The Kent/Blossom Music Festival presented a “Luscious Evening of Music” July 18.

This show was a husband-and-wife duet that featured Mark Kosower, cellist and Jee-Won Oh, pianist. The two performed an array of songs from Berteau, Beethoven, Cassado and Brahms.

“Beethoven and Brahms sonatas are two of the greatest works ever written for cello and piano and represent the pinnacle of classical music in German culture,” Kosower said.

In contrast, Kosower said the Martin Berteau sonata and the suite by Cassado represent other traditions and can be categorized more as works for solo voice. Berteau’s sonata was accompanied only by soft piano.

The evening opened with a full house. There was a mix of students and former faculty members who attended the show.

“I’ve gone to all of the faculty shows this years, and this was my favorite one,” said Marie Kuelsa, Kent/Blossom Music Festival patron, after the show. “I’ve never seen a duo work so in tune together. It was really enjoyable to watch.”

After the last song ended, the audience immediately applauded. Kosower and Won bowed and exited the stage. When they returned, the audience applauded louder.

“I strive to stir the souls of my listeners,” Kosower said. “If they leave the concert hall having felt that the music reached them and said something to them then I know I have succeeded.”

Kosower and his wife enjoyed performing for the faculty concert series. He said it is “a truly wonderful opportunity for the students to hear the faculty perform and to demonstrate the very essence of their teachings.”

Kosower is principal cello of the Cleveland Orchestra. Kosower and Oh have been performing together professionally for 13 years.

The final concert of the Kent/Blossom faculty series is “The Winds of the Cleveland Orchestra” and will be performed July 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Contact Marissa Eisenbrei at [email protected].