Above: Siphokazi Molteno
~ Author: Oberon
Monday October 28th, 2024 - The Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble presenting a program of classic and contemporary works at Weill Hall. I was very keen to hear mezzo-soprano Siphokazi Molteno. who represented South Africa at the 2023 Cardiff Singer of The World competition, and who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2022 as Flora in LA TRAVIATA.
Ms. Molteno opened the evening with the Brahms "Viola songs", a pair of lullaby-like solos accompanied by viola (Shmuel D. Katz) and piano (Thomas Lausmann). The Molteno voice has a marvelous contralto richness as well as a lyrical warmth; to say she put me in mind of the great Florence Quivar is the highest compliment I can give. It's a voice full of 'humanity' and a voice I will hope to hear again...and soon. Her colleagues from the MET Orchestra played sublimely, setting the evening gorgeously on its way.
Above: composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen
The composer's choice of instrumentation for his Rain Making really drew me in: if there's a marimba to be heard, I want to hear it...and likewise the harp. Mr. Ndodana-Breen composed this piece in memory of Queen Modjadi, one in a line of Rain Queens of the Balobedu people in the Limpopo province of South Africa. A Rain Queen is believed to have the power to control the rain and the winds. This mythic association made the music even more intriguing for me.
The players made a wonderful blend and the evocative sounds included a rhythmical flute, a plucked violin, and a bean bag played by the percussionist. The flute and violin trade melodic phrases, the violin shivers, the melismatic marimba enchants. Then, to a big, pounding beat propelled by the bass drum, the storm comes: the Rain Queen's magic has succeeded. I loved this music, and watching the musicians as they entered into the spirit of the ritual; my only complaint was that the piece is too short.
Maurice Ravel's sultry Chansons madécasses found a most congenial interpreter in Ms. Molteno. I first heard these songs in 1975 when New York City Ballet premiered a Jerome Robbins ballet of the same title; the singer was Lorna Myers. Since then, I have frequently listened to the songs on Mira Zakai's marvelous recording.
The first of the three songs, Nahandove, has a beautifully sultry feeling: it tells of the seduction of a native woman. Jerry Grossman's cello opens the piece, and Ms. Molteno's voice is at its most sumptuous as she begins this tale of longing and ecstasy. Jazzy piano rhythms from Mr. Lausmann and the sound of the piping flute (played by Maron Khoury) develop a rocking feeling; the music turns pensive and then caressive. With the song's final strophe, "Tu pars..." the tryst ends, though it seems the lovers will meet again at sunset.
The second song, Aoua!, opens with the singer screeching a warning: do not trust the white men! The piano takes up a swaying rhythm as Ms. Molteno continues with singing of great intensity. This is violent, angry music, though eventually the cello and flute sound forlorn.
By contrast, the final song - Il est doux - is a languid reflection on the joys of resting the shade of a tree on a late afternoon, while a lover whispers in your ear. The sensuous flute, the eerie cello on high echoing the buzzing insects with a trill, the voice and the cello entwining, solitary notes from the piano...so atmospheric. Ms. Molteno's singing was evocative and so pleasing to experience. The song ends with the swiftly spoken dismissal: "Go and prepare the evening meal..."
Following a longish interval, an ensemble of eight instrumentalists took the stage for music by Matthijs Van Dijk (above): we heard his extraordinarily powerful oratorio Moments in a Life. I had previously heard one of this Cape Town-based composer's works [(rage) rage against the] played by the Signum Quartet in this very hall. Read about that concert here, wherein the audience went wild after hearing the Van Dijk piece.
Thus, I expected a lot from the composer's Moments in a Life, composed in 2016 for string quintet, clarinet, percussion, piano, overtone singer & narrator. Could lightning strike twice in the same place? The answer is a resounding YES!...Moments in a Life is one of the most powerful works I have ever experienced.
The oratorio is based on the writings of Denis Goldberg, a native of Cape Town whose parents were politically active. In 1957, Denis joined the (banned) Communist Party and he was arrested and jailed in 1960 for supporting strikers. In the mid-1960s he was with other freedom fighters who were arrested for illegal acts and jailed. He remained a prisoner for 22 years, constantly being tortured and threatened with death.
At this evening's performance, Gareth Lubbe (above) was the narrator. Mr. Lubbe is also an overtone singer; this is a technique in which the resonance in the mouth and throat are combined with tongue, lip, and jaw movements which create a perception of overtones as being individual notes. It's a sound that is eerie...and fascinating.
Moments in a Life, conducted by William Long, gives us so much to take in in its 40-minute duration. Trying to follow the narrative whilst also listening to the music was a bit of a challenge for me, a dedicated note-taker: I filled three pages with notes which barely scratched the surface of the work.
"I was sure we would not die in prison," marks the oratorio's opening line. As the narration moves forward, the writer recalls his first teacher, who he fell in love with. He speaks of not seeing his wife and children for more than two decades while imprisoned. A fellow freedom fighter, Looksmart Ngudle, was tortured to death. Freedom costs.
Nelson Mandela defends the accused patriots: "An ideal for which I am prepared to die". Sentenced to life in jail, they are moved to a harsher prison affectionately known as "Beverly Hills": three thousand prisoners singing hymns as individuals are led away to be hanged. Ironically, a gorgeous musical theme underscores this tragedy.
Periodically thru the work, Mr. Lubbe's overtone singing makes a striking impression: an indescribable mixture of humming and whistling.
As to the music, the opening measures are pensively played by clarinetist Jessica Phillips: a slow, wide-ranging solo, soon joined by piano and strings. Cellist Mariko Wyrick underscores the story of the teacher, Ms. Cook. Andrew Gantzer's double bass, so impressive throughout the piece, tells of Looksmart's ordeal.
Mr. Lubbe's voice growls deeply; percussionist Jeffrey Irving plays a rollicking 'cadenza'. Beauteous strings, the clarinet sings again; here are glowering chords and a lament played by violist Shmuel D Katz. Mr. Lubbe has an unaccompanied solo.
Pianist Katelan Trần Terrell and Mr. Gantzer's bass establish a beat; Mr. Katz strums his viola. A sudden militant outburst forebodes the assassination of activist Chris Hani; a poignant violin passage (Yurika Mok and Yang Xu) underscores the narrator's reflections on Chris's death.
"A petty exercise of power that harms our people."
At last, in the forced-labor setting of The Quarry, where Nelson Mandela and his brother freedom fighters languished, a glorious theme of hope develops: "Let Freedom Reign". Mr. Lubbe's otherworldly overtones are heard over a long, sustained chord.
The audience, who had witnessed the performance is a state of awed silence, now gave the performers a fervent round of applause.
Back home, I went to YouTube to see what I could find about this powerful work and immediately discovered this incredible document: Moments in a Life, recorded live in concert in the Endler Hall at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival on July 16th, 2016. This, I believe, was the work's world premiere, with Denis Goldberg - then aged 83 - reading the texts (drawn from his autobiography) himself. The great freedom fighter passed away in 2020.
The work is so timely right now, when our democracy stands on a precipice. If we falter, our country - and indeed the world - will be forever changed.
~ Oberon