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Continuum in Review

Continuum

Merkin Concert Hall, New York, NY

May 1, 2011

Top: Elliott Schwartz, Ileana Perez Velázquez, Carman Moore; Bottom: Ursula Mamlok, Roberto Sierra, Wang Jie

You can be fairly sure you are at a Continuum concert when the “earliest” music on the program dates from 1998, when everything else is a New York or World Premiere, and when you hear music differently for at least several days afterward. Such was the case recently at Continuum’s 45^th birthday concert. They continue, as they have indefatigably for decades, to bring us fascinating music by relative newcomers and composers of international stature.

U.S. composer Carman Moore (b. 1936) was featured first, in a work entitled “SHE” (An Appreciation – 2010) scored for an ensemble of four, including soprano, violin, clarinet, and piano. Organized according to what the composer describes as “the five archetypes of female life,” (from infancy through old age), this imaginative and involving work weaves quotes of Lord Byron, Lucretius, Sun Bu-Er, and Basho into the composer’s original text, a paean to women. An intriguing conception, its was brought to life appropriately by the four extremely gifted female performers.

Veteran Continuum violinist Renée Jolles shone next in a virtuoso performance of Sonata para violin y piano (2010) by Roberto Sierra (b. 1953). A tour de force requiring sensitive dovetailing with the pianist, precision in what Sierra calls “my own versions and transformations of Caribbean rhythms,” and tireless technique for just about every violin challenge in the book, it was handled with an ease that was impressive, especially considering that Ms. Jolles was engaged onstage for all of the roughly seventy minutes before intermission.

Using the same instrumentation as “SHE,” Continuum concluded its first half with “A Longing for Spring, A Multi-language Song Cycle” (2011) by Shanghai-born Wang Jie (b. 1980). Set to a Tang Dynasty poem by Tu Fu (712-770 AD) the work’s evocations of nature, war, torment, and tears were enhanced by super-titles and calligraphy projected onto a screen. There were so many ways to appreciate this composition, through sight, sound, and meaning, that interest never lapsed. One could not possibly grasp it all in a single hearing, but Ms. Wang’s multi-faceted work will undoubtedly earn future performances. She is certainly an artist to watch.

Some of my favorite music of the evening was in the opening of “Idolos del sueño” (“Dream Eidolons” – 2010) by Cuban-born Ileana Perez Velázquez (b. 1964). Soprano, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano conveyed the transparency of water and ephemeral reflections in an almost miraculous way, drawing the mesmerized listener into the world of Cuban poet Carlos Pintado. Not all of the work held me quite as strongly as the beginning, but I do look forward to hearing more by this talented composer.

Continuum paid tribute next to the 75^th birthday of Elliott Schwartz (b. 1936) with a performance of his “Vienna Dreams” (1998), an appealingly nostalgic trio for clarinet, viola, and piano using fragments of Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms (and as the notes suggested, the presence of Mahler and Schoenberg hovering nearby). It was given a winning performance, as was the finale of the concert Mosaics (2011) by Ursula Mamlok (b. 1923). Mosaics, a four-hand piano work composed with a particularly artistic use of serialism, combined the forces of the ensembles founders, Joel Sachs and Cheryl Seltzer, in a fitting close to a celebration of 45 great years.

All works benefited from excellent performances of Mary Elizabeth Mackenzie, soprano; Moran Katz, clarinet; Renée Jolles, violin; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Christopher Gross, cello; Joel Sachs, piano; and Cheryl Seltzer, piano.

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

Alexander Beridze, pianist in Review

Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, New York, NY

April 19, 2011

A large audience packed Alice Tully Hall this week to hear Georgian pianist, Alexander Beridze, representing the Cincinnati-based World Piano Competition as its 2009 Gold Medalist. In a year flooded with news stories about troubles in the classical music world, it was a joy to witness such intense audience excitement in anticipation of an evening of piano music. This listener was filled with particularly keen anticipation after hearing and reviewing Mr. Beridze in June of 2009 (Vol 17, No.1) in an outstanding recital that included two of the same works, the Brahms Sonata in C Major, Op. 1 and Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka. Though the prior venue had been a piano showroom, Mr. Beridze had sustained the large, magnetic conceptions that had seemed destined for a wider forum – and here was that forum.

After speeches by the competition’s administrative and local leaders, Mr. Beridze opened with Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C Minor, dispelling the atmosphere of pageantry with a taut and no-nonsense performance from solemn opening to stirring finish. While I prefer more breathing room in this work, it was understandable to feel a good deal of forward propulsion at the outset of this important recital. It was a strong opening.

Brahms followed Beethoven, a nice segue given the Opus 1’s famous rhythmic kinship with Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 106 (the “Hammerklavier”). Mr. Beridze is utterly at home with the challenges and beauties of this Brahms work and should play it often. One hopes he will play it again in a still more resonant hall, as (even post-renovation) the Alice Tully Hall acoustics present a pianist with the challenge of rapidly decaying sound. Having heard Mr. Beridze’s formidable gifts in a live room on a brighter instrument, this listener was especially sensitized to the discrepancy between what was being put forth and what was being received. That said, the musical intent did come across, and it was a credit to Mr. Beridze’s skill and heroic outputs of energy. The rapid-fire leaps and riveting machine wrist work left one in wonderment (and excitement to hear this pianist’s Petrushka later in the program). Just as recalled from two years ago, the close of the Andante was particularly moving.

Schubert’s Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3 after intermission was a quiet gem, given admirable attention to voicing. Acoustical challenges still arose, leaving one wondering whether the decay of longer notes might be offset more by softer ensuing ones, but at any rate, Mr. Beridze projected its meditative quality with sensitivity. The Schubert-Liszt song “Auf dem Wasser zu Singen” followed, dazzling with its precision and range, and Liszt’s Etude “La Campanella” was simply electrifying.

If anyone still had questions about Mr. Beridze being a fabulous pianist, his Petrushka settled the matter conclusively. This work, a monstrous beast to most pianists, seemed simply a play toy to him, albeit a musical and imaginative play toy. One sensed the pianist having fun with it, delighting in the ballet’s characters and celebrating what was a brilliant finale to a superb recital. Bravo!

The cheering audience was quieted down with one of the most beautiful renditions of the Chopin Nocturne in D-flat (Op. 27, No. 2) that one can recall. One could hear the proverbial pin drop.

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

New Asia Chamber Music Society in Review

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall

April 19, 2011

New Asia Chamber Music Society; Photo Credit: Richard Termine

There is an infusion of fresh blood in the chamber music world, if the recent performance by the New Asia Chamber Music Society is any indication. This newly formed ensemble, comprised of many young and gifted players, is an impressively organized and professional group. Their debut at Weill Recital Hall was tight and well rehearsed, which allowed the players to make music with sense of pleasure and spontaneity.

In the Brahms F minor Quintet, the heart of soul of this particular performance rested squarely with the cellist Nan-Cheng Chen and the violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin. Mr. Chen is a natural musician, who plays with a beautiful, singing tone and a keen awareness of ensemble. Mr. Lin, just as integral, but in a quieter way, is an ideal collaborator. He uses vibrato as a measured, expressive tool, and his pure intonation anchors the group. Although this quintet didn’t quite master the blend and uniformity of style that more seasoned players achieve, this was still a compelling performance. The use of nuanced dynamics and articulation, especially in the middle movements, gave texture and life to the music. Mr. Lin spun a pristine, cantabile melody in the Andante second theme, and the entire ensemble dispatched the Scherzo with breathtaking fire and precision.

Jay Lin’s, “…as time flows and eclipses…” was given a dark hued, richly vibrant reading by the New Asia players. Mr. Lin has a real gift for layering sound and color to create tension. Both his piano writing and his shimmering string figures sounded fresh and evocative.

The program finale, Tchaikovsky’s Sextet, op. 70 (Souvenir de Florence) was the least convincing offering on the program. All the elements that go into a good performance were present. Each individual made important, musical contributions to the whole, yet there were whole passages in which the players seemed to have conflicting ideas about interpretation. The Adagio movement especially felt too tightly controlled, so that I missed that floating, Italianate quality. This is a piece that would benefit from more instinctual impulses.

In general though, this is an ensemble of a very high standard. I enjoyed their music making and I congratulate them on generating a large and enthusiastic audience.

by David La Marche for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Alexej Gorlatch, Pianist in Review

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

April 14, 2011

Alexej Gorlatch; Photo Credit: Akira Muto

Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, part of the Carnegie Hall complex, presented Alexej Gorlatch on April 14^th as the First Prize winner of the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition. Gorlatch, who is 22 (born in Kiev, in 1988), was also the Silver Medalist at the 2009 Leeds International in the U.K., where his performance of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto elicited a glowing comment from the Guardian (Manchester): “…immaculate in its poetry and aggression.” Those two characteristics, when you think of them, are more apt than conflicting for that particular Beethoven masterpiece; certainly Gorlatch’s technically superb pianism at the Zankel recital was impressive for its “poetry” but, let’s face it: any hopeful who could enter–and triumph–at so many daunting marathons would, ipso facto, be an “aggressive” and determined, self-assured contender!

Mr. Gorlatch’s burgeoning career has been adorned by a succession of prizes and honors since he was eleven-years-old. To name some: the German National Jugend Musiziert Competition (several times); the Steinway Competitions of Berlin and Hamburg; the Grotien Steinweg in Braunachweig; and the Robert Schumann Competition for Young Pianists in Zwickau, where he was awarded the Yehudi Menuhin Prize for best participant. He garnered prizes at the Vladimir Horowitz International Competition in Kiev and at the Chopin International in Warsaw.

In fact, this writer covered the then 18-year-old artist’s April 4, 2007 recital at Weill Hall when he came to us as the winner of the 2006 Hamamatsu International Competition (reviewed in Volume 14, No. 3 of this magazine.) His program at the time included the Beethoven Sonata, Op. 101, Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces, Op. 12, and all twelve Chopin Etudes, Op. 10. I praised his Beethoven as “structurally clear, tautly organized and sensibly clarified…a young man’s approach…Though additional areas of experience and insight may undoubtedly reveal spiritual mysteries, Gorlatch’s way was certainly on the right track.” The Schumann tone poems were “thoroughly idiomatic: clearly and simply phrased and free from affetuoso point-making… His playing represented the best of the best of the admirable Teutonic tradition (Gorlatch has been living and studying in Germany), with warm, robust down-to-the-bottom-of-the-keys sonority, yet with sufficient glow and color and ardent rhythmic vitality.” At that time, I was not quite so contented with Gorlatch’s performances of the Chopin Etudes: “Having praised his purposefulness, it seems churlish to remark that I wish he would loosen up a bit. Playing a concert also has a side potential for entertainment, and although I certainly don’t want ‘cuteness’ and pandering to an audience, I daresay that there is room for a bit of drama and communication…Mr. Gorlatch is obviously a great talent, but as he develops, he will realize that a performer can also be communicative and be fun to listen to…’’ That was when he was 18.

I am particularly pleased to report that at this concert–four years later–he showed just the type of growth I would hope for (and expect) from an already promising artist. His performances of Beethoven’s Op. 110, Bartok’s “Out of Doors”, Four Debussy Preludes and a Chopin group had far more nuance, flexibility, color, and humor. The Beethoven sonata was notable for its almost operatic cantabile, and the pianist brought out innumerable, cherishable passing felicities. I am a bit surprised, however, that he chose to divide the runs in the first movement between the hands (as Beethoven himself calls for in the E major recapitulation later on), but this is a miniscule quibble.

The Bartok had great sensitivity and a feeling of detached understatement. The accuracy and precision were indeed awesome, although the requisite calm and repose of “The Night’s Music”’s insect noises were judiciously recreated against an unusual backdrop of anxious momentum. The opening “With Drums and Pipes” and the culminating “The Chase” were unusually subtle, but a bit too refined. Gorlatch’s way with the Bartok reminded me of Perahia’s sensitive interpretation.

One could say the same thing about the Debussy which–high praise indeed–were in the Gieseking tradition. He elicited a beguiling fragrance in “Les Sons et Parfumes Tournent dans du Soir” (from Book II) and an almost troubadour like declamation of “La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin” that made it seem it was being improvised on the spot. For once, “Feux d’Artifice” (Book ll) sounded decorative and entertaining (not the usual bombastic firecrackers that burn your hands!). “Ce qu a vu le vent d’Quest” (Book l) similarly may have been more notable for its delicacy than its Katrina-like ferocity; but its sophistication ultimately won me over.

In the concluding Chopin group, the “Barcarolle”–a bit laid-back at first–did summon a modicum of drama; the ending run was terrific. Four Mazurkas from Op. 67 and 68 were undulant and dance-like; (the A minor, Op. 68, with its trills, was played “Lento”– a slow dance, not “Lento” as a dirge); I liked its curvaceousness. The A-flat Polonaise, Op. 53, a mite small-scaled for my taste, was almost too easy for him; the famous octaves went by astonishingly and fleetly well. (But Rubinstein’s sui generis interpretation will always stubbornly retain my loyal affection).

And I am delighted to observe: Mr. Gorlatch’s new stage presence has livened up gratifying well. He gave us two encores: the c-sharp minor Etude, Op. 10, No. 4 was almost Richter-like in its brilliance and headlong tempo; and the E-flat Waltz, Op. 1 came forth with intoxicating dazzle.

A wonderful concert!

by Harris Goldsmith for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Jourdan Urbach, Violinist in Review

Karen Beluso, Piano

Le Poisson Rouge; New York, NY

April 1, 2011

April 1st was host to a Children Helping Children benefit concert held at Le Poisson Rouge, a popular music venue and bar in downtown Greenwich Village. CHC’s young, exuberant founder and director, Jourdan Urbach, delivered a vibrant, virtuosic violin performance with the help of his much-appreciated pianist Karen Beluso. (Joining the dynamic duo later in the program was mezzo-soprano Gabrielle Lowell.) The evening featured arrangements of jazz-age golden oldies, as well as a number of Urbach’s original compositions.

Urbach started out the night strong with a lighthearted rendition of George Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess”, arranged by “3 nice, Jewish boys” (Gershwin, Heifetz, and Urbach), as comically noted in the program. Evident the moment he picked up his bow, the 19-year-old’s playing was superlative in every way. Urbach exhibited both impeccable technique and exquisite artistry in each piece that graced the room, reveling in the jazz and country undertones that flowed throughout the concert. Glimmers of a smile could be seen on the Yale student’s face whenever he executed a graceful portamento or flawless up-bow spiccato. In his difficult arrangements and compositions, Urbach is a violinist that dares to challenge himself and thrives. Beluso followed him perfectly, although the level of some of the compositions and arrangements would have been raised that extra notch had she been more featured.

The casual nature of the evening continued despite a few short interludes, concluding with the New York premiere of “Hope”, an operatic song cycle by Urbach. Gabrielle Lowell’s delivery of Emily Dickinson poems in English, Spanish, and Yiddish was appealing, but the work was not particularly memorable. Understandably, Urbach’s strength was manifested in the beginning and middle portions of the program, during which he made use of his classical education and signature blues style. The public should keep an eye on this up-and-coming philanthropist-musician. He is apt to go far on his own ambition, delighting audiences every step of the way.

–Chelsea Blakeburn for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

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

Birmingham Symphonic Winds in Review

Birmingham Symphonic Winds in Review

Keith Allen, conductor

Alice Tully Hall; New york, NY

April 17, 2011

Birmingham Symphonc Winds

In the last three years I have reviewed three superb choral ensembles brought to New York by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY.) The high standards of DCINY were again reflected in this performance by the Birmingham Symphonic Winds (BSW). Founded in 1992 by conductor Keith Allen, this forty-five member English group was begun to “meet the demands of players in the area to perform with a high quality wind ensemble.” And one couldn’t ask for higher quality playing. From beginning to end, this very youthful ensemble played with perfect intonation and beautiful blend. The conducting of maestro Keith Allen was unobtrusive and precise. And his comments between movements created a warm bond with the very enthusiastic audience.

Titled “Atlantic Crossing,” the concert featured eleven works by British and American composers. It opened with a rousing performance of “Second City Ceremony” by Phillip Sparke, the title alluding to Birmingham’s relationship to London, England’s “first city.” Designed as a concert-opener, this work was one the five BSW commissions we heard this afternoon. Upon hearing the fortissimo opening fanfare, I worried that the sound produced by the ensemble at full throttle was too loud for Tully Hall. And although this feeling returned once or twice during the concert, these loud sounds were never harsh or even edgy. They were unforced and viscerally exciting, if at times a bit too much for this listener’s ears

Another commission followed, Nigel Hess’s “Shakespeare Pictures.” The first movement used the same jazzy language we heard in “Second City Ceremony,” the second featured lovely playing by the solo woodwinds, while the third juxtaposed perfectly blended sounds by the brass and woodwind choirs, something which we would hear throughout the afternoon. “Prelude from 49^th Parallel,” part of an orchestral film score written in 1941 by Ralph Vaughan Williams, was then performed in a transcription for band by Leroy Osmon. During this work I found the BWS’s playing to be wonderfully expressive.

Although a bit more dissonant than the works by Sparke and Hess which preceded it, Guy Woolfenden’s “Divertimento for Band” featured more of the same jazzy language and, in the last movement, a similarly easy-listening-melody. Emma Stockdale’s second movement flute solo was quite beautiful. Mr. Sparke’s “A Weekend in New York” then called on all the big-city clichés, including bent minor thirds. I found the performance a bit stiff, especially the sections which should swing.

A fourth BSW commission ended the concert’s first half, and what an ending it was! Martin Ellerby’s “The Canticle of the Sun”, a work for solo percussion and concert band composed in 2006, was written for this afternoon’s soloist, Simone Rebello. While a piano soloist sits at a keyboard and a violinist stands in one spot, Ms. Rebello moved between the many instruments which stretched from one side of the stage to the other. She used a violin bow on the vibraphone, she expressively played chords on the marimba using four mallets, she perfectly executed very rapid scales on the xylophone, she played drums, cymbals and crotales. It was a pleasure to listen to and a thrill to watch.

The oldest work on the concert began the second half, a transcription for wind orchestra (sic!) of “Jupiter” from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst. Although it was composed almost one-hundred years ago, it seemed to me that many of the more contemporary works heard on the first half of this concert, save for being a bit more dissonant, utilized a similar musical language. Next we heard two movements from another work with soloist, Karl Jenkins’s “Euphonium Concerto,” featuring David Childs. I have a soft spot for the euphonium, having always marveled at its ability to sound like singing. And that’s just what Mr. Childs accomplished during his performance of the Romanza as his expressive phrasing was the kind that you would hear in song performed by a great baritone. And yes, in the last movement we heard him play at a speed that even a trumpet player would have difficulty reaching. The audience marveled at this display, but I found the rapid line to be blurry. This was not the performer’s fault – it’s the physics of a very long tube.

After the concert’s first American work and another BWS commission, the regular program concluded with John Philip Sousa’s “Humoresque on Swanee.” These humorous variations on George Gershwin’s first big hit, followed by an encore, Gershwin’s “Strike up the Band,” brought this wonderful concert to a rip-roaring happy conclusion.

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

Texas Tech University School of Music and Manhattan Concert Productions in Review

Texas Tech University School of Music and Manhattan Concert Productions

Present From Lubbock to Carnegie Hall

Featuring the winners

Elizabeth Hott, soprano, Meg Griffith, flute

Bill Waterman, tuba, Ji Yang, piano

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall

April 16, 2011

Meg Griffith

If these four young musicians, selected by audition from the 500 music majors of Texas Tech University, are representative of its graduate students, the University can be proud of its Music School and the talent it attracts. Each performer presented a group of contrasting works, and all were daring enough to begin with a dazzling bravura piece.

Meg Griffith is an excellent flutist, winner of numerous honors and awards for her performances of Baroque and contemporary music, including first prize of the Chicago Flute Club National Chamber Competition and the Concerto Competition at Texas Tech. She is coordinator and assistant program chair of the National Flute Association’s 2011 Convention, and is currently a doctoral student as teaching assistant under Dr. Lisa Garner Santa at Texas Tech; her former teachers include Dr. Mary Karen Clardy, Prof. John Heiss, and Dr. Lee Lattimore. Partnered by pianist Lora Deahl (a faculty member), Ms. Griffith performed three works by composers from different countries and generations, all characteristic of their creators’ styles. The Scherzo for flute and piano by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959) was fleet and brilliant; written mostly in Martinu’s favorite stratospheric register, it sparkled with sunlit cheer. Playing at breakneck speed, Ms. Griffith combined easy facility with total control. Morceau de Concours by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) radiated calm serenity and impressionist colors, giving Ms. Griffith a fine opportunity to exhibit her beautiful, singing tone. In the Sonata Op. 23 by Lowell Liebermann (b.1961), she captured and brought out the contrasts between the slow, flexible first and the fast, vigorous second movements.

Elizabeth Hott, with pianist Regina Shea, displayed a powerful coloratura soprano and much charm in a brilliant aria from a Rossini opera, and the “Jewel Song” from Gounod’s “Faust.” They flanked “The Wind,” by Samuel Adler (b. 1928), and two mournful, lyrical Schumann songs on Goethe poems (better known in Schubert’s settings). Ms. Hott sang all these works in the original languages.

Playing with a pure, mellow tone and astonishing agility, Bill Waterman made a strong case for the tuba as a solo instrument. In Encounters II for solo tuba by William Kraft (b. 1923), the tuba’s lowest and highest registers engaged in a spirited exchange. Pianist Susan Wass joined Mr. Waterman for the bleak, gloomy slow movement of the Tuba Concerto “War and the Rumors of War” by Barbara York (b. 1949), and Walter Hilgers’ arrangement of that popular violin showpiece, Monti’s Czardas. Ill-suited to the tuba, it inevitably lacked the lightness of the original, despite Mr. Waterman’s virtuosity.

Pianist Ji Yang, a teaching assistant at the University, performed Lowell Liebermann’s Gargoyles Op. 29, and the Toccata Op. 155 by York Bowen (1884-1961). Played to the hilt for bravura and powerful sonorities, they made an enormously effective ending.

Today, it is quite customary to play from the score, especially in new music, but performers should be aware that, if they place their music stands directly in front of them, the audience cannot see them and some of their sound is cut off.

The printed program gave no information about the accompanists, who were excellent and deserved more credit.

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

New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in Review

New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra Guerguan Tsenov, conductor

Gabrielius Alekna, piano

Symphony Space; New York, NY

April 11, 2011

Gabrielius Alekna

The New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra’s April 7th concert at Symphony Space had a fine guest soloist, Lithuanian pianist Gabrielius Alekna and a solid guest conductor, Bulgarian Guerguan Tsenov, who led this semi-professional ensemble in works by Beethoven and Brahms.

Mr. Alekna, according to the biography in the printed program, is the only Lithuanian to hold a D.M.A. from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal. Alekna, who has garnered several impressive honors, won more than a dozen top prizes in competitions–both stateside and in Europe: Second Prize in the 2005 International Beethoven Piano Competition; Hilton Head (USA); Maria Canals (Spain); Guirlionis (Lithuania); and has soloed with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bertrand de Billy); the Juilliard Orchestra (James de Priest); and also the Belarus State Symphony, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and the Christopher Chamber Orchestra. A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Alekna performed the Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Ursula Oppens and New York Philharmonic timpanist Joe Periera. He has also collaborated with the cellist Zvi Harel, and with both the Vilnius and Cuirlianus String Quartets. Daniel Barenboim recently cited him as “a highly gifted pianist and musician.” He brought sterling virtuosity and comprehension to Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, Op. 73. His assured but refined pianism had clarity, bravura authority, and easily held its own amidst Beethoven’s busy orchestration. He obliged his enthusiastic admirers with a lovely, flexible singing acount of “Bruyeres” from Debussy’s second book of Preludes.

Earlier, the orchestra played conscientious, traditional versions of the “Egmont” Overture and the Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a. Maestro Tsenov has studied with Kurt Masur, and has also participated in seminars with David Zinman, George Manahan, and Michael Tilson Thomas. In company with his piano soloist, Tsenov (who is a pianist himself) is a knowing, well- grounded musician.

by Harris Goldsmith for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

2010-2011 Concert Season

Tokyo String Quartet (Martin Beaver, Kikuei Ikeda, violins, Kazuhide Isomura, viola, Clive Greensmith, cello)

92^nd Street Y; New York, NY

October 30, 2010

With pianist Juho Pohjonen

January 22, 2011

With pianist Aleksandar Madzar

March 5, 2011

With pianist Robert Levin

Orion String Quartet (Daniel and Todd Phillips, violins, Steven Tenenbom, viola, Timothy Eddy, cello)

February 24, 2011

Mannes College of Music; New York, NY

This season, “late” Beethoven has been a strong presence on New York’s concert scene, and notable performances of his last string quartets were given by two of today’s most acclaimed chamber groups: the Tokyo and Orion String Quartets. Both have lived with these works throughout their careers, and, in these performances, again brought to them the consummate tonal, musical and ensemble perfection born of years of study and world-wide performances. Among the Tokyo’s New York appearances was a six-concert cycle to benefit the AIDS epidemic; the Orion presented a similar series to the City as a free gift to celebrate the new Millennium.

The Tokyo is performing the complete Beethoven cycle over four years at the 92^nd Street Y, where it is Ensemble-in-Residence, devoting each season to one “period” of his works; this is the final year. For this series, the players are adding a new element to the programs: they are combining the quartets with important keyboard compositions of the same period to give audiences a wider perspective of Beethoven’s work. Their four guest pianists represent different nationalities, generations and styles, and include two extraordinarily talented young newcomers: Juho Pohjonen from Finland in his 92^nd Street Y debut in the first concert, and Aleksndar Madzar from Belgrade in his New York debut in the second. Pohjonen, a multiple international prize-winner, chose an unusual calling card: Beethoven’s final set of Bagatelles, Op. 126. These six perfect miniatures look deceptively simple and are not outwardly effective, but require utmost control, sensitivity and subtlety. With remarkable concentration, flexibility, color and nuance, Pohjonen brought out their contrasting character, from dreamy ambiguity to fiery assertiveness, leaving an impression of superior pianism and communicative power.

Madza’s international career was launched when he won the 1996 Leeds Piano Competition. A fine pianist with a splendid but unobtrusive technique, his unfailingly beautiful, singing tone and distinctive lyrical gifts found full expression in the Sonatas Op. 109 and 110, and he handled the mood and tempo changes admirably.

In the third concert, the renowned American pianist, fortepianist and scholar Robert Levin played the Piano Sonata Op. 101 with his customary clarity and nobility; the Quartet’s cellist, Clive Greensmith, joined him for a lovely, expressive performance of the Cello Sonata Op. 102, No. 1.

The Tokyo performed the Quartet Op. 130 with the original Finale, the thorny, daunting “Great Fugue,” and the Quartets Op. 127, 132, and 135. They will close the series with Op. 131 in the fourth concert on May 7; their guest will be the brilliant young Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein in Beethoven’s last Sonata, Op. 111, and the Bagatelles Op 119.

The Orion Quartet is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Mannes College of Music, where it presents an annual concert series. Its most recent program featured Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 131, and Brahms’ Op. 51 No. 2, to show how Brahms continued Beethoven’s legacy and where he diverged from it. However, these two works revealed a sort of inverse legacy: Beethoven’s free, continuous seven-movement structure seemed far more innovative than Brahms’ traditional four movements.

The performance, as always, was distinguished by its technical and ensemble perfection, its tonal and rhythmic balance, its control, spontaneity, and its deeply felt expressiveness.

Both halls were filled to the rafters and the ovations would not stop.

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

Musica De Camara String Ensemble in Review

Roselin Pabon, Conductor

A Celebration of Hispanic Music

St. Patrick’s Cathedral; New York, NY

April 7, 2011

The all-encompassing acoustical blur of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and the spectacularly intricate dance music performed by the Musica De Camara String Ensemble did not mesh together particularly well, but quality program choices and the excellent ensemble-playing led by conductor Roselin Pabon greatly compensated for the cacophony. When audible—and this was during softer or less densely scored sections of music–the ensemble’s precision was occasionally first-rate. St. Patrick’s is a beautiful and venerable place to play, but the drawback is a big one: a resonance so strong and lasting (due to the high ceilings) that the music is often sacrificed. Still, one could see–if not hear–what almost every composer on this program did with regards to harmony and rhythm: make it fresh and thickly layered.

All the composers were quite inventive, and each one represented a different Spanish-speaking part of the world. This was, after all, a program entitled: “A Celebration of Hispanic Music.” Even though the composers’ birth dates ranged from 1892 to 1972, and they were from different geographical areas, there was surprisingly little variety of style among them; almost every piece contained syncopated, tonal, flavorful dance music for strings. (With strings alone, one can miss the diversity of orchestration—particularly percussion—that one hears in Hispanic music.) Yet, I’m happy to say that each work was well crafted, with each composer striving to be daring and complex. Venezuelan Aldemaro Romero’s “Fuga Con Pajarillo” was an impressive start, with all its meticulous counterpoint, and Spanish composer Xavier Montsalvatge’s “Danzas Concertantes” was a nice contrast of tempo and articulation, with thick blues chords. Cuban Chico O’Farrill’s Symphony for Strings was a more serious, sectional work, with lovely melodic writing that could be delineated due to the music’s textural clarity.

Puerto Rican composer, Jack Delano, wrote his Sinfonietta with an innate sense for lilting violin melody. The music was reminiscent of the Habanera—especially in pizzicato sections, and the rich chordal writing was fascinating. Mexican composer Eduardo Gamboa’s “Canambu” was Tango-like, but it also brought to mind Copland’s punchy “El Salon Mexico”. The treacherous off-beats (the first violins got slightly off track) had a welcome repetition. Columbian Hector Martignon’s “Abre, Sierra Tus Ojos” is a very difficult work that also caught the first violins off guard for a moment. Concertmaster Francisco Salazar, however, was absolutely terrific with his demanding solo part. Minimalistic, highly syncopated, and richly harmonized with 7^th and 9^th chords, “Sierra…” is a marvelous work, and the composer was present to receive the audience’s enthusiastic gratitude.

Unfortunately, Cuban Aruan Ortiz’s “Perla Caribena” was so silky smooth in its phrasing, that it was nearly impossible to hear its melodic strands in this church. Dominican Republic’s Samuel Herrera Baez’s “Merengue”, which was added to the program, was overall a welcome contrast with its simpler, traditional harmony. The conventional chordal writing and cadences of “Rhapsodia: Themes of Rafael Hernandez” by Puerto Rican Guillermo Figueroa (born in 1892) was also a pleasant look back to an earlier style. Some of the first violin entrances were unclear, and the concertmaster’s stand partner seemed lax here and in other highly syncopated pieces, playing behind the beat. I don’t understand why she didn’t try harder to mirror the rhythmical energy and leadership of the concertmaster sitting next to her; perhaps just an off-day.

The written program appropriately concluded with the great Argentinean master, Astor Piazzolla. His innovative “Michelangelo 70”, which was authentically orchestrated by Carlos Rengifo, is laced with a hypnotic repetition and composed with an amazing ear for varying, yet subtle change. The principal second violinist, Luis Casal, played his solo admirably. The encore, an arrangement of the Puerto Rican Danza “Sara”, was nice to hear, but that perfect Piazzolla piece, among others, was still ringing in my ears.

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