by Mike Telin
On Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 pm in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Diana and Franklin Cohen’s always imaginative ChamberFest Cleveland kicks off its sixth season with a concert titled “Cycles — Phases” featuring Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Elgar’s Piano Quintet in a. The evening will also include John Adams’ playful Hallelujah Junction for two pianos. “This is quite a piece,” pianist Andrius Žlabys said during a telephone conversation. “It’s amazingly challenging, and I’m looking forward to working with Roman Rabinovich for the first time.”
Thursday’s concert marks Žlabys’ first-ever ChamberFest performance as well as a sort of homecoming — the Lithuanian-born pianist spent five years studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was a student of Sergei Babayan. “I haven’t been back in Cleveland for some time, so I’m excited to be making my debut and it’s an honor to be invited. I’ve performed with Diana a lot and I love working with her, but I’ve never had the chance to play with Frank,” Žlabys said. “Of course I have heard him perform many times. This week is going to be a blast.”
Žlabys, who received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for his recording of Enescu’s Piano Quintet with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, said he’s happy to be able to reunite with bassist-composer and fellow Curtis alum Xavier Foley during two concerts at the Bop Stop on Friday, June 16. “I’ve had the chance to perform with Xavier in Philadelphia, so I know what a wonderful musician he is. He’s a great composer who’s not afraid of tonality, but at the same time his music always sounds fresh. We’ll be playing two movements from his Star Sonata.”
The Festival moves to Harkness Chapel on Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 pm. “Recycle” will feature works arranged from or inspired by other pieces. “‘Recycle’ always brings to mind the recycling bin,” Žlabys said, laughing. “But no music, or any other art is born in a vacuum. I guess that’s why when composers are young their music has so many clear influences. As they mature they build on their imagination and develop their own distinct style.”
In addition to music by Gabriel Fauré, the evening’s menu will include Franz Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A, “Trout,” and Gustav Mahler’s unfinished Piano Quartet in a, which was later completed by Alfred Schnittke. “Mahler was in his teens when he wrote this piece. He finished the first movement, and had sketches for another fast movement which Schnittke later completed. Basically, it’s one piece by two composers. What’s amazing is to play a work by Mahler that includes piano. I wish there were more because this one is very beautiful.”
Žlabys is especially excited to play Fauré’s Piano Trio. “I love this piece. It’s one of his late works, and it’s amazing how, over time, he developed his own unique musical language. His modulations are in search of something almost beyond tonality — he stretches the rubber band almost to the point that it breaks.”
Now based in New Haven, Andrius Žlabys is also having success as a composer. Click here to watch a video performance of his Movement for String Quartet and Piano (2016) performed by Žlabys, violinists Arnaud Sussmann and Johnny Gandelsman, violist Kyle Armbrust, and the pianist’s CIM classmate, cellist Joshua Roman. “I am excited because this piece is going to be performed by Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica on their European tour this coming fall.”
Published on ClevelandClassical.com June 13, 2017.
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