Music Reviews

Oct 14, 1999 - UNR's President's Concert a Smorgasbord of Delights

By Jack Neal

The old line about "kids in a candy store" is a bit tired. But if the candy-store line is tired, Wednesday's (10/13/99) smorgasbord of musical delights at Nightingale Concert Hall wasn't.

The occasion was the University of Nevada, Reno Music Department's annual President's Concert set up to honor President Joe Crowley and raise funds for student scholarships. With twenty-three musicians playing thirteen works in less than 90 minutes the speed of the concert was faster than most changes in Reno's weather.

The collegiality of the event gave it the ambiance and warmth of musician's union retirement-fund concert. The mood was right and so was, for the most part, the music.

Haydn's "The Joke," the finale from String Quartet No. 38, Op. 33, No. 2, was given a breezy reading by the Nightingale String Quartet, the university's graduate-student quartet. Violinists Michelle Olson and Bruce McBeth, violist Soo Kyong Kim and cellist Kevin Price have the polish of a fully professional quartet (which the quartet is) in all respects except getting the kind of cash they deserve for the first-rate kind of work they do.

Professor Emeritus, pianist Ron Williams was on hand for a couple of Liszt offerings - "Valse Oubliee" and "Rakoczy March" - that were so flamboyantly played no one has to worry if retirement has spoiled Dr. Williams. It hasn't. The Great Basin Brass Quintet charmed by opening the concert with what looked like a bath hose (with mouth pieces) fanfare that came off with a sound not unlike the buzziness of Renaissance instruments. Then Larry Engstrom and Paul Lenz (trumpets), John Lenz (French horn), A.G. McGrannahan III (trombone) and Russell Dickman (tuba) played Cheetham's fair-to-middling piece called Scherzo on up-to-date horns and did it nonchalantly and well.

Clarinetist David Ehrke and pianist Andrea Lenz played the Allegretto movement from Saint Saens's Sonata for Clarinet ansd Piano in G Minor. The performance had the suave, yet idyosyncratic fun Ehrke always brings to his interpretations with the solid and very good pianism Lenz always brings to hers. Of special interest, because it's not easy to perform or hear, were the two songs from Hindemith's Die Serenaden, Op. 35. Soprano Jennie Tibben-Lembke, violist Soo Kyong Kim, and - this time - oboist Andrea Lenz gave a tight and buoyant accounting of "Nur Mut" and "Gute Nacht" that did justice to these two difficult and unusually textured songs.

The Argenta Ensemble, this time back to its trio format, with Phillip Ruder (violin), John Lenz (cello) and James Winn (piano), dazzled with a virtuosic reading of the Presto movement from Beethoven's Trio for Violin, Piano and Cello in G major, Op. 1, No. 2. Flutist Mary Miller and harpist Beverly Colgan graced Ravel's "Piece en forme de Habanera" with an especially light and entrancing reading. Soprano Helen Lee sang "Pace, pace, mio dio" from "La Forza" with dramatic intent and percussionist Andrew Heglund did the evening's marimba honors by playing Gordon Stout's rather dullish "Two Mexican Dances."

Soprano Katharine DeBoer joined John Lenz (French horn) and James Winn (piano) for their usual exciting performance of Bernhard Krol's "Ragtime: To Quinctius Hirpinus." The Reno Jazz Collective (Larry Engstrom, trumpet, Francis Vanek, saxophone, David Ake, piano, Hans Halt, bass, Andy Heglund, drums) closed the concert with an impeccably dry and all together droll interpretation of "Black and Tan Fantasy," Duke Ellington's 1927 excursion into classical jazz. The question is, of course, did Duke Ellington ever write anything that wasn't classically classical?

So there you have it; a concert of variety and light heartedness with lots of good to fine playing and singing. The program was many things, but partly it was an overview of programs to come and programs that have been. The quality of work and the obvious joy from which it sprang bodes well for future grand listening on campus and for the nurturing of up-and-coming new talents.

For information about future UNR Music Department concerts and events call 775 784 6145. For tickets call 775 784 6847. Almost all UNR Music Department concerts are at home at Nightingale Concert Hall on the UNR campus, 900 North Virginia Street, Reno.