| Many passages are short and abruptly truncated, leaving spaces as if the sad, lost music might try to escape from a bewildering maze. It should come as no surprise to learn that the title, Tears in Your Hand alludes to a line from the Yiddish song “Unter Dyne Vyse Shetern”, (Under Your White Stars) by Abraham Sutsever written in 1943 in the Vilna Ghetto.
The Gryphon players’ individual control of tone and dynamics and their ‘one-mind’ display of perfect unison created a sharpness that allowed us to experience the excitement of Berger’s dramatic and varied composition.
Gary Kulesha’s Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano which had its world premiere on this night, is a passionate piece in a gentle mood, opening with the bittersweet voice of guest Joan Watson’s horn calling clear and melodic; these motives are developed in counterpoint between Parker’s gentle-handed piano and Annalee Patipatanakoon’s intense violin. There is some wonderfully comic writing for the piano in the second movement, which Parker offers in a burlesquey, cartoony style. Generally, though, the piece did not reach the expected impact level of a Gryphon performance.
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Roman Borys |
