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| The Fiato String Quartet: l-r Carrie Kennedy, Joel Pargman, Aaron Oltman, Ryan Sweeney. |
REVIEW
The Fiato String Quartet, Classical Interludes, First Lutheran Church, Torrance
BARBARA GLAZER
I always look forward to hearing a recital by the esteemed Fiato Quartet (with Carrie Kennedy and Joel Pargman on violins, Aaron Oltman on viola, and Ryan Sweeney on cello) and applaud another inspired performance—here, of some different and challenging compositions, in the April concert of Classical Crossroads’ Saturday afternoon “Classical Interludes” series. Carrie Kennedy introduced each of the program's selections with a well-spoken short resume of the composer's life and work that enhanced the listeners' appreciation and enjoyment of the music.
The recital began with the First String Quartet (1897-1900) by Charles Ives (1874-1954), written while still an undergraduate at Yale University, and entitled "From the Salvation Army." Ives described his music as "American,"reflecting his New England transcendental sensibility rather than adhering to European Classical traditions—a style that could be dubbed “collage composition," where multiple musical ideas exist simultaneously, creating a sound of “controlled cacophony.”
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| Ives' graduation photo, c.1898. |
He uses two or more tonal centers at the same time (polytonality), and different rhythms (polyrhythms) simultaneously, long before these techniques were incorporated into avant garde modernist compositions (think Ligeti (1923-2006) and his brilliant Apparitions (1958-59) and Atmosphères (1961), the latter used in 2001: A Space Odyssey).
A friend of mine once worked for the Salvation Army, and after driving her to many of their rehearsals I became familiar with much of the music quoted in the First Quartet. The first movement, Chorale: Andante con moto, is contrapuntal/fugal, using the "Missionary Hymn" (From Greenland's Icy Mountains) as a subject, and "Coronation" (All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name) as a counter-subject.
The second movement (in ABA form, as are all the following movements) headed Prelude: Allegro, has dance-like energy using Beulah Land and Shining Shore, interspersed with Bringing in the Sheaves. The third movement, Offertory: Adagio cantabile, paraphrases Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, and shifts from gentle waltz-like music to a passionate nature before returning to calm. The final Postlude: Allegro marziale combines a new theme, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, with tunes from earlier movements.
The Fiato ensemble gave a most masterful performance of this difficult, but fascinating composition. Only a quartet with great insight into the work could keep this “collage composition" technique—in which familiar tunes, sacred in this case, are set in a sophisticated and intellectual framework—heard as comprehensible music, rather than cacophony.
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| Max Mueller. |
These four Scenes from My Parents' Cocktail Party are 1. Mango Salsa, 2. Two People Flirting, 3. Candles on the Porch, and 4. Bickering Couple. I think some lines from T. S. Eliot's verse drama The Cocktail Party (1940) give context for any outsider's reaction to the ubiquitous cocktail parties of that time: "Everyone alone, or so it seems to me; they make noises and think they are talking to each other; they make faces, and think they understand each other."
Mueller’s work is wonderful: I particularly enjoyed the humor of the flirting couple where the music is "heavier," evocative of a child being confused or bored by, or missing out on, the nuances of... what is this thing?—oh yes, called “flirting,” and the retreat, the escape to a porch by a couple or an individual for respite, beautifully rendered in Candles on the Porch; and the child no doubt “got” the Bickering Couple—perhaps from his parents' interactions. Again, a really delightful performance by the Fiato Quartet.
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| Florence Price. |
The first movement, which is marked Moderato, has a dramatic introduction, and includes a “minstrel's song" motto that returns throughout the work. The ensuing Andante Cantabile has a melancholy beauty that blends late-Romantic styles with a kind of bluesy emotion.
The high-energy third movement, Juba (Allegro), is inspired by the African-American Juba dance characterized by syncopated “hambone” rhythms (body slapping, foot stomping, and clapping), in a high-spirited interaction between the instruments. (The Juba dance can be seen on YouTube, and note how it evolved not only into American tap dancing but also is foundational to the modern breakdancing. Price’s Finale, Presto, is a fast-paced virtuosic rondo with great emotional breadth and a conversational, quasi-improvisatory feeling.
The Fiatos’ performance was simply marvelous—and well earned its standing ovation. As ever, thanks to Classical Crossroads’ Jim Eninger for the wonderful video—a best-seat-in-the-house view to enjoy this stellar recital again and again.
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Classical Interludes, First Lutheran Church and School, Torrance, Saturday, April 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
Images: The performers: Classical Crossroads, Inc.; Ives: Wikimedia Commons; Mueller: composer website; Price: Library of Congress.
