Wonki Lee and Brandon Choi, Saxophonists; Kyung-Eun Na, pianist
Bruno Walter Auditorium, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center, New York, NY
March 6, 2018
Two superb saxophonists and an excellent pianist collaborator came together in recital this week for what was a described by Soyeon Park (Si-Yo Music Society Foundation’s Artistic Director) as “the first classical saxophone duo recital performed by Korean musicians in New York City.” Just when one thinks that there is very little new under the sun, Wonki Lee and Brandon Choi emerge on the scene not only as pioneers but as brilliant ones.
For the record, not all of the works were for two saxophones with piano, but the highlights of the program were. For this instrumentation we heard Duo Concertant by Jean-Baptiste Singelée (1812-1875), Paganini Lost for two alto saxophones and piano by Jun Nagao (b. 1964), and for a finale Francis Poulenc’s Trio for piano oboe, and bassoon in an arrangement for two saxophones and piano by Junichi Sato, an intriguing selection of works, augmented by several solo compositions.
The opening of the program, the Singelée duo, was given a knockout performance, with Wonki Lee on soprano sax, Brandon Choi on alto sax, and Kyung-Eun Na at the piano. In what might have been saved as a virtuoso finale by a composer known for salon showpieces, the dazzling display in it announced from the start that this ensemble was not some mere ad hoc combination, but a tightly knit meeting of musical minds. What made it so special was the joyous interaction in the duo, sharing each note’s musical impulse rather than merely cleaving to the beat through the cascades of technical wizardry, as might be expected given the challenges to synchronize. The surging arpeggios and scales virtually bubbled up like laughter, and the saxophonists seemed to savor the ride of shared phrasing and musical repartee. Helping to knit the two parts was a balletic energy that was particularly pronounced in Mr. Choi, who appeared to possess within his physique a coiled spring ready to send him airborne.
Paganini Lost by Jun Nagao was a discovery for this listener, adding to the ever-growing body of work based on Paganini’s twenty-fourth Caprice (along with Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Witold Lutosławski, Robert Muczynski, and numerous others). A welcome addition in a jazzy idiom, it afforded exciting solo moments not only for each saxophonist but also for the excellent pianist Kyung-Eun Na, who managed fistfuls of notes with aplomb all evening (often handling her own perilous page-turning, though a page-turner was present).
The Poulenc arrangement by Junichi Sato was also interesting, a remarkably successful adaptation from the original trio, of which this reviewer happens to be a longtime devotee. The reworking was beautiful, certainly helped along by sensitive shading from each player, and it closed the evening with plenty of color, as promised in this program’s title.
Interspersed among these works pairing Mr. Lee and Mr. Choi were four solo saxophone works, three of them with piano. Notably, Mr. Lee performed his own saxophone-piano adaptation of Claude Debussy’s Rapsodie pour orchestra et saxophone. What one generally hears in concert (whether played with orchestra or piano reduction) is a combination of Debussy’s own manuscript and sketches and the work of Jean Roger-Ducasse, in whom Debussy placed enormous trust. While I’ve on occasion enjoyed that “original” piano reduction (perhaps relying partly on what one’s imagination or memory can supply of orchestral timbres), Mr. Lee’s version, as he states, incorporates the music from the complete orchestration more thoroughly, including transferring orchestral wind parts into the solo saxophone part itself. It represents a fascinating undertaking, certainly worthy of further hearings.
Mr. Choi then took the stage to give the world premiere of White Shadow of Passed Time II for solo saxophone (2018) by In Sun Jo (b. 1953). The only selection to allow Ms. Na a much-deserved break from the piano, it featured an encyclopedic range of newish extended techniques for solo sax, alternating with sounds of chimes and a triangle. The changing of stage lighting, from dim to bright and back, accompanied what was a somewhat theatrical piece, although one was not guided much by the program notes on the thinking behind this long work, so this listener was rather flummoxed. One wondered whether perhaps there might be a means to convey within a briefer timespan the same musical message, whatever that might be. Despite the recognizable strains of the chant “Dies Irae” and some semi-audible words spoken by Mr. Choi during the piece, there were what seemed to be several (false) “endings” before more of what one might call “sound effects” followed – a feature which strained even this very receptive listener’s patience at times. What might work beautifully as exotic film music requires a bit more cohesion for the concert hall, because, contrary to avant-garde visual arts, for which one can simply avert one’s gaze when not engaged, an audience member at a live concert remains in effect captive and subject to the composer’s focus or lack thereof. That point, in addition to decibel levels which necessitated plugging one’s ears, left one frustrated overall.
Following the Jo and Nagao pieces, came some lighter fare, namely Gershwin’s Cocktail by Toshio Mashima (1949-2016). Essentially a medley including The Man I Love, S’Wonderful, Somebody Loves Me, But Not for Me, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Fascinating Rhythm, it indeed resembled a “cocktail.” Mr. Lee played it with polish and panache, as did Ms. Na.
Milhaud’s Scaramouche for alto saxophone and piano continued in the same accessible vein. A classic perhaps best known in its two-piano version, it was, as the program notes remind us, originally commissioned by and written for saxophonist Sigurd Raschèr, so it was refreshing to hear as written. Mr. Choi brought it more of his infectious energy, though occasionally some sixteenths seemed to lose “traction” and run away a little. Is it possible that he was somehow trying to compensate for a longer than expected program? After all, what had been announced at the start as a program with no intermission, starting at 7:30pm, ran to around 9:20pm with no break. Whatever the case, one wanted to relax with this piece and savor it some more (especially breathing between phrases in the central Modéré movement).
All in all, despite the occasional reservation, there was much to admire about this concert, and especially about these young saxophonists. The duo of Choi and Lee are mesmerizing. Wherever life takes them, they simply must continue to play together.
