The first installment of the Harker Concert Series of 2011, held in early March, featured the MarcOlivio Duo, composed of violinists Marc Ramirez and Olivia Hajioff, playing a blend of crushing, heartbreaking and even carnivalesque Eastern European folks songs, art music, and a parody of Mozart’s work.
The MarcOlivia Duo has performed around the world, appearing on radio and television in North America, Europe and Asia, winning Fulbright fellowships, and enjoying a residency at the Tokyo College of Music. On March 9, however, they came to Nichols Auditorium and the audience, feted with sushi and wine, was treated to tunes adapted for two violins.
The concert began with a number of compositions by Béla Bartók, a 20th-century Hungarian composer who traveled through Eastern Europe, listening to and transcribing the folk songs of village communities before they disappeared and melted into a homogeneous global culture. Most of these numbers were short and sudden – thirty seconds of powerful, tragic, arresting, halting, despairing, jagged strikes, followed by ten second fearsomely frenetic and jubilant conclusions. Some were songs of Romanian bagpipes transliterated for violins; others mixed bittersweet reaching and trudging marches with maddeningly twisting, spiraling slashes.
After the most powerful numbers, the audience was paralyzed in frozen silence for several seconds before applauding, digesting the works. The concert finished, however, on somewhat of a lighter note: a blend of a parody and an ode to Mozart’s music, as the two performers wove through a number of his pieces, even using voice and whistling to mimic other instruments.
The Harker Concert Series continues with the Taylor Eigsti Trio March 25 and Areon Flutes, a Bay Area-based flute quartet, at Nichols Auditorium on May 27.
The first installment of the Harker Concert Series of 2011, held in early March, featured the MarcOlivio Duo, composed of violinists Marc Ramirez and Olivia Hajioff, playing a blend of crushing, heartbreaking and even carnivalesque Eastern European folks songs, art music, and a parody of Mozart’s work.
The MarcOlivia Duo has performed around the world, appearing on radio and television in North America, Europe and Asia, winning Fulbright fellowships, and enjoying a residency at the Tokyo College of Music. On March 9, however, they came to Nichols Auditorium and the audience, feted with sushi and wine, was treated to tunes adapted for two violins.
The concert began with a number of compositions by Béla Bartók, a 20th-century Hungarian composer who traveled through Eastern Europe, listening to and transcribing the folk songs of village communities before they disappeared and melted into a homogeneous global culture. Most of these numbers were short and sudden – thirty seconds of powerful, tragic, arresting, halting, despairing, jagged strikes, followed by ten second fearsomely frenetic and jubilant conclusions. Some were songs of Romanian bagpipes transliterated for violins; others mixed bittersweet reaching and trudging marches with maddeningly twisting, spiraling slashes.
After the most powerful numbers, the audience was paralyzed in frozen silence for several seconds before applauding, digesting the works. The concert finished, however, on somewhat of a lighter note: a blend of a parody and an ode to Mozart’s music, as the two performers wove through a number of his pieces, even using voice and whistling to mimic other instruments.
The Harker Concert Series continues with the Taylor Eigsti Trio March 25 and Areon Flutes, a Bay Area-based flute quartet, at Nichols Auditorium on May 27.
The second installment of the Harker Concert Series brought the Taylor Eigsti Trio to the stage at Nichols Auditorium on March 25. Eigsti, the 26-year-old jazz piano phenom and Grammy nominee who started leading bands as early as age 12, was joined on this evening by bassist Reuben Rogers, a collaborator with Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, among others, and drummer Colin McDaniel, 19, a fellow at the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific.
The trio began the first of their two sets with an instrumental interpretation of Sachal Vasandani’s “Please Mr. Ogilvy,” and would perform a diverse mix of covers and Eigsti’s own works as the show progressed. Eigsti’s dexterity was apparent from the outset, but his technical ability was very nearly overshadowed by his expressive syncopation and note choice. Rarely was this illustrated better than in the trio’s rendition of Mussorgsky’s “Promenade” from “Pictures at an Exhibition,” quite possibly the highlight of the first set. At first blush an odd choice of song for a jazz concert, the beloved piece sounded right at home in the trio’s capable hands, as did their cover of Coldplay’s “Daylight.”
What impressed about Eigsti more than anything, however, was the deft sense of placement. Be it a blistering chromatic run, a rapid succession of octaves or even a flurry of closed fists banging against the keyboard, every technique in Eigsti’s vast arsenal was wisely chosen and never overused.
As a special treat, Harker’s own Dave Hart, the middle school music teacher and trumpeter who formed a childhood band with Eigsti, was welcomed onstage to perform Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way” with the band during the second set. Although visibly humbled by the gesture, Hart effused confidence during his extended, skillful improvisations.
Through it all, Eigsti made sure that the talents of his bandmates were as much a part of the show as the marquee name. Rogers’ many solos showcased his astonishing grasp of both theory and feel, and the interplay between him and Eigsti was always a joy to watch. Likewise, the young McDaniel seems destined for great things, his work behind the kit tasteful, layered and, yes, mature.
The Harker School is pleased to announce its new Harker Concert Series, featuring three performances this spring that all are open to the public. Tickets are available online Wed., Feb. 23 at www.harker.org/concertseries.
“This new series, along with the Harker Speaker Series launched in 2005, is part of the school’s ongoing commitment to sharing thoughtful, entertaining and engaging events with the greater Bay Area community,” said Chris Nikoloff, Harker’s head of school.
All concerts will be held in the intimate 200-seat auditorium in Harker’s new gold-LEED certified science and technology building, Nichols Hall. Pre-event reception one hour prior to each performance. Hors d’œuvres and beverages available.
Chris Florio, an upper school music teacher who helped launch the new series, is especially excited about it. “While Harker has always been a magnet for the sciences, we’re really excited to share our enthusiasm and love for the arts as well.”
The first concert will be held Wed., March 9, at 7 p.m. and will feature Washington, D.C.-based violin duo MarcOlivia. Marc Ramirez and Olivia Hajioff have performed worldwide and have been featured on radio and television in North America, Europe and Asia. Winners of Fulbright fellowships and numerous competition prizes, the duo are also artists-in-residence at the Tokyo College of Music. Tickets are $15.
The Taylor Eigsti Trio, the second performer in the series, will appear on Fri., March 25 at 8 p.m. A Bay Area native and Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, Eigsti began playing the piano at the age of four and was leading bands by the time he was 12. At just 26 years of age, Eigsti has already been featured on the covers of Keyboard Magazine and Jazziz Magazine, and he has worked with jazz heavyweights such as Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride and James Moody. Appearing with Eigsti will be bassist Reuben Rogers, who has worked with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargroves and Joshua Redman, and drummer Colin McDaniel, a fellow at the University of the Pacific’s Brubeck Institute and winner of the 2010 DownBeat award for outstanding extended composition. Tickets are $35.
In addition to their performances, MarcOlivia and Eigsti will offer special master classes to Harker students from 3-5 p.m. in the Nichols Hall auditorium on the days of their respective concerts.
The series will culminate on Fri., May 27 with an 8 p.m. performance by Areon Flutes, a Bay Area-based flute quartet that received a bronze medal in the 2008 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, one of the most prestigious chamber music competitions in the country. In an effort to promote flute chamber music, the members of Areon established the International Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Institute, based in San Jose, which functions year-round. Tickets for this concert will be sold for $15 each.