Music Reviews : Violist Neubauer at Doheny Mansion

Friday night, the Da Camera Society scored a spectacular success in engaging, on three days’ notice, a suitable replacement for violist Thomas Reibl, who, before he contracted the flu, was scheduled to perform at the Doheny Mansion, on the downtown campus of Mount St. Mary’s College.

Not only is Paul Neubauer himself a violist, he occupies, at 25, the principal chair of the New York Philharmonic and he plays his instrument with the kind of poise and maturity that place him at the top of the upper crust of musicians--no matter what instrument.

Neubauer balances unflinching control, fluid bowing and sure-fire intonation with extraordinary depth of vision. In readings of Brahms’ Sonata, Opus 120, No. 1 and Schumann’s “Marchenbilder,” the Los Angeles-born musician produced a warm, resonant sound and wove phrases that brought new insight to the works. His collaborator was pianist Margo Garrett, who played with uncommon lyricism and sensitivity. Rhythmic integration and balances between the two could not have been better.

Penderecki’s well-crafted and concise “Cadenza” for viola solo afforded Neubauer ample opportunity to demonstrate the apparent ease with which he meets daunting technical demands. As did Efrem Zimbalist’s “Sarasateana”; violist and pianist gave a bold, heroic reading of the four-movement suite.