MUSiC Brunch/Recital @ InterContinental Hotel 12/7 Providing young musicians with performing opportunities is the primary function of one of the newer presenters in the Cleveland area: MusicalUpcomingStarsintheClassics. MUSiC sponsors several recitals each year, in a variety of spaces, but the big event of the season is a Brunch/Recital at the InterContinental Hotel Cleveland at the Cleveland Clinic. This year's recital took place on Sunday with the newly-opened Table/45 hosting the excellent brunch. Another change from previous years was the addition of several first-rate music students from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. It is no stretch to suggest that all of them will have a career in which we'll have the opportunity to hear them again. More than once!

Pianist Yuta Sugano opened the program with a thoughtful reading of Chopin’s Polonaise fantasie Op. 61. Mr. Sugano exhibits little drama in his playing, just a superb command of himself, producing a sensitive and graceful performance. In addition, he was an attentive accompanist for clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan, who, after graduating from Oberlin last year, is now pursuing a Master’s degree at CIM. Mr. Allakhverdyan performed two separate and very distinctive showpieces: the Clarinet Rhapsody No. 1 of Debussy and Giampieri’s Carnival in Venice. The Debussy is of course, very impressionistic and dreamy in places, while the Carnival is almost entirely the opposite. Usually, we hear this as a showpiece for trumpet or cornet, but it works wonderfully well with a capable clarinetist at the helm. Mr. Allakhverdyan exhibited remarkably subtle dynamics along with his dexterity and lyricism.

Beautiful singing of another kind was provided by Joseph Turro, tenor and Elizabeth Zharoff, soprano, separately and together. Mr. Turro sang two lieder by Liszt: Die Loreley and Im Rhein, im shonen strome, plus Il mio tesoro, an aria from Don Giovanni by Mozart. He has a gorgeous sound, with an excellent range, as well as calm stage presence. Several times, he casually placed his hand on the partially-raised piano lid, while still maintaining his attention to the music. Yejin Lee was an alert and considerate collaborator at the piano, in all the vocal works presented.

Ms. Zharoff’s first selection was also by Debussy: Quatre Chansons de Jeunesse: Pantomine, Clair de lune, Pierrot and Apparition. She has an abundance of musical personality to go with her large voice, as well as a wide range of emotion. Her second selection was Oh! quante volte from I Capuleti e i Montecci by Bellini. The two artists then joined for a duet from Donizetti’s comic opera L’elisir d’amore: Chiedi all’aura lusinghiera.

Ms. Lee was not only the superb accompanist for all these selections, but also performed a solo selection, Triana by Albeniz. She created subtle imagery of warm, sunny Spain (much appreciated on this cold day in Cleveland) with her gentle body English, which was not at all distracting, but clearly expressive of her innate musicality.

To close the program, Ms. Lee was joined by Lisha Gu, violin and Avery Waite, cello for the Piano Trio No. 2 in B minor, Op. 76 of Turina. This is one of those works that needs to be heard more often. It was positively delightful at the hands of these young musicians. Mr. Waite’s cello has a large lush sound when needed, while Ms. Gu’s more sensitive violin was yet able to summon more huskiness if the music asked for it. The music ranged from atmospheric to skittery to moody and maestoso through the three movements. There were interesting and unusual harmonics from the strings in the first movement, and closer harmonies in the last one. In between, the piano also had a chance to shine with octaves roaming up and down the keyboard.

Information about upcoming events may be obtained by sending an e-mail to: stars@intheclassics.org

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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