Above: the players of Sphinx Virtuosi, photo by Kevin Kennedy
~ Author: Brad S. Ross
Thursday October 11th, 2018 - The term “virtuoso” is applied far too liberally these days, often by the mouths of overzealous audiences and ill-informed commentators eager to deify the latest musical sensation. But the members the Sphinx Virtuosi, a string ensemble comprising eighteen of the nation’s finest black and latinx performers, and the EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble more than lived up to this word on Thursday night at the Isaac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall.
Both groups are part of the larger Sphinx Organization. The Sphinx Organization, which boasts endorsements from such high profile figures as Yo-Yo Ma and Michelle Obama, is a Detroit-based nonprofit dedicated to the laudable goal of promoting diversity in the arts. The night’s program, titled 'Music Without Borders', thus showcased an appropriately ecumenical lineup of composers and performers.
Above: Sphinx Virtuosi, photo by Stephanie Berger
The evening began with Dabke by the Damascus-born American composer Kareem Roustom. Dabke, named for a style of folk dance from the composer’s native Syria, is actually the third movement of a larger work from 2013 titled A Voice Exclaiming for triple string quartet. It began with quiet staccato and pizzicato punctuations emerged from the lower voices of the orchestra. This crescendo of pulses grew into the higher registers as a gentle melody unfolded in parallel octaves on violin and cello, revealing the Middle Eastern modalities at the core of the piece. This thematic material developed throughout Dabke’s relatively short six-minute duration, culminating in a haunting finale that made for an electrifying start to the night’s proceedings. It’s a work that will demand further hearings.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, taken from the composer’s Eighth String Quartet and arranged for string orchestra by Rudolf Barshay, followed suit. Shostakovich was certainly the most familiar name on the program and it was something of a curiosity that he should receive the most performance time (a little over twenty minutes) in a concert devoted to diverse programming, but no matter. The Sphinx Virtuosi delivered a moving rendition of the tragic work, from its mournful opening Largo to the propulsive Allegro molto, a plucky Allegretto, and the two unsettling Largos that conclude the work. Written shortly after his reluctant joining of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union, the work still serves at a timely elegy for nations torn by totalitarianism.
Next was the “Intermezzo e danza finale” from the Suite for Cello Solo by the early 20th-century Spanish cellist and composer Gaspar Cassadó, performed here by the eighteen-year-old cello virtuoso Sterling Elliott. Elliott rounded the technically demanding work with seemingly effortless mastery, though the piece itself, lasting a mere six minutes, was somewhat dwarfed by the evening’s larger presentations. For his part, Elliott received an appropriately thunderous response from the audience. His career will be one to follow with enthusiasm.
Receiving its New York-premiere was the Carnegie Hall co-commission Dance for a New Day by the American composer Terence Blanchard. Blachard is undoubtedly the most prolific of any living composer on the program and boasts an impressively large résumé of jazz compositions and film scores, including several films by Spike Lee. His invigorating Dance for a New Day was punctuated by pizzicato bass lines and frequently colorful ostinati from the higher registers. It progressed with unfolding energy throughout its ten minutes to lively texturally rich finale—a perfect conclusion to the string portion of the program.
The singers of EXIGENCE (above, in a Stephanie Berger photo) next took the stage with the New York-premiere of the wordily title a vision unfolding: “Anthems of the Crowd” Part 1 by the Los Angeles-based composer Derrick Spiva, Jr. It is a short, spirited work, requiring numerous stomps and claps from the vocalists between often hymn-like sonorities — a confluence of musical influences from the West to South African and North India. It ended with all singers triumphantly raising one hand into the air. Convivial and concise, it will surely find many performances in the future.
Up next was Caged Bird by the Atlanta-based composer Joel Thompson. Set to the eponymous poem by Maya Angelou, Thompson poetically evoked the “fearful trill” of Angelou’s caged bird with the quavering voices of EXIGENCE. A warm clarinet cadenza with occasional interruptions of piano later joined the voices as Thompson wafted from warm consonances to dense polytonalities. It all ended with the rather portentously with the poem’s final exclamation, “For the caged bird sings for freedom!” An otherwise fine work, it didn’t quite seem to live up to this overdramatic finale.
Above: EXIGENCE, photo by Stephanie Berger
The penultimate “Ndikhokhele Bawo,” a traditional South African devotional song arranged for chorus and percussion by Lhente-Mari Pitout, was the most unashamedly beautiful numbers of the entire evening. Loosely translated as “Lead Me, O Father,” its spirited performance and cheerful harmonies were a warm excursion from some the night’s more musically bleak affairs.
The same cannot be said for the final number of the evening, however. This was the song “Glory,” from the soundtrack to the 2014 film Selma, written by the contemporary pop artists John Legend, Common, and Rhymefest and arranged for chorus and chamber orchestra by Eugene Rogers. “Glory” required the most players of the evening by far, combining the entirety of Sphinx Virtuosi and EXIGENCE on stage, but sadly gave them the least to do. Its typical pop harmonies, simplistic rhythms, and maudlin lyrics served as ample reminder of why such concert arrangements of pop songs should generally be avoided. Its major redeeming quality was the full-hearted performance given by all on stage. It all won the hearts of audience, which gave the musicians and composers a long and well-earned standing ovation.
The underwhelming final piece fortunately did not detract much from an otherwise resoundingly successful program. The Sphinx Virtuosi next travel to the Midwest, where they will give performances in Saint Paul, Flint, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts later in October. For our part, New York audiences should anticipate their return with bated breath.
~ Brad S. Ross