Piedmont Post Tuesday November 5, 2002
Music Review by Henry Klyce
Joseph Gold's friend and musical collaborator, Kurt Rapf, presented him with
a wonderful musical present on Sunday, October 27, in the form of a Concerto
for Violin, Viola, and String Orchestra which saw its premier with the San Francisco
Concerto Orchestra.
Written for and dedicated to Mr. Gold and his wife Debbie Dare, the Concerto Grosso demonstrated Mr. Rapf's firm grounding in the classical repertoire. A highly regarded Austrian composer, organist and harpsichordist with an impressive discography as a performer of both his own music as well as the Baroque and Classical literature, Mr. Rapf's concerto is neo-classical in style. But one also heard echoes of post-romantic Vienna, Mr. Rapf's native city, as well as the melodic invention of Alban Berg's 12 tone compositional techniques.
The concerto is music steeped in the rich culture of that extraordinary city, Vienna, where Mr. Rapf has played a prominent role in the city's music community for many years.
The violin was featured most prominently in the double concerto, with the viola frequently in the role of accompaniment and played admirably by Ms. Dare. But the focal point of the work was clearly Mr. Gold, presenting him with the opportunity to showcase the rich and often intense tonal qualities for which his playing is known.
In keeping with the style of the Concerto Grosso, there were few displays of virtuosity and only a short cadenza in the last movement. Geoffry Gallegos led the orchestra in a vigorous, well balanced reading. One can only hope this fine work has more opportunities to be heard in this country.
Mr. Gold and Ms. Dare will be playing the concerto again in Vienna on November 30 and December 1 at the Schoenbrun Palace, this time under Mr. Rapf's direction for its premiere performance in his country.
Front Page || Concert Review of Rapf Concerto || Festival Review || World News || The 1998-1999 Tour || Biography || Acclaim || Calendar || Links || Paganini || Email
This page, and all subsequent pages on this website are copyright © 1998-2002 Joseph Gold & LMSWebdesign. All rights reserved. Use of text, images, layout, format,
look, or feel of these pages without prior written permission
is strictly prohibited.
.