San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Philippe Quint finds his happy place in “Chaplin’s Smile.”
In La Jolla Music Society concert, Philippe Quint pays homage to the comic legend and celebrates his genius
On the surface, acclaimed violinist Philippe Quint does not appear to have much in common with the late comic legend Charlie Chaplin, whose moviemaking career flourished between the 1920s and mid-1950s.
Twice a Grammy Award nominee, Quint has traveled the world, playing with top orchestras and conductors. His 2019 CD, his 17th, is titled “Chaplin’s Smile,” which Quint developed into a multimedia show.
The La Jolla Music Society will present the Russian-born violinist’s livestream performance of “Charlie Chaplin’s Smile” on Saturday. While researching for an album he thought he would devote to soundtrack composers, the song “Smile” caught his ear.
After discovering that Chaplin wrote “Smile” and most of the music for his films, Quint pared the list of composers down to one: Chaplin. The project triggered childhood memories for Quint. Last month, the naturalized American turned 47 and celebrated his 30th anniversary of living in the U.S.
“I remember, as a child, watching Charlie Chaplin movies when in the Soviet Union, which was a very isolated country,” he recalled. “I dressed up like Chaplin for some kindergarten event. I’ve come full circle!
“I can’t dig into the mysterious psychology of it, but I see parallels in my growing up with his films. In many ways, the ‘Smile’ project incorporates my childhood, my music training and everything I’ve learned over the years.”
Quint’s chamber music version of “Charlie Chaplin’s Smile” — there’s also one for orchestra — features him on violin and Jun Cho on piano. With the combination of music, spoken word and video clips, the show seems well-suited for livestreaming.
Quint finds it challenging but rewarding to synchronize his violin playing and narration with the video clips behind him. The show is a tribute to the silent-film era and Chaplin’s genius.
Pianist Inon Barnatan, director of the La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, has known Quint for over a decade. He will perform with Quint and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who introduced them, for two socially distanced audience concerts and one livestream performance here next weekend.
“I see something Chaplinesque in Philippe,” Barnatan said from his New York home. “He’s one of the funniest guys I know — charming and very funny. But when he performs, you can feel the deep emotion that comes out of his playing and interpretation. There’s depth underneath the smile.”
Describing Barnatan and Weilerstein as two of his favorite musicians, Quint mentioned that they all have Russian ties. Barnatan responded with a chuckle that his and Weilerstein’s ties weren’t as extensive as Quint’s.
“Alisa studied Russian literature in college. I studied with celebrated Russian teachers in Israel,” Barnatan said. “We all adore Russian music quite passionately. And we’ll be playing one of the most Russian trios.”
Arensky’s Piano Trio No. 1 will be featured in the livestream performance in the Baker-baum Concert Hall and in the two live shows with audience at the Wu Tsai Courtyard.
“I’m so looking forward to it,” Barnatan said. “I scheduled a couple of courtyard concerts for Summerfest 2020, but it didn’t happen because of the shutdown.”
The pandemic resulted in many cancellations of Quint’s “Smile” concerts. Since September, he has done livestream performances of it. But he’s anticipating the day he’ll again perform in venues filled with people.
“It’s been a huge withdrawal for both performer and audience,” Quint said. “There’s an important chemistry between audience and musician that is missing. We’ve learned how to appreciate each other better.
“I also have a great appreciation for having all the time in the world. I don’t have to learn new repertoire, catch a plane or suffer jet lag from going from South Africa to Hong Kong to New York. That lifestyle was rather insane and unhealthy.
“I’m not sure how things are going to be. How many concert dates will I have? In theory, I’d like to go a little slower.”
Quint wasn’t twiddling his thumbs during the pandemic. He moved from New York to minimize commuting and to live with his Chicago-based wife, who is a ballet dancer.
He also transformed a multip-erformer tribute to Argentinian tango master Astor Piazzolla into a “Smile”-like multimedia format. It took Quint two months to complete.
“I have to admit I wasn’t doing anything else!” he said with a laugh.
“To me, the format is still fresh and unique.”
Quint, who has performed here many times over the years, is looking forward to the upcoming La Jolla Music Society performances. With “Charlie Chaplin’s Smile,” he has merged his penchants for whimsical, sad and romantic themes.
“I’m a long-lost, hopeless romantic,” he said. “I don’t see myself born in the wrong century as some artists do. I like living in current times — no matter how challenging — but I do have an affinity for the golden era.”