Today's Birthdays

Caroline Miolan‑Carvalho (1827-1895)
Ernest John Moeran (1894-1950)
Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940)
Nathan Milstein (1904-1992)
Jule Styne (1925-1994)
Jaap Schröder (1925-2020)
Odetta (1930-2008)
Calvin Hampton (1938-1984)
Stephen Cleobury (1948)
Donna Summer (1948-2012)
Jennifer Higdon (1962)

and

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)
Nicholas Sparks (1965)
Junot Díaz (1968)

Today's Birthdays

William Croft (1678-1727)
André Messager (1853-1929)
Joseph Bohuslav Foerster (1859-1951)
Alfred Einstein (1880-1952)
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Paul Bowles (1910-1999)
Sir David Willcocks (1919-2015)
Bo Diddley (1928-2008)
Bruno Canino (1935)
June Anderson (1950)
Stephen Jaffe (1954)
Antonio Pappano (1959)

and

Theodor Fontane (1819-1898)
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
Sara Lidman (1923-2004)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1879 was the premiere of Gilbert & Sullivan's operetta "The Pirates of Penzance," in Paignton at the Royal Bijou (partial preview to insure British copyright). The first full performance of the new work occurred at the Fifth Avenue Theater in New York City the following day, with Sullivan conducting and Gilbert in attendance. The New York premiere was arranged to register American copyright of the new work and pre-empt unauthorized "pirate" productions in the U.S.

Gerstein creates magic, Oregon Symphony strides ahead with León and Prokofiev

A very large audience at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall greeted the Oregon Symphony for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2 with Kirill Gerstein headlining the evening (December 3). It was great to see a fairly stuffed auditorium for a program that included the West-coast premiere of Tania León’s Pulitzer-prize-winning “Stride” and a vivid performance of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7.

The concertgoers ate up Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto from the get-go to the grand finale. Gerstein’s pianism wonderfully evoked the expansive, Romantic themes without becoming sappy and overly sentimental. Gerstein elicited the dreamy melodic lines of the second movement exquisitely, and put an extra sheen on the third, delivering the ending passages with a majestic, sonic sweep.

Music director David Danzmayr let the orchestra get too loud a couple of times in the first movement, which covered up Gerstein’s sound even though he was pounding out double-fortes. But that is just a quibble in light of the orchestra’s outstanding accompaniment. Highlights included the smooth and plaintive clarinet (James Shields) and flute (Alicia DiDonato Paulsen) in the second movement as well as a pillow-soft entry by Paulsen and flutist Zachariah Galatis just a little later

Listeners responded to the concerto with thunderous applause, and Gerstein graciously replied with a lovely encore, an arrangement that Rachmaninoff had made of Fritz Kreisler’s “Liebeslied.”

Co-commissioned by the Oregon Symphony, León wrote “Stride” to celebrate the 19th Amendment, which secured women’s right to vote. León’s one-movement work offered a lot of sonic variety, opening with strings playing very high notes and a gurgling sound from the trumpets. The music acquired a random-like quality with woodwinds piping up now and then against sporadic lunges from the strings. Rhythmically herky-jerky at times, the piece staggered forward, and at one point, it seemed that the cellos provided some glue with suspended tones. A rumble of percussion, including tubular bells rang out to bring the piece to a close.

Although I didn’t hear a melodic line that I could hang my hat on, “Stride” expressed an openness and a rhythmic sophistication that made me want to hear it again. Since the Oregon Symphony was instrumental in bringing the piece about in the first place, it might reappear in a future program.

Prokofiev’s Seventh Symphony received an outstanding performance by the orchestra. I loved how the mood switched from an initial foreboding statement to a lighter, more cheerful one with the glockenspiel creating a twinkly effect, and then between those two was a wide and warm passage that could have swept everything aside, but didn’t. The whole piece had a chameleon-like flavor – changing from light an airy to a more serious and somber sound with an underlayment, at times, of sarcasm. Even the ending had that curious mixture of fairy dust with a weightier, more sober essence.

The performance was the first time that the Oregon Symphony had ever performed the Seventh. I hope that we don’t have to wait a long, long time to hear it again.

Rest in Peace - Michael Parsons

 

I am saddened to learn that Michael Parson passed away. Michael ran Classical Millenium and sold CDs in the lobby of the Schnitzer for many years. Here is the link to his obituary.

Today's Birthdays

Tomás Bretón (1850-1923)
Pablo Casals (1876-1973)
Lionel Tertis (1876-1975)
Yves Nat (1890-1956)
Peggy Glanville-Hicks (1912-1990)
Billy Tipton (1914-1989)

and

William Gaddis (1922-1998)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1903 took place the first concert by the Seattle Symphony at Christensen's Hall in Seattle under the baton of violinist Harry F. West. The program includes music of Massenet, Bruch, Schubert and Rossini.

Today's Birthdays

Christian Cannabich (1731-1798)
Julius Rietz (1812-1877)
B. J. Lang (1837-1909)
Francesco Tamagno (1850-1905)
Roger Sessions (1896-1985)
Earl "Fatha" Hines (1905-1983)
Johnny Otis (1921-2012)
Nigel Kennedy (1956)

and

Charles Portis (1933-2020)

Today's Birthdays

Sir John Goss (1800-1880)
Tito Schipa (1888-1965)
Marlene Dietrich (1904-1992)
Oscar Levant (1906-1972)

and

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
Charles Olson (1910-1970)
Wilfrid Sheed (1930-2011)
Chris Abani (1966)
Sarah Vowell (1969)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1841, Franz Liszt performs at the Singakademie in Berlin. Women swooned and the general audience reacts with such uncontrolled enthusiasm that Heinrich Heine coins the term "Lisztomania" to describe their fanatical devotion to the performer, which soon swept through most of Europe.

Today's Birthdays

Maurice Gendron (1920-1990)
Thea King (1925-2007)
Earle Brown (1926-2002)
Phil Specter (1940-2021)
Wayland Rogers (1941)
Harry Christophers (1953)
Andre-Michel Schub (1953)
Gabriella Smith (1991)

and

Thomas Gray (1716-1771)
Henry Miller (1891-1980)
Jean Toomer (1894-1867)
Juan Felipe Herrera (1948)
David Sedaris (1958)

Merry Christmas!

Today's Birthdays

Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
Jean‑Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772)
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint‑George (1745-1799)
Cosima Wagner (1837-1930)
Lina Cavalieri (1874-1944)
Giuseppe de Luca (1876-1950)
Gladys Swarthout (1900-1969)
Cab Calloway (1907-1994)
Noël Lee (1924-2013)
Noel Redding (1945-2003)
Jon Kimura Parker (1959)
Ian Bostridge (1964)

and

Dorothy Wordsworth (1771-1855)
Clara Barton (1821-1912)
Rod Serling (1924-1975)

Today's Birthdays

Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)
Nikolai Roslavets (1881-1944)
Lucrezia Bori (1887-1960)
Charles Wakefield Cadman (1881-1946)
Sir Vivian Dunn (1908-1995)
Teresa Stich-Randall (1927-2007
Mauricio Kagel (1931-2008)
Arnold Östman (1939)
Libby Larsen (1950)
Hans-Jürgen von Bose (1953)
Vasyl Slipak (1974-2016)

and

Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)
Anthony Fauci (1940)
Dana Gioia (1950)

and from The Writer's Almanac

Today is Christmas Eve. One of the best modern Christmas Eve stories is a true one, and it happened in 1914, in the trenches of World War I. The “war to end all wars” was raging, but German and British soldiers had been engaging in unofficial ceasefires since mid-December. The British High Command was alarmed, and warned officers that fraternization across enemy lines might result in a decreased desire to fight. On the German side, Christmas trees were trucked in and candles lit, and on that Christmas Eve in 1914, strains of Stille Nacht — “Silent Night” — reached the ears of British soldiers. They joined in, and both sides raised candles and lanterns up above their parapets. When the song was done, a German soldier called out, “Tomorrow is Christmas; if you don’t fight, we won’t.”

The next day dawned without the sound of gunfire. The Germans sent over some beer, and the Brits sent plum pudding. Enemies met in no man’s land, exchanging handshakes and small gifts. Someone kicked in a soccer ball, and a chaotic match ensued. Details about this legendary football match vary, and no one knows for sure exactly where it took place, but everyone agrees that the Germans won by a score of three to two.

At 8:30 a.m. on December 26, after one last Christmas greeting, hostilities resumed. But the story is still told, in a thousand different versions from up and down the Western Front, more than a century later.

On Christmas Eve in 1906, the first radio program was broadcast. Canadian-born Professor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden sent his signals from the 420-foot radio tower of the National Electric Signaling Company, at Brant Rock on the Massachusetts seacoast. Fessenden opened the program by playing “O Holy Night” on the violin. Later he recited verses from the Gospel of St. Luke, then broadcast a gramophone version of Handel’s “Largo.” His signal was received up to five miles away.

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1920, the last operatic appearance ever of the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso took place in an evening performance of Halevy's "La Juive" (The Jewess) at the old Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Caruso would die in Naples (where he made his operatic debut on March 15, 1895) at the age of 48 on August 2, 1921.

Oregon Symphony and Märkl explore memory with works by Dutilleux, Ravel, and Prokofiev

The Oregon Symphony, led by principal guest conductor Jun Märkl, presented a program (November 21) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall based at least in part on music as a response to a cataclysmic event in the past. Henri Dutilleux’s “The Shadows of Time” was a reaction to WWII and Maurice Ravel’s “Le Tombeu de Couperin” to WWI. Ravel’s “Le Valse” looked back at fin de siècle Vienna when the waltz reigned supreme. Sergei Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto, which featured concertmaster Sarah Kwak, was not shaped by a past event, but the composer did have to wait five years before it was premiered because of the Russian Revolution in 1917.

Dutilleux’s “The Shadows of Time” painted a somber sonic collage that explored a sense of loss and remorse over deportation of Jewish children to Nazi concentration camps. Consisting of five movements that flowed without interruption, “The Shadows of Time” struck an eerie and defiant statement against an injustice. It had periodic shrieks and blasts, some passages sank into a foggy blur, and others were strident. Three girls from the Pacific Youth Choir probingly sang “Why us?” Growling double basses and contra bassoon meshed with the timpani in a disturbing way. Sounds continued to shift, sometimes sighing, sometimes swirling. The total effect of “The Shadows of Time” was arresting and thought-provoking – sort of a ying-yang of emotional and intellectual moods. The piece ended quietly, and, it seemed, in regret over humanity’s inhumanity.

Kwak delivered a lithe and incisive performance of Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No. 1.” In the first movement, Kwak elicited creamy, elegant lines that had an ethereal quality. One section was highlighted with Kwak’s lovely sound accompanied by flutist Zachariah Galatis and an underlayment of tremolo strings. In the second movement, Kwak generated a playful mood that became propulsive and edgy before breaking into a faster, more exuberant pace and a spot-on, quick ending. The third movement featured lyrical themes that, at one point, was augmented by the evocative playing of principal tuba, JáTtik Clark. Kwak masterfully commanded the high register to fashion refined, swirling trills that brought the piece to a whispery close.

Ravel dedicated “Le Tombeau de Couperin” to four friends who were victims of the First World War, but he decided to make the piece uplifting rather than solemn. One of the best things about this concert was hearing this music with Märkl, a terrific master of French music, on the podium. He had a magical way of shaping the piece and bringing all of its dancing colors to the foreground. The energetic Prélude was spirited. The Forlane felt as if it floated effortlessly. The Menuet had a tinge of mystery, and the Rigaudon hopped about joyfully. The woodwinds played impeccably and with verve. Steller playing by principal oboe Martin Hébert highlighted each movement.

To wrap things up with a cataclysmic whirl, Märkl and the orchestra expressed Ravel’s “Le Valse” with panache – starting super quietly, letting the graceful waltz themes emerge, teasing the audience with an ebb and flow in the pace and dynamics, then becoming herky jerky as if everything were flying out of control, and finally smashing all over the place. It was a terrific way to let go of the past.

Today's Birthdays

Joseph Boismortier (1689-1755)
Ross Lee Finney (1906-1997)
Claudio Scimone (1934-2018)
Ross Edwards (1943)
Edita Gruberová (1946)
Elise Kermani (1960)
Han-Na Chang (1982)

and

Harriet Monroe (1860-1936)
Norman Maclean (1902–1990)
Robert Bly (1926-2021)
Carol Ann Duffy (1955)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1989, Leonard Bernstein led the first of two public performances of Beethoven's Ninth at the Philharmonie in West Berlin, with an international orchestra assembled to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. The second performance occurred on December 25 at the Schauspielhaus in East Berlin

Conversation with Chicago Symphony bassoonist Keith Buncke in OAW

While I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, I talked with Keith Buncke, principal bassoonist with the Chicago Symphony. He grew up in Lake Oswego. You can read about this double-reed wizard in Oregon ArtsWatch here.

Today's Birthdays

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)
Giovanni Bottesini (1821-1889)
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924)
Franz Schmidt (1874-1939)
Edgard Varèse(1883-1965)
Joseph Deems Taylor (1885-1966)
Alan Bush (1900-1995)
Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980)
David Leisner (1953)
Jean Rigby (1954)
Zhou Tian (1981)

and

Jean Racine (1639-1699)
Kenneth Rexroth (1905-1982)
Donald Harrington (1935-2009)

Today's Birthdays

Zdeněk Fibich (1850-1900)
André Turp (1925-1991)
Frank Zappa (1940-1993)
Roger Lasher Nortman (1941)
Michael Tilson Thomas (1944)
András Schiff (1953)
Kim Cascone (1955)
Thomas Randle (1958)
Jonathan Cole (1970)

and

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)
Maud Gonne (1866-1953)
Edward Hoagland (1932)

Today's Birthdays

Henry Hadley (1871-1937)
Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996)
Gordon Getty (1933)
John Harbison (1938)
Roger Woodward (1942)
Mitsuko Uchida (1948)
Hobart Earler (1960)

and

Elizabeth Benedict (1954)
Sandra Cisneros (1954)
Nalo Hopkinson (1960)

Today's Birthdays

Louis‑Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749)
George Frederick Bristow (1825-1898)
Fritz Reiner (1885-1963)
Paul Dessau (1894-1979)
Edith Piaf (1915-1963)
Dalton Baldwin (1931-2019)
Phil Ochs (1940-1976)
William Christie (1944)
Marianne Faithfull (1946)
Olaf Bär (1957)
Steven Esserlis (1958)
Rebecca Saunders (1967)

and

Italo Svevo (1861-1928)
Constance Garnett (1861-1946)

and from The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the birthday of French chanteuse Édith Piaf (1915). Piaf was born Édith Giovanna Gassion in Belleville, on the outskirts of Paris. Her mother was a café singer and a drug addict, and her father was a street performer who specialized in acrobatics and contortionism. Neither of them particularly cared for Piaf, so she mostly grew up with her grandmother, who ran a brothel. Piaf was looked after by prostitutes and later claimed that she was blind from the ages of three to seven because of keratitis, or malnutrition, though this was never proved.

Her father reclaimed her when she was nine and Piaf began singing with him on street corners until he abandoned her again. She lived in shoddy hotel rooms in the red-light district of Paris and sang in a seedy café called Lulu’s, making friends with pimps, hookers, lowlifes, and gamblers, until she was discovered by an older man named Louis Leplée.

Leplée ran a nightclub off the Champs-Élysées. He renamed Piaf La Môme Piaf, “The Little Sparrow,” dressed her entirely in black, and set her loose on the stage. Piaf was a hit, and recorded two albums in one year, becoming one of the most popular performers in France during World War II.

Édith Piaf died on the French Riviera at the age of 47. More than 40,000 people came to her funeral procession. Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina named a small planet after Piaf; it’s called 3772 Piaf. Her songs have been covered by Madonna, Grace Jones, and even Donna Summer.

Édith Piaf’s last words were, “Every damn thing you do in this life, you have to pay for.”

Today's Birthdays

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Edward MacDowell (1860-1908)
Fletcher Henderson (1897-1952)
Rita Streich (1920-1987)
William Boughton (1948)
David Liptak (1949)
Christopher Theofanidis (1967)

and

Saki - H. H. Munro (1870-1916)
Paul Klee (1879-1940)
Christopher Fry (1907-2005)
Abe Burrows (1910-1985)

Today's Birthdays

Domenico Cimarosa (1749-1801)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979)
Ray Noble (1903-1975)
Art Neville (1937)

and

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)
Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939)
William Safire (1929-2009)
John Kennedy Toole (1937-1969)

and from The Writer's Almanac:

It's the day that The Nutcracker ballet was performed for the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia (1892). Czar Alexander III, in the audience, loved the ballet, but the critics hated it. Tchaikovsky wrote that the opera that came before The Nutcracker "was evidently very well liked, the ballet not. ... The papers, as always, reviled me cruelly." Tchaikovsky died of cholera less than a year later, before The Nutcracker became an international success.

Today's Birthdays

François Adrien Boieldieu (1775-1834)
Augusta Holmès (1847-1903)
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Turk Murphy (1915-1987)
Steve Allen (1921-2000)
Dame Thea King (1925-2007)
Alice Parker (1925)
Kenneth Gilbert (1931-2020)
Rodion Shchedrin (1932)
Philip Langridge (1939-2010)
Trevor Pinnock (1946)
Isabelle van Keulen (1966)

and

Jane Austin (1775-1817)
George Santayana (1863-1952)
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)
Sir Noel Coward (1899-1973)
Noël Coward (1899-1973)
V. S. Pritchett (1900-1997)

PSU Opera outstanding in unusual story of legendary stagecoach driver

 Photo credit rpoppinophotography.com 

Stagecoach drivers who worked in the Wild West were highly respected for their skill in handling horses, terrible roads, dust, and bandits. They were also known for their toughness, fending off robbers, and consumption of alcohol after a day’s labor. One of the most famous stagecoach drivers of California’s Gold Rush era was Charley Parkhurst. But after Parkhurst’s death in 1879, it was discovered that legendary driver was actually a woman. The discovery made quite the sensation in the press, and in more recent years, Parkhurst has been the subject of television, books, and even a chamber opera entitled “Good Country.”

Written in 2019 by composer Ken Allegretti with text by Cecelia Raker, “Good Country” received an outstanding performance by PSU Opera (December 4) to a sold-out audience at the Studio Theater in Lincoln Hall. Directed by Rebecca Herman, “Good Country” takes place in a bar where the pregnant Barmaid (Saori DeBruyn) and Husband (John Gladen) struggle to make ends meet. Jealous of his wife’s ability to run the business, the Husband accuses her of flirting with customers and stuffs his pockets with money out of the till. Soon afterwards, two stagecoach passengers, the Lady (Sarah DeYoung) and the Doctor (Andrew Walton), burst into the bar and tell of the exploits of Parkhurst (Oliver Schulenberg), re-enacting a holdup in which Parkhurst shoots the infamous bandit, Sugarfoot. After Parkhurst enters, much celebrating and drinking ensues, with the exception of the ill-tempered Husband. Parkhurst attempts to sleep off the booze but is hassled by the Husband and through a scuffle is exposed to be wearing a corset. The Husband threatens Parkhurst for being “unnatural.” Mayhem breaks out, and the Barmaid shoots the Husband, killing him, but she also loses her baby. Parkhurst remedies the situation by switching guns with the Barmaid and promises to cover for her when the authorities arrive.

 Photo credit rpoppinophotography.com

Schulenburg embraced the role of Parkhurst with conviction. DeBruyn's spellbinding soprano superbly evoked the conflicted and frustrated Barmaid, who just wanted to open a pie shop. Gladen growled and stalked about convincingly as the detestable Husband. DeYoung created a lithe and impressionable Lady, and Walton deftly conveyed the snake-oil Doctor.

It was fun to hear expressions like ripsnortin’, balderdash, and cattywampus. Parkhurst, who used the spittoon, even referred to a stiff drink as coffin varnish. That would have made Mark Twain proud.

The charade-like scene that evoked how Parkhurst took care of Sugarfoot was terrific, but (with kudos to directions from J. C. Meyer-Crosby) the fight-scene involving Parkhurst, the Barmaid, and the Husband was even better and not easy to pull off in a small space that evoked a typical Western bar (designed and lit by Kayla Scrivner) with just a few chairs and tables and wanted posters on the wall.

Another cool thing about “Good Country” was that the character of Parkhurst was not just filled with tabaco-spittin’ bravado. Parkhurst could not forget the face of Sugarfoot, and there was the backstory of why Parkhurst went out West in the first place. Those sorts of problems would drive most people to a libation or two or three or more.

From his seat at the far left-side of the of the front row, music director Chuck Dillard expertly conducted the show, including a chamber ensemble that consisted of pianist Rosana Hurtado Klaus, violinists Shion Yamakawa and Jing Kappes, violist Keely McMurray, cellist Jonah Thomas, and clarinetist Cristal Lopez. All of the singers and the instrumentalists wore traditional garb designed by Maia Denzler.

The music had a lot of dissonance, and the strings executed many passages that featured glissandos in the upper register. The singers not only found the right notes (even though often it seemed that there were no leading tones from the instrumentalists), but they also outstandingly delivered a tricky quintet and also a challenging quartet that proclaimed hopefully that the United States is a good country and that “In one hundred years, things will be better.”

Postscript: It should be noted that Saori DeBruyn, née Erickson, starred in PSU Opera's production of "Suor Angelica" in 2017. After graduating from PSU, she went to the New England Conservatory of Music for her Masters. Her voice and her acting are as spectacular as ever. Wow!

Photo credit rpoppinophotography.com

Today's Birthdays

Michel‑Richard Delalande (1657-1726)
Lotte Schöne (1891-1981)
Stan Kenton (1911-1979)
Ida Haendel (1924-2020)
Eddie Palmieri (1936)
Nigel Robson (1948)
Jan Latham-Koenig (1953)

and

Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof (1859-1917)
Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959)
Freeman Dyson (1923-2020)
Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000)
Edna O'Brien (1930)

Today's Birthdays

Maria Agata Szymanowska (1789-1831)
Joseph Jongen (1873-1953)
Georges Thill (1897-1984)
Spike Jones (1911-1965)
Rosalyn Tureck (1914-2003)
Dame Ruth Railton (1915-2001)
Ron Nelson (1929)
Christopher Parkening (1947)
Thomas Albert (1948)
John Rawnsley (1949)

and

Shirley Jackson (1919-1965)
Amy Hempel (1951)

Today's Birthdays

Anna Milder-Hauptman (1785-1838)
Alexis de Castillon (1838-1873)
Josef Lhévinne (1874-1944)
Eleanor Robson Belmont (1879-1979)
Samuel Dushkin (1891-1976)
Victor Babin (1908-1972)
Alvin Curran (1938)

and

Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882)
Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972)
James Wright (1927-1980)
Lester Bangs (1948-1982)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1836, at a musical soiree at Chopin's apartments in Paris, the female writer "George" Sand, determined to make a good impression with her host, arrives wearing white pantaloons and a scarlet sash (the colors of the Polish flag). Paris Opéra tenor Adolphe Nourit sings some Schubert songs, accompanied by Franz Liszt. Liszt and Chopin play Moschele's Sonata in Eb for piano four-hands.

Vancouver Symphony’s Holiday Concert plays to packed house

The Vancouver Symphony delighted a nearly full-house at SkyView Concert Hall (December 10) with a program of popular movie music and Yuletide favorites. To top things off, the front edge of the stage was lined with Christmas swag and some members of the orchestra sported red stocks, scarfs, bow ties, and cummerbunds. Led by music director Salvador Brotons, the orchestra played each piece with vim and vigor, culminating with the “Radetzky March” in which the maestro had everyone in the audience enthusiastically clapping along with the music.

The concert launched with Hans Zimmer’s music from “Gladiator” in a colorful arrangement by John Wasson. A rainstick, chimes, and other percussive instruments molded the lighter sections of the piece. They contrasted well with the forceful march that staggered forward and gained speed until thundering climatically in the finale.

“Themes from 007: A Medley for Orchestra” in an arrangement by Calvin Custer cycled through a number of famous tunes from the James Bond films. The smooth sound from the drum trap set augmented the sightly jazzy style of the selected numbers with the exception of “Live and Let Die, which was more pop-rock - ish. All sections of the orchestra had a leading line at one point or another, but the horns (“For Your Eyes Only”) and the brass (“Goldfinger”) had the biggest moments.

Bob Krogstad included some foot stomping by the musicians in his arrangement of music from “Frozen.” Brief solos featured the trombone, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, and others. One song was cleverly closed out by the flute and tuba. Concertmaster Stephen Shepherd excelled in his exposed passage, and you could see heads of listeners moving in rhythm to the mega hit “Let It Go.”

Custer’s “Tribute to Henry Mancini” captured the whimsy of “Baby Elephant Walk,” the nostalgia of “Charade” and “Days of Wine and Roses,” the swing of “Pink Panther,” and the hard-driving “Peter Gunn.” A sea-shanty-like melody threaded Ted Ricketts’ arrangement of music from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.” Principal flutist Rachel Rencher delivered a lovely solo and the brass led the orchestra into a swashbuckling finale with the percussion and timpani pummeling like crazy.

The orchestra went into high gear with John Williams’ “Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra.” The famous opening theme soared, the marches were unrelentingly assertive, the Princess Leia’s Theme was graceful, and Yoda’s Theme noble. The audience ate it up and rewarded the piece with thunderous applause.

For its Christmas treat, the orchestra played Leroy Anderson’s “A Christmas Festival.” As it traversed through a number of beloved carols and holiday songs, I could hear people around me lightly humming along.

For Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” Brotons relinquished his baton to Eric Choltco, who was the highest bidder in the orchestra’s fund-raising gala for the opportunity to conduct the ensemble. Choltco acquitted himself nicely on the podium, and trumpeter James Smock got some chuckles from the hall when he created the whinny at the end of the piece.

In a nod to Vienna, the orchestra performed Johann Straus Jr’s “Tristch-Tratsch Polka” (Chit-Chat Polka) with a light step. It always catches everyone by surprise when the musician collectively let out a hoo!

Johann Strauss Sr.’s “Radetzky March” has become a crowd favorite over the past few years, and with Brotons genuine, encouraging style, concertgoers really got into it big time this year and followed his directions for clapping pretty darn well. In fact, the forte clapping went to double or triple forte! Participants can later tell their friends that they performed with the Vancouver Symphony under Brotons!

On the way back to my car in the parking lot, I overheard lots of positive comments from listeners, especially from youth who were absolutely thrilled by the pieces on the program, the orchestra, and the conductor. They didn’t know all that much about orchestral music, but they loved what they heard. I emailed the orchestra’s executive director and principal clarinetist, Igor Shakhman, and he said that the Sunday afternoon performance was sold out. If you consider the online ticket sales, then this weekend’s edition of pops concerts might have been the best ever for the orchestra. Congratulations are in order for a job well done by all involved.

Today's Birthdays

Andrey Schulz‑Evler (1852-1905)
Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974)
Frank Sinatra (1915-1998)
Philip Ledger (1937-2012)
Donald Maxwell (1948)
Margaret Tan (1953)
Jaap van Zweden (1960)
David Horne (1970)
Evren Genis (1978)

and

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)
Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
John Osborne (1929-1994)

Chicago Lyric racks up the laughs and high notes with superb "Le Comte Ory"

 Kayleigh Decker as Isolier, Kathryn Lewek as Adèle, Zoie Reams as Ragonde and Lawrence Brownlee as Ory| Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory” (Count Ory) sparkled in an over-the-top production by the Chicago Lyric opera (November 18). An all-star cast with tenor Lawrence Brownlee in the title role, soprano Kathryn Lewek, and mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker generated buckets of laughter in this production, which was a revival that Bartlett Sher cooked up for the Metropolitan Opera. The orchestra, led by music director Enrique Mazzola, put a sheen on Rossini’s effervescent music to the farcical storyline, especially its hilarious ménage à trois bedroom scene. Taken together, that made a memorable evening for the nearly full house at Civic Opera House (which has a seating capacity of 3,563).

The comedy centers on the Count Ory’s quest to seduce Countess Adéle (Lewek) while the men have gone off to the Crusades. He first tries the guise of a religious hermit, but he is outed by his own page, Isolier (Decker). Undeterred, the Count and his men dress up as nuns and due to a thunderstorm request entry to the nunnery where Adéle is staying. After they entering, they feign piety but then discover the wine storage. Meanwhile, Adéle and Isolier have concocted a scheme in which Isolier takes Adéle’s place in Adéle’s bedroom, and when Ory enters, still dressed as a nun, he hops into bed with Isolier. In this production, the bed is tilted so that the audience can see the shenanigans, which, at one point with all three characters in the same bed, are funny and sexually suggestive, even though all of them still have their clothes on.

How Lewek could immaculately execute runs from top to bottom while two people were feeling her up beneath her voluminous skirt was amazing to behold. She is a consummate singer and actress who can steal a scene with a furrowed brow and a shrug of her shoulders. She matched up perfectly with Brownlee, the great bel canto tenor. He was in superb form and marvelously hammed it up, as the fake religious hermit and as the devout nun.

Decker created a versatile Isolier, who could fall in love with Adéle, expose his boss (the Count), connive with Adéle to trick his boss, and then participate in a humorous tryst with Adéle and the Count, who is passing himself off as a nun. Throughout it all, Decker sang florid passages with power and panache.

Mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams sang outstandingly as Ragonde, stewardess of the castle and suspicious gatekeeper to Adéle. Mirco Palazzi deftly conveyed the weary Tutor who has seen it all. Lindsey Reynolds as Alice, Ian Rucker as Raimbaud, Lunga Eric Hallam as the First Courtier, and WM. Clay Thompson as the Second Coutier distinguished themselves in their roles. Michael Black expertly prepared the chorus, which sang with verve.

Kathleen Smith Belcher deserves kudos as revival director. She provided crisp directions to a large group of people, including the use of several non-singing actors, one of whom (Kirk Osgood) directed the entire production as if it were an opera within an opera. The action took place inside a theater (designed by Michael Yeargan) that hearkened back to the 18th century. There were footlights, large overhead wheels and pulleys that raised and lowered various parts of the set. The actor-director often gave harried commands to his subordinates. It was a bit distracting at first, but Osgood’s character became an integral part of the story because he manned a large gear that tilted Adéle’s bed up and down.

Lawrence Brownlee as Ory, Kathryn Lewek as Adèle and Kayleigh Decker as Isolier | Photo by Todd Rosenberg

“Le Comte Ory” was one of the last operas that Rossini wrote, and according to The New Penguin Opera Guide, he recycled a number of tunes from his “Il viaggio a Reims” (The journey to Rheims). Well, no matter how he did it, it was fun to laugh whole-heartedly at the silly goings on. It also points to the fact that it is difficult to write comic operas in general, and that very few new operas are comedies. Hmmm…

Today's Birthdays

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)
Joseph Jongen (1873-1953)
Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909)
Leo Ornstein (1893-2002)
Elliott Carter (1908-2012)
David Ashley White (1944)
Neil Mackie (1946)

and

Grace Paley (1922-2007)
Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006)
Grace Paley (1922-2007)
Jim Harrison (1937-2016)
Thomas McGuane (1939)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1918, Russian-born conductor Nikolai Sokoloff leads the first concert of the Cleveland Orchestra at Gray's Armory, presented as a benefit for St. Ann's Church. His program included Victor Herbert's "American Fantasy," Bizet's "Carmen" Suite, two movements of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, Liadov's "Enchanted Lake," and Liszt's "Les Préludes".

Today's Birthdays

César Franck (1822-1890)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Morton Gould (1913-1996)
Sesto Bruscantini (1919-2003)
Nicholas Kynaston (1941)
Julianne Baird (1952)
Kathryn Stott (1958)
Sarah Chang (1980)

and

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Melvil Dewey (1851-1931)
Adolf Loos (1870-1933)

Preview of Vancouver Symphony's Holiday Pops concert published in The Columbian

 

Ho! Ho! Ho!  My preview of this weekend's Holiday Pops concert with the Vancouver Symphony has been published in The Columbian newspaper here. The piece incorporates conversations that I had with members of the orchestra. So, you will get a bit of their perspective.

Honeck and Capuçon captivate in new Auerbach concerto - Chicago Symphony goes beyond the beyond in Shostakovich 5

Manfred Honeck, Lera Auerbach, and Gautier Capuçon - photo by Todd Rosenberg

The Chicago Symphony, under guest conductor Manfred Honeck, reached way down deep to deliver an outstanding concert on November 17 at Symphony Center. That was no mean feat because they were following the Berlin Philharmonic, which had just transported a packed house into sonic bliss the night before with an over-the-top Mahler Seven. So, with Honeck on the podium, the CSO dug into their best stuff to unleash stellar performances of works by Glinka, Shostakovich, and Lera Auerbach.

Since Auerbach was born in Russia – when it was still the Soviet Union – and her piece, “Diary of a Madman,” Concerto for Cello, was inspired by Nikolai Gogol’s short story of the same name, it would be easy to characterize the concert as filled with Russian music. But Gogol, as Auerbach’s program notes pointed out, was Ukrainian (originally Mykola Hohol), and the story tells of a low-level government bureaucrat who succumbs to delusions of grandeur, believes himself to be a king, and winds up in an insane asylum. Now, Vladimir Putin seems to be under the same kind of spell, and time will tell if he ends up in the looney bin.

With the concert, Auerbach’s Cello Concerto received is US premiere. It had its world premiere in January of 2021 by the Munich Philharmonic, but the composer was unable to attend. I know that for sure, because I attended the CSO dress rehearsal and Auerbach was there. She sat just across the aisle from me and a couple of my music critic colleagues (Nancy Malitz and Larry Johnson), and I got to talk with her briefly after the rehearsal. I was also able to look at a copy of the score. She wrote the cello solo for Gautier Capuçon, who preformed it in Munich and was the featured soloist in Chicago. The pieces was jointly commissioned by the CSO, the Munich Philharmonic, the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, and the Royal Philharmonic Stockholm.

Auerbach’s “Diary of a Madman” began quietly and right off the bat seemed to portray someone whose mind was slipping. Capuçon negotiated treacherous cadenzas that were filled with eerie high notes and segments of furious bowing. One moment, he made silken tones that would slip and slide at a leisurely pace and the next moment, everything became forte and feverish, like someone becoming unhinged. He also generated ghostly tremolos that had a slight edge. The intensity and care at which Capuçon played was off the charts. You would have thought that he might accidentally drag his bow or break a string, but that never happened. Through it all, the sound from his cello was aways remarkably beautiful.

The orchestral ensemble used a lot of extended techniques to accompany Capuçon. At one point, it collectively growled like someone beset with an upset stomach and in a super-foul mood. In another segment, the orchestra sounded like a car driving over gravel. There was a brief passage that was akin to the Dies Irae theme. The percussion created wiry – springy sounds, and interspersed here and there were lovely, almost heavenly sonic collages.

Near the end of the piece, Capuçon executed a tour-de-force, diabolically difficult cadenza. Finally, he fashioned a whisp of sound of that suggested someone hanging by a thread and wiggling heavenward, and after the last note, he held his bow for a long, long, long, long, long time before putting it down.

Auerbach ascended to the stage to warm and enthusiastic applause that continued for a long time as she thanked Capuçon, Honeck, and members of the orchestra. I have to admit that I was very impressed with the CSO audience, which readily stretched its ears to hear Auerbach’s complex music.

After intermission, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 received a superb performance by the orchestra. From the outset Honeck and company carefully crafted the piece but didn’t restrict its wild side. The first movement resplendently contrasted lovely moments like the flute solo against the menacing march that followed. An ultra-soft entry by the clarinet, snarling horns, terrifically unified violins that organically grew their lines, and a fantastic gong marked some of the most memorable sounds. The second displayed a delightful balance between urgency and playfulness that was absolutely captivating. The third quickly established a serious mood and extended it with plaintive contributions from throughout the ensemble, including an arresting passage for two flutes and harp. All that became stirred up with trenchant passion and intensity before subsiding into a quiet, soothing ending. The fourth movement burst out and galloped ahead with all the musicians playing their hearts out. The gong added to the invigorating grandiosity of the finale, and the audience clamored vociferously in response.

The concert opened with a scintillating performance of the Overture to Glinka’s “Ruslan and Ludmila.” It had spark and verve and terrific zing and was absolutely perfectly played.

It was a pleasure to see and hear what Honeck can do with an orchestra. As music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has earned plenty of accolades, including a Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance in 2018. He led the major orchestras in Europe and the US and conducted in most of the European opera houses. In September of this year, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with Mozart's "Idomeneo."

This season is Riccardo Muti’s last one as the Chicago Symphony’s music director. Honeck would be an excellent choice for the next one.

Today's Birthdays

Emile Waldteufel (1837-1915)
Joaquin Turina (1882-1949)
Conchita Supervia (1895-1936)
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1915-2006)
Dennis Eberhard (1943-2005)
Christopher Robson (1953)
Donny Osmond (1957)
Joshua Bell (1967)

and

John Milton (1608-1674)
Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908)
Léonie Adams (1899-1988)
Ödön von Horváth (1901-1938)

From the Writer's Almanac:

Milton coined more than 600 words, including the adjectives dreary, flowery, jubilant, satanic, saintly, terrific, ethereal, sublime, impassive, unprincipled, dismissive, and feverish; as well as the nouns fragrance, adventurer, anarchy, and many more.

Today's Birthdays

Claude Balbastre (1724-1799)
Frantisek Xaver Dussek (1731-1799)
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
Manuel Ponce (1882-1948)
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)
Gérard Souzay (1918-2004)
Moisei Vainberg (1919-1996)
James Galway (1939)

and

Horace (65-8 B.C.)
Diego Rivera (1886-1957)
James Thurber (1894-1961)
James Tate (1948)
Mary Gordon (1949)
Bill Bryson (1951)

Today's Birthdays

Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710)
Hermann Goetz (1840-1876)
Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)
Ernst Toch (1887-1964)
Rudolf Friml (1879-1972)
Richard Franko Goldman (1910-1980)
Daniel Jones (1912-1993)
Helen Watts (1927-2009)
Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
Daniel Chorzempa (1944)
Tom Waits (1949)
Kathleen Kuhlmann (1950)
Krystian Zimerman (1956)

and

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680)
Willa Cather (1873-1947)
Joyce Cary (1888-1957)
Noam Chomsky (1928)
Susan Isaacs (1943)

Berlin Philharmonic performance of the Mahler 7 blows away audience in Chicago

On its tour of the US, the Berlin Philharmonic made a stop in Chicago where, on November 16th at Symphony Center, Kirill Petrenko led it in an astounding performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 7. From what I have read, a lot of orchestras shy away from playing the Mahler Seven because it is so long (one hour and forty minutes) and unwieldy. As Phillip Huscher in the program notes stated: "The Seventh Symphony doesn't disclose its secrets readily. Perhaps because of its jigsaw construction - further complicated by the composre's bout with writer's block - it lacks the sheer narrative sweep of Mahler's other symphonies."

Ergo, as Huscher noted: "The Seventh has remained something of an outsider among Mahler's symphonies. It is still the least well-known of the nine he completed; it is often the last one conductors learn and the one orchestras rarely play - with the possible exception of the eighth, which is seldom performed because of the enormous forces it requires."

Notwithstanding those facts, it was all the more incredible that Petrenko and his forces gave the Maher Seven shape, dynamic intensity, emotional clarity, and created a profound, musical experience. The first movement (Slow-Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo) began with brooding, sullen quality that was punctured at times by the tenor horn. A terrific choir of trumpets sang almost against the double basses and strings. Wonderful harmonic clouds swept by with the themes passing from the horns and to the harps, and that was followed by elation before dissipating to the opening, dark statement. (One cellist broke a string and had to leave.)

One thing that struck me about the second movement (Night Music 1: Allegro moderato), was how one of the horns sounded so far, far away, even though he was sitting right next to the other horns. The mood of the piece turned lighter with a Bohemian waltz-like passage, and a rhapsodic section before marching ahead. 

The third movement (Scherzo: Shadowy) shuddered forward with ghostly glissandi. Two viola solos, bleating woodwinds, and blatantly single shots from the timpani (three times), and a throbbing waltz highlighted the movement. 

The fourth movement (Night Music 2: Andante amoroso) created a serenade that seemed nostalgic. Gentle phrases from the mandolin, guitar, and harp were lovely and unusual. A transition to a little march became subdued and wound up in a super-soft ending.

The fifth movement (Rondo finale: Allegro ordinario) started with a big statement from the timpani and trumpets and generated a rollicking theme with a huge fanfare. The piece picked up steam, but Petrenko pulled the sound back before unleashing a triumphant ending in which the string bowed like crazy and then went even faster, as if everyone had double-shots of espresso.  It was jaw-dropping to see and louder than hell!

The audience exploded with applause, cheers, bravos, and shouting at the top of their lungs. If Petrenko had wanted to body surf the place, he could have. Wave after wave of acclamation swept over the hall. No one left. Everyone was going nuts. Petrenko acknowledged various musicians and the bravos/bravas just didn't let up. This was going to go on for a while longer; so Petrenko wisely ushered the concertmaster off the stage and the musicians followed; so the audience finally calmed down.

Petrenko, who I have heard at Bayreuth, has a crisp, precise conducting style, but he is also very emotive. I have heard that the musicians absolutely love to play for him. 

I neglected to mention that the concert was sold out. I think that the cheapest tickets were about $190 in the uppermost balcony, and I did see some people in front of the entry with signs in a last-minute attempt to buy a seat. 

I have placed the concert at the pinnacle of the many that I've attended. I'll never forget it.

Today's Birthdays

Orazio Vecchi (1550-1605)
Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703)
Ira Gershwin (1896-1983)
Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1929-2016)
Henryk Górecki (1933-2010)
Tomas Svoboda (1939-2022)
John Nelson (1941)
Daniel Adni (1951)
Bright Sheng (1955)
Matthew Taylor (1964)

and

Baldassare Castiglione (1478-1529)
The Encyclopedia Brittanica (1768)
Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995)

Portland Youth Philharmonic opens 99th season with two world premieres

The Portland Youth Philharmonic opened its 99th season at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (November 12) with a fanciful program that reflected Persian, American, Mexican, and Czech cultures. The performance included two world premieres by Farhad Poupel, an Iranian composer who is based in the United Kingdom, and American composer Bruce Stark. Playing two brand-new works is a real feather in the cap for this superb youth orchestra and its music director David Hattner, who led all of the works on the program.

The orchestra opened the concert with the world premiere of Poupel’s “Childhood Memories” (Persian Suite). Its first movement contained an easygoing melody with the trumpets circulating an arc of sound, and a sequence of grand chords brought it to an emphatic close. The second movement had an enticing middle-eastern flavor. The English horn accompanied by pizzicatos from the strings generated a mellifluous theme that transitioned to the oboe. A lovely flute solo led back to the initial melody and the entire orchestra joined in. The third movement contained a clarinet solo, a dance-like tune that featured the concertmaster and the principal cellist, and a smooth trombone solo before winding up with a big melodic theme. The audience reacted with cheers and vigorous applause.

While the stage was reset for Bruce Stark’s “Variations for Piano and Strings,” the orchestra’s music director David Hattner discussed the piece with Stark and pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner from the balcony just behind the stage. That was an excellent way to keep the audience’s attention and introduce the composer and soloist.

As Stark stated in the program notes, his “Variations for Piano and Strings,” which received its world premiere in this performance, is not a piano concerto, but rather a piece that involves the solo instrument and the strings in a mutually expressive way. It offered a colorful splash and moved forward with propulsive rhythmic patterns. In at least one segment, the violins employed extended techniques with high sliding sounds. Sanchez-Werner deftly exchanged melodic threads with the strings. Some passages featured pizzicatos that were accompanied by the pianist to create a spikey commentary. Concertmaster Katie Liu excelled in some tricky exposed passages. A bouncy section reminded me of Prokofiev’s style, and a mysterioso passages was complemented by Sanchez-Werner with a delicate chime-like tones. The last variation surged to the finale and drew the piece to a satisfying close.

After intermission, Sanchez-Werner and the orchestra performed the “Balada Mexicana” by Manuel Ponce. The orchestra got a tad too loud initially and that made it difficult to hear the piano except when it was in the upper register. Sanchez-Werner excelled with the cadenza, which had some tender moments but changed to a highly-romantic, Liszt-like phrases. Later, tremolos from the violins accompanied the piano expertly, and they were swept into an expansive, lush passage. Another cadenza by Sanchez-Werner started with an enigmatic mood that transitioned into another robust Liszt-ian workout, and the piece concluded robustly.

The audience responded to Balada Mexicana enthusiastically, and Sanchez-Werner returned to play a Chopin nocturne that changed from stately to triumphant before subsiding to a quiet ending.

Antonín Dvořák's “Symphonic Variations” received inspired playing by the orchestra with excellent ensemble work in the fast passages and outstanding dynamic shaping to keep the piece moving forward. Lots of fine contributions by principals of the orchestra highlighted the performance. The boisterous variations involving the brass and playful exchanges with the horns made the strong impressions. The fugue-like variation at the end of the piece was etched with terrific shading of the dynamics.

One of the cool things about the PYP is that its musicians write eloquently about the pieces that they play in the program notes. The orchestra also allows one of its own to introduce the concert before the first note is played. For this concert, co-principal trombonist Clara Cywiniski showed superb poise with her succinct and genuine remarks. Ergo, kudos to PYP. The orchestra is a class act from top to bottom.

Today's Birthdays

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762)
Vitezslav Novák (1870-1949)
"Little" Richard Wayne Penniman (1935-2020
José Carreras (1946)
Krystian Zimerman (1956)
Osvaldo Golijov (1960)

and

Christina (Georgina) Rossetti (1830-1894)
Joan Didion (1934)
Calvin Trillin (1935)
John Berendt (1939)
Lydia Millet (1968)

And from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1704, George Frideric Handel (age 19) refuses to turn over the harpsichord to Johann Mattheson (age 23) during a performance of Mattheson's opera "Cleopatra," leading to a sword duel between the two. It is said that during the swordplay, Handel was saved by a button on his coat that deflected Mattheson's mortally-directed blade. The two reconciled on December 30 that year, dining together and attending a rehearsal of Handel's opera "Almira," becoming, as Mattheson put it: "better friends than ever."

Today's Birthdays

André Campra (1660-1744)
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737)
Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1949)
Alex North (1910-1991)
Yvonne Minton (1938)
Lillian Watson (1947)
Andrew Penny (1952)

and

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1891)
Samuel Butler (1835-1902)
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)
Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968)

Today's Birthdays

Nicolo Amati (1596-1684)
André Campra (1660-1744)
Antonio Soler (1729-1783)
Émile Waldteufel (1837-1915)
Anton Webern (1883-1945)
Halsey Stevens (1908-1989)
Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Irving Fine (1914-1962)
Charles Craig (1919-1997)
Paul Turok (1929-2012)
José Serebrier (1938)
Matt Haimovitz (1970)

and

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
Anna Freud (1895-1982)
Zlata Filipović (1980)

Today's Birthdays

Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949)
Rudolf Friml (1879-1972)
Harriet Cohen (1895-1967)
Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970)
Robert Moevs (1920-2007)
Maria Callas (1923-1977)
Jörg Demus (1928-2019)
Galina Grigorjeva (1962)

and

Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891)
T. Coraghessan Boyle (1948)
George Saunders (1958)
Ann Patchertt (1963)


And from the Composers Datebook: On this day in 1717, J.S. Bach is allowed to leave the Duke’s Court at Weimar. He had been imprisoned since Nov. 6th by his former employer Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar for accepting a new post at Prince Leopold’s court at Cöthen without first asking permission.

Today's Birthdays

François‑Xavier Richter (1709-1789)
Ernest (Louis-Etienne-Ernest) Reyer (1832-1909)
Agathe Grøndahl (1847-1907)
Lou Rawls (1933-2006)
Gordon Crosse (1937-2021)
Bette Midler (1945)
Rudolf Buchbinder (1946)
Leontina Vaduva (1960)

Edgier, grittier, updated "Carmen" grips audience in Portland Opera production

Matthew Cerillo as El Remendado, Cloe SanAntonio as Mercédès, Maya Lahyani as Carmen, Judy Yannini as Frasquita, and Zachary Lenox as El Dancaïro. Photo by Christine Dong.

Since “Carmen” is a bullet-proof opera that is often performed in a fanciful, romantic vein, it was refreshing to see Portland Opera present the new interpretation that Denyce Graves designed for this beloved work. If anyone knows “Carmen” inside and out, it is Graves, who is considered one of the greatest in the title role. The Graves-envisioned-production, premiered by Minnesota Opera before travelling to Glimmerglass and then to Portland, put a grittier and darker spin on the tragic story than usual. But infused with the singing and acting of Maya Lahyani as of the free-spirited woman, the performance on November 11 at Keller Auditorium resonated well with the nearly full house, making it a night to remember.

Although Graves was not able to attend the production, Eric Sean Fogel, who assisted her at Minnesota and Glimmerglass, made sure that everything went smoothly. This “Carmen” was updated with a contemporary look, including the Seguidille where Lahyani, clicked little coffee cups (if I saw that correctly) instead of castanets. The pantomime of a man being strangled during the overture strongly foreshadowed Carmen’s death at the end of the opera.

Sets designed by Riccardo Hernandez included a huge door for the cigarette factory that opened vertically into the fly space. The huge, matriarch-like sculpture near the bull-ring seemed a bit out of place, but figuratively seemed to tie the scene to the Romani people.

Mezzo-soprano Lahyani expertly conveyed the sexy and willful title character fluidly – one moment she could be enticingly saucy and the next moment aggressively taunting. Her voice deftly expressed Carmen’s desires with ease, from her enticing tra-la-las to her defiant refusal of Don José.

Making his professional debut, tenor Matthew Pearce turned in a stellar Don José. His high notes had verve and a remarkable sheen that grew with intensity as he became the crazed, jealous lover.

Soprano Ariana Wehr wonderfully captured the purity of Micaëla with a beautiful tone and her interaction with Pearce created a tender moment in opera that has a lot of hard edges.

Matthew Pearce as Don José and Arianna Wehr as Micaëla. Photo by Christine Dong.

Richard Ollarsaba cut a dashing figure as Escamillo, all decked out in toreador glitz that was polished by his bass-baritone. The addition of an eyepatch suggested that his days in the ring were numbered, and sure enough, he was brought out in a stretcher all blooded and dead right after Carmen met her end.

Zachary Lenox as El Dancaïro and Matthew Cerillo as El Remendado teamed up with gusto to convey the rough and tumble smugglers. Darren Lekeith Drone had plenty of heft as the platoon commander Zuñiga. Keanon Kyles distinguished himself as the corporal Moralés and Gregory Brumfield as the café owner Lillas Pastia. Judy Yannini’s Frasquita and Cloe Sanatonio’s Mercédès aptly conveyed the lighter side of fortune-telling.

Costumes by Oana Botez gave the Roma women and men colorful outfits, and plain, dark blue uniforms with padded vests to the soldiers. Fight choreographer Jon Armour unleashed an unforgettable scene in which complete mayhem breaks out at the end of Act I.

Dance sequences by Madison Hertel, Gemma Isaacson, Jasmine Harris, and Michael Francis McBride swirled about, adding spice and miraculously didn’t hit anyone when the stage was crowded.

The orchestra delivered a solid performance under the baton of Michael Ellis Ingram. The chorus, prepared by Nicholas Fox, sang full tilt. Guitarist Berto Boyd created a couple of well-placed segues with improvised pieces and thoughtfully avoided flamenco-like phrases.

Although Keller Auditorium was not sold out, it was very full, and I heard that the other two performances also drew large audiences. That bodes well for Portland Opera – especially in taking on a “Carmen” production that was not in the traditional style.

Today's Birthdays

Carl Loewe (1796-1869)
Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Sergei Liapunov (1859-1924)
Ludwig Thuille (1861-1907)
Ture Rangström (1884-1947)
Ray Henderson (1896-1970)
Klaus Huber (1924-2017)
Günther Herbig (1931)
Walter Weller (1939-2015)
Radu Lupu (1945)
Semyon Bychkov (1952)

and

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
L(ucy) M(aud) Montgomery (1874-1942)
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Jacques Barzun (1907-2012)
David Mamet (1947)

Baroque bout! - Reviews of the three candidates for PBO's artistic helm - in OAW

My reviews of the concerts that will help to determine the next artistic leader of the Portland Baroque Orchestra is now posted on Oregon ArtsWatch here.  I have to admit that it was fun to write up!

Today's Birthdays

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967)
John Brecknock (1937-2017)
Chuck Mangione (1940)
Louise Winter (1959)

and

Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888)
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007)

Holiday classical music guide published in The Oregonian

 I wrote up a number of recommended concerts for The Oregonian. They are available online here and will appear in the printed edition of the paper on Friday.

Today's Birthdays

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)
Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838)
Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894)
Pamela Harrison (1915-1990)
Berry Gordy Jr. (1929)
Randy Newman (1943)
Diedre Murray (1951)

and

John Bunyan (1628-1688)
William Blake (1757-1827)
Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
Stefan Zweig (1881-1942)
Nancy Mitford (1904-1973)
Rita Mae Brown (1944)
Alan Lightman (1948)

Today's Birthdays

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-1678)
Anton Stamitz (1750-1798 or 1809)
Franz Krommer (1759-1831)
Sir Julian Benedict (1804-1885)
Viktor Ewald (1860-1935)
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950)
Leon Barzin (1900-1999)
Walter Klien (1928-1991)
Helmut Lachenmann (1935)
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
David Felder (1953)
Victoria Mullova (1959)
Hilary Hahn (1979)

and

Anders Celsius (1701-1744)
Charles Beard (1874–1948)
James Agee (1909-1955)
Marilyn Hacker (1942)
Bill Nye (1955)

Today's Birthdays

Earl Wild (1915-2010)
Eugene Istomin (1925-2003)
Alan Stout (1932-2018)
John Sanders (1933-2003)
Craig Sheppard (1947)
Vivian Tierney (1957)
Spencer Topel (1979)

and

Eugene Ionesco (1909-1994)
Charles Schulz (1922-2000)
Marilynne Robinson (1943)

Today's Birthdays

Franz Gruber (1785-1863)
Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991)
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989)
Paul Desmond (1924-1977)
Sir John Drummond (1934-2006)
Jean-Claude Malgoire (1940)
Håkan Hagegård (1945)
Yvonne Kenny (1950)
Gilles Cachemaille (1951)

and

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895-1986)
Lewis Thomas (1913-1993)
Murray Schisgal (1926-2020)
Shelagh Delaney (1938-2011)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1934, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's article "The Hindemith Case" defending Hindemith's music appears in several German newspapers. A response attacking both Hindemith and Furtwängler appears in the Nazi newspaper "Der Angriff" on November 28. Furtwängler resigns all his official German posts on December 4 and leaves Berlin for several months. On December 6 Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels denounces Hindemith as an "atonal noisemaker" during a speech at the Berlin Sport Palace.

Today's Birthdays

Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Willie ("The Lion") Smith (1897-1973)
Norman Walker (1907-1963)
Erik Bergman (1911-2006)
Alfredo Kraus (1927-1999)
Emma Lou Diemer (1927)
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)
Maria Chiara (1939)
Chinary Ung (1942)
Tod Machover (1953)
Jouni Kaipainen (1956)
Samuel Zygmuntowicz
Edgar Meyer (1960)
Angelika Kirchschlager (1965)

and

Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677)
Laurence Sterne (1713-1768)
Margaret Anderson (1886-1973)
Dorothy Butler Gilliam (1936)
Nuruddin Farah (1945)
Arundhati Roy (1961)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1850, the legendary soprano Adelina Patti makes her operatic debut at age 16 in New York City, singing in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor."

Preview of upcoming Fear No Music concert published in OAW

My preview of Fear No Music's season opener, including interviews with Kenji Bunch and Monica Ohuchi and composers involved in the program, is now available for your reading pleasure in Oregon ArtsWatch here. Note that the concert includes a piece by Ukranian composer Victoria Polevá. I was able to exchange email with her about it and post her thoughts in the preview.

Today's Birthdays

Pierre Du Mage (1674-1751)
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
André Caplet (1878-1925)
Guy Reginald Bolton (1884-1979)
Jerry Bock (1928-2010)
Vigen Derderian (1929-2003)
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Ludovico Einaudi (1955)
Thomas Zehetmair (1961)
Nicolas Bacri (1961)
Ed Harsh (1962)

and

Harpo Marx (1888-1964)
Nirad C. Chaudhuri (1897-1999)
Paul Celan (1920-1950)
Jennifer Michael Hecht (1965)

and from the Writer's Almanac:

On this day in 1889, the first jukebox was unveiled in a saloon in San Francisco. It was invented by Louis Glass, who had earlier worked as a telegraph operator for Western Union and then co-founded the Pacific Phonographic Company. He was fascinated by the phonograph technology and saw a market for charging people to listen to them, since phonographs were still too expensive to buy for your own home. He installed the machine in the Palais Royal saloon simply because he knew the owner and it was close to his house, so he didn’t have to carry the machine very far.

The word “jukebox” wasn’t invented until the 1920s. Glass called his machine the “nickel-in-the-slot phonograph,” since you had to pay a nickel to hear a song play. In today’s money, a nickel was about $1.27 at the time. The first machine had four different stethoscopes attached to it that functioned as headphones. Each pair of headphones had to be activated by putting in a nickel, and then several people could listen to the same song at once. There were towels left by each listening device so people could wipe them off after using. As part of his agreement with the saloonkeepers, at the end of each song, the machine told the listener to “go over to the bar and buy a drink.”

His phonograph was a huge hit and, at a conference in Chicago, Glass told his competitors that his first 15 machines brought in over $4,000 in six months. This led to other manufacturers making their own machines. Shortly after, Thomas Edison designed a phonograph people could buy for their homes, which also cut into the market. Glass’s invention eventually made the player piano obsolete, and competitors updated the jukebox with new technologies from record players to CDs. Now there is such a thing as a digital jukebox, but they never really caught on, since they come with the size and expense of a regular jukebox, without any of the charm of flipping through the records and watching the moving parts of the machine.

Today's Birthdays

Frantisek Benda (1709-1786)
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784)
Conradin Kreutzer (1780-1849)
Edgard Varèse (1883-1965)
Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981)
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Gunther Schuller (1925-2015)
Jimmy Knepper (1927-2003)
Hans Zender (1936-2019)
Kent Nagano (1951)
Stephen Hough (1961)
Sumi Jo (1962)
Edward Gardner (1974)
and

George Eliot (1819-1880)
André Gide (1869-1951)
Winfred Rembert (1945-2021)

And from The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the feast day of Saint Cecilia, who was the patron saint of musicians because she sang to God as she died a martyr’s death. She was born to a noble family in Rome near the end of the second century A.D.

It wasn’t really until the 1400s that people really began to celebrate her widely as the patron saint of music. Then, in the 1500s, people in Normandy held a large musical festival to honor her, and the trend made its way to England in the next century. Henry Purcell composed celebratory odes to honor her, and the painter Raphael created a piece called “The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia.” Chaucer wrote about her in the Second Nonnes Tale, and Handel composed a score for a famous ode to her that John Dryden had written.

Today, Saint Cecilia is often commemorated in paintings and on stained glass windows as sitting at an organ.

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)

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.

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)
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)v 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)
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.

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)

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.

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.

New film covers the making of An African American Requiem

 From the Press Release:

On Thursday, November 17, 2022, Resonance Ensemble and Alberta House invite you to celebrate the premiere of the short film, “Around the Requiem,” featuring an intimate conversation with the artists and members of the creative team from last spring’s An African American Requiem. 

About the Film: Commissioned by Resonance Ensemble and produced by Oh! Creative, the film was made two days before the world premiere of An African American Requiem. In the film, poet and collaborator Dr. S. Renee Mitchell moderates a conversation with composer Damien Geter; conductor William Eddins; soloists Brandie Sutton, Karmesha Peake, Bernard Holcomb, and Kenneth Overton; and Onry, a baritone from the African American Requiem choir. The group discusses the significance of Geter’s work, their experiences as Black artists in classical music, their struggles, and their joy.

Resonance created a series of videos to support the premiere of An African American Requiem, from the deeply personal My Requiem Story series to their curriculum that has reached hundreds of public school students (and counting!). “Around the Requiem” is the final video of the series.

About the Event: A reception will kick off the event at 6:00 PM, with small bites and a no-host bar, and the screening begins at 6:30 PM. Resonance Ensemble’s Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon and Alberta House’s Artistic Director Vin Shambry will introduce the 40-minute film. After the screening, all are welcome to stay for a conversation with Mitchell, FitzGibbon, and Shambry.

About the Partnership between Resonance Ensemble and Alberta House: Resonance Ensemble is an ensemble in residence at Alberta House, and their missions and histories have a great deal in common. Vin Shambry notes, “My work with Resonance goes back a long time. From performing with them, to collaborating to make the Portland arts community a more radically inclusive place, to being profoundly moved by this spring’s African American Requiem, it is important to me that this group’s voice is heard.” 

Shambry continues, “When I saw An African American Requiem last Spring, it moved me to my core. I even keep the tickets on my desk to remind me of that experience. And that’s just one example of why I love Resonance. This superpower of using art to remind us of our soul is the reason I do the work I do at Alberta House and why we are proud partners with Resonance.”

Donations are welcome; all proceeds will benefit future partnership initiatives between Resonance Ensemble and Alberta House. FitzGibbon adds, “We view this as an opportunity to give thanks for our ongoing partnership with Alberta House and our shared missions of creating art that builds community and promotes meaningful change.”

Reception at 6, welcome and premiere at 6:30

To register for the event click here.

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)
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.

Finely played trumpet concertos and Beethoven works make VSO concert a winner

Since the vast majority of orchestral concertos are written for the piano or violin, it was refreshing to hear the trumpet as the featured instrument at Vancouver Symphony concert last weekend. Trumpeter Craig Morris blew his way into the VSO record books with sterling performances of concertos by Josef Haydn and Krzysztof Penderecki on Sunday afternoon, November 6, at SkyView Concert Hall with Salvador Brotons leading the hometown band.

Morris’s pedigree with the trumpet includes a Grammy nomination in 2019 in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for his recording, Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square. He has been the principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony and associate principal at the San Francisco Symphony. He is a longtime faculty member at the Frost School of Music in Miami, Florida.

The pairing of the two concertos on the VSO program made a neat one-two punch. The Haydn Trumpet Concerto, one of the finest pieces for that instrument ever written, is popular for its beautiful melodies yet requires technical prowess. In his performance, Morris demonstrated full command of the piece, delivering a nuanced interpretation that included well-placed diminuendos and crescendos. His cadenza in the first movement started with a cascade of high notes and a variation on the main theme. He played the slow second movement with terrific sensitivity and finished off the third with a spritely flourish.

Penderecki’s Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra requires that the soloist begin offstage; so, it was odd to see Morris walk to centerstage after the pieced started. But that actually worked well with the orchestra part, which accompanied him with a circus-like fanfare. Morris executed a lot of tricky-sounding passages and played a segment with muted trumpet before switching to the flugelhorn, which transitioned the piece to a mellow Larghetto. With principal flutist Rachel Rencher and the orchestra, Morris created a mysterious atmosphere and a bit of suspense before going to an agitated section. Later, returning to the trumpet, another a highlight was a passage with bass clarinetist Barbara Heilmar that sounded a bit like walking through the woods. The last part of the piece was sort of a race down the home stretch with Morris and the orchestra crossing the finish line exactly together.

The audience responded the Penderecki piece with loud applause, and Morris followed it with an encore on the flugelhorn, playing Melody No. 8 from his album of music for solo trumpet by Philip Glass. Its pleasant, melancholic theme was acknowledged by listeners with a warm response.

Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture,” which opened the concert, received a spirited and rewarding performance from Brotons and the orchestra. All of the thematic material was clearly shown and woven, and it all culminated in a stirring ending. Bravos all around.

The second half of the concert featured Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Brotons and company gave the piece a solid interpretation, starting out of the gate with its iconic, forceful four-note statement. The horns scored points for its polished sound that had just the right amount of wildness. The orchestral forces distinguished themselves with excellent crescendos and decrescendos in the second movement, which reinforced its dramatic character. The third movement had enough thrust to propel the piece into the fourth and, urged on by Brotons’ emphatic conducting, the orchestra, accented by Forian Consetti’s timpani, generated an exciting, triumphant finale.

During the enthusiastic acclaim from all corners of the hall, Brotons waded into the orchestra to acknowledge the contributions from the musicians. That put the finishing touches on a winning concert.