Music Reviews

Jul 11, 2002 - The Argenta Trio's a Little Nightingale Music

By Jack Neal

While the superb Argenta Trio anchors Reno Artown's very special Music From Nightingale chamber-music series, one of the nice things for all concerned (especially listeners) is the willingness of the trio to share the spotlight with other topnotch musicians. The door opens, and wonderfully so, on a wider repertory just itching to be heard.

The Argenta - pianist James Winn, cellist John Lenz, violinist Philip Ruder - remains one of America's premier chamber-music trios. One quibbles only, and then almost never, over some aspect of interpretation, never over the technical and impassioned way things are played. The Argenta's playing is always, always without flaw, revelatory and exciting.

The trio's solo outing for Wednesday's concert (7/10/2002) was Ravel's Piano Trio in A minor. The Ravel is a vivid four movement essay touching so many of the bases that have endeared the composer to players and listeners, that it becomes, when it is as creatively shaped and groomed as it was, a rich feast of Ravelian themes, harmonies and textures. Of the four veins of invention Ravel mines in his writing - the Spanish idiom, satire, the waltz and fantasy - all make their way into his A minor piano trio, and it was a thrilling going-from-the-sublime-to-the-sublime experience. Winn's pianism is at one moment delicate, then explosively virtuosic. Lenz's cello work is rich and lyric. Ruder's violining is both ethereal and rapturous. One cannot get more thrill or eloquence from chamber-music musicians anywhere else in the world than with these three.

Violinist Ruth Lenz and violist Igor Veligan joined with the Argenta for a lush, sumptuously romantic presentation of Dohnanyi's Piano Quintet No. 2 in E flat minor. That the Dohnanyi is loaded with poetic lyricism and is always fresh and spontaneous, only lowers the bar for getting accessible performances of unusual warmth. That Ruth Lenz and Igor Veligan were congenial compatriots in the Dohnanyi's wash of warmth and angst only lowered the bar still further for easy enjoyment of this at once riveting and lovely piece.

Tucked joyfully in just before these two big works was Mozart's Duo in G for Violin and Viola. As played by Ruder and Veligan, this is a mini-Mozart duet that charms with a glittering frivolity. But what a nice frivolity it is, and so well played, and such a nice opener for the extensive works that followed.

How wonderful it is that these concerts can be enjoyed in the cool confines of a 75-degree air-conditioned Nightingale Concert Hall (it was 108 degrees in Reno Wednesday). And how wonderful it would be if the University of Nevada Reno (where Nightingale Hall is located) would make its performing arts complex more parking user friendly (gates were down blocking parking behind Nightingale Hall). Regardless of the parking difficulties, Wednesday's larger-than-usual audience is still not large enough for the quality of performances being staged here. These splendid concerts deserve standing-room-only crowds.

There IS one last chance: The final concert of the current series featuring the music of Chausson, Ibert, Hummel and Schubert is Saturday, July 13, 2002, at 8 p.m. at Nightingale Concert Hall, 900 North Virginia Street, Reno. For information call 775-784-6847 or 775-784-6145.