by David Cleary
February 28, 2005, 8:00 PM
Edward M. Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music , Cambridge , MA
The coupling of cello and contrabass, while the standard foundation for orchestral string sections, rarely appears as a chamber music entity. Husband and wife Emmanuel Feldman (cello) and Pascale Delache -Feldman (bass) have made their group the Axiom Duo into a noteworthy local concern that specializes in contemporary literature, some of which they commission themselves. Of the four recent concert works featured on this February 28th presentation, two were tonal in focus and two eclectic in approach.
John Harbison's Suite for Solo Cello , despite its scalar sound world and pervasive dance rhythms, is no style thief. The harmonies have sufficient crunch so that nothing seems old-fashioned and the terpsichorean gestures become a basis for imaginative flights of fantasy no Baroque composer could have envisioned. Catwalk by Elena Ruehr is irresistible, a duet both bouncy and vigorous in feel. While its motoric gestures employ patterned material and have a triadic focus, Ruehr pushes the music onto personal ground that shows awareness of process literature, not slavery to its more stylized aspects.
Of the omnivorous entries, Frank Proto's Ode to a Giant for solo bass anchors its far-flung material-encompassing jazz, avant-garde, and more traditional idioms-onto a rondo-like returning idea based on multi-hued iterations of a static pitch. There's much imagination in the work's varied textures and sonics . Enigma by Emmanuel Feldman does not lack for ambition, attempting to portray three different manifestations of the pre-modern world ranging from primordial ooze to the debut of humankind. To be fair, one needs larger forces than cello/bass duo to give cosmic notions such as these their due, though Feldman's colorful, idiomatic instrumental writing is a plus.
Whether in tandem or as soloists, the Axioms performed with technical certainty and musical imagination. Melodic ideas were attractively molded and intonation, often a bugbear for low strings, was excellent.
Rebecca Rice, director of her group Rebecca Rice Dance, provided evocative accompanying choreography. While clearly seated within the realm of modern dance, the troupe's material contained a notable infusion of classic ballet steps. And the visual layouts, heavy on use of mirroring and duplication of gesture when two or more dancers take the stage, nicely complemented the music. Rice's interpretation of Proto's piece, excellently executed by Cydney Nielsen, deserves special commendation. Here, bassist Delache -Feldman took center stage while Nielsen, dressed exactly like the musical performer, circumnavigated her. The dancer seemed a true extension of the musician's thoughts and sounds. Ann-Marie Cofield , Jillian St.Germain , and Francoise Voranger contributed fine efforts to go with the other new music items.