Learning more about music – the engaging lectures of Robert Greenberg

During intermission at the Ian Bostridge recital a couple weeks ago, I talked with Fred Mosedale, a longtime friend of mine, who enthusiastically told me about the music education courses offered by Robert Greenberg through the Teaching Company. Mosedale asked that I add information about Greenberg’s courses to Northwest Reverb, because he feels that many readers would benefit from them

Mosedale, who worked many years in the hi-tech industry, told that he never took a class in (performing, theory, or anything else). Yet he has attended many concerts over the years and has become more and more interested in music. Because he enjoys learning at home, he bought a music education series by Robert Greenberg through The Teaching Company, and found that it was incredibly helpful. For example, Greenberg’s “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” course contains lectures with lots of music excerpts from operas, symphonies, chamber music, etc.

I, too, have listened to all of the 48 CDs in “How to Listen to and Understand Great Music” course and can vouch for its high quality. Greenberg is an engaging speaker who really captures your attention and laces his lectures with a little bit of humor to keep in moving ahead.

Moreover, you don’t have to purchase a course a full price, because all of the courses go on sale once or twice every year. Many of the courses cost several hundred dollars (in DVD, CD, or as a download to your computer), but when they go on sale, they typically cost less than $100. You can also take look on eBay and to see if you can find them there.

Also, if you have already purchased one or more of Greenberg’s courses and want to exchange or sell them, please let me know, and I will post your message.

Here's an additional note from Fred:
Your readers might like to know that libraries may carry the courses. The Washington County Library system has the course and a number of his other courses too. Click here for a listing of their Greenberg course. I'd guess that the Multnomah County Library might carry them too.

Ron Blessinger's Third Angle blog...

Ron Blessinger, the artistic director of the Third Angle New Music Ensemble and a member of the Oregon Symphony's violin section, registers his thoughts and comments about the upcoming Oregon Symphony season in the Third Angle blog. A big thanks to Charles Noble for pointing out this blog.

Ron Blessinger has also been the concertmaster of the Cascade Festival since 1994.

Today's Birthdays

Rudolf Firkušný (1912-1994)

and

Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Upbeat Oregon Symphony 2008-2009 season preview

I attended the Conductor's Circle 2008-2009 Season Preview this evening and was impressed with the upbeat mood among the orchestra's staff and it big-time donors. The soirée, held at the Governor Hotel, had a good buzz going (and I don't mean from the wine and beer, although that was flowing at a good rate).

President Elaine Calder spoke about next year's focus on selling more tickets via a five-point plan. The five points centered on celebrity (eg., Joshua Bell and Lang Lang), variety (eg., the special concerts), consistency (eg., Inside the Score), scarcity (eg., reducing the number of Pops concerts to create hot tickets, and bribery (eg., if you purchase the full series then you'll get free Itzhak Perlman tickets - that is, A + B = Perlman).

Calder also mentioned that in the Pops arena, the orchestra has hired Jeff Tyzik to conduct four pops concerts. Tyzik is one of the best one of the best if not the best pops conductor in the nation. The Pops series has been reduced from a series of three to just two concerts each time. This move will consolidate money and resources - especially since the attendance at Monday evening concerts has been lagging.

Kalmar talked about the upcoming season and highlights several concerts and guest artists. He mentioned that the Symphony has been trying for several years to get Joshua Bell to come and that everyone is happy that he will finally play with the orchestra. He noted that finding the right mix of symphonies, concerti, new music, and pieces that have never been performed by the OSO but need to be performed is a difficult task. It's hard to please everyone but Kalmar and his staff have tried their best and are very excited. So along with some warhorses like Beethoven's 9th and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, the symphony will perform 15 works that they have never performed before, including six pieces by living composers. One of the composers is Oregon's own Tomas Svoboda, who Kalmar feels is "the most underrated composer in America." Also, Kalmar noted that the "20th Century pieces will have music that you'll like," meaning that it will not be the ugly stuff that people usually associate with modern music.

Niel DePonte added his take on the upcoming season with a side note about being in the orchestra for 30 years and his willingness to take on new and exciting percussion -oriented pieces. He is also looking forward to working with Tyzik who was a classmate of his at Eastman.

Also, Thomas Lauderdale, who was in attendance, is working on getting some of his artistic friends to sign up for concerts next season. So, some more specials will pop up later.

I heard that tickets for the remainder of this season are selling at a good clip, so things are looking up for the Symphony.

Eighth Blackbird wins Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance!

Congratulations to Eighth Blackbird and its former member flutist Molly Barth, who now makes her home in Oregon. Judith Sherman, the producer of their album "Strange Imaginary Animals" won the Best Producer of the Year for Classical music. You can see for yourself here. Go to Category 97 and Category 104. The winners are listed in Gold print.

Today's birthdays

Johann Melchior Molter (1696-1765)
Leontyne Price (1927)
Jean Coulthard (1908-2000)

and

Roberta Flack (1937)

Countertenors in the Pacific Northwest - a extremely rare talent

After hearing the brilliant countertenor Gerard Thompson on opening night of Portland Opera's "Rodelinda," I began to wonder if I knew of any countertenors in the Portland area and concluded that I didn't. I quickly realized that I didn't know of any countertenors in the Pacific Northwest. During the 2004-2005 Oregon Symphony season, I got to sing (as a member of the Portland Symphonic Choir) in a series of Baroque-styled "Messiah" concerts with another outstanding countertenor, Matthew White, who stole the show with his scintillating presence and singing. White is a native of Ottawa, Canada, and I'm not sure where Thompson is from. In any case, it looks like there is a growing demand for countertenors, and it should be a field that young males singers should consider.

Today's birthdays

Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Hildegard Behrens (1937)
Ryland Davies (1943)

Understudy Sharin Apostolou saves Portland Opera's Rodelinda

Sharin Apostolou, a soprano in the Portland Opera Studio Artist program, rescued Portland Opera from a potential opening night disaster with steely nerves and artistic chutzpah, delivering an outstanding performance in the title of role of "Rodelinda." It was a night to be remembered for Apostolou who filled in for headliner Jennifer Aylmer, who was suffering from a bronchial infection and advised by her doctors to avoid singing. Apostolou, who I heard a few weeks ago in the Oregon Symphony's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", sang with intelligence and passion. Her voice was clear, supple, and had plenty of warmth and fire when needed. Apostolou's acting was also very inspired, revealing the character of a heroine who outfoxed her enemies with cunning and a double dog dare attitude.

The cast of principals in this production were strong but uneven. As Rodelinda's husband, Bertarido, contralto Jennifer Hines did remarkably well, yet her beautiful darkened tone seemed was underpowered in the lower register. Tenor Robert Breault, aptly created the role of Grimoaldo who usurped the throne and sought the hand of Rodelinda, but his voice seemed to want to break free of the ornamentation that is required in Baroque opera. Whenever Breault got to the upper register, he let it ring out as if he were in an Verdi opera.

In the role of Garibaldo, a close friend of Grimoaldo, bass Valerian Ruminski has a big sound and a fair amount of agility to negotiate most of his passages. Apparently, contralto Emma Curtis was also subject to bronchial problems, but she recovered enough to perform as Eduige, Bertarido's sister. Yet her condition seemed to affect her lowest notes - which were sustained and powerful - but disconnected from the beautiful tone that she normally displayed.

Countertenor Gerald Thompson was superb as Unulfo, the nobleman who befriended Bertarido and helped Rodelinda to save him. Thompson whipped through some devlishly tricky arias with panache, completely winning over the audience en route.

George Manahan did an admirable job of conducting while seated at the harpsichord. Yet he could have pushed the chamber orchestra much further in expressing the music. During the escape scene in the third act, when the drama became heightened, the violins especially became louder, but they lost that crisp and darting quality that would've made the music more engaging.

Helena Binder provided a fine touch with the stage directions. The modicum of movement served to enhance the arias rather than detract from them. The lighting by Thomas Munn also was excellent.

The sumptuous costumes (harkening back to Handel's era) were exquisite, but the scenery, provided by Dallas Opera, lacked imagination. The backdrop consisted of large frames trimmed in gold, so that the characters looked as if they were walking into a painting. Inside the frames were white-on-white themes that depicted a forests and buildings like white silhouettes, but they were bland. Fortunately, the servants brought in ornate furniture that provided more texture.

Overall, the night belonged to Apostolou, a dynamic young talent who rose to the occasion and hopefully will have many opportunities to hone her artistry in the world of opera.

Additional Note: Aposolou will appear in the Portland Opera Studio Artists production of Albert Herring (March 14-30).

Today's birthdays

John Williams (1932)
Elly Ameling (1934)

A conversation with Grammy nominee, flutist Molly Barth

The Grammy’s will be announced Sunday, so it’s time to catch up with flutist Molly Barth, one of the founding members of Eighth Blackbird, whose recording “Strange Imaginary Animals” has been nominated for three Grammys (Best Chamber Music, Best Producer Classical, Best Classical Contemporary Composition).

So why did you leave Eighth Blackbird?

I left eighth backbird because I am much more comfortable with the lifestyle that I lead now. I don’t have to live half the year on the road, living out a suitcase, waiting around in airports, and being in hotel rooms and rental cars all of the time. And as Eighth Blackbird continues to be more successful, they will be on the road more and more. It’s already happening. When I left, the tour schedule was six months out of the year and now it’s eight.

Do you miss all the acclaim from the Eighth Blackbird concerts?

I get my chamber music kicks with Fear No Music and a new music ensemble that I’ve started with trumpeter Brian McWhorter from the University of Oregon. It’s called Beta Collide. We are a Pacific Northwest based ensemble, and we like the idea of being presenters as well as musicians. We’ll create each concert with a guest artist. We’ve got a weeklong residency at Stanford University that starts at the end of the month. We’ve invited Scott Rosenberg, a saxophonist from the Bay Area who is active in the free jazz movement, to perform with us. Scott bridges the gap between free jazz and contemporary classical.

Then on April 5th at Willamette University, we are performing a concert with Stephen Vitiello, who is a sound installation artist. He is the archivist for The Kitchen in New York City – a really funky, alternative venue. Vitiello teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University. So we have a lot going on already!


And you teach flute at Willamette University…

Yes, I have a fairly full studio with ten students. The people there are really intelligent and fun to spend time with. None of my students are music performance majors. The have a good work ethic. They really respond to what I say. They want to play music. I don’t have to twist their arms.

And you’re playing with the Oregon Symphony and with the Eugene Symphony…

Yes, when I left Eighth Blackbird I realized that I was yearning for more variety. Now I’m teaching, doing chamber music and orchestral music. It’s wonderful.

So you have to drive a lot?

I live in McMinnville, and the drive is pretty awful sometimes. My husband percussionist Phillip Patti is a vintner and is a learning to be a vineyard manager. He performs with me in Beta Collide and with other groups like Fear No Music.

The Pacific Northwest has a lot of composers for you to work with.

Yes, I’m getting to know them. Playing new music is really fascinating. You’re collaborating with the composer. There’s a lot of give and take. I enjoy that.

It’s amazing that in the Oregon Symphony you have two new music ensembles that are drawn from the orchestra members: Third Angle and FearNoMusic. Not that many orchestras in the US have that kind of commitment.

Do you own several flutes?

I play a Burkart C-flute that I use all the time, a Burkart piccolo, and a Haynes alto flute from the 1950s that’s absolutely beautiful. When I decided to resign from Eighth Blackbird I thought of moving to Boston and going into flute-making. Most of the companies that make flutes are there.

Did you always play flute?

I started at the age of nine. In fourth grade we could play any instrument we wanted, but I was wearing braces at the time. My orthodontist told me that I could play percussion or flute, so I chose the flute. My parents are not musicians, but I was exposed to music at an early age.

Will you be attending the Grammy awards?

No. I won’t be going down to LA. I’ll be playing the Inside the Score concert on Sunday afternoon with the Oregon Symphony, and then I have to drive to Eugene to play with the Eugene Symphony later that day.

The life of an itinerant musician!

Yup! (Laughs.) Cross your fingers for Eighth Blackbird in the Grammys!

Today's birthdays

Claudia Muzio (1889-1936)
Ossip Gabrilovich (1878-1936)
Vilhelm Eugene Stenhammar (1871-1927)

and

Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Conference on classical music at Seattle University

Seattle University is hosting a conference called "Sounds of the Future: Classical Music - A Naitonal Conversation" this weekend (February 9th and 10th). Speakers and panelists include Gerard Schwarz, Greg Sandow, Ann Midgette, Perry Lorenzo, and Melinda Bargreen. The cost is $10 for students, and $45 for the rest of us. You can also get the VIP treatment for $150, which includes a reception.

Today's birthdays

Claudio Arrau (1903-1991)
Karl Weigl (1881-1949)
Stephen Albert (1941-1992)

A fistfull of batons...

On the cover of the most recent issue of the Oregon Symphony program, you'll see music director Carlos Kalmar holding an array of batons (photographed by Micahel Jones -- with apologies from me because I can't get this photo to upload as clearly as I would like). The batons were made by Alan Piece, who retired last year from the orchestra's trombone section. Pierce, by the way, left earlier this week to deliver a set of batons to Simon Rattle in Berlin.

A new classical music club...

Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto (who will appear with the Oreogn Symphony in March) has launched a classical music club in a restaruant in Helsinki. You can read about it here. I think that Portland is ready for a similar kind of club. I'm not sure where this could happen right now, but in the near future, when the new park block behind the Fox office tower is done, it will have a building that could serve as a restaruant/bar with a small stage for chamber music. Since it is located one block away from the Schnitz, this venue could become a great location to congregate after a show.

Today's birthdays

Ivan Tcherepnin (1943-1998)
Ole Bull (1810-1880)
Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748-1798)
Jussi Björling (1911-1960)

and

Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (1934)

Symphony musicians give free concert at the Old Church

At noontime tomorrow (Wednesday), you can catch two ensembles from the Oregon Symphony that will present the following program gratis!

Beethoven: String Quartet Op.59-1, F major
Shin Kwon, Fumino Ando (Violns), Masayo Higuchi (Viola), Adam Esbensen (Cello) --

Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor
Shin Kwon, Sarah Roth (Violins), Chales Noble (Viola), Heather Blackburn (Cello), Cary Lewis (Piano)

BTW: Esbensen is the fellow who just won a position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Review: Oregon Symphony performs Adams, Beethoven, and Schumann

John Adams has a sense of humor, but it’s one that requires a lot of hard work. In 1992, Adams wrote his “Chamber Symphony” after contemplating Schoenberg and being interrupted by the sounds of a Roadrunner cartoon that his young son was enjoying. I heard a 15-member ensemble from the Oregon Symphony play this exceedingly difficult piece on Sunday evening, and I came away impressed with the constantly shifting myriad of sounds and the rhythmic intensity.

Divided into three movements, the “Chamber Symphony” opened with a jazz-inspired “Mongrel Airs,” but this wasn’t loosey-goosey jazz. The atmosphere was tightly wound and seemed to relax only slightly when the brass laid down a sustained sound. An ascending series of chords gave me the impression of someone climbing a set of stairs, but that escalated quickly into a tornado-like blur that abruptly ended.

Next came “Aria with Walking Bass,” which started with a forlorn call from the trombone. A meandering line from the bassoon and double bass entered while the trumpet and French horn added a layer of melancholy. The violin trilled several times, and the oboe began playing in a stratosphere register. The synthesizer started puttering around before the piccolo got into the act, and then the clarinet started high stepping all over the place. This movement ended with a sense of unfinished business and anticipation.

“Roadrunner,” the last movement, contained a furious amount of mayhem. It was a jumble of cool sounds that would spring from anywhere in the ensemble. At one point violinist Jun Iwasaki made a bunch of scratchy sounds as if the music had to relieve an itch. The piece concluded suddenly, but with a finality as well. Enthusiastic applause from the audience ensued, but I think that some people were puzzled at what they just heard.

The music seemed to reflect a nervous, unsure, and whimsical world. The last movement made me wonder if Adams had indulged in too much Red Bull. The ensemble, made up mostly of orchestra principals, seemed to have fun. But acting principal bassoonist Evan Kuhlmann’s bobbing motion signaled that he was rocking out on the piece.

While the orchestra reconfigured itself for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, I switched seats to another section of the lower balcony. This was the evening of the Super Bowl, and attendance was a little down. Guest artist Kirill Gerstein delivered a wonderful rendition of Beethoven’s music. I liked how Gerstein could turn and listen to the orchestra and play superbly at the same time. He easily changed dynamics, and his feathery touch in the first movement was exquisite. The languid section in the second movement made me sink into a mile long pillow. The third movement was a playful frolic between the orchestra and the pianist, concluding brilliantly.

After the applause died down, Gerstein played Liszt’s arrangement of Schubert’s “Erlkönig.” I really enjoyed the way that Gerstein brought out the different voices (the father, the child, and the evil Erlkönig).

The second half of the program, the orchestra played Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. I sat near the topmost row of the balcony for this piece. The sound was very balanced, and I could hear the lower strings almost every time. Crescendos and diminuendos were clearer and more dramatic than in the lower balcony. In the fourth movement, there’s a point in which the orchestra sounds as if it is breaking through a thick, thick haze, and that was just glorious.

Resident conductor Gregory Vajda paced this music well, giving it time to develop and grow. Vajda directed all of the pieces very well, looking for all sorts of nuances, shaping phrases, and having a grand time of it. He and the orchestra capped off the concert with an encore, Franz von Suppé’s Overture to his operetta “Light Cavalry.” This music, as Vajda pointed out to the audience, has been used by cartoons and Hollywood countless times. Everyone played very well, but principal trumpet, Jeffrey Work, played his part magnificently.

Today's birthdays

Erich Leinsdorf (1912-1993)
Martti Talvela (1935-1989)

and also

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Bach Cantata Choir performs Super-Bach Concert II

Although the weather on Sunday afternoon vacillated between hail, sleet, sunshine, and all-purpose cloudiness, that didn’t deter about 300 people from attending the Bach Cantata Choir’s second annual Super-Bach concert. They were treated to a festive program of two demanding Bach cantatas and Christoph Graupner’s Concerto in C Major for Oboe d’amore and Strings at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church.

Bach wrote his Cantata #41 “Jesu, nun sei gepreiset” (“Jesus, Now be Praised”) for New Year’s Day, 1725, in Leipzig where he was entering his second year of service as the music director for the city’s principal churches. This piece opens with a chorus that the 50-voice choir and the 15-piece orchestra, under the direction of Ralph Nelson, sang joyously. The instrumental part calls for three piccolo trumpets that were played with gusto by Gerald Webster, Jeff Snyder, and John Kim.

Soprano Elisa Groves, alto Irene Weldon, tenor Byron White, and bass Jacob Herbert excelled in their solos. Unfortunately, violist Shawne Stone’s playing was off the mark during the tenor aria, which marred the effect of that section.

The chorus delivered the final chorale, “Dein ist allein die Ehre” (“Yours alone is the glory”) with warmth, and the audience joined during the second time through (in English). The trumpets put on a flourish and made the outcome of this cantata glorious.

Graupner wrote 44 concerti, and his music has been rediscovered during the last hundred years. The graceful performance by Paul Pitkin as the featured artist in Graupner’s concerto for oboe d’amore and strings, made me want to hear more works by this contemporary of Bach. Pitkin painted a pleasant variety of tones that ranged from mellow to cheery, and the languid second movement melted like butter on a warm, summer day.

A small ensemble that included violist Rae Richen, cellist Dale Tolliver, violinists Mac Kim and Maria Powell, and harpsichordist John Vergin supported Pitkin with very well. The third, and final movement had a nice bounce to it, and elicited enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Before beginning Bach’s Cantata #19 “Es erhub sich ein Streit” (“There Arose a War”), Nelson explained how the music depicts a passage in Revelation in which St. Michael and his angels defeats Satan. He also got some chuckles by alluding to the Super Bowl football game that has its own style of warfare. He then displayed energetic stick work as he quickly launched the choir and orchestra into the first chorus.

Bass Herbert, tenor White, and soprano Mel Zupan sang their solos wonderfully and the chorus expressed the final chorale “Lass Dein’ Engel mit mir fahren” (“Let your angel travel with me”) with rapture. Again the audience joined the chorus the second time around in English, which is a great way to involve them in this great music of Bach.

Acoustical Note: At last year's concert, I sat in the main section of the church, but the sound seemed uneven. This year I briefly tried under the balcony and quickly found that a lot of the sound was cut out. I moved up to the balcony and found this to be the best place. The sound from the choir was more present, but I still have trouble hearing the bass section. I know that the basses are fine, so I'm wondering if the bass sound (from where the basses section is placed) just doesn't carry well in that building.

Famous birthdays for Feb. 3

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)

Born on Feb. 2nd

Here are some famous people who were born on February 2nd:

Martina Arroyo (1937)
Sir Andrew Davis (1944)
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Louis Marchand (1669-1732)
Stan Getz (1927-1991)
Ursula Oppens (1944)

Also

James Joyce (1882-1941)

St. Olaf Choir in town - concert sold out

The highly esteemed St. Olaf Choir will give a concert at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. According to the choir's national tour web site, the concert is sold out. However, I have heard that you might be able to purchase tickets at the door. The cost per ticket is $35 - although it might be a little higher since they weren't purchased ahead of time.
The choir's famous conductor, Anton Armstrong, will direct all of the pieces. Here's where you can find the program. Note that Armstrong works with choirs at the Oregon Bach Festival every summer, so if you miss this program (or are impressed with Armstrong), you might try to catch him in Eugene this summer.

Review of Tashi in Asymmetry Magazine

I attend last Friday's Tashi concert (sponsored by Chamber Music Northwest) and wrote a review for Asymmetry Magazine. You can read it here.

Would you like an aria with those fries? - learn about Portland Opera's "Rodelinda"

Portland Opera's brown bag lunch presentation on the upcoming opera "Rodelinda" will take place at noon today at the Multnomah County Central Library (801 SW 10th Ave) in the U.S. Bank room. Chorus Master Robert Ainsley discusses the music and history behind Hanel's "Rodelinda." Portland Opera Studio Artists will be on hand to perform selections from the opera.

I have found Ainsley and the singers to be excellent. This brown bag lunch is a great way to learn more about this opera. And it's free!

First anniversary of Northwest Reverb

A year ago today, I started Northwest Reverb in order to record my thoughts about the classical music scene in Portland and elsewhere. This has been a very rewarding experience. The blog has grown to attract over 1,350 visits per month from over 750 different visitors. Thank you for visiting!

I would like to spend more time gathering information, interviewing artists, writing previews and reviews, but I have to keep my day job.

For this second year of Northwest Reverb, I'll add a birthday list (courtesy of "The music diary 2008" from Boosey & Hawkes) of famous people in musicland. Here's the first list:

Born on February 1

Francesco Stradivari 1671-1743
Victor Herbert 1859-1924
Renata Tebaldi 1922-2004

Discount Special with the Oregon Symphony

The Oregon Symphony has announced that starting on Friday, Feb. 1 until Feb 8, you can purchase tickets at $20 or $50 depending on the location for most remaining Classical, Pops and Inside the Score concerts.

This ticket discount applies to the following concerts:

• Feb 2, 3, 4: Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (classical)
• Feb 10: The Classical Symphony (Inside the Score)
• Feb 16, 17, 18: Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2 (classical)
• Feb 23, 24, 25: Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (Pops)
• Mar 2: Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony (Inside the Score)
• Mar 8, 9, 10: Tchaikovsky’s Fourth (classical)
• Mar 15, 16, 17: Women in Blues (Pops)
• Mar 29, 30, 31: Classical Elegance (classical)
• April 12, 13, 14: Mozart Clarinet Concerto (classical)
• Apr 19, 20, 21: A Sentimental Journey with Norman Leyden (Pops)
• Apr 26, 27, 28: Mahler Symphony No. 9 (classical)
• May 4: Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony (Inside the Score)
• May 17, 18, 19: Carmina Burana (classical)

The $20 and $50 tickets are available at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office, 923 SW Washington St. in downtown Portland, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets may also be purchased by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 during the same hours, or online at any time from the orchestra’s web site, www.orsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Oregon Symphony cellist wins position with Boston Symphony

Charles Noble has the scoop on OSO and FearNoMusic cellist, Adam Ebensen, winning a position with the Boston Symphony. Congratulations to Ebensen! Not only will he be playing with a world-famous orchestra, but he will get a major boost in pay. I think that the starting salary with the Boston Symphony is something like $105,000 a year.

On a more somber note, Seattle Symphony's principal cellist, Josh Roman, is leaving the SSO to pursue an independent career. You can read about it in Classical in Seattle or catch this article in The Seattle Times.

Oregon Symphony numbers are going up!

The Oregon Symphony has released wonderful news that the attendance figures and ticket sales are way up so far this season. We're talking an increase of 20.5% with an average paid attendance has been 1,662, which is 283 people per concert more than last season at the same time. This has translated into total ticket sales of over $5 million so far this season and it represents an increase of more than $461,000 in ticket sales when compared to the same time last season.

Anyone who has attended concerts the past few seasons knows that the orchestra is playing better than ever. Even composers such as Robert Kyr have stated how impressed they are. (See this report in my blog on May 29th, 2007.) I hope that this upward trend continues, because Kalmar and the orchestra have earned it. Even when the attendance has been down, the musicians give it their all. Kudos also to Gregory Vajda, who is doing a stellar job as resident conductor.

Make it a SuperBach Sunday!

Portland’s Bach Cantata Choir will present a concert this Sunday afternoon (2 pm) at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church (NE 44th and Sandy). The program consists of Christoph Graupner’s Oboe d’amore Concerto and J. S. Bach’s Cantatas 19 and 41. Ralph Nelson will conduct the concert, and the oboe concerto features Paul Pitkin as the soloist.

Bach’s Cantata 19 is “Es erhub sich ein Streit” (“A battle arose”) and is based on the story of war in heaven in Revelation.

Canata 41 is “Jesu, nun sei gepreiset” (“Jesu, now let us praise Thee”) and is considered one of the most difficult of Bach’s cantatas.

In the Bach Cantata Choir’s newsletter (called “Bach Beat”), Pitkin writes this about the oboe d’amore:

The oboe d’amore was invented in the 18th century, and the Bach cantatas showcase the instrument at the apex of its popularity. Interestingly enough, the first composer to write specifically for the instrument was Christoph Graupner, whose Concerto for Oboe d’Amore will be heard in the BCC’s next concert. In terms of performance, the oboe d’amore is probably the most difficult instrument to play in a family of difficult instruments. This is due in large part to the fact that it has an unstable pitch and a scale that is very out of tune with itself, requiring a great ear and extreme flexibility of embouchure (use of facial muscles and lip placement) on the part of the performer.
Its darker, warmer tone is used to great effect in the cantatas, and you’ll most often find it paired with solo alto; the lush sound of both alto and oboe d’amore work beautifully together. This instrument gradually fell out of favor with the advent of the clarinet, which has a larger range and is much easier to play. Very little music has been composed for the oboe d’amore since the end of the Baroque. The most notable examples are to be found in Ravel’s “Bolero,” Richard Strauss’ “Sinfonia Domestica” and Mahler’s “Ruckert-Lieder.”

There is no admission charge for the concert, but donations will be accepted.

Gentleman, grow your beards!

Peter Schickele, aka PDQ Bach, is coming to our fair city as the very special guest of Portland Symphonic Choir for its concert on March 12th. The program includes "Oedipus Tex" and "The Seasonings" and a Schickele look-alike-contest. So let your stubble grow and don't forget to get a ticket via the PSC web site.

Classical in Seattle summarizes the Seattle Symphony situation

Classical in Seattle gathers all of the latest chatter about the Seattle Symphony, including recent comments by Alex Ross (who was in Seattle for a symposium on new music).

Case against Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony dismissed

You can read about it here in the Seattle P-I.

Latest scribblings...

I wrote a piece about Bravo! Vancouver's next concert (this Sunday afternoon) in The Columbian.

Seen and Heard International has posted my review of last weekend's terrific Oregon Symphony concert.

Henry Fogel in his blog has posted a listing of programs for the Berlin Philharmonic from a tour they did in 1951. Almost every day they played a demanding concert (one time they gave two concerts in a day). Wow!

Review: Ian Bostridge wows Portland

Probably the most difficult thing any singer can do is to perform two hours of German lieder and win over the audience to your viewpoint. You only have your voice and a pianist at your disposal. The poetry you must convey is often of a melancholy nature, and German can sound harsh when it’s done wrongly. But when an artist of the caliber of Ian Bostridge, gets a hold of such songs like he did on Thursday in an evening of Schubert lieder, then the effect goes beyond the beyonds.

Sponsored by the Friends of Chamber Music, this concert took place at Kaul Auditorium and about 500 people (many in the choral and opera community) were present. After the tall and lanky Bostridge took the stage with pianist Julius Drake, they immediately drew us into a pensive world view in which birds, brooks, blossoms, and the air itself has a surface meaning and an underlying meaning. The poetry often told us how wonderful life is and lament that it is far too short.

Bostridge has a terrific array of idiosyncratic postures, which some might find affected or off-putting. He might sing to the piano for a while and then suddenly turn to the audience to finish the phrase. He might strike a debonair pose as if he going to pull out a pack of cigarettes or he might cock his head and sing out the side of his mouth. Well, he could stand on his head and sing that way if he liked, because the beauty of his tone was absolutely perfect for these songs. He could alter the volume at will, change the emotion drastically, change the emphasis of the story, break the pace of the song. It didn’t matter because the tone was always beautiful. Bostridge also avoided over pronouncing the German. The consonants didn't splatter all over the place or sound forced.

I thought that the most stunning performance was “Sei mir gegrüsst” (Schubert’s setting of a poem by Friedrich Rückert). Each stanza has a phrase that repeats at the end, and Bostridge could make it sound like a plaintive echo, fading into the stillness of time. It was unforgettable.

Drake’s playing was equally superb. He added texture to every piece. He never overstated his case or understated it. His playing was perfectly suited to Bostridge’s voice.

At the end of the concert, and a standing ovatio, Bostridge sang two encores. The first was “Röslein auf der Heiden,” and the second was another Schubert lied. Both were done impeccably.

Although the concert was well attended, I think that it would’ve sold out if it had not taken place on a Thursday night. Most church choirs in Portland rehearse on Thursday evening. Of course, there are restrictions with available nights for Bostridge (I understand that he left Portland early on Friday morning), and there are restrictions on the availability of Kaul Auditorium (Chamber Music Northwest has it booked for Friday and Saturday evenings). There’s only so much that the staff at the Friends of Chamber Music can do. Let’s hope that they bring Bostridge back again!

Matt Haimovitz plays Schumann Cello Concerto with PSU Symphony

The Portland State University Orchestra moves downtown to present its winter concert at the Newmark Theater. Besides the Schumann Cello Concerto, the program includes the U.S. premiere of Wolfgang Rihm's "Ricercare in memoriam Luigi Nono," the U.S. premiere of Bryan Johanson's "Quick as a Wink," and Johannes Brahms' Double Concerto with violinist Andy Simionescu and cellist Matt Haimovitz.

Entitled "Juxtapositions" this concert continues the vision of conductor (and professor) Ken Selden, who programs a mixture of contemporary music and beloved works. Last year was Selden's first with the PSU Symphony, and his fearless leadership into new repertoire caused the PSU Symphony to win First Prize in Adventurous Programming from ASCAP and the American Symphony Orchestra League (beating out the nation's music conservatories and top-rated music schools).

Haimovitz is known for his performances around town in unorthodox places like coffee shops, outdoor music festivals, and clubs. But he has had an international career since he first soloed at the ripe age of 13 with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic. Since then, Haimovitz has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra among others.

The concert starts at 8 pm on Saturday. Don't miss it!

Tickets prices are $15 for adults; $10 for seniors; $8 for students; and PSU faculty, staff and students are admitted free with PSU ID. Tickets are available at the PSU Box Office (1825 SW Broadway), by calling 503-725-3307 or at Antoinette Hatfield Hall (1111 SW Broadway).

You can find more about the PSU Symphony on MySpace.

Chamber music concerts at the Washington State Governor’s Mansion

Since 1989, the Governor’s mansion in Olympia has been the focal point of the Governor’s Chamber Music Festival. This is a chamber music series that offers three chamber music concerts every year at several venues, one of which is the Governor’s mansion.

Judith Cohen, an award-winning pianist from Seattle, Washington, is the director of the Governor’s Chamber Music Festival, which is a non-profit group with a small budget of around $15,000.

“We do our own fundraising, get donations, and apply for grants,” says Cohen. “Because it is state property, we can’t take money at the door. We have an invitation list and get the money beforehand. The concerts can’t have the appearance of collecting money for the state.”

The Washington State Governor’s mansion is not a ceremonial home. Governor Gregoire does live there and does attend the concerts unless she is out of town. According to Cohen each performance draws an audience of 125 people.

There’s a concert coming up this Monday evening (January 28th) at the Governor’s mansion. The concert features Judith Cohen, an award-winning professional pianist from Seattle and Jackson Berkey (the keyboard artist with Mannheim Steamroller). They are playing the Northwest premiere of Berkey’s piece for two pianos and wind chimes.

“It’s a fun piece,” remarks Cohen “There’s a lot of piano sonority in the piece. The wind chimes bring some meditative and reflective quality into the piece, which is about 20 minutes long.”

They will also perform Berkey’s Elegy for Cello and Piano with Seattle Symphony cellist and Kronos Quartet founder Walter Grey.

“Jackson Berkey has a second home on the Olympic Peninsula,” notes Cohen. “He went to Julliard and is a trained pianist. I met Jackson because my youngest stepdaughter was in the Seattle Girlschoir and one of his kids one in it also. He wrote some stunning pieces for that group. He found out that I am a pianist, and we’ve kept in touch. I’m really looking forward to the concert.”

Maybe this is a concert series that should be done in Oregon as well! Mahonia Hall in Salem has a ballroom on the third floor and a pipe organ. It would be great to get our best musicians in Govenor Kulongoski home. Politics and Music!

Monday, January 28th, 2008, 6-8 PM,Governor's Mansion, Olympia, Washington. Music of Jackson Berkey. For more information, call 206-281-8292.

Have keyboard, will travel: Review of the Valentina Lisitsa piano recital

Valentina Lisitsa again arrived in Portland on short notice to rescue a concert series. Last September, Lisitsa replaced an ailing Horacio Gutierrez in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto in the Oregon Symphony season opener. This time, the Ukrainian-born, Miami-based artist filled in for the young phenom Rachel Cheung, whose parents apparently didn’t want to jump through all of the hoops required in order to get their daughter an artist’s visa.

Lisitsa’s appearance was the second concert in a series sponsored by Portland Piano International, and her performance on Monday evening at the Newmark Theatre didn’t disappoint those who love the Romantic repertoire. Lisitsa opened the program with a gripping interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s “Études-Tableaux,” Op. 39, No 6, in A minor. Her fingers flew up and down the keyboard in every imaginable direction, and she made the virtuosic passages look effortless. Her style was nearly the same as she shows in her youtube video, so you can see for yourself.

More Rachmaninoff followed. From his 13 Preludes, Op. 32, we heard the No. 12 in G-sharp minor, No. 5 in G major, and No 10 in B minor. Lisitsa gave each prelude its own flavor. With No. 12, she created a dreamy, impressionistic mood that drifted with the clouds. No. 5 continued in the same manner but ended magically. No. 10 had a somber and thoughtful attitude that seemed to hint at a Russian hymn.

Lisitsa rounded out the Rachmaninoff set with the Prelude No. 5 in G minor from his 10 Preludes, Op. 23. I think that Lisitsa could have slowed down a bit during the middle section. She seemed to hurry it along a bit too much. Still, by the end of the piece, she won everyone over to her interpretation, which was rich and melodic.

The first half of the program ended with Beethoven’s Sonata in F min, Op. 57 (“Appassionata”). I loved Lisitsa’s opening statement in the first movement, because she varied the dynamics and tempi very well. She continued to show a fine understanding of nuances in the second movement, but her playing of the third movement started out somewhat rushed. Somehow she relaxed the pace enough to gather us into the whirlwind that marked the end of this piece. Wild applause from the audience erupted from all over the hall.

The second half of the program began with Schumann’s “Kinderszenen” (“Scenes of Childhood”), Op. 15. Lisitsa brought each scene to us lovingly and with complete understanding of every nuance. Her performance was impeccable, full of wonderful feeling, and went straight to the heart. I cannot image a better interpretation.

Next, Lisitsa played Thalberg’s Fantasy on “The Barber of Seville,” Op 63. This piece was garnished with so much ornamentation that I could barely make out a few of the melodies from Rossini’s famous opera. After reading the program notes, I found out that that was the point. Lisitsa made this piece look a lot easier than it is, yet I wish that Thalberg had brought some of Rossini’s themes to the forefront.

The final piece on the printed program was Liszt’s “Totentaz” (“Dance of Death”). Lisitsa had this virtuosic piece nailed – from the demonstrative beginning to the final burnout at the end. Lisitsa exhibited remarkable control, and the numerous glissandi looked brutal, but she played it all with gusto.

After a thunderous ovation by the audience, Lisitsa returned to the piano, a huge Bösendorfer grand, to play five encores. She didn’t announce them from the stage, but all of them were tough pieces and the last one was a Liszt knucklecruncher. Lisitsa played each one impeccably and with great feeling. With each piece she seemed to become more and more energized, and I think that she might have continued playing until midnight, but, alas, the audience was ready to go home.

Review: Oregon Symphony performs MacMillan and Mendelssohn

In 1662 Isobel Gowdie was accused of witchcraft and killed by the authorities after she had confessed to all sorts of incredible assignations with the devil and stated that she could fly, turn herself into a rabbit, and had killed a ploughman with elf-arrows the devil gave her. Witch trials in Scotland during this time caused the deaths of some 4,500 people and remain a black mark in the history of that country. The discovery of this dark period inspired James MacMillan to write “The Confession of Isobel Gowdie,” a symphonic piece that unearths the tragedy of Gowdie’s death and provides a requiem in her memory and the memory of others who died under similar circumstances.

The Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, unleashed the entire spectrum of MacMillan’s work. The piece starts very calmly, starting with the woodwinds and gradually spreading to the strings. It was difficult to detect the liturgical chants and church-like music that are woven into this opening passage, but the music did seem to look back into the misty past. The next theme emerged with a myriad of glissandi from all sections of the orchestra, with the cello section getting the most opportunities. Then came an extended crescendo that ended sharply and an intricate mesh of sound that was punctuated by the percussion. This was followed by thirteen (or more) incredibly piercing attacks, like the lashing of a whip, which could make the sweat break out on your forehead. Then a ruthless thread of sound – led by the trombone section – erupted. Finally, an overall cacophony slowly guided us to still waters with the strings ascending higher and higher – perhaps to depict the soul of Gowdie entering heaven.

Overall, the performance of “The Confession of Isobel Gowdie” was riveting, and its subject matter makes me reflect on my own government, which has advocated the use of torture at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and excused the excesses at Abu Ghraib. Will 300 years pass before a composer writes a work that depicts water boarding and other atrocities?

After intermission, the orchestra performed Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” With actors, soloists, and women’s choir, this concert drama created a full-meal deal to the delight of an audience in need of a lighter, fairy-tale story about witches and otherworldly things.

The orchestra and forces didn’t disappoint, delivering an enchanting and thoroughly engaging performance of this gem (which was its long-overdue, first-time performance by the orchestra). Actor Ted deChatelet marvelously alternated his voice to convey the mischievous Puck and stately Oberon. Maureen Porter was equally effective in her role as Titania, queen of the fairies. Sopranos Sharin Apostolou and Amy Jo Arrington sang beautifully, as did the women of the Portland Symphonic Choir. The strings were impeccable. The brass played with sensitivity, and principal flutist David Buck again displayed remarkable breath control, playing extended, exposed passages that flowed like a clear stream.

Attendance was down on Sunday night with too many empty seats for such an excellent program. Was this because of Martin Luther King weekend or did folks have problems prying themselves away from the Packers-Giants game. You’d think that Portland’s wicca followers would make a showing or that perhaps Shakespeare lovers, many of whom make yearly treks to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland would’ve been more curious about this show, but alas that was not to be.

PS: My review of last week's Oregon Symphony concert is now posted on Seen and Heard International.

Updates on scribbling and Northwest Reverb stats

I've published an article in winter issue of MUSO magazine on some of the best vocal training programs in the US and Canada. I was able to get in a plugs for Portland State University's opera program with a quote from head honcho Christine Meadows and for my alma mater Pacific Lutheran University.

Also, for the past week or so, Northwest Reverb has crossed the 1,000 visits per month threshold. And the latest analysis states that it's at an all-time high with 1,137 visits from 633 different visitors (in the jargon "absolutely unique visitors) over the last 31 days.

Talking with Carlos Kalmar about the upcoming Oregon Symphony concerts and more

On Tuesday afternoon, I chatted with Oregon Symphony's music director Carlos Kalmar about his recent work in The Hague, Netherlands and about Oregon Symphony’s classical music concerts through the end of the season.

How did things go with the Residente Orkestre in The Hauge?

Kalmar: Everything went very well. That was my second time with the Residente Orkester. The first encounter two years ago was difficult. I went in there being my usual self, which means start rehearsing right away. They didn’t want to do that. They wanted to settle down a little bit and be themselves and feel the music. That was fine. But the real problem arose when I decided to fire my soloist. It was an unusual thing. Only the second time in 21 years of doing this business. But that was two years ago. I'm happy that they invited me back and the concerts with the Shostakovich 5 went really well.

What out-of-town gigs do you have coming up?

Kalmar: I’ll be returning to Dublin to direct the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra on the 25th of this month. We'll be doing the Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1, Bartók's Dance Suite, and Dvorák Symphony No. 8. Then I travel to Lahti, Finland to conduct the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. That was Osmo Vänskä’s orchestra. We'll perform the entire Romeo and Juliet symphony by Berlioz in Lahti. That will be fun.

This weekend you'll be conducting the Oregon Symphony in a concert of Mendelssohn" "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and MacMillan's "The Confessions of Isobel Gowdie." That's an interesting combo.

Kalmar: James MacMillan is a contemporary Scottish composer, about my age. Isobel Gowdie was an average woman from about 1640 in Scotland. MacMillan is a very Catholic person and a proud Scotsman. He studied Scottish history and found this very dark spot – which happened all over Europe – people were burnt to death because they were accused of being a witch. Isobel Gowdie was tortured and confessed to all sort of things: that she could fly, that she had met the devil. So she was strangled at the stake and burnt to death.

MacMillan wrote this piece to commemorate that tragedy. It’s kind of a requiem. The musical language at the beginning is modern, but you can hear the links to ancient history, ancient church songs, etc. This is not program music, but when it comes to torture and killing, the music becomes very intense, screaming, and quite in your face. After she is dead, there is a sense of reconciliation. MacMillian refers to the 4,000 who were killed in Scotland during this time under similar circumstances.

We want to link this piece with Mendelssohn’s "A Midsommer Night’s Dream," which looks at fairies and the supernatural from a completely different angle. Because this music is pleasant, funny, and very lyrical. We’ve got the choir part, the actors, and we do some of some of the Shakespeare play. It will be a great way to lift your spirits.

As a side note -- Mendelssohn wrote the overture when he was 17 years old and the rest of it later. That's amazing!

In early February Gregory Vajda will conduct Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Kirill Gerstein.

Kalmar: Kirill Gerstein was here two years ago and did the Ravel G major Piano Concerto with us and Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue" and both pieces were unbelievable! He is Russian and has a degree in piano and in jazz playing. You can real feel that he knows how to do jazz. I think that for Kirill you can give him anything. He’s that great! Gregory will do well with John Adams' "Chamber Symphony" and Schumann's 4th Symphony. A great program.

In the middle of February, you return to conduct two pieces by Liszt, including his second piano concerto with guest pianist Arnaldo Cohen.

Kalmar: Cohen is a wonderful Brazilian artist with whom I’ve already worked, so I'm looking forward to bring him here. Also on the program is Liszt’s "Les Préludes,” an excellent ballet piece. "Les Préludes" is one of Liszt’s best pieces but at the centerpiece of the music there’s a great majestic and brassy section. The music has nothing to do with military things, but the Nazi’s used it as a signature tune for their special radio announcements. So the piece wasn’t played in German-speaking countries for 40 years after the WWII ended because of the memories. So, the good news is that we in America can appreciate this music for what it is.

This is my first time to do “Fanfare for the Common Man” as a separate piece. I've conducted it several times because it's in the fourth movement of Copland's Third Symphony. Also on this progrma is Bizet’s "Symphony in C," which is a cute, little thing. And Barber’s "Sourvenirs" is to die for – a very intelligent piece of music.

On March 8 through the 10th Finland is coming to Portland in the form of a conductor and a soloist with the orchestra.

Kalmar: Yes, Pietari Inkinen will conduct and the concert will feature Pekka Kuusisto, who is probably the leading young Finish violin soloist, playing Stravinsky's "Violin Concerto." Pekka's brother is the concertmaster of the Lahti Symphony and a very fine player too. This is a well suited concert. The Stravinsky piece requires a really intelligent musician who can pull it off and get the audience to understand it. Pekka will do that. And the Tchaikovsky 4th is also on the program. With that piece you can’t go wrong. It's great music that is beloved by audiences everywhere.

We've got another guest conductor coming to direct the orchestra in late March.

Kalmar: Juanjo Mena is a young Spanish conductor. He must be in his 30s. He is one of the more upcoming conductors I saw him in Spain a couple of years ago and was impressed. He also works with the Baltimore Symphony. So, I’m happy that we can present a concert that is wide-ranging. We’ve paired the well-known Beethoven Sympohny No. 2 and Wagner's Overture to "Tannhäuser" with two lesser-know works: Johann Christian Bach’s Symphony and Martinu’s "The Frescoes of Piero della Francesca," which will be played here for the first time. Martinu’s piece is a great piece of music.

You are back in town to conduct in the middle of April a concert of Bartók and Strauss, and the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with Sharon Kam.

Kalmar: I’ve worked a couple of times with Sharon Kam in Vienna and Dessau. Sharon is one of the top clarinetists in the world. This will be exciting, and the Mozart Clarinet Concerto has been done here in a while.

I’m excited to do Bartók's "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste." It’s very important piece of 20th Century music that any really good orchestra has to play. This again may be the first time that this piece has been done in Portland.

Then comes the Mahler 9 on April 26, 27, and 28.

Kalmar: Mahler 9 - that’s no big deal! A tiny symphony! (Laughs) Maybe an hour and a quarter in length. We decided not to pair it with anything else is because it is such a substantial work. We all know that Mahler pieces have more too it, background, irony, sadness, desperation, some humorous things. It’s a great piece, but it is challenging in the most positive way. It’s long and you have to pay attention. If you look at the length of Mahler’s first symphony – around 51 minutes – with the 9th and all of the things he is trying to say at the end of his life, then you know how incredible this work is.

Alright! I'm going to be ready to hear it at least twice. I don't know that it's ever been done by the Oregon Symphony before. And this is just whetting my appetite, because I’m waiting for you to do a Bruckner.

Kalmar: You won’t have to wait long.

Yay! (Fireworks explode inside my head.) Wow I’m psyched!

The final concert of the season offers Messiaen's "The Ascension" ("L'Ascension") and Carmina Burana with the Portland Symphonic Choir, the Pacific Youth Choir, and soloists.

Kalmar: We are so proud to contrast the earthy and the ethereal. The Carmina Burana has lots of drinking, lots of love. We all like that. Messiaen's “L’Ascension" is very religious and heavenly.
“L’Ascension" is 20 minutes long and requires a very good orchestra with strong players. The first and last movements are very slow, the players must have the ability to breathe through the music, breathe through the rests, and build this cathedral of sound. A huge difference with the Carmina which involves rhythm, fun, and some weird moments like the high, high tenor in the roasted swan piece.

Let's not forget the remaining concerts in the Inside the Score series. Gregory Vajda will be giving you the inside picture on several great works. He'll talk about two classical symphonys - one by Haydn and the other by Prokofiev, which looks by at the Haydn. That's on February 10th. Then Gregory will talk about Shostakovitch's Fifth Symphony and all the complexity with Stalin's government. That takes place on March 2nd. And Gregory winds up with Beethoven's Seventh Symphony on May 4th. That's a great series and you get a lot of useful information about music, people, and history.

Thanks Carlos!

Kalmar: My pleasure!

Baltimore Symphony ends year in the black

The Baltimore Symphony was able to changing course and post a balanced budget for the first time in five years, according to this article in the Baltimore Sun. Credit goes to some fortuitous planning by the BSO organization, which is led by President Paul Meecham, who used to be the executive director of the Seattle Symphony. Meecham lasted two years in Seattle before running into problems with maestro Gerard Schwarz. Meecham took over a difficult job at Baltimore, which was saddled with a $19 million deficit. In the meantime, the Seattle Symphony keeps plugging ahead with Schwarz and is posting a record year according to this article in crosscut.

Conversation with Yaacov Bergman about the upcoming Portland Chamber Orchestra concert

This coming Saturday, the Portland Chamber Orchestra will play the music of William Walton, Leonard Bernstein, and Joseph Haydn in a program that combines playfulness and philosophy. The featured work is William Walton’s “Façade,” which uses the puppetry of the Tears of Joy Theatre, two actors, and a chamber ensemble to convey the whimsical poetry of Edith Sitwell. The program also includes Bernstein’s “Serenade” with the young and talented violinist Tai Murray as the soloist and Haydn’s Symphony No. 22 (aka “The Philosopher”).

This should be a very engaging program, so I talked with PCO's conductor and music director Yaacov Bergman about it.

Tell us more about Walton’s “Façade.”

Bergman: “It’s a wonderful piece in which Sitwell’s poetry is part of the musical text. In other words, the music rhythmically reflects Sitwell’s poetry. Walton started writing the music when he was just 21 years old. It’s a tricky piece – to articulate the poetry with the music.

The piece requires only 16 instrumentalists – a chamber orchestra kind of piece - and the poems are read while the music plays. Walton wrote the music with a jazzy approach. Sitwell herself was interested in jazz and worked with rhythm in her poetry.

We’ll be working with two actors, Mary McDonald Lewis and KBPS’s Edmund Stone, who will recite the poetry. They are terrific people

The titles of each poem seem to be whimsical.

Bergman: “Yes, they are quite meaningless. There is no story thread from point A to point B. It’s all very abstract. The main challenge is balance. We have to make sure that everyone can be heard correctly. We are using additional monitors in the audience area. Audience has to hear everything clearly.

And we are collaborating with the Tears of Joy Theatre for this piece. This is a new thing. We will build a little extension in front of the stage to bring the puppetry to the audience.

“Façade” is a fantastic work that provides for artistic expression of sophisticated ideas. It has many moods and is very abstract. We can use an imaginative approach that fits the mission of the Portland Chamber Orchestra. We are trying to bring the arts together with music. The future of classical music may have a departure a little bit from the traditional way of presenting classical music. Today there is so much new technology to present music and with which to compose music. It’s an exciting time.”

Tell us about Bernstein’s Serenade

Bergman: “Bernstein’s “Serenade” is a very difficult piece. It has five movements each with its own personality and based on Plato’s “Symposium.” The dialogues in “The Symposium” deal with the nature and meaning of love so the music explores those same themes.”

In some ways “Serenade” is like a tone poem. This piece is very tricky for the soloist and the orchestra, good rhythm and jazz, too.”

What about violin soloist Tai Murray?

Bergman: “Tai Murray is a brilliant young American violinist from Chicago. She has performed this piece with the Chicago Symphony in Atlanta. She has an artist diploma in music performance from Indiana University and is currently studying on scholarship at Juilliard in New York City.”

The concert concludes with Haydn’s “Philosopher.”

Bergman: “Haydn is always wonderful, and this is a delightful piece. Haydn’s works are more classical in structure. He gives us a sense of balance. The title links us back to Plato, and it was given to this piece because of the distinctive character of the first movement. You can see the philosopher in front of you.

The Portland Chamber Orchestra is cutting edge, futuristic. With every concert we are collaborating with other groups in town. It’s a vision that will help to keep classical music alive.

In May we will do Beethoven’s "Creatures of Prometheus" with an all new multimedia look so stay tuned!

Portland Chamber Orchestra plays the music of Walton, Bernstein, and Haydn in a program entitled “Rhymes and Rhythms,” which takes place this Saturday (January 19th) at 7:30 pm at Kaul Auditorium (located on the campus of Reed College).

For tickets call 503-771-3250 or buy online at www.portlandchamberorchestra.org. You can also purchase tickets at the door. If you have the promotion card, you can get $5 off the price of admission.

PS: Congratulations to Bergman for his work fine work with the Walla Walla Symphony. This was noted by Henry Fogel, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, in his blog "On the Record."

Charles Noble reflects in Oregon Symphony program notes

A month or so ago, an article in Crosscut about the Oregon Symphony's financial picture and how to "fix" it caused a lot of chatter on the internet. Charles Noble, assistant principal violist of the Oregon Symphony and blogger extrodinaire (NobleViola) wrote a piece about the subject, and it was printed on the back page of the latest Oregon Symphony program.

I thought that Noble had lots of great things to say, and he challenged the Oregon Symphony audience to enter into the discussion. Noble advocates "a wide-ranging discussion of possible solutions—with frank discussions of the problems included. I’d like to see a range of current and potential donors engage in a forum to talk about what their impressions of the symphony’s problems are, what they see as possible solutions and what they see already being done right."

A forum sounds like a good starting place, and I hope that it gets started soon.

From brutality to serenity and magic: Oregon Symphony with conductor Vajda and pianist Fliter traverse a wide soundscape

The Oregon Symphony opened its first concert of the new year with a bang, presenting a wide-ranging program of music by Bela Bartók, Claude Debussy, Frederic Chopin, and Paul Dukas. Resident Conductor Gregory Vajda directed the concert superbly, using a baton rather than his hands, which I had never seen him do before. Argentinean pianist Ingrid Fliter, the 2006 Gilmore Artist Award winner, was outstanding as the featured soloist.

The concert began with Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin,” which marked this orchestra’s first-ever performance of this challenging piece. Supertitles gave the audience the gist of the story, which tells how three thugs use a girl to lure men in order to rob them. The final victim is Mandarin who is suffocated, stabbed, and hanged, but doesn’t die until the girl embraces him. In a way, this piece is Bartók’s meditation on love and death, except that the love part of the story gets shortchanged.

Vajda guided the orchestra expertly through the turbulent waters of this piece and its myriad of changes in meter. All of the nasty sounds and the thrashing about gave the impression that the instruments were playing against each other at least half the time, yet the brutality of the music matched the story perfectly. The snarling trombones, the furious strings, the wailing woodwinds, and the merciless percussion were impressive. The smeared piano roll captured the ghostly suspension of the Mandarin’s body from a light fixture. After the piece ended I wanted to knock back some absinth or take a plunge in a swimming pool, but alas I couldn’t find either in the lobby.

The orchestra and audience regrouped after intermission for Debussay’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.” The languid and almost serene mood conveyed by the orchestra did a lot to help soothe the nerves after the Bartók. Principal flutist David Buck and principal oboist Martin Hebert played marvelously. The only time that the overall sonic impression seemed to flatten out and go nowhere occurred during an exposed section for the lower strings, and that may have been due to the acoustical shortcomings of the hall, which are well known.

Chopin’s second piano concerto brought in another breath of fresh air. Fliter appeared a bit fidgety during the long orchestral introduction, but once her fingers touched the keys, she showed all of the artistry of a truly great pianist. Her sound was well-balanced, her sense of pacing and contours within passages was amazing. Fliter created an assortment of moods that welcomed us to her view of Chopin’s music and kept us mesmerized until the very end.

The program ended with a Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”. Vajda and the orchestra gave the piece a lot of dramatic flair, reveling in the wit of this whimsical nature of the music. I loved the pauses, which Vajda masterfully controlled and envied the bassoon section, which had a lot of fun in performing this piece.

Post Script: The hall was fairly full; so that continues an upward trend for the orchestra. A very good sign!

A glimpse of Seattle Opera's "Pagliacci"

Seattle Opera has made a special video of their production of "Pagliacci" and given Northwest Reverb (and other media) permission to use it. So, here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Preview and Review of Vancouver Symphony (WA) concert

The Vancouver Symphony (Washington) is offering an unusual program of jazz-inspired music and regular-flavored classical fare. The concert features a jazzy-baroque work by guest conductor and pianist Yaron Gottfried. I published a preview of this concert in The Columbian on Friday. Today I attended the afternoon concert, and the paper has already put my review on their web site. I hope that you enjoy reading both pieces and can attend the Sunday concert.

I'll be attending the Oregon Symphony concert (Gregory Vajda, conductor and Ingrid Fliter, pianist) on Sunday evening.

P-town Pick-up Choir needs you!

A new underground/overground, intensive/subversive choir is being called into existence and resistance by Stephen Marc Beaudoin, singer, writer, man-about-town, and raconteur. If you have a pair of vocal chords and want to commit yourself to audacious sonic actions, then consider Beaudoin's Portland Pick-up Choir. Contact Beaudoin at pickupchoir@yahoo.com. For the entire scoop, read his posting at his web site, From Every Corner.

I hope to hear this choir soon!

Whereabouts of Kalmar and Schwarz

Both Carlos Kalmar and Gerard Schwarz are conducting in Europe right now. Kalmar is conducting the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague (tonight and tomorrow night) in a program that features Debussy's "Prélude to the Afternoon of a Faun," Brahms' Concerto for viola, cello and orchestra, and Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 5.

According to Melinda Bargreen of the Seattle Times, Schwarz is leading the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in their current tour of Germany. Schwarz is filling for Neville Marriner in programs that include works by Beethoven, Dvorak, Mendelssohn and Mozart. Pianist Johnathan Biss is the featured soloist in these concerts. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields web site gives the schedule but hasn't been updated to mention Schwarz.

Mahler's 6th - the correct order of movements?!

I found this article by Larry Lash in Musical America (December 28th - "RSO-Wien Settle the Score with Mahler 6"), but I think that it is only available to those who subscribe. Apparently, most of us have heard Mahler's 6th Symphony in the wrong order. Here's an extended excerpt from the article:

"VIENNA -- The program book for the Dec. 14 performance of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony by Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien (Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra) at Konzerthaus lists the movements as follows:

I. Allegro energico
II. Scherzo
III. Andante moderato
IV. Finale

An apologetic but urgent insert advised a program change based on new evidence: for almost a century, the movements have been played in the wrong order.

The most-quoted source of the mistake came from Mahler’s widow, Alma: “First Scherzo, then Andante” she instructed Wilhelm Mengelberg when he conducted the work in 1919.

Among personal recollections, Mahler’s own marked-up scores, Alma’s less-than-accurate testimony and printers’ errors, the correct order remained unresolved. The International Gustav Mahler Gesellschaft’s first edition of the Sixth, published in 1963, maintained the Scherzo-Andante order.

John Barbirolli long felt the Andante should come first; when he recorded the Sixth with the New Philharmonia Orchestra in 1968, EMI insisted on issuing the LP with the Scherzo first. Only with the 1996 CD reissue did the label acknowledge that Barbirolli had been correct, accordingly reordering the movements.

Also unresolved was the number of hammer blows in the Finale. Mahler composed three, but later felt their devastating impact too great, too close to tragic events in his life. I once saw his copy of the score, the third blow deleted with the bold stroke of a red marker. Fate would have its way despite the editing pencil: after receiving the blows of his dismissal from Wiener Staatsoper and the death of his daughter, Mahler’s recently-diagnosed heart condition lead to his death at the height of his powers at age 50. For decades, some conductors used three hammer blows, others two.

It’s enough of a mystery to fill a book – which it has, actually, published in 2004 by the Kaplan Foundation, edited by Mahler scholar Gilbert Kaplan and titled “The Correct Movement Order in Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.” A great deal of the material in its 72 pages also was provided by Reinhold Kubik, an IMGM vice-president and editor of the critical edition of Mahler’s complete works.

This performance was the first I’ve heard live in Andante-Scherzo order. The difference is astounding. Rather than proceed from the joyous, wild ride of the closing pages of the Allegro directly into the apocalyptic Scherzo, the insertion of the Andante gives the piece a more logical, theatrical flow. And two of those hammer blows – gut-wrenching no matter how prepared you think you may be for them – are quite enough to make the point."

Profile of LeaAnne DenBeste

I published a profile of LeaAnne DenBeste, one of Portland's best sopranos and voice teachers, in the Hollywood Star newspaper. Although the Star is unavailable online, you can pick it up gratis at many locations in NE Portland. The Star publishes about 25,000 copies for each monthly issue, so it's considered one of the larger neighborhood newspapers.

DenBeste will be singing with Cappella Romana in its next concert on January 11th. The program consists of Finnish Orthodox music, most of which has probably been rarely performed outside of Finland. So, if you want to hear some really unusual vocal music, check out this concert.

The picture shows LeaAnne with Clare Marie.

Speculation about Schwarz and the Utah Symphony

If you visit the Classical in Seattle blog, you'll find out that Gerard Schwarz's name has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Keith Lockhart at the Utah Symphony. Lockhart's contract expires after the 2008-2009 season. Zach Carstensen (the blog author) refers to the original mention of this possibility in the Desert Morning News and to some musings by Seattle Weekly's Gavin Borchert

In the meantime, let's hope that Utah keeps their paws off of Carlos Kalmar.

Photo of Bob Priest at the piano between George Benjamin and Olivier Messiaen

A publicity shot from the Southbank Centre in London shows local composer Bob Priest sitting between composers Benjamin and Messiaen. Priest is the wild looking guy with the beard. He looks like a serious composer or a budding anarchist. To enlarge the picture, just click on it.

For the birds!

Linda Magee, executive director of Chamber Music Northwest, and husband Craig Fisk have a Quaker parrot named Sparky who has made a name for himself on YouTube. You can watch Sparky construct his very large next in the Magee-Fisk dining room. I think that there's a bookcase behind the nest.

Year end thoughts...

I've really enjoyed writing Northwest Reverb since my first posting in February. I'm happy to report that the blog is now attracting just a hair under 900 visits a month.

I'd love to devote more time to the blog, because there's so much superb music-making underway in Portland and the Pacific Northwest, but I have to be careful about how much time I spend blogging.

Besides all of the wonderful concerts by established groups, it's really great when people like Charles Noble and Bob Priest put together their own concerts, because these kind of under-the-radar events energize very lively, responsive audiences. I hope to attend more of these performances in 2008.

With best wishes for a Happy New Year!

- James

Willamette University flute instructor Molly Barth nominated for Grammy Award

Willamette University flute instructor Molly Barth was a member of Eighth Blackbird, whose recording Strange Imaginary Animals has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music Category (Category 104). I briefly talked with Barth, and she confirmed that her playing is in this recording, which was completed before she took the job a Willamette University.

Barth has impressive credentials, including 4 CDs with Cedille Records, the 2000 Naumburg Chamber Music Award, the 1998, 2000 and 2002 CMA/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, first prize at the 1998 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, the 1998 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and 1996 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. You can read more about this on her Willamette University faculty page. I heard Barth play with the Fear No Music ensemble in their November concert, and her performance was excellent.

Overall, eight blackbird has been nominated for 3 Grammys:

Category 104: Best Chamber Music Performance - strange imaginary animals
Category 107: Best Classical Contemporary Composition - Jennifer Higdon, Zaka
Category 97: Best Producer of the Year, Classical - Judith Sherman

The Grammy winners will be announced on February 10th. We'll see if Eighth Blackbird makes a sweep!

What's in a name?

On Friday evening, I heard the Portland Baroque Orchestra's concert with Cappella Romana as the chorus. But only LeaAnne DenBeste and a couple other people in the chorus normally sing with Cappella Romana. In fact, none of the core Cappella Romana men (including Mark Powell who also serves on the administrative staff of Cappella Romana and on the staff of PBO) sang in this concert or the concert series (four performances). So why bother to call the vocal ensemble Cappella Romana?

Bob Priest's letter regarding Elliott Carter in New York Times

Composer Bob Priest has been on a letter-writing spree lately. His letter about Elliott Carter's music appeared on page 40 of Sunday's New York Times Arts and Leisure section. BP has allowed me to reprint it here:

From: Bob Priest
Date: December 10, 2007 4:01:27 PM PST
To: artsleisure@nytimes.com
Subject: Elliott Carter

I am thrilled that Elliott Carter is still alive and continuing to compose. I have admired and learned much from his scores over the past 35 years. His craft is impeccable. Unfortunately, I generally can't bear listening to his actual music. I have struggled mightily in the past with this dichotomy. Now, I've made peace with the fact that Carter's music "speaks" to me through my mind - not my ear.

Bob Priest
Portland, Oregon

Composer Bob Priest registers his thoughts about Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony

Portland-based composer Bob Priest wrote the following letter to the New York Times regarding the turmoil with Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony. He has allowed me to print his letter in Northwest Reverb. So here it is:

From: Bob Priest
Date: December 17, 2007 12:54:08 AM PST
To: artsleisure@nytimes.com
Subject: "Gerry's" Seattle Symphony

I lived in Seattle for 11 years and worked with the Seattle Symphony on several projects ( "Penderecki Week" - 1988, and the Seattle Spring Festival of New Music and World Arts - 1992 with Toru Takemitsu as composer-in-residence). During this time, I established some fleeting "friendships" with a few key symphony principle players. While these fine artists rarely had anything positive to say about Schwarz, my personal experience with the "maestro" was relatively problem free. He was quite kind and supportive of my/our new music projects in a distant sort of way.

However, after reading your recent article about the intense bickering, politics and divisive gamesmanship surrounding Gerry's ongoing tenure with the band, it is abundantly clear that "The Ger" (as some have appelled him) should step down and move on . . . What I experienced first-hand and have recently read underlines the FACT that the present situation is far from being optimally conducive to trusting, sympathetic and forward driving music making. When "politics" assert their nastiness to this degree, anything other than a "regime change" merely prolongs the death throes of what is essentially the rotting corpse of a done deal.

Bob Priest
Marzena Performance Ensemble

Assistant conductor shines in Wintersong concerts

I thought that Anna Song did a terrific job, conducting the Portland Symphonic Choir in its Wintersong! concerts over the weekend. She seemed to be a little wound up for the first concert on Saturday evening, but she really looked relaxed and very expressive during the concert on Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed singing in both concerts and will look forward to singing under Anna's direction again.

Kudos also to the women of the choir and accompanist Douglas Schneider in an Caldwell/Ivory arrangement of "Go Where I Send Thee." Ace soprano Cameron Griffith Herbert took over direction for this piece and led a Lights Out performance!

Also, a wonderful highlight was Gretchen Corbett's superb narration. Corbett put everything into her delivery. I especially liked her rendition of Barbara Robinson's "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."

Seattle Symphony commentary

The Seattle P-I ran the entire New York Times article about the Seattle Symphony's problems on its front page yesterday. And you can read a lively commentary from readers here.

Anna Song to the rescue!

Steven Zopfi, artistic director of the Portland Symphonic Choir, won't be able to conduct the choir's concerts this weekend. Zopfi is attending to family matters on the East Coast because his father just passed away. Fortunately for the choir (of which I am a member), we have a very talented assistant director, Anna Song, who will direct the pieces (except for a couple of them). Song has a BA in composition from UCLA and an MM in conducting from the School of Music and the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. She has conducted the choir in several pieces before, but this will be her first time to lead an entire program. So that will add a bit more excitement to the concert.

The program includes traditional Christmas carols, a Hanukah piece entitled “Aleih Neiri” (“Rise Up, My Light”), a Kwanzaa song called “Harambee” (“Call to Unity”), and the Ukranian folksong “Shcedrik,” which is popularly known as the “Carol of the Bells.” The choir will also perform a suite of songs called “Native American Ambiances,” which was written by Jackson Berkey, one of the members of Mannheim Steamroller. Berkey combined texts from American Indians with flute, pre-recorded percussion and environmental sounds (wolves, rivers and other nature sounds) to create a thought-provoking atmosphere. On the humorous side, we'll sing PDQ Bach's "Good King Kong Looked Out," and in a nod to the gospel genre, the women of the choir will perform "Go Where I Send Thee." That's not all of the numbers, but that's all that I have time now to mention. For more information about the concert, see http://www.pschoir.org/. See you at the concert!

Carl Herko - new PR guy at the Oregon Symphony

It's not often that the new PR person at the Oregon Symphony is greeted with fanfare, but that's what it feels like from my perspective. I received an email announcement from Elaine Calder that Herko is the point person for the Symphony's publicity. Herko has a strong background in journalism (as David Stabler notes in his blog), and it will be very interesting to see what Herko will do to help advance the cause of the orchestra.

Herko's official title is Vice President, Media & Public Relations or VPMPR for short. He has lived in Buffalo, NY for decades, but he moved to the Northwest a couple of years ago. I'm looking forward to meeting him and finding out his perspective on the orchestra.

As an additional note, I like how Elaine Calder comes out before the orchestra concerts begin to welcome everyone and introduce the orchestra. Calder's personality comes across as genuine and likable, and I've heard good comments in the audience.

Suggestion for next year's Comfort and Joy

KBPS has put together a fine holiday CD called "Comfort and Joy" that has been a popular gift for listeners who have donated to the station over the past month or so. Staff members made the selections, which number 20 and begin and end with two from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker." Next year, KBPS should look into making selections from local groups. I would think that the Oregon Repertory Singers, the Portland Symphonic Choir, the David York Ensemble, the Columbia Symphony, and many other ensembles in town would love to donate the performance of at least one seasonal tune to a recording that would be very appreciated by KBPS's listeners and would generate interest in the concerts for those groups during the holidays and beyond.

PR changes at the Oregon Symphony

Besides Michael Kosmala's exit, I received news that Allison Griffin, public relations associate at the Oregon Symphony, has recently left the mother ship. In her email, Griffin didn't say that she was laid off, but that's the way it looks. When I find out who the new PR people at the Symphony will be, I'll post it here.

Great coffee deal

Caffe D'arte is offer a pound of coffee free with every pound that you purchase at their new store in NE Portland. I just tasted their Velletri blend, and it's fantastic - very smooth and rich tasting. So, for $14, you can get another pound of coffee for free! I think that this deal extend only through the end of the month.

Caffe D'arte has taken over the spot where Torrefazione used to be in NE 15th between Weidler and Broadway. Try it out! Here's the company's main web site.

Reviews now also in Seen and Heard

Many of my reviews will now be published also on MusicWeb International's "Seen and Heard." You can find recent Oregon Symphony review here.

Review of the Oregon Symphony's Italian concert

The Oregon Symphony transported us to Italy, performing Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Edward Elgar’s “In the South,” and Hector Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival Overture.” I attended the concert on Sunday night (December 2nd), and was treated to an outstanding concert by the orchestra and its guest soloist Eilina Vähälä. Here's my take on what I heard.

Pared down to a lean chamber ensemble of 21, the orchestra delivered a remarkably expressive and crisp rendition of Vivaldi's gem with the beautiful, Finnish violinist Eilina Vähälä as the soloist. Vähälä performed with impeccable, breath-taking control and dynamics that made this piece come alive as if it had never been played before. Accompanying her with the utmost attention to subtle nuances, the orchestra blended perfectly in support of Vähälä artistry, and together they created convincing tableaux of bucolic landscapes in their seasonal guises.

Artistic director Carlos Kalmar led with his hand rather than with a baton, which worked to keep the music soft, such as when the shepherd slept and a dog barked in the background. The slashing rainfall during the summer thunderstorm and the icy winter storm was thrilling as the sound raked the stage. Vähälä and the ensemble wonderfully evoked the peasant’s dance, hunting scene, and other summer pleasures before slipping away into the bitter chill of winter. Harpsichordist Sue Jensen and principal cellist Nancy Ives played superbly throughout.

Vähälä made a terrific case for herself as a violinist to be reckoned with. I hope that she will return to Portland to inspire us again.

I didn’t care for Les Sarnoff’s style of narration of the accompanying sonnets. His voice was pleasant but too avuncular, so all of the words seemed to be coated with sugar.

The second half of the program began with a brilliant sweep of sound that introduces Elgar’s "In the South." Sometimes this part of the piece makes me think that it had been written by Richard Strauss, but Elgar takes us down a path that is entirely his own. The orchestra wielded a generous palate of colors and painted a rich and varried soundscape.

At one point, melancholic and lyrical passages faded away before the orchestra threw itself into big blocks of sound. I thought of a giant walking across a valley floor, but apparently Elgar meant this passage to convey ancient, warlike, Roman troops as described in a poem by Tennyson. In any case, the masculine theme rumbled off into the distance, and we are left to wander in a daze until the strings picked us up and escorted us onward.

Principal violist Joël Belgique’s solo in the third section was exquisite, and the violins added a nice layer of sweetness. Overall, this piece showed a lot of exciting energy and drive. The woodwind and brass, especially principal French horn John Cox and principal clarinetist Yoshinori Nakao, played outstandingly from beginning to end.

I would normally think of opening the concert with the “Roman Carnival Overture” by Berlioz, but by concluding the program with this piece, Kalmar and company convincingly capped off the evening with a shower of sonic fireworks. Harris Orem played the English horn solo with pure, plaintive beauty. I also enjoyed how principal flutist David Buck and principal oboist Martin Hebert finished each other's conversations seamlessly. Also, contrasts between the quiet, thoughtful passages and the festive eruptions were marvelous. The audience in the Schnitz, which seemed to be close to 90 percent full, soaked up the final chords with gusto.