Last weekend was one of the busiest Oberlin has seen this year as far as campus events. And this is not entirely unfortunate, considering the options are always comparable. Last Saturday, the smart non-Koko Taylor fans took the less main-stream path and went to see the Conservatory Honors Recital, which spotlighted some of this year's best advanced musicians.
Considering the repertoire - which ranged from Paganini to student-composed works - Saturday's attendees were offered a full platter of music, presented through the mediums of a casual jazz quintet to a piccolo trio. The strengths and weaknesses of each group varied as much as their content.
The opening group of jazz musicians gave the concert an informal, improvisational feel, bringing the Cat's laid-back feel into Warner Concert Hall. For the most part, the members kept to their formula; they often play together at the Cat, so Saturday's collaboration came naturally. While the group did not play as cut-loose as usual, the sampling was enough to whet the audience's tastes for the rest of the performance. Applauds came on cue at the end of each solo, as would be expected with any regular jazz concert.
The pieces that followed were less accessible, primarily due to their genre, but were suitable concert material. For example, first-year Duo Ming Ba's performance of Paganini's Caprice No. 4 gave her an opportune chance for a true display of virtuoso, but she made only a half-effort. Ba had some minor passaging troubles mid-way through, but managed to make a clean, strong finish making her final impression on the audience a positive one. Granted Paganini's pieces are notoriously difficult, so the fact that there were a few slip-ups is almost expected with such a demanding repertoire.
The most innovative piece of Saturday's recital came from sophomore Ruo Huang, whose SI WAYcomposition for three piccolos both disturbed and enlightened the audience. Built upon simple, high-pitched motifs of varying frequencies, the work had a Chinese feel to it, with open, airy, eerie fluctuating trills and patterns between the threesome.
Sophomores Julie Taylor, Becky Weidman and Lisa Jacklitsch followed Huang's direction intently; he would have the performers hold notes for particularly lengthy periods of time until they were almost deafening, then led them into collapsing imitations upon each other. One could only sympathize with the Kendall residents in the audience whose hearing aids were probably going berserk due to the squeals. Nevertheless, the piece was an intriguing display of contemporary student talent.
The tightest collaboration between two performers came with Debussy's Sonata, for which senior violinist Katie Baker and senior pianist Thomas Rosenkranz took turns following each others' leads and performing solos against the other's accompaniment. The piece is dreamy and impressionistic - typical Debussy - and both students were truly passionate in their respective parts, concluding Saturday's concert with a tight finish.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 126, Number 10, November 21, 1997
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