Packed house hears samples of shining talent

The Piccolo Spoleto schedule uses just about every performing group in the city. Among the dozens, some stand out as extraordinary.

Tuesday afternoon, a sold-out crowd packed Ashley Hall's Recital Hall for a concert by the Charleston Academy of Music's "world-class" faculty, which includes the new concertmaster of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Yuriy Bekker created his own thunder and lightning with Natalie Khoma, a College of Charleston professor of cello, and Irina Pevzner, a former student of the college's Enrique Graf currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of South Carolina.

On a very full 90-minute program, we heard only one movement of Anton Arensky's "Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano in D Minor, Opus 32," but the Allegro Moderato was enough to flavor the program with Russian theatrics magnificently realized by these three pros.

Opening with some classy and melodic guitar pieces by two modern composers, Carolina Folmer and her husband, Ignacio Barcia, played with stunning expertise both tango rhythms and the slow and contemplative music that makes you want to cry and then go kiss somebody.

Barcia was then joined by Matthew Parker on piano for Luigi Boccherini's "Introduction and Fandango." The crowd was surrounded by sound waves from the grand piano played in grand style in that chamber-sized, acoustically live space.

Claude Debussy wrote most of his songs before 1885 for an amateur soprano named Mme. Vasnier, said to possess a high and agile voice. I cannot imagine a more agile voice than Mary Hubbell's.

This young lady popped off notes in the coloratura range, while demonstrating a dramatic soprano and just the right nasality for French. Debussy set these pieces to works by his favorite poets, here Paul Verlaine who wrote both "Pantomime" and "Pierrot."

Susan McAdoo, a busy accompanist around town, proved her worth as a concert pianist, rippling off both huge chords and tricky trills by Manuel de Falla in his "Pieces Espagnoles."

With a keen appreciation for the grand style, 22 year-old Maria Antunez closed the recital with two arias that showed off her rich and powerful soprano.

This sample of shining talent almost makes me wish I had another child to educate in the best of musical traditions. Almost.