By Daniel Buckwalter
The magnetic elegance and gentility of late 18th century and early 19th century French music enveloped Jaqua Concert Hall at The Shedd over the weekend, and by fate, on the eve of the romantic season: “Joyeuse Saint-Valentin!”
Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel were the featured composers on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, as microphilharmonic serenaded listeners with music that evoked daytime walks in the countryside, walks in the moonlight, and ended with Ravel’s children’s classic, the delightful five-movement “My Mother the Goose.”
All in all, it was a serene way to begin the journey into the Valentine’s Day season.
The highlight for me was the opening piece, Ravel’s four-movement String Quartet in F major, with violinists Alice Blankenship and Julia Franz, violist Dana Rokosny and cellist Louis Lowenstein.
Following the melodic opening movement, the four settled into an intricate second movement, followed by the truly heartfelt and beautiful third movement. The violinists’ and violist’s layered harmonizing — with Lowenstein on cello providing a pulsating cadence — was wonderful to absorb. The quartet ends with a robust final movement, and the four musicians played it with flair.
After intermission, the full chamber ensemble (13 members for these two concerts) took the stage for the third movement of Debussy’s “Suite bergamasque,” inspired by Paul Verlaine’s 1869 poem “Moonlight” and arranged by Michael Anderson, microphilharmonic’s artistic director.
Then it was on to the master’s well-known “Prelude to the Afternoon of a faun,” with flutist Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington expertly leading the way.
Finally, there was Ravel’s “My Mother the Goose,” which weaves together snippets of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Tom Thumb,” “Empress of the Pagodas,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Fairy Garden.” It was gorgeous.
I am not the romantic sort, but microphilharmonic’s salute to Debussy and Ravel left me wondering if I had missed something.
It was inspiring.
