Hill and Hollow Music

Cellist Diana Golden

Diana Golden was with us for a week in mid-October, her retreat focused on preparing repertoire for doctoral program applications in the NYC area. She recorded J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 5 in C Minor (unaccompanied) with the assistance of recording engineer Dan Czernecki. Dan won a Grammy for Best Classical Album, 2011 (Brazilian Guitar Quartet). We are pleased to report that both Diana and Dan loved the acoustics of the music room at Harvey’s Cottage! Diana also gave an informal lecture-performance on her Bach Suite for a group of 40 at Weatherwatch Farm.  It was clear in her mastery of the music and her understanding of the history of Bach and his period – as well as by her engaging manner -  that Diana will be a superb addition to the music faculty at a fine institution.

Alchemy Winds (flutist Tia Roper and oboist Megan Marolf) were with us the last two weeks of August. Their project was to record their first full-length CD.  They rehearsed intensively before and in between two full-day sessions with sound engineer extraordinaire Joel Hurd of North Country Public Radio.  These young ladies know how to work hard and play hard! They managed to fit in a couple day-trips to explore nearby Burlington (VT) and Montreal. Friends invited us for an afternoon at “camp” – the quintessential Adirondack experience on a pristine lake with swimming, boating, and wining & dining under a cloudless sky. Tia and Megan also delivered an exquisite house-concert, attended by 50+ friends who eagerly await the release of the CD. Stay tuned!

Vassily Primakov & Natalia Lavrova

Natalia Lavrova and Vassily Primakov were with us for ten days preparing for their next recording, a program for one-piano four-hands:  Mozart’s Sonata in D Major, K. 381; John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances (1972); Schubert’s Allegro in A Minor, D. 947, “Lebenssturme” and Fantasie in F Minor, D. 940; and Arensky’s Grand Sonata in F Minor, Op. 178.  They performed the entire program – a stunning tour de force – to a rapt audience at Weatherwatch Farm. We eagerly await the release of this new disc!

Jonathan and Susan Aceto

Jonathan Aceto, known so well to us as a fine violinist (with two previous Hill and Hollow concerts in 1998 and 2005), used his artist retreat to hone his viola skills.  He prepared and performed a full program for viola, to be reprised in Maine and at Georgia Southern University, where he has served on the faculty for 12 years. The principal featured work was a transcription of J. S. Bach’s 3rd Suite for Cello in D Major, an eternal masterpiece. Jonathan’s brilliant idea (and it worked beautifully!) was to separate the movements out and juxtapose them with works from other periods. Those works included movements from Schubert’s Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano (1824), Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata (1919), and Alan Hovhaness’s Chahagir (1944). The excellent pianist Susan Aceto, Jonathan’s mother, partnered him on a portion of the program – the Schubert and Clarke.  The audience demanded an encore and Jonathan obliged with Jay Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell. Here is a link to view a bit of the concert, which took place on June 29 at the Saranac Methodist Church. http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicApAceto

During his residency Jonathan also performed a special generous act in leading an intensive two-day string workshop for players of all ages and abilities – there were 11 participants from Champlain to Crown Point and from Lake Placid to Plattsburgh – a large geographical area!  String programs in our schools are an endangered species, making Jonathan’s service all the more precious to our community.

Natalia Lavrova and Vassily Primakov typically perform two-piano repertoire, but they used their February retreat to dip into the wealth of the music written for one piano, four hands. After a few days’ exploration, they chose two immense works on which to focus: Czerny’s Grand Sonata in F minor, Op. 178; and Milhaud’s Le Boeuf sur le toit, Op. 58 (The Ox on the Roof), a surrealist ballet score based on Brazilian popular music.

At the conclusion of the week they shared both works with us in an informal concert at Weatherwatch Farm.  But before launching into them they warmed up with a “trifle”–Mozart’s Sonata in C Major, K. 521!  Wouldn’t you know the only significant snowstorm of an otherwise benign winter occurred the day of their house-concert. The “hearty forty” who braved the elements were rewarded with an amazing and intimate performance displaying the highest level of technique and artistry and the greatest depth of inquiry and feeling. What an honor to have these extraordinarily talented, incredibly lovely artists with us.

Footnote: We attended Vassily’s solo concert on UVM’s Lane Series in mid-April, a formidable performance for a packed house. It was a special surprise when Natalia joined Vassily on-stage for an encore: Le Boeuf sur le toit, which they had prepared during their Hill and Hollow Music retreat. At the post-concert reception the duo was immediately engaged for next season–wow, one doesn’t see something like that every day!