Category: columbus

Sara Davis Buechner joins Columbus Symphony in Viennese program

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor 
Sara Davis Buechner, piano
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
April 5, 2024

Haydn: Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. I:82, The Bear
Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D major, K297, Paris
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15

Encore:
Gershwin: The Man I Love

This weekend’s Columbus Symphony program traversed Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, all of whom spent most of their professional life in Vienna, and crystallized and embodied what we now know as the Classical style. Though a Viennese evening, the first two selections were associated with Paris, beginning with Haydn’s Symphony No. 82. The first of the six so-called Paris symphonies, it and its successors were written on commission for performances in the French capital throughout 1786.

Sara Davis Buechner, Rossen Milanov, and the Columbus Symphony

Despite its numerical order, No. 82 was the last of the Paris symphonies to be composed. The rather heavy-handed opening lumbered forward, soon to be countered by a gentler theme in a back and forth with the more martial material. The development introduced some piquant dissonances that to my ears seemed to anticipate those in Beethoven’s Eroica. Haydn showed himself master of the double variation in the Allegretto. The finale was marked by a sustained drone, giving rise to the work’s ursine nickname, imitating the music used to accompany the barbaric practice of dancing bears, in any case, themes of folk inflection gave the symphony a spirited close.

Though the program was presented chronologically by composer, Mozart’s Paris symphony (no. 31) predates Haydn’s by almost a decade. A bold opening – and perhaps a bit overbearingly so Friday night – showcased the expanded orchestra (inclusive of clarinets, the first Mozart symphony to employ them), a quantity that must have dazzled Parisian audiences at the time. Delicately drawn-out melody made the central slow movement especially lyrical, and the finale was a pristine balance of both abandon and sophistication.

The first of Beethoven’s five genre-defining piano concertos brought forth Sara Davis Buechner as soloist. A gentle theme brimming with playful potential was heard from the orchestra, though the time-honored tradition of an orchestral introduction is a device the composer would jettison in his later works in the medium. Buechner’s entry was an elegant affair, deftly ornamented and replete with smooth runs across the keyboard, engaging in an energetic conversation with the orchestra. Though the work still very much bears the influence of Mozart, a lyrical flourish several minutes in unmistakably showed Beethoven’s individual stamp. Buechner’s snappy rhythmic punctuations and dynamic contrasts imbued the performance with excitement, and especially so in the wide-ranging cadenza of her own device (though perhaps not as wide-ranging as the one Alkan supplied for the Third Concerto!).

The Largo was gorgeous and serene, a mood sustained by the delicate cantilena in the piano. Quite a contrast to the Allegro scherzando finale which rivaled the mischievousness of his teacher Haydn – and moreover, in this case a nod to one Andreas Hofer – and Buechner offered a reading with flexibility and freedom. An enthusiastic reception brought her back for an encore which she introduced as “an unnecessary delay before my first martini” – a delay we’re grateful for, as it proved to be a lovely and sultry account of Gershwin’s The Man I Love.

Buechner and Milanov during the preconcert conversation

Rare Rachmaninoff anchors Columbus Symphony’s decidedly D minor program

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Elina Vähälä, violin
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
March 22, 2024

Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni, K527
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13

All three works on last night’s Columbus Symphony program were cast in the stormy key of D minor, a programming choice that seemingly mirrored the gloomy, rainy conditions outside the Ohio Theatre (Beethoven also chose that key for his Tempest sonata). The overture to Mozart’s great opera Don Giovanni is always an effective and attention-grabbing curtain-raiser. Beginning unequivocally bold and tragic, contrasting material was given briskly and with crisp articulation.

Preconcert conversation with Elina Vähälä and Rossen Milanov

Jean Sibelius’s Violin Concerto brought forth soloist Elina Vähälä who shares the composer’s Finnish heritage (though she spent the first part of her childhood in Iowa). Hesitant tremolos in the orchestra opened, with Vähälä’s lyrical, dark-hued solo line taking shape. She delivered with a passion that was fiery yet never showy, not the least in the extended cadenza. A slow movement followed in songful fashion, growing in intensity with a series of searing, rising trills. The foot-tapping rhythmic vitality of the finale left one in good spirits after the Nordic chill of the preceding.

The premiere of Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony is one of music history’s greatest disasters. The most ambitious work to date from the composer then in his early twenties, the first performance of the complex score suffered from inadequate rehearsal time and a purportedly inebriated Alexander Glazunov at the podium. The symphony – despite showing enormous promise – was all but forgotten until after the composer’s death, and Rachmaninoff fell into a deep depression that impeded his ability to write for the next few years. Friday night marked its very belated Columbus premiere, and credit to Milanov and the CSO for shedding light on an unjustly neglected work.

A triplet motif opens all four movements; in the first, it signaled a plunge into darkness. Despite being a youthful work, so many of the hallmarks one associates with Rachmaninoff are already very much apparent: sweeping melodies, colorful orchestrations, folk-inflected themes, and use of the plainchant Dies irae. This is in fact the composer’s first appropriation of Dies irae, a theme that would virtually become his calling card, wandering through so much of his output – and here it was given a particularly scintillating treatment about halfway through the opening movement.

The lilting Allegro animato was a bit gentler, though not immune from the somber Dies irae which acted as a binding agent throughout the work. A Larghetto was a calming interlude, if not quite reaching the heartwrenching heights of the slow movements the composer would become famous for, though an extended clarinet solo seemed to predict that of the Second Symphony. Delicate dialogue between concertmaster Joanna Frankel and principal cello Luis Biava was a further highpoint. A swashbuckling march theme opened the finale, swelling to searing melody in true Rachmaninoff-ian fashion. In the closing moments, the tempo slowed considerably for a coda with gravitas – and at long last, a brief glimpse of D major.

Vadim Gluzman returns to ProMusica to lead neighborhood series

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ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
Vadim Gluzman, violin & leader
Donna Conaty, oboe
Nadine Hur, flute
Aya Hamada, harpsichord

St Mary Catholic Church
Columbus, OH
February 25, 2024

Bach: Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor, BWV 1060
Silvestrov: Excerpts from Silent Music
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 10 in B minor

In his first appearance of the current concert season, ProMusica’s creative partner Vadim Gluzman led the ensemble in the Neighborhood Series, an event that sees the group perform outside the confines of their usual home in the Southern Theatre. Sunday’s afternoon performance in German Village drew a capacity crowd for a program that featured ProMusica players as soloists in Bach concertos, interspersed with works scored for string orchestra.

ProMusica at St Mary, photos credit ProMusica

Bach’s Double Concerto for Oboe and Violin brought forth Gluzman along with oboist Donna Conaty. Gluzman served dual role as a dynamic leader and charismatic soloist, sparking a fine chemistry with Conaty. The pair gave the piece an energetic workout, though perhaps most touching was the slow movement’s singing line in the oboe deftly answered by the violin.

This weekend marked the two year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and meaningfully, a work from Gluzman’s Ukrainian compatriot Valentin Silvestrov followed, as the conductor-violinist put it, “in hope of a better tomorrow.” The deeply reflective Silent Music dates from 2002, and is cast in three movements – though ProMusica opted to play only the first two. Solemn strings opened the Waltz of the Moment, and a wistful waltz gesture eloquently took shape. Evening Serenade occupied a similar space, marked by a melody gently cascading.

Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 was quite a contrast, being in the highest of spirits. It boasted substantial solo parts for flute (Nadine Hur) and harpsichord (Aya Hamada). The flute offered a lyrical presence throughout, and the sparkling, bright effect of the harpsichord captured one’s attention, above all, in the cadenza. One of the single most impressive moments in all of Bach’s keyboard writing (which is saying a lot!), Hamada purveyed a self-assured virtuosity.

Between the ages of twelve and fourteen, the astonishingly precocious Mendelssohn wrote a set of twelve string symphonies. No. 10 closed the afternoon’s program, a single movement conception that opened in the lushness of the strings. More animated material took flight, providing glimmers of the gossamer textures that would come to define the very word Mendelssohnian.

Nadine Hur, Aya Hamada, and Vadim Gluzman perform Bach

Isidore String Quartet makes Chamber Music Columbus debut in wide-ranging program

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Isidore String Quartet
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
February 24, 2024

Dinuk Wijeratne: The Disappearance of Lisa Gherardini
Aida Shirazi: umbra
Bach: Contrapunctus I-IV from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080
Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36

Chamber Music Columbus’ February program introduced the youthful Isidore String Quartet. All recent Juilliard grads, the quartet has already been acknowledged with an Avery Fisher Career Grant and first prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Their Saturday night program at the Southern Theatre was refreshingly diverse and enterprising.

Isidore Quartet at the Southern Theatre, photo credit Chamber Music Columbus

A 2022 work from Sri Lankan composer Dinuk Wijeratne opened, a quantity this ensemble first encountered at the Banff Competition. The Disappearance of Lisa Gherardini recounts in musical – and quite theatrical – terms the 1911 heist of the Mona Lisa from Louvre. A cello melody opened, suggesting the genesis of the painting, with the others dispersed around the stage, playing gestures that in the composer’s own words “evoke gentle brushstrokes.” A central section suggested the heist, scheming and unsettling, while the cello resounded again in the concluding material, signifying the painting at last returned to its rightful place.

Iranian composer Aida Shirazi was represented with the 2011 work umbra, a title meant to evoke “a process in which the musical events unfold glacially.” Extensive use was made of extended techniques – harmonics and quarter-tones which painted an otherworldly soundscape, all but dissipating into the ether upon its conclusion.

Though generally performed on the keyboard, Bach’s crowning Art of Fugue has a long tradition of being appropriated for other instruments. The first four Contrapunctus were given in exacting transcription for string quartet. The second violin introduced the stately theme, with the transcriptions arranged in such a way that each instrument rotated giving the first presentation of the subject. The quartet boasted a sharp contrapuntal clarity, particularly evident in the fearsome complexities of the final selection. The string quartet is a medium that came after the composer’s time, but Isidore certainly made a compelling case for listening to Bach through this lens.

The program closed with Britten’s String Quartet No. 2, dating from 1945 – a watershed year in British history as well as the 250th anniversary of Henry Purcell’s death, both of which are central to the quartet. Wide-spaced texturing characterized the opening movement, a plaintive atmosphere in due course interrupted by more energetic material. The scherzo movement was in turn a ferocious if brief affair, putting Isidore’s virtuosity on full display.

The closing Chacony (as chaconne would have been spelled in Purcell’s time and place) is the most overt nod to the elder composer, and the heart of the work, clocking in at more than the first two movements combined. Its theme was derived from Purcell’s Chacony in G minor, Z730, and three groups of six variations respectively explored the source material’s harmony, rhythm, and counterpoint. Solo cadenzas punctuated each grouping, and a final set of three variations offered a lush chordal finale.

Pianist Claire Huangci returns to Columbus Symphony with Tchaikovsky

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Carl St. Clair, conductor
Claire Huangci, piano
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
February 23, 2024

Wineglass: Alone Together
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
 Encore:
 Gershwin/Wild: Embraceable You
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Last weekend’s Columbus Symphony concerts brought forth guest conductor Carl St. Clair, currently – and remarkably – in his 34th season as music director of the Irvine, California-based Pacific Symphony. Headlining the performance was pianist Claire Huangci, returning to the Ohio Theatre following a memorable debut two seasons ago. Prefacing the pianistic centerpiece was a local premiere by John Wineglass, perhaps best known for his work in television scoring – most notably for All My Children, garnering him six Emmy nominations.

Carl St. Clair, photo credit pacificsymphony.com

Alone Together dates from 2021, in the throes of the pandemic, and was premiered virtually by St. Clair and his California ensemble on the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Scored for strings, harp, and percussion, it documents a challenging time in recent history (a recording may be heard here). The opening “Strange Pandemic Times” was marked by unsettling harmonics, though generally lushly tonal and reflective. A pulsating drum ominously sounded, taking a darker turn before the closing “A Ray of Hope.” The harp had a calming effect and introduced an appealing melody, but ultimately felt to this listener more akin to “feel-good” music than a work that fully captured the depth of the subject matter.

Tchaikovsky’s evergreen First Piano Concerto was a fitting platform for Huangci’s virtuosity. A bold, brassy opening pointed to the thunderous chords in the piano, but I found the pianist’s approach perplexing at best. She was wont to rapidly release her hands from the keyboard, almost as if the keys were hot to the touch. Not only did this make for an odd visual, but the tone yielded was rarely more than surface-level, inadequate to project over the large orchestra and throughout the cavernous theater – especially apparent in the rapid double octaves which came off rather feeble. Still, I found her technique impressive and effective in the elegant cadenza.

The Andantino semplice opened with pizzicato strings and a lovely flute solo. The pianist seemed at her finest in these more lyrical and restrained moments, including a touching bit of dialogue with cellist Luis Biava. The fiery finale was at heart a lively folk dance, likely of Ukrainian origin. As an encore, Huangci offered the great Earl Wild’s transcription of Gershwin’s Embraceable You – impressive fingerwork colored by sweet, jazz-inflected harmonies.

Brahms’ Fourth Symphony concluded the program. The work’s long journey embarked with a gentle dip in the strings. St. Clair had a keen sense of structure and pacing, though there was something to be desired with regard to balance, given that the brass were often too much in the foreground. The slow movement boasted some lovely string playing, contrasting the stentorian brass, while the scherzo saw jubilation amidst the work’s severity. Eight powerful chords made the spine of the closing passacaglia, its variations unfolding with dignified purpose.

Unfamiliar Dawson symphony highlights Columbus Symphony’s eclectic program

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Steven Banks, alto saxophone
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
February 4, 2024

Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird (1919)
Tomasi: Concerto for Alto Saxophone
Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony

Last weekend saw the Columbus Symphony opening their program with an orchestral favorite before courageously veering firmly into unfamiliar territory. Stravinsky’s Firebird, presented in its most commonly heard 1919 suite, made for a glittering opening. Ominous rumbling in the low strings set the mood and built tension. A warm and gracious theme of folk origin marked the “Dance of the Princesses”, most prominently heard in the oboe. The vigor was substantially ramped up in the “Infernal Dance”, with thunderous punctuations from the bass drum, ultimately pointing to the resplendent finale. In his preconcert talk, Christopher Purdy noted that Stravinsky himself conducted the CSO on one occasion in 1968.

Steven Banks, photo credit steven-banks.com

Henri Tomasi’s 1949 Concerto for Alto Saxophone brought forth an excellent soloist in Steven Banks. Its misty opening in the orchestra gave way to the lyrical tone of the sax, making the case that this is an instrument that has a place in the concert hall as well as the jazz club. Banks impressed in his rapid fingerwork during the extended cadenza, and the timbre of his instrument offered striking contrast to the rest of the orchestra in this colorful midcentury score. The closing “Giration” again showcased the soloist’s limber flexibility, broadening to a clangorous coda. As an encore, Banks performed “The Lord’s Prayer”, a plaintive spiritual that further showcased the saxophone’s range and variety.

The major discovery of the program came in William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony. A substantial work, it puts Dawson in same pantheon as fellow Black composers Florence Price, William Grant Still, or Julia Perry – and served as a meaningful acknowledgment of Black History Month. Written in 1934, it was premiered to acclaim by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, only to soon recede into obscurity. Dawson would revise the work decades later, further fleshing out the percussion section after being inspired by a trip to the African continent. In very recent years, orchestras have begun to rediscover the score – and Philadelphia returned to it once again, producing a Grammy-nominated recording.

The three movements each take their titles from spirituals, and the work is an amalgamation of themes based on spirituals and those of Dawson’s own device. In this regard, he very much took cue from Dvořák who found great inspiration in the spiritual and encouraged American composers to embrace its authenticity. The Bond of Africa opened with a horn call, leading to a paragraph spacious and earthy, and in no hurry to arrive at the percussive coda. The work bore Dawson’s individual stamp and I was struck by the composer’s skillful orchestration and control of form – a shame he didn’t write more.

The crepuscular Hope in the Night was more introspective, and with a prominent passage for English horn (also a favorite instrument of Dvořák). It swelled to climaxes strained and pained – with a striking orchestration for bells. Glimmers of hope shone through in more playful material, but the bells resurfaced in a particularly gripping passage, underpinned by eerily pulsating percussion. I found the closing O, Le’ Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star! to be the least convincing, but a warm brass chorale helped bring the work to a radiant close.

Classical symphonies bookend wunderkind violinist at ProMusica

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ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
David Danzmayr, conductor
Fiona Khuong-Huu, violin
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
January 28, 2024

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, Classical
Saint-Saëns: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28
Ravel: Tzigane
Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major, Hob. I:104, London

Last weekend’s ProMusica performances introduced Columbus audiences to the remarkable – and remarkably young – violinist Fiona Khuong-Huu. Just 16 years old, she has already scored a New York Philharmonic debut and is currently a student in Juilliard’s pre-college division. Additionally, she is recipient of the Fomin Scholarship Fund from the Chicago-area North Shore Chamber Festival, an organization helmed by ProMusica’s creative partner Vadim Gluzman.

Fiona Khuong-Huu, David Danzmayr, and ProMusica, photos credit ProMusica

Khuong-Huu offered two 10-minute or so virtuoso showpieces, beginning with Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo capriccioso. A long-bowed melody marked the introductory material, and the violinist played with a rich tone and a maturity beyond her years. The Rondo was elegantly ornamented, with Khuong-Huu self-assured across the range of her instrument. In a particularly striking moment, the soloist played a series of rapid, wide-ranging arpeggios as the theme surfaced in the winds.

Ravel’s Tzigane opened with a monologue for violin alone, replete with modal inflections in invocation of Romani music. It’s a work that made substantial technical demands, surmounted by the soloist with seeming effortlessness. It’s also a piece filled with novel timbres, from the rapid pizzicato passages to a substantial part for harp (Jeanne Norton). Khuong-Huu certainly has a bright future ahead of her, and a career I look forward to watching.

The evening began and ended with “classical” symphonies of various flavors – Prokofiev’s First, which consciously sought to emulate and imitate his symphonic forbears, and Haydn’s last, a veritable archetype of the form. The fizzy opening of the Prokofiev was further buttressed by a buoyant contrasting theme, almost weightless, though vigor was amassed as much was made from efficient use of the chamber-sized orchestra. The delicate inner voices were intricately brought out in the Larghetto, and the piquant dissonances of the haughty gavotte were given a stylish reading. The effervescence of the whirlwind finale was a worthy rival to Haydn himself.

A broad-stroked introduction began Haydn’s London symphony at the other end of the program, pointing towards an essay in equal parts energetic and elegant, epitomizing classical symmetry and balance. The irregularly dispersed accents and pauses of the minuet were of charming effect, as was the finale, derived from a Croatian folk song that sounded almost indistinguishable from a bona fide Haydn theme.

The preceding Friday night saw a further installment of Naked Classics, hosted by the ebullient and informed Paul Rissmann. Parallels and contrasts between the Haydn and Prokofiev symphonies were illuminated, culminating in a performance of both works. Here, the two symphonies were intertwined, with a movement of Prokofiev alternating with a movement of Haydn, an approach which may have helped illustrate comparisons but ultimately made for a disjointed listen.

Paul Rissmann with David Danzmayr and ProMusica

Carpe Diem joins forces with guest violist

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Carpe Diem String Quartet
Jacob Shack, viola
First Unitarian Universalist Church
Columbus, OH
December 16, 2023

Tucker: Ravenous
Bunch: String Circle
Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111

Carpe Diem String Quartet began their December program in enterprising fashion with two contemporary works – including a world premiere. The premiere was a product of their 15 for 15 initiative, in which they have commissioned fifteen works to honor their fifteenth anniversary. Composer Akshaya Avril Tucker was on hand to introduce her piece entitled Ravenous, inviting the audience to picture a place without life – and then to imagine its return to life in ravenous regrowth. The piece followed the trajectory suggested by those remarks, beginning desolate, almost disembodied, steadily growing in vigor and fervor.

Guest violist Jacob Shack – who currently serves as associate principal of the Baltimore Symphony – was introduced for the next two selections. Kenji Bunch – also a violist – is a composer whose folk and populist influences abound, readily apparent in the 2005 work String Circle. Described as something of a chamber music “jam session”, the opening Lowdown began gently but not without rhythmic thrust. Syncopations decorated Shuffle Step, while the languorous central Ballad seemed to suggest Gershwin’s “Summertime”. Pointillist pizzicato made Porch Picking a fun listen, and the appropriately titled Overdrive closed the piece in exciting fashion.

Brahms’ String Quintet No. 2 was almost symphonic in heft – it was quite striking how the addition of just a single viola buttressed the quartet. Tremolos underpinned a warm cello melody, and the quintet did much to bring out the richness of the scoring, cutting into the heart of the spacious opening movement. The Adagio was beautifully resonant, with elegant ornamentations atop a stately chordal procession. Brahms’ individual stamp wandered through the penultimate movement, a downtempo affair in lieu of the more traditional scherzo; a further favorite device of the composer came in the Hungarian inflections of the vigorous finale. Shack gelled with Carpe Diem like an old friend, and the diversion into the string quintet literature was most welcome.

Seasonally appropriate, the evening concluded with a generous helping of ten or so holiday selections in skillfully crafted arrangements for quartet.

Columbus Symphony and Chorus riveting in Frank’s Conquest Requiem

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Rossen Milanov, conductor
Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Jessica Rivera, soprano
Andrew Garland, baritone
Stephen Caracciolo, chorus director
Columbus Symphony Chorus

Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
November 17, 2023

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral
Frank: Conquest Requiem

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, the Columbus Symphony offered a substantial program of two highly contrasting works, spaced apart by two centuries: Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and a recent work of Gabriela Lena Frank, the latter of which engaged the chorus and a pair of vocal soloists.

Music director Rossen Milanov opened the Pastoral at a relaxed tempo, drawing reserves of resonant sound out of the CSO. A bucolic scene was painted by the slow movement with its graceful, gentle melody inflected by elegant ornamentations. Dialogue between the winds and strings was well-executed, as was the pictorial series of bird calls. A folksy and charming movement followed, quite literally the calm before the storm which offered dark and tumultuous contrast, while the finale calmed matters in its hymn-like paean, some foibles in the horns notwithstanding.

Jessica Rivera, photo credit Tina Gutierrez

An ambitious programming choice occupied the reminder of the program, namely Gabriela Lena Frank’s 2017 Conquest Requiem. Written on commission from the Houston Symphony, it’s a work that has subsequently only been heard in Nashville and Boston ahead of last weekend’s Columbus premiere. The work is concerned with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, and thus functions as a requiem for lost culture. With the broad framework of the Latin requiem mass informing the underlying structure, parts for the vocal soloists were variously in Nahuatl and Spanish – it was regrettable the program books didn’t include the full text by librettist Nilo Cruz, which may be viewed here. The clash of cultures is perhaps a natural subject for Frank, mirroring her own diverse background, inclusive of Chinese, Jewish, Eastern European, Peruvian, Spanish, and Quechua ancestry.

Soprano Jessica Rivera embodied the role of Malinche, an enslaved Nahua woman and mistress of Cortés, with whom she bore a son Martín, sung by baritone Andrew Garland. Both soloists were also engaged for the Houston premiere, and it was clear by the urgency and persuasion of their performances that this is a work they emphatically believe in. A descending gesture opened, with the solemn chorus a present force nearly from the onset, offering the Latin requiem text as a layer of the work’s rich tapestry. Interwoven with the requiem text were the soloists’ exclamations, beginning with Malinche who sang initially in Spanish. Rivera was both impassioned and conflicted, capturing the straddling of cultures.

Frank made effective use of a large orchestra – with some particularly striking scoring for percussion – in a musical language that was approachable without being derivative, especially evident in the strident and rousing Judex ergo or the chilling setting of the Dies irae that followed, wherein Garland introduced Martín with conviction. Material for strings and harp was an orchestral highlight, a calming passage before Rivera sang of Malinche’s inner turmoil in an agonizing climax. A duet saw the soloists blend their voices harmoniously, with the thought-provoking work landing on a plaintive if inconclusive Amen.

ProMusica celebrates Schubert – and the steel pan

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ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
David Danzmayr, conductor
Andy Akiho, steel pan
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
November 11, 2023

Akiho: Beneath Lighted Coffers
 Encore:
 Akiho: Murasaki
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944, Great

Last weekend’s ProMusica performances offered a further installment in their admirable and illuminating Composer/Performer project, in which they shine light on that special breed of musicians who balance careers in both disciplines. Featured on the present program was composer and steel pannist Andy Akiho – who just the day before received no less than 3 Grammy nominations!

Andy Akiho and ProMusica, photos credit ProMusica

The work he offered ProMusica was a concerto for steel pan and orchestra entitled Beneath Lighted Coffers, written in 2015 on commission from the National Symphony Orchestra. The piece was inspired by time the composer spent in Rome, and in particular, the Pantheon with each of its five movements exploring a feature of the awe-inspiring edifice. Cascades in the pan alone started the opening “Portico” movement, and one was struck by Akiho’s thorough command of his instrument. Despite being essentially a foreign entity in the context of the Western classical orchestra, the pan naturally blended with the others under the composer’s skillful writing.

“Twenty-Eight” alluded to the Pantheon’s trapezoidal coffers, with strident, angular writing building these architectural elements in musical terms. Striking the edge of the pan, Akiho yielded a wide variety of timbre and color from the instrument. “Oculus” proceeded as meditative paean, and “Corelli” was a tribute to Baroque master buried at the Pantheon on an instrument the elder composer could scarcely have imagined. The composer’s adroitness at writing for orchestra was perhaps most convincing in the closing “Permanence” – a tuneful final statement abundant with virtuosic flourishes. Perhaps not the most profound score ProMusica has embraced, but a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

As an encore, Akiho offered his piece Murasaki, putting the capabilities and variety of the pan into focus – I was especially taken by the wide dynamic range. During the post-concert conversation, Akiho mentioned the inspiration came in the wee hours of the morning following a late shift at his father’s sushi restaurant – and a nod to reggae and Bob Marley.

Schubert’s final completed symphony was a weighty end to the evening. The broad stroked introduction evidenced the heft and proportion of the work (which Schumann would famously dub “heavenly length”), although here I prefer a bit more indulgent tempo and spacing than what Danzmayr offered. The first movement proper was given an energetic, vivacious workout, a spirited and life-affirming statement, and the trombone – novel in the symphony during Schubert’s time – provided a muscular backbone. The solo oboe of the slow movement proceeded as a gorgeous song without words, answered by a prayer-like passage in the strings.

The scherzo that followed was certainly no trifle, just as long as any of the other movements. It had a driving energy, and a recurrent tension between the fiery and the lyrical, contrasted by the loveliest of trios. Danzmayr and ProMusica romped through the vivacious finale with joy and abandon.