The MFJS Reporter — Winter 2020 M-W

 

As the winter snowstorm raged on, three Lamont School of Music faculty members proved their credentials in well attended faculty recital on Friday evening.

Concert-goers flooded into the Newman Center for Preforming Arts doors, shaking storm worn boots on the dampened matts. Young and old, the show garnered an eclectic crowd, a mix of veteran musicians and aspiring Lamont School of Music students, nestle into the warmth of the recital hall seats. There was low hum of conversation as the audience eagerly awaited the start of the performance, with one audience member finishing a game of chess in expectancy.  

Amal Nashanbibi, sophomore at University of Denver, reflected on the audience and atmosphere of the recital.

“The simplicity made sure the spotlight was on the beautiful music being played. I was able to really focus on the performance,” said Nashanbibi.

On queue, the lights dimmed to reveal a pronounced spotlight on the stage and the murmur of conversation dissipated.

Cellist, Matthew Zalkind entered the stage to welcoming applause. Zalkind has performed recitals across the globe, in venues like the Moscow Conservatory in Russia and the Bejing Concert Hall, now in the Newman Center.

Zalkind expressed appreciation for the unique facilities DU provides for performing and teaching his craft.

“I think we are really lucky at DU because I think we have one of the finest recital halls that I have ever played in. Hamilton Recital Hall is special, the acoustics there are really, really beautiful.”

Zalkind eloquently explained the history of the first piece, Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 composed by Zoltán Kodály. Addressing the audience with unfamiliar cello jargon, he described the three-part sonata as “a true exploration of the cello”.

The spotlight caught each curvature of his cello as Zalkind paused with his eyes shut for 10 seconds of unadulterated silence which provoked a reasonable thrill for the beginning of his piece. As he played the sonata, he exercised the possibilities of sound pairing swells of melodic build-up, with big crashes of sound. A true showcase of mastery.

Zalkind transported the audience to 1915, when the work was composed.

Exclamations of compliments rose over the applause “That was really something,” an audience member’s overheard remark rose over an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Two other faculty members replaced Zalkind on the stage.

Linda Wang, a well-studied, highly successful performer and teacher of violin accompanied by Stephanie Cheng, a pioneer of music education in the Middle East, on piano, entered the stage to perform a duet.

Wang referred to her academic mind when speaking on how she decided the pieces for the night which were composed 10 years apart.

She described the piece as soaring, expansive, and heroic; and casually mentioned it is commonly acclaimed as “The fastest violin sonata ever written”. The audience laughed.

Cheng’s fingers danced on the violin like a hummingbird hovering over an expectant flower. Each note of the violin directly complimented the accompanying piano. The upbeat nature of the two selections acted as a vessel for the two adept musicians to express their passion.

The two performers were both overtly expert in their craft, to the extent that the piece felt like two battling medalists vying for first place.

“It’s a beautiful thing, watching people perform something they care so much for.” Nashanbibi said.

The adventurous piece slowly wound to an end.

In considering past and future performances at DU, Zalkind invited community participation.

“DU is lucky to have so many artistic things happening right on campus and we hope students will continue to take advantage of all the wonderful things happening at the Newman Center.” He said.