Seattle Symphony musicians do their own thing in the New Chamber Series

Orchestral musicians often chafe under the bit in orchestra performances where they don’t get to choose the music or the interpretation but must bow to another’s dictum. So many, if not most, play chamber music for pleasure, where they can follow their own inclination as to type of music, colleagues to play with, and just have fun or play for an audience if they want. (A note of experience here: my husband played viola in the Cleveland Orchestra for 40 years, and when not doing so he played Renaissance or Baroque music on period instruments.)

It’s also fun and enlightening for an audience to see orchestra musicians in another light. The New Chamber Series at Nordstrom Recital Hall is a wonderful showcase for this, and an outlet for the Symphony musicians for whom it is presented.

Sunday afternoon, two groups, the odeonquartet and Wesito & Friends, shared the stage in very different presentations, both well designed and fascinating in content. The concert was too long but the performance was such fun, most of the audience would have stayed to hear more.

The odeonquartet comprises symphony members Gennady Filimonov and Artur Girsky, violins, and Meeka Quan DiLorenzo cello,  plus local freelancer Heather Bentley, viola. All of the works they performed came from contemporary composers with heritage from Russia, Argentina via Eastern European Jewry, Africa and the U.S. Unfortunately there were no program notes, only a single sentence on each composer. This was a real loss, although the music was easily accessible.

Marcelo Zarvos’ energetic, fast-paced  “Memory” included foot-stomping (How do you play without the bow bouncing when stomping your foot at the same time?). The melody shifted from player to player over a drone in Tunde Jegede’s haunting and beautiful “Lamentation.” Ljova’s “Bagel on the Malecon” may emanate from Russia but you could tango to it. Osvaldo Golijov was the only composer whose name is widely known in the classical music field. His “Tenebrae” was the longest of the works, using one violin tuned differently to the usual. With a long slow melodic line it was deeply peaceful with almost melismatic phrases at times, and surprisingly dipped into an early classical style near the end. Lastly, Pavel Karmanov, who was present, used artfully produced visuals on a screen, one of out-of-focus flowers, the other of a fish factory to accompany his minimalist music.

The quartet performed this varied program with excellent balance and attention to detail, their playing polished and closely together. It’s definitely a group to hear again, both for quality and fresh programming.

The concert’s second half was devoted to Wesito & Friends: symphony violist Wesley Dyring, and a group of symphony and non-symphony players performing Latin American music. Dyring spent several years in Chile and has family in Colombia, “Wesito” being his nickname there. He’s steeped in the everyday music of the continent, and has arranged many composers’ works for a combination of classical and indigenous instruments. Thus, he, with symphony violinist Jeannie Wells Yablonsky and cellist Kevin Krentz, symphony flutist Zartouhi Dombourian-Eby also playing piccolo, and double bassist Joseph Kaufman, was joined by others playing different guitars and similar instruments such as the tiple colombiano (played by Dyring’s son Alexander), plus a variety of percussion instruments including tambora and quena (recorder-type flute). The classical string instruments were miked a little so the sound would rise above the percussion.

Their program was sheer delight. Dyring introduced pieces briefly: boleros from Mexico or Puerto Rico, tango from Argentina, dances from Cuba and Colombia.

Performers all seemed to be having a wonderful time, particularly Diego Coy on maracas and guache (rain shaker) who danced in place smiling through it all as he played. The tone was set by Yablonsky who wore a red velvet sash tied low round her hips and high heeled red satin shoes. Dyring did a masterly job or arranging the music for the two types of instruments which blended seamlessly together, though it did feel as though the audience should be strolling around a square or sitting on the grass listening to this, not in a concert hall.

downloadable just go with it movie

I can’t wait to hear them again.