Key Pianists presents Peter Takács :The Beethoven Experience—Early Beethoven in Review

Key Pianists presents Peter Takács :The Beethoven Experience—Early Beethoven in Review

Key Pianists presents Peter Takács:The Beethoven Experience—Early Beethoven
Peter Takács, piano
Guest artists: Boris Allakhverdyan, Clarinet; Carter Brey, Cello
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
October 18, 2015

I was irreverently suggesting prior to this concert that at this point Beethoven needs no publicity. His devoted performers and listeners do, however, need repeated exposure to these testaments of creativity, which continue to speak and sing no matter how well we think we know them. One of the pleasures of hearing such iconic material is that one can focus in much more detailed fashion on the performance and performer(s).

Beethoven is in extremely fine hands with the esteemed Romanian-born pianist, Peter Takács. His playing overall was full of satisfying risk-taking. He did what is all too rare nowadays: he gave the sensation that he was creating the music “on the spot.” The music breathed where it needed to breathe, bombast was appropriately bombastic, lyrical lines sang, and the whole demonstrated passionate commitment. His ability to change emotional character as quickly as the musical figures changed made the program spring to vivid life.

The very first solo piano sonata given an opus number (Op. 2, No. 1 in F minor) made a fitting opening to this concert (and the first of a three-part series). Mr. Takács’ tone was miraculously transparent on the nine-foot modern Steinway, even at times evoking the more slender tones of instruments Beethoven may have known (and which he always found insufficient). The Adagio, that first of Beethoven’s essays in “humanitäts-Melodie,” was taken a tad faster than I am used to, but to great effect. Its last two chords were magical, not perfunctory.

Mr. Takács was then joined by Boris Allakhverdyan and Carter Brey for the diverting Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 11. I take issue with only one of Mr. Takács good program notes here, for he states that B-flat major was a key used by Beethoven to signify light-heartedness. I don’t think the “Archduke” trio or the “Hammerklavier” sonata would be mistaken for light-hearted, but no matter. The afternoon became truly thrilling with this performance. Mr. Allakhverdyan and Mr. Brey are well-known to New Yorkers through their fine contributions to the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic respectively. They played as though they had been a fully formed ensemble for years, teasing out every nugget of chamber music gold, with easeful runs and great good humor, particularly in the rousing Finale, based on a popular comic-opera tune that truly is the anthem of every starving artist “Before I work, I must have something to eat.” Beethoven must surely have had a hearty laugh about the reference. mr. Takács enjoyed the impish turn to G Major near the end, a remote key here, and you could see the playful quality on his face.

After intermission, Mr. Takács favored the audience with the two “sides” of C, minor and major, represented respectively by the famous “Pathétique” sonata Op. 13 and then the final sonata of Op. 2: No. 3. In the Adagio of Op. 13, there was an old-fashioned desynchronization of the hands, which I did not find disturbing for once. This may actually have a lot more to do with a “historically informed” performance practice that we would rather gloss over in our “intellectual” age. Don’t rush out to do this, everyone: let’s just allow Mr. Takács to do it. He also found meltingly sentimental colors in this same movement, where many pianists just “pass over” it. Mr. Takács actually improvised a cadenza in the last movement’s rondo, before the reappearance of the theme, rather than just “sit there” on the fermata. Bravo!

The C major sonata, more like a concerto without orchestra, was brilliant and full of bold contrasts, especially in the unusually “big” slow movement. He arpeggiated large left-hand chords unapologetically, especially in the development section, a smart solution to the problem every pianist faces about too-massive sonority. His passagework and trills in the finale were marvelous and clear. It seems churlish even to mention passagework when one has been given such a gift.

There is an internet meme circulating for some time now about something Beethoven supposedly said to his student Czerny: “Anyone can play a wrong note sometimes, but to play without passion is inexcusable.” Beethoven would have been proud of this performance.

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by Frank Daykin  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
The Ullmann Project-I in Review

The Ullmann Project-I in Review

The Ullmann Project-I
Dominique Hellsten, artistic director, soprano
Monica Niemi, soprano
Jason Plourde, Will Robinson, baritones
Craig Ketter, Matthew Odell, pianists
Paul Griffiths, musicologist, pre-concert speaker
Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Music Center, New York, NY
October 15, 2015

 

The Lieder (German art-song) recital is an endangered species. It depends on the enthusiasms of a small, hardy band of devotees: presenters, performers, and audiences. Happily, many of these devoted folk still exist, and they find each other somehow. That devotion was evident in this first concert (of three planned) of the Ullmann Project.

This recital was preceded by an intimate, informative talk by veteran critic Paul Griffiths, who neatly covered Ullmann’s biographical highlights with admirable coherence and concision. It’s a shame that only a handful of people chose to attend this crucial background informational talk.

Viktor Ullmann (1898-1944) was one (unfortunately among many) of the creative artists to lose his life from the genocidal aktions of the Nazis during WWII. Ullmann’s parents were Jewish, but converted to Catholicism. Ullmann later converted from that to Protestantism, and then to his most meaningful attachment: Anthroposophy. Nevertheless, in the Nazi scheme of things, having Jewish parents (even just one), converted or not, was a one-way ticket to the extermination camps.

Ullmann was first transported to the infamous Terezín (which the Germans called Theresienstadt) “show-camp,” where the Germans used to parade through visiting humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross, as if to say “See? Look how WELL we treat our prisoners,” an irony that is as chilling now as ever. Theatricals, music, painting, all took place within the barbed-wire walls of the camp, supervised by the watchful eyes of the Nazi guards and officials, always on the lookout for subversive messages perhaps sneaked into the works. But who would such messages ever have reached anyway? In the late, defeatist days of the regime, Ullmann was moved to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he perished October 18, 1944.

My task as critic is 1) to evaluate the performances and 2) perhaps render some sort of comment on the material itself. The performances were uniformly committed, and in some cases very stylish. I’d venture to say (with due respect for Ullmann’s quite original “kaleidoscopic” compositional style) that perhaps some of the gems would have been better set off in a more varied program (whether language, or style-period), for there was quite a bit of sameness within the late-Romantic language(s) employed by the four composers on the program. I understand the desire, however, to contextualize Ullmann: mission accomplished.

The program began with six Lieder to poems by Albert Steffens. Steffens was an interesting figure who took over the Anthroposophic Society after the death of its founder Rudolf Steiner. As explained by Dominique Hellsten, Ullmann was insistent that his poets have some sort of “moral” core or sensibility. In these songs, soprano Monica Niemi sang with a clear bright sound, negotiating the often difficult wide-ranging vocal lines well, but with a diction that, while it may have been academically correct, sounded indistinct even in the smallish hall. These songs, as with most of them on this program, strain at the outer bounds of what might be considered true “Lieder” style, verging on an operatic mode of expression, not that that’s always bad (witness the songs of Richard Strauss).

Craig Ketter, her collaborative pianist, produced some of the most satisfying sounds I have heard in decades from a vocal accompanist. In fact, both pianists in the evening were superb, the other being Matthew Odell. Their lavish colorings and total mastery of the often-thick piano writing were marvels to behold.

Ms. Niemi continued with Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Farewell Songs,” which contain a translation of Christina Rossetti’s “When I Am Dead, My Dear.” Korngold, a child prodigy, wound up in Hollywood, where he found his true calling as a master creator of film music. The ripe harmonic language sounded a bit overdone here, my limitation I’m sure.

Then came two of the five songs by Alexander Zemlinsky (Arnold Schoenberg’s and Korngold’s teacher) to poems by Richard Dehmel (the poet of Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht). Will Robinson, baritone, accompanied by Mr. Odell, had fewer of the diction issues, but both he and Ms. Niemi could have benefitted from a greater variety of expression, less “seriousness” in the face, and more frontal placement of vowels for clarity.

Mr. Robinson continued with the six songs to Rilke poems by Petr Eben, who died only recently, in 2007. This was a very interesting group musically, and it was well done by both Robinson and Odell.

After intermission, things heated up with the Tanzlied of Pierrot from Korngold’s well-known opera Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City), composed when he was twenty-three. Jason Plourde, baritone, had a lovely warm sonority that suited the material, and the best diction thus far of the evening. My only quibble was a peculiarity of his rendering of the “motto” of the aria, the four words “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen,” which lacked nostalgia, and resolution of the final, unaccented syllables of “Sehnen” and “Wähnen,” where the vowel was far too open.

Mr. Plourde followed with three more songs by Ullmann, to texts by Swiss poet and historian of the Italian medieval and renaissance periods Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, that were vividly characterized.

If I appear to be dwelling on diction, it is because it really is of the essence to the art of the song recital. Not that we ever want to suffer from “diction-face,” but there is a subtle art of creating the proper aural illusions that will reach the audience and create the result of a good rendering of the text, together with beautiful vocalization. It should never be just one “or” the other.

And so, we come to the motivating force behind this Ullmann Project: soprano Dominique Hellsten. She sang eleven songs to conclude the program: six by Zemlinsky and five by Ullmann. In Ms. Hellsten, we found exactly that quality of expression that had been only partially realized previously in the recital: a true idiomatic command of the German language not separated from her singing. Even when her voice was perhaps straining at some of the demands being put upon it by the material, we never doubted her conviction, and she had the most relaxed posture and wide range of expression. She explained, in a brief verbal program note, how much the Ullmann songs to Ricarda Huch’s poems mean to her, ever since she discovered them in London some years ago. She brought that deep understanding that comes from having lived with the material, and again Craig Ketter worked magic with the very busy piano parts, with never a chord out of place or unbalanced.

As Ullmann himself said: “By no means did we sit weeping on the banks of the waters of Babylon. Our endeavor with respect to arts was commensurate with our will to live.” We look forward to the second and third installments of this series.

 

 

 

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by Frank Daykin  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
“Leonard Bernstein Remembered” in Review

“Leonard Bernstein Remembered” in Review

“Leonard Bernstein Remembered” in Review
Lloyd Arriola, Pianist and Musical Director
Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, New York, NY
October 14, 2015

 

Nearly four years after reviewing pianist Lloyd Arriola in an excellent New York debut recital (marking the 200th anniversary of Liszt’s birth: Lloyd Arriola-pianist-in-review), it is a pleasure to review him again, now in the rather different role of musical director for an ambitious tribute to Leonard Bernstein. On this 25th anniversary – to the day – of Bernstein’s death, Mr. Arriola served as producer, collaborative pianist, and occasional vocal complement to twenty accomplished singers in selections from Bernstein’s operettas, musicals, and other vocal works. It was apparent what a labor of love and expense it must have been for him to coordinate and rehearse so many singers from near and far. He spoke briefly of being a student at Peabody Institute when the news of Bernstein’s death broke, of the shock, and of the 25 years since then, culminating in this concert.

The evening began with a procession of nearly twenty singers to the front of the church, a formidable array one assumed to be the complete personnel until statuesque contralto Nicole J. Mitchell made her dramatic entry from the back, singing Bernstein’s “Somewhere” from West Side Story as she walked. It was one of the most haunting renditions I’ve heard, and I’ve heard many. An emotional tone was set for the evening.

“A Simple Song” from Bernstein’s Mass followed, sung with beautiful clarity by baritone, Sam Fujii. There was a good alternation of solo, duo, and ensemble textures throughout the evening, and “Readings” (from the funeral scene of the opera A Quiet Place) came next, enlisting the forces of seven of the evening’s stars. It is difficult to pull such a scene out of the context of the musical in a way the audience can fully understand, because, even though in English, the lyrics intertwine among voices; that said, one appreciated the exceptionally clear diction by tenors, Marcos D. Vigil and Lawrence Rush. The performance prompted one to explore this whole work more deeply.

From the funereal to the lighthearted, the evening progressed to “Carried Away” from On the Town, sung by Erika Person Werner and Eric Werner – not surprisingly a duo with a strong and appealing rapport. They projected its giddy subject matter with flair. On a similarly comical note (and also from On the Town) came “Carnegie Hall Pavane” a jazzy sendup of singing lessons. Mezzo-soprano Christine Thomas and soprano Barbara Porto brought out the campy fun. Of course On the Town has its melancholy numbers too, and “Some Other Time” is one. Ms. Thomas joined a quartet with Alison Davy, David Bell, and Lawrence Rush, in a moving performance. The musical sighs of “oh, well” conveyed the song’s sense of resignation with special poignancy.

“A Little Bit in Love” from Wonderful Town, featured Ms. Davy again in a strictly solo capacity. She was thorough and convincing, sensitive to both theatrical elements and phrasing. She teamed up with Ms. Thomas afterwards in a winsome rendition of the clever number “Ohio” (“Why, oh why, Ohio?” – also from Wonderful Town).

No Bernstein tribute would be complete without selections from Candide, and indeed we had two. The first was “Glitter and Be Gay”, a coloratura showstopper requiring a singer to be Queen of the Night and a Rockette all rolled up into one. Soprano Kinneret Ely was both, giving a high-energy performance. “We are Women” followed with more comedy, teaming up Jessica Fishenfeld with Ms. Thomas, who had already had quite a busy night but was showing no signs of flagging. Their mincing gestures to the lyrics about “little, little women” were hilarious.

Returning to music from West Side Story, we heard the touching “One Hand, One Heart” sung movingly by the duo of Amy Palomo and Marcos D. Vigil. It was followed by “Tonight” in a rousing quintet version. Bernstein’s range was especially striking throughout this program, but then again, that range typified everything about the late maestro’s musical life.

After intermission, we heard the only piano solo of the evening, the 3rd of Bernstein’s Four Anniversaries, played with tender expressiveness by Mr. Arriola. He accompanied beautifully throughout the evening, but it was good to hear him in solo performance. Dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the piece served as a prelude to the evening’s only non-Bernstein song, Sondheim’s “I Remember” – sung with heartrending nostalgia by special guest, Rosemary George.

The brooding continued with “Lonely Town” (from On the Town), sung with a powerful sense of desolation by baritone Gustavo Morales, and “Morning – Good Morning” (from A Quiet Place), given an eerie otherworldly quality by soprano Joyce Yin. Two songs from Peter Pan were equally ethereal, including “Dream With Me” sung by outstanding countertenor Daniel Gundlach and “Build My House” given a fine performance by soprano Lotte Crayton.

“Duet for One – First Lady of the Land” (from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), is just the challenge that the title suggests – one singer, in this case Lindsay Blackhurst, handling two roles alternately in one song. It was well done, though perhaps some exaggeration of the different inflections or accents could have helped even more than the comic prop of a liquor flask. The alternations can be a bit hard to follow if one blinks, unless one is completely immersed in this musical (and few are, as it was famously a flop on Broadway). Two ensemble works followed, “Nachspiel” from Arias and Barcarolles, and “To Make Us Proud” (from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue) with Lawrence Rush as Theodore Roosevelt. They capped off a highly successful program with spirit.

All in all, this concert broadened one’s understanding of the late Leonard Bernstein greatly, while naturally leaving room for much more. As Mr. Arriola stated in his emotional conclusion, the 100th Anniversary of Mr. Bernstein’s birth is approaching in 2018, and plans for more are afoot. Mr. Arriola has a track record of surpassing himself, so one looks forward to the next venture.

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Barber Reconsidered in Review

Barber Reconsidered in Review

Barber Reconsidered: Celebrating Samuel Barber’s 105th Anniversary
Maxim Anikushin, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, carilloneur; Eric Silberger, violin; Thelma Ithier-Sterling, soprano
Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, New York, NY
September 26, 2015

 

Pianist Maxim Anikushin offered a lecture recital, exploring little known works by Samuel Barber, featuring both live and recorded performances on piano, organ, harpsichord, and carillon, as well as some videography. His multiple talents are undeniable, as is his enthusiasm for the material. The bulk of the program consisted of lots of small juvenilia from Barber’s childhood (as early as age seven) and adolescence. Perhaps, Barber knew best, however, never releasing these pieces for general publication, for they don’t really add much to our reverence for this iconic composer, and are mainly of academic interest.

Mr. Anikushin opened with the solo version of the Souvenirs, Op. 28. This was the only non-juvenile work, one that is pretty well-known to piano duos. Barber stated that he wished to evoke the charming music of the Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel. When done in the original four-hand, one piano version, more charm and intimacy are possible, and the genre emerges for what it is. Mr. Anikushin was most successful in the pathos-laden Pas de deux, and his tempo and lightness in the Two-step was a marvel to witness. Elsewhere, the music sounded a bit stiff (the solo pianist does have an awful lot to do) and needed a great deal more charm and flexibility.

There followed Three Themes (1923), a Menuetto, Andante religioso, and Allegretto on C, none of which revealed much originality, with a mélange of Classical styles as models. The Petite Berceuse (1923) had a poignant lyrical idea that repeated itself, each time landing on a novel harmony. The Essay II (1926) was more interesting in its adoption of certain “brutalist” gestures, possibly influenced by Stravinsky, as Mr. Anikushin pointed out in his remarks. Barber was fond of the concept of a musical “essay,” and named three mature orchestral works “Essay” as well. Two more childhood compositions: Sadness, and Lullaby (these were the age seven and nine works), were rather square. The Lullaby at least displayed ingenious cross-hand work, showing pianistic ingenuity, if not exceptional musical precocity.

Maxim Anikushin and Horace Gibson

Maxim Anikushin and Horace Gibson

Then came one of the most interesting byways of the concert: a three-movement Suite for Carillon (1930/33). Mr. Anikushin learned to play the carillon in several prominent locations in the U.S. (they all vary wildly in pitch and the weight of the wooden mallets one has to depress to activate the bells), following in Barber’s footsteps as an avid carilloneur. The sonority, accompanied by the clever video shot from the tower of New York’s Riverside Church, was lovely, inducing reverie in this post-Papal-visit New Yorker.

After intermission, Mr. Anikushin’s talent as an organist and harpsichordist was displayed. In a fragment of an intended Partita on a Bach chorale, all we heard was the Bach portion, which didn’t say much about Barber. Nor did the Fugue No. 5 from Five Fugues. The Canon No. 4 played on piano (then again on organ), a scant, busy, and difficult twenty-five seconds long, was accompanied by a whimsical video of a live bat that had entered Mr. Anikushin’s apartment.

The only completed movement from a Violin/Piano Sonata (1928) was given an excellent, passionate reading by the big-toned, bold romantic playing of Eric Silberberg and Mr. Anikushin. Their ensemble was excellent, and they managed to “paper over” some of the meanderings of the youthful Barber. They followed this with a “Gypsy Dance,” from an opera planned by Barber when he was twelve (The Rose Tree), which sounded mainly like warmed-over Fritz Kreisler in its inclusion of folkloric musical gestures.

The recital closed with a charming set of songs (again very early compositions), sung with expressive meaning and delicacy by Thelma Ithier-Sterling. The most shimmering, beautiful playing of the afternoon was Mr. Anikushin’s work as collaborative pianist in these songs, which didn’t venture much above “parlor” material, with the exception of the early version of “Daisies” (varying substantially from that found in Barber’s complete published songs) and the lovely “Slumber Song of the Madonna.” One of the songs was in French, a sophisticated choice for a boy, but the music emulated some portions of Fauré, without the French penchant for proportion and taste.

Mr. Anikushin clearly has a big technique and a lot to say, with his many instruments as well as his comments. He has been reviewed favorably in these pages before, by the estimable Harris Goldsmith. I would recommend that he do two things: 1) lavish his talents on better-quality music, and 2) remove the chip from his shoulder about funding, recording projects, procuring rights to music, etc. Come on Maxim, I know you’ve heard of Kickstarter, right?

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by Frank Daykin  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
The Franchomme Project in Review

The Franchomme Project in Review

The Franchomme Project

Louise Dubin, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Katherine Cherbas, and Julia Bruskin, cellists; Hélène Jeanney, pianist

John Street Church, New York, NY

September 19th, 2015

 

The compositions of Auguste Franchomme are undergoing a huge revival, thanks to the cellist Louise Dubin. The first concert in New York which celebrated the Franchomme Project CD release was on September 19th. The second will be Sunday, September 27th at 2pm.

Auguste Franchomme (1808-1884) was the most renowned French cellist of his time. He studied both cello and composition in Lille, and he became an important musical figure in Paris, where he befriended Chopin. The two remained very close, and Chopin’s late work, the Sonata for Piano and Cello, Op. 65, was dedicated to Franchomme. Until recently, most of Franchomme’s compositions were out-of-print and have never been recorded. Cellist Louise Dubin’s doctoral thesis on this 19th century cellist-composer has inspired several projects, including performances in France and the U.S., and music lectures at NYU and other universities. A volume of Franchomme’s compositions introduced by Ms. Dubin is to be published by Dover in November, 2015. The Franchomme Project CD—the Delos/Naxos album being celebrated this month— features many premiere recordings of his works. The album was chosen by San Francisco’s classical music station KDFC-FM as “CD of the week” in the week of its release (officially released on September 11, 2015). St. Paul’s Chapel, which housed and aided many of the injured on 9/11, is the location for the next Franchomme concert on September 27th.

Ms. Dubin has done remarkably well with this project, shedding light on this important, influential musician. She is as fine a performer as she is a scholar. She plays with a robust, lush sound, yet blends impeccably with her co-artists, the excellent cellists Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Katherine Cherbas, Julia Bruskin, and the marvelous pianist Hélène Jeanney. They all gave stellar performances on September 19th at John Street Church; the intonation, balance, vibrato, voicing and interpretation were all unified. Although the entire program was enlightening and immensely enjoyable, the Chopin/Franchomme pieces for cello quartet—transcribed by Ms. Dubin from manuscripts—were special highlights of the evening. In these cello quartet arrangements, the full, glorious range of the cello is conveyed. Lucid details and ornaments are loyal to the originals. The Marche funèbre from the second piano sonata was haunting and ominous as one usually hears in the piano original, but with four cellos, it was rugged, rich and lyrically soulful in a way that might persuade an individual to want to choose this sonority over the sound of the piano. The Ballade No. 2, Op.38 was given an elegant, lilting and sweet performance; it was repeated as an encore. The last harmonic, which Ms. Dubin slightly missed and could have been perceived as a grace note in the first rendering, was now perfect and recording-ready—in case the concert’s live recording was one of the intentions for the repeat encore. The obvious reason for the Ballade as an encore was that the audience loved it the first time. The tempo was more flowing when they repeated it, and I enjoyed it more the second time.

Go to the September 27th performance and get the recording. Justice has been served to both Franchomme and Chopin.

For more information about this upcoming concert, as well as Franchomme and the recording, visit www.louise-dubin.com

 

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
HH Promotions London, LLC presents Carlo Grante, Pianist in Review

HH Promotions London, LLC presents Carlo Grante, Pianist in Review

HH Promotions London LLC presents Carlo Grante, Piano
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center New York, NY
September 15, 2015

It’s a World Premiere! With the same exhilaration that one feels in exclaiming “it’s a boy!” or “it’s a girl!” the world welcomes a new piano work, Chopin Dreams (2014), composed by Bruce Adolphe (b.1955) and given a masterful first performance this week by Italian pianist Carlo Grante. Commissioned by The Concert Artists’ Promotion Trust for Mr. Grante, the work is brimming with all the poetry and virtuosity one would hope for in a work inspired by the great Frédéric Chopin, but its tonal language is deliciously modern. As Mr. Adolphe writes, “To compose this work, I imagined Chopin alive today, living in New York, perhaps making some money at a jazz club rather than teaching so many students.”

Made up of six pieces, the work lasts around 24 minutes. The first of the set is New York Nocturne, a sensitive meditation through a melancholy jazz haze, as if Chopin’s sensibilities had been transported to a dusky New York scene. Mr. Grante captured the music’s improvisatory magic with exquisite colors and nuanced pianism.

The second piece of the set, Jazzurka, was even more captivating (if one may indulge in favorites), and if the composer allows the pieces to be performed individually, this one will surely take on legs of its own. From its opening, with delicate hints of Chopin’s A Minor Mazurka, Op. 17, No. 4, the most ingenious jazz development ensues. One can only guess how devotedly Mr. Grante must have lived and breathed this Chopin-Adolphe hybrid over the past year, but he truly brought it to life.

Brooklyn Ballad, the fourth of the set (containing material from Chopin’s G Minor Ballade), seems to tell an urban tale, as if a counterpart to one of Chopin’s poetic inspirations were channeled through Bill Evans. Again, Mr. Grante was outstanding.

The fifth piece, cleverly entitled Quaalude (a play on “Prelude” and using similar left hand passagework to that of Chopin’s G Major Prelude) was another tour de force, played brilliantly. The Chopin connection seemed tenuous in two dance forms which, as Adolphe notes, Chopin never heard of – hip-hop rhythms as heard in Piano Popping (the third piece) and the Hora as heard in the final (sixth) piece of that title – but these pieces are musical “dreams” after all. They livened things up well, and Mr. Grante played them with panache. The audience exploded into applause for both the pianist and the composer, who was present for bows.

As if all of this had not been enough of a draw for one evening, Mr. Grante presented, for the program’s second half, a string of virtuosic Studies on Chopin Etudes by Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938), selecting those based on Chopin’s Études Op. 10 and including four arranged for the left hand. Though the program had listed twelve of Godowsky’s 53 (1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, and 22), Mr. Grante wound up omitting Nos. 1 and 21. In any case, playing even ten of these is something of an Olympic trial for a pianist, and one could enjoy the thrill simply on that level. Pianophiles will inevitably recall performances that set the bar higher for this or that one (some of Marc-André Hamelin’s come to mind), but again, just how often does one hear so many in live performance?

Mr. Grante’s execution in the Godowsky had much to admire, as one has come to expect with this pianist, especially in the left hand technique. One reservation was that the resonant bass and middle registers sometimes interrupted or overwhelmed more delicate top voices, breaking lines, but much of this issue may have been due to quirks of the Bösendorfer piano and acoustics. In the pianist’s pursuit of extremely soft sounds, some tones vanished altogether, and as one issue affects the next, tempo and fluency occasionally sounded encumbered. As challenging as these pieces are, one wants to hear them sound like child’s play.

Despite such reservations, one’s focus in hearing the Godowsky was not so much in assessing the virtuosity as in wrapping one’s mind around the dazzling tonal world that grew from Chopin, from that of his own original compositions, to Godowsky’s early twentieth-century expansions, and to the newer musical explorations around them, by Bruce Adolphe and others. The programming itself urged such an appreciative listening approach, despite offering plenty of bait for the keyboard-centric. It was beautifully conceived.

The sole original Chopin work of the evening was the opener – Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35 (the “Funeral March” Sonata). It has a long tradition of great performances and had much to praise here too, but again, whether due to acoustics, the piano, or a novel conception that just eluded this listener, some of work’s most singing lines felt disjointed or too thin in relation to basses. This was most noticeable in the slow movement, but it affected earlier movements as well. The imbalance somehow was not as distracting during the evening’s premiere (but then again, there is no basis for comparison with a new work).

On the plus side, Mr. Grante’s extremely soft pianissimos for ethereal effect succeeded in entrancing for prolonged spells the otherwise rather ill-behaved audience, who were leaving cellphones ringing, clapping between movements, and even drinking from a bottle in the front row! While Mr. Grante was quite gracious and acknowledged the applause at whatever points it came, it was still annoying to have the “afterglow” constantly interrupted. One was thankful that, upon the last notes of the heartbreaking Chopin slow movement, Mr. Grante overrode the stirrings of applause by launching straight into his last movement, the famous “wind over the graves” Finale. It was chillingly transparent in tone and a reminder of how vital and “new” to our ears Chopin can still be.

All in all, with minor quibbles aside, it was an extremely stimulating evening, just what a culturally spoiled New Yorker wants, and an auspicious start to the new concert season. Bravo!

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents True Concord Voices and Orchestra in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents True Concord Voices and Orchestra in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents True Concord Voices and Orchestra
True Concord Voices and Orchestra; Eric Holtan, music director and conductor
Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, NY
September 11, 2015

 

September 11, 2001 is a day that will be forever etched in the minds of those who were witness to its horrors. On the 14th anniversary of 9/11, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented a concert in remembrance, featuring the True Concord Voices and Orchestra. The program consisted of two works, Mozart’s Requiem, K. 626, and the New York Premiere of Prayers and Remembrances by American composer Stephen Paulus (1949-2014).

True Concord Voices and Orchestra hail from Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2004, their original name was the Tucson Chamber Artists. On their name change in 2015, music director Eric Holtan explained that, “The original 14th century meaning of concord is ‘hearts together.’ Shakespeare later described the emotional impact of music as ‘true concord’- something we strive to achieve among composers, performers, and listeners.”

 

True Concord Voices and Orchestra -- Photo Credit: Nan Melville Photography/DCINY Production.

True Concord Voices and Orchestra — Photo Credit: Nan Melville Photography/DCINY Production.

Mr. Holtan took to the stage to lead the ensemble in Mozart’s Requiem. The story behind the creation of this masterpiece is so well known that the program had no notes at all, save for a “completed by Süssmayr” designation. I leave it for the reader to do his own investigations if he wishes to learn more. Mr. Holtan led a skillful, highly polished performance. It was at once obvious that these musicians brought considerable talents to this work, and had refined their interpretation from continued performances. The relatively small forces of this ensemble lent a sense of intimacy and immediacy, in contrast with the bombast of some performances by larger forces. It was a sound on a scale that I was unaccustomed to hearing, but one I found to be compelling in its nuance. Special mention must be made of the Tuba Mirum’s excellent trombone soloist, who played with amazing clarity and tone, and to the vocal soloists, soprano Megan Chartrand, mezzo-soprano Margaret Lias, tenor Charles Blandy, and bass Paul Max Tipton, for their excellent work. What was especially gratifying was that each soloist was a member of the chorus, and not a “special guest” recruited for the performance. When it was all over, the large audience shouted their approval in a way one does not expect for this work – a clear indication that the many friends and supporters of the True Concord Voices and Orchestra were in attendance to support them. It was a well-earned and justifiable reaction.

After intermission, Mr. Holtan returned to the stage. He shared with the audience the story behind the commissioning of Prayers and Remembrances, and how closely Stephen Paulus worked with the ensemble in the recording of this work in 2013. Tragically, Mr. Paulus suffered a massive stroke six weeks after the recording and never recovered (Mr. Paulus passed away on October 19, 2014). The loss to music was immeasurable, but we can be grateful for the hundreds of works Mr. Paulus created.

Prayers and Remembrances is a seven-movement work, each movement using carefully selected poems, both secular and non-secular, that all touched on the concept of grief, but also recovery and spirituality in living. Quoting Mr. Paulus, “My concern was to write a work that would not only honor the 9/11 tragedy and all those who perished, but also one that would address the memories, the grieving and the recovery for anyone dealing with a circumstance in which loved ones had perished.” The scoring is similar to that of the Mozart, with the addition of flute, oboe, horns, harp, and percussion (with the clear idea of being paired in performance with the Mozart). The music is tonal, with harmonic language that is familiar sounding, yet somehow distinct without resorting to cheap effects. The melodies are often poignant and moving, but never lapsing into mawkish sentimentality. The addition of the extra percussion added a layer of dramatic tension that deepened the already compelling musical effect.

Mr. Holtan led with total commitment, his gestures seemingly coaxing the utmost from his ensemble in a performance that held this listener’s complete attention for the work’s entire thirty-five plus minutes. I would love to talk extensively about all seven movements, but I will just mention the fifth movement, In Beauty It Walks, with text from Traditional Navaho Prayer, as my favorite. The simple but moving text is set with consummate skill, and the orchestral writing has a radiance that shines upon the vocal with powerful effect. It is a shame that Mr. Paulus was not with us this night, as I am sure he would have been pleased with the results. Prayers and Remembrances is an outstanding work, and it should be a centerpiece at any 9/11 memorial concert, or any concert for that matter. As with the Mozart, featured vocal soloists were also members of the chorus, a different set of four this time. Congratulations go to soprano Margot Rood, alto Emily Marvosh, tenor Patrick Muehleise, and bass David Farwig, for matching the high standards of their colleagues from the first half. The very quiet ending was something the audience was not expecting, but once the last sounds faded away, they reacted with an increasing amount of applause, as if each second made them realize what a unique work they had just heard.

For those who were not in attendance, but are interested in hearing Prayers and Remembrance, the recording that Mr. Holtan spoke about has been released. Called Far in the Heavens – Choral Music of Stephen Paulus, (Reference Recordings FR-716– click on the link for more information), it also features other works by Mr. Paulus that are equally worthy of attention.

Congratulations to the True Concord Voices and Orchestra for living up to the ideals of their name and for the wonderful performance.

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by Jeffrey Williams  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Miryong Cha, Pianist in Review

Miryong Cha, Pianist in Review

Miryong Cha, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
June 23, 2015

In the highly competitive field of classical music, it is a significant achievement to earn one’s major degrees in piano at a prominent conservatory such as the Manhattan School of Music and to top things off with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from an established school such as Rutgers. These credentials, plus some awards, concerts, and two teaching posts in Korea, were listed in the program biography of Miryong Cha, who performed last week in her New York Recital Debut.

One might assume that any young performer having studied with some highly respected teachers and passing such hurdles, has probably had his or her devotion to music tested thoroughly – the faint of heart do not easily pass jury exams and test recitals (let alone competitions) without determination and love of the craft. Actual concerts, presumably with unfettered choices of repertoire, are expected to be somewhat easier. It is thus perplexing to witness a recital that feels as much like a trial as did that of Ms. Cha. One wonders whether she was perhaps not feeling well – and the ten-minute wait for her to appear onstage at the beginning seemed to suggest as much. In any case, for unknown reasons, her demeanor and playing projected such a combination of resignation and doom that this listener felt like an unwelcome spectator at a punishment, a tricoteuse by the guillotine.

A work where the gallows bleakness is appropriate is “Le Gibet” the central movement from Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, and indeed this was fittingly dark in Ms. Cha’s hands – but there were also numerous points in the program where one’s spirit could have soared with the music and it wasn’t happening. The rest of the Ravel set contained some of Ms. Cha’s better playing of the evening, particularly in “Ondine,” though still Ms. Cha favored the “doldrums” aspect of the ocean sounds, tempering all high points. “Scarbo” was unusually slow and lacking in its usual nightmarish intensity.

Despite the fact that Ms. Cha’s biography lists a recent lecture in Korea on the “Stylistic Analysis of Chopin’s 24 Preludes” she seemed skittish about the Chopin. Perhaps when one writes in depth about a work, one can psyche oneself out a bit, though ideally an analysis should deepen one’s interpretations.

The C Major Prelude (marked “Agitato”) was surprisingly slow and cautious (what one might call “practice tempo”), but it still had more than the typical number of errors, particularly in the left hand. No one is perfect, and the best pianists have errors in live performance, but sufficient awareness of the harmony should prevent an excess of these. At first, one chalked things up to nerves, but there developed a growing sense that all had not been prepared with sufficient loving care. Frequent mishaps beset the Preludes in D Major, F-sharp minor, G-sharp minor (which did however have a strong ending), and others. The ferocious B-flat minor Prelude was not quite mastered but was “prettified” with receding climaxes. By contrast, several of the slower Preludes were played disconcertingly briskly, including the A Minor (“Lento”) and the B minor (“Lento Assai”), the latter of which had been chosen for Chopin’s own funeral. There may have been some theory at play that the slow ones need to be played faster and the faster ones, more slowly – one doesn’t know – but if so, the case needed to be made convincing to the listener.

A layman could overlook the misfires in less famous Preludes, but it is hard to conceal harmonic lapses in a work as well known as the E minor Prelude. Many amateurs and students have played this one – along with the A major, B minor and C minor – so finesse is especially important. The A major seemed disturbingly fast, bordering on flippancy, and with some note slips as well. The D-flat Prelude flew by without any projection of the suspensions, so the resolutions felt superfluous as a result.

Some of Ms. Cha’s playing stood out as more successful, such as the F major Prelude, the E major, which enjoyed a deeply resonant bass, and the G major, which showed a solid (if slightly overpowering) left hand. The famously difficult E-flat Prelude was also in the beginning surprisingly clean compared to the others, though some exposed peak notes were missed. Perhaps with time, the entire set will ripen. Again, it is possible that for much of the recital Ms. Cha was in some kind of discomfort, because she seemed to be moving her right shoulder in random gyrations that bore no relation to the music or physical act of playing.

In addition to Chopin and Ravel, Ms. Cha included the lesser-known Fantasy in C minor, K.396, based on two pages of an unfinished Violin Sonata by Mozart, but actually finished as a piano piece by Maximilian Stadler (1748-1833). It was listed as Mozart (as it often has been), but I feel Stadler’s name needs to be there as well. Widely thought to have been an attempt to sell Mozart’s musical scraps as a meal, it is a roughly nine-minute pastiche sounding like C.P.E. Bach thrown into a blender with Mozart, Beethoven, and a dash of Czerny. This hybrid work has attracted many fine pianists including Sofronitzky, Gieseking, Brendel, Kraus, and others, though it takes imagination and power of persuasion to pull it off. It made an interesting addition as a listener sorted out which parts sounded truly Mozartean and which did not, but it never quite rose above the level of that mental exercise.

I do hope to hear Ms. Cha again, hopefully on an evening that reflects better her fine credentials.

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by Rorianne Schrade  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Future Vibrations in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Future Vibrations in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Future Vibrations
The Central Oregon Youth Orchestra, Amy Goeser Kolb, founder/executive director; Julia Bastuscheck, Eddy Robinson, directors
Vancouver Pops Orchestra, Tom Kuo, director
Distinguished Concerts Singers International, Francisco Núñez, guest conductor; Jon Holden Piano
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
June 14, 2015

On June 14, 2015 at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented a concert called Future Vibrations, featuring two youth orchestras and a choir consisting solely of treble voices from Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. I am always very interested in hearing young people display their musical talents, so I was looking forward to this afternoon’s concert.

Opening the concert was The Central Oregon Youth Orchestra. Before mentioning anything else, I want credit the members of the orchestra wrote the program notes for the works they played. Full of youthful enthusiasm, they coupled some personal thoughts with history and background, making these notes a delight to read. Congratulations to Nathan Hughes, Reagan Lithgow, Gabrielle Sarao, Isaac Spackman, and Alyssa Clark for a job well done!

Conductor Julia Bastuscheck took the podium and led a spirited, if not altogether tight performance of An American in Paris. Maybe it was nervousness, but the intonation was at times lacking, and there was a feeling of the ensemble struggling to be in synch. After a shift of the violinists (in what was to occur after each work, seemingly to give different players the opportunity of occupying the coveted concertmaster chair) conductor Eddy Robinson took the podium for the next three works, the Bacchanale from Saint-Saëns’ opera Samson et Deliah, the New York premiere of DCINY favorite Christopher Tin’s Iza Ngomso, an orchestra-only arrangement of a movement from A Drop That Contained the Sea, and a short version of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. The Bacchanale was the highlight of Mr. Robinson’s work with the orchestra- it was played impressively with a well-defined sense of the nature of the piece itself. Iza Ngomso and 1812 were given solid readings.

Ms. Bastuscheck returned to conduct the last work, the Pines of the Appian Way, from Respighi’s Pines of Rome. The slow build-up was done well, with special mention going to the oboe soloist, whose playing was simply outstanding, easily up to the standard of many professional players. What would have made this good performance great would have been more vigor in the triumphant last section (I want to hear that gong loud and clear- I saw it struck, but never heard it). After the last chord, their many supporters in the audience gave them a loud standing ovation. After the intermission, a large number of the members of the orchestra were seated all around me. I witnessed countless proud parents and friends coming to hug their star with beaming smiles in congratulations. These young players were having the time of their lives, and it was touching to see all of this unfold. This is a group filled with many talented individuals, as was evidenced by the high level of playing from the soloists, but there is still room for elevating the level of the entire ensemble. More consistency in intonation, both within sections and the entire ensemble, a little more boldness from the strings, and a little less of the same from the brass will make all the difference.

After a short break, the Vancouver Pops Orchestra took the stage. Led by Tom Kuo, they offered four medleys from the hit movies My Neighbor Totoro, How to Train Your Dragon, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Aladdin. Mr. Kuo was a dynamic leader, and the orchestra responded well to his direction in four polished performances. There were fleeting issues with intonation, but these issues never became a distraction. The highlight of their selections was Star Trek, which was played enterprisingly (no pun intended…well, maybe a little pun intended!). The program notes stated the Pops was dedicating the performance to the late Leonard Nimoy, and I suspect that Mr. Spock would have found the presentation to be “most logical.” After the last notes of the delightful Aladdin, the large audience gave them a well-earned standing ovation for their outstanding playing.

After intermission, the multi-talented composer and conductor Francisco Núñez led the 119-member strong Distinguished Concerts International Singers, which consisted of only treble range voices. They offered selections from Mozart (Papageno-Papagena duet from The Magic Flute), Jim Papoulis (Sih’r Khalaq – Creative Magic), and three of Mr. Núñez’s own works, Misa Pequeña para Niños (A Children’s Mass), Pinwheels, and La Sopa de Isabel (Elizabeth’s Soup). A few folks songs were thrown in for good measure, Dobrú Noc (Good Night) and Love Lies Under the Old Oak Tree). It was unfortunate that an excellent violin soloist was uncredited, as were a cellist, percussionist, and guitarist in their appearances.

The highlights of the half were Mr. Núñez’s three works. Mr. Núñez has a definite gift for bring the very best out of his young singers. His energy radiates to the young musicians, and they radiate it right back with joy. His compositions show his expertise in writing for young voices in a way that not only lies within their developing capabilities, but also gives them a sound beyond their years. This is most apparent in his Misa Pequeña para Niños, which was performed with a surprising level of sophistication. Pinwheels was poignant both in the message and the music. La Sopa de Isabel brought the house down as the young singers spun around multiple times, while Mr. Núñez turned to the audience to get them to join in by clapping along, which of course they did with gusto! Mr. Núñez swayed back and forth with dance-like movements, and soon after, the chorus members paired up, joined hands, and began dancing with each other. The audience laughed in complete delight, and when it was all over, they leapt to their feet in a raucous standing ovation. It was a delightful end to a delightful afternoon. Congratulations to all!

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by Jeffrey Williams  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Requiem À Deux in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Requiem À Deux in Review

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Requiem À Deux
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra; Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Jonathan Griffith, Music Director/conductor
Iris Derke, flute
Craig Jessop, conductor laureate
Erica Miller, soprano; Stephen Lancaster, baritone; Leah de Gruyl, mezzo-soprano
Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
June 7, 2015

 

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is well known for their presentation of theme-related concerts. The concept of multiple requiems in a single concert is one DCINY has used before, in fact, the very first concert I reviewed for New York Concert Review, Requiem X 2, featuring Mozart and René Clausen, used this plan. On June 7, 2015 at Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Requiem À Deux, with requiems from Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Duruflé, including a New York premiere of Dinos Constantinides’ Homage – A Folk Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, was the program. With singers from California, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, British Columbia, Ontario, France (including Ensemble Vocal Maurice Duruflé!), Mexico, Spain, and “individuals from around the globe,”(the program listed 433 singers!) it was an impressive assemblage.

The first half opened with Homage- A Folk Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1988) by Greek-American composer Dinos Constantinides (b. 1929). As I had written in an earlier review, Mr. Constatinides is a stylistically eclectic composer, but one who is particularly adept in his Greek-influenced writing. This characteristic showed to great advantage in the Homage. Scored for flute soloist and string orchestra, plus two oboes and two French horns, the three-movement Homage draws on folk-like material of the Greek Islands (without using any actual folk material). The writing is highly idiomatic for the flutist.  DCINY Co-founder and General Director Iris Derke was the flute soloist. Ms. Derke has an impressive list of appearances as a soloist throughout the world, and after hearing her performance, it is easy to understand why. Ms. Derke handled the challenges with ease, with quick passage work precisely articulated, rapid descending figures rendered with clarity (and not with the quasi-glissandi effects that one often hears from less skilled players), and excellent intonation, especially in the “danger zone” of the extreme high register. The second movement, Idyll, which is basically an extended cadenza, was the highlight of her performance, but the third movement, Dance, was a very close second. Conductor Jonathan Griffith was an able and attentive collaborator, showing that he excels with small ensembles as well as the large. The composer joined Ms. Derke and Maestro Griffith on-stage, and all took their bows to the applause of the appreciative audience.

After a short break, the stage was set for Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. Fauré began writing the Requiem in 1877, but did not complete it in its final orchestration until 1900. One of the best-loved works in this form, Fauré’s vision of death as a “happy deliverance…rather than a mournful passing,” did not find favor with his employers at La Madeleine, one of the largest churches in Paris. One of the clerics there tartly remarked, “Monsieur Fauré, we do not need these novelties. The Madeleine’s repertoire is quite rich enough.” No doubt his omission of the fearful Dies Irae, the core of the Latin requiem mass, had something to do with this remark. One can say that Fauré won in the end, as this serene work continues to enchant listeners with its beauty.

Conductor Laureate Craig Jessop took the podium. He was tasked with leading a chorus of over 200 singers, which he did his utmost to do, coaxing the maximum from them. One has to note that, in spite of his efforts, there were still problematic issues. Intonation from the sopranos in the more exposed sections of the Introitus et Kyrie was at times quite shaky, and their ensemble in the same section suffered from a lack of a cohesive feeling. Perhaps it was jitters, but nonetheless, it was an uneasy moment that periodically recurred throughout the entire work. Maestro Jessop did show excellent rapport with the orchestra, with the Sanctus and In Paradisum being especially well done. Soprano Erica Miller voice soared in the Pie Jesu, and baritone Stephen Lancaster projected the pathos of the Libera me with great strength.

The overall performance was solid – the orchestra taking the lion’s share of the kudos along with the soloists. The chorus was uneven, and this is what made what had the potential to be an outstanding performance into what was merely a good one. I do not wish to be overly critical, but I truly was hoping for more. The audience did not share my reservations, as many of them responded with a standing ovation.

After intermission, Jonathan Griffith returned to the podium to conduct the Requiem, Op. 9, of French organist, pedagogue, and composer, Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) in the original 1947 version. Like Fauré’s Requiem, this serene work is largely devoid of the fearsome elements of the requiem mass (it also omits the Dies Irae).

Whatever misgivings I might have had about the Fauré were more than offset by the first-rate performance of the Duruflé. The orchestra playing was excellent, but especially bold and decisive in the Domine Jesu Christe in a way that filled the hall with sound, which was a thrilling thing to hear! Mezzo-soprano soloist Leah de Gruyl captured the beauty of the Pie Jesu with her exquisite voice, and baritone Stephen Lancaster was back to deliver the Libera me with power as in the Fauré. The chorus was outstanding as well. Once again, one must tip one’s hat to Maestro Griffith, who “delivered the goods” in what this reviewer has come to expect as the norm when he conducts the large DCINY forces.

The last notes of the In Paradisum had barely faded away before the audience sounded a loud and immediate standing ovation that went on for close to five minutes. It was a justly deserved reaction for a truly superior performance.

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by Jeffrey Williams  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY