Friday, June 29, 2007

TCU School of Music hosts 10th annual Mimir Chamber Music Festival

No babysitter? No problem. Minors are definitely allowed.

By John P. Meyer

Beginning July 5, the first of five public performances scheduled as part of the 10th Anniversary Mimir Chamber Music Festival will be held at TCU's PepsiCo Recital Hall (located in the Walsh Center for the Performing Arts).

The day-after-the-4th performance is all Beethoven and includes a piano trio (Op. 1, no. 1 in E-flat major, to be exact), along with a pair of string quartets: Op. 95 in F minor (the "Serioso") and Op. 131 in C-sharp minor. Brant Taylor (of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) plays (cello) in all three pieces, and is the only performer to do so. YOU GO, BRANT! (Brant's portrait, as you can see, employs the dramatic high-contrast photographic technique known as Rembrandt lighting.)

Brant Taylor, photographed in dramatic Rembrandt lighting.

Scanning ahead to the remaining four performances: on July 7 we get Brahms, Bartók, Infante and Mendelssohn (Brant Taylor plays in two of the four performances that night); on July 8 psych yourself up for some Schubert, Barber, Smetana and Elgar (three out of four pieces featuring the nimble-fingered Brant Taylor cello virtuosity); July 10 we hear works by the only composer I know named both "Carl" and "Maria" (von Weber), Britten and Mendelssohn (two of three performances to include Mr. Taylor); and finally, on July 13, we're treated to a rasher of Rossini, a pinch of Prokofiev and a bit of Brahms - sadly, none of those performances include Brant Taylor in the credits, so presumably his Chicago masters require his services back in the windy city following his July 10th bowings.

Jesús Castro-Balbi - not so dramatically lit.

Aside from the well-photographed Brant Taylor, other star performers highlighting the various concerts include Van Cliburn gold medalist José Feghali; violinists Stephen Rose and Isabel Trautwein (of the Cleveland Orchestra); violinist Akiko Tarumoto (of the Chicago Symphony); violinist Curt Thompson (of TCU); violist Che-Yen Chen (of the San Diego Symphony); violist Kirsten Docter (of the Cavani String Quartet); and cellist Jesús Castro-Balbi (of TCU).

In the pieces calling for cello in which Mr. Taylor does not perform, Mr. Castro-Balbi is slated to do so. (I'm thinking all he needs to become a big star like Mr. Taylor is a good Rembrandt-lit portrait.)

General admission tickets for the various performances are $20, with seniors, students, faculty/staff and Star-Telegram PressPass holders receiving a $5 discount. Call 817-257-5443 to reserve yours, or order them directly from the Mimir Festival website.

Related stories

• Mimir Chamber Music Festival performances begin on July 3 at TCU (June 27, 2008)

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