Chamber Music Northwest presents two world-premieres plus Mozart and Messiaen

The graceful and effortless motion of birds taking flight and swirling upward into the heavens was artfully conveyed in Kenji Bunch’s “Vesper Flight” by flutist Tara Helen O’Connor and pianist Monica Ohuchi in its world premiere performance on Saturday, July 10th, at Kaul Auditorium as part of the Chamber Music Northwest summer festival. Inspired by the common swift, a species of bird noted for its evening ascent to very high altitudes where it flies for long periods of time, “Vesper Flight” exuded a series of climbing runs that evoked a flock on its way into the skies. As a kind of underlayment against the rising, fluttering tones, Ohuchi would lay down a bass line that may have been quoting Purcell’s “Evening Hymn.” (In his introductory remarks, Bunch said that he would quote from that Purcell piece), nicely tying a bow around the idea of a vesper prayer, which typically takes place at sundown. A rhapsodic passage ended with a loud, high sound from the flute followed by a whispery whistle that faded wonderfully into the distance, like swifts disappearing beyond the clouds.

“Vesper Flight” was preceded by a mesmerizing performance of “Louange à l’immortalité de Jésus” (“Praise for the Immortality of Jesus”) from Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time.” Violinist Bella Hristova and pianist Gloria Chien (who is CMNW’s co-artistic director) created a soulful yet refined sound that transcended time and space. Absolutely ethereal!

David Ludwig’s “Les Adieux,” written in honor of David Shifrin, who helmed CMNW for 40 years and is now its Artistic Director Emeritus, featured clarinetist Shifrin as the soloist surrounded by a chamber orchestra of 17 musicians under the baton of Earl Lee. Divided into three movements: The Farewell, The Absence, and The Return, “Les Adieux” started with Shifrin modulating above and beyond his colleagues, who created a sound that was muffled and clouded in descending lines. This overall concept persevered into the next movement as well with Shifrin flawlessly executing a number of sustained runs and notes that he seemed to hold forever while the orchestra finally got to play an optimistic rising series of notes. In the last movement the pace quickens for a while but again settled into another slow dance that ended with Shifrin exhibiting incredible breath control with several long notes. Overall, it seemed that the piece didn’t really go anywhere, but it did showcase Shifrin’s amazing virtuosic talent.

An all-star ensemble gave a superb performance of Mozart’s “Viola Quintet in C Major” (K. 515) to close out the concert. Violinists Soovin Kim (who is also CMNW’s co-artistic director) and Rebecca Anderson, violists Paul Neubauer and Paul Laraia, and cellist Fred Sherry polished this gem of a piece with verge and terrific artistry. Highlights included the lovely conversational quality between Kim and Sherry in the first movement, the refined ebb and flow of the second with Sherry masterfully finishing phrases, Neubauer’s poignant viola solo and elegant duet with Kim in the third, and the robust and joyful playing by the entire ensemble – with pinpoint pauses – in the final movement. Kudos to the musicians for outstanding balance and dynamics throughout. Bravi!

Still, for this reviewer, it was the Messiaen piece that stuck with me the most and makes me want to hear it again and again and again.

Chamber Music Northwest premieres a new concerto by David Schiff at Concertos through the Centuries.

David Schiff

The CMNW Summer Festival continued on Monday, July 8 with a program entitled  Concertos through the Centuries, featuring works by Bach, Brahms, and a newly commissioned chamber concerto by long-time festival collaborator David Schiff.

The first piece, Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor by Bach (BWV 1060R)  left much to be desired. While recognizing that this concert did not purport to use period instruments or historically informed performance techniques, still there are things that can be imitated on modern instruments: the dry saltando of a gut string, or the quavering softness of an un-keyed hole, for instance, and certainly conscientious phrasing and attention to small details can go along way in giving a baroque 'feel' to a performance on modern instruments (as was later achieved in the second Bach concerto of the evening.) All of these performers are aware of that, yet it was not apparent from this performance. While possessed of a full and even rich timbre, the outing was plagued by mushy phrasing and lack of a strong pulse.

The world premiere of Schiff's Chamber Concerto No. 1 for Clarinet and Ensemble was a different matter entirely.  The opening movement, Playing with Friends (Jeux d'Enfants) must have been a somber game to start, but with Schiff directing, David Shifrin navigated these still waters with a delicious huskiness on his clarinet, and was joined by bassoonist Julie Feves for some hypnotic chordal work. It exploded into a cacophonous exultation, followed by a dizzying solo turn for the clarinet. A saucy pizzicato from the strings and spare punctuations from the percussion sounded more like childish jubilation; one felt a bit of Bernstein at times. As the strings and horns burst into wild discord and the percussionist dished out ridiculously tasty syncopations, it was as fun as eating too much candy when you're six years old...and then subito al niente.

The second movement, Arietta, seemed to border on the humdrum at times until it all began to make sense in the larger context of the movement. By the end everything came together and it was truly poignant. The last movement, Rondo al'ebraica, was true to its title. Wild and wonky, non-traditional but unmistakably klezmer,  Shifrin was constantly simmering on the clarinet, always threatening to explode into a full rolling boil but somehow never reaching that crest. The percussion was fascinating, as long, expansive hits on the ride cymbal lay a groundwork for the wild partying above.

The Brahms was a scaled down version of the Adagio from Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major. Arranger Daniel Schlosberg did duties as the soloist.  Sophie Shao's broad, comely cello solo complemented the rich and convincing arrangement. Yearning and poignant, the piano and cello loomed out of the dense texture like a purring of enamored titans. Schlosberg's huge solo work made the whole thing feel like a cloud on which one could dream and never want to wake.

The final concerto of the evening was Bach's Brandenburg No. 4, (BWV 1049) and it suffered from none of the lethargy of the evening's opener.  There was crispness of articulation from the flutes and a judicious, minimalist rubato from violist Yura Lee. The interplay between the ripieno and concertante was absolutely seamless and exciting. The Andante was heavy-handed yet not unlovely, and in the finale the solo work from the concertante was magnificent. Lee's job as band-leader held everything together; her unflagging pace and vibrant playing set the tone that everyone followed.

CMNW presents Mozart and a surprising Surprise by Haydn

Tuesday July 18th saw the Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival present performances by the Brentano and Calidore String Quartets, and guest musicians as well. The concert at the performance space in Portland State's Lincoln Hall consisted of works by Mozart and Haydn.

Mozart's Quartet for Flute and Strings in C Major, K 285b, opened the first half. Tara Helen O'Connor was the flutist, playing together with Mark Steinberg, violin, Misha Amory, viola, and Nina Lee, cello, all members of the Brentano Quartet. O'Connor played in a classic, dulcet Mozartian timbre, varying her sound and bringing out a husky aspiration in the lower register.  Crisp and spritely, O'Connor navigated her way through tricky sections with amazingly agile octave jumps. As an ensemble the group played with an incredibly light and airy blend, yet always with respect for the integrity of the composition. Lee took front and center in the Andantino with soaring bass lines, and Amory played the marvelous solo lines for the viola with a delicate poco saltando.

The String Quartet No 16 in E-flat Major, K 428 was next, and Serena Canin joined on violin. There were interaction issues on the more sparse, thinner passages; the playing felt almost too polite at times. The phrasing and dynamic shifts were somewhat predictable, and pitchiness kept cropping up as an issue. During the final allegro vivace the group rallied for a powerful, exuberant attack, and the phrasing became more engaging.

The second half saw the Calidore Quartet (Jeffrey Myers and Ryan Meehan violin, Jeremy Berry, viola, and Estelle Choi, cello) joined by O'Connor and Andrea Lam on piano, to present a scaled-down version by Johann Peter Salomon of Haydn's Symphony in G Major, Hob I:94 'Surprise.' 

There was clear and concise execution from the first violin in the Andante, and a mellifluous cantabile.  In the Allegro Molto the violins balanced perfectly during the counterpoint, and throughout O'Connor continued to impress by balancing numerous roles--whether as soloist, accentuator, or stand-in for the entire wind band, she was always in control, keenly aware of the tricky place she occupied however rapidly the roles shifted. 

It was fascinating to hear this chestnut stripped down to such a spare ensemble. The group did not make the mistake of trying to convince the audience that they were a full-sized orchestra for this work--rather the impression they imparted was that just maybe this work was composed for a small chamber ensemble, and a fine and accurate impression it was. 

Emerson Quartet delivers triumphant Shostakovich and Beethoven at CMNW

The Emerson String Quartet
Photo by Lisa Mazzucco

Sunday, July 9 at the PSU's Lincoln Performance Hall saw the world-renowned Emerson Quartet present a spectacular and varied concert featuring works by Purcell, Beethoven and Shostakovich. This year's artists-in-residence for Chamber Music Northwest, the Emerson Quartet (Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violins, Lawrence Dutton, viola, and Paul Watkins, cello) showed once again why they are among the best of the best, and how fortunate CMNW is to have such a prestigious ensemble as
artists-in-residence for an entire year.

Opening each half were two short fantasias by Henry Purcell, No. 8 in D Minor, Z. 739 to start the concert, and No. 11 in G Major, Z. 742 in the second half. Originally written for viols, in the first fantasia the group presented a fascinating study in timbre, as the group played with an extremely light and delicate bow such that at times, with one's eyes closed it was easy to imagine listening to a chest of viols. The G Major contained wistful, dreamy baroque melodies, and both were over almost as soon as they began.

Shostakovich's famous String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110, provided the meat of the first half. In this piece there is so much 'air,' compared to a structurally denser work such as the Beethoven, and the Emerson Quartet used this to spectacular effect. The early threnody by the first violin over a long, sustained chord from the other instruments was a great example of this: subdued, yet full of color. This tribute to the victims of war gave the impression of a nameless ghost from a nameless atrocity, one among millions, wandering, lost.  The ferocity of the attaca into the Allegro Molto was terrifying, transforming into a ceaseless energico, the main theme bandied back and forth with each performer offering something new. An almost gay dance of the dead gave way to a sadness beyond tears, a bone weary exhaustion, like death by slow heartbreak. The brief cloud break late in the work was surrounded again by a thunder that was never far off.

Beethoven's titanic String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 provided a distinct contrast from the Shostakovich, and displayed the depth that the Emerson is known for. Keen insight and judicious restraint, accompanied by downright explosive oubursts, yielded incredible passion. As a listener, to almost forget that music is being played, and is not something that simply exists in and of itself is an incredible experience. The Emerson quartet forged such a tight synchronization that at times it felt like one instrument. There were many great moments, from the sublime melody by the first violinist in the Allegro Moderato to a comical molto pizzicato that had the audience giggling, to snatches of melody from the viola that cried out ferociously and then as suddenly subsided. As the work progressed they somehow kept eliciting more and more and more sound, yet with no loss of quality, and still even the most whispering pianissimo was as rich in timbre as anything. During the galloping Presto the rapidity of the dynamic shifts and coordination of the infinitesimally delicate filigree was absolutely stunning. The Emerson Quartet's incredible range of timbres, colors, emotions and technique was put to the full test in this ambitious program, and no one in the audience was left wanting for anything.

Northern Lights: Scandinavian Gems lives up to its billing

The fruits of composer David Schiff's skills as an arranger were evident on Thursday, July 21st as the Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival continued. Kaul Auditorium was the perfect acoustical space for an evening of Scandinavian composers as the program Northern Lights: Scandinavian Gems took place.

Opening the evening was a brace of works by Carl Nielsen, beginning with Serenata in vano, a work like all the works of the evening for strings and winds. This work began with a rhythmically intense three-quarter time signature dissolving into languid arias for horn and clarinet.  Exciting annunciations from the contrabass came to the forefront as the extremely well-balanced wind section swelled and receded, leaving the air cleared for exciting, razor-accurate doublings between horn and bassoon. Like much of the evening it was redolent with the richness of the Fenno-Scandia folk tradition, and was over too soon.

David Shifrin had another chance to shine as Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57 was next. This brilliant work opened with a crisp fughetta, one which Shifrin infused with electricity, and a rich, throaty sound from the basso register of his instument. The texture was widely varied...at times Shifrin was mysterious and unhurried, other times the strings spun a glorious web upon which Shifrin went spidering along, and there were great moments from William Purvis on the solo horn as well. Shifrin's playing felt like storytelling as he navigated the ever-shifting shoals with his usual grace and dexterity.

After intermission the audience was treated to the ever-popular Peer Gynt Suites, arranged for a 13-piece orchestra by Schiff.   It was an interesting dichotomy to see such a large orchestra (for this festival) on stage as Schiff spoke a bit on the challenges of boiling down these huge orchestral pieces for such (relatively) spare ornamentation. Seven of the eight movements from both suites were on the bill; Peer Gynt's Homecoming presented too large a task for the composer vis-a-vis the need for such radical reductions in the number of instruments he had to work with.

The order of presentation was different as well, so it was fun to hear these movements juxtaposed in an unfamiliar manner. Beginning with the Death of Ase, the theme shifted from primarily winds to the strings, a nice subtle change of color. It retained most of the gravitas of the full orchestral work. For Morning Mood, the sonority of all those winds didn't quite work...at times it felt a bit hokey for Grieg's grand gesture, though it was fun to watch the string players standing in bravely for an entire section. Anitra's Dance featured brilliant solo work from Matt Landry who throughout the work shifted between a number of different saxophones. Theodore Arm's solo work also stood out as particularly fine.

The Abduction of the Bride held a fascinating sonance; the winds constantly uplifting the small string band almost felt like human voices somewhere in the background. The Arabian Dance and Solveig's Song were truly delightful, especially the latter. What a joy it was to hear such necessarily sparse scoring--every single player had to be completely on top of their game or all would have been lost. Percussionist Jonathan Greeney deserves high praise for his performance, which was nothing short of heroic at times. And finishing off with In the Hall of the Mountain King? Well, how could you go wrong? Schiff's arrangement was fascinating, fun and inspired, and was a wonderful new way to hear such beloved old gems.

The Dover Quartet and David Shifrin deliver in an outstanding CMNW program

Richard Danielpour

Thursday July 14 at the Kaul Auditorium saw the kind of performance one expects from Chamber Music Northwest's Summer Festival: poised, professional, and artistically sublime. Featuring the Dover Quartet and David Shifrin on clarinet, and including a world premier by renowned composer Richard Danielpour, the program was varied and delightful.

The evening opened with Beethoven's String Quartet in E-flat Major ("Harp") Op. 74 with just the string quartet: Joel Link and Bryan Lee on violin, Milena Pajaro-van-de-Stadt viola, and Camden Shaw, cello. Immediately apparent was a rich and wonderful uniformity of pitch, timbre, and timing, highlighted by a marvelously deft 'code-switching' (to borrow a linguistic term) between the numerous pizzicato and arco motives as they were handed off between instruments. With a soaring sense of purpose, the young players achieved as fulsome a sound as one could hope to hear.

Moving into the Adagio the music became a seamless pulse, an ebb and flow like an earth tide almost imperceptibly shifting the ground beneath your feet. The group exhibited a justified self-assurance--the notes were so spot on and well-executed that all technical considerations were second-nature, and all could be devoted to a deeply thoughtful rendering of the spirit of the work. Shaw played the brief, ubiquitious half-measure-or-so exposed cello coda of the Allegretto sublimely, with the cooperation of the rest of the players who graciously stepped aside time and again so the charming subito pianissimo motive could be heard. Pajaro-van-de-Stadt's viola solo was affecting and direct, and the smooth handing off of pedal points between all four voices was great fun to hear.  I found myself given to involuntary smiles and chuckles for sheer delight, gloriously basking in this wonderful sea of sound.

Shifrin joined the group for the world premiere of Richard Danielpour's Clarinet Quintet, mysteriously subtitled by the composer "The Last Jew in Hamadan." The composer was on hand for the performance, and explained that his father was born in Hamadan, Iran, a city that once had a vibrant Jewish community (indeed it is reputed to be the burial place of the biblical Queen Esther) but was predicted by one writer to have only one Jew left in the city by the year 2020.

It opened with a sparking, culturally rich clarinet theme that cut through a charging agitato from the strings (Agitato con energia was the marking for the movement) with its rapid-fire melody and occasional squawks and honks. It was suggestive of a bustling, hurried life--perhaps unquiet but fascinating and lovely. Short, expressive phrases kept popping out here and there, Shifrin playing masterfully as always this ceaseless, frothing soundscape.

The Adagietto e triste began with a plaintive dirge from the clarinet over a hurdy-gurdy sound from the strings. Sinuous and melancholy--but somehow hopeful, not defeatist--it wound its way toward a fascinating tutti on one pitch, with the clarinet adding a daring color to the whole effect. Haunting doublings and dramatic seizures were hallmarks of the movement. It was a fine, original piece, and well worth a world premier at such a great festival.

The second half of the evening consisted entirely of the Clarinet Quintet in B-flat Major, Op. 34, by Carl Maria von Weber.  A liquid descending scale from the clarinet kicked it off.  There was a hilarious squawking high note delivered with what can only be described as comedic timing by Shifrin. A somewhat ungainly but not wholly unlovable first movement--what dramatic and contrasting stuff.

As the work moved on the group was able to make the most out of a work full of emotional moments but with a dearth of narrative cohesion--this would've been dull in lesser hands, but the skill of the musicians was such that they molded it into something worth hearing--a fine showcase for Shifrin that was capped off by a truly virtuosic finale.

CMNW Summer Festival's first week features imaginative program by steel pan artist Andy Akiho

Andy Akiho
Photo by Da Ping Luo

Wednesday night, June 29, saw the return of composer and steel pan (known commonly but less accurately as the steel drum) artist Andy Akiho to Chamber Music Northwest's Summer Festival, for what Akiho joked was surely "the first all-Akiho and Schubert concert" in history. The program was presented at the Alberta Rose Theater, a hip, informal venue perfectly suited to the night's event.

The evening opened with two movements from Akiho's Synesthesia Suite, originally a set of fourteen tenor steelpan solo movements in all 12 equal-tempered keys (each named for a color) plus two movements for black and white. Akiho reworked at least several movements for a chamber ensemble consisting of steel pan, percussion, violin, cello and piano, on Wednesday played by Akiho, Ian David Rosenbaum, Brandon Garbot, Hamilton Cheifetz, and Yevgeny Yontov respectively.

The first movement was Hadairo (Beige).  It began with a strange, halted intro with a rhythmic follow-through. There was a pizzicato plinking accompanied by percussion (principally marimba). Akiho demonstrated an incredibly deft touch on the steel pan in all respects, but perhaps most surprisingly the range of dynamic effects he was able to elicit from his instrument. I confess to not having much if anything by way of a basis for comparison, but it seems that Akiho demonstrated a virtuosic touch on his instrument, if anything even more striking than when I last heard him at CMNW. If he's not a virtuoso, I'd like to hear who is. (Seriously.) The violin sounded nice over the percussion, but the balance was skewed toward the percussion so the violin was sometimes concealed. There was a striking and dramatic stop-tempo toward the end, and Akiho once again played with an eerily beautiful sense of striking dynamic contrast.

The Passacaglia from Akiho's Five Movements for Piano Trio saw Garbot, Cheifetz and Yontov take over. Cheifetz plucked out an extremely tricky passacaglia theme on the cello, which was the beginning of a fascinating polyrhythmic experiment that worked well as the piano wended its way in and out of mysterious arpeggiations.

Complex rhythmic interactions between instruments seems to be a hallmark of Akiho's compositions; 21 was next. A theme was recorded on a loop sequencer that formed an ostinato around which the two performers (Akiho and Rosenbaum) played. At one point Akiho used what appeared to be a pair of chopsticks to elicit a tinny, quiet effect on the pan, and Rosenbaum played an arresting series of glissandi on the marimba, an instrument that could be indifferent to subtlety in lesser hands. Akiho tapped out a rhythm on the tambourine with a foot pedal as he continued his steel pan heroics, lapsing into molto pianissimo stretches of sublime beauty.

The program returned to two more movements from Synesthesia: Murasaki (Purple) and Aka (Red). Much as before, these works were a triumph of color, dynamics and sometimes surprising interactions between diverse instruments. For anyone seeking a new and vibrant sound-picture, Akiho's composition are an intriguing and worthwhile prospect, and his live performances are imaginative in execution.

The second half consisted entirely of Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 99 D 898 by Franz Schubert. Garbot and Yontov were joined by Timothy Eddy on the cello.  The opening Allegro Moderato featured fine, singing pedal points from the violin, and the trio managed well the tricky subversion of rhythmic expectations that Schubert incorporates. The Andante un poco mosso of the second movement was like a cradle-song serenade, requiring incredible coordination between players. It was spectacular, transportative, and this group rendered it so sensitively that it formed one of the most subtly glorious chamber music moments I've heard in a long time. The whole work was phenomenal; to use the old saw one runs out of superlatives, and that is probably not the first time I've used that phrase in conjunction with CMNW Summer Festival performances. The musicians are simply spectacular.

An interesting parallel between Akiho and Schubert (and one does try to suss these things out, assuming the programming is most definitely not random) is that they both employ colors and timbres as important, essential elements within their compositions, not merely as window-dressing.  I look forward as always to the continuation of the CMNW summer fest, one of the highlights of the musical year.

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

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.

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.

New music by Sierra Sierra shares stage with Janáček and Schumann at Chamber Music Northwest concert

Since 1990 Chamber Music Northwest has commissioned 27 new works, a remarkable feat for any arts organization, and according to Linda Magee, executive director of CMNW, “more commissioned works are in the hopper.” That great news, because CMNW sponsorship gives today’s composers an opportunity to create new pieces and hear them performed. On Tuesday evening (July 22) at Cabell Center (Catlin Gabel School) I heard the world premiere of the latest CMNW-sponsored work, Roberto Sierra’s “Concierto de Cámera” for woodwind quintet and string quartet.

Sierra, a native of Puerto Rico, has many works that have been performed world-wide by ensembles ranging from the Kronos Quartet to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has also won numerous awards and since 1992 teaches composition on the music faculty of Cornell University.

Sierra’s “Concierto de Cámera,” co-commissioned by Chamber Music Northwest and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, is a lively, five-movement work with no pause between the first two. As the program notes pointed out, this work begins as a nonet, then is directed toward two separate ensembles, and ends up presenting the musicians as virtuoso soloists. So, in the way, the music gradually fragments in the way that it is played, yet it all sounded as a whole. That, of course, can be accomplished when it is played by two virtuoso ensembles, the Imani Winds and the Miami String Quartet. They displayed a wonderful way of transcending this difficult work and giving the audience an exciting journey into a new soundscape.

I really liked the second movement which seemed, for an extended passage, to evoke the flight of birds and ended with statement that seemed to question everything that had been played up to that point. The third movement had a quick-footed, agitated state and lots of aggressive sounds with sharp edges. The fourth movement juxtaposed an arresting legato from the winds and first violinist with pizzicato from the other strings. The last movement was jaunty and dance-like. All of the musicians from both ensembles really got into the work and the resulting applause was very enthusiastic.

The Imani Winds with David Shifrin on bass clarinet began the concert with Leoš Janáček’s “Mládí” (“Youth”), a sextet that he wrote in 1924 at the age of 70. In this four movement piece, Janáček recalls the exuberance of his childhood, and, indeed the music from the get-go chrips along at a fast clip. The blasts from Jeff Scott’s French horn, were wonderfully echoed by others in the ensemble. The second movement seemed to have a more serious tone, which at one pointed became almost sultry. It also contained some intriguing passages for the clarinet, which were played wonderfully by Mariam Adam, and somewhere in this movement the group of musicians seemed really gel and take the music to a higher level. The happy, chirpy sounds returned in the third movement before there was an abrupt shift to a more lyrical style. The fourth movement was energetic and ended joyously, which the audience embraced wholeheartedly.

After intermission, The Miami String Quartet teamed up with pianist Shai Wosner to give an outstanding performance of Robert Schumann’s Quintet in E-flat major for piano and strings, Op. 44. Their collaboration was superb, due in part to the wonderful sense of communication. Everyone in the ensemble was looking and listening to each other so intently that they got the utmost out of this piece. You can hear a great recording of this work, but to hear it live like this goes beyond what any recording can do.

One of the highlights of the first movement included the way that violist Yu Jin finished the phrases that cellist Keith Robinson began. The sweet tone of Benny Kim’s violin during second theme of the second movement was delicious to the ears. The melancholy themes, the dreamy sections, the parts that sounded like a beehive at work: they were all outstanding. The way that Wosner kept the piano in balance with the strings was fantastic! I loved the way that he crouched at the keyboard and looked at Kim in anticipation of the first note of the last movement before pouncing on it. The audience got completely swept up in the music and went bonkers at the end. It was a great way to end the evening.

Sharing artists and audiences

This weekend Ralph Kirshbaum will be performing for the first time with the Oregon Symphony. Kirshbaum has been a regular at Chamber Music Northwest for a number of years, and I would think that a number of Chamber Music Northwest subscribers might want to hear the Oregon Symphony this weekend because of Kirshbaum.

It's terrific to see major-league artists appearing in concerts that are sponsored by different organizations. Once in a while I've seen this happen with pianists who play on the series with Portland Piano International and also with the Oregon Symphony. Usually, this doesn't happen during the same season.

Of course, I don't want the same people to circulate among these organizations all the time, but some crossover or sharing among the groups is a good way to get stimulate audiences.

I have also enjoyed how Portland Opera has promoted hometown talents. Christine Meadows, who graduated from Portland State University was a regular at NY City opera and at Portland Opera for many years. We've also seen PSU grads like Kelly Nassief and Angela Niederloh star in recent productions. I just took a look at Clayton Brainerd's web site (he also graduated from PSU) and noticed that he will be appearing next year in Portland Opera's production of Fidelio. A great move by Portland Opera.