MUSIC REVIEWS : SITKA/L.A. FESTIVAL AT JAPAN AMERICA

The second offering in the Sitka/LA Festival of Chamber Music, Sunday afternoon in the Japan America Theater, was dedicated to the memory of Gregor Piatigorsky and, appropriately, placed two of the late cellist’s star pupils in the spotlight.

Nathaniel Rosen and Jeffrey Solow allowed their instruments to speak eloquently of Piatigorsky’s legacy as a teacher: Rosen, joined by violinist (and festival director) Yukiko Kamei and pianist Doris Stevenson, in Beethoven’s Trio, Opus 70, No. 2; Solow, along with violinist Ik-Hwan Bae, in Ravel’s Sonata.

The performances were well-shaped and stylish, but they only served as a warm-up for a memorable post-intermission reading of Schubert’s mighty String Quintet.

Rosen, Solow and Bae were joined by violinist Paul Rosenthal (director of the original Sitka festival) and violist Milton Thomas. Such a combination of seasoned players and inspiring repertory looked good on paper; in performance, it was electrifying.

Though Rosenthal, capably handling the crucial first violin part, garnered much of the attention, this was an ensemble effort: Balance and communication were maintained at a high level; lyrical outpourings were emphasized over melodramatic chest-beating.

At the center of the performance were the two warm, songful cellos of Rosen and Solow, supporting and leading--but never stealing the thunder. Piatigorsky would have been proud.