Reviews

 

VentiCordi

 

The New Sound of Chamber Music in Maine

---

 

Morton Gold wrote of VentiCordi's July 23, 2009 debut concert:

 

Stein is an accomplished violinist, excelling as both soloist as well as accompanist. McNerney...has a sweet yet powerful tone. Both Stein and McNerney amply demonstrated that technical difficulties were not a consideration for either.
Stein gave a superb and impressive performance of the unaccompanied Chaconne from Bach's partita No. 2 - by heart...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gifted young oboist pleases

in presentation of Vaughan Williams

CHRISTOPHER HYDE / CONCERT REVIEW September 29, 2009

CONCERT REVIEW

MAINE MUSIC SOCIETY

WHERE: Franco-American Heritage Center, Lewiston

WHEN: Sept. 26

The Maine Music Society's opening concert at the Franco-American Heritage Center on Saturday provided another opportunity to hear the talented young oboist Kathleen McNerney, who recently moved to Maine from California and is co-founder, with violinist Dean Stein, of the new chamber music ensemble VentiCordi. She is a welcome addition to the Maine music scene.

The name VentiCordi means "winds and strings," which would also be appropriate for the small string orchestra at Saturday's performance, conducted by artistic director John Corrie, when performing with McNerney. She appeared as soloist in the Concerto in A Minor for Oboe and Strings by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The miniature concerto, one of Vaughan Williams' most innovative and atmospheric works, should be heard more often. That it is not is perhaps due to the difficulty of the oboe part, which ranges from soulful slow passages reminiscent of "The Swan of Tuonela" to the most demanding rapid passage work, all the while exploring the entire available register.

The beauty of Vaughan Williams' writing, and McNerney's playing, is their attention to the natural, and enticing, timbre of the instrument. It doesn't sound like a flute, or a clarinet, but like an oboe.

The composer is known for his use of English folk song, and the concerto conjures up an image of pastoral Britain, even in the section "Minuet and Musette," dances as appropriate to 18th-century England as to France.

The writing for strings in the concerto is as difficult as the oboe part, including some tricky counterpoint. The orchestra performed it admirably, perfectly balancing the soloist. McNerney's satisfying volume, however, required no holding back on orchestral dynamics.

McNerney's partner in VentiCordi, Dean Stein, is also concert master of the Maine Music Society String Ensemble. He appeared as soloist in the Bach Concerto for Violin, Strings and Basso Continuo (BWV 1042), with Corrie conducting from the harpsichord.

This lively piece is one of my favorites, but unfortunately I am used to the transcription for keyboard and unaccustomed to separating the solo violin from the string ensemble. Still, the work is always good to hear, in any form.

The program concluded with Dvorak's popular Serenade for Strings in E Major (Op. 22), a pleasant but relatively light work with just touches of his later sound.

Christopher Hyde's Classical Beat column appears in the Maine Sunday Telegram. He can be reached at: classbeat@netscape.net

Copyright © 2009 MaineToday Media, Inc.