Wa Concerts presents Wind and Fire in Review
The New York Licorice Ensemble: clarinetists Ayako Oshima, Akari Yamamoto, Michiyo Suzuki, Ikuko Tsukamoto, Fusayo Oike, Yumi Ito, Chie Matsuura, Saerom Kim
Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, NY
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Just when one cannot imagine Wa Concerts getting any more delicious, they do, and this past weekend they offered Licorice, not the confection, but the delightful assemblage of clarinetists known as the New York Licorice Ensemble (though knowing Wa there was probably some of that confection around too, as they offer a veritable feast to the audience after each concert). The New York Licorice Ensemble, named for the instrument’s jazz-age sobriquet “licorice stick,” is composed of thirteen award-winning clarinetists, of whom we heard eight (all female) on this occasion, led by founder-director Ayako Oshima. Nine of the ensemble’s clarinetists live in Japan, while four live in New York, but they have toured widely and recorded on the Penguin Record and NAR labels in Japan. This concert was your reviewer’s first hearing of them, but one trusts there will be many more, as they seem destined for larger audiences than what the intimate Tenri space can hold (to read more about them visit: The New York Licorice Ensemble.
The program “had us at hello” with George Gershwin’s ever-popular Three Preludes (1926), originally for piano but arranged here by Satoshi Ipponjima for E-flat Clarinet, five B-flat clarinets, and two bass clarinets. The sultry opening of the Prelude No. 1 was delivered winningly by the leader, Ms. Oshima, and the subsequent syncopated basses were so delightfully raunchy that one almost laughed out loud – it didn’t hurt that several performers moved expressively to the rhythms, particularly Ms. Suzuki whose “dance partner” here was a glorious bass clarinet that she handled with panache, despite it being around her own height. The semicircle of these varied instruments, played with varied styles by women of all different ages, was an almost Seussian spectacle, and the energy of the players was infectious.
As anyone who has played this Gershwin set knows, some musical challenges lie in the bluesy Prelude No. 2, which contrasts freely improvisatory outpourings over a bass that is steady to the point of obtuseness. This ensemble nailed it, with Ms. Oshima projecting plaintiveness, urgency, and surrender in her lines, and the accompanying clarinetists staying with her but without yielding to excessive empathy. The contrasting middle section was just right too. The third and final Prelude took off with fire, finishing the set to great applause – a great start to the program.
The next selection, on a more serious note, was Mozart’s Adagio in B-Flat major (1783-4), for 2 clarinets and 3 basset horns, K. 411, one of the sublime creations that reflects Mozart’s love of these instruments. All five parts were performed in beautiful balance, with a transparency that illuminated each suspension and allowed even the slightest accompanying figures to live and breathe without overwhelming the rest. This ensemble is composed of superb musicians, and they clearly work exceptionally well together with Ms. Oshima’s inspirational leadership.
Elliott Carter’s Canonic Suite for 4 clarinets (1939) followed in three movements, Fanfare, Nocturne, and Tarantella. In keeping with the tradition of commentary that helps make Wa concerts so interesting, Charles Neidich (Wa’s Artistic Director and husband of Ms. Oshima) introduced the work with some background, including a quotation from the Carter that “writing these canons was so complicated that I never did it again.” The musicians navigated this complexity with ease, in tightly knit performances. Moments seemed a bit too bright for Tenri’s very resonant space, but it was otherwise a fascinating addition to the program.
The first half ended with pairings based on the Japanese folk song Kokiriko, the first one for six players by Satoshi Ipponjima (b. 1986) entitled Minimal de KOKIRIKO (2015), and not surprisingly filled with minimalist elements. Though starting as a relaxed warmly harmonized folk setting, it moved to fast perpetual motion repeated patterns, which the ensemble handled with amazing synchronization. The second Kokiriko setting, for seven players and entitled Sasara Kokiriko (2015), was by Ginka Mizuki, whom Ms. Oshima described coyly as a “mystery composer” that only the ensemble’s Michiyo Suzuki knows well (as in “alter ego” well). It was good to hear a work from one who knows this ensemble’s capabilities, and the piece was a joy, from its rather formal opening through to its syncopated and improvisatory dance section. One hopes to hear more from Ms. Mizuki.
After intermission, we heard another pairing based on Japanese folk song, starting with Mount Semba Fantasy for seven instruments by Yuriko Keino (b. 1956) and moving to Simultaneous Variations for six instruments by Lukas Ligeti (b. 1965, and the son of composer György Ligeti). The Keino piece we were told was meant to evoke images of the playful Raccoon Dog, an important entity in Japanese mythology and folklore, and that spirit of play certainly emerged (with the help of percussive water bottles and other inventive touches). The Simultaneous Variations marked this reviewer’s first encounter with the younger Ligeti’s music, but one was struck by its light spirit. It showed a clever inventiveness that invites a listener to further explore this next Ligeti generation.
A return to Mozart followed, the heavenly Adagio K. 580a (1789). At the time of Mozart’s death two years after it was begun, this Adagio remained unfinished, and though numerous completions have been made in various instrumentations (Angerer, Beyer, Lucarelli, Renz, etc.), we heard here a masterful one for clarinet and 3 basset horns by none other than Wa’s own Director and clarinetist extraordinaire, Charles Neidich. It was a memorable journey to hear and beautifully played.
The program concluded with Mr. Neidich’s Chi-lai (2013), a work written for 12 instruments but revised for this occasion’s eight instruments, including five B-flat clarinets, two bass clarinets and an E-flat clarinet. Fighting one of the season’s wonderful colds, this listener couldn’t quite catch all of Mr. Neidich’s verbal description of the piece, but the music was intriguing and certainly evoked growing power, with textures ranging from chirping seconds to giant masses of sound, as perhaps only such a master of this instrument could create. One reservation was that (despite one’s cold) the high sounds were piercing to an overwhelming degree in this very live space, necessitating some covering of the ears – eight clarinets at full volume may in fact be too much for the Tenri space, but one looks forward to a second hearing with all the circumstances ideal.
Quibbles aside, Wa put together another resounding success, and once again, as if to put mere mortals to shame, the evening’s star clarinetist herself, Ayako Oshima, had prepared a magnificent buffet supper to follow. How it was all possible one can’t even guess, but perhaps the audience will figure it out at the next Wa concert, December 8: Wa Concert Series .
