San Francisco Classical Voice

Englishman Harvey's five-minute Chant was, similarly, quite advanced in idiom, but without going overboard into mere gimmicky clichés. Simon's control of pitch and timbre came much into play here, as he easily employed all of Harvey's advanced techniques: microtonal scordatura (false tuning of the strings), playing on the bridge with the stick of the bow, odd types of microtonal slides, etc. Simon played Harvey's Chant into a perfectly sensitive statement of rather heroic proportions. Considering the materials, the whole came off as natural and consequential.

The Italian dances may have originated in ancient times, but they sounded apt for viola, with Froh supporting in quasi-medieval style, using drums and tambourine. There were discreet improvisations, supporting rather than spotlighting, so that the effect proved artistically gratifying. The two other American works — Colgrass' Variations and Chihara's three-movement Redwoods — have been audience hits since their inception and are likely their most-recorded accomplishments. Needless to say, the performances were elegant. Oddly enough, these two semi-standards have begun to sound almost conventional. (But as John Cage once observed, “Sooner or later, everything we do sounds melodic.”)

The larger surprise, curiously, came from the seven Bartók miniatures, most of which are only a minute or less in length. These charming, folk-derived imps were intended for student-and-teacher study, and although they have been adapted for all sorts of instrumental combinations, I suppose this was their debut as a viola-marimba set. Simon dubbed them “the dessert,” and they were that, for although they're all simplicity itself, Bartók's genius molded them into to tiny masterpieces. The 44 Duos are, in effect, much like what Bach accomplished with his Two-Part Inventions.

The inventiveness of the players showed up again and again in unexpected ways. One of Bartók's pieces, “Pizzicato,” is basically in moderate tempo and quiet. To balance the effect, Froh abandoned his mallets to play his instrument directly with his hands and fingers, sort of bongo style. That drew a few chuckles and lots of grins around the room. Here, as elsewhere all evening, the balanced ensemble between Simon and Froh offered the kind of sonic equilibrium one expects from a first-rate string quartet. Considering the sonic differences between viola and percussion instruments, that also struck me as a remarkable achievement. Indeed, the only time Froh really let fly with full percussion dynamics was in Linea Negra.

Simon made terse, cogent comments before each piece, partly because the program pages lacked notes on the composers or music. Unlike most such interruptions, his stage presence avoided tedium and actually proved helpful. The one exception to this was composer San Martin's shy commentary on her piece, where she basically had little to contribute. That one minor flaw apart, this was a brilliant recital.