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Sophisticated music-making abounds in Salt Lake City, and Barlow Bradford's Utah Chamber Artists are at the forefront with their polished performances of intellectually stimulating fare. The 44-voice choir demonstrated its excellence once again Monday in a program that deftly balanced smart choral settings of Whitman and Wordsworth poetry with a joyful display of instrumental virtuosity.
Violinist David Porter and his wife, pianist Vedrana Subotic, were the featured guests, performing Camille Saint-Saëns' First Violin Sonata. Their teamwork was impeccable in the spellbinding, songful slow movement as well as in the fiendishly acrobatic finale. Subotic and Porter also joined the choir in Johannes Brahms' "Lass dich nur nichts nicht dauern (Let nothing ever grieve you)."
Another highlight of the evening was the premiere of Bradford's settings of two Walt Whitman poems: "Give Me the Splendid, Silent Sun" and "Keep Your Splendid, Silent Sun." As Bradford pointed out, the poems celebrate the contradictions in human nature -- specifically, the competing desires for solitude and companionship. The first setting vividly evoked a drive through an idyllic countryside; its companion surged with the propulsive energy of a big city. Constantly shifting rhythms underlined that sense of invigoration, and the 44-voice choir sang with exhilarating urgency. Pianist Aram Arakelyan offered spectacular support.
J.A.C. Redford's "Night Pieces," settings of three William Wordsworth poems, also were written with UCA in mind. The unusual instrumentation -- English horn (played by Holly Gornik), horn (James Wilson), viola (Roberta Zalkind), cello (John Eckstein) and harp (Tamara Oswald) -- suited the dark-hued poetry perfectly. There's no choir in town that achieves a purer tone or paints more evocatively with sound than UCA, and "Night Pieces" was an ideal showcase.
Four unaccompanied motets by Maurice Duruflé opened the program, allowing the choir to display its uncannily seamless and warm sound.
Catherine Reese Newton is a music critic. Contact her at creese@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">creese@sltrib.com or 801-257-8616. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">livingeditor@sltrib.com.
A wildly virtuosic duet adds just the right amount of fun to a night of serious music-making.
With » Conductor Barlow Bradford, violinist David Porter, pianist Vedrana Subotic and a chamber ensemble.
Where » Libby Gardner Concert Hall, University of Utah.
When » Monday.