Brett Dean's Epitaphs: scintillating sorrow at Chamberfest Cleveland

Sadness can be a source of joy if it’s expressed in music that fires the imagination and elevates the spirit. Drawing on a diverse combination of composers spanning three centuries, the penultimate ChamberFest Cleveland concert served up a program of elegiac works that were like nourishment for the soul.

Debussy’s Trois Chansons de Bilitis featured mezzo Fleur Barron, showing the versatility that has made her an accomplished recitalist, chamber singer and opera star, the latter including a 2025 Grammy Award for her performance in the title role of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater. Her exceptionally clear, rounded voice brought fine clarity to the erotic poetry, sung with an exquisite balance of refinement and passion. Barron’s expression is off the charts – there’s not a single note she doesn’t feel and bring to life in both vocals and gestures, in this case capturing moods of longing, sensuality and regret. Roman Rabinovich added a liquid flow and soft glow on piano.

Contemporary losses provided a centerpiece for the program in Epitaphs, a five-movement work by violist and composer Brett Dean, perhaps best-known for Hamlet, staged by the Met Opera in 2022. Each movement commemorates a colleague or friend whom Dean lost, using an intriguing variation on the standard string quartet, adding a second viola. In keeping with the subject matter, each movement has a different character, with a common denominator of layers of finely drawn strings. Some float in ethereal lines, while others come in slashing attacks, all in dark tones. Violinists Geneva Lewis and Itamar Zorman traded sharp exchanges with violists Kim Kashkashian and Emad Zolfaghari, with cellist Sterling Elliott providing a deep, somber bottom. And the entire quintet showed technical finesse handling bent notes, unusual harmonics and a stormy final movement that flirted with dissonance. Overall, high-caliber work, especially by an ad hoc ensemble. 

One of the seminal laments in the Romantic repertoire, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A minor, was given expert treatment in a blazing finale by pianist Rabinovich, violinist Zorman and cellist Jonathan Swensen. Playing with great sensitivity to the dynamics of the piece, which relieves the overwhelming sense of anguish with spirited variations in the second movement, the players offered a tight performance at a brisk pace. Their individual voices were strong – Rabinovich setting a commanding lead at the keyboard, Zorman crafting deeply emotional solos and Swensen showing a tender side after giving a torrid recital two days earlier. Together, their playing was vigorous and their sound compelling, brimming with intensity and color. The closing was particularly striking, with the strings practically on fire and the piano crashing in the background before the piece resigned itself to a quiet funeral march that faded out. Bringing fresh energy to a staple is no small task, and in that respect this was an especially invigorating reading.

The same might be said for the entire festival, which brings together players from many different points on the musical map to form a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. The diversity feeds a vitality that pulses through everything from the programming to the performances, with a smart and generous selection of contemporary works adding a vibrant edge this year. For new experiences in an innovative setting, it doesn’t get much better than this.