Above, conductor Ian Niederhoffer
~ Author: Oberon
Wednesday May 1st, 2024 - Parlando, the chamber orchestra founded in 2019 by Ian Niederhoffer, offered an evening of music about music: the subject was Mozart, and works by Reynaldo Hahn, Alfred Schnittke, and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov were performed.
Some of my friends don't understand why I like to be in a concert hall 1/2 hour before the program's starting time; the answer is, I simply love listening to musicians warming up. Tonight's pre-concert 'concert' started when flautist Karen Bogardus took her seat and began warbling away. The other musicians entered leisurely, and over time, a delightful cacophony of sounds filled the hall, anchored by bassist Dara Bloom.
Above: playing the Hahn, photo by Crios Photography
The lights went down, Maestro Niederhoffer appeared to warm applause, and he introduced the opening work: Reynaldo Hahn's three-minute Mozart Overture. In this lively and charming piece, Mozart is portrayed as a debonair young man, wandering the streets of Paris in search of women to seduce. Ms. Bloom's bass set the pace, and solo bits were passed about. The rhythms and harmonies exactly conjured a picture of the bustling city, with pianist Mark Mitchell making me think of the salons that Mozart might have frequented; the piano playing became rhapsodic as the piece progressed.
Above, violinists Joel Lambdin and Nikita Yermak taking the lead in the Schnittke; photo by Crios Photography
The stage was then re-set for Alfred Schnittke's Moz-Art à la Haydn: an all-strings affair headed by violinists Joel Lambdin and Nikita Yermak. The music sounds other-worldly at first: insectuous, with quirky harmonics; Mozartean passages are then woven into the mix. The violin duo have a sizzling motif; they compete or harmonize, and Mr. Yermak plays a poignant solo. A dance springs up, droll and disjointed, and the players start dancing. A pluck-fest ensues, and then - one-by-one - the musicians wander off.
Above: tenor Daniel McGrew and bass-baritone Joseph Parrish
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri tells the time-honored tale of Antonio Salieri, an older composer who has made a fortune from his composing but who realizes that the younger Mozart is a far better composer and is, in fact, a genius. Consumed by his jealousy, Salieri poisons his rival. In this evening's performance, bass-baritone Joseph Parrish portrayed Salieri and tenor Daniel McGrew played Mozart.
After a brief prelude, introduced by a passage from "God save our noble King", the opera (sung in English) commences with a long narrative/aria for Salieri which provided us with an opportunity to savour Mr. Parrish's richly lyrical sound, his wonderfully clear and nuanced diction, and his charismatic stage presence. Mr. Parrish initially impressed me with his singing and acting in the City Lyric Opera's 2021 production of Pauline Viardot's CENDRILLON; since then, his career has been developing steadily, and this Summer he will debut at Salzburg in Prokofiev's THE GAMBLER.
Tonight his singing was so expressive as he caught the moodiness of the great Salieri, now living in the shadow of the impetuous upstart Mozart. After the annoying Mozart has paid Salieri a visit, Mr. Parrish has a second reflective monolog, so beautifully sung that an injection of bitterness at the end takes us by surprise: Salieri plans to poison Mozart.
Daniel McGrew perfectly caught the character of Mozart in his portrayal: amiable, full of himself, though quite respectful of his older competitor. His singing had a carefree, breezy feeling. He makes Salieri listen to a fractured "Batti, batti" from DON GIOVANNI that further piques the man's jealousy. Mozart rushes away after the two have agreed to meet for supper.
When they reunite later, Mozart tells of a mysterious stranger who has knocked on his door in the depths of the night with a commission for a REQUIEM, which Salieri quietly hopes will be played at the the younger man's funeral. They drink a toast, which Salieri has spiked. Now a group of choristers appear (Parlando has everything!) and sing a passage from the Mozart REQUIEM (which - ironically - I had just heard the night before at Carnegie Hall).
Mozart takes his leave, saying he needs to sleep. Salieri replies darkly, "You will sleep forever, Mozart!", as the music turns dour.
Above, Mssrs. Parrish and McGrew in the Rimsky-Korsakov; photo by Crios Photography
There was enthusiastic applause, and then the choral group returned for the "Ave verum corpus"...a perfect ending for the evening.
I was not sure how I would feel about Parlando; usually, I have a low tolerance for spoken introductions of the musical works on a concert program. But Maestro Niederhoffer was disarmingly charming, and his remarks were genuinely of interest...especially about the Schnittke. Let's see what this enterprising and vastly talented group will have to offer in the future.
~ Oberon