Spivey Hall is known for its fine acoustics. It is nicely reverberant and warm. Yet AMC was rather disappointed with how it treated this fine ensemble. The instruments did not seem to blend, so that the beautiful, lyrical, and sad second movement of the Martinu did not seem to come together it all. It sounded like four separate instruments rather than in integrated chamber ensemble. Ms. Kim's violin seemed particularly spotlighted. It has a rather bright sound that seems to amplify any bowing issues. AMC was dissappointed in this performace because it seemed to lack cohesion. To understand how beautiful this peice can be, watch this clip:
One of the great contributions that Ms. Peace and the ACP have brought to the Atlanta music scene is a series of new compositions developed through the Rapido! competition (Click here for more information: http://rapidocompositioncontest.com/ ) A previous winner of the competition, Piotr Szewczyk, was commissioned by the ACP to compose a new work which he titled "Bliss Point." The title refers to the "satisfying point of saturation of a particular flavor." AMC often finds it difficult to appreciate much new music in one hearing, and this piece was no exception. It seemed inventive and creative, but a second hearing would be helpful. One rough spot, however, was the final harmonic played by Ms. Kim. It was rough and imprecise.
The Brahms was played skillfully by the ACP. Yet it suffered from the same lack of integrated sound that afflicted the rest of the program. So the beautiful Brahms (Ms. Peace's favorite composer) did not quite come together and Ms. Kim's violin playing lacked a certain subtlety. Here is the work performed by the Amadeus Quartet.
AMC thanks all of the musicians, benefactors, patrons, and volunteers that made this performance possible.
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