Barnatan, Weilerstein play Barber Concertos

Barnatan, Weilerstein play Barber Concertos

By Jessica Cabe, Festival Focus Writer

“The word I use for Barber’s concertos is ‘poetic,’ having a very sweet nostalgic mood,” says AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher.

This year’s season theme at the Aspen Music Festival and School is “Being American,” and one of classical music’s most beloved American composers, Samuel Barber, is on full display this week with programs featuring both his Piano Concerto and his Cello Concerto. For audience members, these Barber works may be some of the most gorgeous pieces they’ll hear all season.

“All of the Barber concertos are a different idea about American music,” says Fletcher. “Barber was a very traditional kind of composer, and really wanted his music to be situated within a tradition. He’s the opposite of the American Mavericks, who wanted to be as far outside of tradition as possible. Therefore, it’s an important part of our season to have some of Barber’s really great works.”

First up, pianist Inon Barnatan will perform Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm this Friday, July 26. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will tackle Barber’s Cello Concerto with the Aspen Festival Orchestra at 4 pm this Sunday, July 28. Both performances are in the Benedict Music Tent.

“Eye-opening” and “earth-shaking” were phrases used to describe Barnatan’s performance of Barber’s Piano Concerto with the

Pianist Inon Barnatan (July 26) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (July 28) both perform virtuosic Barber concertos this week. Also, the two join violinist Philippe Quint and percussionist Colin Currie for a recital on July 25.

Cincinnati Symphony last spring. The piece overflows with passion and energy, and the third movement even boasts some elements of jazz.

“This is probably the most under-celebrated piece of the 20th century,” says Barnatan of the Piano Concerto. “I think it’s one of the greatest pieces of music of Barber’s era.”

“Inon is one of our favorite performers,” Fletcher says. “I think this piece is a really great fit for Inon, who’s sort of a poet on the piano.”

Also on the program are Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 and Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances, ensuring a passionate, energetic evening.

Barnatan says the work is played little, possibly because it’s incredibly difficult and virtuosic for both the piano and the orchestra, with complicated rhythms and powerful, impactful melodies. But as difficult as the piece is to play, it is easy for the audience to listen to; the music is gorgeous and poetic, and Barnatan is the perfect fit to play such a work, as Fletcher notes.

Weilerstein, an AMFS alumna and Festival favorite, is one of the most acclaimed cellists the world over for her expressive, authoritative playing of a wide range of music. Her stage presence will only elevate an already gorgeous piece.

[Barber’s Piano Concerto] is probably the most under-celebrated piece of the 20th century. I think it’s one of the greatest pieces of music of Barber’s era.

-Inon Barnatan Pianist

“I have heard Alisa play the Barber Concerto, and I will tell you she is an incredibly convincing advocate of this work,” says Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor. “She raises the question as to why we don’t hear it more often. She really is a champion of his work.”

Closing out the program is Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, a brilliant, moody work that breaks in the final movement into one of the most jubilant, life-affirming finales of the repertoire.

Barnatan and Weilerstein are close friends—who, in fact, will play a recital with violinist Philippe Quint and percussionist Colin Currie on Thursday, July 25—so it is apt that they are both performing Barber this season. This week, perhaps more than any other in the Festival season, proves that music can be distinctly American not in spite of its diversity of sound, but precisely because of it.

American composer Samuel Barber wrote a concerto each for violin, piano, and cello. The AMFS presents all three of these works throughout the season with violinist Stefan Jackiw earlier in the summer (July 12), and pianist Inon Barnatan (July 26) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (July 28) later this week.