Dangerous Excellence

Column 7, July 30, 2024 by Jim Berkenstock

The day following our recent “Grieg Piano Concerto with Jeannie Yu” program, I ran into one of the audience members who had been there. Harry (not his real name) said to me with a very serious look, “I’ve attended my last Midsummer’s Music concert!” I was too stunned to reply. Fortunately, he went on to say, “That concert last night was as good as a concert could possibly be, I don’t need to hear any more—it was spectacular. I’m never coming again.” As I began to realize that what first sounded like a complaint was turning into a wonderful compliment, my horror slowly turned to delight. I also trust that my friend will soon get over his “overdose” of excellence and return to our concerts. He could even come back and hear the same program in a different location for free as part of our Encore offer because it is going to be performed three more times this weekend (July 25, 26, and 27). That is, if he can stand that much perfection.

I have to admit, it was a mesmerizing performance. The Grieg Concerto is such an audience favorite, but it is not performed by symphony orchestras all that often anymore. Its romantic Norwegian flavor draws you in and doesn’t let go. But I also found that members of the audience were really taken with Puccini’s elegy for String Quartet, Crisantemi, which was written in one evening after he learned of the death of a close friend. It is haunting and gripping as only the composer of La Boheme could express. Then comes an equally fascinating work on the program by a German composer, Emilie Mayer, a much-neglected female composer of some really fine music. She was a close contemporary of Mendelssohn, a fellow resident of Berlin, and her music is in that same early German romantic palate—a delight to get to know.

But like last week, this week also holds a different program (you have your choice of two programs in one week) that arrives on Sunday, July 28, and then continues on through the following weekend. It is entitled “Bruch and Brahms.” It includes two string quintets (with two violas), plus a work for flute and strings that brings back our wonderful flutist, Heather Zinninger. The main work on the program is the 2nd string quintet of Brahms, the Quintet in G Major, Opus 111. Brahms intended this to be his last work. He was very happy with it and thought it a good note (so to speak) upon which to end his composing career. It was very well received, and, fortunately, Brahms was coaxed into writing a few more works over the next couple of years, but the G Major Quintet stands as one of the greatest works of the chamber music repertoire. Under David Perry’s masterful leadership, it could be another “last” concert for my friend who was so taken with the Grieg.

But the program also includes some wonderful surprises. The name Max Bruch is familiar to music lovers, especially because of his First Violin Concerto and his Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra made famous by Jascha Heifetz. However, his chamber music is not all that well known, especially some late works including the String Quintet on our program. Although the work was written only two years before Bruch’s death in 1918, it lay abandoned until 1991 when it was rediscovered and then only first performed in 2008. Our performances of this work will be among the first for this work and represent an opportunity to enjoy a warm and expressive work that will certainly appeal to those who relish the Scottish Fantasy, especially when you hear David Perry’s radiant violin playing.

As an appetizer for these delicious main courses, flutist Heather Zinninger, from the Milwaukee Symphony, brings us a sprightly and endearing work by a master composer who was well known and highly respected by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. In fact, he was a pallbearer at Beethoven’s funeral. Adalbert Gyrowetz’s delightful Quartet for Flute and Strings dates from 1795 and presents itself as a sort of mini-concerto with great virtuosity in the flute and wonderful interplay between the flute and strings.

Among these concerts is a very special one at the Courtney/Reschka residence in Sister Bay. This is the second of two such home concerts this season (the first was sold out) and is a beautiful opportunity to experience the music as chamber music was often intended, in the intimacy of a spacious and gracious home. The concert is open to the public and includes some wonderful food and beverages along with the splendid music. Our hosts will make sure we all feel very welcome and well taken care of in their architecturally appealing home in the woods south of Sister Bay. This home concert is Friday, August 2nd at 7:00 pm.

For a list of our remaining seven concerts before our August break, please visit www.midsummersmusic.com. To order tickets, please call (920) 854-7088 or visit the same website for tickets or additional information. And for you Harry, I am going to speak with our musicians and ask them not to be quite so exceptional. I hope you will give our players another chance, but then, I’m only the Artistic Director. Why would they listen to me? Hope you are up to it, Harry.