Washington Classical Review

Chiarina performed Sunday at St. Mark’s Capitol Hill. Photo: Albert Ting

National Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Nurit Bar-Josef and NSO principal violist Daniel Foster joined the Chiarina Chamber Players Sunday evening for a lively program titled “Cornerstones.” This nicely varied set of string and piano music was anchored by early masterworks by Fauré and Brahms.

The sold-out audience enjoyed an intimate performance in St. Mark’s Capitol Hill, where the venue’s high brick walls and arched wooden ceiling bolstered some works more than others.

Foster joined Chiarina co-founder and cellist Carrie Bean Stute to open the program with Caroline Shaw’s Limestone and Felt. Composed in 2013, this short duet served as an amuse bouche for the longer and more weighty works to come.

What Shaw’s piece lacked in length it made up for in ingenuity. Foster and Stute explored the full range of sonic textures available to the modern string player, including glassy sul ponticello, ringing open chords, lithe and mouse-like pizzicato, and twangy accented plucking. Foster and Stute wove through the active, percussive rhythms together with confident ease, making masterful dynamic contrasts.

Chiarina’s other co-founder Efi Hackmey took his place at the piano for Fauré’s Violin Sonata No. 1 with Bar-Josef. The piece began with a somewhat distant sound from the violin and rumbling, reverberant piano. As the first movement progressed, Bar-Josef’s expressive, inviting tone rang through and overcame any challenges presented by the acoustic. Her sound was warm and projected at both loud and quiet dynamics, with effortless and exact double stops.

The clarity in the piano accompaniment was sometimes lost in the low register, though not from lack of effort by Hackmey. The second movement allowed his skill to show through, with sparkly arpeggios and clear definition between the right-hand melody against left hand accompaniment. 

In the third movement, the A section’s articulations again suffered from the church’s acoustics, rendering precise and active piano figuration somewhat soupy, and leaving the violin pizzicato to drown in the sound. Fortunately the contrasting B section and subsequent final movement were vibrant and singing, with great dynamic and color contrasts.

All four musicians returned to the stage after intermission for Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor. The opening movement featured seamless sharing of the melody between each instrument, whether passing from one voice to the next or playing in unison octaves. The nonverbal communication among the group, seemingly led by Stute at the center, allowed for attentive, emotive, and coordinated playing, with all four acting as parts of a unified whole rather than as distinct entities. The driving second movement offered moments of melodic dialogue between the strings and piano, rather than restricting the piano to an accompanying role.

The rhapsodic third movement again showcased variety, from lied to march and back again. Hackmey was careful and conscious at the keyboard, allowing the piano to shine in its moments of melodic focus and preventing it from dominating when the strings took precedence. The romantic songlike opening was sweetened with tasteful vibrato, while the middle march-like section demonstrated the ensemble’s keen sense for contrasts, going from quiet and leggiero to forte, pesante, and maestoso.

The performance closed with an energetic, exuberant account of the finale, which is highly reminiscent of Brahms’ beloved Hungarian Dances. The group played perfectly together despite the frantic rhythms and frequent phrase-ending pauses. The string pizzicati was covered by the piano’s active runs, clear and shining as crystal, but playing arco, the strings stood out even at the most wild and vigorous moments. Accents, crescendi, miniature cadenzas, and a fiery coda were all executed with such confidence that the quartet made this infamously challenging work seem like child’s play.

Chiarina’s next program features baritone Randall Scarlata and works of Duparc, Boyle, Laitman, Brahms, and Clarke 7:30 p.m. December 6 at St. Mark’s Capitol Hill. chiarina.org