As we traverse the streets of picturesque Ocean Grove, NJ this lovely July 12, 2018 evening, we can’t help but notice the manicured green perennial gardens full of pink and blue hydrangeas, white daisies, and a rainbow of other flowers that adorn the quaint gingerbread houses. We see homeowners enjoying wine on their verandas near the ocean, while others bike or enjoy the fresh salt air as they stroll the Ocean Grove boardwalk.
Still others, however, are making their way over to the village’s historic Great Auditorium. Constructed in 1894, the 6,250 seat venue is not only used for religious purposes, but it is also a prime spot for music lovers to enjoy classical, pop, and religious concerts right here in the heart of town.
The Auditorium’s excellent acoustics — the result of its unique barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling — have been widely acclaimed by audience members and musicians alike. In fact, it is said that conductor Leonard Bernstein once even compared its acoustics to Carnegie Hall!
We take our seats in the magnificent wooden structure to witness the sun beginning to set through the upper windows and lighting the back of the auditorium as stage lights illuminate a stage set with chairs, music stands, and a single microphone.
The audience chats as they patiently wait for the tonight’s concert to begin — one in a series of “Summer Stars” music programs presented by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association — a performance by the classical music group, The Solisti Ensemble.
Looking out over the crowd of all ages, Dr. Gordon Turk welcomes this assemblage of music lovers to tonight’s Summer Stars event, likening tonight’s concert program which features the music of multiple generations to this audience filled with classical music devotees of several generations.
The audience applauds as musicians fill the stage: Yurie Kawano, Sarah Koenig-Plonskier, Bela Horvath, Yejin Han, and Kevin Shue on violin; Andy Lin and Olivia Martinez on viola; Nan-Cheng Chen and Michael Katz on cello; and Man Wai Che on bass.
Dr. Byung-Kook Kwak, artistic director of The Solisti Ensemble, introduces the group’s first piece, Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia №2 in D Major, explaining that Mendelssohn wrote this composition when he was a youngster between the ages of 12 and 14!
With a wave of Kwak’s bow, the string ensemble begins to play.
Nimble fingers glide over fretboards as violin, viola, cello, and bass bows bounce and dance on strings.
In the “Allegro,” the music rises and falls in gorgeous waves of sound, each instrument’s part as important as the next.
In the “Andante,” the music is slower and more expressive. The violas echo the violins in a beautiful counterpoint, the fragile melody moving in a line from the stage to the listener. Closing one’s eyes, the listener can imagine the melody dancing above and around one’s head, turning and bending to the intricate rhythm.
In the final movement, “Allegro vivace,” there is another change in tempo — the music is now light and prancing.
Cellos and bass support the melody of the violins and violas all leading to a climax which inspires the audience to respond with applause for a job well done!
Exclaims Kwak, “I love playing in this open-air space because it is a house of worship with a magnificent organ,” before adding, “And I can hear the birds chirp!”
Kwak invites viola player Andy Lin to the edge of the stage to be featured on the group’s second piece, the third movement of the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, by Mozart.
After acknowledging that the viola was Mozart’s favorite instrument, the group commences — Lin and Kwak playing expertly, moving to the music as they perform, supported by the rest of the Ensemble.
Featuring quick passages with polished runs, the music flows from these talented musicians.
Bowing together, the pair invites the rest of the group to join them as they all take a bow together to avid applause.
Turk retakes the stage to talk about the Ensemble’s next piece, “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” from the opera, Solomon, by Handel. Explaining the piece was originally written for strings and oboe, Turk reveals that he will play the organ parts on the Great Auditorium’s historic organ.
Baroque trills and thrills emanate from the strings as Turk’s multiple oboe lines ring out from the organ.
The audience applauds for this energetic piece by Handel.
One of the highlights of tonight’s concert is The Solisti Ensemble’s performance of “Berceuse,” by Salome, a practically unknown piece for strings and organ which was discovered in a music library by Turk.
The music’s rich sound is emblematic of the Impressionist period, hinting of the music of 19th-century France. The sweet string parts are light and airy in contrast to the fuller organ sound, the two perfectly complimenting one another.
The strings sound mournful at times, their richness enhanced by the chords of the organ.
Sometimes, however, the strings echo the organ or fill in as the organ holds a rich chord but then moves with the strings in glorious sound and motion.
As the string players cradle their instruments while the organ softly plays, the piece’s last chord is suspended over the audience as the musicians watch one another — the entire group sustaining the last note until just the right moment and bringing this heartfelt performance to a satisfying conclusion.
Before concluding the first half of tonight’s concert, Kwak tells the audience a bit about Debussy, the composer of the next piece, String Quartet in G minor.Revealing that Debussy died young, Kwak confesses that he “loses sleep over what other great music he could have written had he lived another twenty years.”
He also reveals that he also loses sleep over another composer, George Gershwin, who also died at young age, disclosing that Gershwin promised Kwak’s own violin teacher, Jascha Heifetz, “a solo violin piece” but died before he could write it.
As Kwak and the Solisti musicians perform the first movement of the String Quartet — the “Anime et tres decide” — the violinists soar high and low, each sounding rich and sonorous.
The music invites listeners to dance as it crescendos and cascades over them. Delighting the senses, it is both dramatic at times when it builds, but alternately mysterious when it decrescendos.
As the lower strings create waves of sound, the tempo is quick and sawing at times, the composition ending with a flourish to bravos and applause from the crowd!
During intermission we take a moment to chat with several members of tonight’s audience.
Near the front of the Great Auditorium, we meet Dr. Arthur Topolo, an oncologist/hematologist who also happens to be an aficionado of classical music. Says Topolo about tonight’s performance thus far, “The ‘Berceuse’ by Salome was exquisite — simply wonderful!”
As a mentor for pre-med students in an internship program sponsored by Jersey Shore Medical Center, Topolo tells us that he not only assigns medically-related homework to the participants, but — to be certain they become well-rounded individuals — gives them music and art assignments, as well.
As such, this evening, several of the program participants — all college seniors — are here to experience tonight’s live performance by The Solisti Ensemble.
Says Davina from Basking Ridge — a violinist who plays in her college orchestra at Quinnipiac University, “I am enjoying this concert a lot!” adding, “I’ve never been to this theater — it’s much larger than I expected and I didn’t know it had this magnificent organ.”
Commenting, “All the strings played wonderfully,” Davina further remarks, “It’s interesting to see the musicians’ facial expressions — the nonverbal communication between the players,” before concluding, “Their use of dynamics is wonderful, also!”
Jake from Franklin Lakes is a student from The College of New Jersey. “I don’t listen to classical music normally,” reveals Jake, stating, “I typically listen to folk and indie-acoustic guitar groups like The Lumineers and classic artists like Dylan and the Stones.” That said, Jake tells us that he finds tonight’s performance by The Solisti Ensemble “really beautiful and impressive.”
Lastly, we chat with Virginia, a student at Brooklyn College, who declares, “Before tonight I knew very little about classical music, but I give this concert two thumbs up!”
Following intermission, the members of The Solisti Ensemble retake the stage to hooting and hollering from a number of members of this classical crowd who are obviously very enthusiastic about their return!
After welcoming everyone back for Act II, Kwak says, “You will recognize the first movement of this next piece from the De Beers diamond commercial.” Here, he introduces Palladio (Concerto grosso) by Jenkins.
In the “Allegretto,” the music is very quick and dramatic, yet simple. Cello and bass bows bounce while violins and violas sing the instantly-recognizable melody above them. Dynamics are in constant motion as the compelling main theme is played even faster at the end.
The “Largo” movement is slower and more chordal in nature. The musicians move together like a synchronized machine until, one by one, they branch off into their own individual melodies that rise above and float out into the Auditorium.
The final movement — the “Vivace” — is quick and precise. Bows bob along in a staccato manner as dynamics change the mood and color. Building in intensity, the group brings this piece to a close to the audience’s delight.
Following large applause, Kwak performs another highlight of tonight’s concert, Symphonie Espagnole by Lalo. Backed by the Ensemble, Kwak impresses the audience on this Spanish dance as he plays his violin from memory.
His fingers gliding, the melody soars up and down above the pizzicato plucking of the chamber orchestra, all while bassist Man Wai Che keeps a constant rhythm by playing a single castanet with his hand.
Another concert highlight follows — “The Swan” from Carnival of the Animalsby Saint-Saens — featuring Nan-Cheng Chen on the cello.
Chen rocks with his cello as the famous piece of music glides along on this beautiful ride that is “The Swan.”
The familiar melody sailing among the other instrumentalists as they create lovely waves around him, Chen’s gorgeous tone sounds stunning in this sonically superior listening environment. By the end of the piece, the audience applauds and cheers for this talented young soloist!
Turk returns for “Fantasia on Greensleeves” by Williams for organ and strings. His organ sometimes sounding like a harp, with the bass and cellos strumming along the familiar melody of “Greensleeves” comes and goes in several variations of the theme.
The Solisti Ensemble follows this up with the final piece of the evening, Dvorak’s String Quartet in F Major, “American.”
Kwak reveals that Dvorak — who was a Czech composer — wrote the piece “in Iowa, in the early 1900s, where there were other Czech immigrants,” before exclaiming, “Dvorak says the motives come from American Indians, but, to me, they sound 100% Czech!”
The ensemble — standing to perform this last composition sweetly, lightly, and fast — make it a showpiece as their instruments sing and slide along on this wonderful finale piece.
The audience rises to its feet, clapping their approval for this spectacular finale!
To reciprocate, Kwak and the Ensemble offer the audience a trio of encore pieces.
First up is a lovely rendition of John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List, which is followed by a piece which Kwak introduces by telling the group’s two cellists, “Whatever you were rehearsing before the show… just play it!”
After a brief conversation, the pair of musicians launch into an impromptu performance of Barriere’s Sonata #10 for two cellos, an incredible performance in which they appear to spontaneously leap-frog over and under one another with the greatest of ease!
“Wasn’t that gorgeous?” inquires Kwak, as the entire audience provides a standing ovation for these two talented musicians.
All of the members of The Solisti Ensemble rise to perform the final encore number of the evening, a striking and impressive rendition of “Summer” from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
Following sustained cheering and applause, as we make our way out of the venue, we catch up with Bill and Sally from Ocean Township. Learning that they have been long-time fans of the musical presentations here at the Great Auditorium, we ask them how they found tonight’s performance.
“Was there anyone here who didn’t enjoy it?” asks Bill rhetorically, commenting, “We always enjoy the concerts here — the acoustics are fantastic,” before adding, “and I always enjoy how Dr. Turk tells the audiences about the composers and the pieces he performs.”
Bill’s wife, Sally, concurs, exclaiming “We love to hear the magnificent organ! We fill our lives with music by coming here — it’s always very exciting.”
Noting, “Dr. Kwak is so humble and gifted and he is is such a sweet, sweet man,” Sally further comments, “We love hearing all of the musicians they have here,” before concluding, “These concerts are the highlight of our year!”
To learn more about The Solisti Ensemble, please go to solistiensemble.org. For more information about upcoming concerts at The Great Auditorium — including classical guitarists Alex and Wesley Clark on July 26, and the Orchestra Finale! concert with organist Gordon Turk, tenor Ronald Naldi, and the MidAtantic Opera Orchestra conducted by Jason Tramm on August 2 — please click on oceangrove.org.
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