Huizi Zhang Presents Hreizleriana in Review

Huizi Zhang Presents Hreizleriana in Review

Huizi Zhang, piano and toy piano
Marc A. Scorca Hall, The National Opera Center,
New York, NY
May 26, 2018

 

The National Opera Center was the setting this weekend for a fascinating program by excellent young pianist, Huizi Zhang (www.huizizhang.com). Five recently composed works by four young composers with whom I’m not familiar – including three premieres – preceded a performance of the deservedly familiar Kreisleriana, Op. 16, one of Robert Schumann’s great masterpieces. It was a thoroughly stimulating evening, pairing discovery with rediscovery.

The program’s title Hreizleriana, and its subtitle, “…a journey into madness and music,” made reference to two works of art, the E. T. A Hoffmann novel, Kreisleriana, about a mad genius conductor named Kreisler, and Kreisleriana, Schumann’s magnificent piano work which the Kreisler character inspired, heard as this program’s finale. Ms. Zhang’s program subtitle was fitting for a concert that would have touches of madness throughout (beyond those of the Schumann’s own mercurial qualities). As for Ms. Zhang’s spelling of Kreisleriana as Hreizleriana, one can only guess that it was a way of including her own initials – a playful touch which Schumann, cryptogram devotee, might have appreciated.

Beyond the interesting program concept, the execution is naturally always paramount, and Ms. Zhang’s playing was nearly uncriticizable. She conveyed a firm belief in each piece, honoring the composers with her thoroughness and interpreting their music with vibrancy and sensitivity. Her Schumann was exemplary, capturing all the fluctuations of Schumann’s widely contrasting moods and with rarely a glitch. With such a pillar of the standard repertoire beautifully in hand, Ms. Zhang could build many similar musical journeys “into madness” using this Schumann as the foundation and finale. Though her emotional projection was never “over the top” into the realm of madness, itself, she demonstrated expert control as the vehicle for the madness of others.

Four Movements for Solo Piano (2016) by Jacob Wilkinson (www.jwiki222.wixsite.com/jacobwilkinson) opened the program. Born in 1997, Mr. Wilkinson was the youngest of the composers presented. His four movements, entitled Prelude, Incantation, Lullaby, and Circle Dance, offered expressive and intelligently crafted writing, idiomatically written for the piano. Some of it sounded like a Scriabin-inspired improvisation (with hints of Messiaen), though the last movement, with its short, repeated dance motives, brought to mind the brilliance of Ginastera (also Villa-Lobos, a thought possibly triggered by its name, Circle Dance). Invoking names of famous composers, by the way, is not an implication that this music is derivative, but rather a shortcut in characterizing what can take too long to describe; that said, if one were to be derivative, one could do much worse than to have such composers as models! As for the Scriabin similarity, there are similarly craggy and urgent impulses felt in the middle and late work of the Russian master, sometimes attributed to encroaching madness – again fitting right in with Ms. Zhang’s theme. In sum, Mr. Wilkinson is a promising young artist, and he is fortunate to have attracted the advocacy of such a fine pianist as Ms. Zhang.

Following came Six Preludes for Piano (2013) by Colombian-born Fabian Beltran (www.fabianbeltranmusic.com). These were direct, communicative pieces showing a strong ability to capture varied emotions in fluent and vivid pianistic writing. The nocturne-like movement Grave e dolente was particularly captivating in its lyricism, and the set was rounded out with brilliant, though occasionally strident, performances of the two final movements, Vivace and Con brio. Brash major triads concluded the set rather incongruously after some of the tonal complexity which had preceded, and one could only guess that they were meant to be summarily facetious. As the comments from the pianist onstage were not quite decipherable, one missed that extra bit of guidance that might have informed the experience – one could make out from the introduction that these pieces were composed each in a single night during a period of emotional instability, but not much more. Luckily, the work stood on its own merits. It had wide dramatic range, and on a madness-and-music-themed program, it was another well-placed work. One eagerly awaits hearing more from this talented composer.

What followed was Passage 2 (2018, premiere), by Singaporean composer, Gu Wei (www.guweimusic.com). The first of two works by Mr. Wei (the second coming after intermission), it employed gentle repeated figures to create a mesmerizing quasi-minimalist effect which initially brought to mind some music that is carelessly dubbed “New Age”; it did so, however, in a manner that this listener (not a New Age fan) found quite appealing. Especially intriguing was the way isolated tones emerged from the texture of repeated figures according to shifting metric placement, forming additional layers and textures. One could visualize a warp and weft subtly forming within the music, creating additional patterns between them. As with the other pieces (except, of course, the Schumann, played from memory), Ms. Zhang handled it all capably reading from the score.

In marked contrast to Passage 2 came Mr. Wei’s other featured work, Madman’s Diary for toy piano (2018, premiere). This toy piano work is a musical setting of seven selections from an allegory entitled Madman’s Diary (1918) by Chinese writer Lu Xun. Full of nightmarish references to cannibalism, the text provided the quintessential springboard for musical madness, with the eerie childlike sounds of a toy piano evoking alternately the sneakiness, obsessiveness, indecision, stealth, and panic of Lu Xun’s world in which one must eat or be eaten. Especially effective was the use of nursery rhyme-like symmetry of phrase, which, when interrupted towards the end, expressed perfectly the text’s last line, “save the children.” Ms. Zhang delivered this frightening work superbly and is to be commended for making the tiny toy piano so expressive, especially right before taking command of the house Yamaha grand for Schumann’s Kreisleriana – a striking juxtaposition indeed!

Before all this, though, to close the first half, one heard music by Ramteen Sazegari (www.ramteensazegari.com), in particular a piece entitled 20, 30 pg. for prepared piano and electronics. Some of the prefatory remarks were a bit muffled, but, in any case, one is uncertain how the title 20,30 pg. relates to what one heard. We were told something about a reference to purgatory (the possible origin of the “pg” part?), but we were largely in the dark. This issue will be addressed later.

Meanwhile, any misgivings about hearing electronic music evoking purgatory were quickly dispelled by what turned out to be an engaging piece. There was a fascinating blend of live piano sonorities with recorded ones, and one’s imagination was taken on an interesting ride. One audience member afterwards did express an aversion to some overwhelmingly loud bass tones in the electronic part, but this reviewer would have to argue that the suggested subject matter probably called for it. It was, again, a welcome addition to the program’s overarching theme of madness. In a way one couldn’t help musing what a great catchall this theme of madness could be for works defying specific interpretation, but certainly there were more specifics at play in Ms. Zhang’s conception.

This reviewer’s chief quibble for the evening was that, especially with new music, there needs to be better extra-musical communication to an audience, both from the composer and from the performer. Puzzles and hidden meanings can be a delight with some hints, but there is something off-putting about titles and prefaces that are unhelpful or worse. Having sat for decades through literally thousands of performances of compositions given such titles as Obfuscations 87.4 and the like, this reviewer can safely say that such cryptic cleverness (if it is that) gets old fast, becoming annoying rather than fascinating. Do musicians want to bring audiences closer to their musical hearts and minds or drive them away? And would the same musicians return to a restaurant serving food that had to be located via scavenger hunt, or on tables five feet above reach? Such presentation would be considered contemptuous.

Meanwhile, Ms. Zhang, quite soft-spoken, chose to read her introductions in haste from a small paper which drew her voice downwards. If projection is an issue, then one needs to use a microphone, to speak from the heart, to slow down, or to distribute printed program notes. Granted, it may take a listener some effort and repeated hearings to delve deeply into a masterpiece, but should it take extraordinary mental leaps to grasp even the basics of compositional intent during a first hearing? This musician says no. Note to composers: create some program notes that communicate – they will not have a “spoiler” effect! You do not need to present a theoretical analysis or a treatise on the philosophy behind it – just a bit of guidance for the ear and mind. Remember also that there may be lay people present.

If the above seems to be a bit of a rant, this reviewer has simply seen too much of this problem. Musicians, perhaps because they work long hours in solitude or in academia, are too often simply oblivious to the world that will hear them, as if they don’t even care whether an audience comes. On that note, despite the originality and appeal of Ms. Zhang’s program, Saturday’s audience amounted to fewer than twenty people, including the composers themselves and this reviewer and a guest. Surely there could have been more of an effort to reach out to prospective listeners who probably could have enjoyed it.

One learned after this recital that Ms. Zhang will be performing September 29, 2018 in Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall (Carnegie Hall calendar 9/29/2018). No program is listed yet at the Carnegie website, but one hopes it will be largely the same, by then just a bit riper. It should be a rewarding evening if just two pieces of advice are followed. To Ms. Zhang and company: do more reaching out, both before the concert and during! To music-lovers, art-lovers, and thinkers everywhere: go hear Huizi Zhang in September – she is an outstanding pianist with a gift for interesting programming.

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
AADGT Presents The Passion of Music Winners in Review

AADGT Presents The Passion of Music Winners in Review

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
May 13, 2018

 

Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, the American Association for the Development of the Gifted and Talented (AADGT) under the direction of founder Elena Rossman has provided vital support to the early careers of some outstanding young musicians. Their most recent concert, fittingly held on Mother’s Day, suggests that their musical nurturing is still going strong.

This reviewer first wrote about AADGT in October, 2006 (when New York Concert Review was still a print periodical). One of their young winners, Aimi Kobayashi had been a mere eleven years old, and I admired her “performances that were stunning for a pianist so young.” She has since won accolades, performed, and recorded (EMI) worldwide, with a new CD/DVD release coming out just this year. Similar stories can be reported about other AADGT winners, counting recognition from competitions and organizations such as the National YoungArts Foundation in 2018 (Max Bobby, Ray Ushikubo), and the Lang Lang Foundation (Anna Larsen, Charlie Liu, Derek Wong, Jasper Heymann), leading conservatories and festivals (Juilliard, Aspen, Curtis) and feature programs such as “The World’s Most Talented Kids” (The Oprah Winfrey Show, 2009), and Arabs Got Talent (2015). Other winners of AADGT’s prize have included Yoav Levanon, Nadia Azzi, Annie Zhou, and Solene Le Van. The AADGT website (www.aadgt.org) also mentions two much more well-known names, Ilya Itin winner of Leeds 1996, and Nobuyuki Tsujii, winner of Van Cliburn, 2009 (though few details are given as to their prizes from AADGT); high praises from Lang Lang, Martha Argerich, and Evgeny Kissin, are among the testimonials.

This year’s concert, not surprisingly, differed greatly from the one I heard in 2006. First of all, this year’s program was in Weill Recital Hall, as opposed to the larger Stern Auditorium – seemingly a wise move for soloists so young. Also, in 2006 there were 6 winners presented, each in substantial sections of the program, while this year there were 32 performers (ages 5-26), some in rather short works. While it was interesting to behold such a large array of young performers (thirty pianists, two violinists), it did make for a program of nearly three hours.

In these days of “safe spaces” for the young, it was good to see the fruits of unrelenting commitment and diligence – and how brave the very young musicians were to perform at such a venue, with Carnegie Hall’s stages being not what one would call “safe” for trial and error performance! The performers were overall quite well-prepared, technically accomplished, and clearly mindful of high artistic standards. This review is not the medium for delving into the playing of every single player – which would be unfair, given the vast disparity of ages and repertoire levels, and the fact that some performers had to wait over two hours to play; that said, some highlights are in order.

The program opened with Evelyn Liu (Age 5-6 Group) playing Tchaikovsky’s Song of the Lark from Children’s Album, Op.39, No. 22, and showing remarkably crisp articulations and digital facility for one so young. She radiated delight upon finishing, and it set lovely tone for the day.

Isabel Liu (age 7-8 Group) followed with excellent renditions of two pieces by William Gillock, Sarabande and Mission Bells. The Sarabande showed an admirable sense of nuance, with lovely pianissimo shading. Mission Bells was sonorous and well-balanced against a gentler accompaniment in the right hand. Dynamics were somewhat exaggerated (approaching fortissimo where marked mezzoforte), but that is generally preferable to a lack of projection, and the playing was always communicative.

In the same age group one heard Vivian Zhang in more Gillock, now the steady rocking of Silver Bells, and Phatsacha Leowattana (Thailand) in Clementi’s Sonatina Op.36 No.1. The Sonatina was well played in all three movements, showing complete focus and maturity. Occasionally one wanted more sound in the right-hand balancing the left, but the slow movement was especially lovely with sensitivity and clarity in the melodic line.

In the age 9-10 category, we heard some surprisingly difficult repertoire, including Chopin’s Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat Op. 29, played very well by Emma Liu and the same composer’s Valse, Op.64 No.2 in the able hands of Phatthicha Leowattana (Thailand). Both players showed a high level of polish and a sense of style which will undoubtedly feel even more natural as they mature. If the two performers with the surname Leowattana are related (one can only guess, but should not assume), they have a built-in two-piano team in the offing!

We also heard in the age 9-10 category Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, No. 2, the same Nocturne that we heard in the age 7-8 category. Rather than delve into the comparative merits of the performances (though it is a challenging piece for both age groups, and both fared well), I must express my disagreement with the practice of presenting different performers playing the same piece on the same program – it is trying for audience and performers alike and really should not be necessary if there has been a wide enough selection submitted. The same duplication occurred with two pianists playing Rachmaninoff’s Polichinelle, and though both pianists were impressive for their age groups, this should be a concert and not a competition, so one will refrain from further comment.

Among other minor objections of the day was the omission by one youngster of the A-major octaves in Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca (from Mozart’s Sonata in A major K. 331) probably due to hand size. For such a distinguished venue, I felt that such a piece ought not to be subjected to such shortcuts, as there are many other pieces that could be chosen to be played exactly as written.

Among other programming complaints was the change, from one performer, to Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccio instead of the originally programmed work. One’s guess is that there was a Plan A vs. Plan B situation, but such things are a risky proposition. There were various technical challenges unmet, and it simply needed more time, as did several other performers’ works.

In a pleasant break from the typical fare, Gina Park played the third movement Aram Khatchaturian’s Sonatina. It is a demanding movement, with rapid and chromatic fingerwork, and Ms. Park handled its challenges with aplomb.

In the age 11-12 category, Adriel Aguilar played Haydn’s Arietta with Variations with some stylish staccatos, good repeated notes, and a fine sense of Haydn’s humor. Also in this category was Erika Suyama (Japan), playing Chopin’s Bolero, Op. 19. She projected its many moods with sensitivity and played with excellent precision through its rapid passagework, from opening to the brisk polonaise and through to the heroic ending.

Moving to the age 13-14 category, there were several highlights. Stephanie Liao was exceptional in Lowell Liebermann’s Nocturne No. 4, Op. 38, not only for sustaining the hypnotic mood of the opening, but for sustaining the momentum and power building to its thunderous climax. Exceptional as well was Jasper Heymann, playing the third movement of Mendelssohn’s Fantasia, Op. 28. He kept the piece’s character and clarity throughout the fleetest finger-work.

Joanna Wang showed impressive maturity and sensitivity in Chopin’s Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1, and Yali Levy Schwartz, showed much technical confidence in the bravura variations of the Paganini-Liszt Etude No. 6 (with just a bit more attention needed for precision in the theme itself).

Elizabeth Tsitron, one of only two violinist winners, added a different timbre in Wieniawski’s Legende and played with a good sense of its Romantic spirit and some deft technique.

 Closest to being at a high professional level (in the age 16-18 category) was Kyrie McIntosh whose Prokofiev Sonata No. 3 in A minor had all the ingredients it needs for a powerhouse performance – biting chordal playing, firm grasp of its structure, tonal and emotional variety, and polish. Also excellent was the Brahms Capriccio in G minor (No. 3 from the Fantasien, Op. 116) as played by Chutikan Chaikittiwatana (in the age 18+ category) . Playing after so much demonstrative pianism, her straightforward but genuine musicality was much appreciated in this noble work.

There was so much that was good in the program that it may be best to lump the less good aspects into some brief generalizations. Overall, the awkward context of a group recital does invite the spirit of competition, so there was a tendency among many to exaggerate contrasts, to indulge in unnecessary hand gestures, and to resort to other extra-musical mannerisms – as if to say, “please notice me!” It is unfortunate to subject musicians, or the music, to this need. With just a bit more time between works (and necessarily fewer works) the performers and audience could feel the psychic space to appreciate each work on its own terms, as pieces of music, absolute and incomparable.

A benefit of the above approach might also be less of the all-too-common “on/off” switch mentality about dynamics, in which extreme louds and softs obliterate the middle ground, with crescendos not sustained and climaxes coming prematurely without depth. In any case, one ought not to think of passages as “loud” or “soft” but as the character, emotion, or concept that gave rise to those dynamics – all then starts to make more sense. Even memorization improves! Nerves are inevitable, but greater focus on the messages or meanings behind each work might have helped keep a few performances on course.

All in all, though, Sunday’s concert offered an impressive array of young musicians, including some stars of tomorrow. Congratulations are in order not just to the performers but to their mentors and families. Congratulations are of course in order to AADGT: Cheers to 25 years!

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
The Oratorio Society of New York Presents Premieres of Behzad Ranjbaran and Paul Moravec

The Oratorio Society of New York Presents Premieres of Behzad Ranjbaran and Paul Moravec

The Oratorio Society of New York, Chorus and Orchestra; Kent Tritle, Music Director
Laquita Mitchell, soprano; Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano
Joshua Blue, tenor; Malcolm J. Merriweather, baritone;
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
May 7, 2018

 

Two knockout world premieres were offered at Carnegie Hall this week by the Oratorio Society of New York, under the masterful direction of Kent Tritle. Brand new large-scale works by Behzad Ranjbaran and Paul Moravec were introduced to the public with enormously appreciative reception, and it is a safe bet that they will become ensconced in the repertoires of whatever choruses (with orchestra) can take them on. It didn’t hurt to have five superb soloists, but the chorus and orchestra were also in fine form, handling music that was not only new but challenging in matters of ensemble and multiple languages.

 

Universal themes of freedom, peace, mutual understanding, and human dignity marked the evening, and the 50th anniversary year of the assassination of Martin Luther King was honored in several ways, from the fifth and final text of Mr. Ranjbaran’s work, We Are One (the words of We Shall Overcome) to the central focus of Mr. Moravec’s work, Sanctuary Road: An Oratorio Based on the Writings of William Still, a Conductor for the Underground Railroad.

 

For those not steeped in contemporary music, the pairing of two such prominent composers as Mr. Ranjbaran and Mr. Moravec makes for quite an exciting concert – many presenters would be quite proud to premiere a work from just one of these composers, but this was a high-voltage evening, and the excitement in the hall was palpable.

 

As a bit of background, Mr. Ranjbaran (b. 1955) is a Tehran native who came to the US in 1974 and studied at Juilliard, where he obtained his doctorate in composition and is now on the faculty. He has served as composer in residence for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, and other prominent orchestras, and has heard his music performed by soloists such as Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, and other outstanding performers worldwide. His music draws frequent inspiration (as his biography states) “from his cultural roots and Persian heritage.”

 

Mr. Moravec (b. 1957), recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, as well as Rome Prize Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous other distinctions, attended Harvard College and Columbia University and has taught at Columbia, Dartmouth, Hunter, and Adelphi, where he is currently University Professor. He has received frequent commissions from major musical institutions and has written over a hundred compositions, with two other major works of his having been performed by the Oratorio Society (in 2008 and 2013).

 

The first “half” (just over thirty minutes) was devoted to Mr. Ranjbaran’s music, We Are One. Set to texts in five different languages in its five continuous movements (Spanish, Persian, Hebrew, Arabic, and English), it was described in the notes as “an expression of our shared desire for respect, justice, freedom, and peace” drawing messages “from different cultures, religions, and time periods.” It also reiterates the word “peace” in twenty different languages, thus representing more than one hundred countries.

 

The work opened with a movement, Paz (Peace), set to a quotation of Benito Juárez about peace being respect for the rights of others. It was clear from its bold, defiant start that this music would speak more about the determination to reach peace than about peace itself. The music brought to mind the strong declarative phrases and sonorities of the opening of O Fortuna from Orff’s Carmina Burana, and there was a similar spirit of dark urgency running through the entire work.

 

Brief interludes of harp and flute led to the movement entitled Bani Âdam, on a text from Sa’di (c1210-1291) about human beings being all of one family. It started more gently but grew in anguish, closing with the admonition that, “to not feel sympathy for human suffering is to be less than human.” The closest to a mood of peace and calm came with the third movement, Shalom, sung in Hebrew. An Arabic text followed, Sal m (by Ibn Arabi, 1165-1240), centered on religious tolerance and love, and leading to the percussive blows announcing the finale, entitled We Shall Overcome (and bearing no musical resemblance to the anthem many know, except in the words). It was a powerful close to a very moving composition, and this listener, certainly among others, would like to hear it again. Mr. Ranjbaran took several well-earned bows from the stage amid a spirit of triumph.

 

After intermission came Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road, an oratorio set to a text based on the writings of Underground Railroad conductor, William Still. Chronicling the life events of some of the slaves whom Still helped rescue, these texts were adapted with extreme skill by Mark Campbell. Starting heartbreakingly with the list of slaves’ names and moving to the highly personal and varied individual stories of fear, frustration, sorrow, love, and ultimately freedom, Mr. Campbell and Mr. Moravec had crafted an extremely moving musical drama.

 

A colleague commented that it all felt a bit long, at just over an hour, but this reviewer cannot agree. There was the perfect combination of momentum – building to a frenzy in the heart-pounding episodes entitled “Run” – alternating with more introspective narratives, bitter recollections, and daydreams of love and freedom. The choral writing was perfectly handled to help narrate the drama as well as intensify its emotions. There was no dull moment.

 

The soloists were exceptional, all five. They navigated tricky recitative-like passages through wide ranges and difficult intervals, always with a sure sense of expressivity. With unfamiliar music there is always the question of whether some moments were meant to be quite as dissonant as they emerged, but there was no such question when they were anchored harmonically to the chorus and orchestra, and in the tutti sections especially, the effect was mesmerizing. Maestro Tritle was nothing short of heroic in bringing it all together.

 

Among stirring solo moments, Raehann Bryce-Davis, mezzo-soprano, sent chills down to one’s toes with her performance of The Same Train – Ellen Craft. She conveyed perfectly her protagonist’s dream of Philadelphia, as she coped with the fear of her master’s brother being on The Same Train. Laquita Mitchell, soprano, was especially moving in her final stratospheric utterance “I’ll dance,” as she dreamt of dancing in the rain as a free woman – another breathtaking performance.

 

Joshua Blue was stellar throughout with his powerful golden tone, as well as his superlative diction which penetrated even through the full choral and orchestral sections. Malcolm J. Merriweather, baritone, was also excellent, especially in his solo as Henry “Box” Brown, who escaped in a crate marked “this side up” but spent twenty-six hours upside down and tossed about. In one of the rare moments of sardonic humor, he sung with eloquence his final line “if only these fools could read.” Together this quartet created many memorable moments, with and without the chorus and orchestra; weaving it all together, though, was Dashon Burton, bass-baritone, as William Still, with a voice as steady, true, and profound as one imagines the voice of a deity to be. He was possibly the “MVP” winner of the evening.

 

The final movement of Sanctuary Road closed the evening with one of the most uplifting choral experiences in memory, leaving the word “free” resounding in the air for just a second before thunderous applause burst forth. It was one of those very powerful concert experiences which no one present will be apt to forget. Mr. Moravec and Mr. Campbell took well-earned bows, along with all the other valiant musicians who made it all possible.

 

Bravi tutti!

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Daniel Le in Review

Daniel Le in Review

Daniel Le, Pianist: Anzac Day Celebration Recital
Bruno Walter Auditorium, Lincoln Center, New York, NY
April 24, 2018

 

Brilliant young Australian pianist Daniel Le performed a richly satisfying recital this Tuesday at Bruno Walter Auditorium. Along with music by Schubert and Rachmaninoff, Mr. Le included music of his compatriots Carl Vine, Percy Grainger, and Andrew Howes, in commemoration of Anzac Day.

Mr. Le needs no special occasion as a premise to share his many gifts or those of his countrymen, but it was certainly fitting for an Australian pianist to offer such a program on the eve of Anzac Day, a day of great significance to Australians and New Zealanders. Initiated on April 25, 1916 to commemorate the 1915 landing in Gallipoli by the ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand forces in WW1), Anzac Day has since come to pay tribute more broadly to all Australians and New Zealanders who served in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

Mr. Le’s Australian program choices made for a meaningful tribute, though perhaps a brief New Zealand piece or two could have been added, as there are many fine ones (after all, without NZ it would be merely “Aac Day”)! That is not a criticism so much as a suggestion for future commemorations, because, given Mr. Le’s gifts for presentation, programming and performing, such a concert could certainly become an annual event. The program was enhanced by two poetry recitations by actor Jack D. Martin, first Wilfred Owen’s Spring Offensive and in the second half, Everyone Sang, by Siegfried Sassoon, both read with simple, sincere delivery to allow the moving words their own power and resonance.

As for the music, Mr. Le opened with Schubert’s Sonata in A major, D. 664 (often called “the little A major” to distinguish it from the later larger A major Sonata). He gave it a fittingly unaffected rendition, and though there were a few balance and voicing issues, which might have related to his initial adjustment to the piano (more on that later), it was a lovely opening. To try to draw specific connections from Schubert’s Sonata to themes of Anzac Day may be tenuous (and there were no program notes), but it certainly established the tone of bucolic lyricism from the composer’s less troubled times, while also establishing a poignantly peaceful backdrop to the Wilfred Owen recitation that followed.

The fireworks of the first half came with Carl Vine’s wonderful Sonata No. 1 (1990). This reviewer has long been a fan of this piece, which does not need to be categorized as a major Australian work from the twentieth century, but simply as a major twentieth-century work, period. Mr. Le handled its pianistic challenges and wide-ranging drama with mastery, from the brooding atmospheric chordal opening to the motoric driving sections which build to almost a frenzied jubilance at the climax. Mr. Le was more than a match for all of the virtuosic demands of the exciting first movement, and the toccata-like second movement was equally impressive. The voicing in this piece is layered in such a way that jazzy cross-rhythms emerge from the accentuation of melodic tops, and this pianist brought them all out brilliantly.

The second half opened (after the reading of Sassoon’s poem, Everyone Sang) with the world premiere of a work entitled Bird Songs (2018) by young Australian composer Andrew Howes (b. 1992). It was a powerful juxtaposition, with the line “As prisoned birds must find in freedom” still ringing in one’s ears at the start of the piano work. The movements, entitled Morning Song, Fisher Song, Empty Sky, High-branches Song, and Sky Song were beautifully idiomatic for the piano, billowing with fluid passagework which sounded like inspired improvisations. The music contained very little that one would liken to the language of birds in the way that, say, Ravel did in Oiseaux Tristes or Messiaen in his various Oiseaux, but they suggested more abstractly the soaring, the bleakness, and the grandeur of branches, the sky, and the aerial world, conceivably as related to human experience. This reviewer is completely new to the work of Mr. Howes, but he appears to be a musician well worth following. Mr. Le realized his music imaginatively and with a naturalness that was remarkable in what was announced to be his “iPad debut” using one of the relatively new page-turning technologies.

Veering back to familiar (and non-Australian) territory, the program continued with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor Op.36 (1931 revised). Mr. Le’s excellent technique served him well in this powerhouse piece, and it finished the program proper with ample fire, drawing cheers from his audience. This reviewer was quite fond of Mr. Le’s elasticity of phrase and tempo in the piece and had only rather minor reservations. There was for this listener a perhaps too generous use of the left-before-right quasi-rolled approach, which, aside from the actual marked rolled chords, can approach schmaltz if overdone. There was also the occasional quibble about voicing, including some excessive favoring of the treble in the slow movement, at the expense of the full texture, and what seemed to be an occasional miscalculation of voices in the first movement (in which as a result the opening treble chords almost sounded like an ascending rather than descending third in the top voice).

On the subject of voicing, there was the opposite favoritism in the Schubert, where the long treble lines occasionally paled against a slightly dominating bass. Without enough tone in the longer melodic notes, subsequent shorter notes occasionally seemed blurted out, resulting in some choppy lines. One wondered at first whether the piano was suffering from imbalanced registers, but when the Vine was then given such superb voicing and balance, that theory seemed implausible. Clearly this young pianist can do just about anything he wishes to do, but the demands of Schubert are never to be underestimated!

Following the Rachmaninoff, Mr. Le’s program listed “Percy Grainger Song Arrangements” – almost as built-in encores. To everyone’s delight he offered Gershwin’s The Man I Love and the popular favorite Country Gardens. It is a special pianist who can play Country Gardens perfectly, and Daniel Le is one who can and did. Deceptively tricky, the piece requires a large stretch and some rather unwieldy chord jumps – but the target practice must be done with the blithe ease of a small child picking daisies. It was all there, a delicious close to a fine evening, perhaps best likened to the classic “down under” dessert of Pavlova.

Mr. Le generously thanked a large number of people, including his teacher at the Manhattan School of Music, André-Michel Schub, who was present and, one imagines, justifiably proud.

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents the King’s Singers 50th Anniversary in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents the King’s Singers 50th Anniversary in Review

Bob Chilcott, Guest Conductor; Simon Carrington, Guest Conductor
Special Guests- The King’s Singers: Patrick Dunachie, countertenor; Timothy Wayne-Wright, countertenor; Julian Gregory, tenor; Christopher Bruerton, baritone; Christopher Gabbitas, baritone; Jonathan Howard, bass
Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 22, 2018

 

The Golden Anniversary (50th!) of the a cappella group, the King’s Singers, was marked by a concert at Carnegie Hall this weekend, and it would have been momentous if it had simply marked that milestone; it was, however much more than a milestone, and it re-affirmed this ensemble’s continued stature among the preeminent ensembles of the world.

Established in 1968 at King’s College in Cambridge, the King’s Singers have since performed on all the world’s great stages, garnering distinctions too numerous to name but which have included two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a place in Gramophone magazine’s inaugural Hall of Fame, and premieres of works by the leading composers of today.

As a cappella singing has experienced a resurgence in recent years, with groups such as Pentatonix and Voces8 gaining enormous popularity, the King’s Singers have simply remained unwaveringly true to their origins by presenting diverse music (from the Renaissance to folk and popular styles) at an extremely high level. Despite inevitable change of personnel from time to time, there has been remarkable consistency in sound, particularly in their distinctive balance of voices, including always two countertenors (currently Patrick Dunachie and Timothy Wayne-Wright), one tenor (Julian Gregory), two baritones (Christopher Bruerton and Christopher Gabbitas), and one bass (Jonathan Howard). Though some of the current group’s singers have joined as recently as a few years ago, the standards hold fast, and Sunday’s concert was fortunate as well to have two long-term members join as distinguished guest conductors, both Simon Carrington (who was a co-founder and 25-year member) and Bob Chilcott (a member for twelve years). Mr. Chilcott (b. 1955) was also featured on this program as composer and arranger of several works, including the opening one.

We Are, composed by Mr. Chilcott especially for the King’s Singers’ 50th anniversary, was a perfect opener. Set to a poem from The Human Family, by Maya Angelou, Mr. Chilcott found much inspiration in this text, with a focus on the recurring line, “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” The multiplicity of voices intertwining – from both the King’s Singers and the Distinguished Concerts Singers International – created a musical depiction of diversity itself, and their ultimate convergence was dramatic. It was a brilliant conception, performed expertly under the composer’s fine conducting.

To continue thriving after 50 years, a musical group does well to intertwine the old and the new, and the King’s Singers did just that with the premiere of We Are, as well as a new work by Nico Muhly (b. 1981), To stand in this House. Mr. Muhly’s work, also commissioned to honor the King’s Singers’ 50th anniversary, employs four texts, two prayerful ones from the 15th and 17th centuries (including oneby Henry VI, founder of King’s College, Cambridge, and one by Bishop Thomas Ken) and ending with two more troubled ones from Salman Rushdie (b. 1947) and Zadie Smith (b. 1975), the latter two being notable alumni of King’s College. Mr. Muhly tapped a wide range of musical language to communicate the changing views of time, from the stately polyphony of the first two to the more plaintive third and angst-ridden fourth. The musicians gave devout and passionate readings under the skillful conducting of Simon Carrington.

On a side note, the two newly commissioned works were in some ways opposites. The Chilcott work seemed to bring many widely disparate musical voices into one, while the Muhly piece went the other direction, with the final Zadie Smith text underscoring that even “Individual citizens are internally plural.” Both texts seemed destined to be set to music – essentially a compliment to both composers – though they had strongly different approaches and emotions, and the inclusion of both was quite thought-provoking.

Other newer works on the program included two works commissioned for the King’s Singers 40th anniversary in 2008, including The Stolen Child (text by W.B. Yeats) by Eric Whitacre, a rather eerie tale of magic, and what might think of as a musical prequel, the same composer’s setting of Alone (text of Edgar Allen Poe). Simon Carrington was the superb conductor for these.

Also from among the 40th anniversary commissions was Bob Chilcott’s High Flight, based on two texts, one by Henry Vaughan, 1621-95, and one by pilot John Gillespie Magree, 1922-41. It was another remarkable musical journey through time, composed with a profound understanding of a choir’s potential. One hears in the piece the composer’s years of familiarity with Tavener, Whitacre, and other famed choral composers, but his music naturally carries his own unique voice and gifts. High Flight felt altogether appropriate for this landmark occasion (as it must have for the singers’ 40th), and the close with the famous words “[I’ve] … put out my hand and touched the face of God” was incredibly stirring. The composer conducted the choir and King’s Singers with a spirit of exultation.

More traditional fare included a set entitled “Renaissance Pioneers” including Das G’läut zu Speyer by Ludwig Senfl, with wonderful use of imitation and full of bell sounds, and the heartbreaking Lágrimas de mi Consuelo by Juan Vásquez. Some levity came in the form of Dessus le marché d’Arras by Orlandus Lassus. A rather suggestive text about the purchase of “wares” at a market elicited some fun comments in the singers’ introduction to the effect that “we think we know what she’s selling, but because we’re British we’d rather not say.” The audience loved it. A similarly comical and suggestive Lamorna (traditional arr. Goff Richards) came later as part of a folk song group that included Danny Boy (traditional, arr. Peter Knight) and Bobby Shaftoe (traditional, arr. Gordon Langford).

Other memorable inclusions on the program were Thou, my love, art fair, another inspired beauty by Bob Chilcott (and conducted by the composer), My Soul There is a Country, by famous British composer Hubert Parry, and Moonlight Music, by Eric Barnum (set to texts from Shakespeare’s The Tempest). The glories of England were never far in this program.

Though there were many substantial musical offerings, the audience would undoubtedly have been disappointed without some of the King’s Singers’ more “crowd-grabbing” fare, which included That Lonesome Road of James Taylor, It’s a New World, by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin (in an arrangement by Richard Rodney Bennett), and an uproarious version of the Overture from William Tell (Rossini), with some lingual wizardry by the incredible six. The adoring crowd applauded until an encore was granted, And So It Goes, of Billy Joel in a meltingly beautiful arrangement by Mr. Chilcott. There was probably not a dry eye in the house, but this reviewer couldn’t quite see clearly herself to check.

In summary, it was a great evening and a perfect way to honor not only the King’s Singers’ anniversary but also the 10th anniversary of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), for which the festivities have been ongoing all season. Singers had included groups from Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Missouri, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, United Kingdom, and (as DCINY words it) “individual singers from around the globe.” One can only guess that it was an experience well worth the trips for them – it surely was for the audience!

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents The Music of Eric Whitacre in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents The Music of Eric Whitacre in Review

Eric Whitacre, composer/conductor
Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin, piano
Sara Jean Ford, soprano
Jad Abumrad, special guest
Distinguished Concerts Singers International
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, NY
April 15, 2018

 

 

Fierce rain, wind, and tax deadlines could not stop throngs of music-lovers and fans of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) from coming to hear the music of Eric Whitacre and friends at David Geffen Hall, Sunday April 15, at 8pm. Nor could the fact that the same program (with different choirs) was heard the previous week at Carnegie Hall (for that review, go to DCINY The Music of Eric Whitacre April 8, 2018). In fact, thanks to the concert being live-streamed on Facebook, there was little to prevent virtually anyone (no pun intended) from hearing it, though nothing tops the unique excitement of live music, especially under the leadership of someone as charismatic as Eric Whitacre.

This reviewer first had the pleasure of hearing and reviewing the music of Eric Whitacre back in 2009, when New York Concert Review was still a print periodical rather than an online one. Mr. Whitacre was already in great demand but there was clearly much more coming. My description of his music as “ingenious” and “inspired” is as true now as then, and expectations that his musical commentary “could make him a real Pied Piper” appear to have been fulfilled and surpassed (not that any special credit is claimed for these observations – rather like observing that water is wet).

Mr. Whitacre (b. 1970) is a bit young to be having anything resembling a retrospective, but this concert allowed his fans to hear music spanning nearly three decades, some “greatest hits” alongside some newer works, plus a few friends’ works and arrangements tossed into the mix. Adding to the firepower were the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, unfailing collaborative pianist Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin, fine soprano Sara Jean Ford, radio host and sound designer Jad Abumrad, and some five-hundred singers hailing from Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Canada, and (as DCINY’s written material states) “individual singers from around the globe.”

Mr. Whitacre’s entrance with the pianist, Ms. Lin, was greeted with cheering, as one expects from rock stars, and with characteristic energy he leapt puckishly to the podium. As an opening greeting, he led the choir in his own arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner by John Stafford-Smith. The gesture was appreciated by many in the audience who stood up, with hands on hearts. Some traditionalists might not take to all of it – this listener is still on the fence – but it was certainly interesting to hear the old familiar phrases treated with Mr. Whitacre’s signature sound – the added major and minor seconds coloring basic triadic sonorities.

Moving on to Mr. Whitacre’s strictly original works, the program continued with his very famous piece Lux Aurumque (2000), translated as “Light and Gold” (the latter being also the name of his Grammy-winning album from 2012). It was beautifully executed by the massive choir. Thanks to some alchemy of the composer’s, the voices do seem to shimmer in this, and depending on the dynamics of each individual voice, a harmony pulsates between consonance and dissonance, producing the illusion of the choir being a single vibrating organism. The combined choirs, which had met only a few days before, gave a beautiful performance.

Five Hebrew Love Songs (1995) followed, short evocative pieces on texts written by Hila Plitmann and given sensitive accompaniment by a string quartet who also played the quiet introduction. Temuná was pensive, rendered with a folk-like simplicity, followed by Kalá Kallám, which resembled a plaintive sicilienne in the lower voices before breaking into exultant dance music in the higher voices, with tambourine accents. It was quite impressive to see so many young people singing from memory in various languages, in this case Hebrew, and it was a credit to their directors who undoubtedly worked for many months to achieve such a high level. The last three songs included Lárov, appropriately brief to suit a text about love diminishing distances, and Eyze shéleg! an exquisite musical evocation of falling snow. Rakút, gently closed with the strings just as they had opened the set.

Little Birds (1992), next, was evidence that Mr. Whitacre’s flair for unusual effects in choral music started early. Set to an enchanting poem on birds by Octavio Paz, it includes bird whistles from the choristers and a fluttering descent of white pages at the close, suggesting the rusting of birds among the trees.

To mix things up, and because the composer John Mackey is a good friend and colleague of Mr. Whitacre’s, this concert included the New York premiere of Mr. Mackey’s piece The Rumor of a Secret King (premiere if one counts this Geffen Hall performance as an extension of last week’s Carnegie Hall premiere, the actual first). Mr. Mackey needs little introduction to new music circles, but this piece, reportedly his first foray into choral music (set to a text by his wife A. E. Jaques), met all expectations. Filled with a sense of anticipation built on repeated syllables blending with the text to a final climactic Alleluia, it was conducted precisely and winningly. At the end, Mr. Whitacre remarked, “I hope John was watching on Facebook” – then looked at the camera and quipped, “Wassup, John?”

Returning to his own composition briefly, Mr. Whitacre conducted The Seal Lullaby (set to text of Rudyard Kipling), a touching piece composed originally for film, before conducting two arrangements by another friend, Moses Hogan (1957-2003), the spirituals Elijah Rock and The Battle of Jericho, both performed with infectious spirit and wonderful rhythmic energy. (A third spiritual, I want Jesus to Walk with Me, was listed on the printed program but was omitted.) What a great close to the first half!

After intermission, we heard only work of Mr. Whitacre himself. First came his enchanting setting of Goodnight Moon (text by Margaret Wise Brown) sung beautifully by the chorus, with the voice of soprano Sara Jean Ford soaring like a dream over all, and following it was the setting of the stunning poem, I carry your heart, by E.E. Cummings, a piece dedicated to the marriage of two friends. As Mr. Whitacre recounted, it took much searching to find the right music for the latter gem – but the good news is that he did, and with great soulfulness. The performance by these newly convened choruses was again remarkably sensitive.

Cloudburst (1991) was a welcome rain after the great emotional weight invested in the prior pieces. Much loved and imitated by now, notably for the striking finger-snapping, clapping and other effects to simulate a storm, it was a joy to revisit since my first hearing in 2009. The effects were so persuasive (and the audience cooperated) that one really wanted to grab a towel and dry off! Home, from The Sacred Veil was then given its Lincoln Center Premiere. Part of a new work that Mr. Whitacre says needed adjusting as recently as the day before this concert, it is set to a text by Charles Anthony Silvestri on the large matters of life, death and the thin veil between them. For this work, the composer drew upon the electronic expertise of Jad Abumrad in creating sounds of surf. It is a deeply moving piece about finding one’s spiritual “home” in one’s true love.

Another high point of the program was The City and The Sea (premiered in 2010 by DCINY), a set of five more E.E. Cummings poems of varying emotions and scenes. The music matched and magnified the texts’ moods, from the sanguine i walked the boulevard to the melancholic the moon is hiding in her hair. At the heart were maggie and milly and molly and may and as is the sea marvelous, both set with a sense of youthful wonder and sung accordingly. Perhaps the most memorable though was the final one, little man in a hurry, enlivened by Mr. Whitacre’s dance-like conducting style. He led his attentive singers in a precise and comically frenzied performance.

 From this point, emotions took a plunge in Mr. Whitacre’s arrangement of the extremely dark song, Hurt by Trent Reznor (b. 1965), sung in the nineties by the group Nine Inch Nails, later Johnny Cash, and also by Mr. Reznor himself. The lyrics (including “I will let you down,” “I will bring you pain,” and, “everyone I know goes away in the end”) speak of profound depression. It is not easy, in this listener’s opinion, to convey through the angelic voices of several hundred well-coached choristers the kind of raw loneliness and despair that one once heard in the gravelly voice of the lone, weather-beaten Johnny Cash as he sang it, but Mr. Whitacre’s setting was truly painful in a completely different, stylized way. Soprano Sara Jean Ford sang the agonizing words against a faint choral hum at first, joined later in the devastating lyrics by all. At times, Ms. Ford’s voice reached otherworldly heights, sounding almost wailing over the other voices, and the overall effect was excruciating.

Not much can follow such pain except sleep, and the song Sleep (2000) followed, closing on a soft note what was Whitacre’s 15th concert with DCINY. The audience rallied from the depths to applaud and cheer the musicians and the music. Bravo once again to DCINY and to Eric Whitacre.

 

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Dreamweaver in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Dreamweaver in Review

Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, Distinguished Concerts Singers International, James M. Meaders, DCINY Conductor
Ola Gjeilo, Composer-in-residence and Piano
Miran Vaupotić, Guest Conductor
Meredith Lustig, Soprano
Jessica Grigg, Alto
Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 15, 2018

 

 

Once again Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) demonstrated the power of music on a massive scale in their recent concert at Carnegie Hall. It was another extravaganza.

 

Behind it all, of course, is a mission of encouraging music far and wide through performance and education, and in tribute to one who devoted decades to this mission, James M. Meaders, DCINY Conductor, presented the DCINY Educator Laureate Award to conductor, arranger, author, and educator, Dr. Milburn Price at the program’s opening. It set a tone of reverence to start off the evening.

 

For the music itself, Norwegian Ola Gjeilo and American Dan Forrest were the two featured composers whose major works were presented, alongside shorter works by Michael J. Evans, Joseph Deems Taylor, Dwight Beckham, and Matej Meštrović. Mr. Gjeilo and Mr. Forrest share some remarkable similarities in some ways. Both happen to have been born in 1978, and both write music that employs rather conservative tonality in exploring spiritual themes. Both are part of a growing wave of choral music that often hearkens back to days of chant, while freely tapping into multicultural or folk material, the simple harmonies and spare textures of New Age music, and some cinematic orchestral elements. Both composers are, perhaps needless to say, immensely popular.

 

Whatever one’s musical style preferences might be, it is hard not to admire the passion with which several hundred choir members on Sunday embraced both composer’s works. The Distinguished Concerts Singers International, the core group, along with the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, set the stage for committed performances by choruses from the states of California, Florida, Georgia Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon South Carolina, Texas, and Washington, as well as Australia, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and (as DCINY’s printed material states) “individuals from around the globe.” Wow!

 

Mr. Gjeilo, known as the composer-in-residence with the well-loved group, Voces8 (heard on Decca with the choir, Tenebrae), has composed for other notable groups as well, such as the Phoenix Chorale, whose bestselling Northern Lights collection on Chandos was named iTunes Best Classical Vocal Album of 2012. Mr. Gjeilo has also released crossover piano albums Stone Rose and Piano Improvisations, parts of which this listener has heard and would characterize as “New Age.” As a disclaimer, New Age is not a style of which this listener is terribly fond in general, though, Mr. Gjeilo’s persuasive gifts make that stance difficult.

 

The first work we heard on Sunday was Mr. Ojeilo’s set of seven choral pieces called Dreamweaver, including movements, Prologue, Dreamsong, The Bridge, Intermezzo, Paradise, Dominion, and Epilogues. Mr. Ojeilo’s biography states that “his music often draws inspiration from movies and cinematic music” – and one could certainly hear that marked influence on Sunday. In the movement entitled Bridge, built largely on a rhythmically driving repeated bass note beneath surging crescendi, one could easily imagine a film hero engaged in desperate struggle, and indeed, the text of Dreamweaver features its own hero. It is based on the Norwegian medieval folk poem, Draumkvedet (with translated text by Charles Anthony Silvestri) in which its protagonist, after a thirteen-day sleep, recounts his dreams of “brave, beautiful, terrifying, and ultimately redeeming journey through the afterlife” (in the composer’s words).

 

The alternation of hymn-like calm and robust cinematic flourishes made for immediately gratifying dramatic episodes, even if occasionally one felt a yearning for the slower burn of a work by Beethoven or Brahms. Highlights were expressive solos from the string principals and some subtle chordal surprises in the opening movement Prologue.

 

Mr. Gjielo’s Song of the Universal followed, set to a text of Walt Whitman. Opening with a quiet choral hum, the music built to ecstatic peaks. The piano alternated between providing glassy rhythmic treble timbres and simply underscoring the basic harmonies. A personal reservation from this listener was that occasionally when the piano served merely to outline or double the harmonies, it detracted from, rather than adding to, the transcendent effect as a whole, lending things a more pedestrian feeling. Overall, though, Gjeilo’s pieces – and their performances – emerged as music that should engage this increasingly “attention deficit” world. Maestro James M. Meaders conducted with marvelous mastery and energy, as he did again later in the Dan Forrest work.

 

One would be remiss not to mention the superb soprano, Meredith Lustig, whose sound soared with great purity with and above the chorus. She also sang in the second half to grace the Forrest work, as did exceptional alto, Jessica Grigg.

 

Dan Forrest, whose Jubilate Deo closed the program, is known as the acclaimed composer of choral, orchestral, instrumental, and wind band works, which, through several publishers, have sold in the millions of copies and become firmly ensconced in the repertoires of musicians around the world. Mr. Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, given its New York premiere under the auspices of DCINY in 2014, was reviewed quite favorably in New York Concert Review here: DCINY Life and Liberty In Review.

 

Jubilate Deo is a remarkably potent work. Employing texts in Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, Mandarin, Zulu, and Spanish, it marks a growing trend towards a “globalized” choral style seen also in some of the music of Karl Jenkins, Christopher Tin, and others. The sheer numbers onstage were so large that, even in the hands of expert conductor Meaders, they threatened to encumber the tempo stability and ensemble; thankfully, however, they never quite did. With the steel resolve and training by so many choral directors from all over the world, these singers held their own in what was ultimately a triumph.

 

Especially moving was the second piece, a duet sung in Hebrew and Arabic simultaneously by Ms. Grigg and Ms. Lustig, intended to symbolize (in the words of the composer) “the unity between these cultures.” It was extremely stirring. Other highlights included the rousing Zulu movement, Ngokujabula!, which is so infectiously joyful that it will surely be a favorite with choruses as a standalone piece. This listener could not shake the tune for much of the day, despite inability to pronounce the word! Bravo to all!

 

Sandwiched between the Gjeilo and the Forrest was a string of shorter works for orchestra alone under the direction of excellent guest conductor Miran Vaupotić. The group started with Into the Woods by American composer Michael J. Evans (b. 1964), a musical celebration inspired by a Celtic fertility festival. It was played with exotic sensual relish.

Next came a work by American Joseph Deems Taylor (1885-1966), known more commonly as simply Deems Taylor and remembered today more for his music criticism and eponymous award in music criticism than for his compositions. Despite (or perhaps because of) his relative obscurity as a composer, it was a joy to hear a composition of his, a well-constructed, thoughtful movement of stately mood. Mr. Vaupotić is to be commended for looking outside of the more commonly played fare.

 

Also unknown to this listener was a work by American Dwight Beckham (b. 1931), entitled Memorial Ode. Based on the beautiful Ralph Vaughan Williams tune Sine Nomine, it is enhanced by timpani and snare drum rhythms yielded by the initials HR in International Morse Code (for the dedicatee Harold Romoser) – an intriguing compositional feature. It is a regal work and was given a fine performance.

 

Last of this set before intermission was a performance of Danube Rhapsody by Croatian Matej Meštrović (b. 1969), with the composer at the piano in two flashy concerto-type movements which brought to mind some of the festive crowd-pleasers of André Rieu or other crossover artists. It was clearly a joyous moment for the performers, particularly Mr. Meštrović, who took several selfies and blew kisses to the audience!

 

The evening was all in all quite a success. The audience appeared to love every minute. In this day of decrying empty seats in concert halls, DCINY apparently has their answer to that problem.

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Wind Songs in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Wind Songs in Review

The University of Mississippi Concert Singers; Don Trott, Conductor; Richard Culpepper, collaborative pianist;

Amador Valley High School Wind Ensemble; Jonathan Richard Grantham, Director; Patrick Dandrea, Assistant Director;

Rancho Bernardo High School; Zachary Christy, Director of Orchestras; Duane Otani, Director of Bands

Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

April 8, 2018

 

As one has come to expect from Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), they put on another large-scale celebration of music this weekend, as usual with a variety of styles, and as always, with emotions running high among performers and audience alike. How does DCINY do it? That is partly a rhetorical question, but part of the answer lies in the fact that they are not afraid of the words “college” and “high school” on some of their choral and orchestral programs, frequently alongside professionals of all ages, including world-famous musicians. After all, some of the most passionate, dedicated ensembles come from the ranks of the young, and for anyone disappointed in “youth today” (said with curmudgeonly grumble), such DCINY concerts are a sure remedy. The firepower from the stage on this occasion was matched by the palpable love from the audience.

Sunday’s concert included choral music in the first half, namely the University of Mississippi Concert Singers, and wind ensemble music after intermission – first from the Amador Valley High School Wind Ensemble from Northern California, and then a wind ensemble from the Rancho Bernardo High School from Southern California.

 

These multi-institutional concerts can include an overwhelming number of works with printed programs containing much information to relay, so this reviewer will share high points and not necessarily in order. For readers interested in seeing the full program notes as they appeared for this concert, they are available here for download: Program Notes- Wind Songs

The first half was impressive to say the least. The University of Mississippi Concert Singers, an auditioned ensemble under the direction of Don Trott is of an extremely high caliber. Renowned composer Eric Whitacre, who has worked with them, stated that “conducting this chorus is like driving a Ferrari,” and that is no joke. They launched the program with a rousing gospel arrangement (by Shawn Kirchner) of Unclouded Day by Rev. J. K. Alwood (1828-1909) and set the tone for the evening with high energy. The energy was no less intense (although quieter!) in the hallowed piece Taaveti laul (from Psalms of David) Estonian Cyrillus Kreek (1889-1962). A stunning setting of Psalm 104, it was a highlight of the program for this listener. It was interestingly one of several gems selected from the Baltic countries, the others being Augu Nakti, a sprightly folk piece with a feeling of seven-eight meter by Latvian Valts Pūce (b. 1962), the more tonally challenging Kanarbik (From Sügismaastikud –Autumn Landscapes) by Estonian Veljo Tormis (b. 1930-2017), and the luminous Magnificat from Latvian Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977), with Brady Bramlett supplying the lovely solo part. These were all wonderful selections that deserve to be heard more often and were expertly done. Clearly there is musical gold being mined from the Baltic region.

Along with the opening spiritual, there was other Americana woven into the program, including Great Day by Warren Martin (1916-1982), which featured well done solos from Sergio Vergara, Dylan Fink, and Carley Wilemon, and the rousing gospel song Hold On! by Eugene Simpson (b. 1932), which was especially powerful at the tricky-to-tune high-pitched Picardy third ending! It was a joy also to hear Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass by William Grant Still (1895-1978) who is enjoying something closer to the recognition he has long deserved, with much thanks to his daughter. Incidentally, as one wanders through the gallery of framed manuscripts at Carnegie Hall, there is one by William Grant Still, a snippet from a symphony that Still himself once noted had not been played there in his lifetime. Here’s to at least partial straightening old scores (no pun intended)!

It would almost be conspicuous to omit Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) during this centennial year, and Gloria In Excelsis from his Mass (edited by Doreen Rao) was a good addition by “Ole Miss.” It was given a strong rhythmic energy with the help of collaborative pianist Richard Culpepper, who lent fine support throughout the evening.

These offerings were rounded out by two more selections on youthful themes, including the sweetly touching “coming of age” music, Flight Song, by Norwegian Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980), with Debra Spurgeon ably taking the podium as guest conductor, and All of Us, by Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1962), a moving remembrance of Matthew Shepard, who was tragically murdered in 1998. A vocal trio of Lacey Hindman, Melanie Culhane, Caitlin Richardson gave added luster to a rendition that, despite such a tragic subject, finished with a spirit of affirmation.

DCINY’s ensembles often feature such music of special timely relevance, and the second half of wind music after intermission was no exception. The two wind ensembles were the Amador Valley High School Wind Ensemble under Jonathan Richard Grantham for most works, followed by the final group of the evening, the Rancho Bernardo High School.

We heard Michael Markowski (b. 1986) City Trees, dedicated to the Lesbian and Gay Band Association, and honoring in the composer’s words “the unique challenges my friends have faced and had to overcome.” We heard the highly dramatic work, Testament, by David Maslanka (1943-2017) – with winds, brass, and percussion especially powerful the roar of pain and war.

As if afraid to let things get too dark, we had several kinds of levity in alternation. The Amador winds opened with Louis-Aimé Maillart (1817-1871) The Dragoons of Villars Overture (arr. Clifford Barnes) – pure flashy fun, in an Offenbach sort of way, and clearly fun for these young players. Following the Markowski, we heard Shepherd’s Hey of Percy Grainger (1882-1961, arr. Rogers) with Patrick Dandrea, taking the podium with spirit and returning it to Mr. Grantham, who ably resumed with the lion’s share. For more comic relief we heard The Roosters Lay Eggs in Kansas by Mayhew Lake (1879-1955), complete with duck calls and other silly fun.

The final group from Rancho Bernardo High School also played selections with solemn notes. Under their Director of Orchestras, Zachary Christy, they opened with Fanfare – The Benefaction from Sky and Mother Earth by Satoshi Yagisawa (b. 1975), with the percussion section in full force (albeit a bit overwhelming for the upper winds at times), and following, under Duane Otani, Director of Bands, was An American Elegy by Frank Ticheli (b. 1958). Despite being written to honor the victims of Columbine High School in 1999, it was spacious and regal. As the composer wrote, “It is offered as a tribute to their great strength and courage in the face of a terrible tragedy.”

As the final hurrah of the evening Mr. Otani led his winds in Armenian Dances by Alfred Reed (1921-2005) a brisk and colorful set, played tautly and with vigor.

All in all, it was a heartwarming and inspiring evening. Kudos to all involved!

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Anniversaries in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents Anniversaries in Review

Warren Lee, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 2, 2018

 

In this centennial year marking the birth of composer, conductor, and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), the world is hearing a great deal of his music. The Leonard Bernstein website, www.leonardbernstein.com, features a calendar of worldwide 2018 performances including, for example, a deluge of selections and renditions of West Side Story, Candide, some high-profile performances of this reviewer’s favorite, the Chichester Psalms, and of course some of the Symphony No. 2: Age of Anxiety (including next week, April 11, the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Jean-Yves Thibaudet at Carnegie Hall); by comparison, performances of Bernstein’s piano solo collections entitled Anniversaries are included in a relative handful of events.

 

Enter pianist Warren Lee. In his recent Weill Recital Hall program, Mr. Lee played eight selections from Bernstein’s four sets of Anniversaries and even entitled his concert Anniversaries, despite also including George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Liszt’s Sonata in B minor (which I believe are not celebrating any particular anniversaries). Liszt’s Sonata in B minor is not often regarded as an add-on – nor for that matter the Gershwin – but the focus was clearly meant to be Bernstein here. Mr. Lee gave his audience a memorable gift of insight into Bernstein’s world, and to round it out with standard repertoire was very much in keeping with Bernstein’s own sense of balance and popular appeal.

 

For those not familiar with the Anniversaries (totaling 29 miniatures in four sets, but pared down for this concert), each piece is written in tribute to a particular person in Bernstein’s life, in some cases extremely well known, such as Aaron Copland or Stephen Sondheim, but in other cases less so, such as Helen Coates, Bernstein’s piano teacher and later friend and secretary. As expressive character pieces, they are not unlike Virgil Thomson’s Portraits, which presume on the part of the listener some specific (sometimes arcane) knowledge in order to reach full understanding. They therefore pose a potential problem in programming. Even many pianists are not familiar with names such as Helen Coates or Felicia Montealegre (Bernstein’s wife), so to get an audience to pay attention to works bearing those names requires an especially communicative approach. Again, enter Warren Lee.

 

What was so ingenious about Mr. Lee’s presentation was the alternation of his own carefully selected readings from Bernstein’s letters with his own compelling interpretations of the music. One was drawn into the relationships that inspired the different vignettes, and the music became a tonal autobiography of the composer and his colleagues and loved ones.

 

Bernstein, in love with humanity in a Whitmanesque way, was insatiable socially as much as musically (by his own description), and so it is fitting that some of his work is, in a sense, “about people” in his circle. In any case, one came away from this concert with a deepened awareness of Bernstein’s own feelings through his words and music. Mr. Lee’s readings and interpretations presented it all in a seamless and accessible way. No heads were in laps glued to program notes, thanks to the spoken introductions – an important consideration, as a single paragraph would take longer to read than some of the miniatures!

 

The excellent conception was matched by excellent pianism. In the first selection, For Felicia Montealegre Mr. Lee’s gentle and stunningly voiced phrases resembled speech patterns in their sensitive inflection. One almost felt privy to a conversation between Leonard Bernstein and his wife. The next piece, For Johnny Mehegan, inspired by the American jazz musician, brought to life an acerbic, mockingly humorous character, colorfully conveyed by Mr. Lee.

 

For David Diamond evokes the melancholy and intense volatility that afflicted Bernstein’s fellow composer – and subsequently their friendship – but one still needed Mr. Lee to bring it all to the listener, which he did masterfully. For Helen Coates was appropriately energetic for a woman who was a life force in many ways for Bernstein, conveying the lifelong importance to him of teaching and learning. It was played brilliantly.

 

For Aaron Copland, as one might expect, had a certain flavor of the composition of Copland himself, with spare, semplice textures that spoke of the vulnerability of art in a world of increasing war (as a prefatory letter illustrated as well). This piece was followed by For Sergei Koussevitzky which had heightened dissonance and a still more ponderous quality.

 

The variety of these pieces says so much about Bernstein’s own sensitivity and vulnerability. Despite this composer’s larger-than-life personality, each piece represented not so much Bernstein’s own ego but more intensely the impact of others on his life and work. For Stephen Sondheim was dreamy and atmospheric, as one might expect, and one heard the closeness of the two who worked together on West Side Story.

 

Nothing quite touched the emotional power of the final selection, In Memoriam: Helen Coates. Mr. Lee brought out its profound sadness and, with sensitive pedaling created the otherworldly music of heartbreak. It closed a musical grouping that cast Bernstein as having an even more fragile human quality as man and musician than one normally has seen. Mr. Lee proved himself to be a truly insightful and sympathetic interpreter.

 

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue for solo piano closed the first half with the racy, sassy spirit one has come to expect from this piece. Note-wise it was nearly perfect. Some sections seemed a bit straitlaced, but one could argue that at least one such performance is needed for every fifteen that are overblown and hammy. It was in a way refreshing, though I did crave a more ramped up bass in the left-hand octaves towards the end. Perhaps there was a concern about outweighing the rather glassy octaves of the treble, but sometimes one has to just go for broke with the spirit of the thing. Incidentally, though the program notes mention some comments Bernstein made about the loosely strung structure of the Gershwin, no mention was made that Bernstein played this piece often – perhaps that detail was considered self-explanatory.

 

As for Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor, it was a fine and virtuosic close, if a bit understated for this reviewer. Some parts sounded metric to the point of seeming almost perfunctory rather than gestural. On the other hand, the tautness of such passages did set in relief the elasticity of the beautiful dreamier sections, so all in all it worked. One had the occasional quibble with what seemed at some points like slight over-pedaling, and for a brief moment towards the end things did go a bit astray, but all recovered quite well.

 

An enthusiastic ovation merited several curtain calls and an encore of more Bernstein, For Felicia On Our 28th Birthday (& her 52nd). Mr. Lee capped the evening off reading words from Ronald Reagan in praise of Leonard Bernstein – a final tribute to close what was an enlightening and memorable evening. Bravo!

 

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Bargemusic Presents Masterworks Series: Vera Vaidman in Review

Bargemusic Presents Masterworks Series: Vera Vaidman in Review

Vera Vaidman, violin and viola
Bargemusic, Brooklyn, NY
March 23, 2018

 

In celebration of J. S. Bach’s 333rd birthday anniversary this month, Bargemusic is presenting the composer’s complete works for unaccompanied bowed instruments in five recitals featuring violinist/violist Vera Vaidman. This feast of great music includes all of Bach’s six masterpieces for solo violin (the Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001-1006) and all six masterpieces for solo cello (the Suites BWV 1007-1012), transcribed for viola.

Ms. Vaidman, one of the last pupils of the legendary David Oistrakh, has enjoyed a highly illustrious career, with concerts and master classes in distinguished venues too numerous to name. She has performed and recorded with Rudolf Serkin and Andras Schiff, as soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, the Jerusalem Symphony with Lukas Foss (on US tour), with Gerard Schwarz, Mendi Rodan, Rudolf Barshai, and with numerous orchestras in Israel, Europe, South America, and South Africa. Foremost a violinist, she has also performed as a violist since 2007.

It is not too unusual these days for cellists to take on the cycle of six cello suites in recital, and such programming is usually a noteworthy event. Similarly, some brave violinists take on a cycle of the complete Sonatas and Partitas, an equally formidable undertaking. What is truly extraordinary, though, is that Ms. Vaidman, equally comfortable whether playing viola (in the role of cello) or playing violin, tackled a cycle of both sets within the span of just nine days between March 16 and March 25 (in addition to a sixth recital of completely different repertoire). For those looking to mark what is being called Women’s History Month this March, they’ll need look no further than Ms. Vaidman’s series for a colossal achievement in the field of classical music.

While this reviewer heard only the March 23rd recital, it was clear that Ms. Vaidman is one outstanding violinist and violist. In a program pairing the Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010 (viola) and the Partita No. 2 in D minor (violin), BWV 1004 – known best for its monumental Chaconne finale – she navigated the extreme challenges of both works with the ease of a veteran and the involvement of a highly dedicated musician, all from memory (as one learns was the case for this entire cycle).

The Suite in E-flat major opened the recital. Interpretation of the Prelude from this suite is a particular bête noire for this reviewer, as performances seem to alternate between those with excessive prolongation of the initial bass notes (leading the listener to feel five beats in each measure rather than four as written) and those with a slavish adherence to the beat, which undermine one’s sense of contrasting tonal layers and registers. Thankfully, Ms. Vaidman avoided both extremes and struck the right balance here, lingering on the basses without upsetting the meter. On the subject of basses, Ms. Vaidman’s were warm and full, such that one never even missed the cello sounds so deeply connected to this music. Her lower range was a beautiful, though sometimes it did tend to overpower the higher registers. In cases where Bach’s writing called for almost antiphonal tiers of upper and lower voices, this registral contrast was an asset. Occasionally, though, in longer, more fluid lines, it seemed to result in some slightly pinched peaks. In general, though, Ms. Vaidman’s shaping of phrases and overall conceptions won the day.

One hesitates to criticize details in a venue such as the Barge, in which the resonant acoustics and intimate space leave even the slightest fluctuation of the bow’s weight quite audible. One needs in such a case to distance oneself aurally, just as one might step back in viewing a painting, and to take in the glory of this music. There was much that was glorious. High points in the E-flat Suite were the sensitively rendered Allemande and a very thoughtful Sarabande. Also a delight was the Bourrée II, which had the perfect pesante approach, not prettified as it sometimes is. The Gigue had an exuberance which closed the work with triumph.

Changing from viola to violin presents its own unique challenges, but the transition was made quite skillfully to the Partita in D minor. Though Ms. Vaidman had become acclimated physically to the viola for the first half of the recital, her violin performance seemed to reflect even more naturalness and ease overall. She was able to inflect the Allemande’s phrases with attention to detail without losing the long lines, and the Courante (or perhaps more properly Corrente) projected a lively and precise dance-like spirit. Her Sarabande held this listener (and the audience) completely, and the Gigue was excellent, with only the occasional slip.

All built to the Chaconne, which capped off the evening with grandeur and beauty. One of the high points of the entire music literature, in this reviewer’s mind, it was beautifully paced by Ms. Vaidman, who built the momentum logically and incrementally to its glorious peaks. Her excellent voicing revealed Bach’s contrapuntal lines, and her control of dynamics made for wonderfully varied textures. A few smudged double-stops along the way were the only downside, but en route to building this musical shrine, such matters are fairly inevitable. All in all, it was a tremendous evening. Brava!

 

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY