Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review

Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
David Bernard, Conductor
Terry Eder, Piano
All Saints Church, New York
October 28, 2012

David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony

Where do musically inclined Manhattanites go to exorcise their day-job demons when they would prefer following a conductor to watching one through binoculars? The City offers a handful of choices compared with the array of amateur and semi-professional groups one can find in, say, London, where a hidden world class talent might be launched on the collective buoyancy of an auspicious gathering. Here, our community social life facilitates contact and much-needed creative entertainment for the worn out; a conductor’s role is one part music educator, one part maître d’, one part recruiter/fundraiser, and one part Toscanini-tempered-with-David-Letterman. Concerts, presented after about six weeks of growing hubbub, can be the highlight of a participant’s week or month, as many instrumentalists do what they can at home and save their all for the show. The decision to enroll in one ensemble or another can hinge on the location or ambience of rehearsal space as much as the season’s repertoire or the conductor’s acceptance of an unburnished riff.

The first-rate Park Avenue Chamber Symphony holds its rightful place at the forefront of New York’s handful. Chamber seems a misnomer when one surveys seventy musicians, counting a hefty corps of low brass, packed into the apse of All Saints Church, the orchestra’s home for the past four or so of its thirteen years. On the eve of devastating Hurricane Sandy, with nary a hint of low pressure rattling its large wooden doors, the church saw a loyal and jubilant tide of admirers within as conductor David Bernard directed a program of German standards. The Sunday concert was the second of a weekend pair titled “Wit and Radiance.”

Maestro Bernard cuts a benevolent figure on the podium, more Cheshire cat than tyrant, but his musical instincts (and memory) are superb and his subjects are with him at every lift of a finger. Schubert’s mysterious but ubiquitous “Unfinished” Symphony was surprisingly fresh and limpid, with gracefully shaped song floating atop a securely anchored cushion of bass. Indeed, texture can be a tricky issue when balancing such an abundance of reedy and dark-hued instruments, as was evident in Strauss’s enormous Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche. An ambitious undertaking for any orchestra, this virtuosic, cackling tone poem calls for quick reflexes to capture the dash of vinegar in Strauss’s mock-Tristan chords, the sudden reliance on sumptuous strings, or the treacherously ironic French horn and E-flat clarinet solos. All effects were met with resources of confidence and precision.

The conundrum arrived after intermission in the form of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, with accomplished artist Terry Eder unwittingly cast as miracle worker for the afternoon. This frustration she shouldered with an angelic smile and a healthy dose of rubato. Attempts to coax glistening scales and shimmering trills from a piano less than imperial were moderately successful and unforced. The solidity of orchestral bass was a salvation here: apart from some ragged close calls in the first movement development, Maestro Bernard expertly filled in missing low fundamental frequencies and pulse, providing a generous gift to the soloist’s left hand. A muted and evocative slow movement erupted into a romping, slightly girlish rondo whose Viennese syncopations took on a rather dance-hall quality.  Ms. Eder was clearly playing with abandon,  and the final runs of the concerto shone with taut facility in the pianist’s seamless inflections.

Share

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review
“Majestic Finale”
David Bernard, Music Director
All Saints Church, New York, NY
May 6, 2012
 
David Bernard and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony

David Bernard and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony

 

A large and very enthusiastic audience was on hand for this, the final concert of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony’s 2011/12 season. They were treated to an exemplary performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No.4 in B flat major, Opus 60, and were thrilled by the visceral climaxes of Mahler’s Symphony No 1 in D major (“Titan”.) One might ask what a Mahler symphony is doing on a program by a performing organization which has “chamber symphony” in its name. My answer is that one of the glories of Mahler’s use of the orchestra is that no matter how large a performing group he writes for, the scoring is often that of a chamber orchestra, with long quiet passages for solo instruments interspersed between passages for very, very full orchestra. In addition, this Beethoven/Mahler combination was an inspired pairing; as both works have similarly mysterious pianissimo openings.

Conducting without a score, Maestro Bernard led his players in an assured, beautifully shaped and well-paced performance of the Beethoven. The tempi he chose allowed the music to unfold naturally. We heard none of the very, very fast or very, very slow tempi which so many conductors now choose perhaps to show us an “original” interpretation of a well-known work. Readers of the New York Concert Review might remember that I am very insistent that performers obey the composer’s instructions and observe all of the indicated repeats.  I am happy to report that this afternoon all of Beethoven’s repeats were performed. And so were those in the Mahler!

The very live acoustics of All Saints Church caused a problem which persisted throughout the concert; the solo winds, when playing passages marked piano, all sounded too loud. I’m sure that the players were following Beethoven’s dynamic marking, but the contrast between loud and soft didn’t come across. As this was not the case with the strings, the tutti crescendi, so crucial in a work by Beethoven, were handled beautifully.

After intermission came the Mahler. Again conducting without a score, Maestro Bernard led the huge orchestra with discrete, clear and concise gestures. The orchestral playing was of the same high quality we heard on the program’s first half. The strings were especially impressive – the wild opening of the last movement was played with confident abandon. The horns, all seven of them, had a very high batting average. It was a very impressive performance. But for this listener, during the lyrical passages there was something missing, and it is hard to put it into words without sounding too negative, something I do not wish to do as it would seem to contradict the statement which precedes this sentence. So with that disclaimer, I’ll try. I found the lyrical section somewhat stiff and careful, with little of the warmth and disciplined freedom I look for in a Mahler symphony. A bit more use of portamento in the strings would have also been welcome. But when the orchestra was going at full tilt, all was well. And when it was over, the audience rose to their feet and thanked the performers with heartfelt applause and cheers.

Share

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review
“Sublime Journeys”: Britten, Richard Strauss and Beethoven
David Bernard, conductor
David Chan, violin
Tamra Paselk, soprano
All Saints Church, New York, NY
October 23, 2011
"David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony"  Photo: Jennifer Taylor

"David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony" Photo: Jennifer Taylor

 

In a program entitled “Sublime Journeys,” David Bernard and The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony presented varied, challenging repertory with excellent soloists on display, and they succeeded with flying colors. Strauss’s “Death and Transfiguration,” a meaningful choice for this beautiful space, was a real triumph. This masterpiece demands virtuosity and creates challenges for top-tier ensembles, and the orchestra rose to the occasion with superb playing all around. Bernard, who conducted from memory, brought raw, dramatic intensity to the urgent sections, while conducting the noble transfiguration theme with utmost tenderness and lovely, sustained pacing. Balances were unusually clear, considering the church’s resonant acoustics; Bernard found ways to bring out woodwind details, and the brass shined with solid, blended playing. Concertmaster David Edelson’s solo-playing was rendered with conviction here, the violas were excellent, and the solo oboe playing was scintillatingly beautiful. The only disappointing moments were the bassoon’s and clarinets’ subpar intonation in the introduction and a rhythmically rough transition to the development section; yet, the notoriously treacherous triplet passage in the violins was executed very well indeed.

The program opened with soprano Tamra Paselk singing a consistently evocative, engrossing account of Britten’s “Les Illuminations”, Op. 18. In every single movement, she revealed nuances of character and color with her dramatic acting and gorgeous voice. The orchestra got off to a good start, with very solid, precise violas. The high, exposed writing in the first violins and solo violin part sounded approximate at times, but the balance between soprano and orchestra was perfect, as Paselk could be heard at every turn.

David Chan played with poised brilliance and profound integrity in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, which concluded the program. And the orchestra was supportive and precise throughout. Although one could call Chan’s performance amazing for its virtuosity, the most memorable aspect of his performance was his heartfelt rendering of the slow movement and all the movements’ lyrical phrases at the top of the register. Chan always put the meaning of the notes first and their accuracy a close second; his priorities are in order, like a great artist’s should be, and we ended up witnessing an interpretation that was both technically polished and sublime.

Share

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review
David Bernard, Music Director and Conductor
Ted Rosenthal, Piano
Bernstein, Beethoven, Rosenthal (World Premiere), and Gershwin
All Saints Church; New York, NY
May 15, 2011
David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.  Photo: Jennifer Taylor

David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony. Photo: Jennifer Taylor

 

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony’s performance of Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony was captivating throughout; the clarity of rhythm and the musical conviction of the players were superb in what was a sparkling account. Music Director and Conductor David Bernard made the most of Beethoven’s melodic material by emphasizing the shape of the musical line, and Beethoven’s trademark sforzandos (heavy accents) were punctuated with tremendous vigor. All dynamics were presented with great contrast, but Bernard also brought out the nuanced, Haydnesque elements in the music: the humor, the grace, the lightness of touch in the orchestration, and he emphasized the Viennese dance music that permeates the score.

Bernstein’s “Candide Overture” was given a vibrant account, as this tricky piece–with all its contrapuntal elements–was appropriately feisty and comical. In Ted Rosenthal’s “Jazz Fantasy” for Piano and Orchestra (world premiere), the soloist, Rosenthal himself–who is better known as a jazz pianist–played the improvised sections with panache and enthusiasm. When he was playing the written-out parts, he seemed a bit stifled–which is odd because he composed the piece himself.  Then again, Rachmaninoff was not always at home when he played his own music. In the “Jazz Fantasy,” Bernard was–despite all the difficulties of a new piece–relaxed and precise. The cello section had some difficulties with intonation and ensemble, but the violins and woodwinds were accurate and had a nicely blended sound–although not always audible. When they were heard, the solo flute and clarinet were wonderful. The brass section was sometimes excessively loud or unreliable; the trumpet soloist, for example, made a noticeable fumble at the very opening of the piece. On a side note, there was a cute moment when the jazz drum set player glanced over in the direction of the classical percussionists, with a thinly veiled look of disapproval as they played a rather bland, orchestrated version of a Latin clavé rhythm. A few moments later, the clavé motif shifted to the drum set player, who played it with a natural affinity, and had a slightly smug look on his face as he did.

The “Jazz Fantasy” certainly had overtones of “Rhapsody in Blue,” although it pales in comparison to Gershwin’s masterpiece. (What wouldn’t?) It seemed to be a big crowd pleaser anyway; both Mr. Rosenthal’s piece and “Rhapsody in Blue” received standing ovations. In the Gershwin, the conductor and soloist communicated exceptionally well, the clarinetist played an excellent opening solo, and the strings seemed more secure and enthusiastic in this piece, without question due to the work’s familiarity. In the Gershwin, Rosenthal took many refreshing liberties in fantastic solo playing, adding some rather long improvised sections to the piano cadenzas. In a delicate scherzando passage near the end, Rosenthal and the orchestra were at odds rhythmically, but this appeared to be the fault of the first violinists, as their eyes were glued to their music here. Overall, “Rhapsody in Blue” was very moving, and in summation, this was an immensely enjoyable concert. 

Holly Nelson for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Share

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
All Saints Church, New York, NY
May 2, 2010 

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony

The program was perfect: it had a central idea, which was music from or inspired by France. But even though the works were nicely tied together, they were also satisfyingly well-contrasted from one another. Bizet’s Symphony in C was composed by a Frenchman, who at 17 years of age was hardly a man or hardly French; his music, after all, was greatly inspired by the classical structures of Beethoven’s fourth, Schumann’s second and Mendelssohn’s third symphonies. Yet expansive French melody and chromaticism shine through, and this work is worthy of frequent performances. The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony played it marvelously well; David Bernard’s tempo choices were safe and fittingly musical at the same time—the last movement Allegro vivace, for example, wasn’t hurried or flashed for effect, but played so details could be heard. Only occasionally were trumpet and timpani eighth notes late or behind after a tied note. And only a few oboe and flute unison E’s were slightly off in the Adagio. In general, this was indeed a polished performance. 

Debussy’s Nocturnes are associated with French Impressionism, yet they were an inspirational source for Stravinsky’s rhythmical Sacre du Printemps. The dreamy mood in Nuages (clouds) was captured exquisitely, and the orchestra was in sync with all of Fete’s syncopations and fly-by-night articulations. The stopped horns and trumpets were solidly in tune—though trumpet ensemble was a bit off in the March. The Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra was written later and shows a different, even less predictable side to Debussy—one with constantly shifting harmonies and irregular phrases and rhythms. It was given a sweetly seductive, technically masterful performance by the always excellent Jon Manasse. 

Gershwin’s An American in Paris made a great impression all around: ensemble playing was in control—except in one syncopated brass section toward the end—balances were kept in check, intonation was excellent, tone quality beautiful, and the solo trumpet and trombone playing was very solid and evocative. Bernard added some nice touches, like a longer-than-usual bassoon grace note at the beginning of one of the slower parts. The swing section—featuring trumpet solos, trills and numerous syncopations was too slow for my taste, but every other tempo sounded completely natural. Bernard, who conducted the entire program from memory, should be very proud of what he has accomplished with this difficult program; the orchestra was confident and musical, technically impressive and extremely well-prepared.

Share