Red Cedar brings trio concerts to Eastern Iowa

Since its beginnings in 1997, Red Cedar Chamber Music has explored the road less traveled.

Founding members Jan Boland and John Dowdall of Marion broke conventions with their flute/guitar duo, often performing on antique instruments, and gathering the best artists and composers to help stretch their repertoire and introduce Eastern Iowa audiences to sounds old and new, traditional and avant-garde.

Current core musicians Miera Kim and Carey Bostian of Iowa City have continued down that same path since taking the reins in 2016. So it’s no surprise this week’s concerts embrace the theme “Trio Less Traveled.”

Violinist Kim and cellist Bostian are teaming up with Iowa City violinist Alex Norris to buck tradition and perform works featuring two violins and cello, instead of the more common violin, viola and cello trio configuration. But it wasn’t always that way.

“The best way to describe the difference between the two trios is that viola was less commonly used before the string quartet really reached some prominence,” Bostian said. “It was less commonly used in chamber music.

“So for example, there’s a lot more Baroque trios for two violins and cello than for violin, viola, cello.”

In the Classical period that followed, Mozart wrote for both trio configurations, but his 18th century contemporary, Beethoven, and those who followed “preferred violin, viola and cello,” Bostian added.

The upcoming programs, with MainStage concerts Saturday evening in Cedar Rapids and Sunday afternoon in Iowa City, do feature three Baroque pieces. Beyond those, the three voices get to diverge, traversing music written for harpsichord and viola, too, as well as special arrangements for Red Cedar.

The couple wanted to explore how the repertoire differs from “some of the more traditional chamber music,” Bostian said. “And I think we found that, and I think we’re highlighting that pretty well.”

The largest piece, Dvorak’s “Terzetto,” was written for two violins and viola, but Red Cedar has arranged it for two violins and cello — a grouping that Bostian said makes it sound even richer.

“We love Dvorak (and) our audience loves Dvorak with his Czech connection and his connection to Iowa,” Bostian said, adding that he’s “always wanted to play” this piece.

He’s heard the original version several times, and thought, “I can play that,” so now is his chance.

“I’m doing probably two-thirds of it in the register of the viola, which works, because it's not super high for the cello,“ he said. ”Because the viola was the lowest instrument in that ensemble, Dvorak used the viola in its lower register quite a bit, so about two-thirds that I’m playing at pitch.

“But then I get to take advantage of the bottom end of the cello, so in the places where I’ve decided to play it an octave lower, I think actually improves the voice of the piece.“

Other works include a Boccherini sonata, and Bach’s Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Harpsichord Obligato, with Kim on the solo violin part and Norris and Bostian playing the right and left hand of the harpsichord. That means Norris has to know the role he’s playing at any given moment, from being an equal partner to the solo violin, or a subservient partner, Bostian said.

“And it changes and it goes back and forth, so we do adjust the tone quality and the dynamics where it’s necessary,” Bostian said. “But then, in large swaths, it really is just three voices. It just works beautifully as chamber music. Bach’s counterpoint is phenomenal.”

Audience members also may hear something familiar in the program. Those who have attended the recent Brinton magic lantern slides and silent movie concerts have heard clippings from Jan Boland’s recently published arrangements of 12 of James Oswald’s 48 “Flower Sonatas.”

“She has made a life’s work of studying them and arranging them and presenting them,” Bostian said of the sonatas, scored for two trebles and bass.

“Frankly, it’s a little terrifying,” he added, noting that Oswald, an 18th century Scottish composer, “was Baroque, but there was a lot of Celtic influence in his music.

“Jan is an expert on Baroque ornamentation in different styles, and so it’s a little intimidating, because she’s so good at the ornamentation and that style. … So we had a little session with her, and she told us what she thought about the two that we’ve chosen. That was really helpful. We’re just working to capture something of her great style. Because of that Celtic influence, it’s just very different than a lot of things you would hear.”

Something else totally different is “Violas on Fire!” by composer-in-residence Michael Kimber of Iowa City.

“Michael just writes in all sorts of styles. This is rock ’n’ roll,” Bostian said. “It started out as a viola quartet, and I’m not sure how the idea came up, but I love this piece.”

So he asked Kimber to arrange it for two violins and cello, and Kimber said, “Sure but what are we going to call it? ‘Strings on Fire’?”

Bostian wanted to keep the viola title, paying homage to the concert’s “missing” trio member, the viola.

“It is on fire,” Bostian said. “It is crazy cool. It's rock ’n’ roll. It's like headbanging music, so it’s a great way to end the concert. It’s fun.

“This program is not a big storytelling program. It’s a listening program,” he added, giving audience members different styles to experience.

“We really want to just have something really fun and to have people leave a little excited,” he said. “It’s a beautiful program.”

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