Mitsuru Kubo, viola, in a UCSB Bachelor of Music Senior
Recital, with Egle Januleviciute and Sarah Broomell, pianos; and
Alice Crone, clarinet. At Karl Geiringer Hall, Thursday, May
25.

Cara Iverson, soprano, in a Master of Music Recital,
with Dr. John Ballerino, piano; and Helen Park, clarinet. At Karl
Geiringer Hall, Friday, May 26.

Reviewed by Gerald Carpenter

One of the pleasures of these degree recitals is that the young
candidates tend to dress up for the occasion. Both Kubo and Iverson
chose the formality of a floor-length skirt or gown, in somber
colors, which underscored the seriousness of the event. These are
not amateurs, but students on the cusp of becoming
professionals.

Mitsuru Kubo gets a big, dramatic sound from her viola, and
shapes that sound with excellent technique and a fine musical
sense. Her program consisted of Mendelssohn’s Sonata in C Minor
(with Egle Januleviciute, piano); Hindemith’s Solo Sonata Opus 25,
No. 1; William Walton’s Viola Concerto (with Sarah Broomell,
piano); and Mozart’s “Kegelstatt” Trio, K. 498 (with Sarah
Broomell, piano; and Alice Crone, clarinet).

Kubo gave bravura performances of the middle works, and blended
seamlessly with her collaborators in the Mozart. In the
Mendelssohn, which was written when he was 15 and not published
until 1966, the viola has many charming tunes, but the piano part
is the main attraction, especially when performed by
Januleviciute.

Soprano Cara Iverson has a lovely voice, an uncanny sense of
pitch, and a considerable store of dramatic insight. Her program
was, I felt, weighted toward the first half, which consisted of
Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, K. 165 — with the famous
“Alleluia” — and Schubert’s exquisite song, almost a mini cantata,
“Der Hirt auf dem Felsen,” with Helen Park adding delightful
accents on her clarinet. In the second half, I took the most
pleasure from the Bellini songs, though the Chausson pieces were
rather dreamy, and the Cinco Canciones Negras of Xavier
Montsalvatge certainly made for a spectacular close to the recital.
We must keep our eyes peeled for Iverson’s name on future
programs.

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