Harry Saltzman | New York Concert Review, Inc.

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Vocal Colors and Leading With Love, Standing For Justice in Review

Vocal Colors

Grove City High School Chorale & Harmonia (OH)

Ann Johnson, Director

Brennan Harris, Piano; Hannah Grosse, Violin I; Jimmy Xiao, Violin II; Madison Estep, Viola; Owen Miller, Cello; Ciera Feucht, French Horn

Leading With Love, Standing For Justice

The Kindness Revolution Singers (MN)

Darcy Reese, Director

Aaron Fagerstrom, Piano and Drums; Will Maclean, Drums

Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium, New York, NY

June 21, 2022,

Anyone who laments the dearth of music in America’s High Schools would be heartened by Tuesday night’s concert in Carnegie Hall in which Distinguished Concerts International New York (SCINY) presented two fine choruses from the Midwest. The combined Grove City (Ohio) High School Chorale, a mixed chorus, and Harmonia, a women’s chorus performed the first half, which was titled Vocal Colors. They were under the able direction of Ann Johnson who conducted with a clear and concise beat. I would, however suggest she avoid “mirror conducting” – i.e. doing the same thing with both the right and left arms. Other than two works, one by Mozart and the other by Duruflé, the music was of a genre beloved of high School choirs. This music is both tonal and tuneful, often with a nod towards Pop and Broadway, and with a debt to the African-America Spiritual.

The copious program notes told us that the first work, Da Pacem (The Stars Sang to the Sea) by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, draws on “inspiration and hope inspired by our children.” The chorus and pianist Brennan Harris, who played skillfully throughout the first half, were joined by French Hornist Ciera Feucht, who handled her most difficult instrument well. Miss Feucht was also a member of the chorus.

Next was a spirited performance of Mozart’s Veni Sancte Spiritus, K. 47 during which the chorus was joined by a wonderful string quartet (Hannah Grosse, Violin 1; Jimmy Xiao, Violin 2; Madison Estep, Viola and Owen Miller, Cello,) who also performed in many other works. A well-balanced solo quartet drawn from the chorus (Kat Lutz, soprano; Allison Remick, alto; Andrew Vo, tenor and Ian Loomis, bass) rounded out the forces. The chorus displayed fine intonation and a lovely fresh sound fitting for this work by the twelve-year-old Mozart.

The music of three contemporary composers followed. The first was Ola Gjeilo’s Across the Vast Eternal Sky. After a short introduction in duple meter, the piano played a lilting waltz melody which the chorus then sang. The rest of the work alternated between the waltz and the material of the introduction. This and the next two works, Jacob Narverud’s You Are the Song and Stephen Paulus’ Sing Creations Music On, written for woman’s chorus, were performed by the women of Harmonia alone, a fact not mentioned in the program. By the way, the program was also cavalier about mentioning the dates of the composers. The dates of the three of the four deceased composers were mentioned in the program notes, with the dates of Duruflé being omitted. In addition, the birth years of the all the living composers were omitted, information which a program should contain.

Then came what was for me the high point of the evening, a performance of Ubi Caritas from Maurice Duruflé’s Quatre Motets sur des themes grègorienes, Op. 10. It was sheer sustained beauty and I can’t think of any way in which it could have been improved. The spell cast by the Duruflé was then excitingly broken by the driving propulsive rhythms of Jake Runestad’s Wild Forces. The Grove City High School’s portion tonight’s concert concluded with a rousing rendition of Music Down in My Soul, a gospel arrangement by Moses Horgan of the African-American spiritual Over My Head.

Throughout their performance the singers performed from memory and with total commitment and concentration. They sang the music by heart with perfect intonation, rhythmic precision, and fine balance among the sections. The following is a personal comment: I don’t know if the repertoire on tonight’s concert was a reflection of what they sing at their home base. But I do hope that when in Grove City, they also have a chance to perform and enjoy some of the great choral music from the renaissance, baroque and romantic eras. I also hope they sing some a cappella music and that the strong singing young men of the Chorale get the opportunity to sing music for male chorus.

The concert continued without intermission and, after a long pause, The Kindness Revolution Singers from Lincoln High School in Thief River, Minnesota took the spotlight. Their half of the program was titled “Leading with Love, Standing for Justice.” But before they took the stage, Aaron Fagerstrom, the group’s fine pianist, beautifully played an excerpt from De Profundis by the Ukrainian composer, Mikhail Shukh. It was an admirable salute, as the program said, “For the Brave People of Ukraine.” The singers, all accessorized by long multicolored scarfs, then entered, followed by their director, Darcy Reese, who gave an impassioned anti-gun speech titled “Enough is enough… Our Tribute to Robb Elementary.” All but one of the following eight works on their program were preceded by such sermon-like exhortations. As the program notes (by Ms. Reese) and the title above the name of the composer made clear what the singers wanted to express, I felt that these speeches were “gilding the lily.” My notes said, “I don’t expect to be lectured to at a concert.” However, the sentiments were sincere and heartfelt.

Now on to the vocal performance itself. The singing of the chorus was constantly exemplary. They clearly showed that they strongly believed in the message they wished to convey to the audience. They made a beautiful sound and had perfect intonation and sense of ensemble. Ms. Reese, who has taught at Lincoln High School for thirty- five years, has obviously taught them well. In a telephone conversation with Ms. Reese, I found that tonight’s chorus goes by different names, depending on the repertoire they are singing and the nature of the concert they are presenting. As I mentioned in the first half of this review, I do hope that, in its other guises, the chorus has the opportunity to explore the great choral literature of the renaissance, baroque, classical and romantic eras.

The second half’s music was, like that of most of the first half, “both tonal and tuneful, often with a nod towards Pop and Broadway, and with a debt to the African-America Spiritual.” The Pop aspect was often heightened by the use of percussion in many of the works. During a cappella compositions, pianist Aaron Fagerstrom often played the bongos while drummer Will Maclean played in both a cappella and accompanied works. Not in the order of performance, we heard the Pop-like If We Stand as One by Jim Papoulis, Lead With Love by Melanie Demore and The Power of Kindness by Mark Hayes; also the spiritual-influenced Ain’t Judgin’ No Man by Greg Gilpin and In Meeting We Are Blessed by Troy Roberson. This last work was followed by Andre A. Thomas’ arrangement of a real spiritual, My Good Lord’s Done Been Here. Next was the jazzy and full of scat-singing I am Alive by Greg Jasperse. The concert ended with It’s Time by Kim André Arnesen. The text of this work’s simple, lyric, and folk-like melody beautifully summed up the message of The Kindness Revolution Singers. The very active drum part and the above the head rhythmic clapping by the chorus brought the concert to a rousing conclusion. As the singers exited the stage, Ms. Reese exhorted the audience to join in the rhythmic clapping. They did!

Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents “Sing! Christmas Dreams” in Review

Joseph M. Martin composer/conductor; Heather Sorenson, DCINY composer-in-residence/pianist

Mary McDonald, composer/conductor; Joel Raney, DCINY composer-in-residence/pianist

Sarah Holloway, soprano; Matt Cahill, David John Hailey, baritones

Distinguished Concerts Orchestra; Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

November 17, 2019

In front of a large and most enthusiastic audience, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented Sing! Christmas Dreams, one of their annual massed chorus extravaganzas. The performers were the highly skilled Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, under the direction of two different conductors, and the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, three large choruses drawn from thirty-nine church choirs in the United States, one Community Chorus from Canada, plus about 10 unaffiliated choristers from around the globe. In total there were approximately 250 choral singers in each of the three choruses. And a glorious mighty sound did they each make!

First some words about the music. At a concert called Sing! Christmas Dreams, one does not expect music that will make very many demands on the listener. The music is expected to be uplifting and accessible, and so it was this evening. Most works utilized a simple harmonic vocabulary and, until the concert’s final work, little or no polyphony. Many used the pop-music cliché of modulating up a half step to increase the impact of a repeat of music and text. Save for the very large performing forces, what we heard would not be out of place on Broadway or in Las Vegas. This is not meant to be taken as a criticism. It is just a description of what this reviewer heard.

The concert was divided into three parts, each featuring a different chorus. The first third was devoted to the New York Premiere of Christmas Dreams – A Cantata of Peace and Hope by Joseph M. Martin and Heather Sorenson. Mr. Martin was also the energetic conductor, and Ms. Sorenson joined the orchestra as pianist. The cantata had seven movements preceded by a short overture. The fifth movement, The Magi’s Epiphany, featured the fine baritone Matt Cahill. My notes on the sixth movement, Christmas Dreams, included “music all sounds alike.”

Although the following admonition appeared in the printed program below the list of movements: “Please hold yourapplause until the end of the piece,” the audience applauded after each movement. Didn’t I say that they wereenthusiastic? And well they might be- a large part of the audience was made up of family and friends of the choral singers who came from far and wide to perform in this concert. Throughout this work, and during the rest of the concert, the choruses sang beautifully. All three choruses produced a lovely sound and sang with perfect intonation. My only reservation had to do with their diction. I could understand the words they were singing only when they sang Christmas Carols with which I was acquainted. Final consonants were especially unclear. This is often a problem with large choruses. The Distinguished Concerts Orchestra played with the high level of technical skill and fine musicianship one has grown to expect from this excellent ensemble. After intermission, we heard Sing Christmas! by Mary McDonald and Joel Raney, a forty-two-minute composition consisting of four Suites with three movements in each. Again, the composers served as conductor (Ms. McDonald) and pianist (Mr. Raney.) The second movement of the Suite II, Sing Noel!, stood out with its syncopated Jamaican rhythm and flavor. The third movement, Tell Out, My Soul!, featured soprano Sarah Holloway and baritone David John Hailey. As in many other works on this concert, Sing Christmas! incorporated traditional Christmas carols and songs in the newly composed compositions. I did question the strange harmonization of the simplest of carols, Silent Night, in Suite III’s second movement, and of the 6/8 arrangements of four carols in Suite IV’s last movement. I found the latter jarring.

After a rather long pause, we heard the evening’s final work, composer and conductor Joseph M. Martin’s Christmas Evergreens. Of course, when seeing this title, one immediately thinks of pine trees. But a clarifying note by Mr. Martin states “Christmas Evergreens is a menagerie of classic and best-selling holiday songs to set hearts jingling with joy and Christmas spirit.” Thesaurus synonyms for evergreen include ageless, classic, ever popular, immortal, and old time favorite. The few “best-selling holiday songs” in Mr. Martin’s composition really do not fit the definition of “evergreen,” or of its synonyms, and the mention of “best-selling” highlights the unfortunate commercialization of this religious holiday. A better phrase might have been “newly composed.” It is possible that, in the future, these works may become “evergreens.” I will choose one of the afore mentioned synonyms to say that Mr. Martin often cleverly combined “ever popular” melodies in one of the evenings few uses of polyphony.

The conclusion of the concert was met by long and heartfelt applause. It was well deserved. There are few things more exciting than the sound of large amateur choruses. Tonight’s choruses were well prepared back home by their many conductors and sang with great skill and enthusiasm under tonight’s two directors. They had the opportunity to sing in one of the world’s great concert halls, and they, their family and friends got a chance to visit one of the world’s greatest cities. Thanks to DCINY for making this possible.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Loralee Songer in Review

LORALEE SONGER, MEZZO-SOPRANO; PERRY MEARS, PIANO

WEILL RECITAL HALL AT CARNEGIE HALL, NEW YORK, NY

OCTOBER 19, 2019

This recital by mezzo-soprano Loralee Songer featured individual songs and song cycles by six living female composers, set to texts by nine female poets. The styles of the songs varied from pop to somewhat dissonant 20^th century norms. The skillful accompanist was Perry Mears. The printed program had one unusual feature, in that after each song title its duration was written. I can therefore state that there was thirty minutes of music on the first half and twenty-eight minutes after intermission.

The program began with two short songs, music by Lucy Simon and text by Marsha Norman, from their 1989 adaptation of Frances Hodgsen Burnett’s The Secret Garden. If I describe these songs as pop music, I am not using “pop” as a pejorative term. For me it describes music that is, amongst other things, undemanding and uncomplicated. Although it certainly was attention grabbing, I wonder why Ms. Songer chose to make her first sounds a scooping cry and not regular pitches. I listened to other renditions of If I Had a Fine White Horse and all singers began with recognizable pitches. As the audience applauded after the song’s conclusion, I worried that there would be applause after every song. Although I have nothing against an audience showing their enthusiastic appreciation, I would suggest that in future recitals Ms. Songer include in the printed program a request that the audience withhold their applause until the end of each set.

The performers then left the stage, something that is often done after the first set to allow latecomers to be seated. What I found unusual was that the performers left the stage between all of the (mostly short) sets. They returned to perform Lori Laitman’s setting of three poems by Emily Dickinson. The accompaniments of these works were slightly more dissonant than those of the previous set. Ms. Songer has a very bright voice which doesn’t sound very mezzo-like, and when she did sing in the lower register, it was quite weak.

Libby Larsen, whose music we heard next, was the only one of the six composers on the program whose name I recognized. Her song cycle, Love After 1950, was written in 2000 for the mezzo-soprano Susan Mentzer. I wondered what “after 1950” meant. Could it have referred to the year of Ms. Larsen’s birth? It was the first of two cycles on this program whose texts dealt with woman’s difficulties in the “battlefield of love.” The music of each of the six songs was written in a different musical style including blues, cocktail piano, honky-tonk, and tango. Yes, I know that’s only five styles – Ms. Larsen’s website didn’t give a musical style for the last song.

The first half ended with One Perfect Rose, a short three-minute song with music by Emma Lou Diemer and words by Dorothy Parker. This was one of the works on the recital which had, as the program notes stated, a simple yet varied accompaniment that allows the words to shine. However, many of the other works had very complicated accompaniments, which pianist Perry Mears played with clarity and ease.

The second half began with the U.S. premiere of Godiva, music by Juliana Hall, text by Caitlin Vincent. While the first half of tonight’s recital was performed by memory, this and the following work were performed on book. For the first time in the evening I had trouble understanding the words. This was anomalous in that Ms. Songer’s diction during the first half was clarity personified, made obvious by the audience’s laughter at the comical portions of the text.

The recital concluded with the world premiere of tonight’s longest work, Little Black Book, with music by Susan LaBarr and text by Caitlin Vincent, which is described in the program notes as one that “highlights the struggle to find love in the digital age.” Directly below the work’s title in the program proper was printed “a song cycle that fails the Bechdel Test.” As the program notes did not explain anything about the Bechdel Test, I went to the internet and found on Wikipedia: “The Bechdel Test is a measure of the representation of women in fiction. It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man.” I also found that it is most often used in analyzing the portrayal of women in movies. And yes, as the program notes stated that these songs dealt with both Ms. Songer’s and Ms. Vincent’s romantic histories, the terms of the Bechdel test were certainly not met. The audience found many of the six songs very funny.

Throughout the concert, Ms. Songer sang with commitment, fine diction, and stylistic awareness. The audience agreed and, at the recital’s conclusion, showered Ms. Songer and Mr. Mears with tumultuous applause and the vociferous “woo-woo” sound which seems to have replaced “bravo” with contemporary audiences.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Cultural Centre of the Regional Government of Central Macedonia presents “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Pietro Mascagni in Review

CAVALLERI RUSTICANA, HEPTAPYRGION FORTRESS, THESSALONIKI, GREECE

JULY 12, 2019

A taxi took us from our hotel near the sea up into the hills above the city of Thessaloniki. As we drove higher and higher above the town, my wife and I mused about the performance we were about to attend. In what kind of space would it take place, what would be the quality of the singers, how would they be accompanied – a piano, or possibly two, or even an orchestra? We really didn’t know what to expect.

We finally stopped in front of the Heptapygrion (Seven Tower) Fortress, parts of which were built in late Classical times. Its present form dates from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. It served as the major fortification of Thessaloniki’s acropolis, as well as the seat of the garrison commander in Ottoman times. In the late 19th century, about 60 years after the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence and while Thessaloniki was still under the Ottoman occupation, it was converted to a prison which remained open until 1989. The site was then taken over by the Ministry of Culture and the regional Byzantine Archaeology Service, which moved some of its offices there. Systematic archaeological study and restoration began in 1990. This is the first year of the Heptapygrion Festival, which ran from July 2^nd to July 22^nd.

After passing through the site’s monumental gate, we were directed to the old prison’s courtyard. The performance would take place out of doors! (I must admit that because of less than optimal acoustics, I am not a great fan of outdoor opera performances.) But I was very happy to see a full-sized orchestra seated in front of me and behind it a lovely set featuring a staircase to the entrance of a church one might find in a small Sicilian village. This was much more realistic than the massive “Cecil B. DeMille” staircases one finds in major operas house productions. The visible wings on both sides of the stage, from which entrances and exits would take place, wrapped around both sides of the audience.

The State Orchestra of Thessaloniki tuned up (I do love that sound) and the conductor, Zoe Tsokanou, made her entrance. After a few moments of the opera’s prelude it was clear that the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki was a first-rate ensemble. Ms. Tsokanou drew from them beautiful well phrased playing with her graceful, concise and clear conducting. And the sound we heard belied the fact that we were out of doors. The acoustics were wonderful. Would the same be true for the voices? I awaited the tenor’s offstage serenade with eager anticipation.

I was not disappointed. Dario Di Vetri’s plangent tones reverberated off of the fortress’s stone walls to great effect. This is a true Italianate tenor voice with the thrilling “squillo” of the upper register. Usually I find it takes this opera a long time to “get off the ground,” but this atmospheric outdoor setting made the time before any major on-stage-singing seem to go by quite quickly. When the other soloists finally got on stage, they followed suit in vocal and dramatic ability.

Eleni Calenos was a lovely and compelling Santuzza, winning the audience over with her beauty of tone and committed performance, Maria Vlachopoulou possessed the perfect Mama Lucia voice –deep, rich and, velvety. As Lola, Violetta Lousta’s seductive singing illuminated the irresistible hold she had on Turiddu, and Giannis Selitsaniotis as Alfio was simply magnificent –his is a huge and gorgeous voice. The opera’s sixth character, the Sicilian village’s townspeople, was brilliantly portrayed by the Mixed Choir of Thessaloniki. Prepared by director Mary Konstantinidou, the choir produced a glorious sound and moved about the stage in a natural and realistic way.

But there is one more person worthy of special kudos, the stage director Athanasios Kolalas. (Although what follows is a very long paragraph, I beg the reader’s indulgence.) Not only was M. Kolasas responsible for the fine costumes and the aforementioned lovely set, his decisions with respect to the drama helped make this the special performance it was. One decision gave shape to the entire drama. During the central scene at the church, a procession was headed by men carrying an icon of the suffering Virgin Mary. This foretold the suffering of the grieving Santuzza and Mamma Lucia after the murder of Turiddu by Alfio. Another directorial decision, and the one that impressed me the most, was a wonderful “coup de théâtre” which made clear a turning point in the drama that I had always found somewhat puzzling. After the church scene Turiddu and Santuzza quarrel in a duet in which she pleads with him to stay with her forever and love her again, while he tells her to just leave him alone. He finally loses his temper and throws her down to the ground. As he goes to the church, she hurls a curse at him and sobs. Alfio enters. We know she is desolate and angry, but was this enough to have her tell Alfio about his wife Lola’s affair with Turiddu, knowing that this would inflame him, thereby sentencing Turiddu to death at Alfio’s hand. In this production, when Turiddu throws Santuzza to the ground, she crashes into a chair. She clutches her belly as she gets up. We see blood on her dress. She lifts her dress and we see more blood. She was pregnant and the fall has caused a miscarriage. She is insane with grief. Betrayal and the loss of love were bad enough, but the loss of her child was the breaking point. Although I usually don’t approve of stage directors making such changes, this time I found Mr. Kolasas’s decision revelatory.

I hope I have made it clear that this was a performance worthy of any of the world’s major opera companies. It has been a pleasure to be able to praise each of the five soloists, the orchestra and its conductor, the chorus and its director, the performance venue and its acoustics. Thanks to the Cultural Centre of the Regional Government of Macedonia for presenting the first Heptapyrgion Festival and I wish the festival continued success in the years following.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Romanian Cultural Institute presents “Four Strings Around the World” : Irina Muresanu in Review

Irina Muresanu, violin

Romanian Cultural Institute, New York, NY

April 12, 2019

This event was the first in a new concert series presented by the Romanian Cultural Institute called “The Enescu Soirees of New York.” To paraphrase the printed program, these concerts will be designed to showcase cultivate and promote Romanian music through chamber music concerts featuring Romanian, American and international performers. The namesake of the series honors Romania’s most prolific and revered composer, George Enescu. Tonight’s soloist, violinist Irina Muresanu, is the series musical advisor.

And what a beautifully constructed program she chose for this inaugural concert. Called “Four Strings Around, the World,” a showcase of works for solo violin by composers from four continents with pieces inspired by the folk music of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. (It is available on a just issued Sono Luminus CD.) Fittingly, the first work was Enescu’s Romania – Airs in Romanian Folk Style. Although composed in 1926, this evocative composition remained in manuscript form until it was published in 2006. This was its American premiere. I say evocative because its combination of rhythms, bent notes (notes that to us sound slightly “out of tune”) and rubato phrases immediately told us that this work was from Eastern Europe. (In fact, “evocative” could be applied to all of the folk-song-derived works on this concert.) Ms. Muresanu produces a voluptuous rich sound and I was most impressed by her impeccable control while playing violin harmonics. It took but a few minutes to realize that we were hearing a master violinist.

We then moved on to Ireland with David Flynn’s Tar Éis an Caoineadh (After the Keening). Written in one continuous movement, this work consists of four dances which might have taken place at a traditional Irish wake after the ritualized keening (mournful display of sorrow and wailing). Traditional Irish wakes were a celebration of the life of the deceased and often had professional keeners, lots of alcohol, and lots of music. Each dance illustrated techniques employed by famous Irish fiddlers including droning double-stops, playing near the violin’s fingerboard (sul tasto) and near the bridge (sul ponticello). I again marveled at Ms. Muresanu’s fabulous technique. Needless to say, the work ended with a joyous Irish jig.

Departing from the folk music theme of this recital, Ms. Muresanu then performed J. S. Bach’s monumental Chaconne in D minor from his Partita BWV 1004. After hearing her performance of the first two works, I wasn’t surprised that she was up to the many technical hurdles of this most demanding masterpiece. The string crossings, and the double and triple stops were perfectly executed with seeming ease, but I found the performance, with its use of lots of vibrato and big crescendos, too romantic in style. However, as she kept the audience mesmerized for almost fifteen minutes and then received one the evening’s longest and enthusiast round of applause, I’ll stop my Baroque nitpicking.

After a brief intermission we began a musical and visual tour which took us to Iran, India, China, Argentina, and the United States of America. The visuals which preceded each piece were projected on a screen behind the performing space. They included pictures from each country, audio of the type of music on which the works we were to hear were based, and printed text about this music. While this was happening, Ms. Muresanu would be off stage changing into clothes suggesting the country whose music she would be playing. This was a wonderful touch.

Iran (Persia) was first on this tour. As with most of the folk-influenced works on tonight’s program, Reza Vali’s Calligraphy No.5 utilizes a musical scale which differs from that used in compositions such as Bach’s Chaconne in D minor. As a scale is determined by how the octave is divided (how many pitches are used, and what are the relative frequencies of these pitches), the more a culture’s scale differs from that we are used to, the more exotic it sounds. I marveled as to how Ms. Muresanu, a “classically” trained musician who has spent a lifetime playing the notes of “our scale” in tune, performed Mr. Vali’s carefully notated “out of tune notes” with such confidence and skill. She had already shown this skill playing the “bent notes” during the two folk-like works on the concert’s first half.

Next on to India for Shirish Korde’s Vák (for solo violin and electronic drone.) As much of Indian music utilizes a drone (one or two notes continuously sounded throughout a piece), Ms. Muresanu’s performance was supported by a two-note drone prerecorded on her mobile phone. Then on to the music of China, which utilizes a pentatonic (five-note) scale. But, to me, Bright Sheng’s The Stream Flows didn’t sound very Chinese. I thought I heard many half-steps (intervals like B to C) which are not found in the pentatonic scale. And Astor Piazzolla’s Tango Étude No.3 didn’t evoke the dance that I know, but the flower on Ms. Muresanu’s dress did.

Although I found the last three works less interesting than those of the rest of the program, I was still kept engaged by the magnetism of Ms. Muresanu’s playing, always exhibiting a rich sound, impeccable technique and beautiful phrasing.

This wonderful concert concluded with two contrasting works from the USA. The first, Oshta (Four) by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Mr. Tate is a citizen of the Chickashaw Nation who has infused his music with aspects of his American Indian heritage. Quoting Mr. Tate: “Oshta is the Chickashaw word for the number Four and became the title of this work in the spirit of [Irina Muresanu’s] Four Strings Around the World project.” Oshta, based upon a 19^th century Choctaw church hymn, was for this reviewer the evening’s most beautiful work.

The concert’s finale was a foot stompin’, rip roarin’ rendition of Mark O’Connor’s rousing The Cricket Dance. This was Bluegrass fiddling at its best, as Ms. Muresanu, country music hat on her head, pulled out all the stops.

What an auspicious beginning to this new concert series whose next concert will be a June 7^th recital by the Romanian-Nigerian pianist Rebeca Omordia.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

New Asia Chamber Music Society presents New Asia Chamber Music Society with Zhang Fang, Piano in Review

Max Tan, William Wei, Ji In Yang; violin

Wei-Yang Andy Lin, viola

Nan-Cheng Chen, Grace Ho; cello

Zhou Yi, pipa

Zhang Fang, guest pianist

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

November 20, 2017

The New Asia Chamber Music Society was founded in 2010 by a group of young Asian-American musicians who were graduates of prestigious American music schools, among them The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute. Their mission statement says that they are “committed to bringing audiences exceptional performances of the chamber music repertoire drawn from the canon of western music as well as contemporary Asian culture.” This concert shows that they are certainly succeeding in their mission.

Zhang Fang
Photo by Ben Tso Photography

The concert began with a performance of Eight Drunken Immortals, a trio for piano, pipa (Chinese lute), and cello composed in 2013 by Dong-Qing Fang (b.1981). According to Wikipedia, “The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary xian (immortals) in Chinese mythology… Some drunken boxing styles make extensive use of the Eight Immortals archetypes for conditioning, qigong/meditation and combat training.” The composer chose six of these archetypes (drunken- intention, drinking, hitting, steps, playfulness, fists) and wrote a short “character piece, a la Robert Schumann” for each archetype. Each received a brilliant performance. Cellist Grace Ho drew a beautiful sound from her instrument during the lyrical passages, and she was equally compelling during the wilder movements. Pianist Zhang Fang was in constant synch with his colleagues, acting as a supportive accompanist when needed and exhibiting virtuosic skill when called for, but it was the playing of the pipa by Zhou Yi which made the deepest impression on this listener. We first heard rapidly repeated notes which reminded one of the mandolin. Using this technique, Ms. Zhou spun out finely shaped melodies. In one especially beautiful passage, a melody played by Ms. Zhou was repeated by the cello and then played by both performers. This melding of the east and the west was most beguiling. The pipa is capable of many sounds – harmonics and wonderful percussive effects. All were beautifully performed by Ms. Zhou.

From left to right: Max Tan, Ji In Yang, Zhang Fang, Nan-Cheng Chen, Wei-Yang Andy Lin
Photo by Ben Tso Photography

A work for solo piano, Poetry with Silent Mountain (2011), by Wantong Jiang (b.1957) followed. To be frank, I couldn’t quite understand what the program notes meant, other than the relaxed sounds we were to hear symbolized “the self-singing” of silence. Pianist Zhang Fang, who was most impressive in the rapid loud fast passages of the previous work, beautifully shaped the sounds and silences of this quasi impressionistic composition, producing wonderfully varied pianistic colors A recurring passage of low rumbling sounds in the piano’s lowest register followed by descending open fourths and fifths and concluding with louder octave passages gave the composition a discernable shape. Prepared piano sounds were created by pulling two “trussed horsetails,” one at the instrument’s lowest string at the beginning of the work, and one at the highest string at the conclusion.

From left to right: Zhou Yi, Zhang Fang, Grace Ho
Photo by Ben Tso Photography

The first half of the concert ended with a wonderful performance of Claude Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 (1893.) I am very happy to report that the fine ensemble playing we heard in tonight’s first work was heard both during the Debussy and the Brahms Piano Quintet heard after intermission. Each work was played with fine intonation, attention to detail and with the cohesiveness of an ensemble that had played together for a long time. The Debussy was performed by violinists William Wei and Ji In Yang, violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin, and cellist Grace Ho. Mr. Wei was a fine leader who played with energy and precision up to the very heights of the E-string. The other players weren’t “shrinking violets.” They perfectly balanced Mr. Wei and, when called for, spun out beautifully shaped melodies.

From left to right: William Wei, Ji In Yang, Grace Ho, Wei-Yang Andy Lin
Photo by Ben Tso Photography

The Brahms Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 (1864), one of chamber music’s most monumental works, poses great musical and technical challenges for its five performers. Violinists Max Tang and Ji In Yang, violists Wei-Yang and Andy Lin, cellist Nan-Cheng, and pianist Zhang Fang, were up to the task. Readers of my reviews must know by now how I feel when performers do not obey the composer’s instructions to repeat a first movement’s exposition. They can imagine my joy when, for the first time while attending a live performance of this piece, I heard the beginning of the first ending and, after five measures, again heard the beginning of the exposition. I would like to publically offer my thanks to the performers for their bravery in doing the right thing. But, as the saying goes, “Beware of getting what you wish for.” It seemed to me that the tempo of the second playing of the exposition was a bit faster than the first. I ask the players to listen to the performance tape and, if I am incorrect, I will be the first to admit being in error. In any case, I am sure of the fact that there was a tendency to rush in movements two and three, especially during crescendi and loud passages, but these were just tiny blemishes on what was a thrilling performance.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

The Art of Listening in Review

The Art of Listening

Javor Bračić, piano

National Opera Center, New York, NY

September 17, 2017

The 7^th floor Rehearsal Hall at the National Opera Center was a perfect venue for this most interesting hour- long event, an interactive investigation and performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in C# minor, Op. 27 No. 1. During the half hour before the scheduled start, pianist Javor Bračić mingled with the gathering audience while encouraging them to sample the wine and cheese set out in the back of the hall. As there is no raised stage in this space, the piano was at audience level, making for a continued intimate connection between performer and audience. I especially liked the fact that the piano was turned diagonally so that there was no “keyboard-side,” allowing all audience members the coveted view of the performer’s hands.

As stated in the event’s publicity material (notice I do not call this a “recital”) Mr. Bračić wishes both to break down the wall between performer and audience, and to give his listeners a deeper understanding of what they are hearing. It is a pleasure to say that he succeeded in both endeavors.

After a brief statement as to how the session would be organized, we heard a masterful performance of Chopin’s Nocturne in C# minor, Op. 27 No. 1. (But this was just a taste of Mr. Bračić’s pianism. I look forward to hearing a full recital.) He then asked the audience for any thoughts about the piece. After a silence, which felt longer that it really was, people began to overcome their shyness and spoke. Words like “sad,” happy,” “victorious,” were followed by stories people thought the music evoked. I, being a trained musician, thought major, minor, modulation, ternary form. I had to say to myself: “Stop! Just see what Mr. Bračić will do.”

Soon, after playing the opening two measures of the piece (the left hand playing just C#’s and G#’s,) he asked if the music was happy or sad. Silence followed. Both Mr. Bračić and I knew why. I raised my hand and said “We don’t know yet.” As I had just stepped on his line, Mr. Bračić made a joke about the showoff in the audience and proceeded to add an E, the first note of the right hand. “Sad,” said the audience, for this made the chord C#-E-G# – a minor triad. The next note in the right hand was E#, which then created a major triad. This was a brilliant way of introducing major and minor, concepts which are very important to understanding this Chopin Nocturne.

The concepts of polyphony, modulation and chromaticism were introduced in equally clever and easy- to- understand ways. (Upon re-reading the previous paragraph and seeing how convoluted it is, I won’t try to explain how he did it.)

The hour ended with another beautiful performance of the Nocturne. Three more events in the series will take place this season at the National Opera Center, when works by Chopin, Mozart and Samuel Barber will be performed, discussed and elucidated. I wish him continued success in this laudable project.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

From Berlin to Broadway-Transatlantic in Review

From Berlin to Broadway-Transatlantic

Adrienne Haan, chanteuse; Richard Danley, piano; Mike Campenni, drums; Roswitha, curtain singer

The Actors’ Temple, New York, NY

March 23, 2015

This concert was a benefit to raise money for the renovation, or could one say restoration, of Congregation Ezrath Israel’s 1923 landmark building on West 47^th Street, The Actors’ Temple, which now serves as both a house of worship and a theater. Before the opening ceremonies we were entertained by Roswitha, an Austrian violinist/singer whose vocals, violin melodies and costume (ooh-la-la!) reminded us that we weren’t in a shul, thus preparing us for the evening of cabaret singing which was to follow.

During these opening ceremonies we learned about the many Broadway legends who worshiped here. The program that followed was a perfect way to conjure up the spirits of those great performers, the zeitgeist of the European countries they left, and the creative spirit which their new home encouraged.

The houselights darkened and Adrienne Haan sauntered down the aisle dressed in a form fitting blue sequined gown with a white fur wrap (ooh-la-la redux!) Her first number was “Die Seeräuberjenny” (“Pirate Jenny”) from Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera (Die Dreigroschenoper). This and the next three sets were sung in both German and English, the first two of the five languages we heard this evening. The other three were Yiddish, Hebrew, and French. For her rendition of “Pirate Jenny” and during the following German cabaret medley, Ms. Haan used the very bottom of her very wide range, singing a la Marlene Dietrich. As the concert progressed she sang higher and higher. This was first heard during one of her best numbers, the Yiddish song “Ikh Shtey Unter A Bokserboym” (“I Stand Beneath a Carob Tree”).

Ms. Haan established a close rapport with the audience through her informative, funny, and often moving commentary between sets. Introducing the next song, “Rikmah Enoshit Achat” (“One Human Tissue”), she said it was dedicated “to all the souls who have brutally lost their lives in the massacres of World War II,” and [she] would “sing it in memory of the Auschwitz liberation seventy years ago on January 27, 1945.” The Hebrew text of this song, whose words and music were written by Moti Hamer, was a fitting tribute, but I found the musical arrangement and performance jarringly upbeat.

Up to this point the accompanying artists, pianist Richard Danley and drummer Mike Campenni, were discreetly in the background. During the next set, a medley of American standards, the three artists shared equal prominence. I especially liked Mr. Danley’s swinging “’’S Wonderful.” More American songs followed. For me, Ms. Haan’s best performances took place during the next two sets, sung in French. She began Jacques Brel’s “Le Port D’Amsterdam” a cappella, a wonderful change of color. The instrumentalists soon joined in, and the work crescendoed to a shattering climax. An equally successful Edith Piaf medley followed. The concert proper ended with a moving performance of Ute Lemper’s “Blood and Feathers,” based on Jacques Prévert’s poem “Sang et Plumes.”

After sustained and enthusiastic applause, Ms. Haan performed an encore, “Jerusalem of Gold.” It was touching to hear the melody being softly hummed by some audience members who sat near me.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Christoph Denoth, guitar in Review

Christoph Denoth, guitar

SubCulture, New York, NY

September 4, 2014

What better way to begin a new concert season than to attend a wonderful performance in one of New York’s new concert venues? The performer: Swiss guitarist Christoph Denoth. The music: works by the English composers John Dowland (1563-1626) and Benjamin Britten, Spaniards Manuel de Falla, Joaquin Turina, Isaac Albéniz, and the Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos. The venue: an intimate performance space with a bar in NoHo at 45 Bleeker Street.

A comfortable basement space, SubCulture is a perfect venue for an intimate guitar recital. (The festival of piano music scheduled for the month of September should also be a great fit.) Although Mr. Denoth was surrounded by microphones, the sound from where I sat seemed natural and unamplified. When, after the concert, I spoke to the sound engineer, he told me that the microphones were for a radio broadcast of the performance. I suggested that the audience should be forewarned when broadcast microphones appear on stage during concerts that shouldn’t have amplification. I also mentioned that even though the presence of a bar makes SubCulture more informal than a traditional “concert hall,” piped in music (cool jazz this night) right before and after the recital is not a good idea. Music such as we heard tonight needs a no-music frame of silence before and after the performance.

Christoph Denoth has performed in concert halls all over the world, as a solo artist and in collaboration with orchestras, chamber groups and singers. He is sought after as a teacher and is now on the faculty of the Royal Academy of Music in London. This evening’s performance showed why. A master of his instrument, he performed with great technical skill, spinning out well-shaped melodic lines with crystal clear, often thrilling, accompaniments. He drew from his instrument so many different colors that one often thought there was more than one guitarist on stage.

The recital began with guitar arrangements of four works for lute by John Dowland. They included a setting of the melody of a popular ballad of the times and of one by Dowland himself, a dance, and a fantasy. These delightful works, elegantly performed, were the perfect vehicle to enable the audience to “tune their ears” to the softer end of the guitar’s dynamic range. This was followed by Manuel de Falla’s Homenaje – Tombeau de Debussy. (A tombeau is a musical composition commemorating the death of a notable individual.) Although one couldn’t know it at the time, Mr. Denoth’s performance of this work marked the beginning of his ever increasing creation of more and more beautiful and interesting guitar colors.

Benjamin Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, Op.70, uses as its inspiration Dowland’s lute song “Come Heavy Sleep.” Commissioned by the legendary English guitarist Julian Bream, the work makes great demands on the performer. Mr. Denoth was up to the challenge and performed with assurance and consummate musicality. Each of the eight movements utilizes tiny motives and fragments from Dowland’s song, but the complete song is not heard until the end of the work. Although I’ve conducted “Come Heavy Sleep” in Dowland’s arrangement for four voices, I had great difficulty figuring out what was going on musically. It just sounded like a series of guitar effects, beautifully played, but having little to do with Dowland’s song.

Next came what, for me, was the program’s high point: a performance of four of the Cinq Préludes by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Villa-Lobos knew what was idiomatic to the guitar and Mr. Denoth reveled in this wonderful writing. It was joyous and compelling music-making. In Prélude No.1 (Homage to Back-Country Brazil) Mr. Denoth beautifully contrasted the sound of the long melodic line and the chordal accompaniment. The melody first appeared in the bass with the chords above. When it returned, now in the soprano, the color of the melody was again quite different from that of the accompaniment. The Préludes were not performed in the published order. The next, Prélude No.4, featured mysterious harmonics; No.3 was expressive and beautifully phrased. The wild strumming at the end of No.2 brought the set to a stirring conclusion.

The recital ended with three popular works familiar to most of the audience, Joaquin Turina’s Sevillana (Fantasia) Op.29, and Isaac Albéniz’s Granada and Asturias. The program didn’t mention that the two Albéniz works were originally written for piano in 1890 and arranged for guitar after his death in 1909. I was wrong in thinking it would be difficult to maintain the excitement created by the Villa-Lobos Préludes. These last three works were a thrilling ending to the concert proper.

The Spanish aspect to the program continued with the first encore, an idiomatic performance of Joaquin Malats’s Serenata Española, another work written for piano but later transcribed for guitar. It seems that, in their nationalistic works, Spanish composers sought to have the piano imitate the most Spanish of instruments. This evening’s arrangements for guitar only bought these works closer to their roots. A final work by Dowland, Mr. Dowland’s Midnight, brought this wonderful concert to a gentle close.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

The Church of the Transfiguration presents: The Burning Fiery Furnace by Benjamin Britten in Review

The Burning Fiery Furnace by Benjamin Britten

The Transfiguration Boys Choir, Claudia Dumschat, director

The Church of the Transfiguration, New York, NY

March 28, 2014

The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as “The Little Church around the corner,” was the venue for a performance of the second of composer Benjamin Britten’s three Parables for Church Performance, the 1966 The Burning Fiery Furnace, Op. 77, on March 28, 2014. This work was preceded by a “curtain raiser,” the composer’s Missa Brevis in D, Op. 63, scored for three-part treble chorus and organ. Anyone expecting a simple euphonious work would have been quite disappointed. The Missa Brevis is a complex and demanding piece, full of polytonality, complicated meters (7/8 in the Gloria), and other twentieth century devices which would have challenged any adult chorus. The Transfiguration Boys Choir was fully up to the task, singing with note-perfect precision and flawless intonation. The unnamed soloists, drawn from the chorus, sang beautifully. The boys were rehearsed and conducted by the choir’s director Claudia Dumschat. Erik Birk was the skillful organist.

The performance of the Transfiguration Boys Choir set a very high bar for the adults performing the Burning Fiery Furnace. I am happy to report that they were all up to the challenge. Repeating a dramatic motif from The Church of the Transfiguration’s 2012 performance of the third Parable, The Prodigal Son (The Prodigal Son: NY Concert Review, March 9, 2012), the opening of The Burning Fiery Furnace featured chanting monks dressed in robes and cowls, proceeding down the center aisle. When they reached the front of the church, the monks’ Abbot addressed the audience/congregation. The soloist was bass-baritone Peter Ludwig, who with warm and persuasive singing drew us all into the drama and mystery which was to follow. The monks then took off their robes, revealing the costumes of the characters they were to play. Mr. Ludwig became the work’s villain, his dual roles allowing him to show his skills as a wonderful singing actor.

All of the vocal soloists were fine singing actors: Tenor Daniel Neer as Nebuchadnezzar; Nicolas Connolly as The Herald and Leader of the Courtiers; Bill Cross, Christopher Preston Thompson and David Baldwin as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the three men who would be put in the fiery furnace. Masters Jeffrey Kishinevsky and Charles Rosario, members of The Transfiguration Boys Choir, stole the show with their jolly portrayal of the Boy Entertainers. Another high point was the beautiful singing of boy soprano Matthew Griffin as the Angel who protects the three men in the fiery furnace. Also memorable was the ethereal singing of the Angel Chorus made up of Alexis Cordero, Jeffrey Kishinevsky, Charles Rosario and Kennin Susana, and to be complete, mention must be made of the strong contribution made by the Chorus of Courtiers.

I described The Church of the Transfiguration’s March 9, 2012 production of The Prodigal Son as “a performance that succeeded in all aspects.” The same can be said of tonight’s production of The Burning Fiery Furnace. Praise again must go to Music Director Claudia Dumschat who led the fine chamber orchestra and performed the organ part. Under her leadership, the musical preparation and execution were exemplary. Mention should also be made of the evocative costumes by Costume Designer Terri Bush. The dramatic action, which was the responsibility of Dramaturg/Stage Manager Betty Howe and Stage Director Richard Olson was persuasive and melded seamlessly with the singing. All in all, it was another wonderful performance.

by Harry Saltzman for New York Concert Review; New York, NY