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International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

The Eighth International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

Indianapolis, Indiana

September, 2010

Clara-Jumi Kang; Gold Medalist-Photo Credit: Denis R. Kelly Jr.

The Eighth Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, which is one of the world’s most important, uniquely versatile competitions, recently held its final rounds with concerto performances by six Laureates and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Throughout most of September, 2010, there were many informative violin demonstrations, forums, showcases, recitals, performances, interviews and pre-concert lectures, and after an extremely fascinating display and comparison of old and new violins by Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Zachary De Pue—with voting by the audience (the public chose a 1717 Stradivari that is coincidentally owned by juror and world renowned violinist Cho-Liang Lin)—jury President Jaime Laredo announced the winners. The Gold Medal was awarded to 23 year-old Clara-Jumi Kang from South Korea/Germany. Silver and Bronze medals were also awarded this year, with the Silver Medal going to 25 year-old Korean Soyoung Yoon and the Bronze Medal going to young American Benjamin Beilman, only 20 years of age and studying at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.

Soyoung Yoon; Silver Medalist-Photo Credit: Denis R. Kelly Jr.

I enjoyed Beilman’s Sibelius Concerto immensely; it sweeped certain tired traditions clean. His phrases were shaped with distinct dynamic and tone-color contrasts, and there was an unusual longing and mystery to his interpretation, bringing simplicity and an honesty of spirit to the score I had never heard before. Because of that, I thought there was a chance he would be awarded the top prize. But because of some slight slips in the last movement and because other stages of the competition are taken into account, I thought Clara-Jumi Kang, who played the Beethoven Violin Concerto with sublime purity of tone and a fantastic precision for pitch and rhythm, would place very high. The choice of Beethoven instead of other concertos that might show more flashy virtuosic brilliance was a brave one, and it paid off for Kang, who won the Gold plus five special prizes. In the Beethoven concerto, she displayed the perfect balance of Classical Period simplicity and early Romantic expression—very difficult to accomplish for such a young violinist who wants to impress in competition. What she was able to show—above all else—was her extraordinary musicianship for her age, or any age for that matter. The slow movement, a daunting task in the high range of the instrument, is something which prevents many violinists from taking on this concerto. She performed it with sublime beauty. Beilman, incidentally, did win special prizes for best performance of a Bach work and for best performance of a Mozart Sonata.

Benjamin Beilman; Bronze Medalist-Photo Credit: Denis R. Kelly Jr.

I guessed on target with regards to the Silver medal and the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th place Laureates. Silver medalist Soyoung Yoon was as solid as a rock in her performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. She nailed all the octave and arpeggiated passages—plus the up-bow spiccato and double-stop passage work. She has a very rich, resonant middle range, though oddly her low G-String and very high range didn’t project as well. There was some monotony in this powerhouse performance; the playing needed more contrasting tone and dynamics, and more gradual pacing of the phrasing. 20 year-old Chinese violinist, Haoming Xie, was the Fourth Place Laureate—but he did win two special prizes for best violin-piano sonata (other than Beethoven) and best Ysaye Sonata performance. His playing in the Tchaikovsky concerto had lovely tempo contrasts, dynamic and tone variation, and sensitivity to peaks of phrases that were all lacking in 6^th place Laureate and Russian violinist Andrey Baranov’s performance of that same concerto. Baranov, who unfortunately rushed quickly through the Tchaikovsky with some indifference, had a very lush sound that was hard to dislike, but—as with some of the other laureates— it didn’t often vary away from that.

The 29 year-old Hungarian Antal Szalai, who placed Fifth, performed the difficult Bartok violin Concerto No. 2 with technical brilliance, but with nothing really unique to say with regards to color, dynamic expansion or a true sense of the Hungarian style with all its freedoms—and didn’t come close to past Indianapolis Gold medalists Barnabas Kelemen and Augustin Hadelich, who played this very work in the Indianapolis finals when they won in 2002 and 2006 respectively. Kelemen and Hadelich are both doing extremely well, incidentally. Hadelich recently performed as soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra, and Kelemen will be making his London Philharmonic debut. The major successes and exposure of these recent Indianapolis Gold medalists is reaching new plateaus; the winners prior to 2002 have been very successful, but more as recitalists and chamber musicians. Kyoko Takezawa, the 1986 Gold Laureate, enjoys a great solo career, playing with many major orchestras, though less-so recently. Ida Kavafian, a Silver medalist from 1982, is a highly successful chamber musician. There are even prominent orchestral musicians, as in the case of Juliette Kang (1994 Gold) who plays in the Philadelphia Orchestra, and David Chan—an American Bronze medalist from 1994—who is co-concertmaster at the MET. An American has never won gold in this competition’s history, although 6 out of the 8 competitions over the last 28 years have produced a third-place American winner.

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, which is an important fixture at this competition and is most often associated with its venerable music director and conductor laureate Raymond Leppard, played with much sensitivity and enthusiasm, and they clapped appreciatively after every performance. Samuel Wong conducted two Tchaikovsky concertos and two Sibelius Concertos with great awareness to the varying details in each soloist’s interpretation; he did a fantastic job. The Hilbert Circle Theater is an acoustical gem, producing a natural, needed warmth and amplification to the Indianapolis string sound. Acoustical help aside, the strings have improved under its new concertmaster, Zachary De Pue.

The backgrounds of the Laureates give a clear indication of the high level and experience required to become a finalist. Gold Medalist Clara-Jumi Kang started violin and piano lessons at the age of three and entered the Mannheim Musikhochschule at the age of four. At the age of seven, she auditioned at The Juilliard School where she was accepted with a full scholarship. Her numerous prizes in international competitions include First Prize at the 2010 Sendai International Violin Competition, Second Prize at the 2009 Hannover International Violin Competition, and First Prize at the 2009 Seoul International Violin Competition. Clara-Jumi is currently studying under Nam Yun Kim at the Korean National University of Arts where she was accepted as one of the youngest college students. Silver Medalist Soyoung Yoon received her first violin lesson at the age of five in her native South Korea. She was a prizewinner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. She also received Grand Prize at the Odessa International David Oistrakh Violin Competition and First Prize at the Menuhin International Violin Competition in 2002. Soyoung has toured as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Asia and Europe. Previously a student at the Musikhochschule Köln, she is currently studying at the Zurich University of Arts in Switzerland.

Bronze Medalist Benjamin Beilman has appeared as a guest soloist with the Philadelphia, Detroit, and New Mexico symphony orchestras and is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. He won First Prize at the 2010 Montreal International Music Competition, First Prize and the Bach Prize at the 2009 Corpus Christi International String Competition, and was the Gold Medalist at the 2007 Stulberg International String Competition. A featured artist at the Marlboro Music Festival since age 17, he joins Musicians from Marlboro on tour in 2011. Benjamin currently attends The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. 4^th Place Laureate Haoming Xie began studying violin at six and was admitted to Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 2008. He has won numerous awards including Second Prize at the China National Violin Competition and Fourth Prize at the Qingdao International Violin Competition. Haoming has soloed with orchestras throughout China and abroad. In 2009, Haoming performed in Brussels to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

5^th Place Laureate Antal Szalai first began his violin studies at the age of five. Since then, Antal has performed with such orchestras as the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic among many others. At age 15, he was invited to perform for the gala concert to celebrate Yehudi Menuhin’s 80th birthday. Antal will make his Viennese debut in 2010 at the famed Musikverein with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Szalai was a Laureate at the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and First Prize winner at both the Lipizer and Valsesia Musicale international violin competitions. 6^th Place Laureate Andrey Baranov was born in Leningrad and began studying violin at the age of five. The recipient of numerous competition prizes, Andrey won Second Prize in the Sendai International Violin Competition, First Prize at the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition, and First Prize at the Marteau International Violin Competition. Andrey has performed with such orchestras as the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic in London among others. Andrey studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and is currently enrolled at the Conservatory in Lausanne, Switzerland where he is an assistant to Pierre Amoyal. Andrey performs on a violin by Andrea Guarneri (1682).

The 2010 Jury—in addition to the aforementioned Jury President Jaime Laredo and Cho Liang-Lin—included Pamela Frank, Rodney Friend, Yuzoko Horigome, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Boris Kuschnir, Mihaela Martin (the competition’s first Gold Medal Laureate back in 1982), and Joel Smirnoff. The competition’s prizes are wonderfully lavish and extremely appealing to all that enter, making this competition a necessity for the violinist who wants to make a major mark. As the Gold Medal Laureate, Clara-Jumi Kang will receive $30,000 dollars—plus $5,000 in special prizes, a likely four-year loan of the 1683 ex-Gingold Stradivari violin, a gold mounted Tourte-Voirin bow, an opportunity to record a CD for Naxos, a 24-Karat gold medal and a Carnegie Hall recital. I look forward to hearing her here on 57^th street. The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis is consistently proving that the world of the violin—and indeed classical music itself would be a much smaller, less informed and less fortunate place without it.

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

Opening Night of The New York Philharmonic

Alan Gilbert, music director and conductor

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Wynton Marsalis, director and trumpet

Opening Night

Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

September 22, 2010

Wynton Marsalis – Photo Credit: Julie Skarratt

On the first concert of the Lincoln Center Fall season, the New York Philharmonic performed Strauss’s Don Juan, a most difficult score (it is used to audition string players for almost every orchestra), with supreme virtuosic strength and confidence, sounding as good as any top ensemble who has ever played it. Music Director Alan Gilbert’s tempos and pacing were perfect as usual, translating the composer’s intentions rather than trying to sauce it up with a personal interpretation, as his predecessor often did. Gilbert is not a showman; he is an honest man at the podium. Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (the title is practically longer than the piece itself) was never milked for the sake of pandering to an audience, and Gilbert once again stayed true to the composer’s tempo markings and dynamics. As a result, the work and the orchestra’s playing were stirring and brilliant, and the delicate gem of a slow movement was played with just the right simplicity and tenderness.

Wynton Marsalis’ 45-minute Swing Symphony (in its US premiere) is about 30 minutes too long to be a concert piece. All the extended jazz riffs and solos take time away from the Philharmonic, which often served as an accompaniment. The moments that did integrate the orchestra were derivative of blues found in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess or the raucous elements of the Mambo from West Side Story— to name a couple possible influences. The prevalent, virtuosic solo playing by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra was always outstanding, however, and the audience clearly appreciated Mr. Marsalis’ playing and tremendous artistic effort here. One of the movements, which was played at the Berlin Philharmonic world premiere, was cut out of this US premiere—due to time allotment for the PBS telecast, but next season, the Philharmonic will play the symphony in its entirety. If anything, Gilbert should figure out ways to convince Marsalis to cut out more. And if that can’t be done, Marsalis needs to incorporate the symphony orchestra a lot more. I still think the concept of bringing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic together is a good one; after all, expanding audiences and enriching cultural tastes are necessities in today’s world.

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

South Pacific, by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein

Live from Lincoln Center

South Pacific, by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein

Kelli O’Hara – Nellie Forbush

Paulo Szot – Emile de Becque

Danny Burstein – Luther Billis

Loretta Ables Sayre – Bloody Mary

Andrew Samonsky – Joseph Cable

Sean Cullen – William Harbison

Li Jun Li – Liat

Bartlett Sher – Director

Ted Sperling – Music Director

Telecast on PBS Channel 13, August 18, 2010

This Rogers and Hammerstein classic, one of the most beloved musicals of all time, hardly needs an introduction. The latest revival, which opened in 2008 and closed a few days after this telecast, won seven Tony Awards and unanimous critical praise, and no wonder: it was an eye- and ear-catching production. Having had two years to grow into their roles, the performers seemed not to play but to inhabit them, yet they had retained their spontaneity and, where appropriate, sense of fun. One of the best things about the show was that everybody appeared to be having a really good time.

The two stars naturally dominated the stage. Kelli O’Hara’s Nellie was all youthful, ingenuous charm (though it seemed strange that she spoke with a mid-Western accent, but sang in unaccented English); Paulo Szot’s Emile was mature and worldly, and he seemed to regard her naiveté with incredulous delight. It was clear that their romance was based on an attraction of opposites. Szot, who recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the lead part of Shostakovich’s “The Nose” – in every way a far cry from “South Pacific”– is a terrific singer, able to challenge the never quite exorcised ghost of the role’s creator, the great Ezio Pinza. Other stand-outs were Danny Burstein’s Luther Billis, Andrew Samonsky’s Lt. Cable, and Li Lun Li’s very beautiful Liat. The orchestra was most excellent.

In the course of its long history, “South Pacific” has sometimes been accused of ethnic prejudice because Nellie reacts with horror to the discovery that Emile married the Polynesian mother of his children and because Lt. Cable, though in love with Liat, goes back on his promise to marry her. (We should remember that in James Michener’s stories, which inspired the musical, Emile has fathered many daughters with several native women, but did not marry any of them. One must wonder what Nellie would have thought of that.) Even today, this is a fraught subject, but has not affected the musical’s popularity. To the objective viewer, Bloody Mary seems the “ethnically” most objectionable character: the stereotypically cagey native who sells dubious artifacts to unsuspecting foreigners and lures them to engage in dubious activities. In this production, Loretta Ables Sayre underlined this by emphasizing her raucousness.

Ultimately, the most potent magic of “South Pacific” lies in the music. Those lovely songs, hummable tunes and catchy rhythms make up for any dramatic weaknesses or “politically incorrect” elements. No wonder they are firmly embedded in the public’s ears and hearts.

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

Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg

Great Performances

Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: A Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg

Telecast on PBS Channel 13, September 1, 2010

This “Odyssey” was a feast for eyes and ears. Viewers were guided by the American soprano Renée Fleming on walks through St. Petersburg’s streets and squares and on boat rides on its canals, and were also invited into the magnificent Czarist Winter Palace, Peterhof Palace and Yusupov Palace, in whose glittering theaters and ballrooms Fleming and the Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky presented concerts of songs and operatic scenes.

The music was mostly Russian, but began with duets from two Verdi operas: “Il Trovatore” and “Simone Boccanegra.” The confrontation between Count Luna and Leonora in the former presaged the vocal and emotional intensity that infused the whole program, but stopped before the climactic moment when Leonora secretly drains the poison in her ring, though Fleming actually wore a ring that looked as if it had been chosen for that purpose. The recognition scene between Boccanegra and Amelia in the latter depicts the unexpected reunion of a father with his long-lost daughter; it was an outpouring of joy and love.

The program closed with the final scene from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” an opera the two singers have performed together at the Metropolitan Opera to great acclaim, and have made their signature collaboration. For this, they used the host palace’s lay-out: the camera followed Hvorostovsky as he hurried up the wide, regal staircase to make his entrance, every inch the impatient lover.

Needless to say, the singing was wonderful. The performers entered so deeply into their roles that they were able to immediately establish an atmosphere and create real characters, without scenery, props or costumes, using only their voices and personalities. Even if one did not understand the words or know the operas, one could guess what they were singing about. The State Hermitage Orchestra under Constantine Orbellian accompanied them with care and sensitivity, but sounded too discreet and distant.

Alternating in songs by Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Medtner and Tchaikovsky, the singers adjusted their voices admirably to fit a smaller, more intimate room. Fleming was partnered by the Russian pianist Olga Kern, who recently won the Van Cliburn Competition, Hvorostovsky by his regular pianist, Ivan Ilja. The Bechstein piano they used looked and sounded beautiful. Again, music proved to be the best ambassador and bridge-builder between nations.

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

Armida (1817)

Great Performances at the MET

Armida (1817)
Music by Gioachino Rossini (1792-1864)
Libretto by Giovanni Schmidt
Production: Mary Zimmerman
Conductor: Ricardo Frizza
Choreographer: Graciela Daniele
Set & costume designer: Richard Hudson
Armida: Renée Fleming
Rinaldo: Lawrence Brownlee
Goffredo: John Osborn
Gernanco: José Manuel Zapata
Carlo: Barry Banks
Ubaldo: Kobie van Rensburg
Telecast on Channel 13 PBS: August 18, 2010

Armida- Renee Fleming and Lawrence Brownlee- Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

“Armida” is one of Rossini’s less familiar operas. It requires not only a soprano who combines dramatic power with brilliant coloratura, but includes no fewer than six tenor roles (shared in this production by five singers) demanding a stratospheric range, bel canto lyricism and ringing heroics. No wonder it is so rarely performed. Created for Renée Fleming at her request, this new MET production was a vocal and visual bonanza.

The story takes place during the Crusades, but evokes legends of earlier times. Princess Armida is a beautiful sorceress who lures men to her magic island (think Circe) and holds them captive in her luxurious palace (think Venus’ Mountain), entertaining them with music and dancing. This offers opportunities for spectacular scenery and ballet sequences, first by a group of demons with horns and long tails, then by wave upon wave of gorgeously costumed dancers. Armida finds the crusading knights easy prey, but falls in love with Rinaldo, the army’s general, when he succumbs to her spell. He has to be extricated by fervent appeals to duty and honor – unlike Tannhäuser, who abandons Venus because he has become bored – leaving Armida devastated.

The opera begins with a dark, ominous Overture notable for its colorful woodwind solos, performed most impressively by the principal players. Generally, though, the music is not top-level Rossini in invention or originality; indeed, whenever an arresting passage emerges, it bears a definite resemblance to “The Barber of Seville.” The vocal lines are designed primarily for maximal technical display with brilliant, florid ornamentation, not for melodic beauty or delineation of character. Armida, of course, gets the lion’s (or lioness’) share of pyrotechnics, but the tenors are not far behind: they seem to vie for the top notes and most spectacular coloratura. One might almost call the opera “The Battle of the Tenors,” and in fact one of them soon slays another (over an insult, not the highest note).

The singing in this performance was truly stunning. Renée Fleming, whose physical beauty made her a very convincing seductress, sometimes seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer length and intensity of her role, but sang with enormous virtuosity and abandon. The tenors dispatched their vocal fireworks with incredible bravura; Lawrence Brownlee made a real character of Rinaldo, the most demanding role musically and dramatically.

For these telecasts, the MET invites one of its stars to introduce the opera, and also to interview one or more of the principals during intermission. This requires stopping tired cast members on their way to the dressing room and subjecting them to usually inane questions about their feelings for the role they are performing – an imposition on the singers, who clearly yearn to be left alone, rest their voices and concentrate on the next act. Fleming could hardly contain her impatience to get away, though, although in an earlier telecast, she herself had interviewed Simon Keenlyside, a hot and weary “Hamlet,” who was reacting in exactly the same way. Could these interviews not be taped at some time other than during the performance? Though this might cause some loss of immediacy, it would save the singers – and many empathetic viewers – a lot of discomfort.

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

Mostly Mozart Festival

Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra

Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Antti Siirala, pianist

Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

August 14, 2010

Osmo Vanska-Photo Credit: Greg Helgeson

This concert was not only all-Mozart, but all dramatic, minor mode Mozart. It featured two guests from Finland: conductor Osmo Vänskä, a familiar presence at the Festival, and the young pianist Antti Siirala in his New York orchestral debut.

The program presented two symphonies rarely performed together: the “little” G minor Symphony, No. 25 K.183, written in 1773, and the “big” G minor Symphony, No. 40 K.550, the second of his three great final symphonies, all written in the summer of 1788. Mozart reserved the key of G minor for some of his most dramatic and most moving works, such as the String Quintet K.516. These two Symphonies share both characteristics, but, composed 15 years apart, are also very different.

The disparities are apparent from the beginning. The first movement of No. 25 is all energy and impetuosity, and while the second theme, in major, is playful and gracious, its return in minor is dark and ominous. The first movement of No. 40 has a pensive resignation, occasionally pierced by a surge of defiance or a ray of hope. The slow movements of both symphonies are in major modes. The early one, based on a single theme, is calm and simple; the later one is contrapuntal and complex; its initial repose is disrupted by wrenching dissonances. The Minuet of No. 25 is a rustic dance, that of No. 40 is weighed down with heavy cross-rhythms; both have genial Trios in G major. The Finales are fast, with avalanches of relentlessly rushing passages.

These symphonies were well suited to Vänskä’s active, emphatic conducting style. Visually, he was in perpetual motion, bowing, twisting and turning, stabbing the air with his baton; musically, it was reflected in dramatic overkill, slashing accents and extreme dynamic contrasts, which made the early Symphony seem anything but little. For the late Symphony, all conductors – and Mozart lovers – have their own interpretation. Väskä took a surging approach to the opening theme, with sea-sickness-inducing swells, not indicated in the score, in every pair of bars. His tempi were generally moderate compared to the hectic speeds often favored today; only the Finale of No. 40 was a headlong rush.

Mozart wrote only two piano concertos in minor keys; the program included the first, K.466, written in 1785, in D minor, another tonality associated with high drama (think of Don Giovanni and the Requiem). The Concerto is characterized by strong contrasts of dynamics, mood, texture, and confrontations rather than interplay between soloist and orchestra. The unusually extensive orchestral exposition begins with mysterious, syncopated murmurings in the low strings, terminated by a thunderous eruption by the full orchestra. The pianist enters, like a lone wanderer, with a new, gentle, pleading theme followed by rippling scale-passages, and continues to go his own way. The slow movement begins as a serene song in major, but the peacefulness is shattered by an outburst of running piano triplets in minor, driven by shrilling woodwinds. Calm is restored at the end, but turbulence runs high in the Finale, until the Coda turns to D major for what might seem a happy ending, but in fact feels like an attempt to ward off deep sadness.

Siirala, winner of many European prizes, is an excellent, admirably self-effacing but communicative pianist. Putting his consummate technique entirely at the service of the music, he played with inward expressiveness, refinement and restraint; though careful not to exaggerate, he rose to the dramatic climaxes, including the long, elaborate, stormy cadenzas by Beethoven (who also wrote cadenzas for Mozart’s other dramatic Piano Concerto in C minor). The orchestra provided strong, empathetic support.

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

Mostly Mozart Festival

Mostly Mozart Festival

Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra

Lionel Bringuier, conductor

David Fray, piano

Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

August 6, 2010

Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra-Lionel Bringuier, conductor-David Fray, piano - Photo Credit Richard Termine

This was one of the Festival’s All-Mozart programs: the Overture to “Cosi fan tutte” K.588, the Piano Concerto in E-flat major, No. 22, K.482, and the “Prague” Symphony, No. 38, K. 504. As it often does, the Festival presented two very young guests, both from France: conductor Lionel Bringuier and pianist David Fray in his Mostly Mozart debut.

The program’s opening and closing works were bright and spirited, though each started with a slow, solemn Introduction. The opera “Cosi fan tutte” is considered a comedy, but its humor is laced with sarcasm and leavened with ambivalence and regret. The Overture heralds these conflicting emotions. The Introduction alternates orchestral chords with an oboe solo so plaintive that the arrival of the Overture’s fast main part almost comes as a surprise. In the Symphony, too, the Introduction, the longest and perhaps most dramatic in all Mozart’s symphonies, generates a sense of such dark foreboding that the sudden shift from D minor to D major is quite disconcerting. The Symphony is unusual in having only three movements: two fast, sprightly ones framing a lovely Andante.

E-flat major seems to have been Mozart’s favorite tonality for his most mellow, lyrical music. Among his Piano Concertos, No. 22 is one of the most heavenly. The scoring for a full complement of winds gives it a rich, warm sound. Its emotional depth is immediately established in the orchestral Introduction; the piano then takes up and embellishes the themes. The second movement, variations in C minor, is a heart-breaking lament, and the final Rondo, like many others in that key, is a merry hunting song. But Mozart has a surprise in store: its central episode is virtually another slow movement, presenting entirely new, ravishingly lovely material in a stately, back-and-forth conversation between the soloist and the woodwind “Harmonie” section, who played absolutely beautifully.

David Fray, though still in his twenties, is the recipient of an extraordinary number of performing and recording awards, and has played in practically every great European concert hall. He made his American debut with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2009, and has also appeared with the orchestras of Boston, San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. His performance at this concert was most excellent, without fuss, show, or exaggeration; his technique is always at the service of the music and so effortless that one forgets about it; his tone can be both delicate and sonorous; his expressiveness is concentrated and deeply felt.

The Festival Orchestra is in splendid form. The players not only sound good under every conductor, they are undaunted by their maestros’ sometimes exorbitant demands. On this occasion, Lionel Bringuier – who, at the age of 23, seems to have been everywhere and done everything in the conducting world – drove them beyond all reasonable speed-limits. He took the Overture at a tempo that made clear articulation and phrasing impossible; in the Symphony’s corner movements, musical and expressive details were lost in the head-long rush. If this sounds much like the report on the previous concert, that is not surprising: it sometimes seems as if many of today’s young conductors (and young instrumentalists too, for that matter) are determined to outdo one another in setting new speed-records. Surely even in the jet-age there is more to music than playing as fast as possible.

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

Mostly Mozart Festival

Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra

Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Gil Shaham, violin

Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

August 4, 2010

PABLO HERAS-CASADO, conductor; GIL SHAHAM, violin with the MOSTLY MOZART FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA – PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

This was one of the Festival’s “Some Mozart” programs; one third Mozart, to be exact. Mozart’s contribution was the Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219, the last, and probably the greatest, of his authentic works in that genre. It was performed by Gil Shaham, winner of the 1990 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2008 Avery Fisher Award, and one of the most appealing, versatile virtuosos before the public. Among his most captivating qualities are his charm and spontaneity, and, along with his brilliant technique and luxurious tone, they were on full display at this concert. Indeed, it may be his boundless facility that tempts him to succumb to today’s rampant infatuation with excessive speed. The Concerto’s slow movement was lovely, but the first, though clear, was rather hectic and over-accented; the Rondo lost much of its gracious courtliness, and the “Turkish” interlude raced past like a furious sandstorm. In the Joachim cadenzas, the runs were too fast for human ears. However, the fireworks brought the audience to its feet, eliciting an encore that turned out to be a piece related to the Mozart concerto by its Turkish roots, which Shaham recently heard in Istanbul. A relentless, super-fast marathon run-around, it sounded, to the uninitiated listener, like a Klezmer dance on speed.

The program began with Stravinsky’s “Dumbarton Oaks” Concerto, written in 1937 to celebrate the 30^th wedding anniversary of the owners of that grand estate, where the United Nations were founded seven years later. Supposedly modeled on Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, the Dumbarton Oaks Concerto is in three movements, all full of Stravinsky’s characteristic quirky, irregular rhythms and spicy harmonies. The first and third movements are bustling and dissonant; the second is a charming, leisurely, dance-like Allegretto. The 15 orchestral soloists played splendidly—singly and together.

Mostly Mozart has established an admirable policy of inviting rising young conductors, and this concert introduced the Spanish-born Pablo Heras-Casado in his Festival debut. Though only 32-years-old, he has conducted music from the 17^th century to the immediate present in opera houses and concert halls all over the world; his American debut took place in 2008 at Carnegie Hall with the ACJW Ensemble (The Academy of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute). All this experience has given him a style that is confident but not showy, authoritative but not authoritarian. He handled the changing rhythms and textures of the Stravinsky expertly, with sparing, efficient gestures; unfortunately, in the concerto, he frequently allowed the orchestra—especially the winds—to cover the soloist.

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Op. 36, which closed the program, was also efficient, but—again in conformity with current trends—very fast, with excessive dynamic contrasts and sharp, aggressive accents, giving the music no chance to breathe or speak for itself. However, the brilliant Finale elicited a prolonged, vociferous ovation.

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

“Der Rosenkavalier” and “Turandot” Great Performances at the MET

“Der Rosenkavalier” and “Turandot”

Great Performances at the MET

Lincoln Center/PBS Telecasts, New York, NY

Lincoln Center and PBS are repeating some of their popular telecasts from the MET, giving audiences a chance to retrieve what they missed or to revisit what they enjoyed. On July 29, the opera was “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss and his renowned librettist, Hugo von Hoffmansthal, taped at the January 9, 2010 performance. Through its earthy humor and touching love story, this beloved masterpiece never fails to elicit laughter and tears, and with a stellar cast and Edo de Waart replacing James Levine in the pit, it exerted its usual irresistible magic spell.

“Der Rosenkavalier” is too well known to require any introduction or explanation, so let us focus on the performance. The orchestra, an essential, integral element in all Strauss operas, sounded absolutely wonderful, both in the many solo passages and as a whole: rich yet transparent, ironically pompous, yet with a graceful Viennese lilt. The singing, too, was beyond praise: Renée Fleming and Susan Graham returned to their signature roles as the Marschallin and Octavian; Christine Schäfer soared easily into Sophie’s ecstatic heights, her voice as silvery as her Rose; Kristinn Sigmundsson displayed a booming, sonorous bass, and an almost authentic Viennese accent. Thomas Allen was a solid Faninal, Eric Cutler, in his all-too-brief appearance, sounded radiant as the Italian tenor.

The sets and costumes had the beauty and elegance of a period painting; the final scene was the usual chaos, saved by the Waltzes in the orchestra. The least satisfying aspect of the production was the acting, with exaggeration rampant everywhere, even in the small roles (Sophie’s Duenna ran around the stage frantically flapping her arms). Fleming, though essentially warm and dignified, perhaps overshot in trying to bring out the Marschallin’s swiftly-changing moods by going from girlish flirtatiousness with the Baron to inexplicable anger when dismissing Octavian. The “trouser” role of Octavian poses a double challenge: a woman pretending to be a boy pretending to be a girl. Graham had fun, but would have been more persuasive without the overacting. (Television’s facial close-ups are cruel: even she could not successfully pretend to be 17- years-old.) The temptation to exaggerate is greatest for the Baron, but Sigmundsson, a huge man who towered over everybody, turned him into an insufferable, overbearing lecher.

Schäfer seemed the only one who acted with unaffected dignity, true to her character’s artlessness and naïveté. Just how effective natural simplicity can be was illustrated in the first encounter between Octavian and Sophie. Standing perfectly still, they expressed their wonder at the magical experience of first love only through their voices. The scene was an unspoiled oasis of subtle interaction, genuine inwardness and calm.

On June 24^th, PBS repeated its telecast of Puccini’s “Turandot,” taped at the November 7, 2009, performance conducted by Andris Nelsons. This was a surprising choice for a replay: the opera is hardly among the public’s favorites, nor among Puccini’s best works. He left it unfinished, but that is not its only, or even its primary, weakness. The music is repetitious and uninspired, and its pseudo-Chinese idiom sounds inauthentic and artificial; moreover, the leading soprano and tenor parts are virtually unsingable: Turandot makes her entrance with a very long, excruciatingly difficult, stratospheric scene; Calaf sings two of the most brutally demanding arias in the repertoire. Very few singers are equal to these roles, and in this performance, too, there were unmistakable signs of struggle. Maria Guleghina’s voice had a very wide wobble, and both she and Marcello Giordani had only one dynamic: fortissimo. The real stars were Marina Poplavskaya as a sweet-voiced, touching Liu, and Samuel Ramey as a dignified, pitiable Timur. The famously spectacular Franco Zefferelli production still upstages the music with its massive scenery, gorgeous costumes and surging crowd-scenes. Sometimes it seemed as if the entire population of the Forbidden City of Beijing had gathered on the stage.

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

Mostly Mozart Festival

Opening Night Gala Program

Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

July 28, 2010

Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano with Louis Langrée - Photo Credit Richard Termine

This is the Mostly Mozart Festival’s 44^th season – an impressive display of longevity and resilience. It has weathered many internal and external changes that affected its programming strategy, and this year’s programs reflect some of them: they range from All-Mozart to Mostly Mozart, Some Mozart, A Little Mozart, and No Mozart At All.

Mozart is featured in its opening and closing concerts: the latter will be All-Mozart and the former began and ended with Mozart, the Overture to La Clemenza di Tito and the “Haffner” Symphony, K.385. In between came Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 21, played by Emanuel Ax, and arias from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, sung by mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe. Louis Langrée, the Festival’s Music Director, conducted the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra.

Most of the Orchestra’s musicians have been with the Festival for many seasons, but do not play together regularly all year; they must recapture and refine their ensemble every summer. Also, this is a chamber group rather than a symphony orchestra, so it lacks the power needed for some of the symphonic literature. For this program, however, it was just right, and it was immediately clear that it is in fine shape, able and eager to carry out its Maestro’s wishes. Langrée is an elegant conductor, though his arm-gestures make him look as if he were going to fly off at any moment, an impression accentuated by the full-sleeved shirts he wears. His style tends toward extremes of dynamics and tempo: the pianos are almost inaudible, the fortes are eruptions that shake the rafters. He likes to hear lots of winds and percussion, putting the strings at a serious disadvantage. The opening of the Overture, for example, was explosive rather than majestic. In the Symphony, the tempi were so fast that the music lost all charm and expressiveness; even the slow movement was very brisk, and the Finale raced past in a blur.

Pianist Emanuel Ax with the conductor Louis Langrée - Photo Credit Richard Termine

In the Concerto, Langrée succeeded so well in keeping the orchestra from covering the soloist that, at times, the piano part seemed to float in mid-air without harmonic or rhythmic support. Ax’s playing, however, was superb. His tone was invariably beautiful, the legato sang, the chords were powerful but mellow; the runs were as clear and even as chains of pearls. His liberties—spontaneous and perfectly balanced—made the music flow as naturally as words spoken in a native idiom. The tumultuous ovation was rewarded with a brief Chopin encore.

Stephanie Blythe’s voice is formidable: it can cut through and float above an orchestra, reaching the farthest corners of an auditorium. Its quality is unique, resembling dark amber in the low register, bright amber up high; by varying her vibrato, she commands an amazing range of intensity, color and nuance. The arias she sang were taken from two of her signature roles. Cesar’s prayer was devoutly thankful and supplicating; Orpheus’ lament was perhaps not heart-broken enough, but spun out a seamless melody. The famous opening aria from Handel’s Serse (better known as Handel’s “Largo”) as an encore was beautiful.

This was a most promising start to New York’s favorite summer festival. Welcome back, Mostly Mozart!

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