"The Professor and the Madman"

by CMNW guest blogger Bob King

Last Saturday night at St. Mary's Academy, Chamber Music Northwest presented cellist Colin Carr and pianist Thomas Sauer performing three Beethoven sonatas and his set of variations on a theme by Handel. Of course this really has nothing to do with their music making, but my first impression of the artists was the book title "The Professor and the Madman", which is really only to say that Mr. Sauer looks every bit the handsome young professor in his suit, tie and wire frame glasses, while Mr. Carr's somewhat wild curly locks and what I believe was a black Chinese shirt gave him a bit of a crazed aura; this was actually even more pronounced as the concert progressed where, in the Sonata No. 5 in D Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 2, at some of the especially forceful lines of ending Allegro Fugato, Mr. Carr seemed about to launch himself (with cello) towards center stage. Regardless of my odd imaginings, the duo gave us excellent illustrations of Beethoven's early, late and middle (or heroic) musical modes, and beautifully rendered. Not being a highly accomplished musician, I won't attempt to guess at the particular virtues of the performers or any subtleties they may have evoked in the pieces that the expert may have heard. I will offer that Mr. Carr's performance was full of emotional transparency; the character of the music being nearly simulcast by his facial expressions. It's possible for a performer to attempt to force this, and that becomes melodrama and distracting gesticulation. What I felt from Mr. Carr was entirely different; he was living in the music, and by turns all the drama, joy and occasional humor was therefore inhabiting him.

I was very happy when the artists addressed the audience regarding some facets of the program. Even Beethoven, with all that depth and passion emanating from his works, can feel somewhat sterile in the forms of the concert hall; but when two high caliber performers help translate both the historical contexts and some of the musical ideas that may be less obvious to the lay person, such as myself, the listening experience is truly enhanced, both intellectually and emotionally. Thomas Sauer's anecdotal remarks about the D Major sonata not being part of the standard repertoire for piano and sonata earlier in the 20th century because it was not well understood and considered essentially unplayable, especially after they had just performed the piece with such excellent technique and feeling, was amusing but also reminded me that music performance and repertoire is a living construct which changes over time. I also enjoyed Colin Carr's remarks about Variations on Handel's "See the Conquering Hero Comes", that they could have easily been written by Mozart, meaning that the musical styles are in the classical Mozartian vein, but that Mozart wouldn't have been so lazy as to steal the theme and would have written his own. While I thought that was funny, I wonder if the truth lies closer to Beethoven's nearly fanatical devotion to the great composers who came before him, and his desire to honor them, while Mozart's combination of narcissism and the luxury he had with that profusion of melodies coursing through is inner ear would almost never have led him to use another composer's music.

I will be unhappy with myself if I don't say something about the "perfect" Sonata No. 3 in A Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 69. Both Messrs. Carr and Sauer gave it that appellation before their performance, and while that might seem like hyperbole, of which I am typically very skeptical of, I would like to add my voice to theirs in that description of this fine piece. Of course their particular performance of the piece last night, while terrific, was not perfect. And yet, through a variety of lenses, be they that of the sonata form, or balance between the instruments, or musical themes and melody, or for me simply because the combination of the cello and the piano is so satisfying, and perhaps because the piece is neither retrospective (in it's time) or especially forward looking, it feels about as perfect a composition as I can imagine.

Lastly, I must say I appreciated the venue. I have heard that the acoustics are not ideal; fortunately for me I guess my perceptions are not fine enough for that to detract. What mattered more to me was the opportunity to attend an excellent concert downtown, near relatively inexpensive parking, in a hall that was comfortable but not so fancy as to make me wonder what all this was costing. In many ways it felt somewhat like the old PSU Piano Series concerts at Lincoln Hall - comfortable like a good old coat. I also appreciated how quiet the audience was throughout the performance - bravo - if only I could take you all with me to some other concerts around town this year, we might be able to concentrate on the music!