Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin; Barbara Podgurski, piano
Trio Cabrini: Nuno Antunes, clarinet and bass clarinet; Gina Cuffari, bassoon and voice; Vlada Yaneva, piano and accordion

Stefanie Izzo, soprano; Scott Pool, bassoon; Natsuki Fukasawa, piano
Parhelion Trio: Sarah Carrier, flute; Ashleé Miller, clarinet; Andrea Christie, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

May 31, 2022

This concert, rescheduled from March 2020 due to that virus, is a celebration of Sunny Knable’s second album. The audience in Weill Recital Hall was the largest I have seen since the resumption of nearly-normal concert life last year. Mr. Knable, the music director of Forest Hills’ (NY) The Church in the Gardens, clearly inspires devotion and friendship in his congregation. An affable fellow, he personally greeted nearly everyone before the concert, making his way through the hall; and his verbal commentary was engaging.

I can report that Mr. Knable is a creator of accessible, attractive, well-crafted works—at their best when they explore rapid, rhythmic textures, with exciting interchange among the parts. A few minor quibbles will be mentioned below, but nothing too worrisome. I can also state that the caliber of all the performers was excellent, fiercely enthusiastic at all times, and in total command of their many and varied responsibilities.

The concert opened with The Green Violin, a pun on the “red” violin, a seventeenth century Stradivarius instrument that inspired a 1998 movie. (Was the violin really varnished with the maker’s dead wife’s blood?) The “Red Mendelssohn” that inspired the screenplay was made in the eighteenth century, and while not the actual mysterious violin, is currently owned by Elizabeth Pitcairn, the excellent soloist here, partnered by Barbara Podgurski on piano, in a brief but effective Irish melodic fantasy. Also, I was pleased to note that the piano was on “full stick” for the entire concert, though that led to a few balance problems later in the evening.

Next came a New York premiere titled …the Place of Longing, inspired by Richard Elliott’s 2010 book: Fado and the Place of Longing: Loss, Memory and the City, describing the Portuguese music of absence and longing. The innovative Trio Cabrini includes a singing bassoonist (Gina Cuffari), and an accordion playing pianist (Vlada Yaneva), as well as Nuno Antunes on clarinet/bass clarinet. Ms. Cuffari and  Ms. Yaneva clapped energetically as well, and Ms. Cuffari engaged in some wordless sighing that seemed slightly extraneous to me, the music was strong enough without it. Mr. Knable combines Portuguese song and Bulgarian rhythms skillfully.

To round out the first half, Song of the Redwood-Tree, a 2012 work on poetry by Walt Whitman, featured Stefanie Izzo, soprano; Scott Pool, bassoon; and the excellent pianist Natsuki Fukasawa (Mr. Pool’s regular partner in duo). As this concert was postponed from 2020, they couldn’t possibly have known how fortuitous it was that Whitman was born on May 31 (1819), but it added a layer of resonance. Mr. Knable’s work, in three sections based on portions of the first and second divisions of Whitman’s long cycle, seeks to express musically some of the references in the poem. Ms. Izzo, possessing a full lyric soprano, handled the demands of the voice part (originally written for someone else) with confidence and feeling, though her consonants were not vivid enough to project in the hall. Part of the blame for this must be laid with Mr. Knable, whose use of extremely high registers makes it that much more difficult to understand this poetic masterpiece; we are not in the world of opera, after all (though even there I’d prefer to understand the words), but vocal chamber music. The setting of the tree’s ‘death-chant’ was histrionic. Mr. Knable also repeated (even sometimes changed) text wantonly (a pet peeve of mine though all the great composers did it at one time or another)—Whitman’s text is already so rich musically that it scarcely needs that type of amplification. In addition, the intrepid Mr. Pool and Ms. Fukasawa had to stamp their feet loudly and engage in Mr. Knable’s signature wordless vocalises. The depiction of the horns of ships leaving San Francisco harbor with the plundered riches of California was breathtaking.

After intermission came the world premiere of Tenacity, in which the composer encapsulates his experience of the pandemic in New York. Seven brief sections, whose titles all begin with the letter s, span from the 24/7 sound of sirens in the streets of New York, all the way to the recent (though tenuous) rebound of hope. However, I must chide Mr. Knable for the title “Six O’clock Clapping,” for every New Yorker knows that this happened at 7:00 pm. every night for many months. The excellent Parhelion Trio (flute, clarinet, piano) played it as though it was many years’ versed in it (Sarah Carrier, flute; Ashleé Miller, clarinet; and pianist Andrea Christie).

The concert concluded with The Busking Bassonist, co-commissioned by tonight’s wonderful Scott Pool, partnered again by Natsuki Fukasawa. Depicting some stages in the life of an itinerant musician in New York, it began with the pianist on stage, nervously looking at her watch because her partner was late. Mr. Pool entered humorously through the audience, and the duo began their set in a subway station. The depiction of the approaching train, on whose passengers their livelihood depends, was spot on. In Park-Bench Ballad, Mr. Pool not only had to play his instrument but embody a random park bench sitter, reading a newspaper aloud (which contained, for me, some very unfortunate references to the recent mass shootings in the US, and an editorial from the New York Times), then the pianist also had her share of reading, this time from a book. Her voice was mostly covered by the bassoon line. This segued into the final section Street Changes, a wild, energetic romp of New York energy, playing into Mr. Knable’s strength with fast rhythmic interest. May I also mention that pianist Ms. Fukasawa had to play a melodica mouth-keyboard, which she did with great poise (and breath).

After a warm ovation, Mr. Knable took the stage to perform one of his delicate piano solos (with vocalise), dedicated to his wife: Chanson de la lumière (from Cartes postales de suisse).

Mr. Knable’s “sunny” disposition will always allow him to find friends, especially among talented performers, and those whose lives he touches as a musical leader and teacher. As Whitman said, “Do anything, but let it produce joy.”

Frank Daykin for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Eric Whitacre, composer/conductor

Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin, piano; Jake Charkey, cello

Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

May 31,2022

“It’s been two long years.” So said Eric Whitacre, in his remarks to the Carnegie Hall audience on May 31, 2002. Yes, it’s been over two years since his last appearance with  Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), so this was something of both a homecoming and a sign that DCINY is back.  It’s not the first concert DCINY has presented, but it is the first truly marquee event – Eric Whitacre is a bona fide superstar. This reviewer was thrilled to be there to see the excitement that took me back to the pre-pandemic days , when family and friends filled the hall and cheered their hearts out for their stars.

This is Eric Whitacre’s 19th appearance with DCINY, and the program was dedicated to his works, some old favorites, and selections from The Sacred Veil (completed in 2019).  Mr. Whitacre’s trademark charisma is still intact- even when telling stories that he’s told countless times (and I have heard at least four or five times).  He did seem to strike the right balance of fun and gratitude as he spoke, as opposed to just playing the audience for laughs (he got them anyway!).  He introduced each work, which was a plus, as the printed program did not follow the order, and one work was even missing (but the lyrics for that missing work appeared in the program notes).

The Distinguished Concerts Singers came from South Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Minnesota. They were well-prepared by their respective directors , but the magic that is Whitacre is what took these singers to greater heights than they probably imagined possible.  Pianist Kelly Yu-Chieh Lin is a star in her own right.

About the music – the six selections from The Sacred Veil were split equally between the halves, but I am going to speak of them together. About the others works, I have written extensively about them in past reviews, so I’ll limit myself to brief comments. Lux Aurumque, probably the “Signature” work by Whitacre (and seemingly “done to death”), still has the power to enchant. The two volumes of Animal Crackers, set to text by Ogden Nash are pure side-splitting fun, which had the audience roaring in laughter. The City and the Sea, employing texts by E.E. Cummings, had the pianist using the “oven mitt” technique (clusters on the white keys) and was done to the hilt. The last of this set, the bustling little man in a hurry is an old favorite of this listener and did not disappoint. A Boy and a Girl (text by Octavio Paz) and The Seal Lullaby (text by Rudyard Kipling) were both done with a sensitivity that was touching.

Mr. Whitacre spoke briefly about The Sacred Veil, and his friendship with Tony and Julie Silvestri. I’d like to actually quote his written words about this work: “The Sacred Veil is a 12-movement work and the most recent collaboration between Eric Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri telling a story of life, love and loss. Silvestri’s wife, Julie, died of ovarian cancer at age 36 in 2005, leaving two young children. Including texts from Silvestri, Whitacre and Julie herself, the intimate, compelling score tells a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. Although inspired by this extraordinary and moving friendship, the piece does not mention Julie by name and shares a very human journey –one that so many of us can relate to.”  The Sacred Veil is scored for chorus, piano, and cello. On this occasion, six movements were presented.

I suspect that the movements featured were carefully chosen to give the listener an “overview” of the entire work. It is also possible that the difficulty of certain movements (some are filled with medical jargon) was also a consideration.  This listener has heard the entire work several times and was deeply moved by the journey,  but was also emotionally devastated as well, in particular by You Rise, I Fall (which was not one of the six selected movements).

The three movements  A Dark and Distant Year, Home, and Magnetic Poetry  tell the story of a man despairing of ever finding love, meeting a wonderful woman, falling in love, and settling into a happy life. Four little words “You feel like home” give rise to some poignantly beautiful music, with cellist Jake Charkey projecting that poignancy with simple sincerity.  Magnetic Poetry takes its name from those little magnetized word kits with which  one can make word jumbles on their refrigerator. The text was Julie’s arrangement of these little word magnets that she wrote down on paper. That paper was not found until after her passing. The text-setting was done with reverential power – this was not silly randomness, but the words of a woman who was obviously a force.

The movements Delicious Times,  Dear Friends, and Child of Wonder are the journey through illness and into final release. Delicious Times is a remembrance of Julie’s children’s reaction to her losing her hair, not one of fright, but laughter and joyful times (“The kids have been amazing, and we’ve had some really delicious times.”). Dear Friends is the request for prayer when the end is near, not prayers for a peaceful death, but a miraculous recovery – the spirit of one who is not giving up and who will fight for life until the very last breath. One can feel that spirit in the music and hopes against hope that somehow that miracle will occur. Child of Wonder (words by the composer ) are what Whitacre calls a Benediction, which is apt, both in the religious sense (a welcome to Heaven) and a release from life into the next.

The audience gave Mr. Whitacre and the singers (in both halves) a standing ovation. I think most were incredibly moved by what they heard and experienced.  As a send-off, Sing Gently, finished the evening.  Congratulations to all!

The Collective: Douglas Knehans, founder

No Exit New Music Ensemble, Timothy Beyer, director

Composers: Timothy Beyer, Cindy Cox, Amelia Kaplan, Douglas Knehans, Constantine Koukias, Pamela Madsen, Spiros Mazis, Mathew Rosenblum, Edward Smaldone, Jack Vees, and Agata Zubel

Performers: Jenny Lin, piano, special guest; Sean Gabriel, flute; Gunnar Owen Hirthe, clarinet/bass clarinet; Nicholas Underhill, piano; Luke Rinderknecht, percussion; Cara Tweed, violin; James Rhodes, viola; Nicholas Diodore, cello; James Praznik, associate director/electronics.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

May 12, 2022

The Collective continued its mission to represent the newest voices in contemporary avant-garde music by presenting Cleveland’s preeminent ensemble, No Exit, founded thirteen years ago by Timothy Beyer, one of the evening’s composers. I didn’t hear anything truly “avant,” but these composers sure know how to use their computers, samplers, and other electronics, added to more traditional instruments, many of which are played with extended techniques.

With the name No Exit, a translation of the title of Sartre’s play Huis clos, in which three characters are dead and condemned to spend eternity locked in a room, I wondered what the message of this ensemble would be. Not to worry, no one was locked in Weill Recital Hall, and no one left either.

The abundant program contained five New York premieres, four world premieres, and two United States premieres. Even from a knowledgeable reviewer’s standpoint, such concerts are exhausting: no scores to study, no precedent, etc. The small audience was composed primarily of the composers, their family/friends, and perhaps a few others. Just who is being addressed by such music was my primary concern, though there were many moments that shone. I decided it was best to follow the advice of one of my former professors: Drop your preconceptions of what music “is” and where it should “go,” just let yourself float in the sound landscape. Doing this revealed a program of great variety, no two of these composers resemble each other. All have immensely personal statements to make with a huge range of techniques.

For me, the absolute standout of the evening was The Collective’s founder’s piece, Mist Waves, by Douglas Knehans, a poignant, succinct modern passacaglia for violin and piano. No tricks, just beautiful soulful material, played with heart by Cara Tweed and Nicholas Underhill.

Other excellent works were: Sonic Entanglement by Spiros Mazis, performed by the supernaturally talented Jenny Lin, with numerous spectral electronic enhancements. Unnatural Tendencies, by Amelia Kaplan, for solo piano, a jittery rumination on the pandemic, performed superbly by Nicholas Underhill. Byzantine Images, by Constantine Koukias, the oldest work on the program (1985), for solo flute with digital delay—this allows the traditional single-line flute to become polyphonic with itself, played hauntingly by Sean Gabriel. The concluding work Two Harmonies, by Mathew Roseblum, for viola, percussion, and piano/sampler, which utilized two different complex microtonal systems (division of the octave into more than the twelve half-steps of the traditional ‘scale’), had great atmosphere, and also did not overstay its welcome.

I have never heard a single bass drum played on a concert before, so I was highly intrigued by MONO-DRUM, by Agnes Zubel, which was given theatrical flair by Luke Rinderknecht, who was charged with emptying a brown paper bag of brightly colored children’s play balls onto the surface of the drum. The vibrations caused them one by one to ‘jump down’ off the drum onto the stage floor. A huge variety of sounds was invoked with all manner of techniques: mallet, ‘wrong’ end of the mallet, hands on drum surface, hands on drum body, balls swishing back and forth on drum surface…

Lines of Desire, by Jack Vees, for bass clarinet, viola, and cello, had an intriguing premise: the representation of those paths we all see in parks where people have chosen a shortcut and cut a rather enduring swath through the grass instead of following the walkway. The challenge of writing for three instruments in almost the same register was expertly handled, the ensemble’s pulse was perfect (Gunnar Owen Hirthe, James Rhodes, Nicholas Diodore).

For me, the least successful works were: Amputate III, by Timothy Beyer, for piano and electronics, with its graphic use of the recorded and distorted sounds of saws going through bones. Despite Ms. Lin’s expertise, the electronics rendered the piece nearly deafening. Owl’s Breath, by Pamela Madsen, originally scored for bass clarinet and electronics, was performed without the electronics, Mr. Hirthe’s playing is always superlative, but I wasn’t getting birds out of the work, as its program note indicated.

I didn’t mean to neglect the two opening works: Duke Redux, by Edward Smaldone, for flute, bass clarinet, cello, and vibraphone, an extension of Ellington’s Come Sunday, and a reworking of a flute and piano piece. Blackwork, Scarletwork, by Cindy Cox, for violin, viola, and cello, claimed to be inspired by Renaissance lacework in Spain.

Perhaps I just needed a little time to accustom myself to this language of music. Certainly there does seem to be an aversion to sustained melodic writing. I wonder if that is a trend or a blip. The advent of electronics, while hardly new, does give composers opportunities their forebears never imagined. And that’s what all the excellence on stage Thursday had in common: a surfeit of imagination, the most precious resource.

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!

Pepper Choplin and Joseph M. Martin, composers/conductors

Anne Moody, Brad Nix, Joshua Chai, pianists

Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY

May 2, 2022

A convocation of choral groups from across the nation gathered at Carnegie Hall on May 2nd to sing the works in the field of church music of two distinguished composer/conductors and Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) favorites.  In keeping with current norms of this season, the program ran with only a pause between its two halves, lasting a mere eighty minutes, but with a enough variety to serve as an engaging introduction to the world of contemporary liturgical composition.

In the first half, a cantata by composer Pepper Choplin (in his 9th appearance with DCINY) entitled Once Upon a Morning offered a refreshing alternative to the canon of existing Easter cantatas.  The events, beginning with the death of Christ, and extending to Pentecost, were explored in a series of musical portraits based on New Testament scripture.  Each section began with a narrator (noted for her clarity) and piano prelude (the excellent Anne Moody). 

Mr. Choplin’s compositional style is appealing, rooted in soft jazz harmonies and Broadway-style anthems.  He is adept at building sound through the gradual layering of canonic entrances.  In the most exhilarating  section of this nine-part work, Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead, syncopated accents and a propulsive rhythm illustrate the text vividly.  The classic and enduring hymn, Christ The Lord Is Risen Today by Charles Wesley, was woven into the fabric of the song, this quotation serving both as an homage, and as a unifying motif, appearing again in the final selection of the cantata. 

The overall effectiveness of the pacing was somewhat diminished by the similarity in tempo, meter and tone of the cycle.  A whole stretch of material midway through the piece had a sameness that was overly predictable.  However, Mr. Choplin’s precise leadership at the podium and the committed singing of the amassed choristers and two vocal soloists helped to make the performance a success.

After a brief pause, and a resetting of the stage, the concert continued with a new mix of singers, two pianists instead of one, and the estimable composer and conductor Joseph M. Martin (in his 10th appearance with DCINY).  Though not connected by a narrative, these eight songs were thematically of a piece, celebrating music and the human voice as a testament to faith and optimism.  The two piano arrangements, in their debut performance, added great variety and verve to the canticle, especially in the terrific hands of Brad Nix and Joshua Chai.

Standards of preparation and interpretation were remarkably high in this performance.  The chorus’ sound was balanced beautifully,  employing a broad range of finely tuned dynamics.  Credit is due to Mr. Martin, first as a gifted composer, and then as a galvanizing force for his fellow musicians.  I enjoyed the songs so much, it is difficult for me to single out my favorites, though I was particularly impressed by the finale, Sing To Me, with its exquisite piano prelude, and monumental finish.  The composer has a talent for seamlessly weaving a variety of musical genres (folk song in The Lord Is My Light and symphonic repertoire in Sing Your Way Home) into his work.  Most importantly, he is a natural musician, and a generous one, both with his colleagues and with us, the audience.

Those present were enthusiastic in their applause.  The night’s program could not have been better as an introduction to this very special branch of the musical world.

“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!

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!

Performers: Sophia Steger, violin; Andrew Samarasekara, violin; Kayla Cabrera, viola; Jenny Bahk, cello; Dylan Reckner, bass; Sharon Chang, piano; Mateusz Borowiak

Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY

Sunday, April 24, 2022 6:30 PM

I told a friend that I was attending a concert of works by Louis Pelosi, an academically trained composer, but one who has made his living for nearly fifty years as a recognized piano technician. The friend asked: “Well, what does he sound like?” To which I replied: “Why, Pelosi of course!” And that about sums it up.

I had the great pleasure five years ago of attending a recital series by Mateusz Borowiak, one of tonight’s excellent soloists, in which he performed the six piano sonatas by Pelosi alongside the major etude groups by Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.

In the interim, Louis Pelosi has certainly not been idle. The five works on the program were all receiving their premieres on this occasion. Mr. Pelosi, rather than playing the sometimes frustrating game of seeking prizes, commissions, etc. that contemporary composers go through, has been mostly self-produced.

The program opened with the only non-piano based work: an Elegy for String Orchestra, heard here in a string quintet version. All the hallmarks of Pelosi are present: strong imitative counterpoint, motivic unity, a recognizably personal sound. Is it ‘too soon’ for something dedicated to the ‘victims of COVID-19’? Not for me to say. Why should Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings be the only elegiac morsel trotted out for solemn occasions? Pelosi’s work may be slightly less ‘surface’ attractive in terms of melody- it is indeed more static, but it gets its message across. The composer was kind enough to send me scores to all the works on this concert, greatly appreciated in the case of new or unusual music. The string players were keenly sensitive, though I would like to hear the work in full orchestra, as they weren’t able to rise to the fff climax, thus somewhat shrinking the emotional gambit.

The evening then turned to four large piano groupings, beginning with the Adagio, dedicated to Sharon Chang, who performed it meticulously. Generally Ms. Chang’s pianism was finely attuned to harmonic color, but Mateusz Borowiak’s playing (to be discussed below) just seemed more in tune with Pelosi’s private expressive world, adding little phrasing punctuations, breathing, and refreshed colors, but never exaggerated. As Pelosi states: “What the sensitive ear can follow, so can the mind accept and the soul be moved and enlarged.”

The first half concluded with the Variations in E-flat, a set of 36 transformations of a rather concise theme that doesn’t slavishly proclaim a tonality of E-flat but behaves more like a prismatic commentary on the ‘note’ E-flat. Pelosi’s scores don’t have key signatures per se, but often the ‘topic note’ is indicated at the beginning. All the notes are marked with accidentals or naturals as needed, which makes sight-reading Pelosi a minefield.

Mateusz Borowiak was definitive here. Pelosi’s writing could become overwrought in the wrong hands, I suppose, were it not for his consummate craft, especially his use of canon and fugato textures that never break into full-fledged fugues but do suggest them. In this way, Pelosi helps ‘untutored’ listeners find their way through his rewarding maze, provided that the ear for voicing and polyphony are present in the performer.

After intermission, Sharon Chang returned in the Canti, a set of six pieces whose title indicates their more overtly songlike textures. She performed them beautifully, but in the order 1, 5, 3, 4, 2, and 6, and I imagine she had Pelosi’s permission to do so. However, that did undo a carefully considered tone structure from the composer: B-E (rising fourth)-E-flat (a half-step lower)-A-flat (rising fourth)-G (another half step lower)-and finally C (rising fourth). Nothing in Pelosi’s art is left to chance, so I found it surprising.

Finally Mr. Borowiak returned to end the recital with a commanding rendition of Pelosi’s Twelve Etudes, which take issues of sonority (primarily) as their focus, but in ways that Debussy (even Ligeti) didn’t imagine. With novel titles such as Harmony As Melody, Melody From Harmony, Intrusion—Inclusion, and the like, these challenge the pianist to hear in such sophisticated ways, all the while negotiating some of the most complex keyboard textures.

Pelosi having spent so much time working on pianos, the instrument does seem to reveal its innermost secrets to him. On the other hand, one could say that because one is a brilliant surgeon that one’s lovemaking technique ought to be superior—I’m sure that’s far from universally true.

Lucky for us, we have Louis Pelosi, who has so much to express, succeeds in doing so, and has the best young performer/advocates to share it with us.

Deke Sharon, Guest Conductor, Arranger & Creative Director

Special Guests: The Barbershop Quartet from the Broadway revival of The Music Man: Phillip Boykin, Eddie Korbich, Daniel Torres, Nicholas Ward

Face Vocal Band

Chesney Snow, Beatboxer

Luke Hawkins, Tap dancer/Singer

Distinguished Concerts Singers International

Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium, New York, NY

April 10, 2022

To invert the finale of Deke Sharon’s peppy, long-awaited return of Total Vocal: He definitely has found what he’s looking for—a life of great meaning and inspiration at the peak of a cappella vocal art in this country, quite possibly worldwide. I would like to know where he keeps his fountain of youth, for he seems a perpetual twenty-four or twenty-five.

Some of the participating choirs have been on hold for just over two years, so there was a palpable sense of joy at finally being able to make music in person again. I have had the opportunity to review this endeavor a couple of times in these pages, so I won’t dwell on the obvious, that this is a feel-good entertainment, sometimes a bit relentless in its positivity. (Note to self: check the anti-depressant dosage.) If you ever wanted to ‘step into’ one of the Pitch Perfect movies, this is the concert for you.

The massed choir, here only 103 strong, hailed from California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, and Maine, and was quite varied as to age. At various times, extremely poised and self-assured soloists stepped out from the group, to have their memorable moment on Carnegie’s main stage.

The afternoon began auspiciously with the awesome precision and expression of the barbershop quartet from the current Broadway revival of The Music Man. In It’s You and Lida Rose, their ability to make tones travel, swell, and diminish, with crystal bright diction was superb. Keeping the pace quick, Mr. Sharon pivoted to the full choir in an arrangement made for his Disney-sponsored group DCappella, from Aladdin: Friend Like Me. Then fourteen soloists stepped out in front for a soulful rendition of Corinne Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On (Will any kid even know what a record is?). This was followed by the Edwardsville (IL) High School Choir in a poignant rendition of Loch Lomond, which despite Deke Sharon’s program note, is a Scottish song, not Irish! The group’s young ladies wore matching red sashes and the young men charming red bow ties and suspenders.

Mr. Sharon then related how material always gets cut in the making of movies (in this case, the first Pitch Perfect), and he gave the premiere of one of his mash-ups that was never heard before: Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars) and Lights (Ellie Goulding).

Next a group took the stage that claims the distinction of being the first one eliminated on the first episode of the first season of a competition reality show The Sing-Off–  Face Vocal Band (aka “Face”). That was in December 2009, and since then (prior to the pandemic) they have performed over 1000 concerts worldwide. They are now in their twenty-first year, take that competition show! They are clearly esteemed by Mr. Sharon, who gave them three selections: Harder to Breathe (Maroon 5), Come Together (Beatles), and From Now On (from The Greatest Showman) where they were joined by the choir. It was a fantastic display.

Inserted (not on the program) was a featured performance by the one choir who flew across half the Pacific Ocean and the entire continental US to be here from Hawaii. In their discreet but telling traditional garb, they sang a Hawaiian folksong beautifully.

Now Chesney Snow was introduced, a regular on these Total Vocal programs. It is truly astonishing what a range of sounds one human mouth assisted by an amplified mike can achieve. He is a master beat-boxer, and he got to riff before launching into Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ (Oklahoma), underlining the choir and Mr. Sharon’s vocal solo with his rhythm. By the way, need I make clear that there was not one instrument (other than human voices) used in this afternoon. Next, eight soloists came forward for Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, which was backed by the choir and Chesney Snow. Luke Hawkins, a Broadway tap dancer, singer, and television actor, got his turn to shine (also as Deke Sharon’s newly-discovered relative) in Randy Newman’s I Love L.A., replete with audience participation. Then Face Vocal Band regained the stage for the finale: Bono and The Edge’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. What a triumph!

A traditional built-in encore is the audience-participation The Lion Sleeps Tonight, with all forces arrayed onstage, just before all the individual conductors who have given so much of themselves in preparation received their lusty bravos.

Mr. Sharon so strongly believes in the redemptive power of choral singing that he offers anyone who reaches out to him help in finding a group in their community- now that’s leadership!