Early symphonies and a new violin concerto at Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

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Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Jaime Martín, conductor
Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin
Alex Theatre
Glendale, CA
November 2, 2024

Haydn: Symphony No. 7 in C major, Hob. I:7, Le midi
Beal: Body in Motion
Beethoven: Overture to Egmont, Op. 84
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

Held at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presented an alluring program bookended by early forays into the symphony from Haydn and Beethoven. As a centerpiece was a recent violin concerto by Jeff Beal, receiving its West Coast premiere.

Jaime Martín, Jeff Beal, and Kelly Hall-Tompkins with LACO

Haydn’s Seventh Symphony is the middle of early trilogy, in which each entry represents a different time of day (the other two are also being performed by LACO this season). Le midi (Noon) was written for the composer’s inaugural concert for the Esterházy family, the beginnings of an enormously fruitful musical relationship. The introduction was marked by crisp dotted rhythms, and I was struck from the first bars by music director Jaime Martín’s graceful conducting — without a baton, he seemed to be acting out the music he intended to draw from the orchestra rather than merely beating time.

The work proceeded with delightful interplay amongst the musicians on stage, and evidenced Haydn’s blossoming compositional skill — though one scarcely could have imagined that nearly 100 more symphonies would follow. Solo passages from concertmaster and principal cello were further highlights. A recitative served as an introduction to the Adagio — an inventive device which the composer would rarely revisit. Genteel material was decorated by fluttering flutes, and a duet between violin and cello gave a certain chamber-like quality. An elegant minuet followed — with a striking double bass solo in the trio — rounded off a by a finale brisk and full of vitality.

Jeff Beal is a California native particularly known for his work in film and television, including scores for House of Cards and Monk. His violin concerto titled Body in Motion received its first hearing at the St. Louis Symphony this past January, and LACO also engaged dedicatee Kelly Hall-Tompkins as soloist. Each of the three movements depicts a certain physiological phenomenon, beginning with head above water. Rippling material in the orchestra opened, with the violin soloist entering on the crest of the wave. A long and lyrical melody contrasted the orchestra’s bubbling gestures. Matters were ramped up in vigor with rapid-fire playing from the soloist, and a colorful touch of percussion. A wide-ranging cadenza followed, and finally, the sea swells of the opening resurfaced.

Plaintive strings, barely present, opened the central breathing movement. Hall-Tompkins joined in to draw out a melodic line in this meditative, inward-facing moment. Coarsely pulsating material began the closing running, and Beal made clever, efficient use of the slimmer resources of a chamber-sized orchestra. The violin writing was quite demanding, traversing the range of her instrument to bring the work to a rousing close. An appealing listen even if not particularly profound.

The remainder of the program was devoted to Beethoven, beginning with the Egmont overture. Bold and bellicose, there was wound-up tension from the opening, further emphasized by LACO through stark dynamic contrasts. The payoff came in the heroic ending, full of brassy splendor. The First Symphony opened with strikingly dissonant chords, quickly resolved — a device which Martín charismatically demonstrated in his spoken remarks. Fleet and buoyant, there was particularly fine playing from the winds, capped off by a joyous finale in all its foot-tapping vigor.

Escher Quartet and Jordan Bak open Chamber Music Pittsburgh season

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Escher Quartet
Jordan Bak, viola
PNC Theatre
Pittsburgh Playhouse
Pittsburgh, PA
October 21, 2024

Barber: String Quartet in B minor, Op. 11
Price: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor
Brahms: String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111

Opening the 2024-25 season of Chamber Music Pittsburgh was the New York-based Escher Quartet — an ensemble whose last local appearance was a streamed performance without audience during the covid lockdown. Euro-centric a tradition as the string quartet may be, the Escher’s program interesting opened with two American works, beginning with Samuel Barber’s youthful entry in B minor.

Escher Quartet with Jordan Bak, photo credit Chamber Music Pittsburgh

Terse, rapid gesture were given with singular intestity, interspersed with more lyrical material. The central Molto adagio would later become the iconic, standalone Adagio for Strings — and how fascinating it was to hear it in its original context, blanketed by contrasting outer movements. Far less saturated than the later expansion for string orchestra, it allowed one to better take note of its intricacies, particularly the melody for viola. The music grew to the impassioned, only to fade to somber quietude. Barber here was at his most neo-Romantic, sharply diverging from the stark modernism that opened. A brief finale followed without pause, at first recalling the gestures of the beginning, but then taking a life of its own in a brief but blistering coda.

The opening of Florence Price’s Second Quartet had a distinctive, recognizably American sound, balancing erudite sophistication with a certain down-to-earth abandon. A genial and gracious melodic line was tinged with folk tradition, and the slow movement that followed was a songful interlude, seemingly at peace with the world. A Juba movement is a device Price often used, and here it took the usual place of the Scherzo. Given without inhibition, bluesy harmonies and vibrant syncopations made for a delightful listen. The finale saw heightened drama, showcasing Price’s compositional skill with its coruscating counterpoint. An impressive close to the American half of the recital, and the Eschers served as strong advocates for Price.

Quartet then became quintet with the addition of violist Jordan Bak, affording the Pittsburgh audience the opportunity to hear Brahms’ expansive G major string quintet. The composer originally envisioned the work as his fifth symphony, and the vestiges of symphonic heft were evident from the grand sweep of the opening. A singing theme added contrast, with the addition of the second viola making matters all the more lovely. Bak blended well with the quartet, and the combined forces offered mastery of the work’s large-scale form.

A pizzicato bass line from the cello was a striking effect in the serene Adagio, as was a richly articulated melodic line in the first violin. The hesitating gesture in the penultimate movement gave it a certain autumnal quality, fitting for a work from late in the composer’s life, but the finale was a playful affair, hardly dour, with a bold and bracing finish fitting for a work of such proportion.

Pianist Tom Borrow joins Pittsburgh Symphony musicians for an evening of chamber music

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Tom Borrow, piano
Justine Campagna, violin
Jeremy Black, violin
Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola
Anne Martindale Williams, cello
Strings of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
October 19, 2024

Mozart: Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K304
Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40
Dvořák: Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81

One of the Pittsburgh Symphony’s more enterprising endeavors is the PSO360 series, which engages the guest soloist from the weekend’s subscription concerts in chamber music with select PSO members. An intimate audience of 200 is seated on the Heinz Hall stage, circled around the performers, affording the opportunity to see another side of the soloist and orchestra players alike.

The soloist in question was the young Israeli pianist Tom Borrow, who made a strong impression in the performances of Ravel’s piano concerto that flanked Saturday’s chamber concert. To begin, Borrow teamed up with associate concertmaster Justine Campagna in Mozart’s E minor violin sonata. The only work in Mozart’s vast catalogue to be cast in that key, it’s a particularly deeply-felt creation, one that the program notes aptly compared to the A minor piano sonata (K310) for its expressive range.

Campagna was elegant and articulate, and Borrow responded in kind with sparkling, quintessentially Mozartian pianism. The development section was particularly emotive, and the minuet that closed the two-movement sonata was perhaps the most profound of all minuets, a rich conversation between violinist and pianist.

Grieg’s Holberg Suite brought out the Pittsburgh string section, and there was a visceral energy in being onstage with 20 string players, evident from the effusive prelude which opened. Peaceful, lyrical movements followed, swelling to a warm resonance, and I was especially struck by the clarity of the inner voices. Perhaps most affecting was the Air, songful and mournful — and a touching homage to Bach. The Rigaudon brought the suite to a close with joyous abandon.

Following intermission, Borrow returned with a quartet of strings for Dvořák’s great A major piano quintet. A graceful introduction in the piano paved the way for a lyrical cello passage (Anne Martindale Williams). The five players wove together a rich tapestry with a feverish intensity, yet at its core still as good-natured as the composer himself. An elegant piano gesture marked the Dumka, a wistful essay punctuated by gorgeous interludes.

There was a vivacity to the folk inflections of the Scherzo that could only put a smile on one’s face, and the finale continued in the highest of spirits — but not without a blistering fugato. Here as throughout, Borrow sounded like a seasoned collaborator with these Pittsburgh players.

Tom Borrow with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony

North Carolina Symphony delights in Farrenc and Beethoven

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North Carolina Symphony
Joseph Peters, conductor
Meymandi Concert Hall
Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
Raleigh, NC
September 27, 2024

Farrenc: Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 36
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

Despite the threat of severe thunderstorms as vestiges of Hurricane Helene, the show went on at Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall, with the North Carolina Symphony offering a delightful matinee program. At the podium was Joseph Peters, who also serves as the Symphony’s associate principal oboe and English horn.

North Carolina Symphony and Joseph Peters

With a Strauss serenade being jettisoned for the shortened afternoon performance, two symphonies were contrasted, beginning with the largely forgetten Third Symphony of Louise Farrenc. A testament to her talent, Farrenc had the distinction of the being the only woman to hold professorship at the Paris Conservatoire in the nineteenth century. Her third and final symphony dates from 1847, a rare instance of a French symphony from that time as French composers sought to explore mediums different from their Germanic counterparts.

A brief slow introduction served to firmly establish the G minor tonality, giving way to a pointed theme, crisply articulate in its presentation. To me, it sounded as something of an amalgamation of Mozart’s two great symphonies in the same key with a touch of Mendelssohn’s Scottish — though there was ample evidence of Farrenc’s own voice, not the least in the mellifluous winds which offered an inimitable Gallic charm. A blistering coda brought the opening movement to a close.

The Adagio cantabile was marked by a deeply lyrical theme in the honeyed clarinet, answered by the strings. Beginning quietly, dynamic contrasts were maximized in the scherzo, Mendelssohnian in its briskness — and to no detriment of clarity. A brief but vigorous finale led to a to satisfying conclusion, and this counted as a welcome opportunity to hear a neglected yet skillfully crafted work.

In Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, he aspired to the lightheartedness and joviality of his former teacher Haydn — almost as if he needed to create seven monuments before he could attempt such an endeavor. The opening seemingly overflowed with exuberance, with accents punctuating its rhythmic vivacity. The Allegretto scherzando was light and gossamer, and the most patently indebted to Haydn’s wit. Despite being a driving force in replacing the minuet with a scherzo in the symphony, here Beethoven retreated to the venerable dance form. The swagger was infectious, and the horns in the gentler trio were especially lovely — and the work’s finale was of an ebullience that even exceeded that of the opening.

Pittsburgh Symphony’s Summer Shorts offers Italian delights

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Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Jacob Joyce, conductor
Nicholas Myers, double bass
O’Reilly Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
July 18, 2024

Rossini: Overture to L’italiana in Algeri
Martines: Sinfonia in C major
Bottesini: Concerto No. 2 for Bass and Orchestra in B minor
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, Italian

Though the Pittsburgh Symphony falls short of performing a full summer season, Thursday evening’s Summer Shorts performance did much to satisfy one’s musical appetite in a particularly appealing program of music from or about Italy. Helmed by associate conductor Jacob Joyce, the PSO ventured across Penn Avenue to the O’Reilly Theater, an intimate, 650-seat venue home to Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Jacob Joyce and the PSO at the O’Reilly

Rossini’s overtures never fail to bring a smile to one’s face, and the overture to L’italiana in Algeri (one of the composer’s first full-length operas) certainly had that effect, right from its cheeky pizzicato opening. A limber oboe passage provided a lyrical highlight in this otherwise vigorous work, performed by the PSO with the highest of spirits.

Born to Neapolitan parentage, Marianna Martines spent her life in Vienna where she counted amongst her acquaintances Haydn and Mozart. Though a prolific composer, very few of her works were published during her lifetime, and tragically, many manuscripts were destroyed by a fire in 1927. Dating from 1770, the Sinfonia in C major proved an intriguing discovery. Cast in a three-part structure in accordance with the Italian overture form, the work exuded the charm and elegance of the Classical style and of her mentor Haydn, but written with the optimism and self-assurance of a very skilled composer.

The central section could perhaps have been given with greater contrast from the preceding, though the finale – a sprightly, almost danceable affair – offered a minor key episode to beguiling effect. Consider my interest in Martines duly piqued.

Typically relegated to the back of the orchestra, it’s a rare treat to hear the double bass front and center as the protagonist of a concerto. Appointed to principal bass in 2022, this counted as Nicholas Myers’ PSO solo debut. Giovanni Bottesini was a virtuoso on the instrument, even becoming known as the “Paganini of the double bass,” and composed a significant body of work for it. In addition, he was an accomplished conductor, being the one to lead the 1871 premiere of Verdi’s Aïda in Cairo.

Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 for Bass and Orchestra was perhaps the most intriguing entry on the program. With little fanfare to introduce, the bass entered lyrical and resonant, its capabilities as a solo instrument on full display. Myers impressed in his virtuoso command of the instrument, from the wide leaps in the melodic line to the rapid-fire coda. An Andante was deeply songful, a sound that contrasted with the instrument’s unwieldy appearance, and the rollicking finale evidenced Hungarian influence. In future PSO seasons, perhaps Myers can be invited to lead an exploration of concertos for double bass?

Mendelssohn’s perennial Italian symphony was a fitting and satisfying close to the evening. Its sunny, inimitably Italianate textures were buttressed by Joyce’s sweeping gestures, purveying a bold sound even more apparent in the confines of the O’Reilly. Perhaps because of the Bottesini that prefaced, my ears were particularly attuned to the sextet of double basses, which as ensemble instruments were used to such clever effect in the Andante con moto. The penultimate movement served as an elegant processional before the finale, given a vigorous workout, punctuated by the infectious rhythms of the saltarello.

Vasily Petrenko and Pittsburgh Symphony deliver a gripping Manfred

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Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
June 2, 2024

Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, S124
 Encore:
 Sousa/Horowitz: The Stars and Stripes Forever
Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony, Op. 58

Under the baton of guest conductor Vasily Petrenko, the Pittsburgh Symphony presented a colorful selection of three contrasting works spanning the Romantic era. Matters began with the inimitably familiar Sorcerer’s Apprentice of Paul Dukas, a familiarity in no small part cemented by its appropriation in Disney’s watershed Fantasia. The tone poem began in suspenseful mystery, decorated with silvery, gossamer texturing. Haughty bassoons introduced the main theme, given with swagger and bringing to life Goethe’s titular poem. The work burgeoned to an overflowing urgency, made the all the more affecting by way of its iridescent orchestration.

Preconcert interview with Vasily Petrenko, moderated by PSO associate conductor Moon Doh

Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 introduced British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. Bellicose beginnings were furthered encouraged by the pianist’s steely-toned octaves, but the work wasn’t all fireworks and bombast, being interspersed with lyrical episodes often in dialogue with an orchestra member. The tone produced from the Steinway was bit too bright for my taste, though I’m not sure whether to point fingers at the pianist or the piano.

The ringing of the triangle marked the scherzo section, answered by Grosvenor’s stylish playing. The octaves returned at breakneck speed, pointing the way towards the concerto’s blistering end. An enthusiastic reception brought Grosvenor back for an encore in Horowitz’s transcription of Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. Thunderous bass octaves and intricate filigree in the upper register made for a fun close to the first half – and perhaps a suitable welcome to summer.

Though he didn’t include it amongst his numbered symphonies, Tchaikovsky’s Manfred is one of his most significant orchestral works, chronologically falling between the Fourth and Fifth symphonies. Like the Dukas that opened, it too draws programmatic inspiration from poetry, in this case, Lord Byron. Nearly an hour long, it can be abstruse work to interpret, but Petrenko (who has recorded the work with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic) made a clear and compelling case for it. I would perhaps suggest a parallel with Liszt’s Dante Symphony heard earlier this season, hyper-Romantic, literary works scored for large orchestra, both perhaps a bit bloated but which nonetheless have much to say when given an incisive interpretation.

Lugubrious, tragic beginnings were had in the expansive opening movement, outlining a brooding main theme that swelled to great passions, depicting our Romantic hero. The Vivace con spirito that followed was lighter fare by comparison, with a central section lush and lyrical. Mercurial filigree in the high strings surfaced near the movement’s end to striking effect. The Andante con moto featured a songful oboe solo, a moment of peace amidst the tumult. The finale amounted to long, arduous journey in of itself. At the very end, the organ filled Heinz Hall for a remarkable moment of lavish orchestration, and the closing hymn led to a peaceful if somber resolution in evocation of Manfred’s death. While the Manfred Symphony might not be a masterpiece on par with the composer’s final three numbered symphonies, a performance like this nonetheless compels one to give it ample attention.

Columbus Symphony closes season in the splendor of Mozart

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Aubry Ballarò, soprano
Hilary Ginther, mezzo-soprano
David Walton, tenor
James Eder, bass

Stephen Caracciolo, chorus director
Columbus Symphony Chorus

Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 24, 2024

Mozart: Mass in C minor, K427, Great (completion by Ulrich Leisinger)

For the final program of the 2023-24 Masterworks season, the Columbus Symphony offered a single work in a brief but affecting program, an evening dedicated to Mozart’s C minor mass. Like the Requiem, Mozart never completed the Mass, and the CSO presented the work in a 2019 realization by Ulrich Leisinger, which eschews a liturgically complete mass in favor of only minimal additions to Mozart’s extant corpus.

L-R: Rossen Milanov, Aubry Ballarò, Hilary Ginther, David Walton, and James Eder with the Columbus Symphony & Chorus

Under Rossen Milanov’s baton, the opening Kyrie began intimate and inward, quite striking for such a grandiose conception. Matters quickly grew in urgency, however, with the Chorus – prepared by Stephen Caracciolo – filling the cavernous Ohio Theatre. “Christe eleison” was intoned by soprano Aubry Ballarò, with flowing, extended melismas yielding a resonant effect – and I couldn’t help being reminded of the passage’s use in Amadeus.

The extensive Gloria began resplendent and exultant, structured such that the chorus alternated with the soloists, either as individuals or in various combinations. Hilary Ginther offered a second soprano voice in “Laudamus te,” articulate, and in command of the vocal intricacies, while “Dominus Deus” saw her in harmonious blend with Ballarò. In “Qui tollis,” the chorus was rapt and pious in the minor key profundities. The women were combined with tenor David Walton in “Quoniam,” the latter a bit overshadowed, and the final passage of the Gloria was given to the chorus, resplendent in its exacting counterpoint.

In the Credo, a soprano solo (Ballarò) prefaced an orchestral interlude, notable for fine playing from the winds. This was somewhat lighter fare compared to the preceding, but still certainly no trifle. The Sanctus was brightened by the brass – with the trombones especially striking – and the closing Benedictus was given heft with the sole appearance of bass James Eder, though it was the chorus who ultimately brought the work to its resonant close.

Ohio Theatre ahead of Friday’s performance

Guest conductor, cellist feature in Columbus Symphony program

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Bean, conductor 
Tommy Mesa, cello
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 17, 2024

Mendelssohn: The Hebrides, Op. 26
Montgomery: Divided
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36

The penultimate offering of the Columbus Symphony season saw a local podium debut from Kenneth Bean, currently an assistant conductor at the Princeton Symphony Orchestra (CSO music director Rossen Milanov’s other ensemble). The evening began with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture, a bit rushed here for my taste, not quite capturing the foggy mystery of the Scottish coast. Matters improved, however, with more measured drama, and fine solo passages from the clarinets.

Tommy Mesa and Kenneth Bean with the Columbus Symphony

Two works for cello and orchestra followed, bringing forth Cuban-American cellist Tommy Mesa. Both works fell short of a full-fledged cello concerto, but said much in the space of their more modest dimensions. Mesa himself gave the premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Divided with the Sphinx Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in 2022. The work’s title refers to the divisions and inequalities rampant in American society, with the cello often at grating odds with the orchestra. A drone from the soloist in the manner of a lamentation opened. The orchestra joined as if in conflict with the soloist, but the cello part became more declamatory and impassioned, a lyricism that suggested tepid resolution.

Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations began with an elegant presentation of the alluring theme following a brief orchestral introduction. The variations that succeeded further elaborated on the theme, and displayed Mesa’s limber technique – though his intonation at times left something to be desired. A slow variation offered contrast, and Mesa was perhaps at his best in a pensive section ahead of the ebullient conclusion.

Though still an early work, Beethoven’s Second Symphony is very much recognizable as the composer’s own, an epoch-defining musical language that had already begun to crystallize. A weighty introduction was anchored by the timpani before the first movement proper took flight with a jovial theme interwoven with drama. It was in this work that Bean seemed to gel best with the CSO. An extended Larghetto was calm and bucolic, though not quite of the heart-wrenching depths Beethoven would aspire to in his slow movements to come. The Second is noted for using a scherzo in place of the time-honored minuet, something that would certainly become one of the composer’s hallmarks, and the jocular finale brought the work to a bold finish.

ProMusica celebrates a decade of artistic partnership to close season

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ProMusica Chamber Orchestra
David Danzmayr, conductor
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Southern Theatre
Columbus, OH
May 11, 2024

Silvestrov: Hymn – 2001
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
 Encore:
 Bach: Sarabande from Violin Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

There was a celebratory air to ProMusica’s closing performances of their 45th season in marking a decade of having both David Danzmayr and Vadim Gluzman in the fold as music director and creative partner respectively. As has become tradition, the final weekend was opened with a short performance by students from the Play Us Forward program – this year, an excerpt from Vivaldi’s Autumn – celebrating ProMusica’s impact in the greater Columbus community.

Vadim Gluzman performs with David Danzmayr and ProMusica, photo credit ProMusica

Valentin Silvestrov’s Hymn – 2001 began ProMusica’s program with a lush essay for string orchestra. There were fine solo passages from concertmaster Katherine McLin and principal second violin Jennifer Ross. Meaning was also drawn from punctuated moments of silence, with the Ukrainian composer acknowledging Cage’s 4’33” as an inspiration for this lyrical paean.

Tchaikovsky’s evergreen Violin Concerto served as the evening’s centerpiece, and put on full display the collaborative spark between Danzmayr and Gluzman. It’s a particular pleasure to see Gluzman play this work as he performs on a violin once owned by Leopold Auer, the concerto’s original dedicatee – in other words, the very violin this concerto was written for. I have fond memories of Gluzman performing this work with The Cleveland Orchestra and the late Michail Jurowski a few years ago – a privilege to hear this instrument in this work again.

Matters began with graceful charm, and the violinist filled the Southern with a resonantly lyrical tone. Gluzman gave an impassioned performance, and I was often simply in awe of the sound he drew from his storied instrument (Tchaikovsky must have liked it too!). Fleet fingers pulled off the more rapid passegework, further encouraged by a taut communication with Danzmayr, the product of a fruitful decade.

A choir of winds opened the central slow movement, and Gluzman answered with a long-bowed, somber melody, an articulate dialogue between soloist and orchestra. The finale was of rapid fire excitement, though a downtempo section of distinctly Slavic inflection contrasted before the blistering finish. An enthusiastic ovation brought the violinist back for an encore by Bach, a lovely pendant to the concerto, with Gluzman noting it an apropos choice given Silvestrov’s affinity for Bach.

Last season closed with a Brahms symphony, a feat reprised this past weekend with attention turned to the sunny Second. Once again, ProMusica, buttressed by an expanded string section, proved that the Brahms symphonies can be convincingly performed by a chamber-sized orchestra. A dip in the strings opened, warmly answered by horns and winds, with a particularly rich theme in the cellos to follow. Danzmayr opted out of the long repeat of the exposition, delving right into the energetic development. The slow movement proceeded as a beautifully lyrical paragraph, though seemingly all cares were left behind for the Allegretto grazioso, given with an abandon that was only a warmup for the jubilant finale.

Simone Dinnerstein calms the storm in tender meditation at the Gilmore Festival

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Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Stetson Chapel
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, MI
May 7, 2024

Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses, from Pièces de clavecin
Schumann: Arabeske, Op. 18
Satie: Gnossienne No. 3
Glass: Mad Rush
Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16

Encore:
Couperin: Les barricades mystérieuses, from Pièces de clavecin

There’s a first time for everything, and I can safely say that Tuesday evening at the Gilmore Festival was the first concert I’ve attended in which the audience was asked to shelter in the venue’s basement for 45 minutes due to uncomfortably close tornados raging nearby. A hearty crowd of committed pianophiles stuck it out, however, and were amply rewarded with an artfully crafted recital from Simone Dinnerstein.

Simone Dinnerstein at Stetson Chapel, photos © Chris McGuire Photography, courtesy of The Gilmore

This was essentially a live performance of her Undersong album, the last of a trilogy of projects she recorded during the pandemic. The title, an archaic word for chorus or refrain, refers to the idea of return, revisiting places after the passage of time. All of the diverse body of music programmed engaged with the theme in a different way, but in each case, a melody presented resurfaced in some context later on. The delayed evening began with Couperin’s gem of a piece Les barricades mystérieuses, quite literally the calm after the storm. Elegantly ornamented, Dinnerstein drew from the piano a rich, reflective tone.

Schumann’s Arabeske saw the composer at his most Schubertian with its lyrical, rippling figures, arriving at a point of return following some contrasting episodes, and its gentle coda amounts to one of Schumann’s loveliest inspirations. Philip Glass’ Mad Rush continued the theme into the late 20th-century. Undulating figures changed subtly, almost imperceptibly, growing in intensity as Dinnerstein filled the Stetson Chapel with waves of sound. She has a close affinity for the music of Glass, with the composer having written his Third Piano Concerto with her in mind.

The third of Satie’s Gnossiennes evoked the French composer’s rarefied, idiosyncratic language, distilled of any excess and expressive in its barrenness. Recurrence is a key element of the eight vignettes that comprise Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Fleet and mercurial, the opening was given an impassioned workout. The most extended selection of the suite followed, with contrasting themes bound together by its common thread. Nearly manic, the penultimate episode introduced contrapuntal textures in homage to Bach, played with incisive clarity, and the final piece was stately and sensitive, the culmination of a long trajectory.

Dinnerstein’s lone encore embodied the undersong theme in returning to the Couperin with which the recital began. What a lovely gesture it was to close the program full-circle.

5/7/24 – Kalamazoo, Michigan: Simone Dinnerstein, Gilmore Piano Festival. © Chris McGuire Photography.