A Liquid Silver Tone in Merrill Auditorium
Last night violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Max Levinson covered themselves with glory on the Portland Ovations stage. I was a little tired and almost passed up the performance to stay home with a glass of wine and retire early. I am so glad I didn’t. By the end of the recital, I was wide awake and the juices were running. I never thought Brahms could do that for me; however, the composer was well served by the thoughtful, probing young artists, and I was moved by the liquid silver tone and depth of interpretation they served up so eloquently. There were none of the histrionics you sometimes have to endure with the new crop of players, not a false move, no self-indulgent posturing…the stage was full of sincerity and truth.
I just looked at the Arts section of last Sunday’s New York Times and saw the names of five classical music artists Portland Ovations has presented in the past few years. I am pretty sure that someday soon Stefan Jackiw’s name will be featured in these pages. He is the real thing.
sunglasses shop says:
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MarkSpizer says:
great post as usual!
mary noyes says:
Last week listening to Stefan Jackiw in Portland Maine was a gift beyond measure. Raised under the Steinway napping for hours as my Mom explored the very same Brahms was being performed right in front of me. A wonderful opportunity to be flooded and then saturated with my childhood. Stefan’s perfection and passion was enough for a full box of tissues. I wish for every individual in the greater Portland area to have this chance. YES to Portland Ovations.
Michael Bachem says:
Stefan Jackiw and Max Levinson served up a delicious feast indeed. How refreshing to have a program that presented not the usual old, new, borrowed, blue, but a coherent presentation of one set of chamber music jewels. And how amazing to hear one so young to understand and play late Brahm’s with such sensitivity, passion, and flawless intonation. And Max Levinson provided full-blooded thoroughly Brahmsian underpinning. An evening to reassure us that our musical heritage is in good hands.