Oberon's Grove

Philharmonic Ensembles: Boccherini & Brahms

Above: composer Alfred Uhl

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday December 9th, 2018 matinee - Following a week in which The New York Philharmonic played two thrilling programs back-to-back (the first featuring Britten and Shostakovich, the second including a generous selection of orchestral lieder sung by their magnificent Artist-in-Residence Matthias Goerne), a group of players from the orchestra gathered on this frigid Sunday afternoon at Merkin Hall to play chamber music for an enthusiastic crowd.

There was a large contingent of string players on hand today, as string quintets by Boccherini and Brahms were on the bill. It was lovely to find the musicians from the Boccherini taking up a row of seats directly behind us to cheer on their colleagues, who were playing the post-interval Brahms. 

Antonio Lotti's Trio Sonata in A-major opened the program. With Raphael Fusco at the blue harpsichord, a trio of women in festive outfits - Mindy Kaufman (flute), Sherry Sylar (oboe d'amore), and Judith LeClair (bassoon) - gave a delightful performance of this Baroque gem. A perky Vivace sets the mood, with lively rhythms and well-blended voices. Ms. Kaufman's sweet tone opens the Largo in a solo theme which is passed over to Ms. Sylar; then their voices entwine. Ms. LeClair's dulcet bassoon, in rhythmic figurations, kept the music on a winningly even keel. The concluding Allegro has a lilting mid-section full of fine harmonies. At times in the Lotti, I heard pre-echoes of Handel's "Let The Bright Seraphim".

I've been to quite a few of these Philharmonic Ensembles concerts over the past few seasons, and there's almost always a work I've not previously heard (or a composer I've never heard of) on the program. Today, the rarity was Alfred Uhl's Kleines Konzert. Uhl was born in Vienna in 1909; you can find a good deal of information about his career - and a listing of compositions (he was quite prolific) - on this Wiki page.

Though himself a violist, Uhl's most lasting contribution to music is his 48 Studies for Clarinet, published in 1938. These challenging miniatures were meant to improve and extend the technique of advancing players. In today's work, Kleines Konzert (1937), the composer brings together viola and clarinet, with piano.

Violist Peter Kenote introduced the Kleines Konzert, and attempted to capsulize Uhl's musical style, finally settling on pianist William Wolfram's apt description: "...quirky cool".

We live in a time when there's an abundance of wonderful clarinetists who can be heard fairly regularly on the Gotham music scene: Romie de Guise-Langlois, Shari Hoffman (ABT), David Schifrin, Anthony McGill, Alexander Fiterstein, Jon Manasse, Weixiong Wang, and Tomaso Lonquich are names that spring immediately to mind; I have many clear mental souvenirs of their playing. This evening, the New York Philharmonic's awe-inspiring Pascual Martínez-Forteza joined Mssrs. Kenote and Wolfram for the Ulh trio. It was genuine treat in every regard. 

I must first say that Mr. Uhl has a unique musical voice: not once did I think "Oh, this sounds like..." or, "He stole that from..." Nope, it's all-Uhl, and a complete pleasure to hear.

The music gets off to a quick, rambunctious start, with clarinet and viola in up-tempo duetting. The mood darkens, just a bit, and then the music proceeds with alternating currents of lively and more pensive passages. Mr. Martínez-Forteza's dynamic range is vast and colorful, well-matched by Mr. Kenote. A bustling motif from the pianist carries us to a double cadenza for clarinet and viola. When Mr. Wolfram re-joins, it's clear these three players are a great match-up.

A misterioso movement takes the clarinet deep, with the piano at a treading pace. Each voice briefly assumes prominence: a rich viola theme, the clarinet lyrical, the piano rippling. At one point Mr. Kenote's viola seems to shiver. The movement's ending is beautifully sustained.

In the lively third section, there are wonderfully off-kilter harmonies; the snaking clarinet and the plucking viola are a constant lure to the ear. Mood swings recur, and more harmonizing...and LOTS of notes. It's so rewarding when great musicians bring forgotten music to the fore. Bravi, bravi gentlemen! My companion and I agreed, this piece would make a wonderful ballet score. Come on, Justin Peck! 

The afternoon swept onward, with Luigi Boccherini's String Quintet, Op. 11, No. 5. I've yet to hear a Boccherini piece I didn't love, and this quintet - with its 'extra' cello - is yet another work to savour. The players today were violinists Hyunju Lee and Jin Suk Yu (violins), violist Rémi Pelletier (who has had an interesting career path) and the lovely cellists Ru-Pei Yeh and Sumire Kudo. Boccherini's really nice to the cellos in this quintet, giving ample opportunity to both players.

The opening Amoroso has duetting violins, florid passages for cello, and overall a very mellow mix. The ensuing Allegro con spirito is lively, with very appealing cello motifs etched in. The familiar Menuetto has a gracious delicacy, finely articulated, with some airy violin playing sustaining the mood, and a charming da capo. The final Rondo: Andante is prime Boccherini, carrying us forward in a fine mood.

The afternoon's finale was the with the most familiar work of the program: Johannes Brahms' String Quintet in G-Major. Yet another superb ensemble of musicians was assembled: concertmaster Frank Huang and fellow violinist Quan Ge, Robert Rhinehart and Lean Ferguson the doubled violists, and cellist Nathan Vickery.

The opening Allegro non troppo, ma con brio had a genuinely life-affirming feeling today. The violas duet, underpinned by the soul-reaching, burgundy-tinged cello sound which Mr. Vickery produced throughout the entire piece. The familiar theme of the Adagio is offered by the violas and then taken up to serene effect by Mr. Huang. There's an undercurrent of inner turmoil in this movement which make it more that mere beautiful music.

The third movement, Un poco allegretto, contains unexpected modulations and mood shifts. In the end, the Vivace is jogging along nicely when suddenly, the tempo seems to accelerate of its own free will, with dance-like, infectious energy, like a polka or galop; this bracing finish was an ideal finish to a highly enjoyable afternoon.

~ Oberon

Connect | Thorvaldsdottir @ Carnegie

~Author: Scoresby

Above: Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir; photo by Kristinn Ingvarsson

Wednesday December 5 2018 – Ensemble Connect gave its second Carnegie Hall concert of this season this past evening. For those that don’t know, Ensemble Connect is a two-year fellowship connected with Carnegie Hall, Juilliard, and the NYC Department of Education. The musicians apart of it perform, teach in NYC public schools, and provide a host of other forms community engagement. The group typically performs mixed programs with some speech and elements of theatricality. A favorite performance was last year’s Pierrot Lunaire – this season there is a fresh slate of musicians.

Despite being a short, oddly timed program, it was a fun performance. The highlight was the group’s performance of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s eight minute work Hrím conducted by Jane H. Kim. As a dedicated fan of her music, I appreciate any live performance I can hear. Thorsvaldottir’s music is always somewhat ethereal and elemental at the same time. Because of her sensitive use of color and timbre, the music really sounds its best live. In order to transition from the intermission into the music, the group used an icy blue mood lighting on the stage and dimmed the house lights significantly.  One member read in a hushed tone a meditation, having the audience breathe in and out while remember the first time they saw frost. While she was reading, the woodwinds used part of the score (wind air sounds) to imitate the wind, it was charmingly effective way to draw listeners into the performance.

Without much hesitation, violist Caeli Smith and cellist Arlen Hlusko gave a dedicated reading of the eerie Sul Ponticello that opens the piece, reminiscent of wind bowling over a tundra. In the middle of a quiet glissando the bass clarinet (Noémi Sallai), and later the other woodwinds slowly start to make lovely airy textures. The music shimmers and pulses until it explodes as the pianist strums the inside string vociferously – Mr. Goodpasture seemed to have an innate understanding of this climatic moment. Ms. Kim’s conducting seemed to be more focused on the energy of the piece, creating a spontaneous sound.

The new Ensemble Connect Fellows for the next two years; photo by Fadi Kheir

While perhaps some of the rigid structure of rising and falling the woodwinds was lost before the climax of the piece with one large unison, this sensual approach let the music sound more anxious and grand. After that frozen unison, the instruments shift away from each other again becoming more earthy in the lower registers before the wispy ending. Here the big sound of the 13 person ensemble (for a complete list of the performers see the bottom of this page) in the small hall really made an impression. It is great that Connect is willing to do pieces like this staged in the way that they did, it adds so much to atmosphere.

After hearing Thorsvaldsdottir it seemed odd to plunge straight into the richly textured Dvorak String Sextet in A Major – no doubt a great piece, but an odd transition. In the first movement violinists Suliman Tekalli and Gergana Harlampieva seemed to have contrasting styles of playing: Mr. Tekalli with a polished tone and Ms. Harlampieva with a folksy sound.  I particularly enjoyed the tense outbursts from Ms. Haralampieva. The second movement is a dark, almost burlesque Dumka that cycles through various moods. Throughout the first section, Ms. Smith’s running line accompanying the violins blended, melded, and captured a nuanced stormy color to the more melodic violin lines. Cellist Ari Evan provided a structured bass line and pizzicato, always engaged and present.

The busty Furiant is Dvorak as his most folksy and the musicians seemed to lean into that. They gave a rustic performance – in particular Ms. Hlusko was wonderful to hear with a round sound. She seemed to be acutely watching of her partners and would adjust as needed, truly a great listener. I would love to see her give a recital sometime. The Finale a large theme and variations. Here, Caelie Smith shined in the extensive viola part. The second variation was fun to see as they passed the canonic line to one another. Ms. Hlusko quiet, dusty solo line in the third variation was the best part of the Sextet – she got a wide range of color even through the quietest of dynamics while the relatively strings behind her sounded like chorus. All the performers were quite committed though and gave verve to the rambunctious ending.

Before the intermission, there was a performance of the Sonata sor’il Soggetto Reale from the Musical Offering with Leo Sussman playing flute, Brian Hong playing violin, Mr. Goodpasture playing harpsichord, and (while oddly not listed in the program) Mr. Evan playing cello.  The highlight was the Andante with Mr. Sussman and Mr. Hong trading lyrical lines. While well performed, it seemed incomplete (it is 20 minutes of a 50 minute work) and strange to have an intermission after only 20 minutes of music. Still the diverse program showcased different performance styles from the group, as always I look forward to their next Carnegie concert.

-- Scoresby

Performers in Hrím:

Leo Sussman, flute

Tamara Wintston, oboe and english horn

Yoonah Kim, clarinet

Thea Humphries, horn

Oliver Barrett, trombone

Christopher Goodpasture, Piano and celeste

Brian Hong, violin

Suliman Tekalli, violin

Caeli Smith, viola

Arlen Hlusko, cello

Ha Young Jung, bass

Jane H. Kim

Lydia Johnson Dance: Dancers & The Dance

Above: from Lydia Johnson's new work-in-progress, photo by Dmitry Beryozkin

Sunday December 2nd, 2018 - At the Ailey Studios this afternoon, choreographer Lydia Johnson showed excerpts from last season's hit, UNDERCURRENT (set to music by Henryk Górecki) and a new work-in-progress danced to piano études by Philip Glass. Patrons and friends of the Company filled the studio, and photographer Dmitry Beryozkin was there to document the dancing.

Following a brief discussion of the works we were about to see, Lydia's dancers took over the space:

Chazz Fenner-McBride, Min Kim, and Daniel Mantei in UNDERCURRENT. Daniel, who formerly danced with ABT, is guesting with Lydia Johnson Dance

Nicole Nerup in UNDERCURRENT, with Catherine Gurr, Oriana Catton, and Emily Sarkissian

Min Kim and Michelle Siegel, from UNDERCURRENT

Laura Di Orio and Chazz Fenner-McBride in UNDERCURRENT

Emily Sarkissian in UNDERCURRENT

Chazz Fenner-McBride and Laura DiOrio ~ Glass piano étude #4

Katie Martin-Lohiya and Daniel Mantei ~ Glass piano étude #4

The following images are all from a section of the new Glass ballet, danced by ten women, set to the piano étude #12:

The ensemble

Erin Ginn

Laura DiOrio, Oriana Catton

The ensemble

Laura DiOrio, Emily Sarkissian, Katie Martin-Lohiya, Gabrielle D'Anthouard

Nicole Nerup, Michelle Siegel

Erin Ginn, Catherine Gurr

Erin Ginn, Catherine Gurr, Oriana Catton

The ensemble

~ Oberon

Matthias Goerne @ The New York Philharmonic

Above: Matthias Goerne

~ Author: Oberon

Thursday December 6th, 2018 - For the second time this week, The New York Philharmonic struck solid gold. On Tuesday evening, their imaginative program of Britten and Shostakovich was thoroughly impressive in every way; tonight, baritone Matthias Goerne, this season's Artist-in-Residence, was enthralling as he sang an uninterrupted, 40-minute set of orchestral lieder. The orchestra followed this with a superb performance of Mozart's 40th symphony.

The Philharmonic's music director, Jaap van Zweden, was on the podium this evening, opening the concert with the Webern arrangement of J.S. Bach's Fuga (Ricercata) from Musical Offering, BWV 1079. This music, familiar to ballet lovers from Balanchine's use of it in his 1959 masterpiece, EPISIODES, has a somewhat dour aspect. And Webern's setting also gives it moments of irony. The Philharmonic's wind players - all on stellar form throughout the evening - gave the music intriguing colours, the harp adds a shimmer, the timpani an oddly sexual undercurrent.

Schubert and Strauss lieder, in various orchestral settings, brought forth Mr. Goerne. Blessed with a unique, miraculous voice, the baritone seems to enjoy singing for very long stretches at a time, as at his Tully Hall recital in 2016 and his Carnegie Hall program with pianist Daniil Trifonov this past February, where his voice cast a spell over an enraptured crowd in 90-minutes of seamlessly-programmed songs. As magnificently as Mr. Goerne sang on those two occasions, I feel he surpassed himself tonight.

This is a voice of vast range - at one moment you could imagine him singing Pelléas, and in the next, Arkel - with unparalleled mastery of dynamics; an instinctive colorist and poet, his entire body is given over to the music, caressing each phrase with lyrical port de bras and expressive hands, whilst his face registers every shade of emotion.

Alexander Schmalcz, who was the pianist for Mr. Goerne's 2016 Tully Hall recital, has collaborated with the baritone in orchestrating some Schubert songs, of which the familiar An Silvia opened tonight's set. In this, the solo trumpet is cannily employed. All the blessings of Mr. Goerne's voice and artistry were immediately evident.

In Richard Strauss's Traum durch die Dämmerung, the singer perfectly captured the various subtle mood changes. The woodwinds, and a pair of sweet flutes, enhanced the music's dreamy qualities. Mr. Goerne's breath control and soft upper notes were cause for bliss, the song's sustained final note hanging on the air. 

The Schmalcz orchestration of Des Fischers Liebesglück - a long song - gives Sherry Sylar's oboe and opportunity to shine. Mr. Goerne's control over modulations of volume makes for evocative poetry; again the flutes piped up, and the phenomenal Cynthia Phelps had an extended viola theme, just ideal. The singer's long final phrase was heavenly. Sadly, the mood was shattered by an audience member dropping something loudly at just the wrong moment.

 

A feeling of ecstasy rose as Mr. Goerne commenced Strauss's Das Rosenband, in which the poet and his lover feel they have found Elysium. The song's lyrical finish was enhanced by Frank Huang's silken violin. 

 

"Heavenly" (again, that word!) best describes Mr. Goerne's singing in Strauss's Freundliche Vision: his tone simply gorgeous throughout the song's arching line, exquisite softness in the highest passage, and the final word - "...schönheit..." - so true to itself.

 

Johannes Brahms' arrangement of Schubert's Greisengesang might have been thought to be the highlight of the set, except that everything was a highlight. With a cushioning glow from the burnished brass and the low strings, Mr. Goerne brought sublime sound and shading to every word and note, evoking "...the fragrance of dreams." The song ended on a lovingly placed low note, just perfect.

Ruhe, meine Seele, Strauss's setting of a Karl Henckell poem, brings in the celesta and harp to set the mood. The singer's opening phrases are soft and introspective, then turn deep and dramatic. Massive power wells up, only to ebb into tenderness. It's hard to this of a more magical interpretation of this song than that which Mr. Goerne gave us tonight. The orchestra at the end sustained the mood lovingly.

In Im Abendrot, Schubert's evening prayer, Sherry Sylar's oboe gives way to Pascual Martínez-Forteza's clarinet in a solo of lambent tone, whilst Mr. Goerne ideally mixes richness and subtlety of tone and expression. Flute phrases and soft violins carry the song to its end.

For me, the most moving moments of the evening came with Strauss's Allerseelen ("All Souls' Day"); here these words, translated from Karl Henckell's original, filled me with thought of love...and death:

"Set on the table the perfumed mignonettes...

Bring indoors the last red asters,

And let us speak again of love,

As once we did in May.

 

Give me your hand to press secretly,

And if people see, I care not.

Give me your sweet glance,

As once you did in May.

 

On this day, each grave has fragrant flowers:

One day each year is devoted to the dead.

Come to my heart...be mine again...

As once in May."

 

Lush strings introduced this familiar melody, then Mr. Goerne lavished us with some of his most vivid word-painting and ever-cherishable sense of dynamics. The song rose to a magnificent climax, then on to its enchanted ending, with the violins awash with sadness.

Tränenregen (from Die Schöne Müllerin) was the last of the Schubert offerings, in which the winds - most notably Ms. Sylar and Mr. Forteza - gave the singer cordial support.

Concertmaster Frank Huang then rose to play the haunting theme of Richard Strauss's Morgen! Mr. Goerne, singing with a lustrous hush of quiet rapture - complimented by the harp - made the song a perfect end to his engrossing performance. Mr. Huang and the orchestra drew out the poetry of the postlude with a spine-tingling sense of tranquility.

The thought crossed my mind of leaving the hall after Mr. Goerne had finished, so as to maintain the feeling of reverie. But these days, a transfusion of Mozart can serve as an antidote to all that is wrong with the world. And what a fine Mozart 40th Maestro van Zweden and the orchestra gave us.

Right from its ever-so-familiar start, the playing had a lovely, warm-toned glow. The Philharmonic's marvelous wind soloists - flautist Robert Langevin, Ms. Sylar, Mr. Forteza, and bassoonist Judith LeClair - made their every solo passage a treat.

A sense of freshness permeated the Menuetto, with R. Allen Spanjer and a fellow hornsman I didn't recognize duetting to noble effect; this Menuetto's sudden end always gives me a smile.

Plush, full-bodied playing from the massed strings gave the final Allegro assai a velvety resonance. The only blot on the evening came here with our neighbor's coughing fit during Mr. Forteza's solo. But Maestro van Zweden and his players lilted on to a grand finish. I left Lincoln Center in the best of all possible moods.

~ Oberon

Lamsma|van Zweden|NY Philharmonic

Above: violinist Simone Lamsma

~ Author: Oberon

Tuesday December 4th, 2018 - In one of the most exciting concerts in recent memory, tonight's New York Philharmonic program paired Britten's Violin Concerto with the Shostakovich 7th Symphony ('Leningrad'). Jaap van Zweden was on the podium, violinist Simone Lamsma was making her Philharmonic debut, the principal players of the orchestra were all vividly present and accounted for, and the stars aligned for a great night of music.

Both works are associated with war: the Passacgalia of the Britten concerto is a tribute to British soldiers who had volunteered to fight the Facists during the Spanish Civil War. Shostakovich's 7th Symphony was composed during the Nazi's siege of Leningrad which lasted for 872 days, from 1941 to 1944, resulting in enormous loss of life. In the symphony, the composer weaves in both militaristic elements and somber passages, counterbalanced by his confident belief that Leningrad would endure all the death and destruction. In the end, he was right.

This should have been my second experience of hearing Ms. Lamsma, but I had to forego her 2017 Weill Hall recital due to back problems; my fellow writer Scoresby covered that recital in my place.

Tonight, in her New York Philharmonic debut, Ms. Lamsma played the Britten - a work I had not heard previously - in a stunning performance. A tall, elegant blonde clad in a striking, bejeweled black gown, Ms. Lamsma (who hails from The Netherlands) took possession of the stage and proved as riveting to hear as to watch. I began making a mental list of concertos I want to hear her play: Barber, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven...well, all of them, really.

Timpani and cymbal quietly introduce the Moderato con moto movement of the Britten concerto. After a moody passage, the music turns lyrical and the violin makes its entrance in a gorgeous solo passage as the winds percolate gently. Ms. Lamsma's high, silvery tones gleamed. Lustrous horns are heard, as the celli provide a rhythmical underpinning. The music develops a strutting feeling; the soloist takes a swirling downward plunge. Rhythmic vitality persists, but then calm sets in. Ms. Lamsma melting into a high-rising, achingly lovely semi-cadenza. The deep basses commence a swaying slow dance, the violins playing plushly in thirds. Plucking and glinting motifs carry the violinist to delicate heights, over the recurring timpani. With soft tones from the harp, Ms. Lamsma sustains a high final note.

The Vivace is a brisk dance, Ms. Lamsma bringing some grit to her tone. An interlude for horns and trumpets leads to a jazzy passage. The violinist plays high and soft, the piccolo and tuba team up unexpectedly, the soloist slashes her strings as the music turns big. Timpani herald a cinematic rise of tension. From this emerges a cadenza of ultra-pianissimo sounds. Things get very quiet, the violin in a simple rising scale motif.

Yearning strings and a somewhat desolate trumpet solo mark the opening of the Passacaglia, the music turning dense and foreboding. Ms. Lamsma plays almost hesitantly over viola and cello tremolos. The oboe sings poignantly over yearning strings. A fresh rhythm, a sort of cross between a bolero and a polonaise, springs up. Flute and cymbal dance briefly, then the music builds, with trumpets, only to ebb away; Ms. Lamsma's tone meshes with the piccolo. The soloist plays very fast as the music gets quite grand; the final solo passage starts low before a poignant rise, taking Ms. Lamsma to the stratosphere. At this point, I felt Britten extended the concerto's end unduly; through numerous modulations, he cannot seem to settle on a resolution. At last, a silvery trill from Ms. Lamsma floats on the air. 

The soloist was enthusiastically applauded by the packed house, taking a solo bow and then returning yet again with Maestro van Zweden. I so wanted an encore, but perhaps it's the kind of concerto that nothing can follow. Hopefully, the Maestro has had a contract drawn up to bring Ms. Lamsma back...season after season.

Following the interval, Masetro van Zweden took the orchestra thru a spectacular performance of the Shostakovich 7th Symphony, 'Leningrad'. Scored for an enormous orchestra, this work contains numerous opportunities for individual players - especially among the winds - to make their mark. Robert Langevin (flute), Sherry Sylar (oboe), Anthony McGill (clarinet), and - in a long passage - Judith LeClair (bassoon) excelled, as did others who I could not zero in on from my vantage point.

The snare drum signals a march which commences with rather delicate strings and piano. In turn, this iconic motif moves from player to player, section to section, with the same determination (and traces of wit) that make Ravel's Bolero so inevitable. Following a rich string theme, the muted trumpet again takes up 'the theme', and the passing troops are led off to their unknown fate.

The second movement (Moderato - Poco allegretto) begins with a sort of semi-fugue. Sherry Sylar's oboe solo stands out, as does a passage for the bass-clarinet (Amy Zoloto) with harp.

The Adagio opens with a rather pessimistic chorale. A rich violin tutti sounds despairingly, with a distant reminder of marching troops echoing. A rather downcast but whimsical flute melody (supported by the 2nd violins). The music intensifies; the strings play: rich and profound. Then the violas take up a sort of dreamy waltz, the violins sound in heavenly unison, and the celli and basses join to magnificent effect.

After a pensive start, the finale builds, mingling feelings of despair and regret with a renewed resolve that the great city on the banks of the Neva - and its weary populace - will emerge from the horrors of war to rise again.

~ Oberon