O.C. MUSIC REVIEWS : Brey, O’Riley at Irvine Barclay

Carter Brey may not rank with the international glamour persons of the cello. He doesn’t pack the big houses (or, indeed, get invited to them) nor does he find himself among the Grammy nominees. He seems neither to court nor covet superstar status.

He is, rather, a chamber-music specialist who goes about his art with quiet but by no means meek expertise and dedication, as attested by his appearance Sunday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Brey’s recital partner, pianist Christopher O’Riley, a more familiar presence (as a solo artist) in Southern California, threw the cellist some curves at the outset in Beethoven’s D- major Sonata, Opus 102, No. 2, producing torrents of sound with which no cellist could compete.

The fault is in part the composer’s for tilting both the sonic and substantive balance in the keyboard’s favor. But O’Riley compounded the inequity with heroic pounding that seemed oblivious to his teammate’s presence.

To dispense with other negative comment: The afternoon’s novelty, the 1989 Sonata by Kenneth Frazelle of North Carolina, goes on for longer than its musical matter merits. It’s fun at times, in the lively, syncopated rhythms of the outer movements and occasional (subtle) folk-instrument imitations. But formal coherence and more than fleetingly arresting ideas proved elusive on first hearing.

Brey and O’Riley honored the composer with deeply attentive, effusively brilliant playing, as if his were the grandest of inspirations. Which is perhaps the only way to play any music.

It was during the Romantic works that the performers took off.

The vivacity and lyric sweetness of Schumann’s “Five Pieces in Folk Style” brought out the sort of listening-to-each-other interplay, in terms of complementary dynamics and phrasing, and the alternations of leading, following and merging, that are at the heart of the best chamber-music performance.

In the program’s ultimate showpiece, the D-major Sonata of Mendelssohn--fiercely paced by the pianist--Brey’s brightly elegant, perfectly centered tone and bounding rhythmicality provided a welcome, viable alternative to the grand gestures and vibrato-laden rumblings purveyed by the nominal kingpins of the instrument.

Brey deals less in thrills than in satisfaction, a more durable commodity.