by Daniel Hathaway
ChamberFest Cleveland’s season theme of “Lost and Found” extended to the choice of venue for its program “A Musical Feast” on June 14.
Heights Theater opened in 1919 as a motion picture theater with 1,200 seats. Renamed Coventry Theater, then Centrum, it eventually closed in 2003. The space was repurposed as a church, following a period as a comedy club, and is now being used as a performance venue.
The sound carries well, but the large space has an odd acoustic which suits some styles of music better than others.
The concert began with an elegant performance of J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E from Book 1 of the Well-tempered Clavier. Pianist Michael Stephen Brown beautifully shaped its pastoral-style prelude and during the lively fugue all the voices were clearly heard as Brown magically wove them through the texture.
Making Hay for string trio, written by ChamberFest’s Composer-in-residence Errollyn Wallen, was premiered by Black Oak Ensemble in March of 2025. The piece borrows from both a British folktune and a Bach fugue. At first the slow-moving lines embrace you, then suddenly the music begins to jerk you around before returning to a Bach-like mode. The intense six-minute work was strikingly played by violinist Maria Loudenitch, violist Njord Kårason Fossnes, and cellist Bryan Cheng.
Michael Stephen Brown returned with violinist Diana Cohen, violist Natalie Loughran, and cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins to close the first half of the concert with Mozart’s magical Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat.
Clean, shapely phrases with lovely playing by Cohen and a beautiful blend in the strings characterized the spirited opening Allegro, while Brown found just the right amount of humor in the music.
Sensitive pacing in the Larghetto allowed long phrases to sing, and the Allegretto boasted a tune that only Mozart could have written. Brown took the opportunity of adding noble ornamentation to its many repeated phrases, and he and his colleagues formed an ensemble that was pure joy to hear.
The second half of the evening was billed as “Nate’s World: Chamber Cabaret,” the brainchild of the phenomenal bassist Nathan Farrington. Joined by pianist Ahmed Alom and drummer Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, the Trio intelligently structured a program that brought a wide range of music under one roof. And the addition of amplification made for a pleasant listening experience.
Farrington is a born showman who creates a natural rapport with the audience — that came through during his introduction to McGylnn’s “Jig” which magically transitioned into the Gershwins’ “Summertime.”
The bassist also enjoyed sharing the stage with his colleagues. The Trio presented a group of works beginning with Ahmed’s short Chopin waltz which led into Farrington’s magical take on Chopin’s B-minor Prelude. A Ginastera variation wound its way into some Latin music featuring Ahmed in an inspired, extended solo.
Farrington was back at center stage with a pristine performance of the “Prelude” to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1.
Positioned on a Cajon (percussion box), Globus-Hoenich brought the audience into the action with some rhythmic clapping sequences.
The set also included classic songs such as “Your Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” and Ignacio Cervantes’ Los Tres Golpes.
Farrington paid homage to his home state of Ohio with a story about Sunday dinners and summer evenings at the family’s chicken farm in Medina — the perfect setup for Don McLean’s “Starry Night,” in which his soulful voice accompanied by minimal harmonization on the bass held the capacity audience in rapt attention — a moment to reflect on McLean’s poignant words.
In true Nate’s World fashion, the program again switched musical gears, this time into a stirring performance by the trio of Chick Corea’s classic tune “Spain.”
Farrington, Alom, and Globus-Hoenich bid adieu in grand style complete with a timpani rolls. The bassist showed that in addition to his numerous other talents, he also has the vocal pipes to bring off the high notes in a popular anthem — Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto’s Con te partirò (A time to say goodbye).
Published on ClevelandClassical.com June 25, 2025
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