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Netta Hadari and Mark Rike, violins, Tina Lee Hadari, viola, Rebecca Patterson, cello (l. to r.).
In his introduction to “Brahms’ Alarm Clock,” by composer and pianist Istvan B’Racz, violinist Netta Hadari told the full house in the recital hall at Neighborhood Music School that at one point while working on the piece, he had asked the composer for “just a bit more of one section, to help complete it for me emotionally.” B’Racz obliged, and the full work, sometimes driven by a frenetic two-note motif with sudden jumps from string to string, was an impressive display. With quotes weaved in from Brahms’ Violin Concerto, and references to Hungarian folk music, the piece was a compelling study of the violin’s tone. And Hadari’s joy in playing it was clear.
In a way, RE•ACT — the first installment of the 2023 Teaching Artist Concert Series at Neighborhood Music School, which presented 7 contemporary chamber or solo works — was a reminder of how joyful the conversation between performers and composers can be. (Full disclosure: this reporter is affiliated with Neighborhood Music School, but had no part in the planning, programming, or execution of the concert.) In part this was spurred on by cellist Rebecca Patterson, who spoke candidly and passionately about her introduction to contemporary music. Her collaboration with guest composer Igor Korneitchouk, who was in attendance, served as the nucleus of the concert.
“Hydrology,” the first of three works by Korneitchouk on the program, was pre-recorded, a solution to scheduling problems created by the concert being twice postponed due to COVID. The work gave a clear and transparent portrait of the four instruments — viola, flute, clarinet, and oboe — and a high-quality video recording faithfully conveyed those details to the audience. Each movement was restricted to only 4 of the 12 available notes, in order to emphasize the distinct tone color of each instrument, and the dance-like rhythms that came as the instruments imitated each other.
Rebecca Patterson, cello, and Istvan B’Racz, piano.
Patterson, alongside B’Racz on piano, gave a spirited performance of “Splinters of a Shattered Space: 5 Frames.” Each of the first four movements seemed like a granular view of a particular extended technique for cello. During these spacious movements, the focus was almost exclusively on such textural possibilities, the relative absence of pulse allowing listeners plenty of room to hear the subtle shifts of color.
One particularly effective moment in the 3rd movement had both performers singing pitches against a sustained note in the piano and a slowly bending note in the cello, creating a cloud of sound that seemed to transcend the boundaries of the hall. In the final movement, the composer seemed to pull back from the microscopic view, introducing an almost march-like sense of momentum and melody, without abandoning the frayed, percussive sonorities that defined the rest of the work.
Netta Hadari, violin and wooden dowel.
Heisenberg, for piano quintet, featured each of the 5 performers (B’Racz, Hadari, and Patterson, alongside Mark Rike and Tina Lee Hadari) set up around the room, rather than at the center of the stage. This allowed the playful work a clear sense of space, punctuated by blasts of harmonica, and with each performer inserting wooden dowels and pieces of paper between the strings of their instruments to add percussive effects. Even with the physical space between performers (and conductor Daniel Shaw), there was still a sense they were working in lockstep, reflecting an almost scientific curiosity about sound that seemed a fitting tribute to the work’s namesake.
The program also featured brand new work by Hadari and B’Racz. Hadari composed “What is Hip?” for violin and piano to pay homage to the traditions of ’70s funk bands, a style of music Hadari says he is not often asked to play as a violinist. Aspects of the piece were as reminiscent of tango and ragtime as they were of Tower of Power. But a middle section, with Hadari playing a rhythm guitar-like role with double stops and pianist Anran Quian playing melody, made the link clear.
B’Racz performed his composition “Leaving Room,” for which a section had been completed at 4 a.m. the previous morning. A meditative first movement celebrated the low, clear sonorities of the piano, patiently building and then disassembling harmonies based on dominant seventh chords. The second movement emphasized the percussive qualities of the instrument, with hypnotic syncopated patterns pulled out of a repeating figure as B’Racz selectively muted strings with his fingers inside the piano.
The program concluded with celebrated contemporary composer Jessie Montgomery’s “Source Code.” In her introduction to the work, Patterson acknowledged that part of what draws her to new music is that composers tend to respond to their times, their experiences, and their backgrounds, and Montgomery’s work took significant inspiration from various forms of African-American music, like spirituals and blues.
A far cry from the wholesale usage of folk melodies, a la Dvorak, Montgomery’s piece instead focused on subtle gestures with an almost vocal quality. The family of bowed stringed instruments was well suited to bring out those sliding inflections as the unison A which began the piece developed into lush, sometimes uneasy harmonies. “Source Code” also exists in a version for string orchestra, but in the relatively intimate space on Saturday, the quartet delivered an impactful reading of this work with tight communication and expressive shimmers in dynamic range.
Ultimately, that joy extended to the audience — students excited to see their teachers perform, a public eager to be challenged and stimulated in brand new ways.
The next installment of the Teaching Artist Concert Series at Neighborhood Music School is Friday, March 17, at 7 p.m., with a birthday bash for Jesse Hameen II. Admission is free.
This concert - which I unfortunately missed - is an example of the very high level of music, musicianship and music education that takes place in our city. The program, beautifully detailed by Adam Matlock, was an ultra-challenging musical journey culturally appropriate to the times in which we live. Thanks, NMS Teaching Artists!