TUALATIN VALLEY – Having grown up in farming communities (Genesee, Idaho, and Wilbur, Washington), I’ve been in a few barns. That’s not the type of place where you’d expect to hear live classical music. But Butler Barn, located in bucolic Tualatin Valley just off of Scholls Ferry Road on the outskirts of Beaverton, is an exceptional venue with a rustic heritage. It may have held livestock or hay back in the day, but now it can boast of a very clean concrete floor and plenty of room for a stage with a grand piano and lots of comfortable seating for a discerning audience.

Butler Barn is the home of a classical music series called Concerts at the Barn. It’s the brainchild of Niel DePonte, longtime Principal Timpanist with the Oregon Symphony who is also known for his conducting and composing. He founded Concerts at the Barn five years ago, and it has become an attractive summer event, especially for people who don’t want to drive into downtown Portland.

Thematically, DePonte has called this season “the Combo Concert Festival.” The first half of each concert has a classical flair and the second half offers something non-classical, such as jazz and popular music. The festival took place on three Wednesday evenings, and I unfortunately could not attend the first concert (July 30), which featured Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata in G major – with cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick and pianist Maria Garcia – and a selection of jazz standards with pianist Darrell Grant and vocalist Sherry Alves.

Sponsor

I did make it to the following two concerts. It was a perfectly gorgeous day when the Rosebud String Quartet opened the concert on August 6th with Haydn’s String Quartet in F minor, Opus 20, No. 5. Based in Alberta, Canada, the ensemble (violinists Aaron Schwebel and Sheila Jaffé, violist Keith Hamm, and cellist Leana Rutt) gave an elegant account of the Haydn, drawing out its lyrical melodies. The fugue in the final movement was expertly balanced and caught fire – it’s just too bad that it was so brief – but that’s what Haydn wrote.

After intermission, DePonte gave concertgoers a demo of the marimba and the vibraphone in preparation for three excerpts from Trackings by Kenji Bunch.  DePonte, joined by the Rosebud String Quartet and pianist Susan Smith, livened up the crowd with a peppy rendition of “Diaspora,” which sprinkled notes – especially from the vibraphone and piano – in a scattered, random-like way. The mood changed to introspection in “Slow, Soulful” with the marimba and vibraphone taking the lead. An energetic “Joyful” closed the set with a springy playfulness, drawing enthusiastic applause.

Clarinetist James Shields, Principal Clarinetist of the Oregon and founder of Chatter – the Portland and Albuquerque weekly chamber music series – collaborated with the Rosebud String Quartet to perform Introduction, Theme and Variations, Opus 32 for clarinet and string quartet by Joseph Küffner. As Shields explained before launching this spectacular showstopper, this piece was wrongly attributed to Carl Maria von Weber for many years, because it is so similar to his piece which has the same name. Both pieces are mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic rollercoasters for the clarinetist, because the variations get wickeder and wickeder, demanding the ultimate ability for breath control, fleet fingerwork, and a mind-boggling series of notes. Shields commanded it all with elan, and the listeners practically jumped out of their seats with a standing ovation. 

A week later (August 13), another beautiful summer evening framed the concert setting in the countryside. This time, the program began with Brahms Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major, Op. 87, featuring pianist Monica Ohuchi, violinist Searmi Park, and cellist Pansy Chang. They delivered a superb performance of the Brahms, playing with intense commitment and finely honed sound that always allowed the instrument with the leading line to be heard. Ohuchi’s expressive pianism highlighted the second movement, and the piece ended with delightful exchanges between the musicians – enlivened by Park’s animated style – generating a feeling of optimism and joy.

Sponsor

After intermission, vocalists Susannah Mars and Lo Steele – accompanied by Mark Steele on the piano, Rob Busey on the bass, and DePonte manning the drum set – switched up the program with an array of popular songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, mostly by Burt Bacharach. An amplification problem marred the first medley, but it was smooth sailing for all of the other numbers. The combo did arrangements of “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love,” “Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Close to You,” “What’s It All About, Alfie,” “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Always Something There to Remind Me,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.” There was a sing along to wrap things up, and that made the concert a real hoot!

On returning to our car, we enjoyed the last glimpse of the sunset over the Coast Range, and that added an extra dollop of visual beauty to the entire experience.