Concert Review—

Cellist Brought Audience To Its Feet

By Julie Stern

With regard to the concert sponsored by Newtown Friends of Music last Sunday afternoon, the operative description has to be “charm” — in the best sense of the word. Before a packed house on February 11, the lovely and appealing young cellist Soo Bae demonstrated her total mastery of both technique and interpretation. Watching, and listening to her perform makes it easy to understand why she has so many “firsts” in her resume, including first cellist in nine years to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and first Canadian ever to be awarded a prize at the 6th Adam International Cello Festival and Competition in Christchurch, New Zealand.

After opening with the powerful and luminous Elegie, Opus 24 by Gabriel Faure, Ms Bae departed from the announced program to play an additional piece, written especially for her by Huang Ruo, who had also composed “Tree Without Wind” for pianist Soyeon Lee, who played it here last November.

Ruo’s short piece, “Fragments,” is complex and experimental in form, weaving together many different elements. Ms Bae’s ability to bring these together into a harmonic whole was an impressive feat, greatly appreciated by the audience.

This was followed by the twin Caprices for cello solo, No. 9 and No. 11, by Alfredo Piatti, in which the cellist is asked to play double notes on two strings, and double notes on the other two in what is known as “quick time,”  while the second half is smoother and beautifully lyrical.

The first half of the program closed with a three-part piece by Robert Schumann, Fantastiestucke I, II, III, Opus 73. As always, Schumann is a listener’s delight. This work begins with a lyrically melancholy section in A minor, followed by a light and playful middle section in A Major, and ending with a spirited finish.

After the intermission, the entire second half was given over to a powerful and engrossing Cello Sonata, Opus 40, by the Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Although it is billed as a Cello Sonata, it actually involves the piano on an equal basis, giving full rein to Shostakovich’s symphonic vision. It was hard to believe that so much power and passion were not coming from a full orchestra.

This was enhanced by the presence of Ying-Chien Lin on the piano. Like Soo Bae,  Ms Ying is a musician of the first rank, and the interplay between the two of them was inspiring and delightful. The standing ovation at the end of the concert was well deserved.