Emotion evident in performance

The wine of youth is fermenting tonight in the banks of God."\nWith these words, Atar Arad introduced an evening of wonderful viola music, erupting immediately into the opening strains of Rebecca Clarke's "Sonata for Viola and Piano" and concluding nearly an hour and a half later with the playful Bela Bartok "Sonatina." It was an amazing performance, in the truest sense of the word.\nThere was but one problem.\nYou see, when presenting a critique of an artist such as Arad, there arises a unique challenge: when a performer's reputation is solidly established -- and has been, in fact, for many years -- how can one possibly praise him without repeating what is already seemingly obvious to the rest of his audience? His stage presence, his technical facility, his interpretive maturity -- they are all to be expected from a veteran performer of so many decades.\nWhat remains, then -- what sets Arad apart -- is the passion he holds for his music and his instrument that brings newness to everything he plays. The passion that possesses his audience like a contagion and holds them in a state so taut, averting one's eyes seems irreverent.\nFrom the beginning, the Clarke sonata, described by Arad as a "masterpiece of the viola," was performed with a remarkable evenness of tone and confidence. The second movement was a well-coordinated conversation between viola and piano; the third, nostalgic without being sentimental.\nThe second sonata on the program was a work of George Rochberg, the only living composer on the program, other than Arad himself. Arad brought intense drama to the opening of this piece, while bringing a spiritual, almost funereal timbre to the Adagio.\nA bit of musical theme from each of these sonatas was then given a new setting in what turned out to be the real treat of the evening -- Arad's own caprices.\nEach of the four caprices is named after a composer of a famous viola piece. The first and third are called "Rebecca" and "George," respectively, and feature a musical "quote" from the sonatas also on the program. The other two, "William (Walton)" and "Bela (Bartok)" make reference to these two composers' well-known viola concerti.\nArad's expressed desire of combining technical and musical expression was surely realized in what will hopefully be the first of many similar short works for the viola. His long-standing familiarity with the instrument combined masterfully with a creative mind to produce a set of pieces that is certain to become a new standard of the viola repertoire.