Mark Cannon, piano

Westchester Conservatory of Music

White Plains, New York 

April 17th, 2024

Mark Cannon offered a demanding program at his piano recital April 17, 2024, at the Westchester Conservatory of Music in White Plains, New York. The works played were Haydn’s Sonata No 62 in E-flat major (Hob. XVI/52), Scriabin’s Sonata No. 10, Op. 70, and Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58. 

Who might play such a program? One could imagine a young, energetic virtuoso with plenty of time to practice these musically and pianistically challenging works. Well, Mark Cannon is, indeed, an energetic musician but he is also, in fact, a 73-year-old psychiatrist with a very busy medical practice! That he can produce such a quality program is truly remarkable!

He is clearly comfortable on stage and at the piano, and he offered some original ideas about the music in his comments. Interestingly, he decided not to take an intermission, which showed his endurance. 

His playing has enthusiasm and intelligence. He has thought about, and analyzed this music carefully, and his memory is excellent. In particular, he mentioned that the Scriabin Sonata is thought of as difficult to memorize, but he doesn’t agree, as he finds it logically organized. He never plays “carefully” but always goes for the spirit of the music at tempi that are effective. Is the passagework in fast movements always crystalline? No, it was variable, though sometimes it was quite good, such as in the main theme of the scherzo of the Chopin Sonata. But the music always comes across.

The first movement of the Haydn Sonata was stormy and powerful, though this listener would have liked a bit more soft playing some of the time. The second movement seemed slightly fast but was also sensuous and dramatic, and it had a beautiful ending, The last movement was uninhibited and full of spirit. The pianist clearly enjoyed emphasizing the irregular accents.

The first movement of the Chopin Sonata was played at a nice clip, yet with sensitivity. Dr. Cannon made the interesting comment that the beautiful second theme would be better known if it weren’t part of a much larger work. The scherzo (main section) of the second movement, as previously mentioned, was well played, as was the trio (the middle section). 

The theme of the slow movement was expressively presented. The pianist seemed to enjoy exploring the intensity of the E major middle section, and made the transition back to the first theme sound like an improvisation, which worked very well. When it returned, the first theme was now more mellow, and the movement ended beautifully. If the finger work in the last movement wasn’t perfect there was great, and continuous forward motion, and a fine buildup to the last statement of the main theme.

Perhaps most impressive was Mark Cannon’s playing of the Scriabin Tenth Sonata. This thirteen-minute work was written in 1913. The composer wrote “My Tenth Sonata is a sonata of insects. Insects are born from the sun […] they are the kisses of the sun.” The pianist, however, said “I hear birds more.” This listener will not take a position either way (!), but found the music, and the performance gripping. The Sonata begins with several motives and splashes of sound, followed by radiant trills. The disparate elements of this work include moments of intensity and release, as well as a sequence of trills and clashing chords. In the end, the original motives return, but sounding calmer. 

This was a very worthwhile and intriguing program!

by Donald Isler  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Martín García García, piano

Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY

July 17, 2022

Martín García García is an exciting young Spanish pianist who played the final recital at this year’s International Keyboard Institute and Festival, founded by one of his teachers, Jerome Rose. The First Prize winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, he has also won other prizes, such as at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, and he has performed in solo recital and concerto appearances both here and in Europe. His playing evokes enthusiasm from his audience, and that is not hard to understand. 

Mr. García is an excellent Mozart player! The first movement of the C minor Sonata, K. 457 was vigorous, yet nuanced and sensitive. The development section was dramatic, and the rather surprising quiet conclusion was effectively played. The slow movement worked well at a straight-forward tempo. Some of the fast runs tickled, and the coda was delicious! The last movement, a somewhat strange piece, had an improvisational feeling, forceful, yet with charm. Here Mr. García added some intriguing and delightful cadenzas. 

With barely a pause after concluding the Mozart, Mr. García offered three Liszt works. He launched into the jarring minor ninths at the beginning of Funérailles. He played the theme in F minor slower than one sometimes hears it, but it worked very well his way. He really picked up steam and created a huge climax in the octave section before the “fading away into nothing” end of the piece. Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este was a beautiful picture, in sound, of the splashing fountain, with some feelings of nostalgia, yet also full-strength exuberance. The Valse-Impromptu, which concluded the first half, was playful and light-hearted, though occasionally thoughtful, and full of charm. 

Mr. García certainly brought out the contrasts between the three Chopin Waltzes, Op. 34, which began the second half! I had never before heard the A-flat Waltz played so fast! Yet, it featured nice shadings, and good musician that he is, repeated phrases always came back in different dynamics the second time around. Similarly, I had never heard the A minor Waltz played so slowly, but found it totally convincing. The F major Waltz, the theme of which has always reminded me of a dog chasing its own tail, was very fast; playful, elegant, and puckish, with a lovely modulation into the D-flat major section.    

The printed program concluded with the B minor Sonata of Chopin. The first movement is a particular masterpiece, full of both bravura and poetry. It’s difficult not to compare in one’s mind great performances one has heard of it. How does Mr. García’s interpretation compare? It’s already very good and will probably ripen further. One heard a real understanding of the idiom, and there were some very special moments. 

Not surprisingly, the first section of the second movement sizzled. Mr. García’s ability to play slowly, convincingly, and very expressively was shown in the middle section of this movement, and in the third movement, the end of which was particularly lovely, and dreamy.  Interestingly, he played the finale at just a moderate speed, making a convincing case for his approach, especially with his terrific finger work in the fast runs. 

Mr. García generously went on to play four encores. The first one was the Schumann Fantasiestück, Op. 111, No. 2. The A-flat major main theme was deeply felt, and the C minor contrasting section had real passion. The coda was particularly beautiful. The second was the Waltz, Op. 38, of Scriabin. It was charming, bubbly, virtuosic, and occasionally bombastic.  The third encore was the well-known C-sharp minor Waltz of Chopin, Op. 64, No. 2. It was stately and elegant. The final encore was Mompou’s Jeunes filles au jardin (Girls In the Garden). Somewhat reminiscent of the styles of Debussy and Satie, it was mostly laid-back and easy-going, yet with outbursts. This is a pianist I would like to hear again!

by Donald Isler  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Rachel Eve Holmes, Soprano

Pedro Carreras, Tenor; Catherine Giel, Piano

Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

February 12th, 2020

This was a delightful evening of music from opera and American musical theater with three splendid artists.

Rachel Eve Holmes has performed over thirty leading operatic and musical theater roles with many companies and orchestras all over the country. A few of the competitions she has won are the 2019 Utah Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, the 2018 Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition, the 2016 Atlanta Musical Clubs Competition, the 2015 Schubert Club Competition, and the 2011 Weill Hall Carnegie Hall Young Musicians Concert Competition. Her voice radiates power and confidence.

Pedro Carreras, a native of Miami, is particularly active, professionally, in the Atlanta area. He performs in opera, classical and music theater genres, and is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia. There is real lyricism and sensitivity in his singing.  Pianist Catherine Giel was the ideal collaborative artist in this program. She was perfectly in step with the singers  at all times in terms of ensemble and balance, and her playing always matched the character of what was being sung. She is Music Director of the Capitol City Opera, and has served as accompanist, stage manager and Outreach Coordinator to the Florida State Opera. She has also been a Staff Accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions.

Bizet’s “Parle-moi da mere” (from Carmen) started off the evening with great energy and some delightful duo singing. The blending of voices in Mascagni’s “Cherry Duet” (L’amico Fritz) was lovely, and the languid, slow responsive section quite beautiful. The comedy in the recitativo sections of Donizetti’s “Caro elisir…Esulti pur la barbara”( L’elisir d’amore) was wonderful. One enjoyed how the singers teased, and tormented each other virtuosically! Puccini’s very individual idiom has a particular harmonic sophistication and ethos. In “Bimba dagli occhi pieni di malia” (Madama Butterfly) there was tenderness, and also an extended section of high notes which Ms. Holmes sang with ease. Verdi’s “Parigi, o cara” (La Traviata)had a joyous beginning. Later, the slow section was strong but delicate, with perfect ensemble, Ms. Giel matching the character of the vocal lines in her chords. Puccini’s “O soave fanciulla” (La bohème) concluded the first half of the program with two famous arias, the singers then walking together offstage, from where their sustained high notes could still be heard!

The second half of the program consisted of songs from Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Bridges of Madison County. This work, so different from the operatic first half, showed off other strengths of the singers. The music itself is very alert, appealing, and engaging. Some of the songs featured just Ms. Holmes or Mr. Carreras. Others included both of them. “To Build A Home,” the first song, is a travelogue across America. I was immediately impressed by Ms. Holmes’ superb English diction.”Temporarily Lost” was nostalgic, with jazzy harmonies. “What Do You Call A Man Like That?” was troubled, turbulent and, questioning. “Wondering” was searching, with a wounded, emotional quality. “The World Inside a Frame” was passionate, and had a sudden and unexpected quiet end.  “Falling Into You,” with both singers, had a dreamy nature. Ms. Holmes sang “Almost Real” operatically, with both delicacy and bitterness.  There was tenderness and intimacy in “Before and After You.” There is a section which Mr. Carreras sang without piano accompaniment after which Ms. Holmes sang more dramatically with the piano. This led directly into the next song, “One Second and A Million Miles,” which included some elaborate right hand figurations for the piano. “It All Fades Away,” about remembering a love, was filled with longing and passion. “Always Better,” the concluding song, sounded warm and contented. “Love Is Always Better” was followed by reprises of some of what we heard earlier: “You and I Are Just One Second and a Million Miles” and part of the theme from the first song.

Only after the concert did I read the synopsis of this show (an adaptation of the Robert James Waller novel, which was also the source for the 1995 Clint Eastwood/Meryl Streep movie) and learned that it is the story about a married woman’s brief affair with a man whom she meets while her family is away. She decides not to continue the relationship, but never forgets it, holding a warm remembrance of it. Did I miss out on anything, having not known the story beforehand? Perhaps just a little. But that didn’t keep me from appreciating a fine evening of wonderful, emotional and sometimes virtuosic singing.

by Donald Isler  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Jonathan Griffith, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor

Sir Karl Jenkins, CBE, Composer-in-Residence

Iestyn Davies, countertenor; Baidar Al Basri, ethnic music vocalist; Mikhail Veselov, cello; Claudia Chapa, mezzo-soprano;  Hussein Janmohamed, Call to Prayers reciter

Special Guest: Jeff Spurgeon, WQXR Radio Personality

Distinguished Concerts Orchestra; Distinguished Concerts Singers international

Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

January 20, 2020

Sir Karl Jenkins (born 1944) is a Welsh composer who has been active in many fields of composition including rock, jazz, and advertising, as well as “serious” music. This program featured two of his major works, each of which consists of thirteen parts. The evening began with the North American premiere and, internationally, the second performance, of his Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption. By contrast, the other work, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, is twenty years old and so popular, we were told, that it has been performed an average of twice a week ever since it was composed!

The size of Distinguished Concerts Singers International varies from performance to performance, but it seemed that on this occasion there were at least 150 to 200 singers onstage, and it was glorious to hear such a powerful vocal ensemble in this wonderful hall! The Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, founded in 2008 by Dr. Jonathan Griffith, varies from being a large group, in the Miserere, to a huge ensemble, such as filled the stage during The Armed Man. As with the chorus, the orchestra and the soloists, including a trumpeter who played from the Dress Circle in one movement of The Armed Man, were all excellent. (Unfortunately I could not find his name in the program.)

Some relevant words from the program notes about the Miserere by the composer: “Miserere: Songs of Mercy and Redemption is dedicated to all who have suffered during the tragic conflicts of the Middle East over the last 70 years. As we are only too well aware, the violence, horror and destruction have not been limited to that geo-political area…Miserere is the Latin imperative for ‘have mercy’ and is often used as a title for Psalm 51, of which the opening words are “Miserere mei, Deus” (Have mercy upon me, O God). Many composers have set this psalm to music…”

This work began with the Principium, featuring a solo by the wonderful cellist Mikhail Veselov, and evocative vocalizations by the ethnic vocal soloist Baidar Al Basri. Most of the vocal solos after that were by the excellent countertenor Iestyn Davies. The second movement, Miserere mei, Deum, was soothing and consoling, more “western sounding” than the first movement. The Ubi Caritas was warm and comforting, and the Sacramentum featured an eloquent cello solo. The sixth movement, which grew out of a unison, was based on the hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and had a powerful a cappella choral section. The eighth movement, Hymnus: Locus iste ,was more adventurous harmonically than what had come before, with interesting pauses between phrases. Praise, Joy and Gladness, the ninth movement, had a lively, different ethos, with perhaps an African influence, and great enthusiasm. Canendo, the tenth movement, was luxuriantly slow, a contemplation of beauty. The eleventh movement, Eli Jenkins’ Prayer and Epilogue, had a wonderfully big sound from the a cappella chorus, to which a small string ensemble was later added. Rahma (Mercy), the twelfth movement, was all but shouted out in Arabic, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, and featured a strong beat, a Middle Eastern flavor, and chromaticism. Contemplation and Redemption, the final movement was, in part, warm and calm, yet also somewhat edgy, with still unresolved emotional tension. The end felt like a benediction. There followed a standing ovation.

Guy Wilson has written program notes for The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace, which is clearly a classic of this type of anti-war repertoire. To quote Mr. Wilson: “The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace is the result of a special millennial commission from the Royal Armouries, and the latest in a six century-old tradition of ‘Armed Man’ masses that take the 15^th century French song, L’Homme Armé as their starting point. The theme that the Armed Man must be feared, which is the message of the song, seemed painfully relevant to the 20^th century and so the idea was born to commission a modern Armed Man Mass…The Armed Man, A Mass For Peace, received its world premiere in April 2000 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In a rapturous performance, by turns visceral and ethereal, the Mass was ‘a fire bomb of orchestral and human voices’ (according to the London Times) and drew ‘prolonged shouts of approval from the audience’ (according to the Independent).”  Before it was performed there was a brief onstage discussion with Sir Karl, Maestro Griffith, and Jeff Spurgeon from the radio station WQXR

Screened high above the orchestra and chorus as we heard this sixty-three minute musical work, focusing on the tragedies of war, was the film, The Armed Man. The film includes video of practically every known horror of the 20^th century, including Nazis marching, war scenes, the aftermath of atrocities, the destruction of the World Trade Center, and touching scenes of relatives taking leave of their soldier sons, husbands, and fathers departing for battle. It was not clear to me if the film is usually shown together with this immense musical composition. People will have differing opinions on multi-media presentations. I could not help but wonder if encountering both at the same time may be overload, as the combined effect can all but push one over the edge emotionally. Does the film perhaps distract from the music, or the other way around? This may be a minority opinion, but I think I would prefer to hear/see them separately. Certainly, the musical score is on a monumental level.

There was great energy and enthusiasm in the first movement, which cheered me until I remembered the point of it was glorifying war. Following the Muslim call to prayer (Adhaan) came the somber Kyrie. The fourth movement, Save Me From Bloody Men, based on Psalm 56, had the male choral voices a cappella in a quasi-recitativo. The fifth movement, Sanctus,  featured the chorus and brass responding to each other with ongoing drums at the same time. In this movement the orchestra made such a gigantic sound that the chorus was, at times, all but drowned out.  The Hymn Before Action was dramatic and ominous.  In the eighth movement, Angry Flames, mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa declaimed against the brass, and there were choral “comments.” Her voice has particularly fine low notes.  The ninth movement, Torches, had sonic eruptions, a quieter choral section, and then an explosion on the last word. The mood of the tenth movement, Agnus Dei , was one of resignation. Part of its loveliness reminded me of the Fauré Requiem. Now the Guns Have Stopped featured a major mezzo-soprano solo and tense harmonies, as if the ravages of war were still very much present, rather than past tense. The Benedictus, with a beautiful cello solo, was followed by the final movement, Better Is Peace. The big surprise, for one not familiar with this work, was that its theme was the same as that of the first movement, but here the music clamored, with equal strength, for peace, as it before had endorsed war. Brilliant! The last part of this final movement was based on a Biblical passage from Revelation. It was peaceful and chorale-like, and served as an Amen.

The composer and performers were greeted at the conclusion with great warmth and a standing ovation from the large audience.

by Donald Isler  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY