The Tudor Choir delivers impressive a cappella concert at St. Mary's

Guest review by Phillip Ayers

One of my voice instructors in college said, in a course on voice pedagogy, that the first task a singer has is to "establish the instrument." As I recall, he meant that one possesses the vocal instrument, but needs to "establish" it: be there with it, utilizing all the skill, technique and communication one has learned, and not to rely on gimmickry or over-dramatization.

The ten members of The Tudor Choir did just that last Saturday (July 26th) at St. Mary's Cathedral. They were sponsored by Cappella Romana in a program combining their two evenings at the recent Abbey Bach Festival at Mount Angel Abbey. These youthful singers "established" themselves extremely well, under the expert direction of Doug Fullington who has led this group since 1993. Throughout the evening the audience was treated to a cappella singing at its best, with pieces ranging from Palestrina and Victoria through Buxtehude to J. S. Bach.

Singing this material with so few singers, probably in keeping with the original performances, is no mean feat. Singers are exposed and cannot rely on their nearest neighbor in their section to see them through a glitch or two. Nor can a singer be a soloist in such an ensemble. He or she must be attentive at all times to the choir and its conductor, creating a unified sound. And that sound fit perfectly into the acoustic of the Cathedral.

Many of the works were for double choir and the singers were arranged in various orders to accommodate that. Three settings of the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, by Marenzio, Palestrina and Hieronymus Praetorius, were sung: the first two for double choir and the last for a larger group (as far as I could determine, four sopranos, alto, tenor and bass as one group, and an alto, tenor and bass in the other). Marenzio's and Palestrina's settings were not at all imitative of each other. Palestrina used a kind of "call/response" with various phrases of the text; for example, fecit potentiam in brachio suo… ("he has shown strength with his arm") was answered by the other choir with …dispersit superbos mente cordis sui ("he has scattered the proud"). In the Praetorius setting, two sopranos intoned each verse, with a lively and syncopated Gloria Patri at its end. The intonations sounded superb in that space and provided an excellent contrast to the full choir.

Seasoned listeners to this kind of choral music were no doubt thrilled by an excellent performance of Palestrina's Sicut cervus ("as the deer longs"), a piece that can be humdrum and hackneyed but not with The Tudor Choir!

More contrast with pieces utilizing the same text, settings of Alma redemptoris mater ("Loving Mother of the Redeemer," a Marian antiphon), by Palestrina and Victoria, were interesting from the standpoint of contrast, Victoria's being more flowing.

A Missa Brevis (i.e., containing only the Kyrie and Gloria in excelsis of the full Mass) by Buxtehude was performed after the intermission. This, to me, was the most interesting piece on the program. If the composer's name would not have appeared on a program, I would have thought that it was from an earlier era, say the late 16th century, rather than from Buxtehude's 17th. The "mood changes," as at Qui tollis peccata mundi ("You take away the sins of the world"), were lyrical. At miserere nobis ("have mercy on us"), chromatic writing takes over, preparing the listener for a stunning Cum Sancto Spiritu ("With the Holy Spirit") and a very chromatic "Amen."

Selig sind die Toten ("Blessed are the dead") by Heinrich Schütz followed, and I wondered if Johannes Brahms knew this work and was inspired to write his setting of this text in his Requiem almost 200 years later?

The program concluded with J.S. Bach's noble motet, Komm, Jesu, komm ("Come, Jesus, come). Having sung this work myself a few times in much larger choirs, it was refreshing to hear it done by these ten singers who were arranged in two-choir formation: two sopranos, alto, tenor, bass; then bass, tenor, alto and two sopranos. This provided a "wall of sound" that would not have been possible with another arrangement. The concluding Chorale, Drum schliess ich mich in deine Hände ("So I give myself into Your hands"), was stunningly beautiful, with an execution of Bach's ornamentation very much evident and articulated well.

An added treat was a brief encore, a setting of the Jubilate by Mozart.

The performance was practically flawless and thoroughly enjoyable. However, one soprano, with an excellent instrument by the way, could have been somewhat more restrained. This ensemble is as much fun to watch as to hear. They are so obviously into this music and enjoy singing it to the full.

Fullington is something of a Renaissance man. According to the program notes, he is a singer, (counter-tenor, a rare breed), and a dance historian, specializing in reading a certain kind of classical ballet notation system. He is the founder of the Tudor Choir, which has performed jointly with the Tallis Scholars; they are currently a resident ensemble at Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle's University District.
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Phillip Ayers sings with the Portland Bach Cantata Choir and for ten years sang with the Portland Symphonic Choir. From 2001-2007 he produced and hosted "Choral Classics" on All Classical radio. A retired Episcopal priest, he and his spouse are former church organists and choir directors and now enjoy "sitting in the pew" at church and concerts.

Chamber Music Northwest delves into Romanticism in works by Del Tredici and Schubert

Photo credit: Tom Emerson

Chamber Music Northwest showed that Romanticism is alive and well in a program consisting of a newly composed “Bulllycide” for Piano and String Quintet by David Del Tredici and the “Octet” in F Major for Winds and Strings by Franz Schubert. Both pieces, played on Monday, July 21st, at Kaul Auditorium, were imbued with strong harmonic lines, and they received intense performances by the CMNW musicians and enthusiastic applause from all corners of the concert hall, which was fairly full.

“Bullycide” was commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest in a consortium that included the La Jolla Music Society and Peak Performances at Montclair State University. The piece honors five gay men who were victims of bullying. After reading newspaper accounts of the bullying, Del Tredici felt moved, in part by reflections on his own experience, to write “Bullycide.” It is a piano sextet that is split into two parts with four movements for each part. The movements flow into one another without pause, and the music follows a trajectory that runs from a spirited beginning to a tragic ending.

For the past 25 years, Del Tredici (age 77) has been the Distinguished Professor of Music at The City College of New York. In the 1970s, he pioneered neo-Romanticism as a direct counterweight to the prevailing atonal style and never looked back. Completed in 2013, “Bullycide” is a continuation of Del Tredici’s journey into the landscape of complex harmonies.

The performance that I heard featured pianist Orion Weiss, violinists Ani Kavafian and Bella Hristova, violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, cellist Sophie Shao, and bass violinist Samuel Suggs. Weiss was the only member of the ensemble who had performed the piece before (at the premieres at La Jolla and Montclair), and his playing seemed to be the glue that made this piece very engaging. Often the Weiss created a sonic presence that cascaded over and around the strings. Lots of sweeping arpeggios and scintillating ornamentation gave the piece a lush sonority that reminded me of Tchaikovsky at times. The strings played with conviction, sometimes in conversation with each other and at other times in distinctly different corners. A muted and aggressive pizzicato section effectively suggested the violence against the five men and after two brief pauses the musicians used loud stage whispers to recite (I think) the names of each man. One of the highlights of the piece was a lovely solo violin part that Kavafian played while the other strings created a soft, undulating background. Towards the end, the music picked up tempo and later relaxed into a simple tune that was childlike and hopeful. Del Tredici was in the audience and came up on stage to join the performers in accepting the heartfelt and sustained applause.

Photo credit: Tom Emerson

After intermission, the stage was given over to the famous “Octet,” which Schubert wrote during a time in which he was depressed because he was suffering from syphilis. The six movements of this hour-long extravaganza received an incisive performance from the ensemble, which consisted of violinists Hristova and Kavafian, violist Ngwenyama, cellist Fred Sherry, bass violinist Suggs, clarinetist David Shifrin, bassoonist Julie Feves, and hornist William Purvis. The group played with an élan, and the mood bounced with a light foot during the dance-like sections. The liquidy-smooth sound of Shifrin’s clarinet was superb and in the last movement, his fleet fingers made several crazy runs sound like the easiest thing in the world. The rumbling tremolo from Sherry’s cello was another outstanding passages that fortunately was repeated. He seemed to inspire the entire ensemble, and, again the audience rewarded the music making with heartfelt applause.

Photo credit: Tom Emerson

Bella Hristova, Ani Kavafian, and Nokuthula Ngwenyama - photo credit: Tom Emerson

Norman Leyden - Oregon Symphony's Pops Legend - passes at 96

Earlier today, the Oregon Symphony issued a press release that announced the death of Norman Leyden, beloved Laureate Associate Conductor. Here's the text:

Norman Leyden, Laureate Associate Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, died today at the age of 96.

 

Oregon Symphony President and CEO Scott Showalter said, “Norman was one of the closest members of the Oregon Symphony family. While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate his life and incredible contribution to the arts.”

 

Mr. Leyden initiated the Oregon Symphony’s Pops concert series, one of the most successful in the nation, in 1970. “For 34 seasons as the Pops Musical Director, Norman charmed standing-room-only audiences with his warmth and musicality,” Showalter said. “His talents were revered far beyond our stage. He, his clarinet and his fine musical arrangements will be remembered by many for a long, long while.”

 

The musicians, board, and staff of the Oregon Symphony send their heartfelt condolences to his family and legion of fans throughout Portland and the U.S. The Symphony plans to honor his memory at its Waterfront Concert on August 28.

David Stabler has written a fine obituary in the Oregonian here, and Charles Noble offers his recollections about Leyden on Noble Viola here.

I have an hour-long tape of an interview that I did with Leyden in September of 2004. I'll have to write it up one of these days. It was part of several interviews that I did with older members of the Oregon Symphony, including Glen Reeves, John Richards, Cheri Ann Egbers Richards, Eugene Kaza, Reinhold Pauly, and Huw Ewart.

Chamber Music Northwest goes big with symphonic chamber program

Photo credit: Tom Emerson

Chamber Music Northwest flexed its musical muscles on Monday (July 14) at Kaul Auditorium, presenting three works for ensembles that ranged from twelve to fifteen musicians. So the stage seemed almost crowded for the three big pieces in the program, which was entitled “Heroic Chamber Symphonies.” The beefed up presence, required for works by Richard Wagner, Paul Hindemith, and Arnold Schoenberg, created a chamber orchestra atmosphere that was offset by one slim gem, a sonata for two violins by Sergei Prokofiev.

Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll,” was written as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. According to program notes, the piece “was designed to be played only by the number of musicians who would fit on the stairs of their home near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland.” That number totaled thirteen for the chamber version performed at Kaul. The brass and woodwinds did an excellent job of not overpowering the strings – in particular, first violinist Steven Copes. The playing was rhapsodic and beguiling, but still needed a little more shaping in terms of dynamics and tempo. The problem for most listeners is that we have heard the piece so often in the big orchestral version, which has a lot more strings. Still, the chamber performance was satisfying, and it was terrific to hear Wagner’s symphonic birthday greeting in its purest form.

Hindemith was only 26 years old when he wrote his “Kammermusik” (“Chamber Music”) No. 1 in 1922. A performance of the piece in Munich in 1923 apparently caused an uproar, because after the music ended “Whistles blew, boos resounded, chairs flew through the air — a hellish noise filled the large room.” That reaction certainly helped to mark Hindemith as one of the bad boys of the music scene.

Of course, lots of unusual and challenging music has been composed since the early Twentieth Century. So this Hindemith piece is not as striking as it was back then, but it still had its moments. The first movement, in particular, sounded like a kooky cabaret number that went unhinged. The second continued in a loud and spunky fashion. The musical thread was spiked now and by blips and beeps. The third was completely different. It featured a beautiful, tranquil clarinet solo (Ashley William Smith) that was joined later by the flute (Tara Helen O’Connor), and lovely combinations with clarinet (Smith), bassoon (Julie Feves), flue (O’Connor), and chime (Luanne Warner Katz). The entire ensemble generated a spirited fourth movement that had an array of unusual sounds coming from all corners, such as the murky low chords from the piano (Daniel Schlosberg), and a later a wild combo for piano and flute. Sporadic blasts from the trumpet (Jean Laurenz), wistful lines from the accordion (Samuel Suggs), and glissandos from the strings were halted by a dramatic pause and then followed by a crazy, agitated ride to the finish line with the xylophone (Katz) going helter skelter. That was a breath-taking performance.

Bella Hristova and Stephen Copes - Photo credit: Tom Emerson

After intermission, violinists Bella Hristova and Stephen Copes delivered a mind-boggling performance of Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins. Together they danced through a score that was laced with, double stops, fast pizzicatos, high-wire passages, and fast, tricky phrases. They seamlessly passed lines back and forth, and their dynamics were mostly in agreement. Hristova, who had the first violin part, excelled tremendously in the high register, displaying an incredible agile technique and a singing sound. The head pair made a headlong rush into the finale that brought the piece to a thrilling conclusion.

The final work on the program, Schoenberg’s “Kammersymphonie” (Chamber Symphony”) No. 1 caused a riot when it was first performed in Vienna in 1907, because of its unconventional tonalities. Even later performances caused critics to complain. Nicolas Slonimsky in his “Lexicon of Musical Invective” quoted a critic from Berlin, who, in 1914, stated “Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony – self-torture of a flagellant who whips himself with a cat-o’-nine-tails, while curing himself!”

The performance at Kaul by fifteen musicians didn’t cause a commotion, but the piece needed a lot more definition to make it enjoyable. It had plenty of volume, sweeping big, Wagnerian themes and counter-themes. But the music didn’t go anywhere. The brass and woodwinds overpowered everyone else. Conductor David Fulmer kept everyone together, but that seemed to be it. With more shape, the piece might have done something, but, at least, in this performance, the journey was not satisfying.

Emerson String Quartet with cellist Paul Watkins as brilliant as ever in Chamber Music Northwest concert

Emerson String Quartet playing Shostakovich

Death might have been the subject matter of the program on Saturday night (July 12) at Kaul Auditorium, but the Emerson Quartet was as alive and thrilling as ever. The foursome, newly re-constituted with cellist Paul Watkins, dug into two pieces: Shostakovich’s gravely serious String Quartet No. 15 and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14, which carries the moniker “Death and the Maiden,” and delivered incisive performances that made the standing room only audience forget about the hot weather outside.

Shostakovich wrote his Quartet No. 15 just a year before he died in August of 1975, and its primarily slow and solemn qualities (six Adagios) can be, well, deadening if played without intensity. The Emersons not only played with conviction and technical accuracy, but they also carried the dead-weight of the music’s emotion without sinking. Right off the top, the quartet created a colorless and tired sound that evoked sorrow and lamentation. It was as if Shostakovich were telling us that he was worn out. Faint strains of Russian hymns drifted about. Extended sections that featured only two players at a time sounded intriguingly austere and warm at the same time. The violent zings of the second movement seemed to puncture the atmosphere. The brief and wild excursions by violinist Philip Setzer in the third erupted out of nowhere. Later came a lovely cantabile segment that was led by violist Lawrence Dutton while violinist Eugene Drucker and cellist Watkins supported him with gracious, complimentary lines. As the piece progressed, the ends and beginnings of phrases and pauses took on more and more significance. Semi-tonal trills erupted now and then as if the soul was trying to escape. The last few measures diminuendoed into prayerful silence, bringing to a close a wandering, meditative journey that seemed unresolved with more questions than answers.

Schubert’s Quartet No. 14, one of the most beloved in the repertoire, was composed in 1824, just four years before he died at the age of 31. The piece acquired the nickname “Death and the Maiden” because part of the theme in the second movement (“Andante con moto”) was taken from a song of the same name that Schubert had written several years earlier. The serious nature of the music reflects the depression and health issues that he began to experience after having been diagnosed with syphilis a couple years earlier.

The Emerson String Quartet boldly launched into the Schuert, playing the opening salvos with precision and panache. The music was heightened with terrific dynamics that included sweeping fortes, hushed pianissimos, and organic tempo changes. Phrases were seamlessly traded from one musician to the next and the balance was outstanding. First violinist Setzer created a singing, sweet tone during the second movement and the many pizzicato notes seemed to bubble up effortlessly from Watkins’ cello. The uptempo and crescendo into the finale of the swirling tarantella-like last movement gave the piece a riveting conclusion. The audience responded with a loud standing ovation that should have gone on longer than it did.

Watkins played every bit as well as the man he replaced, David Finckel, who retired from the ensemble last year. Eye contact, listening, and virtuosic playing - you name it -Watkins seemed to fit into the group as if he had been playing with them for the last twenty years. If you would like to read an excellent interview with Watkins, I recommend this article in Oregon Arts Watch. I also suggest that you catch the Emerson String Quartet the next time they return to Portland. It’s an amazing ensemble.

Emerson String Quartet playing Schubert

CMNW's 'Schubert's Trout' concert keeps the Festival momentum going

Abigail Fischer.

Chamber Music Northwest's Summer Festival continued Thursday, July 10 at the Kaul Auditorium. The concert, Schubert's "Trout", took its title from the second half, which opened with Schubert's lied Die Forelle (The Trout), followed by the famous "Trout" Quintet, which took its name from the fact that the theme from the lied was used as the basis for the tema con variazioni of the fourth movement. But first it opened with three vocal presentations programmed around the vocal prowess of mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer, who stood in at the last moment for Sasha Cooke, the intended singer who was out with an illness.

 The opening work, J.S. Bach's Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust from Cantata No. 170, saw Fischer joined by Allan Vogel (oboe d'amore), Steven Copes and Bella Hristova (violin), Paul Neubauer (viola), Peter Wiley (cello), Samuel Suggs (double bass) and Daniel Schlosberg (harpsichord).  The logistics presented problems from the first. Fischer was standing at the back of a 7-piece orchestra playing modern instruments, and so her voice often had trouble cutting through the texture of the chamber players. Perhaps this arrangement would've worked with a gut-strung HIP orchestra, but it was unsatisfactory as presented: too often her sound was swallowed. 18th-century composer and lexicographer Johann Mattheson nailed it when he is reputed to have said: "The singers must stand alltime in front."

Mozart's Parto, parto, ma tu ben mio, an aria extracted from Clemenza di Tito for mezzo, clarinet obbligato and piano quartet followed, and the same logistical arrangement was used. Schlosberg switched to piano, and Hristova was the only violinist. David Shifrin was a delight; if there's anything finer than Mozart played on the clarinet by someone who really knows his instrument--well that would be something indeed to hear. He was in not so much of a dialogue with Fischer as a role of running commentary. Fischer, possessed of an undoubtedly fine instrument, came across at times as disinterested, and so was I for parts of this piece. One must I suppose give the benefit of the doubt; standing in on such difficult music with who-knows-how much notice can't be easy even for a top-notch performer. Towards the end she seemed to come more alive; her flourishes and cadenzas were actually quite spectacular and she had bedazzled the audience by the end of the Mozart.

The newly commissioned piece Crossroads (commissioned by CMNW and a multitude of other entities) by American composer John Harbison (b 1938) was like an entirely new world. The poetry of Louise Glück was featured, and set to the music of five strings (Hristova, Copes, Neubauer, Wiley and Suggs) and oboe (Vogel). The absence of a keyboard instrument was somehow bracing, and it began with a simple yet intriguing and profound opening statement from the strings, like a harbinger. The first movement, Twilight was a still-life, and there was much humor to be found in the text. Telling the story of a millworker dreaming at an evening table at dusk, Fischer's intensity and complete engagement with the text was spellbinding; each nuance and subtle turn of phrase was impeccably executed; Fischer seemed to inhabit the constantly changing emotional spaces. There was no straining to become involved with and completely subsumed by the story at hand. Harbison's textual underlay was fascinating; set off just enough from the accompaniment at times, it was constantly fresh, and both propelled the story and created space for the diction. A dissonant final soliloquy for the oboe seemed odd and disjointed, but in the context of the second movement, Primavera, it suddenly made perfect sense.

Primavera was like a misnomer in some ways, or a dichotomy. A high harmonic squawking from the strings programmed the scene: "the warm air fills with bird calls..." This movement seemed a naturalistic interpretation of life; even in the glories of spring it spoke of an end to all things, and the dissonant clarinet from the end of the previous movement felt like a foreshadowing. The music gloried in the transience of life rather than seeking to hide from it or become fearful of the inevitable end. The strings were not just an accompaniment to Fischer's recountal, but an equal partner in imparting meaning. The final movement, Crossroads, is really about the crossroads between life and death. Exactly the opposite of the story in the Bach cantata--here the music moves into atonality at the bitter end, not in trepidation of what comes after...but really the end doesn't have to be so bitter after all.

Die Forelle, (D. 550, Op. 32) a quick study into the life and death of a trout, was an oddly appropriate accompaniment to the Harbison, and presaged the "Trout" Quintet (D667, Op. 11) to follow. Neubauer, Wiley, Suggs and Copes were joined by Anna Polonsky on piano. These festival favorites dove into the chestnut with gusto. Polonsky in particular seems to have an innate ability to discern and perfectly execute the role of her instrument. The ensemble playing was spectacular, in addition to the individual fireworks. Copes displayed a spritely, rapid-fire saltando in the third movement, and Wiley and Suggs anchored the work nicely without being overpowering. It's a joy to hear Wiley--whatever he brings to the table is always fine. There was no grasping for glory by any performers; simply a purely professional and profoundly artistic ability to work with what was there at any given moment. The variations on the Trout theme in the fourth movement were spectacular; especially fun and satisfying was the sturm und drang variation, which fooled a knowledgeable audience into applauding a bit before it was time--much to the amusement of performers and audience alike.

Virtuoso Paul Jacobs delivers awesome organ concert at the Oregon Bach Festival

One of the many astonishing things about Paul Jacob’s organ concert at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Tuesday (July 8) is that he played ninety minutes of organ music entirely from memory. But I’m guessing that that was a relatively easy feat for a fellow who has memorized all of Bach’s solo organ music and even performed it in an 18-hour marathon concert. For his performance on Trinity’s Rosales Organ, considered widely as the best organ in the Pacific Northwest, the Grammy-award-winning Jacobs’ program consisted of works by J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach, Alexandre Guilmant, W. A. Mozart, and Felix Mendelssohn. Jacobs wonderfully explored a huge variety of sound – from dainty and far away to loudly majestic and all surrounding – with virtuosic yet gracious flair.

This concert, sponsored by the Oregon Bach Festival, effectively used a camera, which projected Jacobs’ playing onto a very large screen that I could easily see from the back of the nave. It was fascinating to see how Jacobs, who is only 37 years old, engaged the keyboards, stops, and pedals. His first piece, J. S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor (aka the “Wedge”), was a real eye-and-ear opener. The opening statement was bold and brilliant but not overwhelming. The fugue section was like a many-layered cake with delicious flavors. The theme traveled from one hand to the other and finally to feet, but then it all became transmogrified into a bigger, better, more expansive theme, with Jacobs’s hands and feet dancing all over the place, that just lifted everyone’s spirits.

Next came a piece that went in an entirely different direction, the Sonata in D Major by C. P. E. Bach. It was much, much lighter and more buoyant and it didn’t involve any pedal work. That’s because C. P. E. (one of J. S. Bach’s sons) wrote the piece for Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia (a sister of Friedrich II), who had limited pedal technique. The tonality of the piece was centered primarily in the treble register, with a nice meditative segment in the second movement that sounded like a duet for soprano and mezzo. The last movement alternated between strong, lower passages and delicate and higher ones, creating a slightly bravura finish.

Instead of playing John Stanley’s Voluntary in D Minor as stated in the printed program, Jacobs substituted the “Pastorale” movement from Guilmant’s Organ Sonata in D Minor, explaining that the Guilmant was better suited to the Rosales than the Stanley. In any case, it the Guilmant was a gem that took the audience in a different direction in which the main melody evoked a shepherd piping. This melody was supported by chords in the distance, which could have been sheep or clouds or just a gentle breeze. While playing, Jacobs would gracefully change the stops, teasing the audience with different qualities of sound.

J. S. Bach wrote six Trio Sonatas, by which he apparently wanted to teach his son, Wilhelm Friedrich to play the organ in a way that each appendage (left hand, right hand, and feet) would be independent of each other. With most composers, such a piece would probably be mundane and boring, but with Bach, it’s another masterpiece. Jacobs performed the Trio Sonata in C Major, and you could see and hear one melody starting in the right hand, then a different melody starting with the left, and finally another melody starting with the feet. How Bach got all of the themes to work together was mesmerizing and how Jacobs kept it all straight – who knows, but it right there in front on the big screen, and it just blew the audience away.

This complicated piece was followed by Mozart’s Andante in F Major, a rare work since Mozart wrote few pieces for organ. Jacobs explained that the Andante was written for a mechanical clock-cum-music box which an eccentric count kept in his wax museum. This was a lovely piece with several main themes in a cantabile style, yet it was interspersed here and there with sounds that reminded me of a calliope.

The final piece on the program was Mendelssohn’s sonata in F Minor. This work sounded grand and glorious. The first movement featured Bach-like sections and a massiveness that was delightfully punctured by meditative hymn-like chorales. The second movement was sober and subdued and had more of a Mendelssohn-like quality. The third movement alternated single line recitatives with bombastic outbursts and the fourth displayed huge toccata passages and enormous crescendos. It all wound up with a ray of sunshine that caused everyone to stand up and cheer.

Jacobs added an encore, Bach’s A Minor Fugue (BWV543), which again showed off Jacobs immense, impeccable, and virtuosic skills, including a crazy feet-only passage and wild phrases for both hands. That got everyone cheering again. It was just amazing.

Finally, this concert was a return engagement by Jacobs and with the OBF, which also named him as the director of the new OBF Organ Institute. So, it will be our good fortune to hear him, hopefully, again next year.

Sing great chorale literature - with members of the Portland Symphonic Choir

From the Portland Symphonic Choir website:

Celebrate summer with song!

Whether you sing in a professional choir, a school choir, or a choir for one in the shower, Summer Sings is for you! Three Wednesdays in July, music lovers of all stripes come to sing through choral masterworks with members of the Portland Symphonic Choir led by some of the finest conductors in the Pacific Northwest. Join your voices for a preview of the 70th anniversary season as we sing the Mozart Requiem with David Hattner and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with Katherine FitzGibbon. The beloved Brahms Requiem led by PSC’s very own Kathryn Lehmann rounds out the series. We provide the scores, you provide the song!

Tickets on sale now! Just $10 or $25 for all three events.

We provide the scores, the free parking, and the air-conditioning! You provide the enthusiasm!

All Summer Sings events take place at the Moriarty Arts Auditorium at the PCC Cascade Campus.

Moriarty Arts & Humanities Building at Portland Community College, corner of N Killingsworth and Albina, Portland, 97217 (link to map).

Edgar Meyer and Mike Marshall blow the barn doors off of CMNW

No more introduction is needed than this: on Thursday night July 3 at Kaul Auditorium  the world's (almost inarguably) greatest double bass player and one of its foremost mandolin stylists teamed up for a (mostly) two-man concert. Edgar Meyer and Mike Marshall delivered a program heavy on Americana in honor of our nation's holiday, and the product was every bit as good as one would expect.

Featuring a roving, constantly shifting set list--neither Marshall nor Meyer seemed entirely sure of what order they played their songs, nor indeed at times of what they actually played--these two roamed through old favorites and new original compositions. Opening with a hornpipe with scintillating mandolin over a peripatetic bass line, the duo warmed into it immediately and then really began to swing.  Meyer displayed every trick in the book: pizzicato bass lines in which he slapped strings with his fingers for percussive effect, drawn out sawing with his bow, and despite the technical fireworks his balance with Marshall was perfect--it would've been so easy for him do drown out the delicate filigree from Marshall's instrument, but his sense of unity was perfect.

The first set featured their own tunes called Green Slime and Pickles, a rhythmic yet oddly free-form piece centered around a deep blues theme on the mandolin. Another piece featured melancholy, moto perpetuo bass motives that switched in color and character--arco, pizzicato, arco--Meyer switched back and forth in between phrases while Marshall played a clean, sparkling descant over the deeps of Meyer's themes, as the two wandered in what strange and far-flung modal shores, personifying the metaphor of music as journey.

They switched to another tune, Meyer swinging and honking at the top of the fingerboard in an extremely funky root motive. Rhythmic solidarity between the two were the watchwords of the evening, which made the side-trips into polyrhythms all the more enjoyable.  Sitting there listening, I wondered what it would be like to attain such mastery over a medium as to have complete freedom to soar like an albatross over a shining sea. Lacking both the innate artistry and titanic discipline to achieve such heights, all I can do is dream indeed, but hearing a concert by virtuosi such as these was better than any dream.

In the second half, featuring more original compositions such as Flight of the Fly and Please Don't, they broke new ground, Meyer wailing away on rapidly shifting open fifths, like power chords on heavy metal guitar. They played a folk/Americana medley, with Whiskey Before Breakfast and The Middle Passage among the offerings. They were joined by Meyer's son George on the fiddle for Temperance Reel and other tunes. George Meyer and Marshall played some spectacularly precise and intricate doublings during this set. Marshall switched to the mandola for a tune called Looper, showing intricate melodic interplay between instruments as well as humrous stop tempos. They closed with an Appalachian-feeling tune called Early Morning, and finally with an unbelievably lively Bulgarian dance tune.

Chamber Music Northwest always brings incredible artists to Portland, but to say they outdid themselves last Thursday night would be an understatement. It was a joy to hear such artistry, and to see two such masters who still, after all is said and done, seem not to take themselves too seriously. It seemed that for them this music was about having fun and being alive, and if music isn't good for that then I quit.

Oregon Bach Fest's sumptuous St Mark Passion fills the sanctuary at Trinity Episcopal

Tenor Nicholas Phan

The Oregon Bach Festival continued its series of Portland concerts with a performance of J.S. Bach's St. Mark Passion at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on an extremely warm July 2nd evening. Bach's St. Mark, unlike the St. John and St. Matthew passions, it is a parody--basically recycling earlier works--and has largely been reconstructed from the libretto by Picander and other notations. Though there are a number of reconstructions in the repertory, OBF's new director Matthew Halls did the necessary reconstructions for this performance in collaboration with organist Dominik Sackmann.

From the outset, from the very first notes of the opening chorus sung from deep in the recesses of the altar, it was clear that an incredible performance was at hand. The glorious unanimity and sensitivity displayed by the Berwick Chorus of the OBF never let up throughout the performance; the pathetic qualities of this group were immediately obvious, and with Geh, Jesu--the remark that Jesus goes to his own sacrifice--the choir was unhurried, displaying masterful dynamic and emotive control, reveling in its own sound but in the most unpretentious manner possible... it was all for the sake of the music, and that quality did not change through the entire evening. The many opportunities for them to shine in this chorale-heavy work were never wasted.

Hall's direction was florid and expressive, almost exaggerated but it's difficult to argue with such results. Presenting a Passion requires shepherding the various parts into a seamless whole--it seems the presentation of a Passion is as much about the story as anything else, so the music must both supply the impetus for and yet not stand in the way of the tale, and Hall was superb in this respect.

The incredibly demanding roles of the Evangelist and Jesus, sung by Tyler Duncan and Nicholas Phan respectively, were well-filled. In particular, the challenge of keeping the recitative fresh and interesting for hours on end was admirably handled by Phan. He was intense and provocative in his role, never letting the sometimes dry score affect the delivery. Duncan's magnificent baritone, underneath the ever-present halo of strings and organ, was dark and redolent with the sense of a fate already decided--perfectly suited to the main role.

Alto Reginald Mobley delivered the most beautiful and stirring aria of the evening with Mein Heiland, dich vergess' ich nicht (My Savior, I will not forget you.) The whole aria was marvelous, but his ability to shape one  lungo possibile  note into an entire phrase, to shift that one incredibly pure tone in both dynamic and timbral spaces and then finish with the most delicate flourish of controlled vibrato--that alone would have made the experience worthwhile.

The chorus displayed a new character with the turba choruses. Abandoning the tenderness of the chorales, they foamed and fumed, bringing to the crowds a character all their own. The adroitness and in-depth period knowledge with which all performers, singers and instrumentalists alike, presented this work is just another reminder of how glad early-music audiences in Portland should be that the Oregon Bach Festival has been reinvesting themselves in Portland over the past few years.

Reviews of Monteverdi "Vespers" and "His Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts" - Oregon Bach Festival performances in Portland

Guest reviews by Phillip Ayers

If ever there were an embarrassment of riches in the local musical world, it took place at Trinity Cathedral this past weekend as the Oregon Bach Festival opened its 2014 Portland performances at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. On Friday evening (June 27th) a packed church heard - and saw - what a person near to me commented later was "over-the-top" liturgical music in a performance of Claudio Monteverdi's "Vespers," which featured soloists, choir, and a Baroque orchestra under the direction of OBF artistic director Matthew Halls. It's hard to imagine being in a church in the early 17th century experiencing a liturgy accompanied by this stunning music.

With $5 one could purchase the complete program of all the OBF concerts, and the notes by James McQuillen for the Monteverdi were especially helpful. Translations from the Latin texts were flashed onto a screen to the left of the performers, but this reviewer yearned for the Latin original, which surely would not have been much of a burden to provide in parallel columns, either on screen or off. Even so, the music wrapped around the hearer, although not performed "in the round," enhancing the texts from such sources as the sensuous "Song of Songs," the "Psalter," and Biblical canticles, the "Magnificat" ("Song of Mary"), to be exact.

Some balance problems in the tenor section at the outset were quickly righted, and the rest of the choral sound was skillfully wrought. Arrangement of solo singers was varied throughout the concert, no doubt to provide maximum contrast and a kind of "layered" effect. For example, in Psalm 121 (in the Vulgate, 122 in the "modern" version), there were two sets of soloists (two tenors in front and two sopranos and bass behind them), and the Berwick Chorus of the OBF massed behind. The choral singers were not only well-trained and professional but obviously enjoying this music, judging by their facial expressions and body movement.

In many regards, the "best was saved for last," with the "Magnificat" performed toward the end of the program (or "show" as some of the staff called it). For many listeners, myself included, the tender song of a young maid who has found out that she is pregnant with a very special child is given exquisite treatment. Tenor Nicholas Phan, in so many ways the "star of the show," brought control, contrast, drama, and best of all, an excellent voice to all his solos, including parts of "Magnificat." From declaiming the ancient plainchant to the accompaniment of cornetts and recorders, to more dramatic, emotional passages, Phan shone, to make this "Magnificat" magnificent. In "et misericordia" there was excellent dynamic contrast; Monteverdi stuck to the text, painting it with gorgeous harmonies, contrapuntal passages, and contrasts of many kinds. The soprano in "Suscepit Israel" was very good, giving poignancy and depth to these words. It was difficult to match soloist to solo, even with soloists' pictures in the program; the soloists were listed with other performers and not by their solos. To close "Magnificat," an interesting technique was employed by the composer in setting it to music in dialogue. As the tenor sang with the ensemble in front, another tenor echoed in the rear of the church, accompanied by the theorbo, a long-necked plucked instrument, producing a subtle sound. I must admit I was among those who turned my head to check on what was going on. It was executed so finely and quietly that it could well have escaped the listener.

The program notes provided information about Monteverdi's work: no record exists of a performance of his "Vespers" in his lifetime. Although known for operas (such as "Orfeo"), Monteverdi's first work was a set of three-voice sacred songs, and he may well have written the "Vespers" to help "pave the way for a church job." Indeed the tension between composer and employer posed many problems (e.g., J. S. Bach later on), and Monteverdi was not spared that tension. In the early 17th century, the time of the composition of "Vespers," the composer was under attack "for his unconventional use of dissonance and modality." This was a spectacular and ambitious large-scale work and would hold sway until Bach's "St. John Passion" was composed.

Monteverdi was something of a "bridge" between Renaissance and Baroque periods, and one can discern the use of an old technique of utilizing plainchant associated with the text as a "cantus firmus" many times throughout. There was a much contrast between instruments and voices - and here the Berwick Bach Festival Choir was at its best - providing not only interest but aiding in the musical painting of the texts. The music used polyphony and homophonic styles, including "falsobordone," or harmonized chant in block chords. Lucky Pope Paul V: Monteverdi dedicated this work to him, paving the way toward a position at St. Mark's in Venice where he spent the rest of his career.

Matthew Halls, the new artistic director of the OBF following in the footsteps of Helmut Rilling, will no doubt open up new vistas in the festival's offerings. He proved himself competent and engaging as a conductor on Friday, rallying all the forces of instruments, choir, and soloists in a seemingly effortless, seamless way. The hour and a half flew by without an intermission and I felt as blessed as a congregant at St. Mark's, Venice in the 17th century (yet no battery-powered lights were clipped onto the singers' scores back then)

His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts

The next evening (Saturday, June 28th) at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral was given over to a concert by His Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts, an ancient music ensemble from England. Jeremy West, one of the cornett players, served as a master of ceremonies, offering pithy and witty comments on this delightful, and often subtle and nuanced music. One had to deduce that it was indeed Mr. West speaking, because his name was listed as a player but not as commentator. After a set of English pieces, by Locke, Byrd, Philips, and Wilbye, West regaled the concertgoers with a brief education on the ensemble's fascinating instruments. The cornett is not at all like a modern brass cornet, yet it sounds like a lighter version of one. t is rather a "hybrid" between a wind and a brass instrument. It has a mouthpiece similar to a modern brass instrument but features finger-holes in the shaft. They are constructed of two halves of wood, covered in leather, available in various sizes, including a curved one that was played for some pieces. The resulting sound can be compared to the human voice, or a light trumpet, or as West put it, "Simply like a cornett!" The sagbutt (or sackbutt) comes in various sizes, looking much like a trombone, but smaller and more delicate. The bell on a sagbutt is smaller and not as flared as in a modern instrument.

Several pieces were of the English, German, Spanish and Italian schools of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Familiar composers such as Palestrina, Gabrieli, Scheidt, along with the aforementioned English ones, were well represented. Often these pieces were originally written for the voice (as in a madrigal) or for other instruments and transposed. Another technique, called "divisions," was demonstrated in selections by Sandrin, Palestrina and de Rore. A next-generation arranger would take a few voices from a composition and improvise in the style of the original. Various configurations of instruments were featured in the program: at times only the sagbutts, at others only cornetts, sometimes solos. The organ was well played by Alice Baldwin, while standing at a "Positiv" organ, a small instrument capable of providing accompaniment as well as solo work.

West pointed out "battle music" that was represented by Samuel Scheidt's "Galliard Battaglia," José Ximénez's "Batalla à 6," and Gioseffo "Guami's Battaglia à 6." One could easily visualize this music accompanying an actual battle, spurring on the troops.

Closing the program was "Canzon seconda à 6," with all of the instrumental forces together, joining in glorious and grand style. While not as blaring and brash as a brass ensemble with mighty organ would be, this rather subtle music sent us all on our way, utterly charmed and delighted.

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Phillip Ayers sings with the Portland Bach Cantata Choir and for ten years sang with the Portland Symphonic Choir. From 2001-2007 he produced and hosted "Choral Classics" on All Classical radio. A retired Episcopal priest, he and his spouse are former church organists and choir directors and now enjoy "sitting in the pew" at church and concerts.