Ed W. Clark High School Concert Band; Jeffrey Lacoff, Director; Julio Vargas-Guerra, Assistant Director; Alexander Reyes, Guest Conductor

Ed W. Clark High School Orchestra; Eric Maine, Director; Antonio Brockett, Assistant Director

William Paterson University Chamber Wind Ensemble; Teresa Purcell-Giles, Director

William Paterson University Symphony; Sandra Dackow, Director

Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

April 28, 2024

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented another one of their signature shared concerts this weekend, and it was yet another inspiring experience for all present. The program offered performances from two schools, the Ed W. Clark High School (Las Vegas, Nevada) and the William Paterson University (Wayne, New Jersey), each presenting two ensembles. The majority of music involved wind groups – hence the name “Windsongs” – though there was one string orchestra performing as well. The first half of the program featured the two Ed W. Clark High School groups – the Ed W. Clark High School Concert Band and the Ed W. Clark High School Orchestra (strings only) – and the second half featured the William Paterson University ensembles, the WPU Chamber Wind Ensemble and the WPU University Symphony. The length of nearly two and a half hours from start to finish (including intermission and several breaks to set up) made the concert a bit of a marathon, but – with so much novelty and variety, and particularly with such tremendous involvement from these hard-working players – one will not complain. One was left with a renewed sense of hope that these young students will bring their discipline, collaborative skills, and spirit to a world that sorely needs all three.

The Clark Concert Band opened with Jorge Machain’s Fanfare for Unity (World Premiere), a bright, declamatory piece whose rising fourths and dotted rhythms brought to mind heroic film scores. The students played it with great energy, and the composer was present in the audience to acknowledge the rousing ovation. Seven more works followed, including Shostakovich’s Chimes Prelude (Arr. James Keane), Katahj Copley’s AYO (Rhapsody for Band), Sousa’s Manhattan Beach March, Grainger’s Theme from “Green Bushes” (Arr. Larry Daehn), Julie Giroux’s The Bonsai Tree, William Owens’ Tudor Sketches, and Randall Standridge’s Choose Joy. As there are three more groups to cover, we’ll stick with highlights, but suffice it to say that this high school band was as comfortable in a romp of Grainger as they were in the pomp of Sousa. They embraced a wide variety of moods and tempi, and offerings ranging from those of the Elizabethan era (Owens) to those rooted in jazz and hip-hop (Copley). They exhibited technical ease in each case. Perhaps because of the sheer decibel levels that a band creates with around 65 players on winds, brass, and percussion, the work that may linger most in this listener’s memory was Julie Giroux’s The Bonsai Tree, standing out for its sweetness and delicacy. Also memorable were the infectious rhythms of Katahj Copley’s AYO and the final work, Randall Standridge’s Choose Joy, with its fragments of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy integrated into what the composer calls its “message of positivity.” It was positive, indeed. Conductors Jeffrey Lacoff, Julio Vargas-Guerra, and Alexander Reyes drew terrific musicianship from these young players, and they can be very proud.

The Ed W. Clark High School Orchestra came next, with the skillful team of Eric Maine and Antonio Brockett divvying up the conducting duties. Again numbering around 65 players, now just strings, they made a formidable impression onstage, and one could only think again that something great must be going on in this Nevada school. They opened with the Jig from Holst’s wonderful St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29, and it was a joyous and fitting selection during this 150th anniversary of Holst’s birth year. Holst’s own decades of teaching music to the young helped give this St Paul’s Suite its winning accessibility, and these Clark musicians seemed to relish it. They moved on easily to the moodier evocations of Eric Whitacre’s October, a piece with the ethereal quality that this composer has taken to a new level (achieved here with tremolando strings and a magical caress of chimes). The students conveyed its mood with real sensitivity. In a lighter vein, the orchestra followed with the Saint-Saëns Caprice-Valse (or “Wedding Cake”), a frou-frou showpiece for piano and orchestra. The soloist was accomplished young pianist Lumina Yueshi Lu, whose elaborate white gown brought to mind the confection that the piece suggests. She played with sparkling precision through its tricky fingerwork. Returning to strictly strings, the program moved on with the Finale from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 48 – a perennial favorite. The orchestra demonstrated excellent elasticity and energy here.  A few moments of iffy intonation in the upper strings were minor quibbles during what was an excellent performance. Moving to a more sobering note, Carlos Simon’s Elegy: A Cry From The Grave followed. It is described by the composer as “an artistic reflection dedicated to those who have been wrongfully murdered by an oppressive power; namely Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown,” and the mood was fittingly somber, with rays of hope emerging. The ensemble played it with strong commitment, then brought the temperature back up with Piazzolla’s Libertango (Arr. Thomas Kallb). Though this tango might have had even more fire if the basses and celli had been a bit stronger, it was a rousing finish to the school’s offerings and was greeted with hearty applause.

After intermission, we heard two ensembles from the William Paterson University, first the Chamber Wind Ensemble and then the University Symphony. The Chamber Wind Ensemble, under vibrant conductor Teresa Purcell-Giles, opened (like the first half) with a fanfare, but in this case it was a piece called Fanfarria, by Giovanni Santos. A celebration of migrant families, brimming with infectious rhythms from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, it drew the best from these young musicians. They dove into it with gusto. More Latin rhythms came in selections from the Little Mexican Suite by Nubia Jaime Donjuan – both named after trees dear to the composer, the Ayacahuite and the Sahuaro (a nice symmetrical tie-in to the first half’s Bonsai), and it was an uplifting experience for all before introducing the final ensemble of the afternoon – which did involve bringing some of these excellent players back.

The William Paterson University Symphony, around seventy players strong, played the three final pieces of the program, starting with Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance In G Minor, Op.46, No. 8, and following with equally audience-grabbing works of Saint-Saens and Josef Strauss. Despite knowing the impressive reputation of conductor Sandra Dackow, and despite witnessing her palpable command over the “troops” as she climbed to the podium, nothing prepared this listener for the firepower she unleashed. Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance In G Minor is a longtime favorite of this listener’s but it has never sounded quite so electric. After seemingly hurling the downbeat at the orchestra as Thor might have cast a thunderbolt, she initiated a turbocharged performance and never looked back – except to hurl a few more thunderbolts. The students were expected to react in a nanosecond, and they rose to the occasion. It was breathtaking. The two final works were Feuerfest! by Josef Strauss (son of Johann Strauss I and brother of the more famous Johann Strauss II) and Danse Bacchanale from Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saëns (a piece with eerie connections to our current situation in Gaza). Both works were riveting, but the Feuerfest! might have been a serious contender to close the concert, simply because of its irresistible spirit. Commissioned in 1869 by the Wertheim Safe company to celebrate its fireproof safes, it calls for the striking of anvils to suggest the safe’s manufacture, and for this role the orchestra enlisted four administrators of the university. It was impossible not to smile at the fun and the joyous demonstration of teamwork. Surely the administrators will enjoy the bragging rights of having played at Carnegie Hall, even if the answer to “What did you play?” is … the anvil.

Throughout the afternoon one couldn’t help thinking that, for all the calls to unity and reminders to love, a good orchestra is, in and of itself, the quintessential example of just that – unity. The effect is felt by those listening and watching the players of all sizes, shapes, and colors performing – and also in the excited conversations among audience members, many of them families of the players, formerly strangers, now becoming fast friends. One hopes to see much more of this as an antidote to the world’s many messages of divisiveness. Congratulations go to the Ed. W Clark High School, to William Paterson University, and to DCINY for this exceptional reminder of how important orchestras of all levels are – certainly for the young, but also for us all.

Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Live Concert Recording 11/22/2022

Links to two outstanding videos of unusual repertoire came my way this week, and it is a joy to share them with our readers. The videos are of Teodora Adzharova performing both Shostakovich Piano Sonatas in live concert at the Earl and Darielle Linehan Concert Hall, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), November 2022, and they are available on YouTube (Piano Sonata No.1, Op.12 and Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 61). Though this recital was over a year ago, the study of Shostakovich is a long-term pursuit for Dr. Adzharova. As her website (www.teodoraadzharova.com) reveals, she is releasing an all-Shostakovich CD this season (including the Op. 61 Sonata and the Preludes, Op. 34), and she just last month performed an all-Shostakovich program at the DiMenna Center in New York. Meanwhile, she is busy preparing papers on these works for publication and is slated to give lecture recitals on Shostakovich’s music in Europe. A graduate of the Peabody Institute with MM and DMA, Dr. Adzharova stands out from those DMA recipients who merely check the doctoral “box” as a credential; her activities reflect strong ongoing scholarly interest, and her superb playing brings that scholarship to life.

In preparing to watch these videos, this reviewer was struck by the paucity of widely available Shostakovich Sonata recordings. As Dr. Adzharova’s website states, she is “one of the few pianists who performs both of Shostakovich’s sonatas in a single program” – and this listener would agree, having never heard them performed together; the situation, however, is a bit more extreme than that, as it seems that she is one of very few pianists performing either one regularly. There have been notable performances, past and present, of course. Standout versions of Sonata No. 1 (1926) include the rather edge-of-seat Lilya Zilberstein version from 1989 (live and on compact disc). The Sonata No. 2 (1943) boasts proponents none other than Emil Gilels (1965) and Maria Yudina (LP, 1961), with more recent performances by Valentina Lisitsa 2011 (live, YouTube). Viktoria Postnikova, whose repertoire is encyclopedic, recorded both on a 1983 LP, and the ultra-clear, controlled recordings by Konstantin Scherbakov (2003, 2006) are part of a monumental set. Still, considering the proliferation of piano sonata performances by other 20th-century composers, the overall neglect of these Shostakovich works is shocking. His symphonies, the chamber music, and the Preludes and Fugues have been explored routinely from many angles, but the same cannot be said of these sonatas. The culprit could partly be the immense challenges (for the performer and sometimes for the listener), though musicians have certainly embraced plenty of prickly and difficult 20th-century works. It may be, in addition, that an assumption is being made due to the sonatas’ age (around 100 years and 80 years old) that they are “covered ground” and thus do not warrant the heroics involved. Those heroics require a performer of undaunted musical intellect, sympathetic musicality, comprehensive technique, and a commitment to bringing this repertoire to life for audiences (is that all?). Enter Teodora Adzharova.

What Dr. Adzharova proves in each note of both videos is how compelling and beautifully crafted these works are. The first link heard was the Sonata No.1, and it immediately drew this listener in. Just over 13 minutes in duration (one essentially unbroken fast-slow-fast structure, with small transitional sections), it was composed when Shostakovich was just 19, and he reportedly enjoyed performing it himself quite a bit. It is easy to imagine why, as a means of exploiting his own pianism – and one cannot grasp why more young pianistic firebrands do not seize the opportunity to do the same. As Dr. Adzharova played it, with precise rhythmic bite and electrifying energy, she sold the piece. Performing without the score, she conveyed her conception with crystal clarity. Her emotional and dynamic range seemed limitless as she unleashed ever greater aggressiveness in the first section, sailing through glissandi into a more sardonic mode (where one could hear Prokofiev’s influence), and winding down to ppp levels in the shadowy Adagio (marked tenebroso). In the subsequent Lento, she balanced three registers and tiers of composition in a hypnotic haze. There was a moment at the end of the Lento, around eight bars before the change to Allegro, where one did wonder about two rhythmic motives that sounded the same, though marked as different rhythms in the score; with a pianist this excellent, one tends to assume it was a conscious decision based on some research to which we are not privy (rather than a live performance glitch); that being said, there were very few glitches in this surefire performance. The only other minor discrepancies with the score appeared towards the end of the piece, but they also seemed intentional, and this is not the forum for such determinations. If these were “heat of the moment” adjustments, we should all be so fortunate!

The Sonata No. 2, composed seventeen years later in 1943, is much longer (around thirty minutes) and much more substantial. In the hands of Teodora Adzharova it emerges as a masterpiece. Here it is her phrasing that stands out, rendering many of the composer’s themes lyrical and more memorable for the listener, who thus can navigate the piece more easily. Despite the reports that Shostakovich himself played the piano as a percussion instrument, too many players do so to detrimental effect – and it should go without saying that Shostakovich’s work with strings and other more sustaining instruments naturally found its way into all his piano music. Dr. Adzharova plays this solo work like chamber music. Interestingly it is very close in opus number to the E minor Piano Trio, traces of which kept coming to mind for this reviewer.

In this larger work, Dr. Adzhanova’s artistry takes freer rein. Though some of her tempi take the markings with a judicious pinch of salt, one cannot find fault in her conception.  The Largo movement is profoundly moving, with the meno mosso section of such deathly dryness that the return of gentler lyricism is even more stirring.

The third movement, marked Moderato and opening with one of the longest purely right-hand solos in the piano literature, is phrased again with care in each detail. Dr. Adzhanova plays with the kind of vocal shaping that marks a true musician. She has the details, and she has the big picture. As the variations unfold, the pianist moves from solo to transparent duo, through an almost pointillistic staccato section, then to aquasi chorale, back to more motoric rhythms, and on to an almost French Overture-type declamation – all leading to a heavenly and somehow heartbreaking suggestion of B major before an understated closing section. Dr. Adzhanova brings it all to life without histrionics but with palpable drama. Bravissima!

Whenever Dr. Adzhanova’s CD comes out, it promises to be worth a listen. This project, as your reviewer sees it, has only two drawbacks. The first is that it will contain only one of the two sonatas, the Op. 61 (though the Op. 34 Preludes will be interesting). You’ll simply have to listen to her performance of the earlier Op. 12 Sonata on YouTube. The second drawback is that this CD will face stiff competition from this pianist’s own live videos. Those are hard to top.

New England Symphonic Ensemble, Peter Tiboris, Conductor

Karl Chang, Conductor
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, New York

Sunday, March 31, 2024, 2:00 PM

Mid-America Productions presented a surprisingly weighty program for an Easter Sunday this weekend, including Verdi’s Overture to La Forza Del Destino and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (1877), both performed by the New England Symphonic Ensemble under conductor Peter Tiboris (who is also Founder and General Music Director for MidAmerica). Both works were completed within a decade of each other (Verdi’s St Petersburg premiere in 1862 having led to a complete revision before an 1869 performance at La Scala), and both are works of struggle and torment, centering on themes of fate. (It seems these themes may feel timely to presenters, as the Metropolitan Opera just recently presented La Forza Del Destino for the first time in 17 years – complete with modern touches and thinly veiled political references). From a glance at the MidAmerica website, it appeared as if these works would be followed by children’s choruses singing such songs as Over the Rainbow and Circle of Life – and this reviewer had wondered how exactly that would play out (like little Easter baskets on a battlefield), but fortunately the order turned out to be the reverse, with the children opening.

Around 150 cherubic youngsters filed onstage to start, and the optimism and excitement were palpable, both from them and from relatives and friends one could see snapping photos from the audience. The combined choruses included the Crystal Children’s Choir (Cupertino, CA, Chiafen Lin, Director), Crystal Children’s Choir (Taiwan, Hua-Lin Chung, Director), and the National University of Tainan Affiliated Primary School (NUTNPS) Children’s Choir (Tainan City, Shu-Nu Sun, Director). They were led through most of the songs by the very adept Karl Chang, with excellent piano support from Claire Chiu.

First came John Rutter’s All Things Bright and Beautiful (based on a hymn of Cecil Francis Alexander, 1848), and it exuded such sweetness that it was hard to hold back tears. Any efforts to hold them back were foiled completely by the next piece, Elaine Hagenberg’s O Love, inspired by the words of Scottish minister George Matheson (1882), who had endured blindness and abandonment by his fiancée and was writing to summon hope on the eve of his sister’s wedding. Elaine Hagenberg is a new name to this reviewer, but here she showed she can choose and set a text in a way that pulls at one’s heartstrings. The young choristers were beautifully prepared, and the gentle sound of cellist Sofiia Yatsyshyna (Carnegie Scholars Program Musician) added color in an unobtrusive way.

A very young chorister stepped forward to introduce the next song, Gratitude, by Faye Wong (arr. Man Tou), and to offer thanks to all the parents and community for the unwavering support that made this event possible. One could only think that something very special and worth emulating has been done here, integrating music into these children’s lives, and the chorus’s committed performance bore that out. Promising young trumpeter Abner Marquez (Carnegie Scholars Program Musician) contributed his fine playing.

Next came Over the Rainbow (E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen), in the updated version of Andy Beck and enhanced by accomplished percussionist Zoey Cobb. Conductor Chiafen Lin introduced the song (without a microphone, unfortunately, so whatever she said went unheard), and the children sang it with great involvement. For the group’s finale, conductor Karl Chang returned to lead the choirs in Circle of Life (billed on the program as Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer, Elton John, Lebo M., arr. Audrey Snyder). As usual, this song was a hit, enhanced here by trumpet, drum, maracas, and also some waving and coordinated movements from the singers. The very young girl who sang the solo opening displayed great spirit and a remarkably strong and sure voice for one so young.

A brief intermission was used to set up for the New England Symphonic Ensemble (Preston Hawes, Artistic Director), for the upcoming heft of the program. Maestro Peter Tiboris stepped to the podium with confidence and led the orchestra with gusto in the Verdi Overture to La Forza Del Destino. From the first blasts of brass through the driving undercurrents in the strings, one felt cohesion in the work and unanimity among the musicians. Only occasionally did one want more crispness in the lower strings, but overall the musicians achieved polish and balance. There was particularly impressive playing by a solo oboist, though sadly one cannot credit the unnamed player.

It was a stroke of genius to precede Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony with this Verdi Overture, as the latter projects the tragedy of destiny in rather succinct high drama, whereas the Tchaikovsky Symphony offers a much more extended (i.e., around forty-minute) expansion on such a fateful journey. In composing the Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky wrote that “One’s whole life is just a perpetual traffic between the grimness of reality and one’s fleeting dreams of happiness.” Transferred to music, this symphony grapples with this “traffic” so much that it can be a bit unwieldy to hold together; nonetheless, Maestro Tiboris was undaunted and led the orchestra admirably. The first movement is what is in greatest danger of feeling bloated thanks to its rather episodic departures from tighter, more traditional musical architecture, but a vigorous approach can help it cohere. Maestro Tiboris took a bracing tempo, which certainly helped (though this reviewer admits to preferring it even just a shade faster), and he maintained what seemed to be a clear overview and command of its intricacies – not an easy task.

The poignant second movement unfolded with seemingly effortless lyrical grace – and again the unnamed first oboist won our admiration. The Scherzo movement had a good lightness in its precise pizzicato flights, and the finale, much more driving, reached an impressive, frenzied peak. Whether this finale was intended by Tchaikovsky to represent triumph or simply a final statement on human valiance, the movement calls for a frenzy of brass and percussion, requiring immense unified energies to make a successful performance. Maestro Tiboris and the New England Symphonic Ensemble gave it a riveting ride, dazzling with their superb split-second timing. The audience was beyond exhilarated, roaring its approval.

Congratulations go to MidAmerica – and all involved – for an outstanding continuation of their 40th-year festivities. This was their 692nd concert in Carnegie Hall (among close to 1,500 concerts they’ve presented worldwide), and there is much more to come.

Şahan Arzruni, pianist and musicologist

The National Arts Club, New York, NY

March 5, 2024

The National Arts Club this week hosted one of the most engaging lecture recitals in memory, as Armenian pianist and musicologist Şahan Arzruni discussed and performed music by Armenian women composers. He featured the composers (listed chronologically here) Lucy Hazarabedian, Koharik Gazarossian, Sirvart Karamanuk, Gayane Chebotaryan, Geghuni Chitchyan, Alicia Terzian, Sirvart Kazandjian, and Mary Kouyoumdjian. Their compositions ranged in date from 1879 to 2020, but thematic origins go much further back in the case of the Alicia Terzian piece, based on the melody Zarmanali e ints (“It is amazing to me”), which is an eighth-century chant known to be composed by a woman and still sung in Armenian churches today. It is, according to Mr. Arzruni, the world’s earliest extant example of music created by a woman (whether that woman was Khosrovidukht, as most believe, or Sahakdukht, as others maintain). So, given that chant, the evening could be said to have spanned over a millennium of music by Armenian women.

All of this history would be interesting to any musician or Armenologist, but it was the talented and passionate Şahan Arzruni who brought it all to life for us on Tuesday. An octogenarian now, he projected more of the spirit of exploration than many teenagers. His excitement over his various discoveries was contagious. Having reviewed him in 2016 in a benefit concert he played to raise funds for an Armenian home for the elderly, I already knew of his ceaseless work for Armenia, but his honors and distinctions have only grown, too many to enumerate, so the reader is encouraged to visit his website (Şahan Arzruni ). A CD of the music we heard is in the works, and based on what I heard I’ll be looking out for it.

Mr. Arzruni opened with three of the Six Preludes from 1948 by Gayane Chebotaryan (1918-1998), whom he called the grande dame of Armenian music. As Gayane Chebotaryan was also a musicologist who wrote about the music of Aram Khachaturian in 1969, shades of Khachaturian’s sound in her music seemed not too surprising; apart from that, there was also a highly individual bluesy quality to the opening selection, and Mr. Arzruni drew his audience into its inviting tonal world. The third selection brought to mind hints of the Polovetsian Dances of Borodin (not too surprising, as the old region of Polovtsi – also known as Cumania – abutted Armenia), and Mr. Arzruni played it winningly. He finished this opening set with élan.

Moving to our time, we heard the Ode to Vahan (1996) by Alicia Terzian (b. 1934), an Argentine composer of Armenian descent who at Mr. Arzruni’s request based her work on the abovementioned eighth-century chant; don’t be misled, however, into thinking that the chant’s sacred spot in the liturgy made Terzian’s work a peaceful one. Ode to Vahan is a probing and troubling work, opening with explosive bass clusters on the piano and combining recorded sounds –  spoken and choral – to haunting effect. When one learns the devastating story behind the chant, the drama is more graspable, but there will be no spoilers here. The reader will simply need to read the CD liner notes when the time comes. Meanwhile, Mr. Arzruni is to be commended for taking on such a challenge and playing it with mastery.

Zigzagging back another half-century, the recital continued with Koharik Gazarossian (1907-1967), who was greatly influenced by her experience copying scores by Komitas, the “father of Armenian music” (whose exile during the Armenian Genocide had also resulted in the relocation of his manuscripts, hence the need for copying). Two of a set of four of her pieces from 1947 were included, My Child, Your Mother Is Dead and Your Name is Shushan. The first was of course funereal, with even just its title too unbearable to hear – while the second piece seemed to reflect more the folk influence of Komitas, who had gone to great lengths to collect original Armenian music, as Mr. Arzruni explained. This reviewer, for one, felt inspired to explore further.

Sadly there is no way to condense a dissertation’s worth of information into this review – or to replicate Mr. Arzruni’s skill as raconteur, but suffice it to say that his gifts in that area made this already revelatory evening still more of a delight. His personal experiences with several of the featured composers colored the drier scholarly information, and though he would say “this is neither here nor there” about a digression, his human interest tidbits did much to bring the composers closer to us. Mr. Arzruni is no stranger to the world of pure entertainment, after all, and it should be remembered that he was once the “straight man” (and collaborative pianist) for the great Victor Borge. He repeatedly checked the audience’s pulse with, “How are we doing?” – and it was so refreshing after many concerts in which the audience has felt like an afterthought; exactly like Borge, however, Şahan Arzruni’s gift for humor works alongside a considerable musical gift that is not be taken lightly.

The next composer included, and the youngest was Mary Kouyoumdjian (b. 1983 in Beirut of Armenian heritage), currently part of the New York Philharmonic’s Project 19 (a multiyear initiative to commission new pieces from 19 women composers). Ms. Kouyoumdjian’s piano piece, I Haven’t the Words (2020), was written in response to the pandemic along with the growing social and political unrest of that year, and the music left this listener feeling exactly the sentiment of its title. Repeated eighth note patterns in expanding intervals created an almost nightmarish spell – and not through harsh cacophony but through cumulative musical tension. The composer was present to take a bow with Mr. Arzruni and was given an enthusiastic ovation. Many will certainly want to attend the premiere of her new work by the New York Philharmonic on May 10th.

A total break from our time came with The Nightingale of Armenia (1879) by Lucy Hazarabedian (1863- c.1882). Hazarabedian was, Mr. Arzruni speculates, probably the first female composer of Armenian piano music. Though The Nightingale of Armenia is simply a friendly little polka created when the composer was just sixteen and first published in an almanac in 1913 (long after the composer’s untimely death), it was certainly a welcome touch to have something from the nineteenth century on the program, and Mr. Arzruni played its century-overdue premiere with charm.

Following the Hazarabedian miniature came a spontaneous-sounding Dance-Song (1965), composed by Mr. Arzruni’s maternal aunt, Sirvart Karamanuk (1912-2008). It was given an energetic performance and was followed by The Bells of Ani (1971) by Sirvart Kazandjian (1944-2020), from Ms. Kazandjian’s volume À ma Patrie (To my Homeland). Though Ms. Kazandjian was actually born in Ethiopia where there was once a strong Armenian community, her myriad bell sounds spoke from her Armenian heart, built to a huge climax, and left a feeling of tragedy in the aftermath. Mr. Arzruni was an excellent advocate for the piece, as he was for each one on the program. Though it is hard to believe in this day of information overload that much of this Armenian music remains virtually unknown, Şahan Arzruni is here to remedy that, among other missions.

The program closed on an “up” note with the Sonatina (1986) by Geghuni Chitchyan (b.1929). As things seemed to be running late, Mr. Arzruni quipped “I’m gonna play as fast as possible” – and he did just about that! The little piece breezed by, with its energetic neo-classical opening, beautifully lyrical central movement, and jaunty last movement with hints of humor à la Shostakovich. It was a strong ending to an inspiring evening.

One could only feel grateful for what was a life-affirming reminder – even from such a troubled region in a troubled world – that the greatness of Armenia is here to stay. Zarmanali e ints, indeed. It is amazing to me.

Charles Neidich, clarinet; Ayako Oshima, clarinet

Michael Lowenstern, bass clarinet; Mohamed Shams, piano

Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, NY

March 1, 2024

The Tenri Cultural Institute was packed this Friday as the WA Concert Series presented a “re-debut” program entitled “The World of the Expanded Clarinet” led by WA co-founders Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima. It reminded us of how much we’ve been missing since March of 2020, when the onslaught of COVID-19 forced their hiatus (apart from some virtual offerings). I am happy to report that they are back and better than ever!

WA concerts have always been known for their fascinating, sometimes eclectic, programs, performed by dazzling musicians, with clarinetists Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima (Mr. Neidich’s wife and partner) at the helm. Your reviewer (along with most of the music world) has admired the virtuoso playing of Charles Neidich for over four decades now (his biography being too crammed with honors and distinctions to relay but found here: Charles Neidich), and the brilliant Ayako Oshima has established herself as a formidable force in her own right – but Friday’s “dream team” was made still stronger with the inclusion of rock-solid pianist Mohamed Shams and ingenious bass clarinetist Michael Lowenstern.

The program incorporated old and new, including well-known nineteenth-century music by César Franck and Ernest Chausson and twentieth-century works of Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979), Yayoi Kitazume (b. 1945), and Edison Denisov (1929-1996), plus compositions by Mr. Lowenstern (b. 1968) and Mr. Neidich (b. 1953).

The evening started with Trois Pièces by Nadia Boulanger, a set originally composed for organ in 1911, arranged by the composer in 1914 for cello and piano, and transcribed for clarinet “last week” by Mr. Neidich, as he announced much to the amusement of the audience. The opening Moderato was a perfect welcome to the concert, with its dreamy clarinet lines floating over quasi-impressionistic piano accompaniment. The second piece, Sans vitesse et à l’aise,brought to mind the restrained sorrow of some of Ravel’s more solemn works and was delivered with eloquence. In both of these pieces, the clarinet handled the original cello lines with equivalent or heightened lyricism, sacrificing nothing, while in the third and final piece, Vite et nerveusement rythmé, the clarinet seemed actually to add a spiky precision to the work’s frenetic energy. Bravo to this wonderful addition to the clarinet transcription literature!

Ayako Oshima took the stage next to perform the U.S. premiere of a 2017 work by Yayoi Kitazume with its title translated from the Japanese as “Teetering Balance” and based on the Paul Klee painting of a similar title, usually referred to as “Unstable Equilibrium” (1922, watercolor over pencil). Until Ms. Oshima pointed it out, this listener was unaware that there were program notes (accessible by a QR code in the printed program), including a reprint of the Paul Klee artwork, so not having been able to envision the artwork before hearing it made listening an even more interesting experiment. There was only the music as a guide in what seemed a fascinating exploration of musical space. Upon later reading in Ms. Kitazume’s notes that she “wanted to construct a three-dimensional piece of music that blended time frames and directions of consciousness” the work and performance seemed in retrospect even more remarkably on target. Ms. Oshima painted with her clarinet a picture so vivid that most visual artists would be envious. It was a highlight of the concert.

Another highlight of the program was the performance by Mr. Neidich of the Sonata for solo clarinet (1972) by the important Russian avant-garde composer Edison Denisov, whose brilliance transcended Soviet beleaguering and blacklisting. We know from Mr. Neidich’s introduction that he personally knew Denisov from his own time in Moscow and that Denisov considered Mr. Neidich’s 1975 performance of the piece to be its premiere (in terms of authority if not chronology), and one could see why. The work is, among other things, a tour de force for the instrument, exploiting microtones, the haunting bending of pitches, flutter tongue techniques, fiendish leaps of register, and constant metric changes – and Mr. Neidich is clearly still a master of it all nearly fifty years later. Part of his power is that he projects the character and direction of each phrase as if playing it for the first time – never any “phoning in” – and even a lay person, who might be unaccustomed to navigating such challenging music, could grasp it. Particularly striking was the second and final movement, Allegro giusto, in which a quietly obsessive B-flat (concert pitch A-flat) asserts its presence persistently amid surrounding histrionics (suggesting the disproportionate havoc caused by something tiny, say, a mouse). To hear these disjunct roles achieved by a single player is amazing, and the way Mr. Neidich concluded the work with that final idée fixe note after a long rest made it hard not to gasp in reaction (whether or not an audience member could distinguish any pitch from a hole in the ground). That is communication through music, and that is what one has come to expect from WA concerts.

It is always interesting to hear a performer play his own music, and this evening’s inclusion of Why? (2020) by Charles Neidich (the in-person world premiere) was no exception. It offered the opportunity to hear the Neidich-Oshima clarinet duo in what was Mr. Neidich’s musical response to the “tragedy, misfortune, and injustice” (according to his notes) that loomed in the early stages of the pandemic but with “even more urgency in 2024.” The question “Why?” refers to “why people do not take the necessary step of joining together to protect humanity and the world we live in.” The duo made their statement with music of individual searching, incidental dissonance, and clashing parallel pursuits that never quite meet or settle.

The first half concluded with the balm of a more familiar style via the Andante et Allegro (1881) of Ernest Chausson. It was given a winning performance by Mr. Neidich with Mohamed Shams, whose collaborative skills rendered his considerable pianism almost parenthetical.

Every concert has its takeaway “discovery” – and, in this instance, that discovery greeted us after intermission. Billed on the program only as “Surprise” to be played by Michael Lowenstern, it turned out to be Mr. Lowenstern’s performance of his own bass clarinet version of Summertime from Gershwin’s opera, Porgy and Bess, based on an improvisation Mr. Lowenstern first recorded in 1994. It seems hard to believe that back when this reviewer was a doctoral student frequenting “record stores” (remember those?), she had never come across Mr. Lowenstern’s awe-inspiring performance; in retrospect, however, she just might have heard it in passing but assumed it was some kind of unusual jazz ensemble. You see, what Mr. Lowenstern does here is to become a one-man band. If one closes one’s eyes, one hears not just the clarinet singing out the famous melody, but the gradual entry of a percussion section through the equivalent of clarinet beat-boxing, miraculously the faint pizzicato of a double bass interwoven here and there, and myriad other wind evocations – all held together with a beat sometimes heard but sometimes simply felt. To hear it is a delight – but to see it is mind-boggling. It was a miraculous performance.

Mr. Neidich reemerged from backstage with evident pride in a musician he smilingly called “my progeny” and was then joined by Mr. Shams for the Sonata for violin and piano in A Major (1886) of César Franck, transcribed for clarinet by Mr. Neidich, himself. It was an unforgettable feat, especially after so much other music-making. Mr. Neidich’s playing, with tremendous support from Mr. Shams, made a great case for the clarinet’s ability to do just about anything. That being said (and with apologies), this listener is a diehard fan of the piece in its violin (and even cello) versions, still preferring the string timbres and still preferring the way the phrases seem somehow born to be bowed. It need not be an either-or proposition, though, as pianists know very well (as they plunder the entire orchestral repertoire) – so it is chiefly a personal preference. Such objects of “transcription desire” are like Mt. Everest – we have to climb it because it is there. This Franck transcription undoubtedly expands the repertoire for the clarinetists out there who can handle it, as has been done for the flute and any number of other instruments. After all, Franck “asked for it” by composing such a gorgeous piece of music. The resulting standing ovation was well deserved, and an encore of Autumn Song (October) followed, from Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, in a touching clarinet-piano arrangement.

Unbelievably, the musical feast was followed by a gourmet feast – the creation of Ayako Oshima. Long may the WA concerts brighten the cultural scene in New York City!

Mira Armij Gill, pianist; Francisco Salazar, violin

Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York

Sunday February 25, 2024

Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall was packed this Sunday with an audience eager to hear pianist Mira Armij Gill play a program of Samuel Barber – and they were amply rewarded. The concert was billed as “In Memory of John Browning” (1933-2003). Mr. Browning was of course (among other distinctions) an outstanding champion of Barber’s music, and he was also one of Ms. Gill’s teachers at the Juilliard School, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. For those unable to attend Sunday’s performance – or for those who want to hear the music again – a CD of her playing this same repertoire has been released just this month on the Centaur label, now available for purchase from major streaming and retail sites. Autographed CDs are also available for purchase at her website via the following link: CD).

For a (mostly) single-composer program, this concert was artfully varied. It helped that, in addition to playing Barber’s Sonata Op. 26 (1949), Excursions Op. 20 (1944-48), Ballade Op. 46 (1977), and Nocturne Op. 33 (1959), Ms. Gill was joined by her husband, violinist Francisco Salazar, in Barber’s Canzone Op. 38a (1962), the essence of which many would recognize from the slow movement of Barber’s Piano Concerto Op. 38  (in one of its incarnations from 1962 – the Elegy  for flute and piano of 1959 being another). This change in instrumental timbres brought welcome refreshment to the program – and the duo played it beautifully together.

As soloist, Mira Gill clearly demonstrated that she has earned the many laurels that appear in her biography. She is gifted with both technical facility and interpretive imagination. The first piece, Barber’s Nocturne, opened with a warm, lovely sound. Though it had some of the unease that can beset recital openings, it progressed quickly to more involved music-making, with some moments that were truly inspired. The trill towards the end, which Barber marks with the rather unusual instruction trattenuto,was absolutely transporting.

Next came a moving rendition of Barber’s achingly beautiful Canzone by Ms. Gill with her husband Francisco Salazar. Though this reviewer prefers the tonal purity of the flute instrumentation of the original Elegy, the duo made the piece their own, with some generous slides and a ravishing final note from Mr. Salazar.

The Excursions were a great choice to follow, brimming with Americana to finish off the first half. Moments of these gems seemed again a bit less than settled, but certainly such moments would not exist on the newly released CD. If one were to guess, the issue could have been the shift between collaborative and solo playing, the adjustment from tablet for chamber score-reading back to rack-less piano for the solo works – or simply the stress of many friends needing to find a seat in the hall, as they seemed to stream in for much of the rather brief (twenty-eight-minute) first half. In any case, the rhythms were not quite as steady or motoric as one wants in the first piece, and there were momentary glitches here and there in the others. The third Excursion, though – the musical heart of the set – was played to a tee. This listener is quite fussy about that third Excursion, but Ms. Gill could give a masterclass on it, right down to the perfect final voicing and pedal change. The audience seemed to agree and could not restrain their applause.

The second half opened with the only non-Barber work, the Romance for violin and piano by Reinhold Glière, played in moving tribute to the memory of the recently departed sound engineer and producer, Joe Patrych. For all of us who miss Joe and his ubiquitous presence in the New York music world, it was hard to hold back tears.

On the subject of musicians we’ve lost, this listener could only wonder throughout the concert what insights about Barber may have emerged from Ms. Gill’s lessons with John Browning. There were moments in Ms. Gill’s Barber interpretations that sounded unlike any others that this listener has heard, and presumably some of those may be attributable to studies with Mr. Browning.  One of the aspects of Ms. Gill’s playing that stood out was her penchant for demarcating phrases with longer than usual breaths. There was never the sense one hears from many players today of a metronome hiding in the wings. Then again, while a flexible, human sense of rhythm is important and dear to this reviewer’s heart, there were also moments in the concert when long breaths of demarcation struck this listener as possibly excessive. In the Ballade which came next for instance, though Barber does mark a comma sign in the opening phrases and in the return later, a lot of extra stretching threatens to turn 6/8 time into 7/8 time. Curiously, right before the allargando (in both beginning and return), the reverse happened, with rhythms feeling rather compressed. Such moments were thought-provoking, as they seemed fully the pianist’s intention, though they did surprise a listener accustomed to straighter renditions.

Barber’s greatest solo piano work, his Sonata Op. 26 (1949), is a powerful way to end a program, and Ms. Gill’s audience was not disappointed. There is a distinguished history of great performances of this piece, and the pianists topping the list include (among others) Vladimir Horowitz, John Browning, and Naumburg Award winner Howard Aibel (who happens to be the Founder and President of New York Concert Review, but whose stunning performance requires special mention here regardless); there is always room, naturally, for many more recordings of such masterpieces. Based on glimmers from Sunday’s performance, Ms. Gill’s interpretation seems destined to bring new angles and new touches of poetry to the mix. Her Adagio movement captured well the mournfulness of its mesto marking, and her finale had just the right ferocity in the coda. One looks forward very much to hearing it on disc, and if the recording projects the music’s power as well as she did in the heat of the moment – with no editing capabilities and many distractions – it promises to be a solid addition to the Barber discography. Brava!

A grateful audience gave a final standing ovation and was rewarded with an encore of Piazzolla’s Libertango, with Mr. Salazar joining again on violin. One looks forward to hearing Ms. Gill – and Mr. Salazar – again.

Distinguished Concert Singers International; Tucker Biddlecombe, guest conductor

Downtown Voices; guest conductor, Stephen Sands

Elizabeth Bates, soprano

Gabe Terraciano, fiddle; Jacob Joliff, mandolin; Charles Butler, banjo; Jerry Kimbrough, guitar; Mimi Jones, bass

Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

Sunday February 18, 2024

A large and enthusiastic crowd was present at Carnegie Hall this Sunday for yet another impressive program by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) entitled “Bluegrass Mass” – named for just one of several powerful works they presented. DCINY has developed the knack for streamlining their massive undertakings, with seamless exits and entrances by hundreds of singers (and no intermission), so this concert, which lasted just one hour and contained just four works (three shorter, followed by the longer Bluegrass Mass) still felt jam-packed with enough music to ponder for a lifetime.

The program opened with three works sung by New York City’s very own chorus, Downtown Voices (a group of sixty-plus singers from a quick count), which combines voices from the Choir of Trinity Church Wall Street along with high-level volunteers. Downtown Voices sang three works, starting with a movement from Akathist by rising star Benedict Sheehan, moving on to Arnold Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth) Op. 13, and closing their selections with Rachmaninoff’s sublime and moving “Bogorioditse Devo” from the All-Night Vigil Op. 37.

If this reviewer were primarily a choral musician, the composer Benedict Sheehan would surely have been a familiar name before this concert, as he is a two-time Grammy nominee and prizewinner whose proponents have recently included the stellar group Voces8; as an introduction, however, his uplifting composition spoke for itself. The Downtown Voices’ rendition of “In the Wondrous Blending of Sounds” the central movement from his larger work, Akathist, was simply breathtaking. Based on what Mr. Sheehan refers to as a “gently ornamented melody inspired by South African folk music” it was a perfect start to a program filled with references to peace and prayer amidst an often opposing reality. The choir projected its luminous harmonies with polish, thanks to the expert conducting of Maestro Stephen Sands, who led them from the movement’s faint beginnings into its full bloom. Soloist Elizabeth Bates contributed her pure senza vibrato soprano in one section, which intensified its hallowed feeling. The composer was present for a well-deserved bow from the balcony.

Arnold Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden, Op. 13 (composed from 1906-1911 and premiered in 1911), provided just the right ballast amid such highly ethereal music. It is based on a poem by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1886), which despite its Christmas origins is filled with gritty reality and darkness. The music teeters accordingly between faith and desperation. A challenging and dissonant piece to sing (and originally premiered with orchestra for the purpose of keeping singers on course), it was sung here as originally written, a cappella. Any fleeting awkwardness in pitch only served to intensify the emotion of the piece, which ends in somewhat tenuous harmony, presumably reflective of the composer’s sentiments and those of many today. As Schoenberg wrote (1928), “It is perhaps correct that one must be religious in order to compose church music, or in love in order to compose love songs […], but still one must certainly not be wounded in order to portray a wounded person or dying in order to portray a dying person. And so it would certainly be possible to compose a peace hymn without believing in an eternal peace.” Sigh.

Especially on that note, the Rachmaninoff “Bogorioditse Devo” came as a balm in the program. One of this reviewer’s favorite pieces to begin with, it was given an extremely sensitive performance, vibrant with tonal colors. Its enormous dynamic range took one from gripping forte levels, enhanced by an especially fine bass section, to exquisite pianissimo levels, approached with masterful nuance. Bravi tutti!

After these three exceptional performances came the balance of the program, Carol Barnett’s The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, for which the concert was given its title. Though the chorus Downtown Voices did not leave the stage, they were joined by several hundred more singers constituting the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, led by DCINY Guest Conductor Tucker Biddlecombe. These two hundred or so singers combined the forces of the GPS Singers, Dubuque Chorale, McCallie Men’s Chorus, Green Hope High School Voices Of Hope, Nashville Symphony Chorus, SMS Heritage Singers, Northport High School Tour Choir, and as always with DCINY “individual singers from across the globe.” As they quickly filed onto the Perelman stage, one could hear the discreet tunings of five bluegrass instrumentalists, Gabe Terraciano (fiddle), Jacob Joliff (mandolin), Charles Butler (banjo), Jerry Kimbrough (guitar), and Mimi Jones (bass).

As the composer Carol Barnett states herself, “To bring the solemnity of the classical choir-based mass together with the down home sparkle of bluegrass – now there’s an assignment for a composer!” Together with librettist Marisha Chamberlain, Ms. Barnett has done just about that. The work’s twelve sections, some in Latin as with the traditional mass, were woven expertly among more folklike movements of colloquial texts, and with the help of the five excellent bluegrass instrumentalists, there was music of intense syncopation, strong rhythms, and freewheeling fiddle licks. Maestro Biddlecombe was masterful in uniting the huge combined choir.

Though my colleagues have reviewed this mass for New York Concert Review starting over a decade ago, this was my first hearing, and I am happy to say that I thought it worked beautifully overall. From the opening Ballad, rather straight and sung with an unnamed soprano soloist, it kicked into high gear for the ensuing Kyrie with the help of bassist Mimi Jones. The whole bluegrass “band” (though not given a group name and presumable ad hoc freelancers) made a celebration of the fourth movement, Gloria, and it was a singular treat to hear for the very first time the “plenio sunt coeli” text sung in swing rhythm in the Sanctus. Other highlights included some expert mandolin playing in the Credo and the singing by several other unnamed soloists.

With of course no disrespect at all to bluegrass, the style sometimes (via banjo twanging and folksy rhythms) can evoke associations that run counter to the heft of a text, and that fact came to the fore primarily in the eighth movement where mention of the falling of towers and the voice of God seemed to cry out for more of what the composer herself calls “the solemnity of the classical choir-based mass” – and less of what she calls “the down home sparkle of bluegrass”  (a matter of timing). Though we know that the voice of God need not be a basso profundo (and in fact in the twelfth movement God is described as a She) – and we also know that the idea is meant to be of God coming down as a mere mortal – still, one craved the sense of omnipotence at the heart of more traditional masses. This reviewer found herself at times searching for it. Otherwise, the work as a whole came off as a remarkable achievement.

The audience gave a rousing ovation, undoubtedly for performers and composers alike – in addition to the various choral directors who also took a bow. As usual, DCINY is to be congratulated.

Yuwan Zhang, vocalist

Jeffrey Chappell, pianist

December 31, 2023

A link to the album “Move Forward Like the Seasons” wound up in my box for reviewing this holiday season, the first album for singer Yuwan Zhang, and it made for some lovely listening. In the collection are five standards billed as from the “American Songbook”: Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, Summertime, Autumn Leaves, Blackberry Winter, and Fly Me to the Moon. Clearly, there is a seasonal theme at play, and we are told by Ms. Zhang in notes not provided to the public that it arose from four jazz ensemble concerts over four semesters at Goucher College, 2017-2019. She called the concerts “The Season Tour” and four years later, the piano-vocal version of these songs became her first album. As Ms. Zhang writes, “This album contains many seasons of mine … The reason for me to choose “Fly Me to the Moon” as the last piece is because I believe no matter how seasons go by, we always see the loved ones in our hearts.” She adds that the title of the album is from the lyrics of a song called Seasons written by her favorite singer-songwriter Greyson Chance, whose mother said, “We don’t grow up with years, but with the rotation of the seasons.”

Most music lovers will be familiar with several of these standards, such as Summertime (1934, by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward), Autumn Leaves (1946, by Joseph Kosma, lyrics by Johnny Mercer), and Fly Me to the Moon (1954, music and lyrics by Bart Howard). The two songs that may be slightly less familiar to many are Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most (1955, music by Tommy Wolf, lyrics by Fran Landesman) and Blackberry Winter (1976, music by Alec Wilder, lyrics by Loonis McGlohon).

These last two were highlights for this listener. Though there is a stunning Ella Fitzgerald rendition of Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most – and more recently Norah Jones and others – this listener hasn’t encountered it in concerts more than once or twice, so it was good to see it on this new recording by Ms. Zhang. She delivers the lines with persuasive pathos. As one heard in several other songs there was also a chance for a more up-tempo interlude by the pianist Jeffrey Chappell (who was also Ms. Zhang’s jazz performance teacher during her undergraduate years). A graduate of Curtis and Peabody, Mr. Chappell is currently Professor Emeritus at Goucher College, composer, journalist, recording artist on multiple labels, and a member of the award-winning jazz quartet, Otherworld. He and Ms. Zhang collaborate well, at least as heard here.

Blackberry Winter is another underappreciated gem. In fact, if one searches the title, one will find much information about the seasonal phenomenon of “Blackberry Winter” (the kind of mid-spring cold snap that inspired the song) before one even finds this song. Ms. Zhang’s rendition captures the song’s captivating wistfulness, and Mr. Chappell provides beautiful support.

Of the more familiar songs, Summertime was a surprise. To start with, it was miles from the slow steamy versions that bring to mind sweltering scenes of Catfish Row in Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess (from which the song comes). That was already a jolt, but then the Zhang-Chappell version took a new direction structurally as well, with a rhythmic keyboard bass in the introduction and an up-tempo middle section featuring walking bass and lively keyboard improvisation. This middle section made the return to the sultry opening all the more poignant, but it will be for some an acquired taste. Also, in terms of timbre, Ms. Zhang’s voice (a light mezzo) showed in this song more the breathiness of an ingénue than the world-weary heroine we expect from this historic opera.

Beyond these surprises, there was little attempt to simulate the regional dialect one usually hears in this song (no dropped G’s for example). Granted, there is room for reimagining such songs – even Janis Joplin did a version Gershwin would hardly have recognized (though even Janis Joplin dropped a lot of G’s!), but it may be tough for some diehard fans of this song’s tradition to hear it afresh. Among other surprises (and at the risk of seeming to advocate for cultural appropriation – a charge that has beset this opera and Gershwin in general in recent years), there is a regional spirit at the roots of this music, and the absence of that left this listener feeling that something was amiss at times. That said, undoubtedly new young listeners who are less steeped in the history of this opera may enjoy the ride.

The accompaniment of Summertime was again expertly done by Jeffrey Chappell. Frankly, the instrument he played on sounded more like an electronic keyboard than an acoustic piano, but as we were not informed of the details about the recording (no dates, places, or engineering credits named, not even composers in what I was sent), it’s anyone’s guess. Whatever the case was, he handled his part beautifully.

More of Mr. Chappell’s styling was enjoyed in Autumn Leaves. Here Ms. Zhang was also at her best, savoring the low register with the melancholy feeling that expresses the heart of this song. Just as in Summertime, Autumn Leaves enjoyed a “breakout” moment in a brisker tempo.

The extremely famous standard, Fly Me to the Moon, was a pleasant surprise. It opened with what was either another singer in duet with Ms. Zhang or it was overdubbed by Ms. Zhang herself. Again, we don’t know, but whatever the case may be, it was charming. At just around a minute and a quarter (much shorter than the usuals, including Sinatra et al.), it seemed to be over too soon.

Ms. Zhang has an appealing musicality and much flair. Hailing from Chengdu, China. she came to the United States in 2016 (graduating in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in music and biology from Goucher College) and has already won some prizes and appeared at Carnegie Hall. She studied vocal music performance with Annie Gill and is currently in the Master of Fine Arts in Screen Scoring program at Columbia College, Chicago, studying with Michael Patterson and Kubilay Uner. With such wide-ranging skills in music, Ms. Zhang will surely make her mark through one or more of them. For now, you can catch her “on the rise” with this recording.

The Zhang-Chappell collection is being released on December 31^st on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and NetEase Cloud Music, with other platforms to be announced.

Modus Operandi Orchestra, Justin Bischof, conductor

Chloé Kiffer, violin soloist

Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Center, New York, NY

November 30, 2023

This week an exciting concert took place as the Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) presented “Three Great

Romantics: An Evening of Brahms, Coleridge-Taylor, and Mendelssohn” at Merkin Hall.  In a program that included Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, there was already plenty of inducement to attend, but its rarest offering was the less well-known Violin Concerto by British-Sierra Leonean composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912). The Modus Operandi Orchestra concerts have a history of interesting programming, and this was no exception.

The works themselves seemed simpatico sharing this program. Brahms himself famously admired Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture (also called “Fingal’s Cave”), and, though his Symphony No. 1 is of course completely different, both exude a feeling of spaciousness in their noble lines. The Hebrides Overture swept the listener up in its inspired waves of sound, setting the tone for the evening. Though the size of Merkin Hall places the listener so close to the “action” that the awareness of each detail sometimes hindered the ideal blend, the details themselves were quite polished. The Modus Operandi Orchestra is made up of fine players, many, we are told, from the Manhattan School of Music, of which the conductor is an alumnus. Together they captured the atmosphere of this evocative favorite. Occasionally the brass section was a bit overpowering for the space, but with the orchestra’s vibrant spirit, such reservations tend to diminish. Overall, Maestro Bischof showed that he has a clear conception of the music and the skill to make his conception a reality.

As for Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, whose music has been enjoying some rediscovery in recent years, he fit into this group of composers in several ways (aside from being counted among the “Great Romantics” as the program title states). For one thing, Coleridge-Taylor had stated his desire to incorporate folk elements into his writing somewhat as Brahms had done (along with Dvorak and Grieg), and he did so in a similarly stylized manner. Though Coleridge-Taylor was, as the program notes mentioned, sometimes called an “African Mahler” (and though others more aptly called him an “African Dvořák” due to this folk aspect), he can ultimately be appreciated for his own distinctive voice and compositional style, despite his having only lived to the age of 37. The Violin Concerto is a good example of that voice. Maestro Bischof announced that, since the concerto’s premiere in 1912 in New York, his research has turned up no other complete New York performances of it with orchestra until this concert, but one trusts that there will be more, as it is a worthy work.

For the concerto, the soloist was Chloé Kiffer, who has been championing the piece and had returned recently from playing it in Texas, we were told, shortly before this Merkin Hall performance. One needed only a few measures to see what an excellent violinist she is, and she delivered the work with virtuosity and a great deal of panache. It was an exciting evening for all of us who had never heard the entire piece live. Still, this listener was left afterwards trying to figure out what exactly it was that felt missing, and the word that kept coming to mind was “inevitability.” While it may be unfair to compare recorded performances with live, I must admit to becoming fond recently of a recorded performance of Tasmin Little playing the entire concerto with the BBC Philharmonic from 2015 – and perhaps still more partial recently to a performance of the first movement by Njioma Chinyere Grevious, with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. What these recorded performances have, to help persuade a listener of the piece’s worth, is a slightly greater level of abandon to some of the work’s idiosyncrasies. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor created a mercurial and rhapsodic work here, one with tempo changes and dynamic extremes every few moments, and surrendering oneself to the inner logic of these, almost as if improvising it oneself (as opposed to imposing logic from without) helps its structure to feel organic. That may require a bit more rehearsal time than the average orchestra has with their soloist, but it would probably be worth it.

After intermission, we heard a bracing rendition of Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, a piece that probably gets described as overplayed more often than it actually is played – from the paradoxical category of “works so overdone that they start to be ignored.” Kudos to the Modus Operandi Orchestra for programming it and for giving it such an energetic ride. The blend and balance were excellent, and what appealed to this listener especially were the many moments of expansiveness and warmth, achieved with no loss of precision. Standing out was the first movement, which had a cohesion that may relate to the fact that Maestro Bischof conducted it from memory. The last movement, with its famous C major theme in the Allegro non troppo, was conveyed with exalted spirit.

As the pursuit of the new and different dominates programming these days, it is good to see musical leaders who remember that there is a new generation coming up that may never have heard some of the core masterpieces of the classical canon. This Brahms deserves to be known by all (despite a prominent New York paper – to remain nameless – publishing the remark some years ago that there were “too many” Brahms Symphonies” one season – ingrates!). On this occasion, one couldn’t help noticing that there were some young children in the audience, a heartening sight. With Maestro Bischof’s penchant for delivering the classics with entertaining “relatable” banter, some dedicated children’s programs might be something to consider if they haven’t done some already.

Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International,

Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director and Principal Conductor

Penelope Shumate, Soprano; Holly Sorenson, Mezzo-Soprano

Chad Kranak, Tenor; Christopher Job, Bass-Baritone

Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

November 26, 2023

You know it is officially the holiday season when Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) brings Handel’s Messiah to Carnegie Hall, and once again this year they magically transformed this reviewer’s post-Thanksgiving stupor into a readiness for carols, miracles, and all things Christmas. In case we needed a little extra magic, DCINY even had a Santa on hand, “working the crowd” before the concert. Though Handel’s music needs no such extras, many children could be heard requesting selfies with old Saint Nick in what may become a family tradition for many.

Several writers at New York Concert Review have reviewed this recurring gift to the New York concert scene over the years, so to avoid restating the same background information on history and differing versions, the reader can find more in this 2022 review: Mozart’s Messiah 2022. Though there have been variations in DCINY’s chosen versions (including those by Goossens and Mozart) and varying soloists and choruses (some returning and some new), the feeling of exhilaration seems as great or greater each year.

This year DCINY again chose (as in 2022) Mozart’s version, sung in English. They performed what are commonly called the “Christmas portions” of the three-part oratorio, those being the twenty-plus movements of Part I, plus the Hallelujah Chorus of Part II as its finale. Gone were some of the more somber sections including those dominated by the words “despised,” “broken,” and “grief,” for example – and in this time of sorrow, anger, and bitterness over world events, the more positive elements offered some much-needed brightness. Though performing just the “Christmas portions” sacrifices some beloved moments (such as from “All We Like Sheep,” “The Trumpet Shall Sound,” and more), it was a wise decision to keep the length manageable for an audience of all ages (particularly when there is no intermission). In a day of smartphones and short attention spans, it is worth winning audiences away from mere Internet listening towards a live experience that simply cannot be rivaled.

As the several hundred singers of Distinguished Concerts Singers International filed onto the stage one had to marvel at DCINY’s undertaking. The forces included choruses from Australia, Canada, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus (as DCINY advertises) “individual singers from around the globe.” Combining such personnel could approach the challenge of herding cats, but given the well-prepared ensembles and the expert conducting of Jonathan Griffith the resulting performances were commendable. Only briefly in the imitative entries of the choral movement “For unto us a child is born” did the timing feel a tiny bit precarious.

It was also good to see the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra onstage again. The opening Overture found the orchestra favoring warmth and lyricism over stateliness. Though one is used to perhaps more crispness from them (especially in the lower strings), Maestro Griffith held the reins well.

The soloists were excellent, as usual. Tenor Chad Kranak, whom this listener had not heard before, stood out in “Comfort ye my people” for a sound that was full enough to soar over the orchestra but always warm and mellow. One especially admired how, even through the extended melismas of “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted” his pitch was always centered and true.

Bass-baritone Christopher Job delivered his formidable recitatives arias with the penetrating sound one recalls from prior performances, but some of his best lyricism came through in “But who may abide the day of his coming?” – and his lowest notes in “The people that walked in darkness” were especially impressive. In parts of these movements, one of Handel’s own more spare versions may have been easier for vocal soloists to cut through than this fuller Mozart instrumentation, but the singers managed to meet the demands.

Mezzo-soprano Holly Sorenson, whom one has admired in prior DCINY performances, brought her vibrant sound most notably to “Behold, a virgin shall conceive.” It is one of the untold challenges of oratorios that often a soloist will need to sit still onstage for half an hour or longer before uttering their first sounds, with any warm-ups they have done beforehand becoming a distant memory. Sometimes, because of this waiting, one can detect a hesitancy at the openings of such solos – but not here. Ms. Sorenson was strong, assured, and persuasive from the start. Similarly, there is a special place in Valhalla for any Messiah solo soprano, whose first recitative comes after sitting onstage for the better part of an hour. The soprano in this performance was Penelope Shumate who, when it was finally time to stand, delivered several outstanding performances, starting with “There were shepherds abiding in the field. ” Not surprisingly she gained in ease as she continued, and “He shall feed his flock” was both musically and physically expressive, settling into a joyous calm.

The irresistible movement for many, of course, is the famous Hallelujah Chorus, and it did not disappoint. The audience seemed to include some Messiah veterans, who immediately stood for it, honoring the tradition established by King George II in London in 1743. There is little that can approach the musical and spiritual jubilation of this moment, so one can only hope that each audience member carries that energy forward to share somehow with the very needful world.

As a critic wrote in 1742 at Messiah‘s Dublin premiere, “Words are wanting to express the exquisite delight that it afforded the crowded and admiring audience.” That crowd was 700 people – and this weekend, 281 years later, Carnegie Hall held the cheering of what was easily several times that number. My advice to audiences for next holiday season 2024: book your tickets to DCINY’s Messiah as soon as they are out – word spreads fast, and you might miss your chance!