REVIEW: Jinjoo Cho & Eric Wong: Live in Johnson City
Who says you have to live in a big city to hear great music? Move over, Nashville. Make way for another "music city" in Tennessee – Johnson City – where a large audience recently had the opportunity to hear a stellar viola quintet. The group was part of the "Faculty and Guest Artist String Chamber Recital" at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). (I previously wrote about ETSU regarding its new summer chamber music festival for young string players.)
I had a feeling this would be a special concert, starting with violinist Jinjoo Cho, recently appointed Associate Professor at Northwestern University, and violist Eric Wong, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University and part of its Blair Quartet. The remaining chairs were superbly filled by violinist Evie Chen (UT/Knoxville), violist David Kovác (ETSU), and cellist Max Geissler (ETSU).
It was hard to believe this was the first time the fivesome have worked together. But the general feeling after the performance was that everyone who heard this performance hopes it’s the first of many collaborations.
The musical pairing the ensemble chose was also an audience delight: String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97 by Antonin Dvorák.
Dvorák sure knew how to spin melodies, and Cho sure knows how to sell them. Her emotional range encompasses the spectrum of human feeling. She cradles her violin, at times, as if it’s a beloved infant. At others, as if it’s a passionate lover. She puts her body and soul into the music. She is a clear, yet generous, leader. Personally, I found her performance riveting.
Wong is every bit her equal, drawing a glorious sound from his instrument and matching Cho’s intensity note for note.
Violist Eric Wong and violinist Jinjoo Cho
His sound is cavernous and his right hand is a marvel. There are times Dvorák requires excrutiatingly-difficult string crossings and, I swear, Wong's fast-moving right wrist literally created a visual blur.
Adding a second violist to the group brought a richness of sound and an added dimension to the exploration of thematic tropes, something Dvorak, in particular, seems to favor. As second violist, Kovác’s playing provided depth and complexity throughout. Chen and Geissler rounded out the ensemble with finely-honed playing, beautiful sound, and a strong sense of ensemble.
The entire quintet seemed to be reveling in the gorgeous melodies of both composers, passing around themes as if they were swapping stories in an all-night bar. They knew when to shine and when to graciously hand off the spotlight to another. It made for beautiful music-making and, we hope, the beginning of future faculty/guest artist endeavors in this budding musical mecca in East Tennessee.
You might also like:
- Jinjoo Cho Appointed to Violin Faculty at Northwestern's Bienen School of Music
- A Blossoming Chamber Music Festival in East Tennessee
- Performing the Devilish Scordatura Violin Solos in Mahler 4
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Replies
Richard, I am always so appreciative of your wonderful comments! And I fully agree with your second violin remark! I wish I could locate the exact quote, but Brahms reportedly said something along the lines that in the time it would take him to come up with one solid main theme, Dvorak would spin out a multitude of secondary themes that were even better.
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April 24, 2024 at 02:38 PM · As always Diana, your analogies communicate the spirit of the concert! It's a great choice of quintets, and I heartily second your commendation of Dvorak's melodic gifts. I sometimes tell friends that Dvorak's second violin parts can be more beautiful than other people's tunes, and it's not much of an exaggeration!