Although ostensibly this is a Randall Goolsby show, the music production is a perfect match with pianist Juwan, and these two fine young musicians share the virtuosity that the music demands in this concert skill. Both are clearly hard-working and dedicated artists. Both have technical and interpretive abilities. They clearly embody mutual respect.
The music in the show showcases the duo’s creative choices of music:
Coleridge-Taylor: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 3
Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100 (“Thun”)
still: Suite for Violin and Piano
price:two fantasies
Strauss: Violin Sonata in E flat major, op. 18
Oddly, given this reviewer’s lack of familiarity with the violin and piano repertoire and having recently written reviews of some music by black composers, the only familiar pieces are two of the three works by black composers. Overall, this is a well-chosen collection that reflects the eclecticism and technical skills of these two musicians.
Brahms’s work is perhaps the most familiar to audiences, but others are equally substantive and worth listening to. It’s these rather visionary choices that make the duo fresh and innovative. Furthermore, their obvious knowledge of music and their enthusiasm and love for it combined to make for an enjoyable evening that even prompted this reviewer to try to become more familiar with the repertoire for violin and piano.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) was a black British composer whose music has recently been in dire need of a revival. He was named in honor of the famous English poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge (1772-1834). During his rather short life, Samuel was hailed as “Britain’s Mahler,” but after his death his music largely lay dormant until the late, great African American conductor Paul Freeman (Paul Freeman, 1935-2015) renaissance. His revelatory series for Columbia Records (now Sony) treated listeners to a captivating selection of music by international black composers.
Coleridge-Taylor Opus 3 Suite for Violin and Piano (1893) is an early work, based on the high romantic style of the late 19th century, with broad melodies and high demands on the performers. It served as the introduction to a heady evening that included (some) rarely performed works as well as some fairly mature pieces in the repertoire.
Johannes Brahms’ (1833-1897) second violin sonata (out of three) was written in 1879 and named “Thun” after the Swiss city where he composed it. The three movements follow the classic fast, slow, fast structure common to the genre.
It is a product of high romanticism and remains a staple of the repertoire to this day. Like most of this composer’s music, it was technically challenging for both instrumentalists. This is a great tool to validate the incredible technical skills of these young artists.
William Grant Still (1895-1978) was one of the finest composers of the early to mid-twentieth century. Like Coleridge-Taylor and Florence Price (1887-1953), his music was praised during his lifetime, but only recently among the previously mentioned black composers ignored. These musical selections reveal another side of this delightful pair of musicians, who are musical archaeologists at heart, discovering forgotten gems, like the work of Lord Canavan who introduced the world to King Tut’s tomb. Wonderful Egyptian art.
Still’s suite for violin and piano inspired by three sculptures——”The African Dancer” by Richmond Barth, “Mother and Son” by Sargent Johnson, “Gamin” by Augusta Savage. Written in 1943, it combines elements of blues, pop and classical music to provide a musical description of this visual art with national characteristics.
The three movements essentially consist of tone poems based on works of visual art. It was after the second sculpture, depicting a mother and child, that the duo cast a spell that revealed the “Thal” of the blog’s title.
Goolsby embodies a calm and casual confidence, letting the audience know early on that it’s okay to clap after a move if you want. His enthusiasm puts the audience at ease and embraces us in the kindest way. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with musicians appearing aloof, but Goolsby’s enthusiasm is both generous and welcome. It was clear, however, that this audience, after hearing that gorgeous second movement played so beautifully, took a seemingly hypnotic pause at the passionate performance that captured the beauty of the music. It felt as though we had become a collective and deeply involved. This is what Enslavement is about, a beautiful experience about the connection between composer, performer and audience that represents the pinnacle of the performing arts of chamber music. All three actions were executed brilliantly, but the moment and the collective reaction was a truly moving experience.
After a short intermission we heard two of Florence Price’s Fantasias for Violin and Piano (1933, 1940). Although I was already familiar with much of Price’s work (three of her extant symphonies and two of her violin concertos recited by Goolsby himself have been published in the past few years), I had never heard these before fantasy.
Although the two works were written only seven years apart, they embody very different qualities. Both pieces are undoubtedly “erratic” and embody a range of moods, but the second piece is longer and seems to reflect the composer’s mature style. Both productions were entertaining and seemed to entertain the audience.
This brings us to the final work in the program, Sonata for Violin and Piano (1888) by Richard Strauss (1864-1949). An early work known for its large-scale orchestral poems and large-scale operas, it won audiences over for its lyricism and friendly personality.
It consists of three movements. At the end of the slow movement, we again see/hear an “agreed” silence, and the audience seems to feel a deep impact from that passionate and lovely movement. No one applauded and we fell into silence.
The busier third movement again displays the virtuosity and sweeping melodies of high Romanticism. There was thunderous applause and a standing ovation. What a joy it was to hear these talented and hard-working musicians perform during an ecstatic evening of chamber music.
