Elias redefines classical violin

Author: Abigail Mitchell

On Saturday, Feb. 19, violinist Gerald Elias performed along with pianist and Assistant in Music Cynthia Huard, in a program entitled "Music of the 21st Century" for a small crowd in the Center for the Arts (CFA). Throughout the night, the musicians performed works by Elias, Hamlin, Crumb, Paganini and Rosenzweig. It was a privilege for Middlebury College to host renowned violinist, teacher and composer Elias who has been Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony since 1988, first violinist of the Abramyam String Quartet and Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of Utah. Teaching piano at Middlebury College, Cynthia Huard has appeared in recitals as a pianist and harpsichordist throughout the United States and Europe.

Elias began the performance with Paganini's "Caprice #24," perhaps the most famous solo violin piece and a foundation for works of composers of the last two hundred years. Elias then opted for something more "flipped out" in the form of a piece by Associate Professor of Music Peter Hamlin called "Paganini in a Blender." Hamlin composed the piece with the help of a computer program he wrote called "Blender," which uses various kinds of processes to alter music.

Next came David Crumb's "September Elegy," a sad and moving piece composed to commemorate the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Crumb wrote of the piece, "I find myself increasingly preoccupied with the exploration of an intuitive 'sound world,' and less interested in a purely cerebral approach that may ignore or obscure the emotional impulses that, in my view, are the genesis of successful art." The final drawn-out note sent shivers down the audience members' spines, a fitting reminder of the tragedy. Elias also dedicated that performance to everyone who has died in the War on Terror, and his first violin teacher who passed away just prior to the concert.

After a brief intermission abuzz with conversation and praise, Elias went on to play "Partita Intrecciata," a violin piece co-commissioned in 1999 by Elias and Bodil Rørbech. Complementing the violin was an electronic component prepared at the University of Utah by a K2000 synthesizer and two digital programs. To wrap up the evening, Elias played one of his own pieces entitled "Concerto Grosso in B-flat." The piece was composed in the spirit and form of the Italian Baroque Concerto Grosso, but it also draws upon the Western musical tradition. The shape it took was partially influenced by Elias's two children, Jake Elias and Kate Elias '06.

When asked his reaction to the concert, Tristan Axelrod '08 said, "I liked the concert. Elias, unlike some other virtuosos, does not sacrifice good taste in favor of virtuosic talent exposition. His playing on 'September Elegy' was soulful, and his concerto was especially enjoyable, with very straightforward melody and harmony. I also liked Profesor Hamlin's blended Paganini piece, which was experimental yet still interesting, and retained the flavor and virtuosity of the caprice."

Kevin Buckland '05.5 also enjoyed the concert. He said, "It was eye-opening to hear modern classical music. The pieces Elias chose really showcased the variety of sounds that can be produced by a violin. Its funny how we tend to think of classical music as a dead genre, but genres don't die, they merely are transformed."