Tag: berio

Ólafsson and Wang dazzle in spectacular two piano recital

On By Sam JacobsonIn clevelandLeave a comment

Yuja Wang, piano
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Mandel Concert Hall
Severance Music Center
Cleveland, OH
February 23, 2025

Berio: Wasserklavier (No. 3 from Six Encores)
Schubert: Fantasie in F minor, D940
Cage: Experiences No. 1
Nancarrow: Study No. 6 (arr. Adès)
Adams: Hallelujah Junction
Pärt: Hymn to a Great City
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Encores:
Brahms: Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 39 No. 15
Dvořák: Slavonic Dance in E minor, Op. 72 No. 2
Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor
Brahms: Waltz in E major, Op. 39 No. 2
Brahms: Waltz in G-sharp major, Op. 39 No. 3

Sunday afternoon marked a remarkable high point in The Cleveland Orchestra’s immensely rewarding recital series, with pianists Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson joining forces in a stop at Severance Hall on a brief US tour. Both superstar soloists in their own right, it was truly electrifying seeing these two band together. Yet this was more than just a celebrity pairing calculated to maximize box office receipts: their artistic temperaments complemented each other well, showing the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.

Víkingur Ólafsson and Yuja Wang at Severance Hall, photos credit Human Artist Photography + Cinema 

The program was ripe with discovery, skirting some of the more commonly played fare for two pianos. Luciano Berio’s Wasserklavier began, a meditative opening with liquescent textures freely flowing. The piece made subtle nods to Brahms and Schubert, and fittingly, the pianists artfully segued directly into the latter’s own Fantasie in F minor. Usually played four hands on a single piano, hearing it spread across two instruments gave the work a greater resonance and depth of sound.

Crisply articulated dotted rhythms began, plunging into penetrating drama — rarely will one hear Schubert played with such intensity. Dance-like sections contrasted, exuding joy with the twenty fingers at work, intricately choreographed. A fascinating selection of works from the late 20th-century followed, beginning with John Cage’s Experiences No. 1. The composer’s characteristic minimalist textures were piquantly harmonized, punctuated by silence.

The sixth of Conlon Nancarrow’s 49 studies for player piano followed, made humanly playable in its two-piano arrangement by Thomas Adès (who local concertgoers had the chance to see conduct a remarkable Cleveland Orchestra program just the night before). In this case, the two pianos seemed to be at odds with one another, yet the jagged rhythms fit together in interlocking fashion.

The first half closed with John Adams’ Hallelujah Junction, to my mind, the highlight of the program. Pulsating energy filled Severance Hall with pianistic brilliance. Music of almost perpetual motion — quite a contrast to the minimalism of Cage — gave a larger-than-life portrayal of the namesake town on the California-Nevada border, and demonstrated in no uncertain terms the electric chemistry between these two pianists. The more lyrical pulses of a downtempo section captivated in their rhythmic intricacies, only to build back up to a dazzling density of sound.

Arvo Pärt’s Hymn to a Great City was marked by Wang’s playing in the upper register that rang with the purity of bells, and some delicate filigree that decorated the otherwise barren textures. Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances — his final work — closed the printed program. Hammering out the main theme with pile-driving intensity, an almost manic energy between the two created a rich orchestral sonority. Yet matters were still clear and articulate, with a contrasting theme of haunting lyrical beauty. Sultry waltz rhythms in the central dance were given with stylish playing, and the finale was bold and grandiose, with broad gestures cascading spectacularly.

No less than five encores followed, a delightful selection of dances by Brahms and Dvořák, performed on a single piano, four hands. A charming, convivial close to a memorable afternoon.

Columbus Symphony spotlights principal clarinet

On By Sam JacobsonIn columbusLeave a comment

Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
David Thomas, clarinet
Ohio Theatre
Columbus, OH
February 18, 2023

Price: Andante ma non troppo from Symphony No. 3 in C minor
Berio/Brahms: Op. 120 No. 1
Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417, Tragic

It has been deeply gratifying to see renewed attention given to the formidable work of Florence Price in the past few years. Last year’s Grammy for best orchestral performance went to the Philadelphia Orchestra’s warmly recommended recording of her First and Third symphonies under Yannick Nézet-Séguin – an ensemble of which Rossen Milanov served as assistant conductor for almost a dozen years before coming to Columbus. Last weekend’s Columbus Symphony program opened with the slow movement of the Third Symphony.

David Thomas, photo credit Columbus Symphony

A plaintive choir of winds began, with a tuneful melody gently unfolding. Like Dvorák before her (as in the New World symphony, heard here two weeks prior), Price purveyed a language steeped in folk tradition without making use of specific quotations. A passage for brass chorale was particularly affecting and distinctly American in character before the movement reached a serene ending, aided by a touch of harp. It certainly whetted one’s appetite for more, and I hope the complete symphony can be programmed in an upcoming season.

Though at the forefront of the avant-garde, Luciano Berio had a knack for faithfully transcribing other composers’ works for various media (including a particularly delightful selection of Beatles songs). A 1986 commission from the Los Angeles Philharmonic saw him transcribe Brahms’ late Clarinet Sonata in F minor, Op. 120 No. 1 for soloist and orchestra. Championing the work was David Thomas, serving as the CSO’s principal clarinet since 1989.

Passionate, brooding beginnings were had, with Berio’s orchestration inimitably Brahmsian as he left his iconoclastic proclivities far behind – the work sounded almost as the clarinet concerto Brahms never wrote. Thomas’ rich tone was well-suited to this autumnal work, finely balanced with the larger ensemble, and conveying a natural chemistry with his orchestral colleagues. The slow movement proceeded as a long-breathed song without words – really gorgeous – while an Allegretto grazioso charmed with its inflections of the ländler in both rhythm and spirit. A repeated motif marked the closing Vivace, a finale of appropriate vigor.

Another C minor symphony closed the program, namely Schubert’s Tragic. Weighty introductory material announced the minor tonality in no uncertain terms; the movement proper brimmed with Sturm und Drang in this early expression of Romanticism. The primary theme was deftly articulated in the strings, and a development section traversed distant keys before the movement landed – quite surprisingly – in the major.

The Andante boasted one of Schubert’s loveliest melodies, first presented in the strings with a touching countermelody in the oboe, searching for peace amidst the tumult of the rest of the work. The minor key shading gave the minuet added vigor, a contrast heightened by the lilting trio. Milanov leapt right in the to the finale – perhaps in reaction to some of the audience’s insistence on applauding after every movement. Matters felt a tad rushed, but this was an energetic outing nonetheless, leading to a dramatic finish.