On Sunday afternoon, the UNC music department held a faculty chamber music concert at James and Susan Moeser Auditorium in Hill Hall. The musicians, Donald L. Oehler, Simon Ertz and Mimi Solomon are all current professors in the music department.
The concert consisted of three chamber pieces, featuring pieces written by Alfred Uhl, Max Bruch and Wolfgang Mozart. Oehler said the pieces go together because all three were written for family and friends.
The last piece that the faculty played was the Mozart’s trio, a chamber music piece that was unconventional at the time it was written. Mozart was one of the first to compose music for a combination of clarinet, viola and piano. This combination of instruments has inspired many composers since.
Oehler has been at UNC for 55 years and is one of the first American clarinetists to become active on classical or period instruments. He started playing the clarinet at 12 years old and his passion for playing the instrument has been unwavering, driving him to become a respected mentor at UNC.
Ertz, who plays the viola, regularly performs in both the Charlotte and North Carolina Symphonies. Notably, his viola is a unique instrument crafted by his brother, Neil Ertz.
Lastly, Solomon is a pianist and has performed nationally, including in Japan, Europe and China. She has also starred in numerous radio and television broadcasts.
“Musicians like myself, who are orchestrally trained, we started out in an orchestra, but we really like chamber music,” Oehler said. “It's a challenge for us because it's one on a part.”
Chamber music is unique as it consists of a small number of members in performances. This creates an intimate setting not only amongst the musicians but also with the audience. Oehler said chamber music makes the room to connect musicians with the audience in a way that can’t be done in a large orchestra concert hall.
This collaborative spirit was evident throughout the concert, as the trio navigated the pieces with their distinct expression of the piece. The group only rehearsed three times before the performance, which forced them to be creative about the way they combine their individual interpretations of the music.
