CIM: Diana Cohen Second Master of Music Recital

Bach: Sonata in C Minor for Violin and Keyboard, BVW 1017*
Mozart: Violin Concerto #4 in D Major, K. 218**
Brahms: Trio for Piano, Violin, and Cello in B Major, Op. 8***
Diana Cohen, Violin; see the end of this post for a complete listing of performers

In the perfect performance -- when the convergence of talent, music, environment, and performance comes to an almost unattainable focus -- there comes a moment when the soul resonates in sympathy with the harmony of the music and the entire body develops a pulse that is magnified with each passing beat. This feeling of bliss is rare, when lucky perhaps one in every few dozen performances of a work evokes it, yet the sublime nature of the feeling is enough to draw one to concert upon concert: It is the runner's high; the adrenaline junkie's rush; it is music.

Tonight's concert, Ms. Cohen's Second Master of Music recital featured an impressive collection of musicians and the exceedingly rare event where not one, or two, but all three works on the program evoked the feeling of splendor that one may wander endlessly in search of. Though a relatively recent fan of Ms. Cohen's playing, she is perhaps my favorite violinist, and everything I've previously written (see, for example, this) was cemented and if anything magnified with tonight's recital concert.

Of course, the Concerto was notable for the amazing cast of musicians making the small but powerful orchestra, including several Cleveland Orchestra musicians, and Orchestra Assistant Director Tito Munoz on violin.

While I was accompanied by a friend (and after intermission, my friend's friend) I found myself swept into an otherworldly state where I occupied a galaxy, nay, universe of my own. I do not know what more can be written to accurately convey the musical nature of the performance, and thus I will end there.

Placed in CIM's visually stunning Mixon Hall the view through the windows behind the stage nearly equaled the music; at the beginning of the the third movement adagio from Brahms's Trio I noticed a contrail from a passing aircraft spanning the horizon from left to right; as the movement progressed the contrail slowly dissolved away--again from left to right--such that at the conclusion it had nearly completely disappeared from view. (Trio Terzetto, playing the Brahms piece, was an unanticipated delight)

Should you have the opportunity to hear Ms. Cohen and her colleagures play I must strongly encourage you to do so.

Lincoln
*- Diana Cohen, violin; Renana Gutman, piano
**- Diana Cohen, violin with Isabel Trautwein, Miho Hashizume, Tim Kantor, Emilio Llinas, Iona Missits, Tito Munoz, Sae Shiragami, violins; Courtney Bonifant, Leslie Dragan, Lisa Whitfield, violas; Tanya Ell, Daniel Pereira, cellos; Scott Dixon, bass; Andria Brennan Hoy, Cynthia Watson, oboes.
*** - Trio Terzetto (Diana Cohen, violin; Tanya Ell, cello; Renana Gutman, piano)