Cuarteto Rústico in Review

George Anthony Figueroa, violin
Ariadna Buonviri, violin
Cassandra Stephenson-Sulbarán, viola
Jorge Espinoza, cello
Hosack Hall, New York Academy of Medicine
December 9, 2011

This concert was presented by Musica de Camara, one of whose missions is to present concerts in non- traditional venues, so as to bring great music to under-served communities. Who knew that the New York  Academy of Medicine, located just south of the Museum of the City of New York at Fifth Avenue and E 103rd  Street, housed a wonderful auditorium? And although the armchairs and movie screen at the rear of the stage  indicted that music was not the primary focus of Hosack Hall, I found it a perfect place in which to hear this  fine performance by the Cuarteto Rústico.

The members of the quartet all have Latin American roots (Chile, Columbia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico) and  state as their mission “to promote the origins, history and culture of the Americas through its music.” They  also state that “folk, popular and classical music from Latin America is at the heart of their repertoire.” And  tonight’s concert was true to their mission. It began with a spirited performance of Silvestre Revueltas’ Sting  Quartet No.4, “Música de Feria.” In four quite short movements, this work is “a brash and rowdy picture of  a Mexican rural fair.” Yes, it is brash, rowdy and contains Mexican rhythms and melodies, but I found it a  typical example of quite forgettable twentieth-century “classical music.” I was, however, most impressed by the
playing of this fine quartet – a focused sound at all dynamic levels, beautiful phrasing, a perfect balance among  the instruments.

We then heard the String Quartet No.1 by Heitor Villa-Lobos, the Brazilian master whose music is anything  but forgettable. His harmonic language is unmistakable and quite beautiful, as heard in the first movement,  titled “Cantilena.” Many string quartets strive for a consistently blended, homogeneous sound, and when a  homophonic texture called for it, we heard such a sound from Cuarteto Rústico. But what I liked most about  the quartet’s playing was that each instrument retained its own color, making crystal clear the polyphonic web  which was present in so much to tonight’s music.

Popular music followed; an arrangement for string quartet of Antonio Jobim’s bossa nova, “Chega de  Saudade.” During this work, which went on just a bit too long for this listener, the quartet played with the same  intensity, clarity of texture and fine sound as in the previous “classical” works. The first half ended with Astor  Piazzolla’s “Fuga y Misteri,” an excerpt from the composer’s tango opera “Maria de Buenos Aires.”
After the intermission we heard the concert’s longest work, Mozart’s String Quartet in C Major, K.465. By the  way, it was erroneously listed on the program as String Quartet No.6. It is, however, the composer’s twenty-  second string quartet. The mistake arises from the fact that it is also the last of the six quartets Mozart dedicated  to Haydn and had published in 1785 as Opus 10, No.6. I felt that the tempi in the first and last movements  were too fast, which made for moments of insecure playing. And strangely, although they didn’t repeat the  first movement’s exposition, they did so in the fourth movement. (For my strong feelings about repeating the  exposition, see the second paragraph of my review of the Nov 3, 2011 concert by The Stone River Chamber  Players.)

The concert proper concluded with a wonderful performance of Jorge Figueroa’s jazzy “Salsa Clásica” for  String Quartet. It was followed by an encore recognized by most of the audience, Carlos Gardel’s “Por una  Cabeza.”

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by Harry Saltzman  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Kotaro Fukuma, Pianist in Review

Kotaro Fukuma, Pianist in Review
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
December 6, 2011
Kotaro Fukuma

Kotaro Fukuma

 

In a Weill Hall recital presented by New York Concert Artists and Associates, Kotaro Fukuma, who was born in Tokyo but now resides in Berlin, performed a beautifully varied program for a full house audience. The first half consisted of selections from Bach’s “Art of the Fugue” plus a work that was inspired by them: the Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 by Beethoven. The Beethoven has a fugal movement of its own, and Mr. Fukuma performed it–like the Bach–with great clarity of rhythmical articulation. Indeed, his technique is superb. I would have preferred a little more delineation of the fugal entrances—i.e. more dynamic contrast between the entrance and subsidiary counterpoint. There could also have been better phrasing in terms of showing the direction of the melodic line; for example, phrases beginning with a softer, lighter touch and ending with fuller climaxes.

In the second half, Fukuma confirmed his stellar technique with Liszt transcriptions. “Ab Irato” from “Grande Etude de Perfectionnement” was fantastic. “La Campanella” could have had more Romantic-period exaggeration of dynamics; like in earlier pieces, he needed to play with a more varying touch and bring more shape (crescendo and diminuendo phrasing) to the musical lines. He ended it brazenly and powerfully, however, with polished octaves that were as clean as a whistle. One became riveted by the music’s concluding dramatic intensity.

In Ligeti’s Book I Etudes (selections), Fukuma played with a wonderfully articulate left hand, and excellent all-around clarity of rhythm. In “Arc-en-Ciel”, he could have brought more dreaminess to the atmosphere. In general, more phrasing within the given dynamics and subtleties of color were missing, but his interpretation of “Automne a Varsovie” seemingly held the audience spellbound with its sudden flare-ups of high octane heat.

Sergei Liapounov’s music from the “Etudes d’execution transcendante”, Op. 11

displayed more of Fukuma’s technical strengths, with thunderous, blazing octaves. His encores (Chopin/Liszt: “Meine Freunden” and another Liapounov Etude) were equally impressive, as they were permeated with impeccable virtuosity. Come to think of it, he didn’t miss a note all evening.

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

Aglaia Koras pianist in Review

Aglaia Koras pianist in Review
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
November 29, 2011

Aglaia Koras

A large and most enthusiastic audience was on hand for this very demanding recital by Aglaia Koras. Works spanning over 150 years of music history, from Bach to Rachmaninoff were performed. She began with Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor, K. 397. My first impression was “too romantic,” as she used lots of pedal and much rubato. The “fantasy” aspects of this piece are built in and don’t need to be exaggerated to be clear. The final D Major section, however, was played with crystalline classical clarity. My curiosity was aroused. What would happen next?

And next were two Impromptus from Schubert’s Opus 90. In the first, No.3 in G-flat Major, we heard an example of a quality of Ms Koras’ playing which, for this listener, was the most memorable aspect of the recital – her beautiful legato playing of lyrical melodies. In addition, the left hand accompaniment, which is so often the weak point in performances of works by Schubert, possessed the same clarity we heard at the end of the Mozart.

What would be Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor be like? It was thrilling, one of the best performances I’ve heard of this work when played on the piano. In my notes I wrote of the Ms. Koras’ playing: “clear craziness.” I could have done without the exaggerated ritard at the end of the fantasy, but the fugue, which often sounds anticlimactic after the wildness which it follows, was played so that every line in the polyphonic web was clearly delineated – no mean feat.  Towards the end, however, things began to rush and seemed to get out of control, a problem which returned in some of the following works.

The first half concluded with Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata No.23 in F minor, Opus 57. The first and last movements suffered from rushing the already much too fast tempi. My notes said: “out of control.” So on the first half of the recital we saw both positive and negative aspects of Mr. Koras’ playing: beautiful singing legato melodies and clear passage work in both hands vs. rushing and choosing tempi which are so fast as to make everything a blur.  What would the second half bring?

During the Brahms Rhapsody in B minor, Opus 79, No.1 both the good and the bad were again present: a beautifully played middle section with its soft legato melody and clear accompaniment was preceded and followed by quite a mess. The following Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Opus posthumous was beautifully played, as one would now expect of a soft, lyrical piece on this recital. This is not to infer that Ms Koras does not have the technique to play loud and fast music. To the contrary. In many of tonight’s works she showed that when she chose a tempo that remained within the parameters suggested  by the structure of the music, she played forcefully with no loss of beauty in her sound or control over the clarity of the texture. In the Schubert E-flat Impromptu her finger work in rapid passages was perfect. She made a crescendo in the same Schubert that was breathtaking. But it was her choice of tempi (much too fast) and her inability to control them (rushing) that brought her to grief in the Beethoven, Brahms and in the recital’s final work, Chopin’s Sonata in B-flat minor, Opus 35. And yet, in the b section of the sonata’s funeral-march-third-movement we heard the evening’s most exquisite very, very soft and legato playing. The other movements just didn’t make sense.

Three Chopin encores (a waltz, the “Revolutionary” Etude and the Fantasy Impromptu) followed a tumultuous standing ovation.

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by Harry Saltzman  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Lloyd Arriola pianist in Review

Lloyd Arriola, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
November 20, 2011
 
Arriola Lloyd, pianist; Photo Credit by Kristin Hoebermann of Hoebermann Studios, New York

Arriola Lloyd, pianist; Photo Credit by Kristin Hoebermann of Hoebermann Studios, New York

 
 
 

Continuing the celebration of Franz Liszt’s 200th anniversary, Lloyd Arriola added his Weill Recital Hall debut to the festivities, bringing works to the table that are less than familiar to the average concertgoer. One could dedicate this entire review to Mr. Arriola’s bold and original programming, but the performer himself warrants full focus here; suffice it to say that the unconventional selections underscored the freshness that pervaded the recital in every way.

My first impression of Mr. Arriola was of his highly entertaining program notes, written in a conversational style with occasionally irreverent humor (e.g., a comparison of two of Liszt’s “sister” works to Wynonna and Ashley Judd), but always with expertise and insight. After decades of attending concerts, these are among the few sets of program notes I am actually tempted to save. I’d like to devote a separate article to this subject –how program notes should not read like a college theory essay or worse – but will meanwhile say that they do matter. Mr. Arriola “sells” his music, and it starts before the concert. The pianist’s biography, listing a doctorate from Juilliard and numerous performances as soloist, collaborator, and conductor, was similarly refreshing, avoiding the puffery one sees so often, but presenting the portrait of a working musician wearing many hats, all requiring top-notch skills. Following the biography was a page of grateful acknowledgments that would make an Oscar-winner blush.  If all this text painted the picture of Mr. Arriola as a passionate “people person” his first steps onstage confirmed it. Cheers greeted him before he played a note, not the work of a claque, but the intense, spontaneous outburst of many friends present.

In an instant summoning of concentration, Mr. Arriola took on an opener of Liszt’s “Grand solo de concert,” composed as a test piece for students at a Paris Conservatory competition in 1849. A test it is, chock full of every kind of technical stunt possible (and some impossible!), but Mr. Arriola handled it with polish and aplomb. It is a substantial and exhausting work, especially when played with the intensity given on this occasion, so one marveled not only at its choice (it is understandably neglected), but also at its placement as opening piece.

A hard act to follow, it was followed nonetheless by another neglected giant, Liszt’s Fantasia and Fugue on the Chorale “Ad nos, a salutarem undam” (Illustration No. 4 from Meyerbeer’s “Le Prophéte”) transcribed by Ferrucio Busoni. Here Mr. Arriola coupled his large-scale technique with an absolutely solid mastery of structure and difficult fugal writing. It was a dramatic performance – a rare combination of passion and extroversion with laser-sharp cerebral focus. Occasionally, I felt Mr. Arriola overplayed dynamically, producing some unduly harsh sounds along with some rather distracting foot stomping, but I would take his commitment any day over its opposite. The excitement of the evening was, after all, palpable.

After intermission came an assortment of what one might call curiosities. Liszt’s shortest composition “Prélude omnitonique” (about six seconds long) was summarized by the pianist’s announcement that “every birthday party deserves a gag gift.” All jokes aside, Liszt was in many ways a visionary (as one might see in a more serious vein in the “Bagatelle sans Tonalité” and other works), and a listener enjoyed this break from the pyrotechnics. After some laughter, the Prelude was replayed (a nice touch) as an introduction to “Vagyodas Amerika Utan” (“Longing for America”) by the late Liszt proponent Ervin Nyiregyhazi (1903-1987). It was a welcome discovery for those of us who know the name Nyiregyhazi mainly as a controversial pianistic figure. Also most welcome was Liszt’s introspective “En Rêve (1884-85) played with sensitivity. In addition we heard Fantasia in D (2011), a work Mr. Arriola commissioned from Harrison Gross, a 17-year-old student at the school where Arriola is a pianist. It was a touching gesture.

Liszt Magyar Rapszódia No. 12 (Heroïde élégiaque), an earlier version of the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5, closed the program with brilliance and spirit. An encore by the pianist cleverly fused Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me” with bits of Liszt’s Piano Concerto in E-flat (along with touches of Fats Waller and others). One could only guess that Liszt, the quintessential performer, would have approved. The audience certainly did.

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

Adam Gyorgy Pianist in Review

 Adam Gyorgy  pianist in Review
Stern Auditorium at  Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
November 13, 2011
 
Adam Gyorgy

Adam Gyorgy

 It is a testament to the gifts of Franz Liszt that, well into this year of countless 200th anniversary commemorative concerts, Liszt’s music still emerges as the inexhaustible treasure that it is. Having given several all-Liszt recitals just a few weeks ago, I had some hesitation about this assignment to review a Liszt program, but my faith in the diverse repertoire and acceptance of a wide variety of interpretive styles won out. As it has always seemed to me more meaningful to be reviewed by musicians with genuine experience in the repertoire being performed, that belief also helped offset any reservations. After all, a pianist is often the best judge of what sets (or doesn’t set) another pianist apart.

Adam Gyorgy is a young Hungarian pianist whose publicity sets him apart long before one enters the concert hall. Eye-catching photographs of the athletic Mr. Gyorgy in various exuberant action poses are matched by a biography that, in addition to the expected litany of credentials, traces his performing life to his early childhood tendency of drawing houses upside down, in consideration of the perceptions of others across a table. One imagines it was the same extroverted spirit that spurred the 2009 founding of his Adam Gyorgy Castle Academy in his native Hungary, also an effort to “give back” after all the help he received in his youth. Judging from Sunday’s performance, Mr. Gyorgy has much to give – it is only a question of how best to do it.

Starting from the high points, Gyorgy closed the evening by bringing brilliance and élan to a work that has been beset with kitschy associations for almost a century, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. While there are other works that offer a much nobler example of Liszt’s output, Gyorgy’s fresh and engaging performance dispelled preconceptions. Moving backwards from this last programmed work (in upside-down-house fashion), one enjoyed an excellent performance of Liszt’s La Campanella from the Paganini Etudes. Sure-fingered and seemingly effortless, this performance also had the greatest tonal and dynamic range of the evening. It seems Mr. Gyorgy has lived with both this Etude and the Rhapsody, and they could easily become “signature” pieces.

Preceding these last two pieces, Liszt’s Rigoletto paraphrase was delivered with polish and confidence, but it was not set apart from the standard that one has come to expect, technically and interpretively, from any number of today’s young conservatory graduates. A similar impression was left by the pianist’s straitlaced performance of Chopin’s Ballade in G minor, which also seemed somewhat anomalous on this Liszt tribute program, despite the fact that Liszt and Chopin were contemporaries.

What was more puzzling, though, was that Mr. Gyorgy chose to play the Chopin (or anything for that matter) directly after Liszt’s epic B Minor Sonata (the recital having no intermission), making the latter masterpiece somehow a mere prelude to increased brilliance. It seemed a disservice to both Chopin and Liszt to juxtapose them this way.  Some pianists (perhaps those who are trying to see and hear things from a lay audience perspective – the upside-down house) find the Liszt’s quiet ending problematic and awkward, hastening to follow it with more instantly gratifying works; even an untutored audience, however, can be trusted to grasp the depth of its final utterances and savor the silence. Perhaps this is a case for building the metaphorical house from the ground up and letting the audience come inside – there is integrity in that. An intermission would have helped.

What matched the Sonata’s minimized role on the program was the understated performance itself, subdued to the point where my companion asked whether there was a problem with the piano. The work seemed never to catch fire, with climaxes in the score (some marked triple forte) emerging muffled and monochromatic. The inherent wrestling and storming in this highly dramatic work were absent, while phrases needing to be ponderous or prescient became moderate and Mendelssohnian. Having encountered literally hundreds of renditions of this work, live and recorded, I found it difficult to embrace this one. The notes were mostly there, with admirably few smudges (not exactly unusual these days), but I needed more.

The recital’s opening “Improvisation” by Mr. Gyorgy did not help set up the Liszt either. Full of repeated primary harmonies in a sedate, New Age-type style, it seemed to dull the acute type of listening that the ensuing motivically complex Sonata requires. While quite pretty and delicately shaded, it bathed one’s ears in a wash of somewhat facile diatonic “heaven” that rendered almost meaningless the hard-won apotheosis of Liszt’s thirty minutes of high Romantic grappling. All in all, I will be eager to hear Mr. Gyorgy’s very promising playing again, but hopefully with more effective programming and more personally compatible repertoire choices.

An encore of the Liszt-Mendelssohn Wedding March (not the popular Horowitz version, but an extended transcription seeming to borrow from it) concluded the concert with spirit and humor.

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

The Stone River Chamber Players in Review

The Stone River Chamber Players in Review
Lynn Rice-See, piano
Andrea Dawson, violin
Christine Kim, cello
Todd Waldecker, clarinet
Steinway Hall, New York, NY
November 3, 2011

 
 

The Stone River Chamber Players is an ensemble-in-residence in the School of Music at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murphreesboro, Tennessee. Four of the eighteen members of the ensemble performed on tonight’s concert, which was called “An Evening in New York.” It was the ensemble’s New York debut and was attended by many MTSU alumni, who were celebrating the University’s 100th anniversary.

The concert began with the first of the evening’s three piano trios, Beethoven’s Trio in B flat Major for Clarinet, Violoncello and Piano, Opus 11. The performers, clarinetist Todd Waldecker, cellist Christine Kim and pianist Lynn Rice-See all exhibited a fine sense of ensemble, a trait we heard throughout the evening. Mr. Waldecker and Ms. Kim also played with fine intonation. I was quite surprised when the first movement’s exposition was not repeated. These repeats are not ad libitum, but are an essential part of the musical structure; eliminating them throws the balance of the movement out of kilter.  So often, repeats are omitted because of doubts as to the audience’s attention span. But a performer’s primary responsibility is to the composer, and doubts about an audience cannot justify ignoring the composer’s explicit instruction. The opening theme of the second movement was beautifully played by each of the performers. The third movement is a set of variations on the aria “Pria ch’io l’impegno” (“Before I go to work”) from an opera then popular in Vienna by Joseph Weigl. I found the variations quite funny, with sweet, angry, mock serious and heroic treatments of the tune. But the performers didn’t bring out the humor I think Beethoven intended, and gave a technically proficient but bland performance. By the way, a translation of the entire first line of the aria is “Before I go to work, I must have something to eat.”

Aram Khachaturian’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1932), a pleasant work full of orientalisms, followed. During this work violinist Andrea Dawson played with fine intonation and exhibited the same strong sense of ensemble as did her colleagues during their playing of the Beethoven.

After a short pause came the evening’s longest work, Schubert’s monumental Trio in B flat Major for Violin, Violoncello and Piano, D.898. The performers played the opening theme with great passion. But again, the exposition was not repeated.  In the second movement, a study in the use of the appoggiatura, in most phrases the string players gave more weight to the final consonant note than to the dissonant note which preceded it. This is backwards – one leans upon (Italian: appoggiare) the dissonant note and relaxes on the final consonance. Not doing this weakens the arch of the phrase. And in the third and fourth movements, the music just didn’t dance enough.

The audience loved the performances by these obviously excellent instrumentalists.  But I would have hoped for more inequality to the weight of the downbeats, more shape (forward thrust followed by relaxation) to the phrases.  It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of most audiences are not consciously aware of the things I felt warranted what I hope will be taken as constructive criticisms. This is an example of the disparity which often exists between what the musically trained reviewer writes about and what the audience experiences. It also should be noted that while one can praise in a few words, criticisms rarely take less than a few sentences to express.

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by Harry Saltzman  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Michael Kelly, Baritone in Review

Michael Kelly, Baritone in Review
Jonathan Ware, pianist
Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY
October 24, 2011
Michael Kelly

Michael Kelly

After the first of the five Schubert songs which began this recital, it was easy to see why Michael Kelly was Joy in Singing’s 2011 Award winner. In “Hoffnung” he exhibited all of the qualities one looks for during an evening of song – a strong and communicative stage presence, beauty of tone in all registers, clear diction and, most important for this reviewer, careful attention to expressing the meaning of the words. This latter skill was especially evident during the strophic songs, that is, songs in which Schubert sets each verse of a poem to the same music (“Drang in die Ferne,” “Frühlingsglaube,” and the aforementioned “Hoffnung.) Mr. Kelly’s subtle changes of tone color, volume and articulation made the meaning of each verse clear.  During the fourth song, “Versunken,” pianist Jonathan Ware shone with his crystal-clear rapid scales. His subtle accompaniments were equally impressive during the other songs. It was during this fast fourth song that Mr. Kelly exhibited a slight flaw that I find present in many a baritone Lieder singer – it was often hard to tell the pitch of many of the loud fast notes, as they sounded more “barked” than sung. This sound is acceptable when it is used sparingly to express a word or a thought.  But it happened too often for that to be the reason. This was, however, a tiny flaw in what was a beautifully sung program.

I always arrive at concerts early so that I can have time to decompress after the subway journey and then read the program notes before the concert begins.  Upon reading the notes written by Mr. Kelly it became clear that his sexual orientation, his “journey to self-acceptance,” his coming out, his feelings of solidarity with others who have experienced what he has – all of these influenced his choice of the music for this concert. Whether it is appropriate to express such personal matters in the program notes of Joy in Singing’s 2011 Award Concert is not going to be part of my review. But I’m afraid I must comment about a statement Mr. Kelly made about Schubert – “I combed through nearly all of his over 600 songs to find poems that could express my journey to self-acceptance and eventually the ability to love in the way my heart was demanding.” All well and good, but it should be noted that the subjects of the poems set by Schubert are universal – love, loss and loneliness, for instance. Mr. Kelly continues – “In collecting these songs I often wondered if Schubert himself chose these poems for the reason I did.” To this reviewer, such speculation about the sexual orientation of a dead composer is prurient and irrelevant.

“Love Remained,” a setting by Ben Moore (b.1960) of three speeches by men active in the gay rights movement and a poem by Mr. Kelly followed. It was given an impassioned performance.

 After the intermission we first heard six songs by American composers. Two of them, “Fur” and “George,” were from William Bolcom’s “Cabaret Songs.” As the name of the collection infers, they were in a very accessible pop-style, as was Kurt Weill’s “Schickelgruber.” By the way, I think any song about Hitler (he changed his name from Schickelgruber) is in very bad taste. Isn’t that the premise of Mel Brook’s “The Producers?” And Mr. Kelly’s program note (“I chose this song as a reminder that power is wielded over others based on how they are perceived more than how apt they are to use it.”) did not change my mind. All three of the light songs were sung with the same high level of musicianship and fine sense of style as were the evening’s more serious songs. Mr. Ware was again an equal partner in the performances. The evening’s one overtly homoerotic song was Ned Rorem’s setting of a selection from Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.” The most moving performances in this set were of two slow songs, Ben Moore’s “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” and Erich Korngold’s “Tomorrow.”

 The concert concluded with Francis Poulenc’s “Tel Jour Telle Nuit,” settings of nine poems by the symbolist poet, Paul Eluard. After very long and fervent applause we heard two beautifully sung and beautifully played encores, both slow and expressive – Rachmaninoff’s “In the Silence of the Secret Land” and Samuel Barber’s “Oh Boundless, Boundless Night.”

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by Harry Saltzman  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony in Review
“Sublime Journeys”: Britten, Richard Strauss and Beethoven
David Bernard, conductor
David Chan, violin
Tamra Paselk, soprano
All Saints Church, New York, NY
October 23, 2011
"David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony" Photo: Jennifer Taylor

"David Bernard conducting the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony" Photo: Jennifer Taylor

 

In a program entitled “Sublime Journeys,” David Bernard and The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony presented varied, challenging repertory with excellent soloists on display, and they succeeded with flying colors. Strauss’s “Death and Transfiguration,” a meaningful choice for this beautiful space, was a real triumph. This masterpiece demands virtuosity and creates challenges for top-tier ensembles, and the orchestra rose to the occasion with superb playing all around. Bernard, who conducted from memory, brought raw, dramatic intensity to the urgent sections, while conducting the noble transfiguration theme with utmost tenderness and lovely, sustained pacing. Balances were unusually clear, considering the church’s resonant acoustics; Bernard found ways to bring out woodwind details, and the brass shined with solid, blended playing. Concertmaster David Edelson’s solo-playing was rendered with conviction here, the violas were excellent, and the solo oboe playing was scintillatingly beautiful. The only disappointing moments were the bassoon’s and clarinets’ subpar intonation in the introduction and a rhythmically rough transition to the development section; yet, the notoriously treacherous triplet passage in the violins was executed very well indeed.

The program opened with soprano Tamra Paselk singing a consistently evocative, engrossing account of Britten’s “Les Illuminations”, Op. 18. In every single movement, she revealed nuances of character and color with her dramatic acting and gorgeous voice. The orchestra got off to a good start, with very solid, precise violas. The high, exposed writing in the first violins and solo violin part sounded approximate at times, but the balance between soprano and orchestra was perfect, as Paselk could be heard at every turn.

David Chan played with poised brilliance and profound integrity in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, which concluded the program. And the orchestra was supportive and precise throughout. Although one could call Chan’s performance amazing for its virtuosity, the most memorable aspect of his performance was his heartfelt rendering of the slow movement and all the movements’ lyrical phrases at the top of the register. Chan always put the meaning of the notes first and their accuracy a close second; his priorities are in order, like a great artist’s should be, and we ended up witnessing an interpretation that was both technically polished and sublime.

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

The Mirror Visions Ensemble in Review

The Mirror Visions Ensemble in Review
Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY
October 23, 2011
Mirror Visions Ensemble

Mirror Visions Ensemble

The name “mirror vision” refers to the ensemble’s initial interest in performing multiple settings of a single text. One such “mirror vision” was performed on this concert. We also heard two commissioned works, something which has become an important part of the ensemble’s mission. Many of The Mirror Visions Ensemble’s concerts have a unifying theme; tonight’s program was called “Aphrodite and Athena: A Portrait in Music of Isabella Stewart Gardner.” It was introduced by the ensemble’s artistic director, Tobé Malawitsa. As is most often the case with pre-performance speeches, it was too long, and was delivered in a somewhat disorganized fashion which did not compare favorably with the well-prepared musical performances which followed. In addition, some of the comments were just a rehash of the program notes. But I am happy to report that the comments and readings which Ms. Malawitsa offered between the concert’s sets were interesting, cogent, and skillfully delivered. On the other hand, I am not happy to report that throughout the concert the house lights were so low as to make it almost impossible to read the texts and translations in the printed program. It is strange that, after going to the trouble of printing the texts and translations, a little time during the dress rehearsal wasn’t set aside to make sure that there would be enough light in the house so that the  audience could comfortably read  them. It is also strange that, after attempting to break down the “wall between audience and performers” with a chatty pre-concert speech, the “wall” was reconstructed by performing on a brightly lit stage to a darkened audience.

 The four members of The Mirror Visions Ensemble (soprano Vira Slywotsky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritone Jesse Blumberg and pianist Alan Darling) are all wonderful performers, as we heard during the recital’s solo songs. Not only do all the singers have fine voices and clear diction, they use these attributes skillfully in communicating the meaning of the words. However the lack of light, which made reading the translations impossible, effectively foiled their valiant efforts. I loved the way they worked as an ensemble during the concert’s three commissioned works (two by Christopher Berg and one by Scott Wheeler) and in Mr. Wheeler’s “The Stairway of Jade.” Most impressive was how, during consonant chordal passages, they eliminated the warm vibrato which served them well as soloists so as to enable us to hear with clarity what chords they were singing. And Alan Darling is an extraordinary accompanist – both supportive and, where called for, virtuosic. His playing during Henri Duparc’s “Le gallop” and Joaqin Nin’s “Malagueña” was especially memorable.

The concert began and ended with commissioned works by Christopher Berg. We first heard “Incominciam,” a setting of part of Canto II of Dante’s “Inferno.” It is skillfully written in an accessible, mildly dissonant language which is leavened by consonant chords. I especially enjoyed the concert’s closing work, Mr. Berg’s “En Paz,” a setting of a poem by Amando Nervo. Built on an ostinato bass, which the composer told me “wanders,” its rhythmic and harmonic language delightfully reflects the poet’s Mexican heritage.

The other commissioned work was Scott Wheeler’s “Letters to Isabella,” settings for solo singer and piano of letters to Ms. Gardner. The first, from Henry James, was recitative-like while the second and third were rather cute settings of whimsical letters from the poet Paul Bourget and Ms. Gardner’s spiritual mentor, Kakuzo Okakura. This was followed another work by Mr. Wheeler, ”The Stairway of Jade,” a setting of a poem by Mr. Okakura. Both Mr. Berg and Mr. Wheeler are very kind to singers as they write idiomatically for the voice.

Care must be taken when putting together a program with a theme, because one is often tempted to choose pieces just because they fit the theme rather than for their musical merit. Of the eighteen works we heard tonight, only four are, in my opinion, of lasting musical interest. (I exclude the works of Mr. Berg and Mr. Wheeler because, as Zhou Enlai said when asked about the impact of the 1968 students’ riots in Paris: “It’s too soon to say.”) The others are ok, but four out of fifteen is not the ratio I look when attending a concert.

And as to the four works of lasting musical merit, the evening’s finest solos were Jesse Blumberg’s masterful performances of “Die Mainacht” by Brahms and “Im Abendrot” by Schubert, and Vira Slywotsky’s rendition with thrilling high notes of Debussy’s “Musique.” The concert’s highpoint was Monteverdi’s “Zefiro torna,” performed with verve and technical precision by Scott Murphree and Jesse Blumberg. No mind that it was too fast (the syncopations in the bass ostinato were not clear at the chosen tempo) and that Mr. Darling’s virtuosic continuo realization (in the transposed key of G flat!) was not quite baroque. This was memorable music making.

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by Harry Saltzman  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

American Symphony Orchestra in Review

American Symphony Orchestra in Review
Leon Botstein, Conductor
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall; New York, NY
October 21, 2011
American Symphony Orchestra

American Symphony Orchestra; Photo Credit: Jito Lee

  

One thing you can’t fault the American Symphony Orchestra for is lack of ambitious programming. The two hour long concert that they presented included virtuosic orchestrations of Bach chorales; preludes and fugues by Max Reger, Arnold Schoenberg and Wolfgang Gräser; as well as three fiendishly difficult fugues by Lyonel Feininger, and Schoenberg’s “Variations for Orchestra”, Op. 31.

However, once the concert began, it became clear that the ASO had bit off slightly more than they could chew. In much of the Bach, including O Mensch, Bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross, section entrances were timid and the beginnings and endings of phrases were scraggly and uncoordinated. Leon Botstein’s conducting did little to alleviate the ensemble’s problems; alternately vague and abrupt, his gestures often appeared ill-suited to the sweeping, legato character of the Bach. Intonation problems in the bass and viola sections abounded. There also appeared to be a discrepancy among the string players about the use of vibrato throughout the works by Bach, with some players employing lush, romantic vibrato and other players using none at all. In Bach’s Prelude and Fugue BWV 552, “St. Anne,” the principal cellist played out of tune and appeared to lose his place within the solo.  

The concertmaster’s solos, in contrast, were effortlessly brilliant. Her understated style of leadership also deserves recognition. Unlike many concertmasters that overplay and spoil the homogeneity of the orchestral texture in their zeal to lead, she gave an excellent, assertive example for her section to follow while always respecting the character of the music.

Quite strangely, when the ASO played Feininger’s Three Fugues, arguably more demanding both technically and interpretively than any of the Bach, the ensemble suddenly sparkled. Their sound came alive, their intonation improved remarkably and Botstein’s conducting seemed perfectly attuned to the repertoire and the needs of his ensemble. Feininger’s musical architecture was intelligently presented, with sensitive dynamic interplay that allowed each line to be heard clearly. Fugue III- Gigue opened beautifully with a gossamer pizzicato motif and ethereal quality which recalled the Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Schoenberg’s Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31, was similarly spellbinding and well performed. Although it was written during the height of his 12-tone period, the piece is still somewhat lyrical. The program, which seemed designed for the conservatory student with a penchant for atonal or complex music, was daring in its ambitiousness and cleverly-found continuity by utilizing many fugues or fugue-like pieces such as the Variations, which even incorporates the Bach motif (a succession of notes that quotes his name). However, the evening was far too long and dense for most audience members to digest. By the middle of the second half, many eyes appeared glazed-over. “No more Schoenberg, please!”, a lady muttered as she left. Perhaps the American Symphony Orchestra should take pity on their audiences (and musicians!) and intersperse their next concert with some lighter fare.

 –Holly Nelson for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

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by nyconcertreview  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY