Date: Fri 01-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DONNAM

Quick Words:

Audubon-Quartet-concert-NFoM

Full Text:

Concert Review-- Audubon Gives NFoM Nice Closure

By June April

It has been a glorious musical season for audiences who have come to hear the

presentations of the Newtown Friends of Music at Edmond Town Hall. And when

The Audubon Quartet arrived in Newtown for an April 26 concert, the closing

event of the 1997-98 season was another outstanding afternoon.

Formed 28 years ago by the cellist Clyde Shaw, the four musicians are

acclaimed performers in their own right. As the Audubon Quartet however, they

are renown for their consistent excellence of sound and interpretation.

The latest addition is truly a sparkling violinist, Akemi Takayama, who

reminds this reviewer quite a bit of the delightful actress in Flower Drum

Song , Miyoshi Umeki. The sweetness of her tone, and vitality and virtuosity

of her playing has added a special impact to the Audubon's already masterful

performing.

There is a quality of mature passion and balance to the Audubon's playing. Be

it in the subtle dynamics of Mozart's Quartet in B flat Major , or Dvorak's

Quartet in G Major , Opus 106 , the clarity of the most pianissimo sound was

as felt as the vigorous forte.

Included in last weekend's performance was also the rarely performed

composition by the Hungarian educator, composer and musicologist, Zoltan

Kodaly. Written for two violins and viola, Serenade, Opus 12 is an eloquent

and challenging work that carries a strong conversational quality. In each of

its three movements, there are musical exchanges between violin and the deeper

voiced viola, male/female musically expressing the dynamics of a love

relationship.

First violinist David Ehrlich explained the serenade was written in 1920, the

culmination of Kodaly's chamber music period (he turned to symphonic

composition). Violist Doris Lederer's Italian-made Vargnola was thrilling in

the velvet richness of its tone.

There is a growing awareness of the importance of music for a healthier and

intellectually richer lifestyle. Newtown Friends of Music does a superb job of

bringing some of the very best and brightest music to the area, at amazingly

low princes. It is a great study in entertainment, for any age.