Today's Birthdays

Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969)
Bernard Lagacé (1930)
Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003)
James DePreist (1936-2013)
Idil Biret (1941)
Vinson Cole (1950)
Kyle Gann (1955)
Stewart Wallace (1960)
Björk (1965)

and

Voltare (1694-1778)
Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944)
Mary Johnston (1870-1936)
René Magritte (1898-1967)
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991)
Marilyn French (1929-2009)
Tina Howe (1937-2023)

Today's Birthdays

Edmond Dédé (1827-1903)
Daniel Gregory Mason (1873-1953)
Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015)
René Kolo (1937)
Gary Karr (1941)
Meredith Monk (1942)
Phillip Kent Bimstein (1947)
Barbara Hendricks (1948)

and

Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014)
Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015)
R.W. Apple Jr. (1934-2006)
Don DeLillo (1936)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1805, Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" (1st version, with the "Leonore" Overture No. 2) was premiered in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien.

Review of Portland Opera's "The Juliet Letters" posted on Classical Voice North America

My review of this unique operatic production - blending pop and classical styles - is now published in Classical Voice North America here.

Today's Birthdays

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (1663-1712)
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935)
Jean‑Yves Daniel‑Lesur (1908-2002)
Géza Anda (1921-1976)
Maralin Niska (1926-2010)
David Lloyd-Jones (1934-2022)
Agnes Baltsa (1944)
Ross Bauer (1951)

and

Allen Tate (1899-1979)
Sharon Olds (1942)

and from The Writer's Almanac:

On this date in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was four and a half months after the devastating battle, and it was a foggy, cold morning. Lincoln arrived about 10 a.m. Around noon, the sun came out as the crowds gathered on a hill overlooking the battlefield. A military band played, a local preacher offered a long prayer, and the headlining orator, Edward Everett, spoke for more than two hours. Everett described the Battle of Gettysburg in great detail, and he brought the audience to tears more than once. When Everett finished, Lincoln spoke.

Now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address ran for just over two minutes, fewer than 300 words, and only 10 sentences. It was so brief, in fact, that many of the 15,000 people that attended the ceremony didn't even realize that the president had spoken, because a photographer setting up his camera had momentarily distracted them. The next day, Everett told Lincoln, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

There are several versions of the speech, and five different manuscript copies; they're all slightly different, so there's some argument about which is the "authentic" version. Lincoln gave copies to both of his private secretaries, and the other three versions were re-written by the president some time after he made the speech. The Bliss Copy, named for Colonel Alexander Bliss, is the only copy that was signed and dated by Lincoln, and it's generally accepted as the official version for that reason.

Today's Birthdays

Jean‑Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Amelita Galli‑Curci (1882-1963)
Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985)
Lillian Fuchs (1901-1995)
Compay Segundo (1907-2003)
Johnny Mercer (1909-1976)
Don Cherry (1936-1995)
Heinrich Schiff (1951)
Bernard d'Ascoli (1958)

and

Louis Daguerre (1787-1851)
Asa Gray (1810-1888)
George Gallup (1901-1984)
Margaret Atwood (1939)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1741, Handel arrives in Dublin for an extended stay, involving a number of concerts in the Irish capital, including the premiere of his latest oratorio "Messiah" the following Spring (Gregorian date: Nov. 29).

On this day in 1928, Mickey Mouse debuts in "Steamboat Willie," in New York. This was the first animated cartoon with synchronized pre-recorded sound effects and music -- the latter provided by organist and composer Carl Stalling of Kansas City. Stalling would later provide memorable music for many classic Warner Brothers cartoons.

Today's Birthdays

Ernest Lough (1911-2000)
Hershy Kay (1919-1981)
Leonid Kogan (1924-1982)
Sir Charles Mackerras (1925-2010)
David Amram (1930)
Gene Clark (1941-1991)
Philip Picket (1950)
Philip Grange (1956)

and

Shelby Foote (1916-2006)

Today's Birthdays

Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831)
Alfred Hill (1869-1960)
W. C. Handy (1873-1958)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Burnet Tuthill (1888-1982)
Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960)
David Wilson-Johnson (1950)
Donald Runnicles (1954)
John Butt (1960)

and

George S. Kaufman (1889-1961)
José Saramago (1922-2010)
Chinua Achebe (1930-2013)
Andrea Barrett (1954)

Today's Birthdays

Sir William Herschel (1738-1822)
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980)
Petula Clark (1932)
Peter Dickinson (1934)
Daniel Barenboim (1942-2023)
Pierre Jalbert (1967)

and

Gerhart Hauptmann (1862-1946)
Franklin Pierce Adams (1881-1960)
Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986)
Marianne Moore (1887-1972)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1926, the first broadcast of a music program took place on the NBC radio network, featuring the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch, the New York Oratorio Society, and the Goldman Band, with vocal soloists Mary Garden and Tito Ruffo, and pianist Harold Bauer.

Review of Metropolitan Youth Symphony season opener

 

My review of the MYS concert on Sunday night has been published in Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Today's Birthdays

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Fanny Hensel (1805-1847)
Rev. John Curwen (1816-1880)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Leonie Rysanek (1926-1998)
Jorge Bolet (1914-1990)
Narciso Yepes (1927-1997)
Robert Lurtsema (1931-2000)
Peter Katin (1930-2015)
Ellis Marsalis (1934-2020)
William Averitt (1948)

and

Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002)
William Steig (1907-2003)

Review of Portland Youth Philharmonic season opener

 My review of PYP's season opening concert is now available in Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Today's Birthdays

Jan Zach (1699-1773)
Louis Lefébure-Wély (1817-1870)
Brinley Richards (1817-1885)
George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)
Marguerite Long (1874-1966)
Joonas Kokkoken (1921-1996)
Lothar Zagrosek (1942)
Martin Bresnick (1946)

and

St. Augustine (354-430)
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
George V. Higgins (1939-1999)
Eamon Grennan (1941)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1937, the first "official" radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra took place with Pierre Monteux conducting. Arthur Rodzinski had conducted a "dress rehearsal" broadcast on Nov. 2, 1937. Arturo Toscanini's debut broadcast with the NBC Symphony would occur on Christmas Day, 1937.

Eighty Years Of Music with violinist Leslie Hirsch and composer John Vergin

Leslie Hirsch, Portland-based string player, is celebrating her 80th birthday with a concert of music composed by John Vergin. Over the course of many years, Hirsch has commissioned works from John Vergin. They will be performed, along with other pieces by Vergin. Several of the pieces will receive their first performance.

Hirsch is a violist and violinist, performer and teacher, and currently plays in Portland's Bach Cantata Choir orchestra.

Vergin has been active for many years in the Portland-metro-area as a singer, pianist and organist, composer, actor, and teacher. He teaches voice at Reed College.

Time/Location - Sunday, Nov. 17, 7:30 P.M. in the Reed College chapel in Eliot Hall.

Admission - By donation, proceeds going to Reed's scholarship fund for music students.

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Jean Papineau-Couture (1916-2000)
Michael Langdon (1920-1991)
Lucia Popp (1939-1993)
Neil Young (1945)

and

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
Roland Barthes (1915-1980)
Michael Ende (1929-1995)
Tracy Kidder (1945)
Katherine Weber (1955)

From the New Music Box:

On November 12, 1925, cornetist Louis Armstrong made the first recordings with a group under his own name for Okeh Records in Chicago, Illinois. The group, called Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, recorded his original compositions, "Gut Bucket Blues" and "Yes! I'm In The Barrel" (Okeh 8261) as well as "My Heart" composed by his wife Lil Hardin who was the pianist in the band. (The flipside of the 78 rpm record on which the latter was issued, Okeh 8320, was "Armstrong's composition "Cornet Chop Suey" recorded three months later on February 26, 1926.) Armstrong's Hot Five and subsequent Hot Seven recordings are widely considered to be the earliest masterpieces of recorded jazz.

Today's Birthdays

Bernhard Romberg (1767-1841)
Frederick Stock (1872-1942)
Ernest Ansermet (1883-1969)
Jan Simons (1925-2006)
Arthur Cunningham (1928-1997)
Vernon Handley (1930-2008)
Harry Bramma (1936)
Jennifer Bate (1944-2020)
Fang Man (1977)

and

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)
Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012)
Mary Gaitskill (1955)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1898, shortly after it was finished, the painting “Nevermore” by Gaugin is purchased by the English composer Frederick Delius. The painting was inspired by Poe’s famous poem and is now in the collection of London’s Cortland Gallery.

Today's Birthdays

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
François Couperin (1668-1733)
John Phillips Marquand (1873-1949)
Carl Stalling (1891-1972)
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
Graham Clark (1941-2023)
Sir Tim Rice (1944)
Andreas Scholl (1967)

and

Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)
Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805)
Vachel Lindsey (1879-1931)
John Phillips Marquand (1893-1960)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1900, Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch makes his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City during his first American tour. In 1909 he married contralto Clara Clemens, the daughter of the American writer Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain.

Review: Oregon Symphony with Glover and Pratt polish Bach and Montgomery to perfection

From OSO's Facebook page

The Oregon Symphony dialed it back a couple hundred years and a few score more to deliver outstanding performances of works by Bach, Handel, and Haydn at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (November 4). Baroque specialist Dame Jane Glover, in her debut with the orchestra, made sure that the sound was fresh and gem-like. Guest soloist Awadagin Pratt excelled at the keyboard with the Bach and then topped that with an entrancing rendition of Jessie Montgomery’s “Rounds,” a contemporary number that perfectly complemented the old masters.

It was a genuine rarity to hear the local band play Bach’s “Concerto No. 4 in A Major for Clavier and Strings.” According to the program notes, the last time that the orchestra touched that piece was in January of 1997 under James DePreist with – guess who – Awadagin Pratt. I can’t even recall the last time I heard any Bach played by the orchestra. So I combed through my reviews and found that in October of 2015, Matthew Halls conducted the “Ricercare” from Bach’s “Musical Offering” in Webern’s arrangement.

Perhaps part of the reason that there has been so little Bach programmed at OSO concerts was due to the acoustics of the hall. Fortunately, OSO’s installation of the Meyer Sound System in 2021 has really improved the sonic qualities. At Monday night’s concert, Pratt, Glover, and the orchestra – in a cozy string chamber formation – fashioned an elegant statement with Bach’s “Concerto No. 4 in A Major for Clavier and Strings” (not to be confused with the Brandenburg Concerto No 4). The opening movement danced with bright colors and a joyful ambiance. The second movement offered delicate exchanges of phrases between Pratt and members of the orchestra – especially Principal Bassoon Carin Miller. The third movement capped things off with wonderful dynamic contrasts, including one that swelled up to double forte and subsided to a double pianissimo.

Montgomery’s “Rounds,” which, by the way, won the 2024 Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, created a gentle, mystical soundscape that alternated between busy, constantly rolling patterns from the piano and chords that asymmetrically leapt about. At one point the piano part climbed higher and higher while the orchestra held things steady, which created another ethereal moment. An expansive cadenza allowed Pratt to show some amazing improvisational talent, and that became a highlight of the evening.

The music more than won over the audience, which erupted in rapturous applause. After returning to center stage a couple of times, Pratt played an encore, François Couperin’s “Les Barricades Mystérieuses” (The Mysterious Barricades), which extended the magical atmosphere of the Bach and Montgomery pieces.

The concert opened with a peppy and dance-like rendition the Suite No. 2 in D Major from Handel’s “Water Music.” Urged on by Glover, the chamber ensemble made the passages grow and glow. The ornamentation from the horns sparked, and it was wonderful to hear the harpsichord (another advantage of the acoustical enhancement of the hall). It was top notch Handel from beginning to end.

Haydn’s “Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major (aka “Drumroll”} also receive a superb performance from Glover and forces. Listeners perked up right away, because Assistant Principal Timpani, Sergio Carreno, pounced on the kettle drums like a cat on bowl of tuna. The slow and stately passage from the low strings and bassoons that followed seemed to rise from the stage flow. It broke into a light-hearted dance from the entire ensemble that was just pure pleasure to hear. Concertmaster Sarah Kwak’s lovely solo and the bird-like sound of the flutes enhanced the second movement. The third (Minuet) delightfully kept the odd balance between graceful and heavy-handed dance steps. With horns blazing the final movement swept everyone into a spirted and grand finale. That caused concertgoers to erupt with applause, and after Glover returned to the podium a third time, Kwak and the orchestra delayed standing so that the conductor could enjoy the applause – a real tribute to Glover’s artistry.

Today's Birthdays

Burrill Phillips (1907-1988)
Pierrette Alarie (1921-2011)
Piero Cappuccilli (1929-2005)
Ivan Moravec (1930-2015)
William Thomas McKinley (1938-2015)
Thomas Quasthoff (1959)
Bryn Terfel (1965)

and

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
Hugh Leonard (1926-2009)
Anne Sexton (1928-1974)
Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

Today's Birthdays

Friedrich Witt (1770-1836)
Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953
Lamberto Gardelli (1915-1938)
Jerome Hines (1921-2003)
Richard Stoker (1938-2021)
Simon Standage (1941)
Judith Zaimont (1945)
Tadaaki Otaka (1947)
Elizabeth Gale (1948)
Bonnie Raitt (1949)
Ana Vidović (1980)

and

Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949)
Raja Rao (1908-2006)
Kazuo Ishiguro (1954)

Review: Rachel Barton Pine makes Mendelssohn shine - the VSO excels with Shostakovich 10

Opposites attract – or so the saying goes – and that concept – taken broadly – can even apply to music programming. Take, for example, last weekend’s Vancouver Symphony concert, which featured Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10. Guest soloist Rachel Barton Pine coaxed a delicious blend of sweet and soaring sounds from the Mendelssohn, and Music Director Salvador Brotons marshalled his forces to deliver the agitated and caustic sentiment of the Shostakovich. Put together, the two pieces made a satisfying musical sandwich for listeners on November 2nd at Skyview Concert Hall.

The concert marked a return engagement for Pine with the Vancouver Symphony. She last soloed with the local band in May of 2022, delivering an impressive performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto. So, this time around, it was not surprising when she wheeled to center stage on a motorized scooter and transferred to a chair on a slightly raised platform.

The award-winning violinist wasted no time establishing a strong and rich tone in the opening statement of the Mendelssohn. Riveting high notes enhanced the lyrical melodic line, and her exchange of phrases with the orchestra sounded terrific. In the lovely second movement, Pine created a slight sense of melancholy that was supported as if by a gentle breeze. The third movement was all brightness and light – with a lightening quick final section in which Pine’s fingers seemed to dance.

Speaking of dance, Pine followed the immediate standing ovation with a medley of Scottish fiddling tunes. The flowed in a sequence of dances known as March-Strathspey-Reel or MSR. Each one had delightfully tricky rhythms, but the last one, the Reel, really showed off fleet fingerwork by Pine.

Shostakovich finished his Tenth Symphony right after the death of Josef Stalin in 1953. Since the Stalin and his party had heavily criticized Shostakovich’s music, including the censure, in 1948, of his Ninth Symphony, he had pretty much stopped composing symphonies. So with Stalin’s passing, the composer felt liberated, and unloaded a lot of thoughts and emotions into Symphony No. 10.

The piece has been characterized by some as “pessimistic optimism,” and the orchestra, guided by Brotons, expressed that transition extremely well, starting cellos and double basses delving into the moody, dark, and haunting passage at the very beginning of the first movement (Moderato). Other sections of the orchestra jointly built a quiet tension that just erupted into a tremendous crescendo before dying away to a lone piccolo. The violent slashes of sound in the second movement (Allegro), did suggest – as Brotons noted in his introductory remarks – Stalin punching about. The third (Allegretto) contained an awkward waltz – as if people were trying to loosen up and remember how to have fun. The fourth (Andante – Allegro) carried Shostakovich’s musical monogram, DSCH, in an insistently repetitive pattern – Brotons likened it to the words “this is myself” – that transitioned into the fast, triumphant, and joyful finale.

The orchestra rose to the many challenging elements of the Tenth Symphony to successfully convey its emotional weight. Among the many highlights were the glowing sound of the horns, led by principal Dan Partridge, the evocative playing of bassoonist Kahayla Rapolla and assistant principal oboist Nicholas Thompson, the subtle sound of principal clarinetist Igor Shakhman, the flutists – principal Rachel Rencher, Corrie Cook, and Darren Cook (also on piccolo), and the unified sound of the strings, led by concertmaster Eva Richey, with extra kudos for excelling in the fast passages. Outstanding conducting by Brotons brought out the best.

Before the concert began, Hal Abrams, Director of Development, told the audience that in just a few weeks (from the time of the previous concert in late September) more than enough money had been raised to match a $200,000 challenge from a small group of donors. That kind of fundraising really boosts the outreach programs of the orchestra. I did see more young people in the audience, which is an excellent sign that the orchestra’s efforts to work with schools is having a positive effect. So things are looking positive in many ways for the VSO.

Today's Birthdays

Ferenc (Franz) Erkel (1810-1893)
Efrem Kurtz (1900-1995)
William Alwyn (1905-1985)
Al Hirt (1922-1999)
Dame Joan Sutherland (1926-2010)
Dame Gwyneth Jones (1937)
Joni Mitchell (1943)
Judith Forst (1943)
Christina Viola Oorebeek (1944)

and

Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Lise Meitner (1878-1968)
Albert Camus (1913-1960)
Benny Andersen (1929-2018)
Stephen Greenblatt (1943)

Review: Exemplar recital by Roderick Williams for Chamber Music Northwest

Wow! Roderick Williams and Myra Huang delivered a super duper recital of Schubert's art songs last week. My review of the concert is published here in Oregon ArtsWatch. I hope that you enjoy reading it.

Today's Birthdays

Adolphe Sax (1814-1894)>
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
Don Lusher (1923-2006)
James Bowman (1941)
Arturo Sandoval (1949)
Daniele Gatti (1961)

and

Robert Musil (1880-1942)
Harold Ross (1892-1951)
Ann Porter (1911-2011)
James Jones (1921-1977)
Michael Cunningham (1952)

From The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the birthday of the March King, John Philip Sousa, born in Washington, D.C. (1854). His father was a U.S. Marine Band trombonist, and he signed John up as an apprentice to the band after the boy tried to run away from home to join the circus. By the time he was 13 years old, Sousa could play violin, piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and was a pretty good singer too. At 26, he was leading the Marine Band and writing the first of his 136 marches, including “Semper Fidelis,” which became the official march of the Corps, and “The Washington Post March.” In addition to those marches, he wrote nearly a dozen light operas, and as many waltzes too; and he wrote three novels. But he’s best known for “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Today's Birthdays

Hans Sachs (1494-1576)
Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1961)
Walter Gieselking (1895-1956)
Claus Adam (1917-1983)
György Cziffra (1921-1994)
Nicholas Maw (1935-2009)
Anthony Rolfe Johnson (1940-2010)
Art Garfunkel (1941)
Gram Parsons (1946-1973)
Orli Shaham (1975)

and

Ida M. Tarbell (1867-1944)
Raymond Duchamp-Villon (1876-1918)
Thomas Flanagan (1923-2002)

Sam Shephard (1943-2017)
Vandana Shiva (1952)
Diana Abu-Jabar (1960)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1955, Karl Böhm conducts a performance of Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the gala re-opening of Vienna Opera House (damaged by Allied bombs on March 12, 1945). During the rebuilding of the Opera House, performances had continued in two nearby Viennese halls: the Theatre and der Wien and the Volksoper.

Today's Birthdays

Carl Tausig (1841-1871)
Arnold Cooke (1906-2005)
Miriam Solovieff (1921-2004)
Elgar Howarth (1935)
Joan Rodgers (1956)
Elena Kats-Chernin (1957)
Daron Hagen (1961)

and

Will Rogers (1879-1935)
C. K. Williams (1936-2015)
Charles Frazier (1950)

Today's Birthdays

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654)
Vincenzio Bellini (1801-1835)
Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911-1990)

and

Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571)
William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878)
Ignatius Donnelly (1831-1901)
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879-1962)
Walker Evans (1903-1975)
Terrence McNally (1939-2020)
Martin Cruz Smith (1942)
Joe Queenan (1950)

Today's Birthdays

Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer (1692-1766)
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799)
Count Andrey Razumovsky (1752-1836)
John Foulds (1880-1939)
Luchino Visconti (1906-1976)
Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001)
Harold Farberman (1929-2018)
Guiseppe Sinopoli (1946-2001)
Jeremy Menuhin (1951)
Marie McLaughlin (1954)
Paul Moravec (1957)

and

George Boole (1815-1864)
C.K. Williams (1936-2015)
Thomas Mallon (1951)

Today's Birthdays

Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Eugen Jochum (1902-1987
Bruno Bjelinski (1909-1992)
Victoria de Los Angeles (1923-2005)
William Mathias (1934-1992)
Lyle Lovett (1957)

and

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)
Grantland Rice (1880-1954)
A. R. Gurney (1930-2017)
Edward Said (1935-2003)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1830, Chopin’s friends in Warsaw throw a festival “bon voyage” dinner for the composer-pianist on the eve of his departure for Paris. As it turned out, he would never return to his native land.

Today's Birthdays

Ditta Pásztory-Bartók (1903-1982)
Louise Talma (1906-1996)
August Everding (1928-1999)
Colin Tilney (1933)
Odaline de la Martinez (1949)
Naji Hakim (1955)

and

Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)
John Keats (1795-1821)
Susan Orlean (1955)

from The New Music Box

On October 31, 1896, the Boston Symphony premiered the Gaelic" Symphony in E Minor by Mrs. H.H.A. Beach (Amy Marcy Cheney Beach), the first symphony by an American woman ever publicly performed.
and from the Composers Datebook:

On this date in 1933, Arnold Schoenberg, accompanied by his wife, baby daughter, and family pet terrier "Witz," arrives in New York on the liner Isle de France.

Review: Totentanz gets spine-tingling treatment from Joyce Yang and the Oregon Symphony

Joyce Yang with Asher Fisch and the Oregon Symphony - Photo from OSO Facebook page

It’s that spooky time of the year – with Halloween coming up in a few days – so the programming of Liszt’s “Totentanz” (Dance of the Dead) for the Oregon Symphony concert (October 26) was a perfect fit, and wow, pianist Joyce Yang delivered a bone-rattling, chilling, and thrilling performance. Her prowess on the keyboard lit up everyone in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in a program that included the Wagner’s Overture to “Der fliegende Holländer” (The Flying Dutchman) and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”) with guest conductor Asher Fisch. Both Yang and Fisch made their debuts with the orchestra in this concert.

Ever since she won the silver medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2005, Yang has been busy with an international career. Accolades for Yang have continued to roll, including an Avery Fisher Career Grant 2010 and a Grammy nomination in 2018 for her recording with violinist Augustin Hadelich.

Offering six variations on the Dies Irae theme from the Latin Requiem Mass, Liszt’s “Totentanz” opened with a bombastic statement from low brass before being forcefully taken over by Yang. Playing with fierce intensity and impeccable technique, she captivated listeners with over-the-top virtuosity in each variation. Some of the variations created images of skeletons rattling about. Other variations were more lush and Romantic, and one of them conjured a style similar to Bach’s but on drugs. In every variation, Yang shaped compelling storylines that gripped the entire hall, and took listeners on a memorable journey. I mention that because most concertgoers, I think, are familiar with Rachmaninov’s “Variations on a Theme by Paganini,” but most didn’t know all of the variations in the “Totentanz.”

Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” in an arrangement by Earl Wild. It was smothered in lush ornateness but still relaxing to the ears, providing a wonderful contrast to the spine-tingling Liszt number.

Asher Fisch is well-known for his Wagner interpretations. I’ve heard him conduct Seattle Opera performances and have been impressed. So his directing of Overture to “Der fliegende Holländer” went very well. The tempos were well chosen and all of the themes came through clearly, and it was especially impressive when the violins executed a blitzing, ascending passage with a unified sound near the end of the piece.

But Fisch’s conducting of Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony was mystifyingly vague at times. Eschewing a score, Fisch got things off to a good start, but he often slipped into poetic gestures that were not particularly on the beat – as if he were trying to paint a canvas of color. Often, he didn’t help the musicians with cues and a clear beat, and he used some very wild gestures when the music became fast and furious.

It was a good thing that the orchestra knows the Dvořák so well. They plowed ahead and delivered the goods, but some entrances were a bit tentative and just not as crisp as they could have been. Also in the fourth movement, there was a big squeak in the woodwinds – which was very, very unusual – and I wonder if it was caused by some nervousness. I can’t even remember when I had heard that before at an Oregon Symphony concert.

Still, there were highlights, which included the lovely sound of Principal Flutist Alicia DiDonato Paulsen and the poignant English Horn playing of Jason Sudduth. At the end of the second movement, the brief brass chorale glowed before the passage was finished off by the bass violins. Sensitive playing by timpanist Ian Kerr added terrifically to music-making. The audience loved the performance and responded with robust applause and cheers, but I think that they might have heard a much better performance if Fisch had not conducted from memory.

Today's Birthdays

Peter Warlock (Philip Arnold Heseltine) (1894-1930)
Stanley Sadie (1930-2005)
Frans Brüggen (1934-2014)
Grace Slick (1939)
René Jacobs (1946)
James Judd (1949)
Shlomo Mintz (1957)

and

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)
André Chénier (1762-1794)
Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
Robert Caro (1935)

Today's Birthdays

Harold Darke (1888-1976)
Vivian Ellis (1904-1996)
Václav Neumann (1920-1995)
Jon Vickers (1926-2015)
James Dillon (1950)
Lee Actor (1952)
James Primosch (1956)

and

James Boswell (1740-1795)
Harriet Powers (1837-1910)
Henry Green (1905-1973)
David Remnick (1958)

Preview of Vancouver Symphony Concert with Rachel Barton Pine (Mendelssohn) - plus Salvador Brotons (Shostakovich)

Photo credit Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine will to play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony this upcoming weekend (November 2nd and 3rd) at Skyview Concerto Hall. This is a return engagement for Pine, who dazzled the audience the last time she was in town (May 2022) with Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto. This time around should be just as amazing,

A native of Chicago (where she still lives), Barton’s artistry has garnered a shelf of accolades, including being the first American and youngest person to win the J.S. Bach International Violin Competition. She has soloed with orchestras around the world and is featured in 34 recordings. On top of that, she started the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation to promote classical music education, including string music by African-American composers.

Mendelssohn’s concerto is one of the most famous concertos that has ever been written for the violin, and Pine has perfomred it many, many times.

“I learned the Mendelssohn when I was nine years old and played it for the first time with orchestra when I was 10 and 11, said Pine. “One of the most memorable of those concerts happened when I was 11 years old. I played the last movement with an orchestra for a Wild-West-themed family concert. If you think about it the theme in the last movement of the Mendelssohn has a similarity with famous theme from the William Tell Overture. At that concert I got to wear a blue-jeaned skirt and cowboy boots, braids, big belt buckle. To this day, when we get to the last movement of the Mendelssohn with that famous trumpet call, I think yee-haw!”

Since Pine has done the Mendelssohn countless times, I had to ask her if she ever gets tired of playing it.

“I’ve always vowed that if I ever go to a point in my life where something didn’t inspire me any more, I wouldn’t do a gig just to do a gig,” replied Pine. “I would only play a piece if I still felt excited to play it. Thus far, I haven’t gotten sick of anything, even the ones I play most often. One of the hallmarks of a great masterpiece is that you can do it over and over again, and you can always hear different nuances and search of different colors each time you play it. Every time I play with a different orchestra and a different conductor. The flutiest might do something differently, or the cello section might bring out a sound that I’ve not heard before. That makes a piece feel fresh each time.”

Pine’s love for the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto has never diminished.

“There’s a famous quote from the great violinist Joseph Joachim, who was Brahms’ best friend and collaborator. Joachim was the teacher of the teacher of my teacher. Joachim said ‘The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven's. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart's jewel, is Mendelssohn's.’”

“I think that’s a true assessment,” added Pine. “The Mendelssohn is so intimate a touching. The Bruch and the Mendelssohn are the two violin concerts that are studied by young children. The technical demands are not as over the top in terms of strength and stamina and the pyrotechnical tricks as in the other Romantic concertos. That, however, doesn’t mean that they are simpler or easier. It’s just that physically, younger people can handle them. It’s the work of a lifetime to tease out the meaning of every single phrase and make every note special.”

Pine pointed out that Mendelssohn broke with the Classical tradition in the way that he handled the cadenzas for the soloist.

“In the Classical period,” explained Pine, “the orchestra would come to a big fermata and then the cadenza for the soloist would take over and often improvise. Towards the end of the cadenza, the soloist would do a trill and the orchestra would come back in. In the Mendelssohn the soloist’s cadenza flows right out of the orchestra and carries on, and after a set of arpeggios the orchestra enters right in the middle of them. So there is an elision both in and out of the cadenza. It’s an integrated event and not the kind of cadenza that Classical music had offered. I play the cadenza that Mendelssohn wrote. I don’t take the liberty of improvising whatever I want. That would be like deleting Mendelssohn’s music, and I can’t do that.”

“In the Mendelssohn, the soloist starts playing right away,” noted Pine. “That was a bit radical. So you don’t have a long orchestral introduction, which had been the norm. All of the main themes of the movement are stated in the opening tutti section. So it is like the overture to an opera or a musical where your ear is introduced to the primary material and then the soloist comes in and does their thing to it.”

In playing this great concerto, the technical prowess required is stunning, but it is not the main part of what Pine is trying to do.

“We are not there to be athletes, we are there to be artists,” remarked Pine. “The most important thing is to tell a story and take the audience on an emotional journey. If the takeaway for the audience is that a violinist played all those arpeggios cleanly and nailed those high notes, then you know that you didn’t do a good job, because what you are expressing should be so compelling that the audience doesn’t even notice the technique, then you know that you have succeeded.”

The Mendelssohn is also part of Pine's discography.

“I’ve recorded the Mendelssohn concerto on the Cedille label,” said Pine, “and I wrote the liner notes. Some people think that because Mendelssohn was raised in a family that was well-off, and he didn’t have to go through personal crises, that his music is less profound than others, because he didn’t have to go through struggles. But that opinion has always bothered me. Why do we have to elevate negativity? I think that great joy is just as profound as great sadness. Mendelssohn was so in touch with beauty that his music in this concerto can touch your heart.”

The second half of the concert will feature Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony. It was last performed by the VSO under Music Director Salvador Brotons in 2009.

“I did the Shostakovich first with the Montevideo Orchestra in Uruguay and later with The Balearic Symphony in Mallorca,” wrote Brotons in an email message. “It is a phenomenal symphony, and one of Shostakovich’s best. It is a very biographical work, because Shostakovich wrote it just after Stalin’s death. He hated the dictator. The first movement describes the painful feelings of Russian society versus the unhuman power. The second movement, which is very fast and difficult, depicts Stalin’s brutality.. In last two movements, Shostakovich’s name is coded into the music with the letters DSCH (Re Mib Do Si) - himself versus the power. It is amazing how the composer faces the society. His theme appears almost incessantly.”

“It is a very intense and deeply felt piece of music,” concluded Brotons. “I am looking forward to conducting it in Vancouver. I hope the audience will understand the message.”

Today's Birthdays

Giuditta Pasta (1797-1865)
Howard Hanson (1896-1981)
Dame Cleo Laine (1927)
Carl Davis (1936-2023)
Howard Blake (1938)
Kenneth Montgomery (1943)
Naida Cole (1974)

and

Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966)
John Harold Hewitt (1907-1987)
Francis Bacon (1909-1992)
John Hollander (1929-2013)
Anne Perry (1938-2023)

Today's Birthday

Maxim Berezovsky (1745-1777)
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840)
Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)
Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997)
Dominick Argento (1927-2019)
Elliot Del Borgo (1938-2013)
Julius Eastman (1940-1990)
Håkan Hardenberger (1961)
Vanessa-Mae (1978)

and

Lee Krasner (1908-1994)
Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Today's Birthdays

Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758)
Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972)
György Pauk (1936)
Christine Brewer (1955)
Natalie Merchant (1963)
Sakari Oramo (1965)
Vijay Iyer (1971)

and

Andrei Bely (1880-1934)
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
John Arden (1930-2012)
Andrew Motion (1952)

Review of Project Chamber Music Willamette Valley concert

 

My review of the Project Chamber music concert, featuring Caitlin Lynch and colleagues in a couple of piano quartets has been published in Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Profile of Caitlin Lynch and Project Chamber Music Willamette Valley

Caitlin Lynch is an amazing person and violist who founded and now directs an outstanding program that benefits young music students. You can read all about it in an article that I wrote for Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Today's Birthdays

Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623)
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Don Banks (1923-1980)
Galina Vishnevskaya (1926-2012)
Peter Lieberson (1946-2011)
Diana Burrell (1948)
Colin Carr (1957)
Midori (1971)

and

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
John Berryman (1914-1972)
Anne Tyler (1941) Zadie Smith (1975)

Today's Birthdays

Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885)
Imre [Emmerich] Kálman (1882-1953)
Conrad Leonard (1898-2003)
Paul Csonka (1905-1995)
Tito Gobbi (1913-1984)
Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
George Crumb (1929-2022)
Sofia Gubaidulina (1931)
Malcolm Bilson (1935)
Bill Wyman (1936)
George Tsontakis (1951)
Cheryl Studer (1955)

and

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879)
Moss Hart (1904-1961)
Denise Levertov (1923-1997)
Norman Rush (1933)

Today's Birthdays

Albert Lortzing (1801-1851)
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923)
Miriam Gideon (1906-1996)
Denise Duval (1921-2016)
Ned Rorem (1923-2022)
Lawrence Foster (1941)
Toshio Hosokawa (1955)
"Weird Al" Yankovic (1959)
Brett Dean (1961)

and

Robert Bridges (1844-1930)
Johnny Carson (1925-2005)
Nick Tosches (1949)
Laurie Halse Anderson (1961)

Today's Birthdays

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sir Donald McIntyre (1934)
Elizabeth Connell (1946-2012)

and

John Reed (1887-1920)
John Gould (1908-2003)
Doris Lessing (1919-2013)

In 1883, the grand opening of the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York City with performance of Gounod's "Faust" with Auguste Vianesi, conducting.

Today's Birthdays

Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957)
Egon Wellesz (1885-1974)
Howard Ferguson (1908-1999)
Alexander Schneider (1908-1993)
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997)
Dizzy (John Birks) Gillespie (1917-1993)
Sir Malcom Arnold (1921-2006)
Marga Richter (1926-2020)
Shulamit Ran (1949)
Hugh Wolff (1953)

and

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018)

Today's Birthdays

Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941)
Adelaide Hall (1901-1993)
Alfredo Campoli (1906-1991)
Adelaide Hall (1909-1993)
Robert Craft (1923-2015)
Jacques Loussier (1934)
William Albright (1944-1998)
Ivo Pogorelich (1958)
Leila Josefowicz (1977)

and

Christopher Wren (1632-1723)
Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891)
John Dewey(1859-1952)
Robert Pinsky (1940)
Elfriede Jelinek (1946)

Today's Birthdays

Sidonie Goossens (1899-2004)
Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966)
Karl-Birger Blomdahl (1916-1968)
Emil Gilels (1916-1985)
Robin Holloway (1943)
Robert Morris (1943)

and

Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
Auguste Lumière (1862-1954)
Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974)
Jack Anderson (1922-2005)
John le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell) (1931-2020)
Philip Pullman (1946)
Tracy Chevalier (1962)

Today's Birthdays

Luca Marenzio (1553-1599)
Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785)
Lotte Lenya (1898-1981)
Alexander Young (1920-2000)
Egil Hovland (1924-2013)
Chuck Berry (1926-2017)
Wynton Marsalis (1961)

and

Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811)
Henri Bergson (1859-1941)
A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)
Ntozake Shange (1948)
Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006)
Rick Moody (1961)

Today's Birthdays

Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998)
Rolando Panerai (1924-2019)
Reiner Goldberg (1939-2023)
Stephen Kovacevich (1940)

and

Georg Büchner (1813-1837)
Nathanael West (1903-1940)
Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1978, President Jimmy Carter presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to singer Marian Anderson.

and from The Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1933 that Albert Einstein officially moved to the United States to teach at Princeton University. He had been in California working as a visiting professor when Hitler took over as chancellor of Germany. Einstein’s apartment in Berlin and his summer cottage in the country were raided, his papers confiscated, and his bank accounts closed. He returned to Europe and handed in his German passport, renouncing his citizenship. He considered offers from all over the world, including Paris, Turkey, and Oxford. Einstein eventually decided on Princeton, which offered him an attractive package teaching at its Institute for Advanced Study — but he had his hesitations about the university. For one thing, it had a clandestine quota system in place that only allowed a small percentage of the incoming class to be Jewish. The Institute’s director, Abraham Flexner, was worried that Einstein would be too directly involved in Jewish refugee causes, so he micromanaged Einstein’s public appearances, keeping him out of the public eye when possible. He even declined an invitation for Einstein to see President Roosevelt at the White House without telling the scientist. When Einstein found out, he personally called Eleanor Roosevelt and arranged for a visit anyway, and then complained about the incident in a letter to a rabbi friend of his, giving the return address as “Concentration Camp, Princeton.” In 1938, incoming freshmen at Princeton ranked Einstein as the second-greatest living person; first place went to Adolf Hitler.

Today's Birthdays

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745)
Franz [Ferenc] Doppler (1821-1883)
James Lockhart (1930)
Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017)
Marin Alsop (1956)
Erkki-Sven Tüür (1959)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017)

and

Noah Webster (1758-1843)
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953)
Günter Grass (1927-2015)
Thomas Lynch (1948)

And from the Writer's Almanac:

In 1882, during a tour across the US, Oscar Wilde lectured to coal miners in Leadville, Colorado, where he saw a sign on a saloon that said, "Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best," and called it "the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across."

Preview of Israeli-Palestinian piano duo in Portland Piano International concert

 My preview of the upcoming Portland Piano International recital, featuring Duo Amal is now published in Oregonlive here. It will be in the print edition of The Oregonian this coming Friday.

Today's Birthdays

Bernhard Crusell (1775-1838)
Zdeněk Fibich (1850-1900)
Dag Wirén (1905-1985)
Harold Blumenfeld (1923-2014)
Karl Richter (1926-1981)
Barry McGuire (1935)
Suzanne Murphy (1941)
Peter Phillips (1953)

and

Virgil (70 B.C.E.- 19 B.C.E.)
Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)
Friedrich Nietzsche, (1844-1900
P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)
Varian Fry (1907-1967)
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (1917-2007)
Italo Calvino (1923-1985)
Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

Review: Portland Opera's "Shizue" - a heartfelt journey of perseverance of Japanese Americans during WWII

Final scene of "Shizue" with Jietong Fu, Chihiro Asano, Edward Tavalin, and Lindsey Nakatani. |Photo credit: Chris Kim 

The plight of Japanese American who were incarcerated during WWII was conveyed with intensity and dignity in the world premiere of “Shizue: An American Story.” What could have been an evening accusation and resentment was instead an educational and uplifting experience based on the true story of Shizue Iwatsuki, who with her husband ran an orchard in Hood River. With music by Kenji Oh and a libretto by Dmae Lo Roberts, Portland Opera’s one-hour production (October 4) at the Brunish Theatre offered a story of perseverance and hope that prevailed over despair.

Shizue was nineteen years old when she married Kamegoro and moved to Hood River, Oregon in 1916. Life was tough, but the Iwatsukis grew apples and strawberries, experiencing modest success before losing everything after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 when the U.S. government enacted laws to incarcerate all Japanese Americans. With just two suitcases each, Shizue and Kamegoro were transported by train to a sequence of three different camps that were situated in the barren, desert landscapes in California and Idaho. They signed loyalty oaths twice but were not released until after the war ended. Despite hostility from Oregonians, they returned to Hood River and started again with another orchard. After Kamegoro became paralyzed from a farming accident, Shizue stepped up to run the business, became a local leader in the community, taught Japanese flower arranging, and wrote poetry. In 1954, her poems won a prestigious award in Japan, besting 32,000 other entries, and Hood River honored her as woman of the year. A huge granite boulder at the Japanese-American Memorial Plaza in Portland and a marble column at the Hood River Museum are etched with her poems.

The role of Shizue was divided between soprano Lindsey Nakatani as Young Shizue and mezzo-soprano Chihiro Asano as the Elder Shizue. Both conveyed the emotional resilience of Shizue with terrific conviction. Tenor Jietong Fu passionately expressed the hopeful idealism of Kamegoro. Baritone Edward Tavalin was all business and to the letter of the law as an American soldier and other people who were against the Japanese.

Inspired by Japanese folk songs and children’s songs, Oh exercised a light, yet very expressive touch in his score, accompanying the singers with piano and prepared cello. The arias, duets, and ensemble pieces were poignant, and the accompaniment (pianist Gyan Singh and cellist Casey Johnson) never overwhelmed the singers. There was some spoken text, which functioned as recitative to move the passage of time along more efficiently. All-in-all, the opera was quite a remarkable achievement for Oh, who has only one other opera, “The Emissary,” to his credit.

Jon Kashiwabara and rhiza A+D created evocative scenery with four large, colorful banners that depicted Mt. Hood, orchards, and the Columbia River. The banners were turned to reveal in muted black and white the internment camps. Another large banner displayed Executive Order 9066, which ordered the imprisonment of Japanese Americans. A huge suitcase opened to become an interior room. Straightforward choreography by Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe kept the story at a steady pace. The only confusing part was distinguishing between the Young Shizue and Elder Shizue because Asano didn’t look all that much older than Nakatani and both of their characters wove in and out of the storyline. Fortunately, Roberts’ libretto presented the events in a direct fashion that was easy to follow. The text had poetic moments and the concept of gaman (perseverance in the face of many troubles) and hope for a peaceful future as Americans acquired depth that added to the satisfying ending.

“Shizue” will receive 50 performances at high schools, community centers, and other venues around the state as part of Portland Opera to Go. So, the portability of the production is a key factor, because the singers will have to set up the production at each performance. One of the beauties of POGO is that small towns and remote areas of Oregon will experience real opera. That takes grit and gaman. “Shizue” presents a awful slice of Oregon history that a lot of us would rather ignore. It is also a heartfelt reminder of the injustices endured by immigrants who are often vilified. Its message will help us to understand our neighbors and our community.

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Zimlinsky (1871-1942) Gary Graffman (1928) Rafael Puyana (1931-2013) Enrico di Giuseppe (1932-2005) La Monte (Thorton) Young (1935) Sir Cliff Richard (1940) Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) and Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) Katha Pollitt (1949)

Deanna Tham takes over artistic reigns of the Portland Chamber Orchestra

 

Congratulations to Deanna Tham upon her new appointment with the Portland Chamber Orchestra. She has done terrific work on the podium with the Oregon Symphony, OrpheusPDX, and the Siletz Bay Music Festival. Here's a note from the PCO website:

Powerfully compelling, Deanna Tham delivers unrestrained, visceral performances that infuse the classical cannon with modern vibrancy. With a penchant for embracing the gritty and earthly sides of music in addition to its sublime beauty, Tham’s style reflects a tenacious and free-spirited approach, both on and off the podium. 

Of her Associate Conductor role with the Oregon Symphony during the 2023-24 season, Oregon ArtsWatch wrote: “Deanna Tham made a jaw-dropping, spectacular concert hall debut… It was as if she put her hands in a wall socket and electrified the hall!” In addition to her role with the Oregon Symphony, Tham is the Music Director of the Union Symphony Orchestra. She has recently appeared in Paris' prestigious La Maestra Conducting Competition (2024 semi-finalist), in Royal Albert Hall as part of The Proms, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Seiji Ozawa Hall at the Tanglewood Music Center working with Maestros James Ross, Joseph Young, and Sir Antonio Pappano, as well as renowned artists Isobel Leonard and Joyce DiDonato. Her previous engagements include serving as the Assistant Conductor of the Omaha Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta with Maestro Mei-Ann Chen, and Assistant Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra. Tham is a cover conductor for the San Francisco Symphony and has additionally appeared with the Victoria Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, Orpheus PDX, 45th Parallel Universe, and Present Music Milwaukee. Her work with the National Music Festival featured on National Public Radio as well as American Public Media. Tham holds a Professional Studies Certificate from the Cleveland Institute of Music in Orchestral Conducting studying with Maestro Carl Topilow; a Master of Music degree in conducting from Northwestern University studying with Dr. Mallory Thompson; and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in horn performance from Carnegie Mellon University.

Today's Birthdays

Art Tatum (1910-1956)
Hugo Weisgall (1912-1997)
Gustav Winckler (1925-1979)
Paul Simon (1941)
Leona Mitchell (1949)
Kristine Ciesinski (1950)
Melvyn Tan (1956)
Mark Applebaum (1967)

and

Conrad Richter (1890-1968)
Arna Bontemps (1902-1973)

James Shields and Emily Cole making radio waves at All Classical

 

Congratulations are in order for James Shields and Emily Cole with their new roles at All Classical Radio. The announcement was made earlier this week, and the press release follows below, but if you might want to read my profile of them in Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Portland, OR (October 7, 2024) — All Classical Radio has named violinist Emily Cole and clarinetist James Shields as its 2024/2025 Artists in Residence. The network’s Artists in Residence program, one of the first and only artist residencies created by a radio station in the USA, provides opportunities to established and emerging artists for career advancement, radio and community performances, and creative development. 

Cole and Shields are esteemed members of the Oregon Symphony and enjoy careers as chamber musicians. They will officially launch their All Classical Radio residency with a special appearance on All Classical Radio’s Thursdays @ Three, hosted by Christa Wessel, on October 10, 2024, at 3:00 PM PT.

“All Classical Radio is proud to be a megaphone for the vibrant artists of our communities," says Suzanne Nance, President and CEO of All Classical Radio. “Through our Artists in Residence program, the station is leveraging its unique resources to help support creatives, build portfolios, and advance careers. Emily Cole and James Shields are stellar ambassadors for the program as we begin our fifth decade of community-minded service, serving global audiences from the heart of Portland, Oregon.”

"For the first time since the program's launch in 2019, All Classical Radio is thrilled to invite two Artists in Residence for the coming year," says Kristina Becker, the station's Communications & Operations Manager, who oversees the program. "We are honored to celebrate and support Emily and James ̶ a dynamic husband-and-wife duo whose artistic achievements and commitment to music and education are beautifully aligned with All Classical's vision and values. "

Participants in All Classical Radio's Artists in Residence program enjoy access to the station's world-class studios, research database, digital music archives, and industry contacts and network. With these powerful tools at their fingertips, artists can develop their portfolios; share their work on All Classical Radio's wide-reaching radio and digital platforms; and deepen their engagement with audiences regionally and around the world. They have ample ability to record and produce in-studio, create digital content, and perform on the air and in the community. Artists also receive a financial award to support their creative and career development. 

“I feel deeply honored that All Classical would want me involved with the station community in this capacity," says Cole. "Being given the opportunity to collaborate with James on shared projects on behalf of the station is a dream!” 

In planning for a project he hopes to pursue during the residency, Shields adds: “I’d like to focus in part on activities that involve both Emily and me together, for instance, an ongoing composition project that I’ve been working on which focuses on expanding the repertoire for violin and clarinet.”

Earlier this year, All Classical Radio named 16-year-old composer, trombonist, and vocalist Elaina Stuppler as its 2024 Young Artist in Residence, and announced its 2024 Youth Artist Ambassadors: pianist and cellist Cyrus Ngan, 18; bassoonist and clarinetist Katelyn Nguyen, 17; French hornist and koto player Haruka Sakiyama, 17; and classical guitarist Anika Gupta, 16.

Previous Artists in Residence include pianist María García (2022/23), flutist Adam Eccleston (2020/21), and concert pianist Hunter Noack (2019). The station’s past Young Artists in Residence include violinist/pianist Amir Avsker (2023) and double bassist Maggie Carter (2022). For the complete list of past artists and to learn more about the AIR and YAIR program, visit allclassical.org/artists-in-residence or contact Kristina Becker.

About James Shields

Clarinetist James Shields joined the Oregon Symphony in 2016 after holding similar positions in the Canadian Opera Company and the New Mexico Philharmonic. A Juilliard graduate, he has appeared as soloist with the Oregon Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Music in the Mountains (CO), and has performed as guest principal clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic. 

A committed and dynamic performer of chamber music, Shields appears regularly with chamber music organizations throughout North America. He is a member of 45th Parallel and Fear No Music and has performed with numerous renowned organizations including Third Angle, Chamber Music Northwest, Serenata of Santa Fe, Taos Chamber Music Group, and Gather NYC. 

In addition to his performing activities, James holds a master’s degree in Composition and Music Theory from the University of New Mexico and composes regularly. Current composition projects include an ever-increasing set of duos for violin and clarinet as well as other works for clarinet and strings. For the past 16 years, Shields has served as Associate Artistic Director of Chatter, a popular series in New Mexico that performs over 125 chamber music concerts annually. In June of 2024, Shields joined cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick to establish a branch of Chatter in Portland, OR. Building on the success of the Chatter model in New Mexico, Chatter PDX aims to present 50 Sunday morning performances of chamber music and spoken word each year. 

About Emily Cole

Violinist Emily Cole has been a member of the Oregon Symphony since 2011. An avid chamber musician, Cole has performed with several Portland-area ensembles including 45th Parallel Universe, Third Angle, fEARnoMUSIC, and Northwest New Music, as well as with Chatter ABQ in New Mexico. She has premiered chamber works by Caroline Shaw, Kenji Bunch, Pierre Jalbert and James Shields. 

During the summer months, Cole has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival, Music in the Mountains, Seattle Opera, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, and the Apollo Music Festival. Cole previously served on the faculty of Lewis & Clark College and has coached young chamber musicians with Portland Summer Ensembles and Seattle’s Music Northwest.  

Cole received a B.M. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, as a student of Brian Lewis, and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas, as a student of Emanuel Borok.

Today's Birthdays

Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750)
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
Arthur Nikisch (1855-1922)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Carlos López Buchardo (1881-1948)
Gilda Dalla Rizza (1892-1975)
Erich Gruenberg (1924-2020)
Pilar Lorengar (1938-1996)
Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)
Daryl Runswick (1946)
Penelope Walker (1956)
Chris Botti (1962)

and

Robert Fitzgerald (1910-1985)
Alice Childress (1916-1994)
Robert Coles (1929)

Today's Birthdays

George Bridgetower (1780-1860)
Fernando De Lucia (1860-1925)
R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943)
Albert Stoessel (1894-1943)
Eugene Weigel (1910-1998)
Art Blakey (1919-1990)
David Rendall (1948)
Rachel Barton Pine (1974)

and

Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825)
Eleanor Roosevelt (1883-1962)
Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)

Review of Oregon Symphony concert - Akiho's cello concerto in CVNA

 

You can read all about it in my review, which has been published in Classical Voice North America here.

Today's Birthdays

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Vernon Duke (1903-1969)
Paul Creston (1906-1985)
Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)
Gloria Coates (1938-2023)
Sir Willard White (1946)
John Prine (1946-2020)
Steve Martland (1959)
Evgeny Kissin (1971)

and

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
Harold Pinter (1930-2008)

And from The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the birthday of the composer Vernon Duke, born Vladimir Dukelsky, in Parafianovo, Belarus (1903). He was a talented classical musician, educated at an elite conservatory, but his family fled Russia after the revolution and he wound up playing piano in cafés in Constantinople (now Istanbul). From there, his family rode steerage class on a ship to America, went through Ellis Island, and ended up in New York in 1921. There the teenage Dukelsky met George Gershwin, who was only a few years older, and the two became good friends. Dukelsky played Gershwin what he described as “an extremely cerebral piano sonata,” and Gershwin, who was also trained in classical music, suggested this: “There’s no money in that kind of stuff, and no heart in it, either. Try to write some real popular tunes — and don’t be scared about going low-brow. They will open you up.” He also suggested that Dukelsky shorten his name, as he himself had done — Gershowitz to Gershwin. So Vladimir Dukelsky came up with the name Vernon Duke, but he didn’t use it for a while.

First, he went to Paris. There, he met and impressed the great ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Dukelsky wrote later about their first meeting — that Diaghilev had drawled: “‘Ah, a good-looking boy. That in itself is most unusual. Composers are seldom good-looking; neither Stravinsky nor Prokofiev ever won any beauty prizes. How old are you?’ I told him I was 20. ‘That’s encouraging, too. I don’t like young men over 25.’” And so Diaghilev commissioned him to write a ballet, and he wrote Zephire et Flore, with sets by Georges Braque, choreography by Léonide Massine, and costumes by Coco Chanel. It got a great reception, and Dukelsky was taken in by the not-quite-as-good-looking Stravinsky and Prokofiev. For a few years he divided his time between Paris, where he continued to write classical music, and London, where he wrote show tunes and used the name Vernon Duke. Then in 1929, he decided to go back to America, and he wrote some of the biggest hits of the 1930s — “April in Paris” (1932), “Autumn in New York” (1934), “I Can’t Get Started” (1936), and “Taking a Chance on Love” (1940). And he wrote the music for the Broadway show and film Cabin in the Sky (1940). By that time, he had become an American citizen and officially changed his name to Vernon Duke.

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Siloti (1863-1945)
Harry Lawrence Freeman (1869-1954)
Carl Flesch (1873-1944)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Roger Goeb (1914-1997)
Einojuhani Routavaara (1928-2016)
Alfons Kontarsky (1932-2010)
John Lennon (1940-1980)
Jackson Browne (1948)
Sally Burgess (1953)
Roberto Sierra (1953)

and

Ivo Andrić (1892-1975)
Bruce Catton (1899-1978)
Léopold (Sédar) Senghor (1906-2001)
Belva Plain (1915-2010)
Jill Ker Conway (1934-2018)
James Howe McClure (1939-2006)

Today's Birthdays

Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Will Vodery (1885-1951)
Paul V. Yoder (1908-1990)
James Sample (1910-1995)
Kurt Redel (1918-2013)
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)
Robert Saxton (1953)
Carl Vine (1954)
Tabea Zimmermann (1968)
Bruno Mantovani (1974)

and

John Cowper Powys (1872-1963)
Walter Lord (1917-2002)
Philip Booth (1925-2007)
R.L. Stine (1943)

Today's Birthdays

William Billings (1746-1800)
Joe Hill (1879-1915)
Shura Cherkassky (1911-1995)
Charles Dutoit (1936)
John Mellencamp (1951)
Yo-Yo Ma (1955)
Li Yundi (1982)

and

James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Helen Clark MacInnes (1907-1985)
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021)
Amiri Baraka (aka LeRoi Jones) (1934-2014)
Thomas Keneally (1935)
Dianne Ackerman (1948)
Sherman Alexie (1966)

Today's Birthdays

William Bradbury (1816-1868)
Jenny Lind (1820-1887)
Julia Culp (1880-1970)
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Maria Jeritza (1887-1982)
Edwin Fischer (1886-1960)
Paul Badura-Skoda (1927-2019)
Dennis Wicks (1928-2003)
Udo Zimmermann (1943-2021)
Keith Lewis (1950)

and

Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
Caroline Gordon (1895-1981)

From the Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1600 that the opera Euridice was first performed, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. It is the oldest surviving opera.

Euridice was performed for the wedding celebrations of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici. It was written by Jacopo Peri, a beloved composer and singer. He had already written Dafne a few years earlier, which is considered to be the first opera, but that music has been lost.

Euridice is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which the gifted musician Orpheus falls in love with the beautiful Eurydice, but just after their wedding she is bitten by a snake and dies. Orpheus is heartbroken, and he journeys to the underworld, to Hades, to try to bring her back. He charms the king of the underworld, also named Hades, and his wife, Persephone, and they agree to return Eurydice to Orpheus on one condition: that he get all the way back to the upper world without looking back to see if Eurydice is following. He almost makes it, but right as he is walking out into the sunlight he turns back, and Eurydice is still in the underworld, so he loses her forever. Peri not only wrote the opera, but he sang the role of Orpheus. The climax of the opera came during "Funeste piagge," or "Funeral shores," when Orpheus begs Hades and Persephone to release his beloved.

Peri wrote a long preface to Euridice, in which he explained the new musical form he was working in, which we now call opera. He said that he was trying to write the way he imagined the Greeks would have, combing music and speech into the ultimate form of drama. One of the people who came to Florence to see Euridice was Vincenzo Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua. And he probably brought his servant, Claudio Monteverdi. A few years later, in 1607, Monteverdi premiered his first opera, L'Orfeo, which was also a retelling of the legend of Orpheus. Monteverdi elevated the opera form to new heights, and L'Orfeo is considered the first truly great opera, with all of the dramatic orchestration and lyrics that are so central to the drama.

Today's Birthdays

Cyril Bradley Rootham (1875-1938)
Jürgen Jürgens (1925-1994)
John Downey (1927-2004)
Iwan Edwards (1937-2022)
Ken Noda (1962)

and

Denis Diderot (1713-1784)
Helen Churchill Candee (1858-1949)
Flann O’Brien (1911-1966)
Václav Havel (1936-2011)
Edward P. Jones (1950)
Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958)
Maya Ying Lin (1959)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1930, The New York Philharmonic begins its famous series of weekly Sunday afternoon national broadcasts with a program from Carnegie Hall conducted by Erich Kleiber. The first-ever radio broadcast of the New York Philharmonic had occurred on August 12, 1922, when a summer-time concert from Lewisohn Stadium conducted by Willem van Hoogstraten was relayed locally over WJZ in New York.

My note: Willem van Hoogstraten was the conductor of the Portland Symphony (former name of the Oregon Symphony) from 1925 to 1938.

Superb brass ensemble highlights Vancouver Symphony season opener

Orchestra concertos that feature five brass players are very, very rarely performed, so it was an extra special occasion when the Vancouver Symphony opened its season with Salvador Brotons’ “Brass Quintet Concerto.” Featuring the Spanish Brass ensemble as guest artists, this unusual musical concoction expressed an expansive sonic range that was utterly delightful. Their playing resonated well with the audience at Skyview Concert Hall on September 28, and they added two encores to make the evening even more memorable.

Brotons wrote his concerto for the Spanish Brass, which is one of the premiere brass ensembles in Europe. Over the past 35 years, the Spanish Brass (trumpeters Carlos Benetó and Juanjo Serna, hornist Manolo Pérez, trombonist Indalecio Bonet, and tubist Sergio Finca) have won international awards and highlighted 32 recordings. They maintain a rigorous schedule that spans the globe with tours in France, South Korea, and the USA this year.

Originally written for piano and brass quintet in 2013, Brotons revised the “Brass Quintet Concerto” for symphonic band in 2015 finally for orchestra in 2019. Using their virtuosic chops, the Spanish Brass handled all of the technical challenges with gusto. The piece began with a stream of notes as if the ensemble was chattering with each other. Each musician got a tricky solo and handled it with gusto. The second movement featured a plaintive trumpet solo that was augmented gently by the orchestra. A trombone solo evoked a sense of climbing that was joined by all forces, building a huge swell of sound that leveled out into a beautiful melody. After a brief solo from concertmaster Eva Richey, the movement finished with crystalline smoothness. The third movement picked up the tempo, and had a curious passage for bassoon and brass. Another lovely melody surfaced before the piece arrived at a satisfying finale.

Enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation brought the Spanish Brass back to center stage for a couple of encores. The first was a flamenco-infused “De Cai” by Pascual Piqueras. The second was Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” in an arrangement by Juan Tizol and Carlos Benetó. It had a devilish part for tuba with constant jumps that were at least one octave. Finca made that look easy-peasy.

A bit of a lighting problem delayed the start of Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 8,” but when it was corrected, concertgoers chuckled a bit and applauded the stage hand(s). Conducting from memory, Brotons chose excellent tempi and elicited lots of dynamic contrasts from the orchestra. The violins scurried through the fast section of the first movement, and the building of tension in the second movement highlighted the second. The folksy waltz of the third movement evoked the Bohemian spirit, and the fourth movement ended with a blaze of glory. But there were intonation problems and some missed notes that muddied up the waters.

The concert opened with a swirl of bright colors from “Argentum,” which British composer Dani Howard wrote in 2017 for the silver anniversary of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the UK’s Classic FM radio station. Even though it lasts only a handful of minutes, “Argentum” covers a lot of territory with punchy exchanges between the brass and the strings. Anchored periodically by blasts from Principal Tuba Mark Vehrencamp, the piece delightfully sped to an impressively emphatic ending.

The orchestra is fortunate to be helmed by Brotons who has such excellent talent for both composition and conducting. It’s an unusual combination that the VSO can be very proud of. This fall marks the 34th season that Brotons has led the orchestra, and his uncanny ability to transmit his boundless energy and joy of music-making resonates terrifically with musicians and the audience. So, there are many concert ahead to look forward to.

Today's Birthdays

Fanny Tacchinardi‑Persiani (1812-1867)
Alain Daniélou (1907-1994)
Alain Lombard (1940)
John Aler (1949-2022)
Fransico Araiza (1950)
Marc Minkowski (1962)
David Dzubay (1964)

and

Frederic Remington (1861-1909)
Damon Runyan (1880-1946)
Buster Keaton (1895-1966)
Brenden Gill (1914-1997)
Jackie Collins (1937-2015)
Roy Blount Jr. (1941)
Anne Rice (1941)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1921, the American Academy in Rome awards American composer Leo Sowerby its first two-year composition fellowship. American composer Howard Hanson was awarded the second two-year composition fellowship on November 9, 1921. The third fellowship was awarded to Randall Thompson on June 6, 1922. The fellowship awards continue to this day.

Review of Fear No Music concert featuring Oregon composers

 

My report of Fear No Music's season opener, featuring terrific music by Oregonians is now published in Oregon Arts Watch here.

Today's Birthdays

Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797)
Stanisław Skrowaczewski (1923-2017)
Steve Reich (1936)
Shiela Silver (1946)

and

Emily Post (1873-1960)
Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)
Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993)
Gore Vidal (1925-2012)

Today's Birthdays

Frantisek Tuma (1704-1774)
Henry Février (1875-1957)
Leroy Shield (1893-1962)
Francis Jackson (1917)
Mary Jeanne van Appledorn (1927-2014)
Kenneth Leighton (1929-1988)
Phill Niblock (1933-2024)
Michel Plasson (1933)
Peter Frankl (1935)
Ton Koopman (1944)
Jonathan Summers (1946)

and

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
Wallace Stevens (1879-1955)
Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
Graham Greene (1904-1991)
Jan Morris (1926-2020)

Today's Birthdays

J. Friedrich Eduard Sobolewski (1808-1872)
Henry Clay Work (1832-1884)
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Vladimir Horowitz (1904-1989)
Sylvano Bussotti (1931-2021)

and

Jimmy Carter (1924)
Tim O'Brien (1946)

and from the Composers Datebook:

This day in 1924 marked the opening of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, funded by a gift of $12.5 million from the American patroness Mary Louise Curtis Bok, who had inherited her fortune from the Curtis Publishing Company. The faculty, providing instruction for 203 students, included Leopold Stokowski and Josef Hofmann heading conducting and piano departments, respectively. Polish-born coloratura Marcella Sembrich. Hungarian violinist Carl Flesch. French-born harpist/composer Carlos Salzedo. and Italian composer Rosario Scalero.

Preview of Portland Opera's "Shizue: An American Story" published in The Oregonian

My preview of this new one-act opera by Kenji Oh is available for you to read in Oregonlive here. It will appear in the print edition on Friday.

Today's Birthdays

Johann Svendsen (1840-1911)
Sir Charles V. Stanford (1852-1924)
Václav Smetáček (1906-1986)
David Oistrakh (1908-1974)
Dame Julie Andrews (1935)
Johnny Mathis (1935)
Alan Hacker (1938-2012)
Jonathan Lloyd (1948)
Andrew Rindfleisch (1963)
David Danzmayr (1980)

and

W.S. Merwin (1927-2019)
Truman Capote (1924-1984)
Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)

Today's Birthdays

Jacques-Martin Hottetere (1674-1763)
Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska (1829/1834–1861)
Joaquin Nin (y Castellanos) (1879-1949)
Gene Autry (1907-1998)
Richard Bonynge (1930)
Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022)
Jean-Luc Ponty (1942)

and

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865)
Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936)
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954)

Review: Oregon Symphony splendid with Ohlsson in Chopin - majestic with Alpine Symphony

An air of optimism swept into the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall when the Oregon Symphony came on stage for its season opener (September 21). The audience seemed larger than what I recall from last year’s gala event. Perhaps the return appearance of ever-popular pianist Garrick Ohlsson and the orchestra’s undertaking of Richard Strauss’s “Alpine Symphony” that drew the large crowd. Or perhaps it was just that Covid has finally slipped far enough into the background, making people more adventurous again. Whatever the reason, the overall effect of seeing a fairly full-house at the Schnitz helped to lift everyone’s spirits and put a buzz into the atmosphere.

Ohlsson was back in town to play Chopin’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” which is a piece that he has probably done a million times. No matter. In Ohlsson’s hands it sounded fresher than ever. Chopin’s music rolled effortlessly off of his fingertips, and with all sorts of nuances that make the piece so interesting. For example, he would play a passage strongly the first time through and softly the second time. He could linger over a note just a tad longer and change the emphasis. His duet with Principal Bassoonist Carin Miller in the second movement was wonderfully cantabile and conversational – one of the highlights of the piece. With his impeccable technique, Ohlsson created a luminous soundscape and wrapped it up exquisitely in the finale.

The audience erupted with unrelenting enthusiasm, which brought Ohlsson back to the Steinway several times. He responded with Chopin’s “Grande Valse Brillante Op.18” and again applied wonderful dynamic contrasts that weren’t flashy, but very thoughtful so that the piece sounded refreshingly new.

When the Schnitz was acoustically refurbished a couple of years ago with the sophisticated Constellation Acoustic System (see my article in The Oregonian here), the amount of real estate on the stage of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall was slightly reduced (the sides were brought in a tad). Ergo, the 100+ musicians needed for Richard Strauss’s “An Alpine Symphony” were packed a bit like sardines – especially the tubas crammed behind the brass section – even with the stage extended over a couple rows into the main seating area. No matter. With Music Director David Danzmayr on the podium, Strauss’s 50-minute tone poem received an inspired performance.

The atmosphere at the outset, depicting nighttime vanishing before as a group of hikers get ready to ascend one of the Alps, was splendidly murky and mysterious. Then came the outburst of a glorious sunrise with the entire orchestra creating a full sonic bloom. As the ascent began, it was easy to imagine how the hiking group absorbed nature in all its glory – with the woodwinds evoking a waterfall and the majestic vistas along the way. The triumphant music at the summit generated a feeling of elation before heading back down the mountain. Another highlight of the piece was the huge thunderstorm with the percussion battery cranking the wind machine. The brass and organ created a muffled chorale of sorts as the hikers returned home – well past sunset and in the gathering gloom of night.

I loved the huge sonic contrasts in this performance. “An Alpine Symphony” demands not only a lot from the musicians but also a lot from the listeners. It’s a work that I would have liked to have heard on Sunday and Monday at the Schnitz, because there is so much going on. It is easy to hone in on the brass and forget the upper strings, and then realize that the lower strings are sawing pell-mell. There’s off stage ensembles and two sets of timpani and two harps too. And with Danzmayr being a native of Salzburg, Austria, where there are lots of mountains, he must have a special affinity for this work. Alas, my schedule allowed me to hear only one performance. Dang!