Amber Evans, soprano; Mivos Quartet: Olivia De Prato, violin, Maya Bennardo, violin, Victor Lowrie Tafoya, viola, Tyler J. Borden, cello
Jon Clancy, percussion, Thomas Feng, piano, Francesca Ferrara, flute
Marc Scorca Hall at National Opera Center, New York, NY
May 20, 2019
On May 20, 2019, the Marc Scorca Hall at National Opera Center was the venue for the presentation of the 2019 Mamlok Prize for Interpreters of Contemporary Music. The featured performers were Amber Evans, soprano , winner of The Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Advancement Award for Interpreters of Contemporary Music, and The Mivos Quartet (Olivia De Prato, violin, Maya Bennardo, violin, Victor Lowrie Tafoya, viola, Tyler J. Borden, cello), winner of The Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Prize for Interpreters of Contemporary Music. Along with two works of Ursula Mamlok, there were works from five other composers (four living, and all four were present on this occasion). For those who are contemporary music aficionados, this was an evening of excellent performances of stimulating music. For those who might feel qualms about “contemporary music,” this was a sampling of generally more accessible works that would serve as a bridge towards further musical explorations.
Bettina Brand, the manager of The Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation, welcomed the audience and shared some reminiscences about Ursula Mamlok. Dr. Nicolai von Cube, the foundation chairman, introduced the winners after the intermission. A short biographical film, “Ursula Mamlok- Berlin-Guayaquil-New York and Back,” by Anne Berrini was a basic introduction to the life of Ms. Mamlok. Perhaps the foundation in the future will issue an English language version of her biography Time In Flux: Die Komponistin Ursula Mamlok, by Habakuk Traber, so more people can learn about her life and music.
Quoting from the program: “The Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation was formally established in May 2016, with headquarters in Frankfurt-am-Main and operational base in Berlin. The Foundation centers on the promotion of music and literature. Its purpose is to support and maintain the place of Ursula Mamlok’s oeuvre in performance repertoire and to support musicians who have made a notable contribution to the development of modern music and have raised the profile of Ursula Mamlok’s music. In addition, the Foundation promotes the study of the body of literature produced by her husband, Dwight Mamlok, and supports its publication. The Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Prize for Interpreters of Contemporary Music is awarded annually, alternating in Berlin and New York. The Prize was awarded for the first time in Berlin in May 2018 to the Trio “Catch”. In the U.S. the Prize is channeled through the Contemporary Performance Program of the Manhattan School of Music, where Ursula Mamlok taught for over 40 years. Amber Evans and the founders of the Mivos Quartet are graduates of the program.”
Since this evening was to honor the Mamlok winners and Ursula Mamlok herself, I am going to focus mostly on them. This is not to slight the works of the other composers or to suggest they are not worthy of praise, as they all most certainly are. For the sake of completeness, I will mention those composers and works : Two Poems of Czeslaw Milosz by Nils Vigeland (b.1950), Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (1978), based on the Wallace Stevens poem, by Lukas Foss (1922–2009), “…und ich bin Dein Spiegel” (2000/2012), by Reiko Fueting (b.1970), the promise of the far horizon (2002, revised 2013, 2017), by Jeffrey Mumford (b.1955), and String Quartet No. 2 (“Kazakh” 2017), by Meilina Tsui (b.1993). Jon Clancy (percussion), Thomas Feng, (piano), and Francesca Ferrara, (flute/alto flute/ piccolo), all lent their considerable talents as well.
Now, about the prize-winners. Amber Evans must have been the easiest pick for this award. If one created a checklist of the necessary criteria, she would have no doubt met them all. Her voice has a crystalline quality, without strain or stridency in the extreme upper register. Her diction was always crisp and precise, and her projection was well-suited to the small and acoustically live hall. While many singers have contemporary works in their repertoire as a demonstration of their stylistic breadth as opposed to any true affection or affinity for these works, Ms. Evans is not one of those. It is abundantly clear that she loves these works with an intense passion, which shines through in her performances. With boundless energy, both on and offstage (her biography lists a long list of activities as a composer, conductor, and vocalist), she is personality-plus, and a treat to watch and hear.
The Mivos Quartet is highly active in playing and promoting contemporary music. They collaborate with a diverse group of artists in a variety of mediums, commission new works, and have created awards for composition. One of those award winners was composer Meilina Tsui. Also active in education, the Mivos Quartet conducts workshops around the globe. They are worthy champions of the cause, and with their zeal, paired with fantastic individual and ensemble technique, they should be a force for many years to come.
On to the music of Ursula Mamlok. One of the main features of Mamlok’s music is her emphasis on Klangfarbe to express moods and colors. This gives her music an attractive and accessible quality often not found in so-called “contemporary music.” While others might be about sonic effects, I get the impression that she strives above all else to communicate to the listener, and that her compositions are musical conversations to her friends and loved ones.
Five Songs from Stray Birds and the String Quartet No. 1 were bookends on the program. Since I am unable to provide a link to the thoughtful program notes written by Barry Weiner, I am going to quote from them here. “Five Songs from Stray Birds (1963) consists of five aphorisms, selected from the 326 aphorisms that constitute the poem, Stray Birds, by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). It was the first work for voice in which Mamlok used aphoristic texts. She attempted to ‘express the character of the poetry’ in this emotionally intense and expressionistic piece, juxtaposing the nervous, convoluted lines of the opening movements with the slow, sustained music of the lengthy final movement. The flutists’ shifts between flute, alto flute and piccolo throughout the work produce dramatic timbral and registral contrasts. The cello plays a central role in the musical discourse at the beginning of Stray Birds, but is subordinated to the voice and flute in the final two movements. Its lengthy palindromic solos frame the second movement. The Group for Contemporary Music premiered Stray Birds in New York in 1964.”
The five moments and the aphorisms: 1. In a sustained mood: Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away and yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh. 2. Majestic: Let your music like a sword pierce the noise of the market to its heart.3. Very airy: Tiny grass – your steps are small but you possess the earth under your tread. 4. In a melancholy mood: This rainy evening the wind is restless, I look at the swaying branches and ponder over the greatness of all things. 5. Still, with utmost simplicity: My day is done and I am like a boat drawn on the beach listening to the dance music of the tide in the evening.
This was mesmerizing music. Ms. Evans captured the emotion with a voice that soared, whispered, and charmed. Mr. Borden was a sensitive collaborator, but special mention should be made of flutist Francesca Ferrera for her exquisite playing.
Mr. Weiner’s notes continue: “The String Quartet No. 1 (1962) displays many signature traits of the composer’s style. In the first movement, a scherzo, contrasting motives are presented in continuously varied shapes and palindromic form. In the second movement (scherzo) the opening, wide spanning figures are played by all members of the quartet at different speeds and articulations. In the trio, marked ‘Intense’, the cello and viola play cadenzas, prestissimo and fortissimo. In contrast the music of the final movement is rhythmically static, sparse in texture, and extremely quiet. Abruptly the ideas of the first movement reenter creating a soundscape of dense textures and violent gestures.” The Mivos Quartet offered a highly polished and dynamic performance that was a fitting end to the concert.
All the performers and composers joined Ms. Brand and Dr. von Cube for a final bow. The next New York Area Ursula Mamlok event is scheduled for June 10, 2019 in Brooklyn- a must-see/hear for fans of her music, including the ones she made this evening.
