Oberon's Grove

The Schumann Quartet @ Chamber Music Society

Above: The Schumann Quartet

~ Author: Oberon

Sunday April 29th, 2018 - The Schumann Quartet's finely-contrasted program at Chamber Music Society this evening brought us works composed in four different centuries, including the US premiere of a piece composed in 2006 by Aribert Reimann.

One of the (many) nice things about attending Chamber Music Society frequently: your opinions on various composers change. Over the past few seasons, being exposed often to the music of Haydn has altered my feelings towards his music, which had always seemed to me attractive and well-crafted but lacking in the emotional qualities that make Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms so satisfying. 

So this evening's opening Haydn - the Quartet in B-flat major for Strings, Hob. III:78, Op. 76, No. 4, “Sunrise” (1797) - didn't give me the old reaction: "If only they'd programmed _____________ instead," but rather a feeling of appreciation, especially as it was so finely played. Each member of the Schumann Quartet has a beautiful 'voice', and as they blended in this music the effect was heavenly.

The "Sunrise" Quartet is indeed worthy of its name: seconds into the piece, an ascending phrase from the violin depicts the moment of dawning day. Soon afterward, the music turns lively, and the players show off their expert sense of timing. When the music turns darkish, the layering of the four musical lines is truly atmospheric.

In the Adagio which follows, a lovely sense of calm pervades. The high violin sings serenely over the warmth of the lower mix; modulations are graciously set forth, the cello with glowing tone. The Menuetto has an oddly 'Scottish' feeling, and in a da capo, subtly charming hesitations are felt. The quartet then dove immediately into the final Allegro, ma non troppo - 'non troppo' being the key, for the pacing had a gentle lilt. As things turn more lively, the harmonizing violins bring a witty touch. A sudden gear shift sets up a super-fast conclusion.

The Schumann Quartet then moved on to Bartók: his Quartet No. 2 for Strings, BB 75, Op. 17 (1914-17), a wartime work which was given a remarkable interpretation by the young musicians: thoroughly engrossing.

The Bartók 2nd's three movements each seem to represent an emotional state: solitary life, joy, sorrow. An eerie sense of restlessness sets the mood of the opening Moderato; contrasting passages of intensity and somber beauty find the Schumanns at their most expressive, the probing cello making a special impression. Tonal richness wells up, angst and poignant longings are finely delineated. A rocking motif, plucked cello, duetting violins, and dusky viola drift thru our consciousness before the music takes on a searing quality. This subsides to movement's sudden, near-silent finish.

The Allegro is scrambling, animated, constantly pulsing. The Schumanns relish the passages of plucking with brief bits of melody tucked in. The music becomes driven, then suddenly stalls. Following more hesitations, staccati, and snatched commentary, energy is restored. Trilling, the music plunges on. But we are not there yet: another pause, and some agitato scurrying before a big finish. The rhythmic vitality of the Schumanns gave this Allegro just the perfect sense of dancing. 

An alien sense of gloom descends over the concluding Lento as a bleak melodic motif is passed violin to violin to viola to cello. From muted, pensive blendings, the violin rises to the heights. Intense harmonies bring a density of sound that is suddenly stilled. From quietude, another unsettling passage builds. Plucked notes bring us to a whispered ending.

Throughout the Bartók, I was deeply engaged by the Schumanns' playing, sitting forward to catch every nuance. My focus was so intense that the hall and everyone around me seemed to vanish; it was just me and the music - a rare, profound feeling.

I confess to never having listened to much of Aribert Reimann's music; I took a recording of his opera LEAR from the library a few years ago and found it off-putting in the extreme. I cannot say that the composer's Adagio zum Gedenken an Robert Schumann for String Quartet - in its US premiere performance this evening - did anything to make me want to explore more of the composer's work, despite the excellence of the playing.

Dark viola and cello and powerful staccati from the violins open the piece. The music becomes woozy; at times it sounds seasick. Moments of beauty in the richness of the lower voices, and high-lying phrases from the second violin are welcome. The cellist taps his cello. 

From nowhere, a hymn-like melody appears, then goes askew; these motifs alternate for a bit before the music turns metallic. High violin notes and strange harmonies carry the 8-minute work forward. As an imagining of what music Robert Schumann in his madness might have heard in his head, Reimann's Adagio is touching; this alone might make it worth hearing again in future.

To round out the evening, Robert Schumann's Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 41, No. 2 (1842). This was Schumann's first effort in the quartet genre, and both my companion and I had a sense that the composer was rather feeling his way into it: sometimes the flow of musical ideas seems a bit disjointed. However, there are plenty of passages to savour - and a wonderfully deft Scherzo - which the players brought forth in their polished, melodious performance.

~ Oberon

Classical Evolution @ Chamber Music Society

Above: Tommaso Lonquich, photographed by Anna Grudinina

~ Author: Oberon

Friday April 27th, 2018 - Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center brought together clarinet phenomenon Tommaso Lonquich, the outstanding pianist Gilles Vonsattel, and a quartet of sterling string players for an evening of music-making that was by turns stimulating and soothing. Audience distractions were annoying, but the music prevailed.  

According to one of his students at the time, Mozart wrote his Trio in E-flat major for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano, K. 498, “...on 10 sheets (19 pages)..." in Vienna, dating it August 5, 1786. It's not clear how the nickname “Kegelstatt” came to be applied to this trio; the word refers to 'a place where skittles are played' - skittles in those days referring not to the colorful candies but rather to a nine-pins bowling game which Mozart sometimes enjoyed. At any rate, the name stuck, and thus has the trio come down to us today.

Home music-making being all the rage in Vienna at the time, the trio was first played at a 'house concert' in the von Jacquin family's residence: Anton Stadler played clarinet, Mozart the viola, and Franziska von Jacquin - a pupil of Mozart's to whom the piece is dedicated - the piano. The clarinet at that time was only just coming into its own, so an alternate version of the trio with the clarinet part transcribed for violin was also published.

This evening, clarinetist Tommaso Lonquich joined violist Yura Lee and pianist Gilles Vonsattel for an first-rate performance of this delightful trio. Mr. Lonquich, whose playing made a truly memorable impression when I first heard him in 2015, displayed all the same fascinating qualities of his artistry tonight: prodigious breath-control, a wonderful sense of melodic flow, and a magical finesse of the dynamic range. He and his two colleagues here were very nicely matched, for Mr. Vonsattel's playing readily displays both verve and nuance - his tapered phrases so elegant - whilst Ms. Lee, ever a joy to encounter, aligned her tonal quality to the clarinetist's, making their harmonizing especially attractive.

The Menuetto was particularly enjoyable tonight; after a big start, the music simmers down and the three musicians seemed to vie with one another to see who could play the softest. Then the viola sets up an animated figuration, keeping things lively. Detail-oriented playing from all three - and their keen awareness of one another - put a smile on my face.

In the concluding Rondeaux: Allegretto, a rolling song sets forth; clarinet and piano sing to one another. Mr. Vonsattel's summons up sparkling sounds from the Steinway before turning more lyrical. Ms. Lee introduces a viola theme which is passed about and harmonized. Throughout, the dynamic arc keeps the ear on the alert: some glowing pianissimo motifs from the keyboard captured my imagination.

Mr. Lonquich then took the lead in Carl Maria von Weber's Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 34 (1811-15), with a stylish string quartet: Erin Keefe, Ida Kavafian, Yura Lee, and Nicholas Cannellakis. Like Adolphe Adam's score for GISELLE, von Weber's music is very operatic: one continually imagines a baritone launching a cavatina, or a soprano doling out elaborate roulades in some kind of auf Deutsch mad scene. It is perhaps this operatic connection that makes Weber's music so appealing to me.

After a hesitant opening of string chords, the clarinet enters very softly and takes an impressive crescendo on a single note. From here, Mr. Lonquich embarked on his astonishing performance, his tone dulcet in every register, his swift coloratura and dizzyingly accurate scales full of life and light. Cellist Nick Canellakis takes up a theme of 'vocal' quality; later, his gorgeous tone will be a steadying element as Mr. Lonquich continues to revel in mad bravura.

Mr. Canellakis's somber-sounding cello opens the Fantasia: Adagio ma non troppo, with Mr. Lonquich taking up a poignant melody; there's heartfelt beauty in his thoughtful measuring out of the tone. Meanwhile, Mr. Canellakis continues to savour each cello passage. Clarinet scales and long, soft phrases develop, and then things come to a halt. The strings play a lament; the clarinet's re-entry will bring us more delicate scales and whispered pianissimi before the elegant melody is resumed.

The lively Menuetto features delightful warbling effects from Mr. Lonquich's clarinet, along with madcap zips up to his high range; in contrast, some ultra-soft playing a bit later hung gorgeously on the air. Erin Keefe's violin introduces a cordial interlude, followed by the clarinet resuming his fanciful warbling.

As the concluding Rondo: Allegro giocoso commenced with the rhythm of a gentle galop, I scrawled "A treat!" across my Playbill. Mr. Lonquich sounded forth brightly, the clarinet melody drawing us forward to his spectacular scale-forays to the top before reeling off fantastic passages of fiorature in a marvelous bravura display.

As the players sailed on their merry way thru this vastly enjoyable music, one sensed a build-up of excitement in the hall: Mr. Lonquich's virtuosity dazzled, and the crowd's reaction was a vociferous standing ovation, with the players called out twice as a feeling of sheer joy filled the hall.

Following the interval, Mr.Vonsattel (above) returned to the Steinway for a perfectly polished rendering of the Brahms Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 34 (1862), with Ms. Kavafian now in the first chair.

At first we are lulled by a melodious start, but suddenly: drama - a big theme takes over. The string voices come alive: silky violin, mellow viola, rich cello. Mr. Vonsattel, Ms. Kavafian, and Mr. Canellakis play in unison; the piano gets rapturous before a lull, whereupon a hush sets.  Softly Mr. Vonsattel lures in a thread of sound from the violin and a warmer depth from the cello. The music builds to a mysterious dance, with glimmering piano. Intoxicated by the music and the detailed playing, I recalled a state we sometimes achieved back in the Flower-Power era: of being blissed out.

The gentle start of the Adagio, hampered by thoughtless audience activity, nevertheless made its mark. Lovely harmonies rose, Ms. Lee and Mr. Canellakis mellifluous, with Mlles. Kavafian and Keefe duetting sweetly. The movement concludes with a tender fade-away.

The Scherzo begins with a low cello pulse, and suddenly a big theme explodes that is both mysterious and passionate. A marziale motif takes over, a paean - to music? to life? - which subsides into a calm interlude. When things re-bound, Mr. Vonsattel at the keyboard turns sprightly as a rise in propulsion takes us to an emphatic end.

Mr. Canellakis - shall we say here what a simply terrific cellist he is? - commences the concluding movement in a surprisingly sorrowful mood, and Mr. Vonsattel at the piano sounds richly. Now the dancing Rondo commences, veering from impetuous quietness to nervy turbulence. Themes are rewoven, and we are being borne along towards the finish when, at the worst possible moment - and with only a minute of music left to go - someone noisily began unwrapping a snack.

~ Oberon

New Music @ Rose Studio

~Author: Scoresby

Thursday April 26 2018 - At the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's last New Music concert of the season, the Schumann Quartet and pianist Gloria Chien gave a wide-ranging performance. The first piece on the program was the last movement of Swiss composer Helena Winkelman's Quadriga Quartet for Strings titled "Sleipnir the eight-legged" based on the eponymous horse in Norse mythology. While only the last movement of the quartet, Ms. Winkleman is open to it being played alone. It is a rollicking piece that includes references to Bartok, jazz, metal, and Swiss folk music all in a contemporary idiom.

The Schumann Quartet played through the virtuosic material with enthusiasm, indulging in all the fun timbres Ms. Winkleman imbeds in the score and still able to bring out the lyricism that punctuates the more cacophonous moments. In fact, violist Liisa Randalu and cellist Mark Schumann seemed to blend incredibly well as duo - matching each other to create a delicious backdrop for first violinist Erik Schumann and second violinist Ken Schumann's lyrical melodies. Through the work, the rhythmic pulse sounds like a frenetic horse stomping through - it is a shame we only got to hear one movement of this quartet. I look forward to hearing more of Ms. Winkleman's music soon.

Above: Schumann Quartet; Photo Credit: Kaupo Kikkas

The second work on the program was Timo Andres's five continuous movement work Quintet for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello. The aptly named first movement Cannons and Fables, sounds like an upbeat riff on minimalist Schumann. The most interesting was the second movement, which is based on large dusty tremolos in all of the instruments. The quartet's tight and structured sound contrasted the more rustic sounding piano part. While interesting to listen to – this doesn’t seem to Mr. Andres’s most interesting work.

Henze's brief "Sonatina for Violin and Piano" seemed highly structured and a completely different sound world than the earlier Andres. Second violinist Ken Schumann and Ms. Chien presented the work based off of themes from one of his operas. The Allegretto has an active piano work full of counterpoint and dissonance, with what seem to be quotes from Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. Mr. K Schumann captured the almost romantic nostalgia in the second movement, his mute letting him produce a supple ghostly sound and his phrasing emphasizing the lyrical quality of the music. Ms. Chien in the last movement embraced the drama in the piano part and gave heft to the huge chords that end the piece below Mr. K Schumann's highpitched violin.  

After the rigidly structured world of Henze, the program moved into two selections from "Piano Etudes" by Augusta Read Thomas. The first (etude 3), titled Cathedral Waterfall - Homage to Messiaen, is a spacious work that uses the extreme reaches of the piano and heavy use of pedal to evoke a large cathedral. Ms. Chien let the piano boom in these chords, making the small space seem like an echo chamber. She managed to let the color of each chord be clear without blending into the next - thus producing a chiming sound. This effect sounded at once like Feldman's sparse tone mixed with the large spaciousness that Crumb's Makrosomos evoke. The second work (etude 2) called "Fire Waltz - Homage to Bartók" is a thrillingly fun Ligeti-esque work. Ms. Chien seemed to stick to its incisive rhythm and sound like a machine that kept getting interrupted. It was a fun reading that seemed to relish in Ms. Thomas's jazzy composition style.

Pianist: Gloria Chien

The most well-known piece on the program was Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Mr. Pärt originally composed the work in 1977 and has rearranged it over 15 times for different instrument combinations. While all share a structural chord sequence and something percussive, each one has a slightly different sound. In her speech beforehand, Ms. Randalu shared that Mr. Pärt thought of his music as existing not for a particular timbre or instrument, but in absolute forms - structural music. All four members of the quartet gave a dedicated performance. 

Mr. K Schumann held the same note for all 10 minutes of the performance, letting everyone blend around and atop his drone. This version of Fratres is more spiritual and less earthy than other versions of the piece. They took the chords slowly, the instruments started in the high harmonics and over the course of the piece moved to the lowest notes through the chord sequence - Mr. M Schumann's warm cello pizzicato breaking up the sequence. The lack of contrast in this version of the work, makes it much more sparse - perhaps intentional to evoke a choir. While certainly a beautiful work and given a detailed rendering here, it seemed like an odd way to end such an exciting program – perhaps it would have been better served an opener? Nonetheless, it capped another great performance in the CMS New Music Series.

Five Sopranos

Victoria de los Angeles - Adieu notre petite table ~ MANON

Zinka Milanov - Vissi d'arte - TOSCA

Renata Tebaldi - Ombra mai fu ~ from Handel's SERSE

Katia Ricciarelli - O ma chère compagne - DON CARLOS

Leontyne Price - Signore ascolta - TURANDOT

Huguette Tourangeau Has Passed Away

Above: Huguette Tourangeau as Parséïs in Massenet's ESCLARMONDE at The Met

It's sad to read of the death of the French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Huguette Tourangeau, a strikingly attractive woman possessed of a truly unique voice. Her sound was sensuous, her lower range incredibly resonant. I saw her at The Met as Nicklausse in CONTES D'HOFFMANN and as Parséïs in Massenet's ESCLARMONDE in the 1970s.

OPERA NEWS caught up with Mlle. Tourangeau in 2011: read the article here.

A frequent colleague of Dame Joan Sutherland, Huguette Tourangeau scored a great personal triumph as Elisabetta in Donizetti's MARIA STUARDA opposite the Australian diva at San Francisco in 1971.

Huguette Tourangeau - scena d'Elisabetta - MARIA STUARDA~Act I - San Francisco 1971

Pontus Lidberg's UNE AUTRE PASSION

Photo by Gregory Batardon

~ Author: Oberon

Tuesday April 24th, 2018 - Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève have brought Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg’s abstract take on Johann Sebastian Bach's Saint Matthew Passion - UNE AUTRE PASSION - to The Joyce.

Pontus's trademark flowing - and fluent - choreography is beautifully executed by the Geneva dancers, and - needless to say - the music is sublime. The audience seemed literally enthralled by the production, in which some stunning underwater film segments add a striking visual dimension.

Pontus turns to the classic 1959 Karl Richter recording of the Saint Matthew Passion, featuring the legendary Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau and the no less marvelous Hertha Töpper; the choreographer excludes the recitatives, assembling a soundscape of choruses and arias. He does not attempt a narrative of the story of Christ's final hours, but rather an abstract essay in movement on the theme of the Passion, full of desire, uncertainty, and consolation.

At curtain-rise, six tall white panels form a wall at the back of the dancing area. Overhead, shadowy clouds hover and moonlight pierces the gloom. The dancers emerge, all in white: their skirts, trousers, shirts, and tank-tops are not gender-specific. They dance en ensemble.

The moveable panels become part of the choreography as the dancers slide them about the space; illusions are conveyed when one dancer vanishes behind a moving panel to be replaced by another as the panel slips away. The wall re-forms and the dancers crash into it.

Now the film begins: white mannequins stand under the water as a nude man swims lyrically among them...could the swimmer be the choreographer himself? From time to time, the film continues throughout the ballet. The mannequins get dis-assembled, and later the 'lamb of god' appears to float by in the guise of a stuffed creature.

The panels are transformed into slides, the dancers sliding down while colleagues dance a stylized ritual; solo passages, and a male ensemble, continue the endless fluidity of movement. A luminous passage shows the dancers in silhouette, like a living frieze. This gives way to a walking motif as groups of dancers cross the space - urgently - in regimented order.

At the heart of UNE AUTRE PASSION is a pas de deux performed to the great aria 'Erbarme dich', sung by Ms. Töpper. The couple (I'm sorry to say I am not sure of the dancers' names) move hypnotically; the woman has a solo and then they are reunited, only to part again. Then the man dances alone, seeking among the moving panels until he finds her again. 

Now one by one the dancers remove their outer garments. The movement is stylized, filled with gestures of supplication. From solo and duet phrases, the dancers slowly assemble, lying in a row upon the floor along the side of the space. The panels are then formed into a wall, enclosing the bodies. A single man now seeks entry into this repository of souls; a second man prevents him, and their duet becomes yet another memorable passage in this deeply moving ballet. 

The dancers re-assemble in a swaying motion; a male solo follows as the music becomes a hymn. The voice of Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau fills the space as we wait breathlessly to see how this Passion will conclude. The wall now stands along stage left, and the dancers approach it - at first walking, then running, then rushing. They pound on the surface, pray before it, collide with it, collapse at its feet: but the wall remains impenetrable.

"We are living through a very hard time, our gift is to be alive," said Pontus Lidberg in an interview during the creation of UNE AUTRE PASSION. In this ballet, Bach's immortal music and the poetry of the dance that it has evoked feel like an affirmation of life: a refuge of beauty in a darkening world.

The ballet ends with a naked man standing before the paneled wall. Has he been shut out of heaven, or does his vulnerable presence mark the dawn of a new day, freed of the hypocrisy, hatred, and oppression that have undermined the great religions?

~ Oberon

Fellner|Eschenbach|NY Philharmonic

Above: pianist Till Fellner, photographed by Gabriela Brandenstein

~ Author: Ben Weaver

Saturday April 21st, 2018 - The great Austrian pianist Till Fellner made his belated NY Philharmonic debut last week with an unforgettable performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22. Composed in 1785, while he was also composing Le Nozze di Figaro, the E-flat major concerto was following one of Mozart’s most famous works: the 21st concerto’s famous slow movement (two centuries later dubbed “Elvira Madigan” after it was used in a movie of that name.) 

Whatever the 22nd lacks in fame, it most certainly is one of Mozart’s masterpieces. A big and extended orchestral introduction, which includes timpani and horns, leads to piano’s debut solo. There are several points in the concerto - not cadenzas - that showcase the piano playing without orchestral accompaniment. Mr. Fellner’s beautifully light and quick playing was superb. I have long been a big fan of is artistry: the clarity of his playing, the beauty of sound, perfectly controlled volume and runs, have long placed him among the best pianists of our time. In many ways he reminds me of Murray Perahia at his finest; that’s about the highest compliment I could pay a pianist. Fellner’s playing of this evening’s Mozart was as good as one could expect from anyone. Each note was like a pearl in sunlight. The depth of feeling in the leaping octaves of the slow movement were like love-sick sighs. I think this Andante may actually be Mozart’s most perfect slow movement. And the Allegro finale was thrilling, with some key contributions from flautist Robert Langevin and bassoonist Judith LeClair.

Having a great concert pianist-cum-conductor Christoph Eschenbach on the podium was a great added bonus. Eschenbach, leading reduced forces of the NY Philharmonic, understands how to accompany the piano and showed extraordinary sensitivity, never rushing or fighting the solo instrument, allowing the piano to sing and lead. It was wonderful to finally have Mr. Fellner with the NY Phil, and I hope he will return regularly in the future.

As an encore, Mr. Fellner played Liszt's "Le lac de Wallenstadt" from "Album d’une voyageur"; he played it wonderfully.

(Just as a side note: The magnificent final movement of the 22nd concerto was among works featured prominently in Miloš Forman’s film adaptation of “Amadeus.” The great Czech/American auteur, who also directed films  “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and “People vs. Larry Flynt,” and led the Columbia University film school for many years, passed away on April 13th.)

Maestro Eschenbach (above) returned to the podium following the interval for Bruckner’s last, unfinished Symphony No. 9. In failing health for the entire composition of this work, Bruckner completed the first three movements and struggled with the finale for a year. He worked on it on the last day of his life, October 11, 1896. But he only left behind sketches (some fully scored) which were not enough for anyone to be able to legitimately piece together a full movement. (Though several have tried, none of the completions are more than curiosities.) Bruckner once suggested that his Te Deum should be performed as the finale if he did not finish the work; most people realize it was not a serious suggestion for a few reasons, one of which being that a choral finale would lead to comparisons to Beethoven’s 9th, which Bruckner would not have wanted. So the work is almost always performed in only three completed movements.

The symphony begins with murmuring strings, interrupted by horns, like calls to battle. The brass section always gets big workouts playing Bruckner, and this evening they did not disappoint. Overall the orchestra were on spectacular form, and Maestro Eschenbach was able to corral the massive forces into a thundering wave. Bruckner had a truly unique gift for creating columns and walls of sound that sound like no one else’s. Many other composers could compose loud music, but there is something so unique and specific to Bruckner when he unleashes the full orchestra. As a listener, I often feel like I’m inside a cathedral and the walls are shaking with the voice of God. Of the great symphonists, Beethoven was able to represent musically the sounds of Earth. Sibelius is second to none to making us feel the chill of Mother Nature. Mahler could recreate the sounds of heaven. Shostakovich gave us sounds of man, in all his misery and triumph. Bruckner was a deeply religious man and I am not, but in these moments - and they exist in all of Bruckner’s works - I can imagine if God had a voice, he would sound like this.

In the second movement, the Scherzo, the thundering march of doom is one of Bruckner’s most memorable moments. The relentless pounding of percussion and strings is stuff of nightmares. No doubt John Williams was aware of this Scherzo when he was scoring “Star Wars.” And the final Adagio is the perfect musical farewell, its conclusion sounding like a clock slowly running down.

It is nice to have the orchestra seated on risers (a welcome change since Jaap van Zweden took over the Philharmonic as principal conductor) so one can see the various players in the back. Maestro Eschenbach also rearranged the cello and viola sections (for both Mozart and Bruckner) to have cellos on the right and violas in the middle next to the violins. Whether this was Eschenbach’s preference or a new full-time arrangement, we shall see.

~ Ben Weaver

Pierrot Lunaire @ Carnegie Hall

~Author: Scoresby

Thursday April 19 2018 - On a rather chilly Spring day, Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect had one of its last Weill Hall performances of the season. Every two years the ensemble changes over its fellows and this particular set of musicians will move on in June. As this is the last Ensemble Connect concert I was attending this season, it was interesting to see the contrast between when these players first joined and how they play now.

The program began with Mozart's incredibly difficult six movement Divertimento for Violin, Viola, and Cello in E-flat Major, K. 563. The program book seemed to have a typo, listing this work as only 15 minutes long (instead of 45) - perhaps thinking of one of the far shorter and earlier Divertimento for String Quartet. This is a virtuosic tour-de-force piece for all involved because it has incredible exposure for all the instruments, here Rebecca Anderson on Violin, Andrew Gonzalez on viola, and Julia Yang on cello. Ms. Yang's warm, robust sound stood out immediately - she managed to blend well with Ms. Gonzalez and Ms. Anderson matching vibrato perfectly. 

Above: Ensemble Connect

Stylistically, the group kept the Allegro light and bouncing. During the Adagio Ms. Anderson's solo passages were played with a touch of sweetness while Ms. Yang's ascending cello motifs brought a touch of nostalgia. The Andante (the fourth movement) is a charming set of variations - while every instrument gets its line to shine most impressive were the blending between Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Yang during the active violin variation. They created a supple backdrop for Ms. Anderson to play the sweet melody. In the fifth movement, the group let the music seemed to have fun with the light bouncy textures and brought the music's humor out by letting the phrases breathe. The duet between Ms. Anderson and Mr. Gonzalez was fully of energy and light-hearted spirit. While there were a few technical glitches - it was a fun performance of a difficult work. 

The after-intermission performance demonstrated how much the players in ensemble have grown - it was not only a successful performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire - but one of the best performances I've heard this year. The instrumentalists were Rosie Gallagher on flute, Bixby Kennedy, on clarinet, Mari Lee on violin, Madeline Fayette on cello, and Mika Sasaki on piano. As is tradition in Ensemble Connect, before the work began there was a short talk about the music - only here Mari Lee interviewed 'Schoenberg's Ghost', who was wearing a Pierrot-like mask. It was a fun and creative way to introduce the music that a more traditional group wouldn't have dared to do and Ms. Lee’s earnest questions gave both humor and seriousness to it. It seems Ms. Lee adapted some of the material from her own project Salon Séance for the interview.

Pierrot is one of the landmark works of the twentieth century. Not quite theatre, not quite music – it lies somewhere in-between in a chamber setting. It was Schoenberg’s first major work using free atonality and is before he came up with his twelve-tone system. Musically it is a piece at the height of German Expressionism, set to the brooding poems of Albert Giraud to paint different fragments of the psyche. It feels at once dream-like and nightmarish with extremes of emotion. In order to enhance this feeling, the group used simple lighting to heighten the drama -  they turned off the regular house lights and replaced them with white spotlights during the first section, blood red lights during the second, and back to white spotlights for third. In this darker atmosphere with the glittering Viennese style chandeliers, one really felt immersed into Schoenberg’s world.

Unfortunately soprano Mellissa Hughes who was originally supposed to sing the soprano part withdrew due to illness. Luckily, Ensemble Connect managed to get one of the most venerable Pierrot singers alive today: Lucy Shelton.  She was simply spellbinding and elevated the level of the young players to match her. In Columbine the Ms. Lee and Ms. Sasaki's violin and piano duo gave heft to match Ms. Shelton's Meine banges Leid (my pain) and immediately changed dynamics to match the zu lindern (soothing). Such precise dynamics from moments like that were the hallmark of this performance - but at the same time the players swelled to match the more crazed sections of the piece.  Ms. Shelton for her part, embodied the music taking a no-holds-barred style. Using hand gestures to and acting to portray the different facets of the characters, from the wisps of nostalgia in the last movement to the crazed laughter and anxiety in the Rote Messe to the cackling gossip in the Gallows Song, Ms. Shelton seemed like she was a witch reciting an incantation and with the dream-like lighting she was spellbinding. In the small hall, her voice filled the entire space and one felt completely immersed - it felt like she was telling you a story and drawing you into her world complete with horrors, traumas, sweetness, and nostalgia for the past. Rather than just a "crazy" approach as many singers bring to this piece, Ms. Shelton captured all the nuance of emotions embedded in both the text and music. Her yearning for the past in the end sounded sweet and  wistful as she whispered "And dream beyond for blissful stretches, O old perfume--from fabled times!"

Above: Soprano Lucy Shelton

The instrumentalists were no less into the music. While perhaps the could have captured some of the softer tones and romanticism in the third book, they were all precise and together.  A powerful moment at the end of the third movement, Ms. Gallagher's impressive fluttering as Ms. Shelton sung "With a ghostly moonbeam" - Ms. Gallagher capturing the timbres with precise but soft tones. Ms. Fayette during her nervous outburst in Rote Messe mimicked Ms. Shelton's crazed line. In the interlude before the last song of the second book, Mr. Bixby deep clarinet melded with Ms. Gallagher's playing. In that last song, Ms. Lee captured the same timbre as Ms. Shelton's singing - sounding like a dreamed echo. Ms. Sasaki let the piano. During Gemeinheit Ms. Fayette and Ms. Gallagher matched their vibrato perfectly, creating an ethereal dream-like texture. 

In the Barcarole, Ms. Lee, Ms. Sasaki, and Ms. Gallagher created a disorienting backdrop of what sounded like a drunken boat ride. All in all, this group of musicians worked hard to create an excellent performance - a great end to the last Ensemble Connect performance in Weill.

More From The Lubovitch 50th @ The Joyce

Above: The Joffrey Ballet's Fabrice Calmels in Lar Lubovitch's Othello; photo by Herbert Migdoll

~ Author: Oberon

Saturday April 21st matinee - Continuing the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at The Joyce, four dancers from The Joffrey flew in to perform excerpts from Lar's 1997 full-length ballet, Othello, while Lubovitch Company members offered three distinctively different works by the choreographer. It was a first-rate afternoon of dance all round.

Little Rhapsodies (dating from 2007) is a gem of a dancework: to the delightful Symphonic Études, Opus 13, of Robert Schumann, three men - Jonathan Emanuell Alsberry, Reed Luplau, and Benjamin Holliday Wardell - trade solos and dance in unison.

At curtain rise, the dancers are seen in silhouette. They dance together, in a folkish vein. Then the solos begin: Mr. Wardell is a gorgeous and expressive mover; the ever-brilliant Mr. Alsberry is winningly whimsical and blithely balletic; and Mr. Luplau with a lightness of touch, breezy turns, and copious charisma. Music and movement are happily meshed in a pas de trois, followed by more solos: Mr. Wardell something of a revelation; Mr. Luplau amazingly swift, sure, and supple; Mr. Alsberry effortlessly combining the dynamic and the lyrical. The trio dance on to a fun finish.

Dance companies worldwide should snap up Little Rhapsodies: a perfect ballet to show off the male virtuosos on your roster.

Othello: A dance in three acts is Lar Lubovitch's 1997 full-length ballet, choreographed to a score by Elliot Goldenthal. In excerpts from Act III, guest artists Fabrice Calmels, Victoria Jaiani, Temur Suluashvili, and Rory Hohenstein of the Joffrey Ballet danced the final pages of the tragedy with a compelling sense of theatre.

In a claustrophobic black chamber, Mr. Calmels' downcast, glowering Moor sits on his black throne. The supplicant Cassio (Mr. Hohenstein, his hands bound) and the conniving Iago (Mr. Suluashvili) get under his skin whilst the incredibly lovely and vulnerable Ms. Jaiani as Desdemona seems unaware of her impending doom. The chilly music says it all. 

Ms. Jaiani has a solo, her en pointe dancing a vision of grace. Mr. Calmels, his towering stature taking over the stage, displays the anguish of his mixed emotions. In a love/hate duet, he caresses his wife one moment and seems repulsed by her the next.

Mr. Suluashvili's handsome, conniving Iago now continues his machinations to about bring about Othello downfall: in their dramatic scene, Mr. Calmels leaps onto the arms of his throne as Suluashvili's Iago cowers beneath the Moor's wrath (above, in a Cheryl Mann photo). Then the fatal handkerchief is produced. In this scene, composer Elliot Goldenthal makes marvelous use of the saxophone.

Eerie music accompanies Ms. Jaiani's return as Desdemona. Then the composer conjures up an ominously cinematic setting for the final combat between husband and wife. Othello quickly prevails, and - true to Shakespeare's immortal words - 'I kissed thee ere I killed thee' - passionately kisses Desdemona as he strangles her with the handkerchief.

As the four Joffrey dancers received resounding applause, I was recalling my only previous encounter with the Jaiani/Calmels partnership: they danced in Edwaard Liang's Woven Dreams at Fall for Dance in 2011. They were splendid then, and splendid today.

Something About Night, Lar's newest creation, was premiered earlier in the week. I liked the piece a lot at its first performance but, as so often happens, a second viewing today made an even stronger impression. The gently ecstatic duet for Nicole Corea and Tobin Del Cuore really cast a spell today, and Brett Perry's solo was nothing less than sublime. Belinda McGuire and Barton Cowperthwaite had less to do than I might have wished, but Barton still had Men's Stories ahead of him, wherein his performance brought down the house. 

Men’s Stories: A Concerto in Ruin (above, in a Nan Melville photo) closed the performance on a mighty note. The cast was the same as that of the opening night, and they all outdid themselves. Stunningly-danced solos by Reed Luplau, Jonathan Emanuell Alsberry, Anthony Bocconi, and Barton Cowperthwaite - and an epic performance from Benjamin Holliday Wardell - kept the level of excitement sky-high, whilst Colin Fuller, Matthew McLaughlin, Brett Perry, and Lukasz Zięba all looked great and danced their hearts out.

The poignant, darkling, magically masculine world of Men's Stories kept the audience in a rapt state of involvement, its musical mélange endlessly evocative. As waves of applause swept thru the house, the dancers took several bows before Mr. Lubovitch joined them onstage to a barrage of cheers. Happy 50th, Lar!!

Friends and fans gathered on the lower level after the show; I loved seeing Gabrielle Lamb again, having a long chat with Nicole Corea, meeting Fabrice Calmels, and congratulating JJ, Barton, Reed, and Brett. When Mr. Lubovitch quietly walked thru the backstage door, the crowd burst into spontaneous applause. 

~ Oberon

Richard Goode @ Alice Tully

~Author: Scoresby

Tuesday April 17 2018 - Oddly, I have never had the chance to hear the pianist Richard Goode before. While a seminal figure in the American piano scene, I always seemed to not be able to make his performances. Thus, I was grateful to hear him live first on Lincoln Center's Great Performers Series in program that ran in chronological order (spare the encore) over 300 years of music history.

The program opened with the Second and Third Pavians and Galliardes from Byrd's My Ladye Nevells Booke of Virginal Music. While stunning music due to Mr. Goode's pinpoint articulation - I couldn't help but feel a layer was missing from the music by hearing it on the piano. The many trills and ornaments sound far heavier on a piano. Nonetheless Mr. Goode highlighted the harmonic progressions and layered the voicing so the audience could always hear the melody through those ornaments. In the Second Pavian, Mr. Goode let the large groupings of arpeggios having a flowing sound - he crafted melodic line to be joyous and full of energy. In the Galliarde to the Second Pavian, Mr. Goode loosened some and let the music have a more spontaneous feel, but still captured the dance form.

The second work on the program was Bach English Suite No.6 in D minor, BWV 811. In the opening Prelude, Mr. Goode seemed to have an improvisatory feel to the music – a lot less structured than the Byrd earlier. As the prelude turned into a fugal section, Mr. Goode seemed to eschew the carefree style for rigid structured and lucidity. It was a wonderful transition that let him highlight the quiet beauty in the inner voices and left hand of this denser section. As the prelude escalated in intensity, he took advantage of the piano’s wide dynamic range to let it boom like an organ. Mr. Goode took a brisker pace for the later movements. This worked particularly well in the charming Gavotte I and II. With the speed of the trills and folk-like allure, the Bach seemed to echo the Byrd from earlier. This seemed quite intentional every part of the program seemed to be strung together with a few different ideas. In the speedy Gigue that ends the suite, Mr. Goode seemed to at once capture the rhythm and get into a more dancelike idiom. His left hand’s clarity is rare in a pianist and he used it to build the intensity in each of the scales, adding drama to this finale. Despite having a light touch to the keys, Mr. Goode seemed to be able to build a large sound without sacrificing clarity.

Above: Pianist Richard Goode; photo credit: Steve Riskind

The highlight of the program was hearing Mr. Goode’s interpretation of Beethoven Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101. Mr. Goode was the first American pianist to record all 32 of Beethoven’s sonatas; his expertise in the music showed this evening. Mr. Goode’s style of playing seems to revolve around painting the exacting structure of the music, so in the Beethoven he eschewed some of the more sentimental elements of the work to do this. While I personally find it sometimes a bit cold, it is interesting to hear a fresh and insightful interpretation.  In the lyrical opening, Mr. Goode seemed to take a straightforward approach that pushed the music along. At first he kept his playing quiet and measured, but he seemed to emphasize the expansions into different registers and bell-like chords that appear littered through the work. While some pianists use these chords as a simple break, Mr. Goode made sure that each time they appeared they were a harmonic feature that drove the piece. Similarly as the first movement unfolded, he let the left hand’s drone sing clearly.

The second movement is famous for its odd Schumann-esque march. Mr. Goode let the driving rhythmic structures take precedent, echoing the bell-like motif from the first movement. He also made sure all the jazzy riffs had spunk to them, which echoed the Debussy to come. The most fun part of the night was during the giant fugue that ends the work. Mr. Goode managed to make the exciting fugue have pristine clarity, only to be quiet in to the romantic opening of the piece. The humorous coda at the end of the work seemed to have a few audiences members smiling as he finished.

The final work on the program (after intermission) were the Debussy Préludes, Book 2. Mr. Goode’s interpretation, while beautifully played, felt a little too monotone for my taste. Nonetheless, in the third image La puerta del vino, he managed to capture both the Spanish rhythms and bursts of different colors. The Ondine suited his style of playing well, letting each of the arpeggios ripple through with exacting phrasing. He capture the eccentricity of Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C., getting an earthier, Rachmaninoff- sort of sound. The tinkling of the folksy dance and humor during the contrasting section of the work harkened back to the Barqoue works earlier. It is clear that Mr. Goode manages to unify his programs by highlighting the common strands between works.

The audience seems to love Mr. Goode, giving him a hearty ovation following the exciting Feux d’artifice. After all the applause Mr. Goode played an extended encore: Chopin Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60. While the perfect closing piece for the program (according to Mr. Goode's remarks the Barcarolle was a favorite of Debussy's) and a pleasurable indulgence it felt a little long-winded to add on to the end of the performance. Nonetheless, Mr. Goode's playing was just as thoughtful and free as earlier, closing the recital on a high-note.