Debris as metaphor
On May 16, 1874, a shoddily built factory dam in the hills above Williamsburg gave way, setting loose some 600 million gallons of water and sending a tumbling wall of liquid and debris 11 miles down the narrow Mill River valley toward Northampton. The deluge ripped houses and factories from their foundations and killed 139 people before the hours-long disaster petered out in the broad plain that is now Look Park.
On view through April 3 at Historic Northampton, “Debris Flow: a Meditation on the Mill River Reservoir Disaster in 1874”is a mixed-media exhibit by Florence artist Rebecca Muller based on stereopticon images of the effects of the cataclysm. The show is in line with Muller’s long-time artistic method of using found materials and scattered fragments of things lost, abandoned, eroded or wrecked: “Debris evokes both danger and an awesome beauty. It is a record of things left behind, time passing and the aftermath of physical and emotional events.”
Located at 46 Bridge St., Historic Northampton is open Wed. through Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sun., noon-5 p.m. historicnorthampton.org
The class struggle in music
The development of the piano trio — the combination of piano, violin and cello — illustrates the relentless forward march of democracy through chamber music history. In the early classical period of Haydn’s day, the piano owned the melody and lorded it over the violin, which was only occasionally allowed to show itself in a prominent position, while the poor cello was relegated to the serf-like duty of doubling the bass line of the piano. Then Mozart and Beethoven came along, writing trios that promoted inclusiveness and diversity by balancing the voices and creating a three-part dialogue in which each of the participants had an equal say. Finally, it was left to Brahms to fully liberate the string instruments, giving both the violin and cello sonorous passages that allowed them to express their individuality and realize their full potential.
On Sunday, you’ll have a chance to appreciate Brahms’ proactive contributions along this line when the international ensemble Latitude 41 Trio takes the stage of Smith College’s Sweeney Concert Hall for a performance of all three of the composer’s trios, mainstays of the classical repertoire. Consisting of American violinist Livia Sohn, Canadian pianist Bernadene Blaha and Italian cellist Luigi Piovano, the trio takes its name from its first performance venue in Rhode island and from Piovano’s home in Rome, both of which are equidistant from the equator.
The 4 p.m. concert will be preceded by a “Classical Conversation” with the musicians and Music in Deerfield’s John Montanari at 3 p.m.
Advance tickets are $35 general; $5 students under 18; $10 for accompanying adults and students 18 and over. At the door: $38, $5, $10. 586-0458 or musicindeerfield.org
— Dan DeNicola