Audience responds (even at wrong times) for ‘Rising Stars’

Marilyn LaRocque

Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2003 | 8:21 a.m.

A sparse but enthusiastic audience heartily applauded violinist Judith Ingolfsson, her accompanist, Ronald Sat, and the Miami String Quartet at Friday night's "Rising Stars" concert at Artemus Ham Hall at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The energetic young musicians struck a responsive chord with the listeners, who frequently clapped and cheered -- between movements of a work, at pauses, at the end, it didn't matter to them -- to reward the artists for their efforts.

Unfortunately, once again, it was an obvious distraction for the performers and particularly disruptive to the flow of both the Beethoven String Quartet and the Chausson "sextet."

Nevertheless, the concert, part of the Charles Vanda Master Series, succeeded in showcasing these "rising stars." All of them have compiled a substantial track record with orchestras and ensembles and in recitals at home and abroad.

However, in Las Vegas, their music choices were more show than substance, especially for Ingolfsson.

Two other considerations affected the performance.

Presumably to enhance acoustics, only the front third of the stage was used, with heavy ceiling-to-floor curtains drawn part way toward the center. A portable "shell" of sorts occupied the center third of the stage between the leading edges of the drapes. Unfortunately, it wasn't much help for the hapless Miami String Quartet, which was seated too far forward for the shell to be much help in the cavernous hall.

The weak segment of the concert was their opening "String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 (Serioso)" by Beethoven. It got the evening off to a vapid, uneven start. Fortunately, the malaise was short lived.

Now for the good news: Ingolfsson played a superb 1736 Stradivarius, the "Muntz," on loan to her for the second year (a considerable achievement) by the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan.

The "Muntz" is one of the last violins the maestro made at age 92. Even "Mary Had a Little Lamb" would have sounded glorious on it. Its "voice" is powerful, marvelously golden and mellow, with a singing tone, as well as brilliant in rapid and high passages.

Ingolfsson and the Strad performed a virtuoso repertoire of short pieces that are often used as encores to leave the audience breathless. They had the same effect Friday night.

The "Scherzo" in C Minor, from the "FAE" Sonata by Brahms, was an ideal launching pad for both violin and violinist, who had no problem filling the hall with music. Ingolfsson demonstrated brilliant technique and adroit attention to dynamic variation in a fast-paced interpretation of the showpiece.

Before moving on, however, a few words about accompanist Sat, who is also Ingolfsson's husband. He is extremely accomplished. He combined fabulous talent worthy of a solo career with empathetic synergy not only with Ingolfsson but with the quartet. His agile fingering, sensitive touch, resounding chords and masterful interpretation of the composer's nuances held the music and musicians together and were major forces in the success of the performance.

His artistry was particularly evident in the "Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Quartet in D major, Op. 21," by Ernest Chausson (1855-1899), which concluded the program. (The piano is both orchestra and soloist.) It was the highlight of the evening in musical interest and complexity, expert technique and beauty of sound.

Much of its power and importance comes from unison playing by the instruments and from the elaborate, supportive piano scales and arpeggios (series of notes running up and down the keyboard) that accompany the strings. The simplicity, purity of tone and refined elegance of Chausson's style were captured eloquently.

The first movement, "Decide," progressed at a ferocious tempo with the rich harmonies and soaring emotion typical of Chausson's compositions. In contrast, the second movement in three-quarter (waltz) time was sweet and floating.

Titled "Grave," the third movement began with a melancholy violin passage with a somber background in the piano. It proceeded at a stately pace, with increasing intensity, benefiting from the strong resonance of unison sections. The ensemble skills of the Miami String Quartet presented an expressively delineated and musically defined interweaving of parts to create superior sound.

Beginning with bravura scale passages on the piano against plucked strings, the fourth movement, "Tres Anime," lived up to its title. Non-stop rapid fingering by all, played with fervor and force, brought the piece to a resounding climax.

In addition to the Brahms "Scherzo," Ingolfsson's "solo" performance included three Fritz Kreisler show stoppers with mind-boggling double stops (two notes played simultaneously on different strings) that she played impeccably at slow speeds but tended to lose control of at full throttle.

At one point she was out of sync with her accompanist, but they skillfully ended together. Her interpretation of the well-known "Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra (in this case, Sat), Op. 15" by Pablo deSaraste was a crowd-pleaser.