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By Sarah Carsman

The Faculty Chamber Music Series concert last Sunday seemed to revolve around the virtuosity of violin faculty member Kyung Sun Lee. Ms. Lee performed Zoltan Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 with fellow faculty member Darrett Adkins and Ottorino Respighi’s Sonata in B minor with her husband, guest pianist Brian Suits.

The Kodaly Duo is not played nearly as often as it by all rights should be – it is a terrifically energetic piece that demands both classical attention to color and detail and a carefree folk-like spirit. There is a wonderfully natural, open quality to the music that is undeniably Hungarian.

Lee and Adkins did an excellent job of capturing the essence of this piece, although it seemed to take them a movement to really get into the right mood. The first movement (Allegro serioso, non troppo), while technically outstanding, was a little too smoothly executed to really feel like folk music; both players seemed too restrained and lacked the necessary exuberance to carry off this movement. However, what was lacking in the first movement was more than made up for in the remainder of the piece. Adkins set up a beautifully transcendent mood with the cello solo in the opening of the second movement that effectively shifted the performance to a whole new level of musicality. This movement went on to showcase the sensitivity of both performers individually and as an ensemble.

The last movement, Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento, was marvelously energetic—Lee and Adkins played with an almost jazzy, light-hearted sense of humor. This movement demands a great deal of virtuosity from both players, and both Lee and Adkins were more than up to the challenge. Its final flourish was met with well-deserved cheers from a small but enthusiastic audience.

The Respighi sonata, although not an especially outstanding piece, was nonetheless beautifully performed. Lee’s dark, rich tone brought an interesting color to the unabashedly schmaltzy character of the violin part. It was clear throughout the sonata that Lee and Suits play together often, as Suits was able to anticipate his wife’s actions even without her giving many obvious physical cues. While this sonata’s piano part is clearly subordinate to the violin part, Suits was far too willing to fall into the background for much of the piece. He shone in the relatively few solo piano sections, notably the beautiful opening of the second movement, but generally lacked energy in the accompanying passages. The last movement in particular seemed out of balance—Lee played this movement with characteristic passion and virtuosity, while Suits seemed overly concerned with staying in control of his part. Despite this imbalance (which could, truth be told, have more to do with Suits and Lee’s marital relationship than with actual artistic taste), the performance was successfully moving.

Kyung Sun Lee is a rare gem of a violinist, especially for a tiny mid-western town like Oberlin, and any opportunity to hear her play should not be passed up lightly.