Matthew Lipman, Tamar Sanikidze, Jamie Barton, and Joel Thompson take a bow at Spivey Hall, January 19, 2025. (credit: Rand Lines)

Love, longing, and liberation: Barton, Lipman, and Sanikidze unite Brahms, Schumann, and Thompson at Spivey Hall

CONCERT REVIEW:
Jamie Barton, Matthew Lipman & Tamar Sanikidze
January 19, 2025
Spivey Hall
Morrow, Georgia – USA
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano; Matthew Lipman, viola; Tamar Sanikidze, piano.
Johannes BRAHMS: Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und Klavier), Op. 91
Johannes BRAHMS: Sonata in E♭ Major for Viola and Piano, Op. 120, No. 2
Clara SCHUMANN: Sechs Lieder, Op. 13
Joel THOMPSON: On Mars (world premiere)

Mark Gresham | 26 JAN 2025

Last Sunday afternoon’s chamber music concert at Spivey Hall featured an unusual combination of voice, viola, and piano. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, violist Matthew Lipman, and pianist Tamar Sanikidze performed music of Clara Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Joel Thompson. They shuffled the order from what was in the printed program, so that the first half was comprised entirely of music by Brahms. The re-ordering turned out to be a good choice.

Johannes Brahms composed Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91, for his friends Joseph and Amalie Joachim. Joseph, the famous violinist, also played viola; his wife, Amalie, was a contralto who sang in concert and opera. Barton, Lipman, and Sanikidze opened the concert with these songs.

The first song, “Gestillte Sehnsucht,” set in 1884 to Friedrich Rückert’s poem, describes nature’s tranquility and human longing, using Baroque elements like an obbligato viola and da capo form. The second, “Geistliches Wiegenlied,” was originally composed for the couple’s wedding in 1863, with lyrics by Emanuel Geibel after Lope de Vega, portraying Mary lulling baby Jesus to sleep amidst nature’s tumult, with the viola playing the melody of the medieval carol “Joseph, lieber Joseph mein” (a tune known to hymnodists as “Resonet in Laudibus”). Both songs were published together in 1884 and first performed publicly in January 1885 in Krefeld.


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Johannes Brahms composed his two Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120, in 1894, dedicating them to clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, whose playing inspired Brahms during his later years. Later, Brahms transcribed these sonatas for viola and piano, making modifications to fit the viola’s technique and mellow tone, which included adjusting the range and articulation to enhance the instrument’s natural resonance and warmth.

The transcription of Sonata No. 2, performed in this concert by Lipman and Sanikidze, showcases the viola’s lyrical and expressive qualities, not only broadening the piece’s accessibility but also contributing to the viola repertoire, becoming a cherished work for its rich, introspective melodies.

The pairing of these pieces in the first half worked remarkably well. Brahms’ Two Songs, instead of those by Clara Schumann (which came after intermission), established a profoundly lyrical and introspective tone, setting a reflective and emotional mood in advance of the Viola Sonata, which built on the instrument’s expressive capabilities with a structured instrumental focus, moving from its role as a vocal partner to a soloistic presence for Lipman. This continuity tied the works together, creating a more cohesive narrative, which was naturally extended after intermission by Schumann’s songs.

By 1843, Clara Schumann had already made her mark as both a renowned concert pianist and a composer, releasing her second collection of songs fror voice and piano, “Sechs Lieder,” Op. 13, at the age of 24. She was three years into her marriage, juggling the responsibilities of motherhood with two children and her flourishing career. Clara often accompanied these songs herself in concert. Her piano skills show well in the accompaniments supporting the vocal lines, in which thoughtful textures explore emotions from love to longing, intimacy to mourning, and joy to sorrow.

These songs collectively explore themes of love, longing, and nature with a distinctly Romantic character. They oscillate between the melancholic and the mystical, presenting love as both a source of profound sorrow and transcendent beauty. The imagery of nature, like moonlit nights, silent lotuses, and singing nightingales, amplifies the human experience’s emotional depth, encapsulating moments of reflection, unrequited or lost love, and the eternal nature of affection.


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The final work on the program was Joel Thompson’s “On Mars,” a setting of Ariana Benson’s eponymous triad of poems, which are part of a broader narrative in “Black Pastoral,” which won the 2022 Cave Canem Poetry Prize.

Benson’s “On Mars” poems offer a visionary reimagining of Black futures in space, where Mars becomes a symbol of hope, freedom, and new beginnings away from Earth’s historical injustices. The series transitions from personal detachment from astronomy to an imaginative utopia where Black children can grow up in a world of natural wonder, free from violence and societal constraints, playing in Martian landscapes and engaging with the cosmos in playful, liberating ways. Through these poems, Benson expands the narrative of Black pastoralism into the cosmos, challenging traditional narratives to envision a future where Black identity thrives in peace, creativity, and joy, thereby contributing to discussions on identity, legacy, and the power of imagination.

In his program notes, Thompson expressed his particular enthusiasm for setting “On Mars” to music:

It’s a struggle to describe exactly why Amanda Benson’s poetry speaks to my soul — it just does. I’ve read her first book, ‘Black Pastoral,’ several times this year — each poem revealing more of itself (and myself) in each re-reading. There are many poems in this collection that I dare not bother with my music as they are perfect just as they are, but ‘On Mars’ immediately sang to me right off the page.

Thompson’s setting for voice, viola, and piano evoked a rarified, otherworldly atmosphere that respected Benson’s words by musically supporting them without obscuring them. And despite over a century of stylistic distance from the rest of the program, it seemed a compatible partner in the overall programming scheme.

The program’s thoughtful curation and inspired performances brought a unique cohesion to the afternoon at Spivey Hall. Barton, Lipman, and Sanikidze’s synergy and artistry elevated the evocative program—grounded in tradition yet open to innovation and new perspectives.

The New York premiere of “On Mars” was subsequently presented January 23 by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Alice Tully Hall in New York as part of their “Spectrum II” concert. The entire Spivey Hall program performed at Spivey Hall was repeated at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston on January 25, 2025.

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About the author:
Mark Gresham is publisher and principal writer of EarRelevant. He began writing as a music journalist over 30 years ago, but has been a composer of music much longer than that. He was the winner of an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for music journalism in 2003.

Read more by Mark Gresham.
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