Springfield Symphony Orchestra Peter Stafford Wilson, conductor Sarah Chang, violin Kuss Auditorium Clark State Performing Arts Center Springfield, OH January 27, 2024
Martinů: Overture for Orchestra, H345 Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417, Tragic
Saturday evening’s Springfield Symphony performance was highlighted by a concerto appearance from star violinist Sarah Chang. Before Chang took to the stage, the SSO offered a rather less-familiar score in Bohuslav Martinů’s Overture for Orchestra. An ebullient and effective opener, its festive nature was conceived in celebration of the Mannes College of Music where the composer had taught some years prior. Martinů favored chamber-like subsets of the full orchestra, invoking the Baroque concerto grosso. Concertmaster Sujean Kim offered some fine solo passages, and a serene central section contrasted the overture’s outward ebullience.
Peter Stafford Wilson, Sarah Chang, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra
Chang came to Springfield armed with Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a work which she notably recorded with the great Kurt Masur. She opened with a melodic line articulate and emotive, and one was taken by the supreme purity of her tone, utterly controlled. A long-breathed melody marked the central slow movement, richly resonant and almost without break for the soloist, save for a swelling orchestral interlude; here and elsewhere the SSO generally supported their distinguished colleague with fine accompaniment.
The jocular acrobatics of the finale were exciting to watch but never just for show, and with the music being all but second-nature to Chang, it flowed organically from her bow. In a fascinating tidbit, music director Peter Stafford Wilson mentioned that Isaac Stern once played this same concerto with the SSO – and likely on the very same instrument heard Saturday, now in Chang’s possession.
The program concluded with Schubert’s Fourth Symphony. Its thunderous opening gave way to a measured introduction, and movement’s main theme was given with crisp articulation – though one wanted perhaps a bit more tension and cleaner intonation. The Andante served as a lyrical moment of repose, elegantly played, before the sprightly minuet and energetic finale – ending, like Beethoven’s C minor symphony before him, triumphantly in the major.
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.
Maria João Pires, piano Mandel Concert Hall Severance Music Center Cleveland, OH May 3, 2023
Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 13 in A major, D664 Debussy: Suite bergamasque, L75 Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-flat major, D960
Encore: Debussy: No.1 from Deux arabesques, L66
The Cleveland Orchestra’s inaugural recital series came to a divinely inspired close Wednesday evening, with Maria João Pires showing herself a true poet of the piano in works of Schubert and Debussy. Pires officially retired from the concert stage in 2017 – I sorely regretted missing her Cleveland appearance the previous year upon hearing that news – making the present recital all the more wonderful of an occasion, evidenced by the sizable and enthusiastic audience.
Maria João Pires at Severance Hall
Pires began with Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 13 – middle period Schubert, still very much in the classical style insofar as it predated the sublime late sonatas, but not without the composer’s individual hallmark markedly apparent. Matters opened gracious and gentle, but colored by passing shadows in quintessentially Schubertian effect. Pires deftly shaped the phrasing and melody; stormier material in the development offered contrast but only for a fleeting moment before we returned to sunny A major. The Andante showed the pianist’s detailed voicing and nuance; the finale’s sprightly fingerwork playfully contrasted.
Debussy’s Suite bergamasque followed. The opening Prélude was given confident, self-assured beginnings, but not without an essential lyricism. Distinctive dance rhythms marked the Menuet, burgeoning to more impassioned material. Though Clair de lune is often presented as a standalone piece, it was quite intriguing hearing it in the context of the whole suite. Familiar a work as it may be, Pires’ lovely reading was anything but routine. A foil to its shimmering stasis came in the Passepied, an essay of near perpetual motion.
Schubert’s transcendent final piano sonata occupied the second half, and it truly was nothing short of a spiritual experience. An elegantly sculpted melodic line wondrously took shape, punctuated by profound silence after its first statement. Pires was particularly remarkable in the way she varied bringing out the inner voices, never content to merely repeat a phrase in the same way twice, and her keen attention to balance and coloring kept one in rapturous attention. The pianist took the long repeat of the first movement exposition, offering its dramatic first ending that would otherwise have been jettisoned. Distant keys were explored in the development before the movement’s serene close.
Pires opted for minimal pedaling in the Andante sostenuto, allowing the dotted rhythmic gesture to be strikingly detached, seemingly making the sumptuously gorgeous central section resound all the more lyrical. The scintillating scherzo was wonderfully charming, and the myriad guises in which the main theme recurred in the closing rondo oscillated between the insouciant and the dramatic.
For a lone encore, Pires returned to Debussy in the first of the Arabesques, an account limpid and lithe. Certainly a high bar on which to conclude the recital series, and kudos to the Cleveland Orchestra administration for such a successful endeavor. Next season’s offerings provide much to look forward to with solo recitals or chamber collaborations from Marc-André Hamelin, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, and Evgeny Kissin.
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.
Columbus Symphony Orchestra Rossen Milanov, conductor Shai Wosner, piano Ohio Theatre Columbus, OH November 5, 2022
Montgomery: Starburst Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 Encore: Schubert: Hungarian Melody, D817 Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D major, Op. 60
Jessie Montgomery is a contemporary composer that has rightfully garnered much attention in recent years, and the Columbus Symphony opened their program with her 2012 work Starburst – a welcome further foray into her work after their inclusion of Bannerlast season (a program which in fact paired Montgomery with the same composers here). Starburst quite literally bursted with infectious, sparkling energy. One only wished this was sustained longer than its 5-minute duration, and I hope Montgomery is a composer the CSO continues to visit.
Shai Wosner with Rossen Milanov and the Columbus Symphony, photo creditt Corinne Mares
Brahms’ vast Second Piano Concerto made for a heavier contrast, and featured Israeli pianist Shai Wosner. A mellow horn call from principal Brian Mangrum made for a majestic opening to the weighty first movement. Wosner performed with intense, singular focus, though I felt his playing veered a bit too cautious and restrained. Although his technique wasn’t flawless, it nonetheless served well the daunting demands of the work. Both pianist and conductor Rossen Milanov seemed aligned in their conception of the grand, sweeping arc of the movement.
The scherzo that followed was hardly a trifle, still bearing much of the weight of the preceding, but sprightlier material contrasted. A deeply lyrical cello solo (Luis Biava) opened the Andante, and the piano entered with a gentle, song-like touch. The payoff came in the finale with its folk-inflected abandon, though hardly short on drama. As an encore, Wosner offered a lovely account of Schubert’s Hungarian Melody.
Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony was a milestone for the composer in that it was the first to published, and shows him blossoming into a mature symphonist. The spacious, expansive Allegro non tanto opened with a gentle, bucolic theme over pulsating accompaniment. It was certainly apposite to precede the symphony with Brahms as it bears the elder composer’s influence (particularly from Brahms’ own D major symphony), yet not without Dvořák’s individual hallmarks.
A touching moment of repose was to be had in the Adagio, its thematic material charmingly introduced in the winds. The composer unmistakably revealed in his Czech origins in the lively furiant that followed, and the orchestra deftly negotiated the ever-changing meters, an energetic warmup of sorts for the jubilant finale.
Columbus Symphony Orchestra Carolyn Kuan, conductor Vijay Venkatesh, piano Ohio Theatre Columbus, OH March 26, 2022
James Lee III: Towards a Greater Light Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 Encore: Schubert-Liszt: Ständchen, S560/7 Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D944
Currently music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, conductor Carolyn Kuan made a welcome debut with the Columbus Symphony in the final performance for March. The program opened with the brief 2017 work Towards a Greater Light by American composer James Lee III, meant to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Scored for strings alone, matters were often in a meditative stasis, saying much in its five-minute duration.
Carolyn Kuan, Vinjay Venkatesh, and the Columbus Symphony, photo credit Columbus Symphony
The young soloist Vijay Venkatesh was brought forth for Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2. The commanding, improvisatory-like opening for the soloist alone pointed towards the passionate primary theme. Venkatesh displayed a formidable technique, from delicate filigree to fiery double octaves. The central Allegro scherzando was gossamer – and rather Mendelssohnian – in texture. Though an impressive finish, it felt clarity was sacrificed for speed in the breakneck finale. Venkatesh returned for an encore in the Schubert-Liszt Ständchen transcription, showing a haunting, lyrical side of the pianist not revealed in the ebullient concerto.
An apt choice of encore given that the rest of the evening was devoted to Schubert in the towering Ninth Symphony. Kuan allowed for the solo horn call which opened to be played freely, though it perhaps could have benefitted from her conducting to initiate things with more focused direction. Matters gradually amassed, leading the grandiose movement proper. The trombones were especially striking, forming the spine of the work, and the busy orchestra harmoniously blended together. A limber oboe passage in the Andante con moto was a quintessentially Schubertian melody, and gorgeous strings were a turn inwards in a work that otherwise shows the composer at his most exuberant. The third movement’s vigor spoke to an affinity with dance, though never without a certain Viennese charm and grace, and the high-spirited energy was sustained through the vivacious finale. A strong showing from Kuan – let’s hope she’s invited back to the CSO podium soon.
Gartner Auditorium Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, OH July 29 – August 1, 2021
Inevitably postponed last summer due to the pandemic, the Cleveland International Piano Competition has made a remarkable comeback here in 2021, a wonderfully exciting return to in-person performances. An initial pool of over 250 applicants from more than 40 countries was pared down to 26 contestants, all of whom performed in the Competition’s first two rounds. Owing to the travel and health restrictions that still persist, these rounds were conducted virtually, filmed at venues across the world – and available for free viewing on YouTube. Eight outstanding semi-finalists were selected to proceed onsite in Cleveland, a cohort to be further narrowed down to four finalists who will perform a chamber music round with the Escher Quartet and a concerto round with The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Jahja Ling.
Gartner Auditorium before Session 1 of the Semi-Final Round
Compared to the relative brevity of the first two rounds, the semi-finals offer an even more in-depth portrait of each artist, performing a recital of approximately 40 minutes. A few new and welcome additions for this year’s edition: each semi-finalist included in their program a popular song transcription commissioned from composer Alexey Kurbatov. Four selections were available, namely “America” from Bernstein’s West Side Story, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, themes from Mission Impossible, and John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare. Regrettably, none of the eight selected the Williams piece, but perhaps a recording can be posted in due course. I also hope publication of these scores is imminent as they undoubtedly can serve as particularly enjoyable encore pieces.
Also for the first time was the inclusion of piano duets – the two performers from each session teamed up following their solo material for either the Fantasie in F minor by Schubert or Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major. A lovely addendum that not only tested the contestants’ ability to collaborate with another pianist, but encouraged a spirit of camaraderie. Finally, excellent program notes for every piece performed – from the first round to the finals – were provided by Marissa Glynias Moore, Anna M. O’Connell, and Marco Ladd. Indispensable reading for attendees and a veritable crash course in piano literature. Below are some brief impressions I had of each semi-finalist.
Session 1 July 29, 2021
Ying Li Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major, K. 333 Grainger: “Ramble on Love” from Der Rosenkavalier Bartók: Piano Sonata, Sz. 80 Schifrin: Themes from Mission Impossible (arr. Kurbatov)
Honggi Kim Schifrin: Themes from Mission Impossible (arr. Kurbatov) Chopin: Twelve Etudes, Op. 25
Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor, D. 940
Ying Li (China) opened the semi-final round with a Mozart sonata, delicate and balanced, exuding the pearly classical style. I found her pacing of the slow movement a bit hard to follow but was quite taken by the sprightly finale. Grainger’s so-called Ramble on Love, paraphrasing themes from Strauss’ Rosenkavalier, gave sumptuous treatment to the source material’s lush and languid melody. Bartók’s Piano Sonata was for me the highlight of her performance, opening with a manic energy – and the live video screens did much to enhance the audience experience, offering close-ups of the intricate hand-crossings.
Honggi Kim (South Korea) opened with the same piece with which Li closed, namely the Kurbatov Mission Impossible transcription. Kim was perhaps a bit more percussive than Li; both displayed how the composer brilliantly interpolated the familiar themes. All contestants are required to present a Chopin etude in the first two rounds – here in the semi-finals, Kim offered all twelve etudes from Op. 25. An ambitious undertaking to be sure, though I found his playing fitfully uneven. No. 2, for instance, would have benefitted from greater clarity, although I did like the way he brought out melodic material in the left hand. In No. 5, one wanted more accentuated contrast between the dissonant sections and the lyrical. The rapid double thirds of No. 6 were quite impressive, however. Op. 25 is certainly an end-weighted set, and perhaps one’s performance should be judged primarily on the final three which concluded on a high note: the rapid octaves of No. 10, a chillingly dramatic “Winter Wind”, and a rather marvelous finish in the intense depths of the “Ocean” etude.
Li and Kim were impressive four-hands partners in the Schubert Fantasie, bringing out contrasts from the brooding to the dancing.
Session 2 July 30, 2021
Jiarui Cheng Scarlatti: Sonata in B Minor, K. 87 Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60 Rachmaninov: Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 Bernstein: “America” from West Side Story (arr. Kurbatov)
Yedam Kim Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, Op. 61 Prokofiev: Sonata No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 29 Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody (arr. Kurbatov)
Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448
Jiarui Cheng (China) selected one of the more introspective of the Scarlatti sonatas, emphasizing its lyrical quality. Continuing the thread, he did much to bring out the wistful melancholy in Chopin’s late gem, the Barcarolle. In Rachmaninov’s Corelli Variations, Cheng sculpted an individual character in each variation – an excellent performance. Kurbatov’s transcription of Bernstein’s “America” ended matters on a jovial note.
Yedam Kim (South Korea) opened with a mesmerizing account of Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantaisie – contemporaneous with the previously-heard Barcarolle – the composer’s crowning achievement in the polonaise form. A commanding performance of Prokofiev’s Fourth Sonata followed, with searching, unsettling material leading to a bright and brilliant finale. In the Queen original, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is something of a mini tone poem with its wealth of thematic material and operatic narrative and dramatic flow – qualities very much brought out in Kim’s performance, perhaps the most impressive of the Kurbatov transcriptions.
Session 3 July 31, 2021
Rafael Skorka Bernstein: “America” from West Side Story (arr. Kurbatov) Leighton: Fantasia Contrappuntistica, Op. 24 (“Homage to Bach”) (1956) Brahms: Sieben Fantasien, Op. 116
Martín García García Schubert: Wanderer-Fantasie in C Major, D. 760 Liszt: “Les cloches de Genève (Nocturne)” from Années de Pèlerinage I, S. 160 Liszt: Étude de Concert, S. 145, No. 2 (“Gnomenreigen”) Liszt: Transcendental Etude, S. 139, No. 10 Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody (arr. Kurbatov)
Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor, D. 940
Rafael Skorka (Israel) had confident beginnings with a memorable account of Bernstein’s “America”. The most intriguing discovery during the semi-final round came in the shape of Kenneth Leighton’s Fantasia Contrappuntistica, a 1956 homage to Bach (and to Busoni, given the elder composer’s monumental work of the same title). A virtuosic opening gave way to a pensive chorale and a pair of fugues rounded off the work. Skorka deftly negotiated the contrapuntal intricacies to bring matters to a vigorous close. The pianist continued to make a strong showing in Brahms’ Fantasies, Op. 116, just as convincing in the lyrical selections (nos. 2, 4, and the touching chorale of no. 6) as the more extrovert ones, giving the first piece an energetic workout and reserving the most overt virtuosity for the seventh and final fantasy.
Martín García García (Spain) offered an arresting account of Schubert’s ingenious Wanderer-Fantasie. While his tone at times veered a bit too percussive for my taste, he did much to bring out a wide dynamic and dramatic contrast and a keen sense of the work’s large-scale architecture. An interesting selection of three Liszt pieces followed. Deft use of the pedal did much to bring out the sonorities of the titular bells in Les cloches de Genève while García conveyed much charm in the impish legerdemain of Gnomenreigen. The Transcendental Etude No. 10 was technically impressive, although I found myself longing for even more firepower.
Session 4 August 1, 2021
Byeol Kim C. Schumann: Notturno in F Major, Op. 6, No. 2 Schumann: Arabeske in C Major, Op. 18 Mendelssohn: Fantasie in F-sharp Minor, Op. 28 Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody (arr. Kurbatov) Jalbert: Toccata (2001) Gottschalk: The Union, Op. 48
Lovre Marušić Scarlatti: Sonata in E Major, K. 380 Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 Mercury: Bohemian Rhapsody (arr. Kurbatov)
Mozart: Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448
Byeol Kim (South Korea) assembled the most diverse and wide-ranging semi-final program, beginning with music from both the Schumanns. Clara’s Notturno boasted a haunting, Chopinesque melody, a performance which should put Kim in the running for the Female Composer Prize, one of over a dozen special prizes being offered. A limpid account of Robert’s Arabeske followed, and Mendelssohn’s Fantasie in F sharp minor was given a passionate and dramatic performance. I really enjoyed the way Kim brought out the sweeping lyrical main theme in her take on the “Bohemian Rhapsody” transcription. Jalbert’s Toccata was a breathless study in perpetual motion, and Gottschalk’s Union, a wonderfully inventive cornucopia of Americana, put Kim’s searing virtuosity and vast dynamic range on full display. A clear audience favorite, she was the only one of the eight to receive a standing ovation.
Lovre Marušić (Croatia) began with a stately account of Scarlatti’s K380 sonata. Schumann’s extensive Kreisleriana followed. I felt Marušić’s reading would have been even more engaging with sharper contrasts between the wide range of expressions the work explores, but I certainly sensed the pianist becoming increasingly self-assured as the work progressed. Sunday’s session was a high note on which to conclude the semi-finals as we await the jury’s announcement of the four finalists, and the fine level of pianism we can expect from them in the subsequent chamber and concerto rounds.
New York Philharmonic
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
Andrew Staples, tenor
David Geffen Hall
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
January 23, 2020
Schubert: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D417, Tragic
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Not having had a New York Philharmonic appearance since 2009, Gustavo Dudamel made an eagerly anticipated return in a two week stint, the second of which coupled an early symphony by Schubert with a late work of Mahler. While Schubert’s Fourth Symphony may seem like a trifle in the wake of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, it too is a canvas of deep poignancy, often befitting of its sobriquet Tragic – not in the least during the opening of gripping Beethovenian pathos.
Gustavo Dudamel and Andres Staples in Das Lied von der Erde, photo credit Chris Lee
Dudamel allowed for the introduction to be spacious and breathable, and the movement proper was of pointed dynamic contrasts. He took matters at a noticeably slow tempo in spite of the Allegro vivace indication – while perhaps this served to amass gravitas, to my mind it felt unnecessarily plodding as a dirge. The orchestra on stage was quite large for Schubert, but clarity was maintained with the delicate inner voices never lost in the masses.
The Andante came as a more gentle foil, this gem of a slow movement boasting a lieder-like intimacy and a particularly fine oboe solo. What followed was a propellant Menuetto, with its trio a rather more halcyon affair. The Allegro finale returned to the pathos of the opening, with Dudamel saving the brisker firepower for the end. Lyrical interjections from the winds offered some respite, but matters were generally tightly wound and with sharp articulations by the strings, rounded off by a driving trio of chords.
Deborah Borda, the Philharmonic’s president and CEO, took to the stage to announce that Simon O’Neill, the previously scheduled tenor, was indisposed and would be replaced by Andrew Staples. Fresh off playing the role of Andres at the Met’s well-regarded run of Wozzeck, Staples hardly sounded as a mere stand-in, handily overcoming Mahler’s substantial technical demands. In its large-scale conception, rallying two singers and massive orchestra, Das Lied von der Erde is perhaps the non plus ultra of the song cycle, a venerable form with modest beginnings in Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte – by happy coincidence, heard the previous night at 92Y.
The opening “Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde” was of brassy energy and of a certain epic quality despite being a rather mundane drinking song. Staples had no issue projecting over the surging passions of the orchestra, and each intonation of “Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod!” was increasingly pained. The interludes for orchestra alone were consistently highlights, often appropriating the pentatonic scale to invoke a certain orientalism. “Der Einsame im Herbst” turned inwards to the forlorn and pensive, beautifully captured by the frosty tone of masterful Mahlerian Michelle DeYoung.
“Von der Jugend”, the most patently pentatonic, was a burst of youthful nonchalance, a marked departure from the weight of the bulk of the work. Sparkling orchestrations gave an appealing sheen to “Von der Schönheit”, and a more agitated section arrived on cue with the text’s depiction of lads arriving on horses; a genial orchestral postlude closed. Staples’ final contribution came in “Der Trunkene im Frühling” – another drinking song – given haughtily, but portrayal of the twittering birds in the violins added a layer of fragility.
The closing “Der Abschied”, clocking in at the length of the previous five songs combined, was nothing short of extraordinary. Its otherworldly beginnings and striking timbres – of harps, celesta, and sinuous oboe – brought to mind Stefan George’s line “Ich fühle luft von anderem planeten”, written virtually contemporaneously with Das Lied von der Erde. DeYoung had a full, resounding tone, but in equal measure delicate and fragile, as if hanging on to these last embers of earthly life. Dudamel offered a keen sense of direction for the long-form trajectory, and the orchestral transition between the two poems that comprise this final movement was deeply moving. After the arduous journey, the musings landed on the repeated incantation of “ewig, ewig”, a heavenly drifting away, to which the audience responded with perhaps the greatest praise of all: a full minute of reverential silence.
Gustavo Dudamel and Michelle DeYoung in Das Lied von der Erde, photo credit Chris Lee
Cleveland Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan, condcutor
Michael Sachs, trumpet
Severance Hall
Cleveland, OH
November 21, 2019
Schubert: Selections from Rosamunde, D797: Overture – Ballet Music No. 1 – Entr’acte No. 3 – Ballet Music No. 2
Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E major
Haydn: Symphony No. 104 in D major, Hob. I:104, London
This marked the third consecutive November Nicholas McGegan has stood at The Cleveland Orchestra podium, and his charm and affable spirit without fail warms an otherwise chilly time of the year. The present program straddled the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto the centerpiece, bringing into the spotlight Cleveland principal Michael Sachs. Proceeding in reverse chronological order, McGegan opened with selections from Schubert’s incidental music to Rosamunde.
Nicholas McGegan, photo credit Randy Beach
What is known as the overture to Rosamunde was in fact the repurposed overture to Schubert’s earlier (and unsuccessful) opera Der Zauberharfe. A bold sense of drama opened, but the remainder of the work bubbled with a graceful Schubertian charm. The first of the ballets was of a symphonic weight in its Sturm und Drang sensibility, but more mellow material offered contrast near the end, heightened by the clarinet of Afendi Yusuf. One of Schubert’s most cherished melodies, later reused in one of the impromptus for piano as well as the thirteenth string quartet, resounded through a choir of strings and winds in the Entr’acte. Another ballet rounded off McGegan’s suite, given with a rustic abandon.
Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto remained a forgotten quantity until it was rediscovered in the 1950s by trumpeter Armando Ghitalla. Originally cast in the key of E major, Ghitalla opted to publish the work transposed to E flat for ease of playability on the modern trumpet. It continues to be most often heard in the lower tonality today, including in Sachs’ two previous performances of the work with this orchestra. This time, however, Sachs stayed faithful to the composer’s intentions, easily surmounting the inherent technical hurdles. The martial opening was bright and brilliant with the soloist offering a limpid flexibility and climactic trills. The long-breathed tones of the central Andante, interjected by further trilling gestures, were pitted over an undulating accompaniment – a lyrical essay to be sure, but not without a certain grandeur. A jaunty rondo served as the finale, showcasing Sachs’ rapid-fire virtuosity and a never-waning vigor from both soloist and orchestra.
Haydn’s final entry of his long series of symphonies concluded the evening. The attention-grabbing opening made a sharp turn to the doleful minor before this introductory material gave way to the delectably appealing material firmly in the home key of D major. Here and throughout, McGegan drew out a playing in equal parts refined and joyous. The slow movement was a gentle affair, deftly balanced and crisply articulated. A rhythmic vitality served the minuet well, with Jeffrey Rathbun’s oboe of note in the trio. Energy was never at the expense of clarity in the effusive finale, the main subject of which was rooted in a Croatian folk song.
Simon Keenlyside, baritone
Natalia Katyukova, piano
Reinberger Chamber Hall
Severance Hall
Cleveland, OH
May 19, 2019
Schubert: Winterreise, D911
If local audiences hadn’t quite gotten their fill of late Schubert with the weekend’s Cleveland Orchestra performance of the E flat major Mass, Simon Keenlyside offered the composer’s incomparable song cycle Winterreise in recital Sunday night, a prelude to his appearance with the orchestra the following week. The intimate Reinberger Chamber Hall – all too seldom used as a performance space – made for an ideal setting for the soul-baring songs, forlorn and icy cold. Though perhaps not the most seasonally appropriate on a spring evening, as if on cue with the subject matter, the temperature outside dropped appreciably nearing performance time. Supporting Keenlyside was pianist Natalia Katyukova who provided a remarkable accompaniment, on par with the baritone’s passionate delivery.
Caspar David Friedrich, Winterlandschaft mit Kirche (photo credit Wikimedia Commons)
The impact of this 70-minute song cycle – although as the program books correctly noted, Winterreise isn’t truly a cycle given the lack of recurrence – was truly visceral, and one could scarcely imagine a better advocate than Keenlyside. Originally scored for tenor, Schubert allowed for other voice types, and Keenlyside’s case for Winterreise belonging to the domain of baritones was thoroughly convincing, the lower register well-suited to the gloomy poetry of Wilhelm Müller. The highlights were many, beginning with the opening Gute Nacht, strengthened by the rich darkness of the baritone and pained dissonances in the piano. Die Wetterfahne was of angst and unrest, while there was intense drama in Erstarrung, with some modest acting from Keenlyside to enhance the outcry – though this acting was less directed at the audience and more to convey the sense that we were witnessing a deep internal monologue.
A liquescent, rippling accompaniment and gorgeous lyricism from the singer in Der Lindenbaum made for an early highpoint in the cycle. I was struck by the palpable pain on the words “mein Herz” during Auf dem Flusse, while Frühlingstraum offered some momentary respite – that is, until the titular dream ended, the song residing in a tenuous gray area between dream and reality. Einsamkeit was as forlorn as the title suggested, and time stood still in Der greise Kopf, wherein the speaker wished he was graying and thus closer to end of life – but such was only an illusion from the wintry frost, the agony of life prolonged. Die Krähe was utterly haunting in both melody and imagery (perhaps an inspiration to Edgar Allan Poe?). There was heart-wrenching isolation in Der Wegweiser, in which the speaker felt shunned by society; Mut! saw his last embers of fiery defiance – buttressed by Keenlyside’s foot-stomping – before resignation. The unnervingly inconclusive Der Leiermann saw Keenlyside staring off into the distance, mere feet from the audience but psychologically miles away as matters remained painfully unresolved. I don’t often get the goosebumps like I did from this performance, magnificent yet exhausting in its depth and darkness.
quasi-faust 