Music and Dance Reviews : Harrell, Bronfman, Setzer Sit In at Institute Concert

Some prodigiously talented, aspiring young players got some expert help Friday night when members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute performed three chamber works at Schoenberg Hall, UCLA. Three mentors supplemented the forces--artistic director and cellist Lynn Harrell, Emerson Quartet violinist Philip Setzer and pianist Yefim Bronfman.

As one could have anticipated, the virtuosic collaboration of Harrell and Setzer in Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello (1920-22) became the centerpiece of the concert. Harrell’s witty, bubbly style and Setzer’s more serious, almost brooding approach successfully blended and comprehensively explored each carefully written nuance of the score.

A last-minute substitution of the Schubert Trio, Opus 99, for the Beethoven Quartet Opus 95, yielded some pleasantly surprising results as well. Violinist Helen Nightengale rose to the occasion with a commanding performance filled with delicate but controlled lyricism.

The last piece on the program, Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Winds, Opus 16, proved more problematic. Despite the spirited, polished accompaniment provided by Bronfman, the wind players suffered myriad intonation problems, due at times to overblowing, but also to a general lack of energy.