Moshe Bukshpan and the Red Rocks Music Festival are again to be congratulated on securing a striking lineup of artists for the 2024-25 musical season, some of whom were very much in evidence during the festival’s Oct. 19 concert at Sedonya Conscious Living Center, which featured the exceptional talents of bassist Catalin Rotaru and violinist Paula Lastra-Cancela in a program rich with novelty.
Bukshpan himself joined Rotaru and pianist Wan-Ting Yu for the first number of the afternoon, the opening movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor.” Rotaru has a well-established taste for performing violin repertoire on a totally different instrument, which he is more than able to justify with the results he can produce. The strings dominated the three-way chat among the musicians, with the violin insistently out in front, and with the bass in the place of the second violin, the concerto suddenly became more complex, full of richer colors striving to be recognized.
Lastra-Cancela’s subsequent rendition of the Ludwig van Beethoven “Romance No. 2” was both a visual and aural aesthetic treat. She delivered impressively clean playing, drawing sweet tones from her instrument even in the more sombre passages, and always managed to maintain the violin’s melodic voice among the composer’s shifting moods. Her serenity neatly balanced the bright liveliness of her interpretation, while Yu’s pianism grew progressively more even throughout.
Rotaru then proceeded to steal the show by taking Pablo de Sarasate’s “Gypsy Airs” — again intended for violin — and airing them out on the bass. It was an inspired choice. The smoky, hazy tones of the bass turned out to be perfect for this piece, arguably much more suitable to its mood and effects than the high shrieking voice of a tormented gypsy violin would be. The bass is a more emotionally stable instrument, after all, but Rotaru’s fingerwork was nothing short of extraordinary, taking in the full length of the fingerboard as he adeptly journeyed through the moderation of the first three sections before exploding into the vigor of the final passage in A minor. Ye gods, whatever would Serge Koussevitzky have thought?
Rotaru clearly thought it was a great idea, and watching him play with such pleasure was a pleasure in itself. The bass also, by the way, made a smoother pairing with the piano than a violin might have.
Mezzo-soprano Wan Zhao offered “Près des ramparts de Séville” from George Bizet’s “Carmen,” followed by Jake Heggie’s “Paper Wings” song cycle. The Heggie selection was the less satisfying of the two. The lyrics of “Paper Wings” are quite frankly silly and not worth Zhao’s abilities, although she was able to bring some zest to the finish about how “the firemen got us down.” Her “Carmen” selection was a different story, showcasing her strong lower register and sultry delivery.
Anyway, getting back to the bass, Rotaru trotted out the Gran Duo Concertante of his predecessor Giovanni Bottesini, in this case with the accompaniment of Lastra-Cancela, which was in effect a virtuoso show with both instruments saying charming things to one another. Well, mostly pleasant; there were a few tempestuous moments, of course, but never serious disagreement. There were also other times when the listener would have thought Rotaru was drawing a woodwind-like sound from his strings, especially in one passage that bristled with woodwind notes wild while the violin whistled. It was a joy to watch the players delight in the technical and emotive details of this exchange as they gave an entrancing and energizing display that closed with a vigorous buildup.
Rotaru finished the afternoon with yet another repertoire crossover, this time playing the cello part from the first movement of Johannes Brahms’ “Piano Trio No. 1” with Lastra-Cancela and Yu. His rendition was absolutely melting, but here it was the piano that was the dominant voice, leaping into the foreground for its most assertive role of the afternoon. All three instrumental voices sang together with power and strength on an uplifting line, capably navigating the expressive shifts and complex chords demanded by the composer’s fertile imagination.
Those interested in Rotaru’s adventurous expansion of the double bass repertoire are encouraged to explore his performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, and then to compare his results with violinist Tai Murray’s upcoming performance of the same work with the Sedona Symphony on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Nov. 2 Concert Cancellation
The Red Rocks Music Festival regrets to announce that owing to an injury, the planned Saturday, Nov. 2 concert at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley has been canceled.
