UCLA Performing Arts Duo Calabrese performs with the viola d'amore and violin.
By Sophia Whang
Daily Bruin Contributor
While the phrase “making beautiful music together” is usually associated with a pick-up line, a real-life couple is bringing new meaning to the expression.
Duo Calabrese has produced romantic tunes and sweet melodies throughout the world. Now the UCLA community can indulge in its harmony this weekend, as it performs a variety of works from the Baroque to the Contemporary period, such as Biber’s “Passacaglia in G minor,” and Slavík’s “Intermezzo for Violin and Viola d’Amore.”
John Anthony Calabrese, who plays the rare viola d’amore, and his wife, violinist Gabriela Olcese, formed Duo Calabrese in 1993. This unusual combination of instruments and the pairing of the two musicians seized international interest, with even contemporary composers dedicating specific works to the acclaimed duo.
Although Calabrese said playing solo makes him feel more like a virtuoso, playing with his wife turns performances into chamber music.
“When you play with someone else, it is a little bit different than when playing alone. You have to cooperate,” Calabrese said. “People want chamber music now, so (the combination) works well.”
The program also features many solos, since the main focus is on the delicate sounds which Calabrese’s viola d’amore is famous for. He has played as a soloist with orchestras around the United States and Europe, and recently released the world premiere recording of of Leos Janacek’s second string quartet with viola d’amore for the Supraphon label.
Calabrese discovered the viola d’amore while studying the violin in Italy on a Fulbright Grant about 30 years ago. This mysterious instrument first appeared in Western culture in the 17th century and was believed to have originated from a type of instrument found in the Orient.
“It’s really like three instruments,” Calabrese said. “It is a combination of a violin, a viola, and a cello, all in one.”
Unlike those other bowed instruments, which each have four strings, the viola d’amore has fourteen strings and the ability to differ greatly in ranges of sound and dynamics. The most interesting feature of this instrument is found on its scroll, where there rests a carved, blindfolded head of love, which fully captures the meaning of the Italian name, “the viola of love.”
With or without this love in the air, the cooperation Calabrese mentioned is always necessary in performing a duet. In the second half of the program, where contemporary pieces call for greater use of the violin, Calabrese must cooperate with his wife as the viola d’amore steps back at times to accompany the violin.
Olcese has racked up many accolades throughout her career, including scholarships from the Antorchas and Osepyan Foundations, and has appeared solo at the Pisa Festival. She is also currently a member of the Orchestra of the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. She and Calabrese formed Duo Calabrese with the intention of exploring the unique repertoire of the two instruments and because of the convenience of working with each other.
According to Calabrese, the combination of the violin and viola d’amore is uncommon because the violin is completely different than his instrument.
Additionally, finding music written for the ancient instrument is often difficult.
“Because they were made in the 17th century, most of them are all in museums. Secondly, the written music are all manuscripts in libraries,” Calabrese said.
He added that the amount of skill required to play the viola d’amore means that performances involving it in combination with other instruments are rare.
“A violin is already complicated with four strings. It just gets more complicated (with fourteen strings),” he said.
Calabrese also said that the instrument has remained obscure today because of its sound.
“It is an instrument that has a very sweet sound and today everyone is looking for big sounds. It has sort of been forgotten,” he said. “I call it the sleeping beauty.”
When asked if his performances were geared more toward communicating with the audience or himself as an artist, Calabrese mentioned it was a little bit of both.
“I like to perform for the audience and feel their reaction. It inspires me, and I make a communication with them,” Calabrese said.
“That gives me a reward, but since the viola d’amore is so unknown, most of the time I continue to study it for myself just because I like it. And when there is finally a concert, I am happy to play it and share it with the people,” he said.
With the help of his wife, Calabrese hopes to reawaken this sleeping beauty and enliven it with the talent critics rave about, and the music within him he has so diligently prepared to share with his audience. Although interaction with the attendants is planned in a center stage discussion an hour before the concert, it is certain that Calabrese intends to further communicate and express his emotions throughout his entire performance.
MUSIC: Duo Calabrese performs at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall, Sunday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. This event features a center stage discussion at 3 p.m. with artist John Calabrese. Tickets are available for $30; $9 for UCLA students with ID. For more information call (310) 825-2101, or go to www.performingarts.ucla.edu.