Ensemble 212 and Multicultural Sonic Evolution (MuSE) present Voices in Harmony
Ensemble 212- Kyunghun Kim and Yoon Jae Lee, conductors
MuSE Chorus- Yuti Kitamura and Hirona Amamiya, choral directors
Julia Gebhardt, soprano; Mio Kanehara, mezzo-soprano; Christian Davakis, tenor; Jeffrey Goble, baritone
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, New York, NY
May 20, 2015
Ensemble 212, a New York based orchestra, and Multicultural Sonic Evolution (MuSE) joined forces on May 20, 2015, in presenting a concert entitled Voices in Harmony. Featuring two world premieres, performances by Co-Grand Prize Winners of the Ensemble 212 2014-15 Young Artist Competition, William Chen and Alyssa Kim, a selection from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass, it was a program with “something for everyone.” The combination of these two fine ensembles proved to be an inspired pairing. Kyunghun Kim and Yoon Jae Lee conducted.
While this review will cover the entire event, the primary focus will be on the conductor Kyunghun Kim. This reviewer has had the pleasure of reviewing Mr. Kim’s work in the past (Kyunghun Kim,conductor in review) and was looking forward to hearing his work with Ensemble 212 and MuSE.
Mr. Kim took the podium for the first half of the program. Leading off with Mozart’s C major Mass, K. 317, the Coronation, he led a well-conceived and tautly executed performance. The orchestra playing was crisp and precise, balance between chorus and orchestra was excellent, and the four soloists were uniformly outstanding in their roles. It was a fine start to the night. The Song and Chorus from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a charming piece – at times witty, and at other moments poignant. Mr. Kim gave this short, light-hearted work the same attention to detail as he did the Mozart. Ending the half was the world premiere of Song for the Earth, which was introduced by the composer, Yui Kitamura (b. 1983). In her excitement and obvious enthusiasm, Ms. Kitamura spoke much too quickly and not quite loudly enough for one to get the maximum understanding about her piece. Song for the Earth is a highly effective combination of the folk sounds and harmonies of the East co-mingling with those of the West. The text for the chorus is in Japanese and suggests that we ask the Earth to be temperate and indulge us (the human race) with patience and understanding. Mr. Kim proved again to be striving to the utmost to explore all the subtleties in a fine reading of this interesting work.
Upon hearing Mr. Kim in 2012 with a non-professional orchestra, this reviewer had found his conducting style to be extremely physically demonstrative, not surprisingly. One might have expected a more economical approach with these more accomplished players, however Mr. Kim maintains the same expansive and expressive style that served him well in my last encounter with him at the helm. He is a fully involved and extroverted leader, with a gift for nurturing developing ensembles and coaxing extra effort from highly skilled players.
After intermission, Yoon Jae Lee took the podium to lead the second half. The first work, Orche-mino, (another world premiere) was introduced by Texu Kim (b.1980), the composer. The title is a contraction of “orchestra” and “domino”, and the work itself was inspired by a YouTube video of domino tricks. The video Insane Domino Tricks (click to view) was projected as the work was played. The music cleverly captured the various tricks in what was a whimsical three-and-half-minute romp.
While the stage was being readied for the young soloists, Mr. Lee explained that Ensemble 212 uses a multimedia approach to reach a wide audience. Definitions and explanations of basic music terms and forms in simple language, background information about the composition being played, and interesting facts about the composer are projected on a screen as the works are being played. This is an approach I find myself to be much in favor of, and would like to see it utilized more often.
The co-winners of the Ensemble 212 2014-15 Young Artist Competition, eleven-year-old William Chen, who played the first movement of Chopin’s F minor Piano Concerto, and fourteen year old Alyssa Kim, who played the finale of Saint-Saens’s Third Violin Concerto, are talents to watch in the coming years. Mr. Lee was an attentive and steadying influence for the young soloists.
Kyunghun Kim returned to lead an encore of Amazing Grace, which to this listener was too hackneyed in its “showstopper” arrangement. The audience members were encouraged to sing along, which many did. Conductors, composers, and soloists joined together for well-deserved bows from the appreciative audience.
