Reflections of Life (DCINY), in Review

DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK: DCINY
REFLECTIONS OF LIFE: Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and Distinguished Concerts Singers International in Music of James Eakin III and Greg Gilpin
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall; New York, NY
February 20, 2012
 

“Reflections of Life” Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Singers International; PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

 

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) has a gift for drawing large numbers of performers from far and wide and bringing them to still larger audiences, creating what are often spectacular events. Their most recent concert featuring music by James Eakin III and Greg Gilpin was no exception. High school and adult choruses from New Jersey, Texas, Alabama, Colorado, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, Louisiana, California, and Pennsylvania all converged onto the Perlman Stage, with choirs also filling several front balconies, enveloping the listener with sound; if one doubted the life-affirming power of classical music today, one might have a change of heart just from the sheer collective energy. Granted, not all the music performed was strictly classical, but Broadway and folk music were blended seamlessly into the mix with the help of DCINY’s versatile orchestra. Special guest, Clay Aiken, made an appearance to lend his support to the festivities with brief comments during the second hal8f.

The first half was devoted to the World Premiere of a 47-minute choral work, “Flowers Over the Graves of War” by James Eakin III, who has also written extensively for film and television. As the composer explains in his notes, “Commentary on the horrors of war and pleas to God for forgiveness and guidance permeate this work.” In six movements set to poetry by Michael Dennis Browne, along with Latin texts from traditional Requiem movements, the work ultimately conveys messages of faith, mercy, hope, and peace. As the composer also comments, the three soloists express the more introspective lines; soprano, Ida Nicolosi, mezzo-soprano Kirsten Allegri, and tenor Gregory Warren were commendable in their parts. A highlight was in the Sanctus, where the upper voices joined in duet, later united with the tenor in powerful trio. According to the composer, the higher voices were to express the “unwavering love and faith of a child” with the lower voices expressing darker elements. One wondered by the end of the work whether this “work of contrasts” (as the composer describes it) might have prospered from more juxtaposition of dissonance and consonance as well as the contrasting registers and textures, since even some sections modifying text about war seemed quite mild; on the other hand, such sweetness suited the choirs at hand, as well as the ultimate message of mercy. The use of percussion in martial sections added ballast, and while the orchestra may have been a bit overzealous in volume, the soloists generally met the challenge of projecting over them. Overall, I found this a moving work by a composer from whom I’ll be interested to hear more. Deft conducting by Tim Seelig brought it all together well.

After intermission we heard original and arranged music of Greg Gilpin
, with the conductor at the podium.  Mr. Gilpin conducted with infectious energy, and his choral works matched his conducting style in their all-embracing range.  Listening to the opening piece, “Why We Sing,” one could understand the popularity this work has had with choruses since its publication in 2005.  “Through the Eyes of a Child” (text by Mark Burrows and music by Gilpin and Burrows) brought out one of the themes of the evening, the bond between young and old, and “A Child’s Credo/In Virtute Tua” (a World Premiere) underscored that bond further.  These are works of immediate appeal that blur distinctions between classical and popular music. “There’s Room for Many-a More!” added the joyous touch of the American Spiritual, and a medley of favorites from 
”The Music of ‘The Wizard of Oz’” capped off the evening in high spirits.  Mr. Gilpin seems destined for ever-widening popular appeal. As is often the case with arrangements, there were some program omissions in crediting original sources; naturally the medley was Mr. Gilpin’s conception, but it seems a shame when, for example, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is sung, not to see the name of its composer Harold Arlen mentioned anywhere.  In any case, the end of the evening found the audience quite uplifted.

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

Distinguished Concerts International New York

DISTINGUISHED CONCERTS INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK: DCINY
THE MUSIC OF KARL JENKINS
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall
January 16, 2012

A full house greeted the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Jonathan Griffith, Artistic Director, on Martin Luther King Day. The opening work of the program was Jenkins’ “The Wooing of Etain” in its United States premiere. The piece is unusually scored for soloists that include soprano saxophone, electric bass and uilleann pipes. Despite the unconventional use of  instrumentation, the work is sweetly tonal, warm and embracing. It was performed with affection and commitment, although some of the individual playing was slightly off pitch. The soloists: Rob Derke, Carlo de Rosa and Joseph Mulvanerty, performed and improvised with technical brilliance.

Jenkins’ “Sarikiz”, a violin concerto given its Carnegie Hall premiere, won the audience over instantly with its Carl Orff-like primitive energy and minimalistic repetition. Apart from the occasional reference to Kazakh folk themes, Jenkins uses two Kazakh indigenous percussion instruments, the dabel (hand drum) and the kepshek (tambourine). Like Orff’s beloved “Carmina Burana”, for example, very little counterpoint is used, the simplest of chords were often employed, and the percussion–while effective–is sometimes used a bit too often (here, they also covered the violin soloist at times). The idiomatic, virtuosic violin scoring holds the audience’s attention in this appealing work–especially with the right soloist. Jorge Avila did an outstanding job with the violin part, and his charismatic stage presence helped keep a diverse audience riveted.

Carol Barratt’s Fantasy Preludes for piano was given a solid performance by Danny Evans and receiving its United States premiere, was composed with an original touch–even though there were many reminders of 20th century modern and impressionistic influences. Nine preludes in all, there was a good deal of counterpoint–which was a refreshing change–and interesting harmonic variety as well. Melodic writing was sometimes chromatic, sometimes more spacial–but almost always lyrical. I would have placed the violin concerto after this work, as the solo piano looked and sounded anti-climactic after witnessing the orchestra.

A diverse audience was to be expected, as it was Martin Luther King Day, and Jenkins’ world premiere, “The Peacemakers”, included quotations from many important leaders or texts.

Those that were quoted include Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Francis of Assisi, Nelson Mandela, and Anne Frank (a touching, special addition to this list). Of course, there was also a Martin Luther King tribute. The excellent performers included soprano Antoni Mendezona, flutist Kara Deraad Santos, the return of saxophonist Rob Derke and electric bassist Carlo de Rosa, Benny Koonyevsky on ethnic percussion, and Joseph Mulvanerty on uilleann pipes.

Jenkins’ “The Peacemakers” is poignant, resonant, and meaningful. The music accompanies the corresponding texts with devotion. The instrumentation chosen always suited the origin or culture of the text; for example, the bansuri (Indian flute) with the Gandhi text, and the African percussion with the Mandela text worked perfectly. Martin Luther King’s tribute included an incredibly inventive mix of the Blues and Robert Schumann’s “Traumerei” (“Dreaming”).

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

DCINY: A Concert of Commemoration Honoring the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

DCINY: A Concert of Commemoration Honoring the
Tenth Anniversary of 9/11Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International
Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Rene Clausen, Guest Conductor
The Really Big Chorus
Jonathan Griffith, Rehearsal Conductor
Karl Jenkins, Guest Conductor
Avery Fisher Hall
September 11, 2011

DCINY: A Concert of Commemoration Honoring the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

One of the most extraordinary concerts of the last few years took place at Avery Fisher Hall on September 11th, 2011. In performances presented by DCINY, known as Distinguished Concerts International New York, the audience couldn’t have received a better gift: beautifully performed, inspiring music. The crowd in attendance was so large that the lines of people spiraled around the columns in the lobby of Avery Fisher—everyone waiting to be uplifted, and they were.

Samuel Barber’s familiar “Adagio for Strings,” made even more famous by the war film “Platoon” (1986), was a highly appropriate choice for an opener. Rene Clausen prepared a solid, polished account of the work. The strings played with excellent intonation, the ensemble-playing was crystal clear, and the tempo moved along at just the right pace. The audience was clearly touched by the music and the performance. In Clausen’s own “Memorial,” the harrowing events of 9/11 were presented with a rather literal, vivid picture. For me, it hit a bit too close to home, but it ultimately seemed to win over the audience; the movements were “September Morning”, which was serene and sunny as the day began, “The Attack”, complete with crashing chords, dissonance and chaos, and the lovely “Prayers” and “Petitions” movements. It was this second half of the work that helped put people more at ease. Bradley Ellingboe, the Bass-Baritone soloist, sang with great expression and eloquence. The Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and Distinguished Concerts Singers International performed with deep conviction and connection to all those in attendance, and as a result, the audience—some of them family members of victims—was riveted at every turn.

After intermission, we heard Karl Jenkins’s “For the Fallen: In Memoriam Alfryn Jenkins” in its US premiere. Only four minutes long, it still made an indelible impression. “Armed Man: A Mass for Peace”—on the other hand—is epic in length (63 minutes) and often had the weight, relevance and spiritual profundity of a Mahler symphony.  Even though they didn’t have a lot to sing, the soloists, Erika Grace Powell, Charlotte Daw Paulsen, Brian Cheney and Bradley Ellingboe, were excellent. The Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and The Really Big Chorus under Maestro Jenkins sounded lush, resonant and deeply committed.

The afternoon will linger in the hearts and souls of those who were lucky enough to be on hand for this important concert on this commemorative day.

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY)

DCINY Spirit Journey: The Journey from Africa to America
The Lincoln Gospel Choir; Swingsations Jazz Choir
Darcy Reese, Conductor
Robert Robinson and the Twin Cities Gospel Choir
Patricia Brown, Choreographer; Ahanti Young, Drummer
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall; Jazz at Lincoln Center; New York, NY
June 18, 2010
Spirit Journey

The Spirit Journey

In a concert presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) and dedicated to the memory of the great Gospel scholar Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer (1935-2009), the excellent choral conductor, Darcy Reese, led the Lincoln Gospel Choir and Swingsations Jazz Choir, along with the Twin Cities Gospel Choir and their amazing vocalist, Robert Robinson, in engaging, moving and beautifully prepared performances of stylistically versatile works that told the evolution of Africans during the last 400 years. Normally, this type of evening might be held on Martin Luther King Day, but this story of wrong-doing, struggle and freedom could be told any time of year—and often. And normally, a choir of African-American descent might present this program, but here, the choruses were from Minnesota, an all-Caucasian group that took on the responsibility of the historical significance of this event and the demands of singing in authentic African, Jazz, Blues and Gospel styles. To say they were successful would be an understatement. And they brought down the packed house at Lincoln Center. The students in the choir, who sang from memory, are high school-age, yet their collective voices, commitment and choreography (Patricia Brown, director) were presented at a high, professional level. All the professional instrumentalists, mostly comprised of drummers led by Ahanti Young, were terrific as well.

In Otieno’s arrangement of “Sigalagala” and Marsh’s arrangement of “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, Zach Bauer, a young singer in the chorus, was excellent, singing first in authentic African dialect and later in a convincing Soul/R&B style. The Choreography of five dancers at the beginning of the evening was interesting, but the dancing talent among the students was not the concert’s sure-fire strength. In “Denko”, Hailey Bayne sang with a lovely voice. In Barnwell’s Spirituals, Robert Robinson was the epitome of heartfelt emotion. David Stenson’s tone was a bit shaky in his portrayal of Dell’s “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See”, but singing after Robinson is a very tough act to follow. Becca Kruta and Brenna Skallet (from the chorus) sang “Way Beyond the Blue” with great confidence and spirit, although the harmonizations were slightly off pitch. “Hold On” was sung with a unified sense of diction, swing and phrasing, especially with the word ‘everything’ in “everything will be all right”, which had snazzy zip in the fast-rising crescendo on the first two syllables and the punchy staccato on the third syllable. “I Wanna Die Easy When I Die” was sung absolutely gloriously by Robinson and the choir, which swayed with deep devotion. The Twin Cities Gospel Choir is a force to be reckoned with. The Saxophonist Kathy Jensen was excellent throughout.

“Great Day” and “If I had a Hammer”, performed back-to-back, were tied in to the Civil War of the 1860’s and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s, incorporating Jazz and Blues. A characterization of Rosa Parks was fitting but a bit jarring after mention of the 1860s. “I’ll be Alright” and “We Shall Overcome” were sung with great Gospel feeling. Gershwin’s Piano Prelude, which followed the bit of narration: “…but they had their jazz” doesn’t work because Gershwin wasn’t exactly African American;  for the sake of the program, it would have been better to have talented young pianist Brianna Drevlow (from the chorus) learn some Art Tatum or a Duke Ellington arrangement instead. The Gershwin, in any case, was played with impressive flair— albeit too much hurry. Ahanti Young was the marvelous vocal percussionist (a la Bobby McFerrin) in Marsh’s arrangement of “Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing” against a cappella chorus that was only off pitch a few times.

In the final section, in which the presence of Gospel scholar, Dr. Boyer, was truly felt, and in which the audience was invited to participate, every successive number—complete with clapping and choreographed choral movement– sounded like it couldn’t be topped, but it was. “Do You Know the Light”, with its rapid-fire, layered entrances were infectious and intoxicating, drawing to mind some of the dizzying scenes in the film “The Blues Brothers.” But this was more than spectacle; these young kids from Minnesota somehow had an innate, profound understanding of the history of Africans and African Americans, and that devotion always transmitted to the audience with great poignancy. This chorus and these soloists sang with chemistry and conviction all the way through this marathon program of two and a half hours (without intermission). That of course is the least they could do, considering how much Africans and African Americans have had to endure throughout history. This presentation, which should be repeated as much as possible, has the ability to be as timeless or important as the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” or the Spielberg film “Amistad.” Everyone on stage seemed very proud of non-existing prejudice, a prejudice that seems to have finally disappeared during this time of the first African-American presidency, four hundred years after slavery began.

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Sing for the Cure

Sing for the Cure
A Concert for Healing & Hope
Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International
Distinguished Concerts Singers International
Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium, New York, NY
June 6, 2010

DCINY

DCINY – Heartsongs- “Photo by Stefan Cohen/DCINY Production.”

This unusual concert was less a musical than an emotional event. The first of its two parts (each of which could have filled an entire program), was called “Heartsongs” and celebrated the life and poetry of Mattie Stepanek, who died just before his 14th birthday of a rare neuromuscular disease; his words were set to music by Joseph Martin. Pamela Martin Tomlinson provided the text for the second part, called “Sing for the Cure”: ten poems, linked by a narration, based on stories told by breast cancer survivors and the families of those who died. The musical settings were by ten composers: Michael Cox, Alice Gomez, Rosephanye Powell, Robert Seeley, Jill Gallina, Patti Drennan, Stefania de Kennessey, David Friedman, W.T Greer III, and Joseph Martin.

Receiving its world premiere, “Heartsongs” was performed by six children’s choruses from Texas, Mississippi and Tennesee, conducted competently but a bit phlegmatically by Stephen Roddy; “Sing for the Cure” featured four adult choruses from Ohio, Florida, Georgia, and Texas, conducted with enormous verve, authority and involvement by Timothy Seelig. Getting all these choruses from so many places together must have been a formidable undertaking. With their parts thoroughly learned, they congregated two days before the performance in New York, where the children’s and adults’ choirs each rehearsed for eight hours.

The children, singing from memory, were accompanied by a small orchestra, the adults by a huge one; its percussion section, manned by four players, contained not only five timpani of different sizes, but seemed to include every percussion instrument known to mankind. The stage was full to bursting, producing an impressive visual effect that was further enhanced by the singers’ clothes: the children’s were black, but, for reasons unexplained, a few boys wore silver vests; the adults’ were multi-colored; all wore long pink scarves.

The music, with its simple, semi-popular tunes usually doubled by voices and instruments would have been more at home in a Hollywood studio than a New York concert hall. Martin’s “Heartsongs” included adaptations of spirituals and a conflation of “Simple Gifts” with the famous theme from Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony. The vocal writing was almost entirely in unison; the majority of the songs were slow. In the second part, the unison was partly replaced by thirds and sixths, and there was more variety of tempo and character. The most successful songs were those derived from waltzes, blues, gospel shouts and jazz, with the singers swaying lustily to the rhythms. Numerous impressive soloists stepped out from the chorus, singly and in groups.

The orchestra was a tower of strength, offering solid, sensitive, but unobtrusive support. In addition to the percussionists, special praise is due to concertmaster Jorge Avila, who played many demanding, stratospheric solos brilliantly, and to pianist Russ Rieger, who provided what sounded like an improvised background to the second part’s narration, subtly modulating from one song to the next.

But there was no doubt that the evening’s primary impact came from its literary and human components. Mattie Stepanek’s “Heartsongs” were introduced by his mother, who is herself suffering from the same disease and came on stage in a wheelchair, with a ventilator, accompanied by her service dog. Mattie reportedly started writing poems at the age of three and never stopped. Expressing hope, faith, and a deep appreciation of nature and beauty, they were described as “inspirational” and were clearly “inspired” by what he heard from the people around him, who must have been extraordinary themselves. In addition to being sung, the poems were read and narrated by two famous rock stars, Nile Rodgers and Billy Gilman.

Pamela Tomlinson’s words were narrated by Rene Syler, a cancer survivor. They described the reactions of cancer patients to the various stages of their illness, and also the responses of their families to the roller-coaster of hope, despair and loss. Perhaps most wrenching were several sections focusing on mothers and children. In one, an adult daughter recounted a recurrent dream of being visited by the mother she lost as a child; it must have broken the hearts of everyone present, not only those who have lost a mother.

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by Edith Eisler  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Junior Chamber Music

Junior Chamber Music
Presented by Distinguished Concerts International -New York, DCINY
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 11, 2010

From the west side of the United States to the west side of Manhattan, an impressive bunch of students from southern California, all part of an organization called Junior Chamber Music –founded and directed by Susan Boettger—performed extremely well-prepared, well-chosen music at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. The concert was presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York.

One of the most impressive performances on the program was Schumann’s Piano Quintet (the last two movements)—not just for its ensemble excellence and finesse in notoriously tricky passages and transitions, but for all its musical insights. Individually, the students are quite young and inexperienced with this music—violinists Lucas Stratmann and Hao Zhao are middle school-aged, Iona Batchelder is a 6th grade cellist, and violist Amanda Lin and pianist Jessie Wang are high school freshman— but collectively, they had a rare unity of interpretation and sounded more professional than they probably knew they were capable. In the Scherzo, the many up-and-down scales—which can often sound tedious in student performances, were exquisitely shaped, and the second theme was tender, showing a mature contrast in tone quality and expression.

The Mendelssohn piano trios received plenty of exposure on the program—G. Theory and the Vision and NYC trios performed movements admirably—with pianist Weston Mizumoto a standout for his excellent finger work in the D minor’s technically demanding first movement. Two other favorites of the repertoire, the Brahms Opus 8 and the Arensky were also excellent choices and given passionate performances by the Brahms and Angeles Trios. Despite small intonation lapses and some ordinary phrasing, Trio con Lancio’s playing in Martinu’s excellent Sonata for Flute, Violin and Piano was solidly together throughout.

Swing Shift, by Kenji Bunch, was another highlight of the program. I can see why the inventive 4th and 6th movements were selected for this group. Violinist Paya Sarraf, cellist Alec Hon and pianist Primitivo Cervantes reveled in the music’s Rock-Minimalistic beats, and the audience was swinging along with them. Excellent ensemble-playing and some intonation difficulties permeated the CalDuo performance of Duos for Flute and Clarinet by Robert Muczynski, and Jack McFadden-Talbot’s Concern, in its world premiere, was—considering an older, more experienced group at hand— overly simple in its use of rhythm and counterpoint. The mezzo Hannah McDermott is a wonderful talent with a lovely, expressive voice; she was teamed-up with flutist Taylor Weary and pianist Leslie Wu for a very fine performance of three songs from Deepest Desire by Jake Heggie.

The chemistry was palpable between violinist Judith Yu and cellist Allan Hon in the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor (Variation movement); their physical gestures, vibrato, and bow strokes were always matching. They exuded a lush, professionally robust string sound and a finely-tuned sense of pitch. Renee Yang did an excellent job with the technical demands of the piano part, although she needs some more variety in her phrasing and dynamics. The group’s overall performance was engaging and polished, with well-timed transitions of tempo. Junior Chamber Music and all the ensembles on this program should be very proud of what they are accomplishing.

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by Anthony Aibel  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY