By Daniel Buckwalter
The conversations were sometimes witty and chatty, sometimes moody, and often eloquent.
Those conversations between the violinists, violist and cellist — facilitated by pianist Eunhye Grace Choi — carried heartfelt joy as well as introspection, and they were the core of Chamber Music Amici’s Spanish Journey program on Dec. 14 and 15 at the Wildish Community Theater in downtown Springfield.
Starting with Joaquín Pérez’s Piano Trio No. 2 in B Minor, Amici settled quickly an intimate look, as I saw it, of everyday life, from quiet talk to the bustling surround sound of street life.
It was a magnificent hour-plus of serenity after absorbing the muscular, bursting-at-the-seams emotion of Messiah performed by Eugene Symphony Orchestra several days prior, and it was appreciated.
Violinists Tomás Cotik and Juan Luis — a Spaniard and an Argentinian who are good friends — were joined throughout the program by violist Lillie Manis and cellist Eric Alterman.
Other music from the program included Enrique Granados’ Piano Quintet in G minor and, my particular favorite, a pair of selections from Isaac Albéniz’s Suite Española, No. 47.
The two selections from Albéniz’s suite — Cádiz and Asturias — are two of eight pieces in the suite that were completed after Albéniz died in the early 1900s.
It is deeply atmospheric, by turns languid and celebratory, and if you get the chance, be sure to listen to it. It is a joy.
All travels have their detours, of course, and Chamber Music Amici’s Spanish Journey was no exception.
This came in the form of Sergei Prokofiev’s four-movement Sonata in C Major for Two Violins, played with virtuosity by Cotik and Luis.
It was a favorite of Sharon Schuman, Amici’s co-founder and longtime artistic director who was struck and killed by a motorist this year while jogging on south Eugene’s Amazon Trail.
It was a fitting salute of brava to Schuman, who will be celebrated throughout Chamber Music Amici’s season, and a fitting inclusion in a wonderful program.
