whatever swing this composer inherited must have dissipated somewhere across extensive studies with Hanson, Rogers, and Hindemith. If there was any poetry and gumbo-friendly ambiance to be found here, it escaped me entirely. It's inclusion in this program made no sense to me. Ah yes, the Brahms! I confess to being a heartful, devoted lover of Brahms' music; and, although this rendering may not have been perfect, it was passionate and serious; playful and sexy. This performance occupied the entire second half of the concert, and--for me-- served to erase any mishaps that had come before it. The group demonstrated that it could handle admirably Brahms' mastery of difficult cross-rhythms-- particularly in the composer's generous use of "hemiola" (3:2). The group faithfully executed and showed a general ease and pleasure in navigating the rapidly shifting dynamics and accents that stirred this exotic combination into intoxication--a passion driven yet controlled by masterful use of counterpoint, harmony, rhythm, and structure. The excitement was palpable throughout the hall as the audience rose to its feet in appreciation of this honest and fervent interpretation.