Péter Tóth, pianist

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Throngs of music lovers this Sunday traded afternoon sun for a 2 PM Weill Hall concert amid strangers with Covid masks and a program of intense, often dark, piano music of Franz Liszt (including the weighty Funerailles, the dark Ballade No. 2 in B minor, and the ponderous Chappelle de Guillaume Tell). Why, you may ask? Well, it appears that many knew in advance what kind of musicianship and virtuosity awaited, and it seemed well worth the trade. Though this reviewer is new to the pianism of Péter Tóth, it soon became clear that there are very good reasons he has such passionate supporters, including some who were ready to argue heatedly over the last orchestra seats, as overflow moved up to the balcony. (Though it always mystifies me to witness cantankerous behavior in pursuit of something as pure as, say, the music of Abbé Liszt, in a way it is heartening – suggesting possibly an urgent need for such live music, as opposed to the overhyped Auto-Tune shams that pass for music these days.)

Though the elegant and softspoken presenter Adam Gyorgy could barely be heard over the commotion to introduce the concert, he spoke glowingly from the stage about his friend Mr. Tóth, for reasons we would soon learn. Incidentally Adam Gyorgy is a fine pianist himself, whom this listener had the pleasure of reviewing back in 2011 – so with him, Mr. Tóth, and some others, the pianistic talent in the hall was approaching what might be termed “critical mass.”  As for Péter Tóth, the printed program lists some of his important prizes (including from the Franz Liszt International Piano Competitions in Budapest in 2001), as well as recordings and concerts, but more biographical information can be found at his website, petertothpianist.com. In addition to the credentials and brilliance that we have come to expect from young prizewinners, we heard music-making of true passion and intelligence as well as profound dedication.

The Chapel of William Tell from Années de Pelerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) made a grand opening, a noble tribute to the legendary hero in a struggle for independence  – and as resonant in today’s turbulent world as ever. Mr. Tóth captured its declamatory power to a tee, shaping its phrases with conviction and fine gradations of tone. This was not the blitz of brilliance that the uninitiated might expect at a Liszt recital but rather the musical meditation of Liszt the dreamer. Waldesrauschen (or Forest Murmurs) followed flowingly as a balm – a good programming choice, and one well suited to the hall piano with its rich middle register and rather glassy upper register. The performance was a model of balance and control.

The more substantial works came next, starting with Funerailles, and it was here that the expressive range and power of this pianist became clear – as well as his expert pacing. He showed that he is able to sustain a slow build for long stretches while keeping power in reserve to unleash at a work’s peak. Much credit here of course goes to Liszt himself, but even after years of hearing Funerailles, this listener still found surprise in the mounting left-hand triplets and ensuing octaves. They seemed simply effortless in this pianist’s hands – dazzling but with all focus on the music itself.

The Ballade No. 2 in B minor (written in 1853 just a few years after Funerailles) created still greater storms, with its ominous chromatic bass surges and explosive traversals of the keyboard. Not to dwell simply on the overt technical display, what impressed again was the control in shaping the music. Where called for, Mr. Tóth tapered his melodic phrases masterfully in every dynamic range. At several points, for example, pianissimo tones were prolonged such that,  even when one thought it impossible to fade further, they resolved to still quieter ones – still projecting to the back rows. This listener apparently had a kindred musical spirit in the admiration for such control, as each time such a remarkable diminuendo occurred there as a slight gasp from a seat nearby; one need not be attuned to such wizardry to enjoy the magic, however, and the entire audience was silent in reverence (those little gasps notwithstanding).

More oceanic surges came in the Légende No. 2, St François de Paule Marchant Sur Les Flots (St. Francis of Paulus Walking over the Waves), and again the pianist was in his element. Mr. Tóth’s saint walked perhaps more stolidly and metrically than I’ve generally heard, so a few times one might have wanted just a shade more “stopping to smell the roses” (or aquatic flora in this case), but ultimately Mr. Tóth’s conception was persuasive. There was at the work’s peak just the triumph one wanted, so it is hard to argue about the path getting there.

The Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 capped off the program in celebratory style. For those unfamiliar with this particular Rhapsody, it is the one with such rapid repeated octaves in the right hand that a pianist playing it might land himself in ER if not careful. It is only for the fearless, and Mr. Tóth was just that, with perhaps just a touch of his characteristic restraint at the octaves’ start to pace the excitement. It was a brilliant and altogether exhilarating close to a superb recital and was met with a hearty standing ovation.

An encore of Paderewski’s Nocturne in B-flat was the final reward, and it was meltingly beautiful. A man who before the concert had barked at someone “will you stop that?!” now appeared transported, eyes closed with a faint smile, while a woman in a wheelchair near me seemed to be nearly standing up to see better. Great music in the right hands can be transformative. Congratulations go to those who make it happen.

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

“In Search of Lost Time”

Jingci Liu and Wenting Yu, Pianists

OPERA America’s National Opera Center, Marc A. Scorca Hall, New York, NY

July 30, 2022

In the last weekend of July, GOCAA Artists Concert Series (Global Outstanding Chinese Artists Association) presented a recital of two of their winners, pianists Jingci Liu and Wenting Yu at the National Opera Center’s Scorca Hall, and listeners were treated to exciting solos and duos from both. Both are winners of a variety of awards, and both are working for their Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees. Ms. Liu is currently studying with Dr. Angelina Gadeliya at the University of Connecticut. Mr. Yu is studying with Dr. Vladimir Valjarevic at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Ms. Liu and Mr. Yu were graduated from the Mannes School of Music in New York City where they each achieved the Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Mme. Pavlina Dokovska. They are married and have played duos together since 2016. For full disclosure, this reviewer was out of New York for the concert so could not attend, but a video recording of the live performance was provided.

Ms. Liu opened the program with music by three female composers, Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, and Cecile Chaminade. First came Clara Schumann’s Soirées Musicales, Op. 6, written when the composer was just sixteen. The music is a set of six pieces full of yearning and youthful dreaming, from which Ms. Liu chose three, starting with the Nocturne, continuing with the Mazurka in G minor, and ending with the Toccatina (which originally opens the set). Ms. Liu revealed sensitive shading overall through the Nocturne, a flair for improvisatory whimsy in the Mazurka, and just the right urgency in the impassioned Toccatina.

Dreaming, Op.15, No.3, by Amy Beach followed with no break for applause, but Ms. Liu took a substantial meditative pause beforehand. Her unhurried approach suited this miniature just right, affording her time to lavish its lyrical lines with care. Cecile Chaminade’s bristling Toccata, Op. 39, closed the set energetically with lots of perpetual motion pianism. 

The next segment found Wenting Yu introducing his portion of the program, including three Preludes of  Claude Debussy, Voiles (Veils), Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest (What the West Wind Saw), and Feux d’artifice (Fireworks). Mr. Yu probed the magic of Voiles beautifully, with every detail in place. Like Ms. Liu, he clearly revels in a large range of sonorities. His Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest was fittingly stormy, and Feux d’artifice benefited from his precise touch and control at high speed.

The Étude, Op. 28, No. 2 by Robert Casadesus felt like an encore after all the storming Debussy, and it lightened the mood with its jaunty spirit. The fact that it is an octave study seemed insignificant, as its challenges were handled with aplomb – close in mastery to that of the composer’s wife, pianist Gaby Casadesus, whose recorded rendition set the standard. The rapidfire Étude Op. 28, No. 8 and the Toccata, Op.40 capped off Mr. Yu’s solo group brilliantly. If this reviewer recalls correctly, this Toccata was a required piece several decades ago for the Cleveland International Piano Competition when the competition still bore the name of Casadesus. It is thus especially refreshing to hear this work take its rightful place on a stage without any taint of duress. Mr. Yu is to be commended for exploring this lesser-known repertoire, and for doing so expertly – as is Ms. Liu with her selections by women composers.

The second half of this concert featured the two pianists as a four-hand team in a tantalizing array of arrangements of orchestral works by Rachmaninoff and Debussy. To start came one penned by Wladimir Wilschau of the second and third movements of Rachmaninoff’s glorious Symphony No.2 in E minor. Devotees of the orchestral original may balk at the idea of such grandeur being “reduced” to the realm of four-hand piano writing, but doubters will enjoy a threefold epiphany. First of all, Wilschau’s is an excellent arrangement, which has simply remained in relative obscurity since its publication in 1910. Secondly, the tonal palette available to two highly trained pianists on a single piano can be much greater than many imagine. Thirdly, the sensitivity of the Yu/Liu duo, both to the composition and to each other’s performance, creates a cohesive and compelling performance that is hard to resist.

Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, as arranged by Maurice Ravel, was equally evocative of orchestral color in this duo’s hands, as was Debussy’s Dialogue du Vent et de la Mer (Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea) from La Mer, arranged by the composer himself. (For those interested, the duo swapped Primo and Secondo roles several times – Ms. Liu playing the Primo part in the Rachmaninoff second movement, with Mr. Yu Primo in the third, and then Ms. Liu playing Primo in the Afternoon of a Faun, with Mr. Yu as Primo in La Mer.)

Hearty applause was generously rewarded with two encores, both ones with “novelty” appeal. First was Qui vive! (1862) by Wilhelm Ganz (1833-1914), an illustrious but now rather forgotten musician who happened also to be an accompanist to singer Jenny Lind. A joyous romp, the piece galoped its way to an exciting finish in perfect synch through myriad tempo tweaks. It is the perfect test piece for a married duo in a way, each player needing to adjust pace and mood at the bat of an eyelash or the twitch of a finger. Suffice it to say that this duo passed with flying colors.

The second encore was by Tal Zilber‘s Brahms in Salsa, a saucy play (pun intended) on the Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5 (with even a few gratuitous quotations from Beethoven’s Für Elise towards the end).  Though this duo needs no gimmicks, such campy touches undoubtedly will please crowds as this duo tours, as will their introductory remarks (though some of those warranted a bit more planning). The only part of this concert’s “packaging” that really didn’t work for this reviewer was the rather strained subtitle for the whole program, “In Search of Lost Time.” Despite catchall comments from Mr. Yu about remembrance, wishes, and the spirit of the repertoire (and despite the fact that some audiences need something extra-musical to think about), one found oneself looking for a copy of Proust’s masterpiece and a shoehorn; in all other respects, however, congratulations are in order for a fine recital.

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

Pianists: Evelina Ania Kleczek, Owen Yisu Wang, Chihaya Inaba, William Petrarch Hsieh, Anh Nguyen, Taige Wang, Kanae Maeda, and Delvan Lin

DiMenna Center for Classical Music 450 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

July 24, 2022

It has been a privilege for roughly fourteen years to watch the growth and continued success of the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition, hearing young pianists on their paths to the world’s stages, and this year’s event was no exception. The TIBC, as it is shortened, was conceived in 2003 by pianist Golda Vainberg-Tatz to honor her mentor, the celebrated Bach interpreter Rosalyn Tureck (with Dr. Tureck’s blessing shortly before she passed away), and events have now taken place in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and the current year, 2022.

Just beholding the list of prizes and honorable mentions is overwhelming, with eight repertoire categories (Category 8 being the monumental set of Goldberg Variations), all with different age limits within the overall range of 8 to 28.  For example, Category 1 (the Short Preludes, Preludes and Fugues, and Fantasies) is for an age range of 8-12, while Category 2 (Inventions and Sinfonias) runs up to age 15, with other categories going up to 20 or 28 (except Category IV, which is divided by two age ranges and also by specific repertoire choices from among the Partitas and other Suites). Whew! It takes patience to process, but the judges are the ones needing to master it all – and they seem to have done quite well!

As the top prize in eight repertoire categories is called the Rosalyn Tureck Prize in each case, all can get a bit confusing, but it appears that there was no such prize awarded this year in Category 1 (Short Preludes, Preludes and Fugues, Fantasies), Category 7 (Recital), or Category 8 (The Goldberg Variations). In Categories 2-6 the Rosalyn Tureck Prize was awarded (shared in two cases) to William Hsieh,  Taige Wang, Evelina Kleczek, Owen Wang, Kanae Maeda, Delvan Lin, and Anh Nguyen. In addition, there was a Contemporary Music Award (cash), shared here by Chihaya Inaba, Evelina Kleczek, Kanae Maeda, and Taige Wang. A special award named for pianist Olga Kern was shared by William Hsieh and Taige Wang (the Kern Foundation “Aspiration” Award), and last but certainly not least, the Evgeny Kissin Grand Prize/Steinway Award, was awarded to Delvan Lin. For more details one can visit Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition.

To open the Winners’ Concert, we heard Evelina Ania Kleczek (age 13, USA, Category 3- Preludes and Fugues; TIBC Contemporary Music Award), playing the noble Prelude and Fugue in C Major (BWV 870) from Book II of the Well- Tempered Clavier. Her playing showed remarkable maturity, poise, and control. She let the music speak for itself simply and directly without overthinking  – a refreshing performance, especially in the stressful context of a competition. Her voicing in the Fugue was particularly commendable, along with her crisp articulations and judicious pacing.

Owen Yisu Wang played next (age 14, Canada, Category 3 – Preludes and Fugues), offering (rather surprisingly) Felix Mendelssohn’s Op.35, No 3 in B minor, with its unrelenting Prelude and equally rigorous, thorny Fugue. This remarkable young pianist is to be congratulated on faring so well in this demanding piece, though one can’t help wondering how he resisted some of the other more interesting, expressive pieces in this opus – perhaps the fact that this B minor one is lesser known was part of the allure. At any rate, it was impressive in its highly disciplined digital evenness. In all the driving staccato notes of the Prelude, it could have perhaps benefited from a more dance-like feel, but all in all it was excellent. One looks forward to hearing this talented pianist in repertoire that shows a greater variety of musical facets.

Up next was Chihaya Inaba (age 14, Japan, TIBC 2022 Contemporary Music Award and Honorable Mention in Category 2 – Inventions Sinfonias, Duets), who brought the program into the present day with music of William Bolcom (b. 1938), specifically the “Hymne á l’amour” (2009) from 12 Etudes Book IV. A stirring and musically demanding piece that sets a haunting repeated 8-note motif against poignant  dissonances and builds to a powerful emotionalpeak, it was an unusual choice for such a young player. Mr. Inaba gave it his profound involvement – a surprise and a joy to hear in one so young – and the Contemporary Music Award seems quite justified.  One is still left curious to hear his Bach, the raison d’être for the competition, but one suspects that his interpretations would be equally personal and compelling.

Still more music of our day followed, with Kapustin’s Sonatina Op. 100 (composed in 2000) as played by William Petrarch Hsieh (age 12, USA, Category 2 – Inventions, Sinfonias, Duets; the Contemporary Music Award; and the Kern Foundation “Aspiration” Award). This piece, like so much of Kapustin, is highly jazz-influenced but without actually being jazz (as Kapustin was known to articulate when speaking about his music). Mr. Hsieh’s performance here brought out its saucy flavor, and it was pure fun. The Sonatina is not at all easy, but Mr. Hsieh played it with such technical ease and a sense of the idiom that it felt “tossed off” – a striking thing to behold in a pianist age 12. When combined with some subtle movements of a jazz “pro” one almost had to laugh with delight. One repeats to oneself: age twelve.

As terrific as the twentieth and twenty-first-century selections were, it was a joy to return to the honoree of this competition, J. S. Bach, in the hands of Anh Nguyen (age 14, Vietnam, Category 6 – Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Italian Concerto, Sonatas). She played Bach’s magnificent (and difficult) Toccata and Fugue in G Major, BWV 916, handling its contrapuntal challenges extremely well. Her rendition will undoubtedly feel more and more settled as she lives with it, but it had much to offer. She gave it a brisk and authoritative opening, a sensitively wrought Adagio, and a percolating fugue. It will be a pleasure to see where music leads this young player.

Music of Bolcom returned next, specifically the Nine Bagatelles (1996) in the hands of Taige Wang (age 11, China, Categories 2 and 5 – Inventions, Sinfonias, Duets, Various; Kern Foundation” Aspiration” Award; and TIBC Contemporary Music Award). These Bagatelles, unlike the more overtly jazzy and accessible music of the same composer, are quite craggy, dissonant, and hard to grasp even aurally, so it was especially astonishing to hear them so well played by an eleven-year old! Mercurial mood changes, extreme dynamics, and elements of atonality all contribute to the difficulty of this set, but young Mr. Wang was up to all of it. One can see why he received the “Aspiration” Award and looks forward to more from him.

Kanae Maeda (Age 19, Japan, Category 4A – Suites and Partitas), participated virtually from Japan but made a fine showing, first with selected dances from Bach’s English Suite No. 3 in G minor BWV 808 and then with Rain Tree Sketch II (1992) by Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996). The Bach was well controlled and meticulous, with an emphasis on the motoric energy in the Prelude, and a similarly metric Gavotte I. The Gavotte II with its gentler turn to major and slight easing up of tension was thus especially welcome –  and also nicely ornamented. Her control and clarity in the Gigue were exemplary. She definitely has a grasp of consistency of voice and texture  – a good thing – but it may be time to look for more ways of varying the sound while projecting phrases. She certainly found tonal variety in the Takemitsu piece – and it was rendered with utmost personal expressiveness – and with the color befitting its dedicatee Olivier Messiaen.

It says a lot that, as I passed the hour mark of hearing these winners and was starting to ask that inevitable question (“how much more is there?”), the final performer had me immediately wanting the music to continue. The pianist grabbing my attention was Delvan Lin (age 22, New Zealand, Category 4B -Partitas 2,3,5,6, and French Overture; the Evgeny Kissin Grand Prize 2022, and the Steinway Award 2022). From the very opening phrases of his Toccata from Bach’s Partita No.6 in E minor BWV 830, this was Bach from the human soul – no metronomes in sight, though with a perfect grasp of the music’s human pulse. There was infinite variety, as is inherent in the music itself – though such range is not always found by all pianists. Each climb, each descent, each sequence, each gesture served to reveal the monument in music that Bach created, and yet we the listeners lived fully in each moment, as should be the case. The result was breathtaking. No note was without feeling, and no phrase was without shape, and yet the overview remained one of proportion and thoughtfulness. Bravissimo!! Before I drown in superlatives, I’ll add that the subsequent Sarabande and Gigue held that high standard, though the Toccata basically eclipsed all. There can be no regrets in choosing this winner, and I truly look forward to hearing him again!

Congratulations go to the jury for their discernment – including for the finals Emmanuel Krasovsky, Andre Laplante, Linda Petrikova, and Jerome Rose. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the description in the above paragraph could describe some of the performances I’ve heard by Rosalyn Tureck herself. One can only imagine how proud she would be, were she here to behold this legacy.  Congratulations go to all involved – the jury, the young performers, the patrons, and to the tireless director of it all, Golda Tatz. Bravi tutti!

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

Douglas Knehans, composer; Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Mikel Toms, conductor;

Pavel Wallinger, violin; Judith Weusten, soprano; Katarina Knehans, text

Ablaze Records AR-00062

A stunning new recording of orchestral music by Douglas Knehans (b. 1957) found its way to me this weekend, and one can safely say that I will be rehearing it (and other works) by this extraordinary composer. Quite a lot of music finds its way to my desk (frankly, much of it not so memorable), so perhaps amid the clutter and noise one may be forgiven for never having heard anything by Mr. Knehans until now, despite his formidable credentials. Those credentials include flurries of performances by prominent ensembles and artists (Opera Australia, Melbourne Symphony, Susan Narucki, James Tocco, Awadaggin Pratt, and Gareth Davies, to name a few) and extravagant praise from the press (Audiophile, BBC Magazine, and The New Yorker), plus a profusion of awards and academic distinctions too many to name here. His educational credentials (Australian National University, Queens College – CUNY, and Yale University), have included scholarship studies with noted composer/teachers Thea Musgrave, Lukas Foss, and Jacob Druckman. To learn more about Mr. Knehans, one can visit his website www.douglasknehans.com. Meanwhile, a fitting introduction exists right on his home page, on which he states: “I just want to write music that touches people, that is immediate, that is powerful, colorful and dramatic.” Mr. Knehans, you are succeeding at precisely that.

On to the recording at hand, the word “powerful” is apt. Both of the two works included, Mist Waves (2019) and Cloud Ossuary: Symphony No. 4 (2019 – with Donemus publishing site saying 2018), are steeped in the human experience of searching and sorrow, and yet both, through the inspired writing itself, are deeply consolatory. Comparisons in music tend to do a disservice to all, but, for the sake of readers wanting a quick characterization, the noting of kinships can be helpful. Sections of both works remind one of Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 in their sheer spaciousness of harmonic unfolding and the deft handling of dissonance and bleak subject matter. There are hints at times of what resemble postminimalism in the harmonic pacing, but at other times the music seems to hearken back flickeringly to Stravinsky and Bartok (as in the more driven percussiveness in the first movement of Cloud Ossuary). The bottom line, though, is that Mr. Knehans seems to follows his own star and cannot be lumped in with any particular school or movement. What makes his music compelling is the thoroughness and sensitivity with which he develops ideas and emotions of importance to him – and to us all, one imagines.

The opening of this CD, Mist Waves, is a piece for solo violin and strings, with the solo part here played superbly by violinist Pavel Wallinger. Slightly under eight minutes in length, it is arguably the most immediately appealing piece of the release, transporting the listener miraculously to another world through its soaring melodic material over haunting repeated patterns. The composer himself describes it as a “kind of loose chaconne” and continues as follows:

“Mist Waves is really about land-based cloud and how this forms in waves, sometimes thick and predictable and at other times lightening up and revealing more to us. This serves as a metaphor for me of a type of human consciousness and how things are known and unknown to us in mixtures of known and ungraspable.”

It is surprising on first hearing to read that Mist Waves was originally conceived as a piano-violin work, because its pacing seems to cry out for instruments of a more sustained nature, such as the strings heard here; clearly much is owed, though, to the violinist of its original piano-violin version, Madeleine Mitchell, who was also the dedicatee. In this orchestrated version, it is hard to imagine it played more exquisitely than Mr. Wallinger does in collaboration with Maestro Mikel Toms and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra. The balance of timbres is masterful, and the sound places the listener somewhere between the heart of the ensemble and the heavens, undoubtedly thanks in part to the engineering of Jaroslav Zouhar and mixing and mastering of multi-Grammy Award-winning Silas Brown.

The second work (and title work for the CD), is Cloud Ossuary: Symphony No. 4, and it is as harrowing as the title suggests in its three movements of increasing depth, darkness and duration (with the third movement lasting twenty-six minutes). The final movement, entitled Bones and All, is, as the composer states, the “center of gravity” of the work. He writes that he composed it first, having been seized with inspiration after reading the poem of the same name  by his daughter, writer Katarina Knehans.

The poem, sung from the viewpoint of one tending to a land of death and grief, is harrowing in its explicit imagery of bones and destruction (“blood-soaked fingers” and “rotting carcass, burned and branded by the world”), but after reaching a cataclysmic frenzy a transformation begins, which – despite the devastation – eventually arrives at the closing line, “We are loved by the sun, bones and all.” It is not exactly a “feel good” ending (as, after around twenty minutes of agony, we hardly trust happiness), but it is, nonetheless, a post-cathartic relief of sorts as the protagonist chooses not to leave this wasteland but to find what the composer describes in his liner notes as “a place of light and love, nurturement and peace.” This work seems especially timely right now, despite the fact that death and tragedy are not a recent invention – it is music of healing.

The singing, by Dutch soprano Judith Weusten, is nothing short of mind-boggling. Each time this reviewer asked herself, “is such writing truly idiomatic for the human voice?” the answer would come, “but Ms. Weusten did it – ask no more.” In stratospheric leaps, piercing wails, and tremulous swooning descents, she showed that she can nail any pitch while traveling to Hades and back emotionally. Her range dynamically is staggering and in need of no manipulation; the one place, in fact, in which a decrescendo seems simply too extreme to be natural (end of the first verse on the word “you”) one wonders whether there wasn’t perhaps some audio manipulation that could have been subtler. Ms. Weusten’s diction is excellent throughout as well, though in the few places where the music is simply too high or melismatic to make out the words exactly, that fact may be merciful. One can always read the text separately and grasp the meaning filtered through the music. Just as the music embodies the pain of a painful text, it also transforms it, just as the protagonist in the poem transforms death and grief.

The rest of the Symphony No. 4 truly seems to exist to serve the above-described final movement, though the first movement, The Ossein Cage is spectacular in its own right. Intended to suggest efforts to escape “an imagined cage of dead bone” as described in the composer’s notes, it employs claves and other percussion to evoke the rattling of the cage, building to a fever pitch. To describe the second movement, Breathe Clouded,  Mr. Knehans suggests “a dream in the clouds – the dark clouds of something coming.” He also states that he did not want to overshadow the last movement but to create a “foggy antecedent” – which is just what it does, and quite atmospherically. All in all, for music lovers who are not “faint of heart” but seeking an experience as cathartic as a powerful play or film, this recording is highly recommended.  

Kudos to all involved in this exciting release.

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

Bela Horvath, violin soloist; David Winkler, conductor;

Ensemble:

Violins 1: Bela Horvath (concertmaster), Mialtin Zhezha, Jessica Park, Ye-Jin Han

Violins 2: Regi Papa (principal), Ann SunHyung Kim, Haesol Lee

Viole: Matthew Cohen (principal), Daniel Lamas

Celli: Jacqueline Choi (principal), Molly Aronson

Double Bass: Kyle Colina

Mary Flagler Cary Hall, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, NY

May 10, 2022

It takes a special kind of bravery to direct a classical music performance organization through a pandemic, but I’m happy to report that Chamber Players International (CPI) has successfully done just that. Under the direction of composer/conductor David Winkler since 2000, CPI not only survived 2020 and 2021 intact while many organizations did not, but it has bounced back from 2022’s surprises as well. Given a last minute cancellation of their April 26th concert due to two performers’ illnesses, they were able to reschedule for this past Tuesday, May 10 (a potential nightmare in hall re-bookings, press, etc.). They came through with flying colors. One would expect low attendance for a rescheduled concert, but most seats were taken by avid listeners.

Their program Monday included mostly “new” music for lack of a better term, including a string quartet (2011) and violin concerto (2005) by American composer Steven Gerber (1948-2015), a quartet (2015) by composer/CPI Director David Winkler himself , and the premiere of a work commissioned especially by CPI entitled Sanctuary City by “Doctuh” Michael Woods, a noted composer/bassist/educator who has had his works performed by important orchestras and ensembles nationally. In addition to the newer fare, we heard one of Schubert’s isolated quartet movements, the Quartett-Satz D. 703 in C minor from 1820 – also called the String Quartet No. 12.

The Schubert Quartett-Satz launched the program with intense energy. It is a single movement, which for some reason Schubert did not expand into further movements (except for roughly forty surviving measures of a subsequent movement). Given the notorious chaos of Schubert’s manuscripts throughout his life, it is a safe guess that he meant to return to this “satz” but that necessity took him elsewhere. It is an exciting piece, and it was given a bracing performance by CPI’s quartet for the evening, consisting of violinists Bela Horvath and Regi Papa, violist Matthew Cohen, and cellist Jacqueline Choi. One realized in hearing these excellent players what an incredible resource CPI holds. With strong quartet players at the core of their larger ensemble, they can present concerti and quartets in the same night, opening up possibilities for programs of unusual variety. This Tuesday’s was one of those.

Following the Schubert came Steven Gerber’s String Quartet No. 6. Maestro Winkler introduced it as a “Zen-like” piece, and one can understand that reaction. At times, certain repetitive figures even brought to mind the writing of some minimalist composers, but in general, these figures are part of a musical fabric subsidiary to the work’s overarching lines, with highly expressive melodies coming to the fore (not terribly different from classical quartets of earlier centuries). At times one wanted a rebalancing of parts, as the “fabric” occasionally dominated, but all in all the piece’s fascinating qualities came through. It is commendable that CPI introduces listeners to this relatively little-known music. They chose four superb performers who honored it with their involvement.

Michael Woods came to the stage next to introduce his commissioned piece, Sanctuary City for String Ensemble. Preparing the listeners, he explained that his desired sound (often without the expected vibrato) was that of the creative “cauldron” of his ideal city, a city that one day could serve as a safe place to foster the work of musicians and artists of all styles and backgrounds  – just as his own background blended orchestral classics of Mozart and Beethoven, Gospel, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Motown, and more. To illustrate his blend with some humor, he sang a phrase of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the first time straight and then with a “funky” feel. The audience was rapt –  as must be the students of “Doctuh” Woods at Hamilton College.

Sanctuary City as a piece of music proved to be as inspirational as the idea behind it. There were times when all the ensemble members seemed so individual and independent in this melting pot of “musics” that one wondered whether they could possibly converge – and sure enough they did in perfect synchronization where called for. Especially powerful and unifying were bass lines – not surprisingly, given the composer’s background playing bass. Double bassist Kyle Colina was an important presence, along with the evening’s cellists. Kudos to the “Doctuh” and the entire ensemble, and special congratulations to CPI for commissioning the work!

After intermission came Steven Gerber’s Two Lyric Pieces for Violin and String Ensemble, essentially a two-movement concerto, in which violinist Bela Horvath shone. Mr. Horvath wins the Most Valuable Player award for the evening for having not only served as first violinist and concertmaster through all the other works but also as soloist here. Opening in a low register unaccompanied, he was in his element from the very first notes, bringing a deep burnished tone to much of the ravishing first movement. The entire ensemble was radiant and in excellent balance as led by Maestro Winkler, who had mentioned earlier (by way of explaining the absence of a baton) that with a smaller ensemble he could sculpt the sound with his hands – and he did just that. Particularly impressive was the second movement Passacaglia with different instruments taking turns carrying the line. They all did a tremendous job.

After so much outstanding music-making, it was of great interest to hear the conductor’s own String Quartet No. 4 to close the program, and it did not disappoint. Starting with a motive that resembled the Dies Irae chant, albeit a frenzied version with expanding intervals, it developed over its long course into quite an exhaustive journey, providing ample challenges for the listener as well as a vehicle for these fine players. Some stunning playing here came from cellist Jacqueline Choi, who was also a contender for my own MVP list throughout the evening. She provided a solid gold foundation for every single one of these difficult works –  and always, amazingly, with pitch that never faltered.

CPI can feel quite proud of this latest concert, and one looks forward to hearing much more from them. Bravi tutti!

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

“Treasures of Jewish Art Music: St. Petersburg School and Beyond”

Louis Arques, clarinet, and Milena Zhivotovskaya, piano

Klavierhaus, New York, NY

April 24, 2022

It is always an exciting prospect to hear artists I’ve not heard before and always a thrill to explore lesser-known music. To do both at the same time is a double joy, and that is just what I experienced hearing Klavierhaus’s “Treasures of Jewish Art Music: St. Petersburg School and Beyond” with Louis Arques, clarinet, and Milena Zhivotovskaya, piano, neither of whom I had heard before. The recital was part of an appealing series called Sunday Evenings at Klavierhaus, and as it was live-streamed and posted on YouTube, you can enjoy it here: Treasures of Jewish Art Music

Several composers on the program have gained increasing attention in the established repertoire in recent decades, but they are all still woefully underplayed. It is thus quite refreshing to see a whole recital dedicated to Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996), Alexander Krein (1883-1951), Grzegorz Fitelberg (1879-1953), Joseph Achron (1886-1943), and Jacob Weinberg (1879-1956) – and especially with the addition of a work by the pianist herself, Milena Zhivotovskaya (b. 1986) in her Three Pieces for Clarinet and Piano (2006, revised 2020).

The program starts with Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 28 (1945). It is a work with the unmistakable imprint of Shostakovich throughout, and that is no coincidence, as Shostakovich was a strong force in young Weinberg’s life (and in helping him against Soviet persecution, following Nazi atrocities). Opening with a plaintive clarinet solo, the first movement emerges from silence into what resembles a narration of uneasily shifting moods. The duo takes us through this music with polish and ease. Mr. Arques’ long-breathed phrases are ideal for this music, as is his wide dynamic range. Ms. Zhivotovskaya is an excellent collaborator, supportive and rock steady without being self-effacing, and the unity is impressive throughout this work and the entire concert.

The second movement Allegretto begins with a childlike simplicity with more than a tinge of dark irony before the clarinet breaks free into klezmer-esque outpourings. Mr. Arques’ expressiveness is a joy to behold. He is a marvelous clarinetist, and Ms. Zhivotovskaya is a great match for him. At one point where a “conversation” develops between piano and clarinet,  Ms. Zhivotovskaya manages to match the clarinet timbres perfectly. The final Adagio movement begins with a long somber introduction of piano alone before the clarinet takes a solo role – and each conveys its tragic mood well, with distant rays of light penetrating at times.

On a side note, I want to address an issue of growing concern in live (or streamed) classical music concerts, involving the need to bring the music as close as possible to audiences, as they experience it in the moment. Especially with less familiar repertoire, if there are no program notes, a bit of spoken background or even a flash of interpretive insight shared in advance can make a difference in bringing a piece closer to audiences’ hearts and minds.  While I, as a reviewer assigned to this concert, have the luxury of poking around, learning more about each piece, and hearing it twice to absorb it (and that, after conservatory training, doctorate, etc.), many can be left scratching their heads. Mr. Arques, a fine and communicative speaker, does take a moment to share some biographical information on Mieczyslaw Weinberg after his piece, but to have to hit the “rewind” button mentally to apply it retroactively is less than ideal. Also, though Mr. Arques does share thoughts on the Holocaust and Ukraine towards the end of the concert, they come just before the final work, which in a sad fluke of timing is actually a festive piece. Alas, such comments could have set the stage well for the opening work. Speaking afterwards may be preferred by many musicians (perhaps for their own musical concentration), but increasingly audiences can benefit from a bit of guidance. Now that post-pandemic audiences are clamoring for a live experience, it is our precious chance to reclaim them from years in deadening cyberspace.

For the remainder of the program works are introduced briefly prior to playing, and Mr. Arques introduces next the Three Ornaments, Op. 42 (1924-27), by Alexander Krein. Three Ornaments, originally a set of three songs without words set to syllables ah and la, is ideally suited to transcription for a wordless instrument, and it works well on the clarinet. The first is dreamy and Scriabinesque, while the second hearkens back more to Krein’s klezmer background. The final piece is rather elusive, but has something of a resemblance to Debussy, not shocking for its day. The two performers convey its mysterious brooding well, though its final surge and sudden ending still leave the listener perplexed. One would love to hear the performers’ thoughts on this enigma as well.

Next come some highlights of the program, first Grzegorz Fitelberg’s colorful pair of pieces entitled To the Wedding, as arranged for clarinet by Simeon Bellison. The first piece is inspired by preparation for a wedding, with its tones of solemn ritual, and the second is a joyful dance. The performers project the moods here well, and the dance adds a welcome note of celebration to the program. Joseph Achron’s hypnotic Hebrew Lullaby (1912) casts a spell in its arrangement from violin.

To introduce her own work, Three Pieces for Clarinet and Piano (2006, revised 2020), Milena Zhivotovskaya speaks briefly about its history, its commission by noted clarinetist Larry Guy, its premiere at the Manhattan School of Music, and its revision. “I draw my inspiration from, some of it, from music of Stravinsky and also Berg,” says Ms. Zhivotovskaya, announcing the individual pieces as Prelude, Toccata, and Romanza. This set is a fine addition to the clarinet-piano repertoire and should draw the interest of many performers. The Prelude is movingly meditative at the opening before moving to a faster pace with piano clusters – and rapid passagework and trills from the clarinet –  before its quiet close. The ensemble work is excellent as ever, and the piece fits this duo’s gifts well. The Toccata that follows is full of bravura excitement, with buoyant 3-3-2 rhythms and jazz-inflected musical language, and the Romanza is filled with hypnotic piano figures, with some extended techniques for clarinet.

To close the concert, we hear the festive Canzonetta by Jacob Weinberg (1879-1956), given a winning performance. Incidentally, the Canzonetta was arranged, like the Fitelberg, by the remarkable Simeon Bellison (first clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, among other distinctions). It elicits a standing ovation, after which the duo offers an encore called The Maypole, also by Jacob Feinberg – a perfect lagniappe for this time of year!

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

Troy High Jazz Ensemble and Troy High Symphonic Band, Brian P. Nutting, Conductor;

Troy High Percussion Ensemble, Jacob A. Greenwood, Conductor;

Troy High Freshman Orchestra, Troy High Combined Concert/Philharmonic Orchestra, and Troy High Symphony Orchestra, Wendy Stuart, Conductor;

Troy High Combined Cadet/Concert Band, Brian P. Nutting and Jacob A. Greenwood, Conductors

Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, New York, NY

April 25, 2022

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented another one of its trademark musical spectaculars this Monday with no fewer than seven ensembles of orchestra and band musicians –  amazingly all from one school, Troy High in Michigan –  and the spirit was jubilant. In a three-hour-long evening of classical, jazz, Broadway/film, and popular music performances  – some quite expert – these youngsters from Troy and their music directors proved themselves a credit to their hometown and state.

The evening kicked into high gear right away with the Troy High Jazz Ensemble (some twenty strong) playingJeff Bunnell’s Ten Brothers, led by Brian P. Nutting, who moved suavely to the side to showcase the young players. Far from micromanaging, Mr. Nutting gave a few snaps of the fingers, and the group launched their Big Band era sound with smooth sax soli, precise percussion, and high polish all around. Cole Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin (arr.Dave Wolpe) followed, featuring some impressive vocal work by Mia Simone and Varun Ganapathy, both of whom fared well even against some occasionally overwhelming ensemble volume. Stevie Wonder’s Overjoyed (arr. Mark Taylor) featured excellent work by solo tenor saxophone (unfortunately uncredited as with many of the evening’s soloists), and this ensemble’s set was concluded by Rich Woolworth’s Blue Light Special, with players no longer in their chairs but sitting on the edge of stage – all in all, a blast (pun intended)!

It is not easy to go in reverse chronology after a Big Band sound to the more delicate sonorities of the eighteenth century, but the Troy High Freshman Orchestra under conductor Wendy Stuart established their separate tonal world commendably for Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 (arr.Thomas Lajoie). The transparency of this music can be rather unforgiving given the inevitable intonation issues which one knows to expect at the freshman level (particularly in the upper strings in softer sections), but as the music continued the ensemble gained in unity and focus.The contemporary selections, from Soon Hee Newbold’s adventurous Equuleus to Richard Meyer’s modally-colored Minotaur, were evocative with their colorful, mythological themes and seemed to capture the performers’ imaginations (and thus the audience’s as well). Ms. Stuart is to be congratulated on leading what I counted as forty-three string players in this challenging fare. Kudos to all!

Also under Ms. Stuart’s direction was the Troy High Combined Concert/Philharmonic Orchestra, with thirty-one string players.The first movement (Allegro Moderato) of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 (arr. Lynne Latham) was given a vigorous account.Justin Hurwitz’s Music From La La Land (arr. Robert Longfield) followed the Bach remarkably well – with its sequences hearkening back to those same days (long before “La La Land” existed), and Shostakovich’s famous Waltz No. 2 (arr.Paul Lavender) concluded this group’s offerings. The latter added that mixture of bitter darkness with almost circus-like energy that the Russian master exploited often (aptly unsettling in the midst of our current events), and the players seemed swept up in its spirit. In all three selections the cello section seemed to this listener to outweigh the upper strings a bit at times, but it actually benefitted the Shostakovich somehow.

The Troy High Symphony Orchestra followed, sixty players strong (again under conductor Wendy Stuart), and they took on the fourth movement (Allegro Giocoso Ma Non Troppo Presto) of Joseph Suk’s Serenade For Strings. It seemed a somewhat surprisingly ambitious choice, but they handled it well, with energy and not too many glitches. What must have been a last-minute program change caused some disorientation to follow, as we were expecting from the printed program to hear Paint It Black (Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, arr. John Reed For The Hampton String Quartet) but instead were hearing George Walker’s Lyric For Strings. Those in the know recognized George Walker’s 1990 expansion of the second movement of his own String Quartet No. 1,  which he wrote while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music (1946). Originally entitled Lament, it had been dedicated to his grandmother, a former enslaved person, and is profoundly moving. At any rate, the ensemble played it with appropriate reverence before proceeding with Paint it Black, also played well. The symphony offerings ended with Tribute to John Williams, crafted by arranger Paul Lavender on themes from Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter, Superman, and E.T.– all good fun, and well done!

As the evening wore on, the hazards of such long concerts became apparent, as audience members started coming and going at will, as if in a day-long festival, checking phones in the interim as well as during the music. There is an answer to this distraction, which would be to keep each ensemble’s offering a bit shorter – and the audience would be able to focus accordingly. Additionally, if the stage set up could somehow be streamlined that would spare everyone as well. Not everyone can listen in a focused way for three solid hours without flagging (and undoubtedly there were some non-musicians present mainly to hear “their” person).

Fortunately for everyone the last groups were rousing enough to counter most fatigue.  The Troy High Combined Cadet/Concert Band under Brian P. Nutting played a light and fun (much truncated) arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue (arr.Michael Story), after which conductor Jacob A. Greenwood led the same group in an energizing version of Karl L. King’s Broadway One-Step (arr. John P. Paynter). Mr. Nutting returned for Rossano Galante’s The Wishing Well, but what really brought the house down was their performance of Bob Gaudio’s Highlights From Jersey Boys (arr.Michael Brown). It was hard not to dance in the aisles to it! Songs from the group The Four Seasons were Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don”t Cry, Ragdoll, Oh, What a Night, and Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.

The Troy High Percussion Ensemble under Jacob A. Greenwood then took the stage withEric Peel’s harrowing piece, Escaping A Nightmare, a tour de force which featured some outstanding mallet work. One can only imagine if these players are so good now, how great they will sound in several years!  

To close the evening we heard Troy High’s excellent Symphonic Band (fifty-five strong and under Brian P. Nutting again). Their playing of  Meredith Willson’s Seventy-Six Trombones (arr.Leroy Anderson, ad. Jay Bocook) was just right for their big healthy sound, and Selections from Aladdin by Alan Menken (arr.John Moss) brought new life to these familiar melodies. An excellent flute solo (again, alas, uncredited) introduced Stephen Schwartz’s Popular (From The Broadway Musical Wicked, arr. Jay Bocook) and as the icing on the cake we heard Robert Sheldon’s Metroplex: Three Postcards From Manhattan, a dramatic tribute to New York City, including a musical depiction of a wild taxi ride through the metropolis. Cheers to a great finale, with hopes that no one had quite such an “exciting” taxi ride while here! Congratulations to all!

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

A compilation of audio and video recordings by Solomon Mikowsky and 75 of his piano students and alumni

Joseph Patrych, Artistic and Technical Director

March 2021

For the past fifty years, Manhattan School of Music faculty member Solomon Mikowsky has been a nurturing presence behind pianists who have garnered prizes, accolades, and teaching posts throughout the world. As Mr. Mikowsky reached his 85th birthday last March, the idea arose, credited to master recording engineer Joseph Patrych, to compile performance videos by 75 of these students, past and present in a birthday tribute. Mr. Patrych served as Artistic and Technical Director for the project, and the resulting video is amazing.

There is no way to match in words the cumulative effect of hearing these 75 pianists (many in live concert) – let alone a way to imagine the joy and pride a teacher must feel in having taught and guided them all – but suffice it to say that the reader needs to see it to believe it. The video is linked here: Solomon Mikowsky Birthday Celebration

Being assigned to hear all 75 seemed a daunting assignment for this reviewer, but despite playing time of over three hours of music, there winds up being hardly a dull moment. Thanks no doubt to Mr. Patrych, the styles skillfully alternate (“from Rameau to Rzewski” as the subtitle states), with judicious excerpting and fadeouts to move things along.  A nitpicker might object to the truncating of classics and some strange juxtapositions (such as the middle of a Bach Partita movement to the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1), but such criticism would be missing the point. In its entirety the video resembles a potluck feast, with each musician bringing a favorite dish, each unique (with sometimes just a taste), and the result is a dreamlike retrospective greater than the sum of its parts. Rare is the teacher who can cultivate such a range of musicianship with so many personalities, but Mr. Mikowsky has done so and deserves great admiration for it.

Repertoire includes – though not presented in chronological order – Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Impressionistic styles, as well as more “modern” music, for lack of a better term. As one might expect with a teacher strongly committed to music of Cuba, there are some Cuban offerings as well as a fair helping of music from Spain. In addition there are excerpts from concerti, segments from orchestral and chamber ensembles, and transcriptions of all kinds (even electronic). It is a richly kaleidoscopic collection.  For simplicity’s sake, we’ll not describe the zigzagging program “blow by blow” (lest the reader get whiplash) but just group pieces in the most organized way possible.

To open there is J. S. Bach. Fittingly the video begins with Solomon Mikowsky at age 13 playing Bach’s Fantasy & Fugue in A Minor, BWV 944, taken from a 1949 recording on a Chickering piano, (with several photos of him from his youth onward supplying video content), and the transfer to digital from reel-to-reel is surprisingly good. The playing is intelligent and assured, with excellent contrasts and energy. One can already hear in it the same virtues that grace the Bach of Mr. Mikowsky’s students, including Simone Dinnerstein in her Two-Part Inventions – a personal, romanticized rendition of the A Minor followed by a fleet-fingered F Major – and Daniel Hart, whose crisply voiced excerpt of the Toccata in D Major leaves us wanting more. Equally individual are other Bach contributions including the Capriccio from the Partita No. 2 brightly articulated by Kyu Yeon Kim, the Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major (WTC I), shaded sensitively by Yuan Sheng, and the  Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue, BWV 903 contoured caringly by Weiwei Zhai. Less frequently played works add a welcome freshness, including Bach’s Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother, played pensively by José Luís Castillo, as well as music of Bach’s most famous son, C.P. E. Bach, whose Württemberg Sonata No.1, Op.49, is interpreted dramatically by Maxim Anikushin.

Adding to the Baroque repertoire is Scarlatti’s Sonata in F Major, L.494 played by Robert Buxton who savors its characteristic leaps and piquant dissonances. Interestingly its bite emerges as a bit tame due to its placement after a piece by Sebastian Currier (b. 1959) entitled Scarlatti Cadences & Brainstorm, exploiting the leaps and repeated notes of its eponymous keyboard master (so much so that it might have been preferable to hear the actual Scarlatti first). At any rate, the latter is played quite effectively as well by Saúl Ibarra Ramos.

On the topic of 20th and 21st-century music, there is a healthy representation here, including Annie Gosfield’s Piano & Baseballs performed – with a baseball and mitt striking the keyboard – by Jenny Qionyang Chai. It is hard to watch and hear for a devotee of the piano’s lyrical qualities, but it certainly does add an unforgettable element of spectacle. Percussiveness and lyricism combine in the Cuban contributions, Yalil Guerra’s Toccata (composed 2013), played persuasively by Willany Darias, and Brouwer’s Boceto No. 7 Cabrera Moreno played compellingly by Jiayin Li (and which your reviewer favorably covered earlier this season). Ahmed Alom sounds simply brilliant in Elliott Carter’s Catenaires, and the closeups of his hands in live concert add to the electricity.

Also in a modern vein, Sophiko Simsive is dauntless in Rzewski’s challenging work, The Days Fly By (from The Road) in memory of its composer who died in 2021. Elina Christova projects the haunting beauty of Autumn Elegy, Op.15 (1922) by Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov, and from the same decade we have Busoni’s thorny Toccata played with ferocity by Yeontaek Oh and filmed at the Concours Musical International de Montreal, as well as Szymanowski’s Mazurka, Op.50, No.14 played by Zoe Pian-Chowdhury  (only in Pre-College, but with an intelligent grasp of the style and language). Two Debussy pieces from the Children’s Corner suite (1908) bring us over to the Impressionists, and then we hear The Snow is Dancing played enchantingly by Chi-Ying Hung and an excellent performance of Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum by Eleni Moon (Pre-College).

Also from the earlier 20th century and turn of the century (and with the understanding that many works categorized here fall in several categories) come a large number of works from the great pianistic world of Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Blumenfeld. We hear Inesa Sinkevych diving into Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 with rhythmic energy, Albert Kim in a bracing excerpt from the Sonata No. 8, and Rexa Han in a highly athletic rendition of his Toccata, Op.11.

From Rachmaninoff, we enjoy Ren Zhang’s recording (with still photo) of the final part of a live performance of Rachmaninoff’s Polka de V. R. – played freely and brilliantly in a style reminiscent of the “Golden Age” of pianism. Among Rachmaninoff’s Preludes we hear Wael Farouk (whom I’ve reviewed several times in amazing stretches of repertoire) in a passionate performance of the C Minor, Op.23, No.7, as well as Hayk Arsenyan in a beautifully dreamy G Major, Op.32, No.5, and Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz in a lyrical excerpt from the D Major, Op.23, No.4. Moving to the Etudes-Tableaux, we hear Edward Neeman in an excellent performance of the A Minor, Op.39, No.6.

Kirill Gerstein is exceptional in Blumenfeld’s Etude for the Left Hand, Op.36 – and though sadly it is only an excerpt, we are left wanting more throughout this video, and it is a good excuse to continue following these pianists! Klara Min is exquisite in Scriabin’s Prelude, Op.11, No.21, and Ruoting Li offers still more Scriabin with her sensitively played Album Leaf, Op.45, No.1.

Among Russian selections, the first taste comes very early in video from Alexandre Moutouzkine in the finale of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Israel Philharmonic. Mr. Moutouzkine plays from the climax to the final blazing octaves and roar of the crowd, and it reminds us that among the exciting moments for Mr. Mikowsky’s students are many involving orchestral and chamber collaborations.

Other exciting performances with orchestra include Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 played by Rowena Arrieta at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1982 and the same composer’s Concerto No. 5 played with passionate commitment by Sofya Melikyan in Spain. Peter Fancovic and the MSM Chamber Symphony are in fine form with an excerpt of the Mendelssohn Concerto No. 1 in G minor (reminding one never to underestimate a student orchestra when it is from a top conservatory), and the cadenza from Schumann’s Piano Concerto is admirably handled by Chia-Hui Lu.  A segment of Gershwin’s Concerto in F is played with sensitivity by Aliaksandra Beliakovich, and a section of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G is delivered with aplomb by Chun Wang (at the 59th Concurso Internacional de Piano Premio Jaén). These youthful performances have an electricity that reaches us more than most of what we hear from studio recordings.  

Among less frequently heard works for piano and orchestra, we have a small impressive slice of Beethoven’s demanding Choral Fantasy from Youngho Kim as well as one from the Schnittke Concerto for Piano & Strings played admirably by Adam Kosmieja with the Capella Bydgostiensisess.

There is a clip of one small chamber collaboration, a superb performance by Pei-Shan Li with the Bowdoin Chamber Players in Schumann’s magnificent Piano Quintet, Op.44, and also a lovely duo with Aaron Shorr and another unnamed pianist in Rachmaninoff’s Romance from the 2nd Suite for 2 Pianos, Op.17.

This is perhaps a good point for transitioning to the music inspired by ensembles but played solo, in other words piano transcriptions, of which there are several here. This video compilation reflects just how important piano transcriptions have become, and there are some gems included.

Perhaps the most unusual transcription offering is the one of the Saint-Saens Rondo Capriccioso, Op.28 originally for violin, but arranged and performed as a solo piano piece by Kenneth Jiang on his YouTube channel called Piano Turtle X. An aerial view of his hands on keyboard combines with floating light patterns above – a clear embrace of 21st century technology!

Among the better-known transcriptions, we hear the Gershwin-Wild I Got Rhythm played with elan by Olga Vinokur, the sparkling Mendelssohn-Rachmaninoff Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream given a brisk ride by Beilin Han, and the well-loved Glück-Sgambati Melodie From Orfeo, played devoutly by Angelika Fuchs.

La Valse of Ravel, famously demanding, is taken on with zest by Sophie Zhang, and the underperformed Godowsky transcription of Rameau’s Tambourin enjoys the skillful treatment of Mijung Lee. Rimsky-Korsakoff’s Flight of the Bumblebee as embellished by Rachmaninoff and then Cziffra, is among the more over-the-top transcriptions, and it is given an over-the-top intensity to match by Jie Yuan.

From Liszt we hear the Paraphrase on Verdi’s Rigoletto played with self-assurance and composure by Wenqiao Jiang (Precollege), the Rossini-Liszt: William Tell Overture played excitingly by Khowoon Kim (at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition Weimar Bayreuth), and the Wagner-Liszt Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, played with tragic heft by Charis Demaris.

Once one enters the realm of Franz Liszt, the boundaries between transcription and composition blur, as the composer transcribed his own works; in any case, it would be a shock if such a compilation as this did not contain plenty of original works of Liszt. Sure enough, we hear his Totentanz, played with fire by Minhae Lee, and the central “love scene” section of the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 played very expressively by Tatiana Tessman (to be commended for not merely playing the brilliant “warhorse” passages). Among Etudes, we hear part of Waldesrauschen given a breezy reading by Yoni Levyatov, the fiercely difficult Mazeppa tackled by Chen-Shen Fan, the Paganini Etude No. 6 given fine fingerwork by Emily White, and a praiseworthy home recording of La Campanella by Jingjing Wang. 

Of Chopin as well, there is a fair amount. Of Etudes we hear Ian Yungwook Yoo delighting in the “Black Key” Etude Op.10, No.5 (which actually benefited from a rather steely sounding Kawai piano), and Kookhee Hong in a strong performance of the C-sharp Minor, Op.10, No.4. Of Nocturnes we hear Jonathan Floril in the Eb major (Op.55, No.2) starting in medias res but leaving us wanting to hear its entirety, and Martin Soderberg embracing the singing opening (and a bit of the stormier middle section) of the F major, Op.15, No.1. Daniela Bracchi gives a a driving performance of the Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp minor, Op.39.

For Schumann (along with the Concerto cadenza and quintet previously mentioned) we hear Guangshou Tian in a small slice of the Symphonic Etudes, Op.13 (Variations IX & X). He projects his musical segment well, as does Yoon Lee in the Fantasy in C Major, Op.17 which she imbues with expressiveness.

The only Franck of the evening is a section of the Chorale from the Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, but it is lavished with care by Robin Freund-Epstein.

Among Classical period works, Beethoven’s Bagatelle in E-Flat major, Op.33, No.1 is given a delicious interpretation by Adam Kent who conveys its spirit in an especially witty, gently playful way. Of Mozart, we hear his C Major Sonata, K. 330 given a thorough reading by Bai Yang and his Rondo K. 494 from Audrey Axinn on fortepiano, with more of the embellishing we heard in the Mozart compilation reviewed here a few weeks ago (The Twinkle Project).

Among lesser-known classical composers, we hear a relatively rare sampling of music by Matéo Albéniz (1755-1831) – not to be confused with the more famous (but unrelated) Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909). Sining Liu takes on his Sonata in D Major quite effectively, and we are grateful.

Returning now to Spanish and Latin American influences (which one guesses are rarely absent among Mr. Mikowsky’s teaching), there are just a few works left so far unmentioned. Three are by Isaac Albeniz, including Triana from the Suite Iberia played by Gustavo Díaz-Jerez – with playing as compelling as recalled from when I reviewed his DVD of the entire Suite a few years ago. We also enjoy a beautiful performance of El Puerto in the able hands of Zeze Xue (also reviewed earlier this winter) and from Ruiqi Fang, who lets the percussive qualities of Navarra come to the fore.

From South America we have only La niñas by Carlos Guastavino of Argentina (1912-2000), but Allison Brewster-Franzetti plays it with gusto and a strong projection of the lush harmonies.

Coming full circle to Cuba, along with the Brouwer and Guerra pieces mentioned earlier, we hear 2 Danzas by Cuba’s beloved Ignacio Cervantes (1847-1905) played engagingly by Misha Namirovsky, and a piece by Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963) entitled A la antigua from pianist Ana Karina Alamo who plays it with intense involvement.

Last of all, we hear not another Cuban work but the work of a great Cuban, Solomon Mikowsky himself, whose Scarlatti Sonata in E major, L.23 is a perfect close to this voluminous project. It was recorded in 1948, when the pianist was just twelve years old (from reel-to-reel recording with a Chickering piano), but it already reveals masterful phrasing and a sensitive harmonic awareness. Though it is easy to say such things in hindsight, one can already hear in it his great journey ahead, his understanding of human moods and differences, his explorations, and his triumphs. The reluctance to let the music stop is felt in his most special ritardando at the close – and we trust the music never will.

Bravi tutti – and feliz cumpleaños, Maestro Mikowsky!

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

Mozart “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” Variations, KV 265: Six Sets of Video Performances by Solomon Mikowsky and Piano Students (including Alumni and MSM Faculty)

Original idea by Ahmed Alom (BM student), Administrative Director and Coordinator

Joseph Patrych, Technical Supervisor; Asaf Blasberg, Videographer

March 2021

Pianophiles everywhere, take heed! If you’ve ever thought there is “one way” to play Mozart, or if you’d like to explore multiple styles and approaches but without combing the Internet, you have a treat in store! All on one webpage (The Twinkle Project) at the Manhattan School of Music website, there are six video compilations dedicated to what is called The Twinkle Project, including performances by 50 pianists (though the website states the count is 47), each playing a variation (or two or three of the twelve) from Mozart’s famous Variations for Piano, K. 265, on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” (the French folk song from which the “Twinkle, Twinkle” tune was taken a half a century later). It is a mammoth project, a feat of organization and collaboration, and a moving and awe-inspiring celebration to see and hear fifty pianists of diverse ages, nations, and styles, uniting in tribute to Mozart, with the common ground being their association with the Manhattan School of Music –  in particular with master teacher Solomon Mikowsky, who himself performs the theme for each set.

As Mr. Mikowsky states on the website: “When my gifted piano student, Ahmed Alom (BM ’21), alerted me to his idea of a video-recording of Mozart’s “Twinkle” variations performed in collaboration with 11 of his classmates, I immediately realized that this project would be an ideal vehicle for an expression of gratitude to the school to which we all owe so much: MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC! Shortly afterwards, I decided to expand it to also encompass many alumni, including the seven current members of MSM’s piano faculty.  This has allowed me to renew contacts with students who studied with me from as far back as 51 years ago: more than 5 decades!” He continues to say, “The most rewarding aspect of this MSM multi-pianist collaboration is the inspiration provided by the great composer, making the participants realize anew Mozart’s genius and the artistic challenge that performing 16 measures of his music entails.”

Indeed, anyone who has ever said “it’s as easy as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (referring to the nursery song) probably does not know Mozart’s twelve scintillating piano variations on this theme (published in 1785), and the wide range of techniques and expression that this work encompasses. A perfect pandemic project for an assemblage of conservatory pianists performing virtually from locations all over the world, it was completed March 2021, under the guidance of recording veteran Joseph Patrych, with videographer Asaf Blasberg. It remains available at the link above, a testament to resiliency of musicians during the pandemic and of loyalty to their teacher, colleague, and alma mater. As cheerful as much of the Mozart composition is, one may need a box of tissues while watching these pianists, some in slippers, playing on instruments ranging from at-home electronic keyboards to uprights and grands, some clearly borrowed, some by necessity untuned, and all coping valiantly despite the blows of pandemic lockdowns and quarantines.

Having been assigned to review this project, I faced several challenges. Clearly there is no way to address thoroughly all fifty pianists on six separate videos (with some overlap among them), so there will be just brief mentions of some highights; all fifty pianists, however, are listed at the end of this review.

Also challenging was the issue of the very premise, which Mr. Mikowsky himself addressed, asking, “Can both unity and variety be established with this number of performers …?” Well, to riff on the famously simplistic definition of musical “variations” as a work in which “something is constantly the same throughout (the theme) and something is constantly different (the treatment of it),”  this collaboration was naturally destined to feature more of the “different” aspect than the unity – and that is just fine. The recognizability of “Twinkle, Twinkle” guarantees that no listener can lose the thread (so a good choice of theme!). Furthermore, as we hear pianists from Australia, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Korea, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the USA, playing a single piece, the spirit of this entire project emerges as one of “e pluribus unum” – a very moving experience.

Opening with the “Twinkle” theme, octagenarian Solomon Mikowsky demonstrates that his ability to perform is clearly undiminished, and with his meticulous portato articulation he sets a stately tone. Alumni Jie Yuan and Kookhee Hong follow expertly, maximizing the expressiveness of highpoints while retaining the flow.  Alumna Yoon Lee takes the most liberties with time so far, with what might be called a more Romantic approach, and it is welcome. Inesa Sinkevych, projects the next variation with more driving metric precision and energy, still with considerable variety for such a short segment, and Chi-Ying Hung,brings polish and nuance in all regards, letting Mozart’s wit shine through.

Simone Dinnerstein dazzles in Variation 6, with light and fleet fingerwork (as many know from her Bach Goldberg Variations recording), and Kyu Yeon Kim is also brilliant, with attention to the character of each  detail bringing spirit and personality to Variation 7. Bai Yang‘s 8th Variation has a delightful mischievous quality to it, interesting especially in comparison with José Ramón Mendez who takes a more solemn approach – both convincing! Ren Zhang delivers the 9th variation with easy mastery and a beautiful ritardando at the end – as several do – which raises the recurring question as to whether that’s  a drawback of having multiple performers share a piece (one player’s turn is coming to a close, hence a ritard is natural, but then the piece continues, so it perhaps oughtn’t to wind down thirteen times). In any case, this project must be experienced differently. So, onward to Variation 10, we see Adam Kent, sporting a Mozartean white wig (and listed in one caption as Adam “Adameus” Kent!) just in time to remind us that, despite his highly professional music-making, this is all in the spirit of fun!

To follow, the absolutely meltingly beautiful Variation 11 is made more so in the hands of Yuan Sheng, who creates such a spell that one might forget to look at the score and realize that one reason that his ornaments sound so utterly graceful is that they are largely his own. Mastery follows mastery with Alexandre Moutouzkine‘s final variation, made more interesting  with some featuring of alternating registers in an almost stereophonic effect – a fittingly rousing close!

Three encores are included in the first video, starting with Aaron Shorr playing his own “Alla Diabelli e Leporello” (inspired by Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations). It is an inventive classical tribute and is played here with flair. The second encore, for piano and orchestra (here the Havana Lyceum Orchestra), is entitled “Mozart Dreaming of Havana.” It starts with Simone Dinnerstein playing Mozart’s Sonata in G, K. 279, then fading and developing with the orchestra into a dreamlike fusion of Mozart and Cuban popular song, with various orchestral section leaders taking turns at solos. It is a wonderfully spirited and fitting tribute to Mozart, Cuba, and to Mr. Mikowsky’s Cuban roots, which have a great influence on his students. Under that same Latin influence, the third encore is a song called “Mojito” sung in Chinese by Mr. Mikowsky’s doctoral student Jiayin Li, whom I had the pleasure of reviewing in her piano recital in late January. Not only is it extraordinary to hear her versatility of instrument and style, but her singing has an infectiously playful spirit that could “win the Internet” as they say. I’d recommend grabbing a mojito and hearing it. Smiles are guaranteed.

Time limitations will keep the following video summaries shorter, but suffice it to say that in the second video (which is called “set 1” in the upper left corner, all the videos being labeled differently on the site from the captions), we hear more nicely refined phrases from Aaron Shorr, humorous Beethovenian bursts of sound from Yoni Levyatov, some well-projected offbeat melodies from Edward Neeman, and a lovingly rendered Variation 11 from Charis Dimaras. Mr. Dimaras seems so well suited to its pensive quality (like Yuan Sheng), just as Peter Fancovic seems ideal for the grand final variation, that one starts to wonder how the musical “casting” was done. If there is not a musical version of Casting Central, there ought to be one, and a good teacher can fill that role, which may be what has happened here.

By the time one hears the third video (called “Set 2” in the captions), one can be overwhelmed with emotion by some of the out-of-tune instruments and trials that one knows are facing these fine players. We hear impressive playing from all, but notable are the attention to detail from Gloria Lin, the authoritative precision from Olga Vinokur, the nicely sustained lines from Chun Wang, and the almost operatic phrasing from Kyriakos Sourollas. Emily White‘s Variation 6 is brilliant, but she resists excesses of speed, with a moderation of tempo that allows one to experience the details fully. Clarity of imitative entrances marks the playing of Willany Darias, very musical and unselfconscious. Tapered edges and elegance characterize the performance of Elina Christova who follows. Just as one is marveling at the kaleidoscopic range of qualities among all of these pianists, we hear Audrey Axinn who has not only freely ornamented Variation 11 but has practically rewritten it. One might feel a yen to hear a more straightforward reading if this were a single-pianist performance of the entire piece, but as it follows multiple readings of the same music, it comes as a fascinating refreshment. Yungwook Yoo displays tremendous finger technique in the final variation. Capping off the video is a fantastic encore played by (and one assumes composed by)  Jennifer Chu. Entitled “Mozart in Havana” (and dedicated to Mr M’s hometown) it is essentially the “Twinkle” melody cleverly set over a Cuban beat. It is wonderful to see such spirit and such “thinking outside the box” especially in a time of being relegated to living in boxes!

The fourth video (called “Set 3” in the captions) brings some more current students, and all were excellent. Some standouts include Daniel Hart with nice offbeat phrasing as the music invites, Zoe Pian-Chowdhury who finds room to be personal and expressive where it is not easy to do so, plus the fiery Jiayin Li and very sensitive Sophiko Simsive. Ahmed Alom, whose brainchild this all was, finishes the set in fine style, followed by that fabulous “Mojito” encore again!

The fifth video (called “Set 4” in the captions) features MSM faculty and alumni, and one can only think how inspiring it must be for their current students of these pianists to see and hear. After another theme by Mr. Mikowsky, we hear the commanding playing of Elena Belli followed by more wizardry from Alexander Moutouzkine (including some devilishly tricky ornaments). Daniela Bracchi, Inesa Sinkevych, and Robin Freund-Epstein all uphold a high standard, and the energies of Jiayin Li and Adam Kent enliven it all.

In the sixth and final video (“Set 5” in the captions) we hear several pianists we’ve heard already, including Jie Yuan, Simone Dinnerstein, who now adds Variations 7 and 8, showing her more lyrical gifts (along with the previously heard Variation 6), Yuan Sheng, who shows a heartier side in Variation 4 (as well as the previously heard Variation 11), and Ren Zheng, with his crisp and taut Variation 9. In and amongst these performances also we hear some enchanting trills from Po-Wei Ger in Variation 3, and a very young Pre-college student, Eleni Moon, playing Variation 5. It is especially heartening to see the youngest generation taking up the tradition, as it bodes very well for the future of music.

In addition (we knew someone was missing!) we hear Wael Farouk, whom I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing on several occasions and who continues to be a joy to hear. He brings life to Variations 2, 10 (including some special ornamentation), and a grand No. 12 to cap off the entire project.

Congratulations are in order to everyone involved! Congratulations to Solomon Mikowsky on this astonishing array of very individual talents, congratulations to those organizing and recording it all, and congratulations to MSM!

The complete listing of performers alphabetically is (not including Solomon Mikowsky, who played the theme): Ahmed Alom, Audrey Axinn, Elena Belli, Daniela Bracchi, Elina Christova, Jennifer Chu, Willany Darias, Charis Dimaras, Simone Dinnerstein, Peter Fancovic, Ruiqi Fang, Wael Farouk, Robin Freund-Epstein, Po-Wei Ger, Erica Guo, Daniel Hart, Kookhee Hong, Chi-Ying Hung, Tzu-Wei Kang, Adam Kent, Kyu Yeon Kim, Tatuka Kutsnashvili, Mijung Lee, Yoon Lee, Yoni Levyatov, Jiayin Li, Gloria Lin, Sining Liu, José Ramón Mendez, Eleni Moon, Alexandre Moutouzkine, Edward Neeman, Zoe Pian-Chowdhury, Yuan Sheng, Aaron Shorr, Sophiko Simsive, Inesa Sinkevych, Kyriakos Sourollas, Olga Vinokur, Chun Wang, Emily White, Hangli Wu, Jojo Yan, Bai Yang, Yungwook Yoo, Julian Yu, Jie Yuan, WeiWei Zhai, and Ren Zhang.

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