Upshaw and Goode satisfy packed Finney crowd

This past Saturday's Artist Recital brought together two incredibly talented performers, Dawn Upshaw and Richard Goode, whose performance was no less amazing than their respective reputations. The program contained something for a variety of musical tastes including pieces by Schumann, Schubert, Richard Strauss and Brahms. The recital was a showcase for soprano Upshaw, but Goode made his presence felt in the short piano pieces that he brought to life within the confines of Finney Chapel.

Upshaw and Goode chose to open with three short lieder, or art songs, of Robert Schumann. The songs entitled Des Sennen Abscheid (The Cowherd's Farewell), Die Lotosblume (The Lotus-flower), and Er ist's (Spring it is), while written several years apart, were seemingly connected by their subject matter but not by their tonalities. Upshaw handled these first offerings quite well, and the audience's response to her singing was that of sheer awe mingled with thunderous applause. Her opening performance would be a harbinger to the rest of the evening as Finney Chapel became frighteningly silent, except for the occasional outbursts of audible praise, for the remainder of the program.

Goode stepped forth into the spotlight next with another of Schumann's compositions, the Arabeske in C major. Although it was played skillfully both in terms of technique and musicality, the composition left much to be desired. The piece seemed to wander on, making intermittent musical sense. It was very enjoyable but at times lacked a strong forward motion.

The duo returned to the stage for Schumann's Liederkreis or Song Cycle, a collection of twelve short songs. These pieces were concise, yet full of energy. Upshaw's portrayal of each song in the cycle showed a clear understanding of the text. Her sweeping emotional contrasts were stunning. The audience went crazy - her reward for another excellently performed selection. A brief intermission followed the song cycle.

Leading off the second half of the program was Strauss' Ophelia's Three Songs (Drei Lieder der Ophelia ). The rich progressive harmonies of Strauss came through in these wonderfully crafted songs based on the German translation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Upshaw, in essence becoming Ophelia during these songs, did a fantastic job expressing those multi-faceted emotions so important to the theatrical interpretation of Hamlet .

Following the Strauss were four piano pieces from Brahms' Opus 118. These pieces, Intermezzo, Romanze, Ballade, and another Intermezzo, became what would be the highlight of the second half of the program. Goode's interpretation was stunning. He had complete command over those pieces and made his performance of them seem effortless. The audience replied with a reception equal to that of Ms. Upshaw's initial welcoming.

To close out the program Upshaw and Goode offered some short Schubert songs. Again these were as flawless as those works that preceeded them. A standing ovation ensued, followed by two encore performances. To introduce the pieces, Upshaw let down her formal guard to thank her Oberlin audience for their support. She then announced Mozart's The Little Violet as her next piece and also sang a final Schubert song to finally close the evening. Upshaw and Goode made their presences strongly and effectively felt, leaving even the most critical of listeners to marvel at their talents.