Review: “Impacto” A Performance of Latin American Dance and Classical Music Made with Exquisite Aplomb at the Met Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently presented a beautiful night of music in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium as part of their lineup of live performances. After a delay due to multiple events, including the president’s motorcade interrupting traffic and shutting down 5th Avenue, while audience members rebelliously clapped to encourage the musicians to perform and not wait for latecomers, Catalyst Quartet arrived to appease eager spectators. Taking their seats on the stage to begin Impacto with American Ballet Theater dancer/choreographer Herman Cornejo. All the chatter stopped, and suddenly, listeners sank into their chairs, lulled into the elegant melodies of two violins, one viola, and one cello played by Karla Donehew Perez (violin), Abi Fayette (violin), Paul Laraia (viola), and Karlos Rodriguez (cello). The synchronicity between these four exquisite musicians was personified by their focused intensity at its most rigorously realized expression. The fluid balance and absolute brightness of each note was perfection incarnate for these classical Latin American jewels such as Sonata par Cordas “O burrico de pau” (The Wooden Donkey) by Antonio Carlos Gomes (1836–1896). The sound was incredible magic from Allegro Animato to Vivace, wonderfully executed and distilled…
