It’s always a treat to hear composers perform their own work, especially when there’s an emotional underpinning to the music. Michelle Barzel Ross’ string quartet Birds on the Moon (2022) is dedicated to the late violist Roger Tapping, a colleague and member of the Takács and Juilliard Quartets. A performance at ChamberFest Cleveland marked the first time that Ross played the piece herself, joined by three A-list partners who gave the music a compelling edge.
Birds is a five-movement work, played through, that draws inspiration from Beethoven’s String Quartet no. 25 in A minor (Op.132) but is in every other way a thoroughly modern piece. It opens with overlapping drone lines that Ross describes as “painful and elegant counterpoint”, then expands into a series of soundscapes rendered mostly in sharp jabs and muted tones and colors that traverse a broad emotional range, from sweet nostalgia to high-pitched anxiety. Sound effects throughout add dashes of exuberance and tension, with birdcalls floating through the mix and an occasional explosion not unlike a flock of birds suddenly taking flight. Composed as both a tribute and portrait, it calls for fine gradations of sound and impeccable technique.
Ross took the lead in both respects, showing impressive technical command and a refined touch in passages delicate as feathers. At one point, her violin sounded like it was crying. Pronounced body language was part of a larger vocabulary giving the music powerful expression, an impact belied by the prevalence of light, airy textures. And the entire group provided a hushed opening and close that served as appropriately somber bookends. In between, second violinist Steven Copes matched Ross’ technical skills, while violist Teng Li and cellist Jay Campbell crafted a soft, dark backdrop.
The evening began with an 18th-century aperitif, Haydn’s Piano Trio no. 12 in E flat major. Melodies were front and center in a performance that captured the lyricism and playfulness of the piece, but unfolded in a steady clockwork rhythm that bordered on mechanical at times. Violinist Geneva Lewis was the strongest voice in the trio, leading with a fluid style and spirited playing that gave the music a bright, engaging finish. The other players filled only supporting roles – at least in this treatment – with Jay Campbell providing a clean, solid bottom and pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen setting the rhythms.
The finale brought a sparkling new talent to the stage in the person of Daria Rabotkina, who showed that the piano could take a leading role in Reynaldo Hahn’s Piano Quintet in F sharp minor. An early 20th-century French composer, Hahn puts the strings up front in the piece, but it was Rabotkina’s rhythms and flair that drove this performance, giving character and prominence to a supporting role. The full ensemble handled the ever-changing combination of instruments and sounds deftly, playing with a strikingly tight, unified voice, especially for an ad hoc group. Steven Copes was again a standout on violin, with second violinist Julia Schilz, violist Emad Zolfaghari and cellist Oliver Herbert turning in nuanced work.
This was the 14th season for ChamberFest Cleveland, which sets a higher bar every year. The caliber of the musicians gets better and better, and the programming is bracing – this year, works by 38 composers (14 living) from 24 different countries. The international mix of both pieces and players, and the blithe blend of genres and eras, gives the festival a distinctive profile and offers a refreshing dose of humanity in an increasingly divided world.
