The exceptional acoustics and spare architecture at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church proved the perfect backdrop for the final concert of In Mulieribus' inaugural season last Sunday. This group has received high accolades for such a new ensemble, as seen by being featured on NPR's Performance Today in January of 2008, and the selection of their first (and hopefully not last) CD Notre Dame de Grace as one of the four classical CD recommendations in the Oregonian's "Wired Gift Guide" last year.
Before last Sunday's concert, I had a chance to interview Anna Song, and I wrote briefly about my great respect for this group on my blog Musical Oozings. Medieval music, for me, always has a certain haunting quality to it. I hear uncertainty, apprehension and a quivering acceptance of a world whose nature is not fully comprehended. This was a world in which the supernatural manifest itself in daily life, in every conceivable manner. There is so much longing, such deep and pervading devotion, that I am always instantly smitten by the first notes. The purity of tone, the ancient languages; everything speaks unmistakably of an aesthetic from a time long since past.
There was a respectable crowd for a gorgeous, sunny afternoon, and minutes before these women took the stage the audience settled into a hushed silence, pregnant with expectation. The first pieces were ancient indeed: they came from the Montpellier Codex, which according to Song is "the single largest source of 13th century French polyphony." From the first moments the music was otherworldly, and even without understanding the languid Occitane language in which it was written, the meaning was clear. The longing and deep devotion I spoke of, often of a religious nature, was this time directed towards a corporeal object, although the terms used in the sometimes tragic, always deeply sincere texts spoke to an almost spiritual elevation of the object of love.
It has been a long time since I have seen my sweetheart. It grieved me greatly when I had to leave, for I love and desire her. I become distraught indeed when I languish for want of serving her, I cannot help it...I can neither enjoy it God, nor repent of it, so I must suffer pains of which I cannot be cured.
This was sung in the enchanting langue d'Oc (Occitane, a rarely-spoken language now, was as prevalent in the middle ages as the langue d'Oil, which evolved in to French as we know it.) Below this there was a perpetual, droning high-pitched pedal tone, never wanting for intensity. Its clarity and candor was such that the only way I could tell that it was sung by real, vibrant singers, as opposed to being an extant, inexplicable sound in the surrounding ether, was the occasional, ever-so-subtle shift in harmonic overtones, or the minutest fluctuation in volume as one singer or another drew breath to continue this pedal point.
Many of these songs represented an early, experimental form of polyphony in which multiple, completely independent texts were sung simultaneously one right on top of another, which occasionally resulted in a thick layering that was as independent textually as later polyphonic music would prove to be melodically. Song noted that "the idea of composing vertically was centuries away," as this compelling melange clearly illustrated.
Although the harmonies this group is capable of are stunning, one of my favorite moments of the afternoon came when alto Tuesday Rupp sang solo for A Chantar m'er, a lamentation by Beatrice, Countess of Dia. This music is the only example of a song by a female troubadour for which the complete music and text survive. Rupp's throaty, impassioned voice was plaintive and powerful all at once; she sang with rhythmic fluidity and near-perfect diction, with a haunting sadness that imparted in no uncertain terms the poetry's themes of rejection and loss. The first half closed with music by Adam de la Halle, and five pieces by Guillaume de Machaut, works whose music and text were infused with a subtle though undeniable eroticism, as were many of the works presented in this concert.
The second half opened with Ecco la Primavera from the Ballate of Francesco Landini. For this exuberant piece Song kept time on a primitive drum that reminded me of an Irish bodhran. After this the program switched to the early Renaissance, and although Landini and Dufay's lives may have even overlapped by a few months, the distinction in the music was clear. The vertical aspect that Song wrote about became immediately audible, and it was an invigorating change of pace. There was one piece in English by Thomas Morley, which took the form of a duet sung by sopranos Kari Ferguson and Ann Wetherell, whose crisp enunciation and metric rhythmic accents were delightful to hear.
The concert closed with a set of pieces by Claudio Monteverdi, songs whose rich polyphony hinted at being right on the cusp of the high Renaissance and the earliest intimations of the Baroque, so in a sense In Mulieribus presented us with a chronological perspective on the treatment of courtly love in European vocal music throughout the first half of the last millenium. This group displays a deep and thorough scholasticism coupled with musicianship of the highest caliber, and I can't wait to hear more of their music in the future.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Concert Review—Portland State University Symphony Orchestra
By Bob Kingston
A large and enthusiastic crowd attended Sunday afternoon’s Portland State University Symphony Orchestra concert in the soon to be renovated Lincoln Hall. The program included Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (with PSU professor Susan Chan and Momoko Muramatsu), Antonin Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony, and the world premiere performances of two short pieces by the winners of this year’s Composition Competition. Since this was my first opportunity to hear the orchestra under its new conductor and music director, Ken Selden, I really had no context for evaluating the group’s overall level of proficiency. All in all, I’d say that there were some very encouraging signs, but there’s always room to grow and improve.
To kick things off, Benjamin Thauland and the Portland State University New Music Ensemble presented a pair of works by Gavi de Tarr and Sarah Jarvinen, winners of the 2008 PSU Composition Competition. De Tarr’s "Far and Away" was essentially a series of quick vignettes, each one flowing effortlessly into the next one through subtle manipulations of rhythm and timbre. De Tarr, a student of Brad Hansen, listed Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Hindemith as significant influences, though I detected Copland and a little Martinu standing on the sidelines. He also informed me that while there may be some programmatic elements to this composition, the title is actually a bit of a pun, as it’s either "far and away" the best—or worst—piece he’s ever written.
Sarah Jarvinen’s "Caprice," which originally started out life in 2000 as a sonata for clarinet and piano, provided an interesting contrast to "Far and Away." Here, the music floated along as if in a dream state, with little of the forward momentum of de Tarr’s more extroverted work. The piano added momentary splashes of color—very much in the style of Messiaen—but otherwise seemed to have no independent function within the instrumental texture. "Caprice" was simply too brief to make much of a lasting impression, though some of the ideas might have fared better had Jarvinen been able to develop them more, perhaps with an even more expanded role for the keyboard.
(As an aside, I’m wondering why there was absolutely no background information in the program itself on either of the two student composers and their compositions, or on the details of the competition they won. It seems to me that the audience could have benefited from finding out about the thought process behind these works, and given the relatively informal nature of the event, it certainly wouldn’t have been inappropriate to have de Tarr and Jarvinen say a few words on their own behalf.)
Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra offers listeners a wealth of wonderfully incompatible musical elements: a clattering, percussive pianism; a cheeky music hall can-can; expressive lyricism bathed in rich, Ravel-like chords; and a shameless parody of a Mozart slow movement, all mixed together with equal parts vulgarity and elegance. What Sunday’s performance, which featured PSU professor Susan Chan and New York-based pianist Momoko Muramatsu, lacked in grace and charm, it more than made up for in fire and passion. Those who prefer a lighter, frothier approach to Poulenc might well have been disappointed. Given the not inconsiderable amount of musical back and forth that occurs between the soloists in this piece, I was struck by how infrequently Chan and Muramatsu interacted with, or even acknowledged, each other. Both appeared to be perfectly content in their own world, and as a result, the piano parts in the first minute or so of the concerto was not precisely coordinated.
After the intermission, members of the Clackamas High School Orchestra joined their PSU colleagues onstage for the Symphony No. 8 in G major by Antonin Dvorak. The Eighth is certainly Dvorak’s most idyllic symphony—in recent years it has been referred to informally as his "Pastoral"—a work in which the natural beauties of the Czech countryside and the rustic simplicities of everyday life are richly evoked. But it is also a work of great dramatic intensity, and the best performances manage to draw out both the bucolic and the turbulent in more or less equal measure. While maestro Selden’s reading tended to emphasize the latter at the expense of the former, there were moments when, thanks to some very fine solo and ensemble playing from the woodwinds in the second movement, the charming folk-like character of the symphony assumed pride of place. Unfortunately though, as can happen, the strings failed to hold up their end of the bargain, musically speaking, and consequently their sound was occasionally thin and wiry, or in the case of the cellos in the final movement, just plain underpowered. Special mention should go to the brass section, and in particular the horns and trombones.
Sunday’s was the last Portland State University Symphony Orchestra concert in Lincoln Hall until after the structure undergoes a much-needed seismic and cosmetic overhaul. Over the next two years, the group will perform in St. Mary’s Hall, during which time I’m sure maestro Selden will continue to build on what he’s accomplished so far.
Bob Kingston is a Portland-based musicologist who writes and lectures frequently about classical music.
A large and enthusiastic crowd attended Sunday afternoon’s Portland State University Symphony Orchestra concert in the soon to be renovated Lincoln Hall. The program included Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (with PSU professor Susan Chan and Momoko Muramatsu), Antonin Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony, and the world premiere performances of two short pieces by the winners of this year’s Composition Competition. Since this was my first opportunity to hear the orchestra under its new conductor and music director, Ken Selden, I really had no context for evaluating the group’s overall level of proficiency. All in all, I’d say that there were some very encouraging signs, but there’s always room to grow and improve.
To kick things off, Benjamin Thauland and the Portland State University New Music Ensemble presented a pair of works by Gavi de Tarr and Sarah Jarvinen, winners of the 2008 PSU Composition Competition. De Tarr’s "Far and Away" was essentially a series of quick vignettes, each one flowing effortlessly into the next one through subtle manipulations of rhythm and timbre. De Tarr, a student of Brad Hansen, listed Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Hindemith as significant influences, though I detected Copland and a little Martinu standing on the sidelines. He also informed me that while there may be some programmatic elements to this composition, the title is actually a bit of a pun, as it’s either "far and away" the best—or worst—piece he’s ever written.
Sarah Jarvinen’s "Caprice," which originally started out life in 2000 as a sonata for clarinet and piano, provided an interesting contrast to "Far and Away." Here, the music floated along as if in a dream state, with little of the forward momentum of de Tarr’s more extroverted work. The piano added momentary splashes of color—very much in the style of Messiaen—but otherwise seemed to have no independent function within the instrumental texture. "Caprice" was simply too brief to make much of a lasting impression, though some of the ideas might have fared better had Jarvinen been able to develop them more, perhaps with an even more expanded role for the keyboard.
(As an aside, I’m wondering why there was absolutely no background information in the program itself on either of the two student composers and their compositions, or on the details of the competition they won. It seems to me that the audience could have benefited from finding out about the thought process behind these works, and given the relatively informal nature of the event, it certainly wouldn’t have been inappropriate to have de Tarr and Jarvinen say a few words on their own behalf.)
Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra offers listeners a wealth of wonderfully incompatible musical elements: a clattering, percussive pianism; a cheeky music hall can-can; expressive lyricism bathed in rich, Ravel-like chords; and a shameless parody of a Mozart slow movement, all mixed together with equal parts vulgarity and elegance. What Sunday’s performance, which featured PSU professor Susan Chan and New York-based pianist Momoko Muramatsu, lacked in grace and charm, it more than made up for in fire and passion. Those who prefer a lighter, frothier approach to Poulenc might well have been disappointed. Given the not inconsiderable amount of musical back and forth that occurs between the soloists in this piece, I was struck by how infrequently Chan and Muramatsu interacted with, or even acknowledged, each other. Both appeared to be perfectly content in their own world, and as a result, the piano parts in the first minute or so of the concerto was not precisely coordinated.
After the intermission, members of the Clackamas High School Orchestra joined their PSU colleagues onstage for the Symphony No. 8 in G major by Antonin Dvorak. The Eighth is certainly Dvorak’s most idyllic symphony—in recent years it has been referred to informally as his "Pastoral"—a work in which the natural beauties of the Czech countryside and the rustic simplicities of everyday life are richly evoked. But it is also a work of great dramatic intensity, and the best performances manage to draw out both the bucolic and the turbulent in more or less equal measure. While maestro Selden’s reading tended to emphasize the latter at the expense of the former, there were moments when, thanks to some very fine solo and ensemble playing from the woodwinds in the second movement, the charming folk-like character of the symphony assumed pride of place. Unfortunately though, as can happen, the strings failed to hold up their end of the bargain, musically speaking, and consequently their sound was occasionally thin and wiry, or in the case of the cellos in the final movement, just plain underpowered. Special mention should go to the brass section, and in particular the horns and trombones.
Sunday’s was the last Portland State University Symphony Orchestra concert in Lincoln Hall until after the structure undergoes a much-needed seismic and cosmetic overhaul. Over the next two years, the group will perform in St. Mary’s Hall, during which time I’m sure maestro Selden will continue to build on what he’s accomplished so far.
Bob Kingston is a Portland-based musicologist who writes and lectures frequently about classical music.
Great news at the box office for the Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony has just released its attendance numbers for the 2007-2008 season and they are way, way up! This is good news for the orchestra, which has been limping somewhat over the past few years. The latest press release from the orchestra states that in the just concluded season "... the Oregon Symphony sold $5.64 million in tickets, 15.6 percent more than the prior season." and "It was the orchestra’s best year at the box office since 2001-02 and the first time it exceeded $5 million in ticket sales since the final days of the 2003-04 concert season."
Here's another summary statement that provides more details: "Over the course of the season, the orchestra sold 7,878 more tickets than it did the year before. But because the orchestra presented 79 performances at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this season – six fewer than last year – that translates to a 14.2 percent increase in average paid attendance. At a typical performance, there were 215 more paying patrons in attendance, with an average paid attendance of 1,727 people." (Note that the Schnitz has 2,780 seats.)
The most popular concerts were the Van Cliburn opening gala that sold 98.5 percent of the concert hall's capacity, the Norman Leyden concerts at 96.2 percent, and the season ending "Carmina Burana" performances at 94.3 percent. Also of note was the final "Inside the Score" concert with Gregory Vajda at the helm, which sold 86.9 percent of the house.
As a result of this successful year, the orchestra is selling a lot more tickets for next season. According to the press release, "... with total ticket sales for the 2008-09 concert season recently passing $3.4 million, a substantial increase over sales figures from the same time last year."
Here's another summary statement that provides more details: "Over the course of the season, the orchestra sold 7,878 more tickets than it did the year before. But because the orchestra presented 79 performances at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall this season – six fewer than last year – that translates to a 14.2 percent increase in average paid attendance. At a typical performance, there were 215 more paying patrons in attendance, with an average paid attendance of 1,727 people." (Note that the Schnitz has 2,780 seats.)
The most popular concerts were the Van Cliburn opening gala that sold 98.5 percent of the concert hall's capacity, the Norman Leyden concerts at 96.2 percent, and the season ending "Carmina Burana" performances at 94.3 percent. Also of note was the final "Inside the Score" concert with Gregory Vajda at the helm, which sold 86.9 percent of the house.
As a result of this successful year, the orchestra is selling a lot more tickets for next season. According to the press release, "... with total ticket sales for the 2008-09 concert season recently passing $3.4 million, a substantial increase over sales figures from the same time last year."
Today's Birthdays
Otto Nicolai (1810-1849)
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Cole Porter (1891-1964)
Dame Gracie Fields (1898-1979)
Les Paul (1915)
Franco Donatoni (1927-2000)
Charles Wuorinen (1938)
Ileana Cotrubas (1939)
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)
Cole Porter (1891-1964)
Dame Gracie Fields (1898-1979)
Les Paul (1915)
Franco Donatoni (1927-2000)
Charles Wuorinen (1938)
Ileana Cotrubas (1939)
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Pirates of Penzance full of sea foam and mirth
Mock’s Crest Theatre’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” delivered a silly yet heart-warming performance on Saturday evening at the Mago Hunt Theatre. The cast was outstanding as actors, but several principals needed more heft as singers. The newly renovated and expanded stage area seemed to challenge voices that didn’t project well, and perhaps some body microphones could have equalized the situation. Still, the frothy humor in this story about zany pirates, prim maidens, and inept bobbies always bubbled to the top and kept the audience in stitches.
Beth Madsen Bradford created a superb motherly nurse and her beautiful and robust mezzo easily filled the hall. Morgan Mallory convincingly portrayed the pirate apprentice Frederic, yet his light voice often didn’t match up well with the other principals. Corey Brunish as the dashing pirate chief had the charm and stage presence, but his singing. though pleasant, could barely be heard above the orchestra. In the role of the pirate lieutenant, Sammuel Hawkins displayed plenty of volume and really helped to boost some of the ensemble pieces. As the beautiful, young maiden Mabel, Tsipa Swan soubrette soprano could always be heard, but a little more weight in the voice and more volume would have helped.
John Vergin had oodles of fun in the role of Major General Stanley and his voice had enough power to be heard adequately. I really admired Vergin’s diction in the famous patter song, “I am the very model of at modern major general,” but, strangely enough, he kept getting out of sync with the orchestra. Russ Cowan made a fine sergeant of police, but needed more volume.
The pirates, maidens, and bobbies did a splendid job. The pirates, in particular, sang with zest and zeal, creating a lovable band that could never harm an orphan yet be quick to draw their swords at the slightest offence. The bonneted maidens were prim and proper to a tea and dutifully proud of their father, the ridiculous Major General. The bobbies put on their best keystone cops imitation, charming the audience with their ineptness.
Stage director Greg Tamblyn made good use of the enlarged stage, moving the story forward. Choreographer John Szerszen also created plenty of lively movement that worked very well. I liked the simple set of rocks that scenic designer Jeri Swatosh created for the sets. The traditional costumes by Darrin J. Pufall were spot on.
Conductor Roger O. Doyle paced the production well. The orchestra did a credible job although some intonation went awry here and there.
All in all, despite some vocal shortcomings, Mock Crest’s “Pirates of Penzance” is fine show and a great way to kick off the summer.
----
Mock's Crest's "Pirates of Penzance" runs Thursday through Sunday through June 29th.
For details click here.
Beth Madsen Bradford created a superb motherly nurse and her beautiful and robust mezzo easily filled the hall. Morgan Mallory convincingly portrayed the pirate apprentice Frederic, yet his light voice often didn’t match up well with the other principals. Corey Brunish as the dashing pirate chief had the charm and stage presence, but his singing. though pleasant, could barely be heard above the orchestra. In the role of the pirate lieutenant, Sammuel Hawkins displayed plenty of volume and really helped to boost some of the ensemble pieces. As the beautiful, young maiden Mabel, Tsipa Swan soubrette soprano could always be heard, but a little more weight in the voice and more volume would have helped.
John Vergin had oodles of fun in the role of Major General Stanley and his voice had enough power to be heard adequately. I really admired Vergin’s diction in the famous patter song, “I am the very model of at modern major general,” but, strangely enough, he kept getting out of sync with the orchestra. Russ Cowan made a fine sergeant of police, but needed more volume.
The pirates, maidens, and bobbies did a splendid job. The pirates, in particular, sang with zest and zeal, creating a lovable band that could never harm an orphan yet be quick to draw their swords at the slightest offence. The bonneted maidens were prim and proper to a tea and dutifully proud of their father, the ridiculous Major General. The bobbies put on their best keystone cops imitation, charming the audience with their ineptness.
Stage director Greg Tamblyn made good use of the enlarged stage, moving the story forward. Choreographer John Szerszen also created plenty of lively movement that worked very well. I liked the simple set of rocks that scenic designer Jeri Swatosh created for the sets. The traditional costumes by Darrin J. Pufall were spot on.
Conductor Roger O. Doyle paced the production well. The orchestra did a credible job although some intonation went awry here and there.
All in all, despite some vocal shortcomings, Mock Crest’s “Pirates of Penzance” is fine show and a great way to kick off the summer.
----
Mock's Crest's "Pirates of Penzance" runs Thursday through Sunday through June 29th.
For details click here.
Today's Birthdays
Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942)
Reginald Kell (1906-1981)
Emanuel Ax (1949)
and
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942)
Reginald Kell (1906-1981)
Emanuel Ax (1949)
and
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Leopold von Auer (1845-1930)
George Szell (1897-1970)
Ilse Wolf (1921-1999)
Philippe Entremont (1934)
Neeme Järvi 1937)
Sir Tom Jones (1940)
Jaime Laredo (1941)
Roberto Alagna (1963)
Olli Mustonen (1967)
and
Paul Gaugin (1848-1903)
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)
Nikki Giovanni (1943)
George Szell (1897-1970)
Ilse Wolf (1921-1999)
Philippe Entremont (1934)
Neeme Järvi 1937)
Sir Tom Jones (1940)
Jaime Laredo (1941)
Roberto Alagna (1963)
Olli Mustonen (1967)
and
Paul Gaugin (1848-1903)
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000)
Nikki Giovanni (1943)
Friday, June 6, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)
Iain Hamilton (1922-2000)
Klaus Tennstedt (1926-1998)
Louis Andriessen (1939)
and
Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987)
Iain Hamilton (1922-2000)
Klaus Tennstedt (1926-1998)
Louis Andriessen (1939)
and
Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837)
Update on Audrey Elizabeth Luna
I've just received a kind email from Audrey Elizabeth Luna that points out that she wasn't the Audrey Luna who was featured in the Mahler 4th concert that I mentioned on May 7th. There happens to be two young, up and comping Audrey Lunas, and Audrey Elizabeth Luna is the PSU grad who is making her way into the professional ranks. Luna has already had a number of successful appearances with Pittsburgh Opera and other opera companies, such as Hawaii Opera Theatre. On May 22n Luna was named a 2008 grant winner in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Vocal Competition. You can read more about Luna here.
My apologies to Audrey Elizabeth Luna and Audrey Luna for confusing them.
My apologies to Audrey Elizabeth Luna and Audrey Luna for confusing them.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Pirates of Penzance at Mock's Crest
Mock's Crest Productions will launch The Pirates of Penzance this weekend at the Mago Hunt Theatre (on the campus of the University of Portland). The Pirates rank as one of Gilbert and Sullivan's best shows, and heaps of silliness will hold forth. The first show takes place on Friday, June 6th and runs through the 29th from Thursday through Sunday. The shows start at 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday and at 2pm on Sundays). Roger O. Doyle conducts.
Here's the main cast:
- John Vergin as Major General Stanley
- Beth Madsen Bradford as Ruth
- Corey Brunish as The Pirate King
- Tsipa Swan as Mabel
- Morgan Mallory as Frederic
- Sammuel Hawkins as Samuel
- Russ Cowan as Sergeant of Police
- Jasmine Presson as Edith
- Elizabeth Bacon as Kate
- Audrey Voon as Isabel
Adults: $25
Seniors/Students: $23
Groups (10 or more): $21
For more information click here.
Here's the main cast:
- John Vergin as Major General Stanley
- Beth Madsen Bradford as Ruth
- Corey Brunish as The Pirate King
- Tsipa Swan as Mabel
- Morgan Mallory as Frederic
- Sammuel Hawkins as Samuel
- Russ Cowan as Sergeant of Police
- Jasmine Presson as Edith
- Elizabeth Bacon as Kate
- Audrey Voon as Isabel
Adults: $25
Seniors/Students: $23
Groups (10 or more): $21
For more information click here.
Today's Birthdays
Sir Arthur Somervell (1863-1937)
Sir Robert Mayer (1879-1985)
Peter Schat (1935-2003)
Anna Reynolds (1936)
Martha Argerich (1941)
Bill Hopkins (1943-1981)
and
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)
Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)
Alfred Kazin (1915–1998)
Sir David Hare (1947)
Sir Robert Mayer (1879-1985)
Peter Schat (1935-2003)
Anna Reynolds (1936)
Martha Argerich (1941)
Bill Hopkins (1943-1981)
and
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946)
Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)
Alfred Kazin (1915–1998)
Sir David Hare (1947)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Evgeny Mravinsky (1903-1988)
Robert Merrill (1917-2004)
Irwin Bazelon (1922-1995)
Cecilia Bartoli (1966)
and
Josef Sittard (1846-1903)
Karl Valentin (1882-1948)
Robert Merrill (1917-2004)
Irwin Bazelon (1922-1995)
Cecilia Bartoli (1966)
and
Josef Sittard (1846-1903)
Karl Valentin (1882-1948)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Portland State University Orchestra concert this Sunday
The PSU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ken Selden, will present one of the last concerts in Lincoln Hall on the PSU campus this Sunday afternoon before the building undergoes renovation (I think for seismic upgrades). One of the highlights of the concert should be Susan Chan (PSU professor) teaming up with Momoko Muramatsu (pianist based in New York City) to play Poulenc's "Concerto for Two Pianos." Also of note are two world premieres: "Caprice" by Sarah Jarvinen and "Far and Away" by Gavi de Tarr. Jarvinen and de Tarr are the winners of the inaugural PSU Symphony Composition Competition. To round off the concert, the orchestra will play Dvork's 8th Symphony.
Where: Lincoln Performance Hall, Rm. 175
When: Sunday, June 8 at 3 pm
Cost: $10 for general/ $8 for non-PSU students / $6 for seniors
Where: Lincoln Performance Hall, Rm. 175
When: Sunday, June 8 at 3 pm
Cost: $10 for general/ $8 for non-PSU students / $6 for seniors
Today's Birthdays
Jan Peerce (1904-1984)
Valerie Masterson (1937)
Lynne Dawson (1956)
and
Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
Valerie Masterson (1937)
Lynne Dawson (1956)
and
Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
Anna Song talks about "Fins Amours: Songs of Courtly Love"
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In Mulieribus, Portland's all-women early vocal music ensemble, will present the final concert of their '07-'08 season this Sunday at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Portland. I've heard this incredibly talented group perform live before, and have since wanted to speak with them about their music. Anna Song, the group's Artistic Director (far right in the above photo of In Mulieribus), took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions via email about the offerings in their season finale.
The upcoming concert is entitled "Fins Amours: Medieval Songs of Courtly Love." Could you tell us what 'Fins Amours' translates as, and how the conceptof courtly love was dealt with by the composers inyour program?
Anna: Fins Amours translates to "fine" or "refined" love, and refers to the concept of courtly love which originated in late 11th century France. First expressed in the lyric poetry of the troubadors and trouveres, various musical forms emerged along side the poetic forms as composers sought a means of expressing the various facets of this idealized love. The composers featured on our program such as Machaut, Landini and Dufay developed new ideas and compositional styles through their settings of courtly love poems, and were inspired to reflect this poetry through musical ideas.
I think a lot of us have some sort of a vague notion of the concept of 'courtly love,' but what do you think it meant to, say, Machaut for instance?
Anna: I'm not sure I can speak confidently regarding what courtly love might have personally meant to Machaut. What I have read is that he may have believed, along with others of his day, that the experience of loving another with great passion and fervor had the potential power to purify and elevate the the lover...in this way, his poetry and music was a means of expressing hope.
What time periods are represented in this concert, and what are some of the stylistic differences that we should listen for from work to work?
Anna: The repertoire for this concert spans the 12th through the 16th centuries. Everything from monophonic songs with just one tune to motets with three different texts and melodies will be featured. I also hope the audience will experience a bit of what it must have been like to hear when composers first used the sweeter intervals of thirds and sixths, after hearing music dominated by the perfect intervals of fifths and octaves. Dufay's Adieu m'amour, presented towards the end of the program, beautifully exemplifies this development.
What are some challenges specific to singing medieval music, both in terms of the individual singer's voice and from the ensemble perspective?
Anna: The main challenge in singing the music for this concert has been dealing with text! We've never had to work on so much of it in one concert before, especially given that much what we're singing this time is in Occitan French. Add to that the fact that double motets have different texts in each voice, and it has taken us longer than usual to work out pronunciation and matching vowels. The other challenge we generally face is finding and singing music that fits into the tessitura of our group -- with all women it's a bit tricky, and when we do find music, we transpose it quite far from what's "written".
Do you write out the transpositions, or is it something that is done on the fly by the singers as you practice and perform?
Anna: I don't transpose the works out for the singers -- I simply tell them ahead of time what the transposition will be and then we go from there.
Do you have a particular favorite from this concert set? If so, which one, and what is it that endears this piece to you?
Anna: It's difficult to name one favorite, but if I could name two, I'd include Riches d'amour by Machaut and Adieu m'amour by Dufay. The melody of the first piece touched me the first moment I sang through it as I searched for music. The first phrase is so expressive and heartwrenching. The Dufay piece is also particularly beautiful -- it's worth noting that I have a passion for Renaissance polyphony and perhaps explains why I'm drawn to it. Its melodies truly exemplify the new direction that polyphonic music began to take, and Dufay's flowing melodies are not only fun to sing but they transmit the emotions depicted in the text.
So is this piece by Dufay an example of the beginning of this transition away from dominance by the perfect intervals, or is it a fully mature work of the newer style?
Anna: Dufay's work is considered quite sophisticated, so I'd say it is a mature work relative to his generation and his overall output. It's not the earliest example of the beginning of a move toward the use of other consonant intervals relative to music history, as it exhibits the influence of the English style, e.g. Dunstable, where such intervals had become more common.
Thanks Anna!
Anna: Thank you so much for doing this interview and previewing the concert...we appreciate it very much!
Henry Fogel compliments Eugene's music community
In his blog, On the Record, Henry Fogel writes a concise posting about the success that Eugene's music organizations have shown in creating a vibrant and financially sound community for professional musicians and in fostering talent. Fogel is the president of the and CEO of the League of American Orchestras and former president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Despite $300 mil, acoustics at the Philadelphia's Verizon Hall acknowledged to be subpar
Six and a half years ago, 300 million smackers were spent on the Verizon Hall, to create a world-class venue for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Peter Dobrin of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the administrators of the hall now acknowledged that the acoustics are awful and that they might have to spend a lot more money to fix things. So, Verizon Hall will probably join Avery Fisher Hall and Davies Hall in the pantheon of very, very expensively corrected music venues.
Portland Symphonic Choir members kick butt to leap over big financial chasm
At the Portland Symphonic Choir's annual meeting (held this evening) the big news was that the choir members successfully faced down a six-figure deficit by raising the money themselves in a period of two months. Half of the $105,000 was contributed by members and friends of the choir and that amount was matched by fellow choir and board member Tom Hard.
The yawning deficit came about because of concerts that lost a lot of money despite their high artistic merit. Next season promises to be much brighter with the choir presenting works that are well-known and beloved. After singing Vaughn Williams "Serenade to Music" and Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Symphonic Choir will sing Wintersong! in December, the Mozart Requiem in March, and the sublime "Vespers" of Sergei Rachmaninov in May.
Addendum: Mark Petersen, general manager of the PSC, asked that the following clarification be added: "That yawning shortfall was a result of half a decade of deficits, followed by two years of balanced budgets, followed by a year of trial and error in programming that resulted in another shortfall. The main point that I'd like to see made is that there has been a history of coming up short and we just pulled things even again. We're pleased as punch that we have done that too!"
The yawning deficit came about because of concerts that lost a lot of money despite their high artistic merit. Next season promises to be much brighter with the choir presenting works that are well-known and beloved. After singing Vaughn Williams "Serenade to Music" and Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Symphonic Choir will sing Wintersong! in December, the Mozart Requiem in March, and the sublime "Vespers" of Sergei Rachmaninov in May.
Addendum: Mark Petersen, general manager of the PSC, asked that the following clarification be added: "That yawning shortfall was a result of half a decade of deficits, followed by two years of balanced budgets, followed by a year of trial and error in programming that resulted in another shortfall. The main point that I'd like to see made is that there has been a history of coming up short and we just pulled things even again. We're pleased as punch that we have done that too!"
Today's Birthdays
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Marvin Hamlisch (1944)
Mark Elder (1947)
Neil Shicoff (1949)
Michel Dalberto (1955)
and
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Marvin Hamlisch (1944)
Mark Elder (1947)
Neil Shicoff (1949)
Michel Dalberto (1955)
and
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Bach's Cafe Cantata plays well in coffeeland
It's refreshing to know that JS Bach had enough humor in his Germanic bones to write "The Coffee Cantata" -- in which a father complains mightily about his daughter's addiction to that caffeinated drug of choice. I heard the Bach Cantata Choir present this delightful cantata as a short opera this afternoon at the Rose City Park Presbyterian Church with Jacob William Herbert as the father (Schlendrian), Nan Haemer as the coffee obsessed daughter, Lieschen, and Byron Writer as the narrator. Herbert and Haemer camped up the father/daughter conflict very well, and Haemer scored lots of chuckles by rolling her eyes and doing all sorts of little gestures and motions that accented her excellent comic talent. All three principals sang well, but I came away most impressed with Herbert who has a robust and beautiful baritone voice that keeps getting better and better.
Entertaining, yet less successful with the first opera of sorts, Georg Philipp Telemann's "Der Schulmeister" ("The Schoolmaster"), which was performed by baritone Uwe Haefker in the title role and the soprano section of the Bach Cantata Choir - plus a couple of children. Haefker's singing was fine except that he lost his place in the last aria and had to restart it.
That same problem also inflicted Byron Wright during his aria in Telemann's "Tirsis am Scheidewege" ("Tirsis' Choice"). Fortunately, the Bach Cantata Choir didn't suffer such lapses in its singing of Victor Hely-Hutchinson's "Old Mother Hubbard" in the style of Handel and Adriano Banchieri's "Contraponto bestiala alla mente," which humorously combined the sounds of birds, cats, and dogs. PDQ Bach's "My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" was a little ragged yet funny enough to generate lots of laughter in the audience.
This concert took place in the fellowship hall of the church where choir members recreated the atmosphere of Zimmermann's Coffee House (where Bach and his colleague used to meet). The coffee, cakes, and fruit tortes were ausgezeichnet (excellent)! Also, interestingly enough, the acoustics were much better than in the sanctuary (upstairs).
Entertaining, yet less successful with the first opera of sorts, Georg Philipp Telemann's "Der Schulmeister" ("The Schoolmaster"), which was performed by baritone Uwe Haefker in the title role and the soprano section of the Bach Cantata Choir - plus a couple of children. Haefker's singing was fine except that he lost his place in the last aria and had to restart it.
That same problem also inflicted Byron Wright during his aria in Telemann's "Tirsis am Scheidewege" ("Tirsis' Choice"). Fortunately, the Bach Cantata Choir didn't suffer such lapses in its singing of Victor Hely-Hutchinson's "Old Mother Hubbard" in the style of Handel and Adriano Banchieri's "Contraponto bestiala alla mente," which humorously combined the sounds of birds, cats, and dogs. PDQ Bach's "My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth" was a little ragged yet funny enough to generate lots of laughter in the audience.
This concert took place in the fellowship hall of the church where choir members recreated the atmosphere of Zimmermann's Coffee House (where Bach and his colleague used to meet). The coffee, cakes, and fruit tortes were ausgezeichnet (excellent)! Also, interestingly enough, the acoustics were much better than in the sanctuary (upstairs).
Today's Birthdays
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Percy Whitlock (1903-1946)
Nelson Riddle (1921-1985)
Edo de Waart (1941)
Richard Goode (1943)
Frederica von Stade (1945)
Percy Whitlock (1903-1946)
Nelson Riddle (1921-1985)
Edo de Waart (1941)
Richard Goode (1943)
Frederica von Stade (1945)
Just wanted to post a quick invitation to my new blog, Musical Oozings. I hope to have some pix up from my recent trip to the Sasquatch Music Festival in the next couple days. Come take a look! Thanks!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Louise Farrenc (1804-1875)
Billy Mayerl (1902-1959)
Alfred Deller (1912-1979)
Akira Ifukube (1914-2006)
Shirley Verrett (1931)
Peter Yarrow (1938)
and
Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853)
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
Billy Mayerl (1902-1959)
Alfred Deller (1912-1979)
Akira Ifukube (1914-2006)
Shirley Verrett (1931)
Peter Yarrow (1938)
and
Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853)
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
Friday, May 30, 2008
From the Top concert sold out
The "From the Top" concert with pianist/host Christopher O'Riley that takes place tomorrow night at Kaul Auditorium is sold out. In fact, Chamber Music Northwest's executive director, Linda Magee, has told me that it is "over sold out." If you don't have a ticket, you can beg at the door tomorrow evening.
Review of recent Portland Chamber Orchestra concert
I was in Ashland last weekend (more on that later) and couldn't review the Portland Chamber Orchestra concert that took place on Friday at Kaul Auditorium. Lorin Wilkerson, who also contributes to this blog, was out of town and, alas, so was another potential reviewer. Fortunately, Jill Timmons, pianist and artist-in-residence at Linfield College, did review the concert for The Jewish Review. You can read Timmons' review here.
Today's Birthdays
Benny Goodman (1909-1986)
George London (1920-1985)
Gustav Leonhardt (1928)
Pauline Oliveros (1930)
Zoltan Kocsis (1952)
George London (1920-1985)
Gustav Leonhardt (1928)
Pauline Oliveros (1930)
Zoltan Kocsis (1952)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001)
Hellmuth Rilling (1933)
Michael Berkeley (1948)
Linda Esther Gray (1948)
Melissa Etheridge (1961)
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001)
Hellmuth Rilling (1933)
Michael Berkeley (1948)
Linda Esther Gray (1948)
Melissa Etheridge (1961)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Chamber music concert at the Old Church
Tomorrow night - Thursday, May 29 at 8 PM - some of the best musicians in Portland will present a chamber music concert at The Old Church - 1422 SW 11th Ave. The ticket price is only $10, which makes this a very affordable event.
Program
Shostakovich: Quintet for Piano & Strings
Gerald Cohen: Trio for Viola, Cello & Piano
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Performers
Greg Ewer & Ron Blessinger, violins
Michelle Mathewson & Viorel Bejenaru, violas
Justin Kagan & Dorothy Lewis, cellos
Cary Lewis, piano
Admission at door: $10
Doors open at 7:00 PM
Program
Shostakovich: Quintet for Piano & Strings
Gerald Cohen: Trio for Viola, Cello & Piano
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Performers
Greg Ewer & Ron Blessinger, violins
Michelle Mathewson & Viorel Bejenaru, violas
Justin Kagan & Dorothy Lewis, cellos
Cary Lewis, piano
Admission at door: $10
Doors open at 7:00 PM
Today's Birthdays
Thomas Arne (1710-1788)
Nicola Rescigno (1916-2008)
György Ligeti (1923-2006)
John Culshaw (1924-1980)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925)
Richard Van Allan (1935)
Maki Ishii (1936-2003)
Elena Souliotis (1943-2004)
Levon Chilingirian (1948)
and
Oswald Spengler (1880-1936)
Nicola Rescigno (1916-2008)
György Ligeti (1923-2006)
John Culshaw (1924-1980)
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1925)
Richard Van Allan (1935)
Maki Ishii (1936-2003)
Elena Souliotis (1943-2004)
Levon Chilingirian (1948)
and
Oswald Spengler (1880-1936)
Come to Cafe Bach for the lighter side of the Baroque
By Lorin Wilkerson
As a member of the board of Portland's Bach Cantata Choir, I'd like to extend a personal invitation to our final event of the season, a fundraiser we call Cafe Bach that will take place at 2pm on Sunday, June 1.
Singing as we do the cantatas of Bach and other baroque composers who seemed to be obsessed with deep and weighty theological mysteries, it's fun to cut loose and present the lighter side of Baroque music. Coffee addiction was considered a serious social ill in early 18th century Germany, and since Bach was known to enjoy a cup or two of joe, the Coffee Cantata was his response to the pressing problem of be-wigged, jittery java junkies clogging the streets of Leipzig, singing rowdy opera at the top of their lungs.
In addition to the Coffee Cantata, members of the BCC and the Cantata Chamber Orchestra will also present Telemann's Der Schulmeister and several other works, including PDQ Bach's madrigal My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth. James and I had the privilege of working with PDQ's biographer Dr. Peter Schickele earlier this year, and I was grateful to be able to thank him in person for exposing me to the horrors of PDQ Bach.
So join us and travel back in time a few centuries to a Leipzig coffee house to enjoy some good coffee, good music and authentic German pastry. If it's been awhile since your last obsttorte or guglhupf, now's your chance, and you will be supporting Portland's own Bach choir, dedicated to the performance of every single known Bach cantata over the next 15 years or so. This is a ticketed event with limited seating capacity, so get your tickets now. Specific information on the location, and the link for online ticket sales can be found at http://www.bachcantatachoir.org/.
As a member of the board of Portland's Bach Cantata Choir, I'd like to extend a personal invitation to our final event of the season, a fundraiser we call Cafe Bach that will take place at 2pm on Sunday, June 1.
Singing as we do the cantatas of Bach and other baroque composers who seemed to be obsessed with deep and weighty theological mysteries, it's fun to cut loose and present the lighter side of Baroque music. Coffee addiction was considered a serious social ill in early 18th century Germany, and since Bach was known to enjoy a cup or two of joe, the Coffee Cantata was his response to the pressing problem of be-wigged, jittery java junkies clogging the streets of Leipzig, singing rowdy opera at the top of their lungs.
In addition to the Coffee Cantata, members of the BCC and the Cantata Chamber Orchestra will also present Telemann's Der Schulmeister and several other works, including PDQ Bach's madrigal My Bonnie Lass She Smelleth. James and I had the privilege of working with PDQ's biographer Dr. Peter Schickele earlier this year, and I was grateful to be able to thank him in person for exposing me to the horrors of PDQ Bach.
So join us and travel back in time a few centuries to a Leipzig coffee house to enjoy some good coffee, good music and authentic German pastry. If it's been awhile since your last obsttorte or guglhupf, now's your chance, and you will be supporting Portland's own Bach choir, dedicated to the performance of every single known Bach cantata over the next 15 years or so. This is a ticketed event with limited seating capacity, so get your tickets now. Specific information on the location, and the link for online ticket sales can be found at http://www.bachcantatachoir.org/.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Noble reflects on the past OSO season
Charles Noble's thoughtful posting about the Oregon Symphony's past season is a must-read for those keeping track of the orchestra. I am probably in the minority of audience members who really enjoy all of the music for stage works (the one time I heard the LA Phil in Disney Hall, they did the complete Ravel Daphnis et Chloé with the Pacific Chorale. and it was great), but I'm addicted to classical music. Of course, the ultimate thing would've been to hear the music and see it interpreted in dance. But hey, you can do that with Carmina Burana, too, if you want the whole enchilada.
Operaman discusses Regieopera
I have been enjoying Stephen Llewellyn's blog on the Portland Opera website because of his insight and opinions about opera. In his most recent posting, Llewellyn (aka operaman), discusses Regieopera and his dislike for it. The posting contains some photos of outlandish opera productions. They make me recall talking briefly with Jim Fullan, Portland Opera's marketing and PR honcho, who traveled to Berlin a few months ago and saw a production of Aida in which (in the last act) Aida gives birth to a gun that she and Radames use to kill themselves. I think that Fullan mentioned that the production was set in some kind of Baptist revival camp in which a huge baptismal font dominated the set. Far out!
Today's Birthdays
Jacques Halévy (1799-1862)
Claude Champagne (1891-1965)
Ernst Wallfisch (1920-1979)
Thea Musgrave (1928)
Donald Keats (1929)
Elizabeth Harwood (1938-1990)
James Wood (1953)
and
Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876)
Isadora Duncan (1877-1927)
Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
John Cheever (1912-1982)
John Barth (1930)
Claude Champagne (1891-1965)
Ernst Wallfisch (1920-1979)
Thea Musgrave (1928)
Donald Keats (1929)
Elizabeth Harwood (1938-1990)
James Wood (1953)
and
Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876)
Isadora Duncan (1877-1927)
Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
John Cheever (1912-1982)
John Barth (1930)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Alan Pierce brings his batons to Europe
Alan Pierce, the bass-trombonist who retired from the Oregon Symphony last year, took a trip to Europe a month ago to get his batons in the hands some more conductors. One of the conductors Pierce met was Jun Märkl, music director of the Orchestre National De Lyon and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony. Märkl liked Pierce's batons and bought several of them. Here's a photo of Pierce and Märkl:
Pierce also sold his batons to Vincent de Kort, who regularly conducts the opera, ballet and Gewanthaus Orchestra in Leipzig. The next photo shows de Kort trying out one of Pierce's batons:
Here's Pierce with Alessandro de Marchi, who was the conductor for the Opera Komisch in Berlin and is a renown harpsichordist and now a connoisseur of Pierce batons.
Pierce also sold his batons to Vincent de Kort, who regularly conducts the opera, ballet and Gewanthaus Orchestra in Leipzig. The next photo shows de Kort trying out one of Pierce's batons:
Here's Pierce with Alessandro de Marchi, who was the conductor for the Opera Komisch in Berlin and is a renown harpsichordist and now a connoisseur of Pierce batons.
Today's Birthdays
Victor Herbert (1859-1924)
Al Jolson (1886-1950)
Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962)
Vlado Perlemuter (1904-2002)
Peggy Lee (1920-2002)
Joseph Horovitz (1926)
Teresa Stratas (1938)
William Bolcom (1938)
Howard Goodall (1958)
Al Jolson (1886-1950)
Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962)
Vlado Perlemuter (1904-2002)
Peggy Lee (1920-2002)
Joseph Horovitz (1926)
Teresa Stratas (1938)
William Bolcom (1938)
Howard Goodall (1958)
Sunday, May 25, 2008
How to be a classical music snob
Joel Stein, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times has written a humorous account of his rigorous training to become an insufferable classical music critic. Here's the first paragraph:
"A few years ago, I began working toward my retirement goal of being an intolerable old man. I'm way ahead of schedule on knowing enough about wine to bore anyone, but classical music has proved much more difficult, largely because no matter how much you listen, it does not get you drunk."
You can chuckle your way through the rest of the article here.
"A few years ago, I began working toward my retirement goal of being an intolerable old man. I'm way ahead of schedule on knowing enough about wine to bore anyone, but classical music has proved much more difficult, largely because no matter how much you listen, it does not get you drunk."
You can chuckle your way through the rest of the article here.
Today's Birthdays
Miles Davis (1926-1991)
Beverly Sills (1929-2007)
Franco Bonisolli (1937-2003)
and
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Theodore Roethke (1908-1963)
Raymond Carver (1938-1988)
Beverly Sills (1929-2007)
Franco Bonisolli (1937-2003)
and
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
Theodore Roethke (1908-1963)
Raymond Carver (1938-1988)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Sing in a rehearsal with the Oregon Bach Festival choir
Iif you have the pipes and want to sing with the Bach Festival choir, you'll get your chance this summer during an open rehearsal on June 23rd at 7 pm in Eugene. Space is limited to 100 singers and the cost is $10 to cover the score, Bach's "B Minor Mass." If you want to know the details, click here. The Oregon Bach Festival will present this masterwork at the Schnitz on June 27th.
Today's Birthdays
Paul Paray (1886-1979)
Dame Joan Hammond (1912-1986)
Maurice André (1933)
Bob Dylan (1941)
Fiona Kimm (1952)
Paul McCreesh (1960)
and
William Trevor (1928)
Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996)
Dame Joan Hammond (1912-1986)
Maurice André (1933)
Bob Dylan (1941)
Fiona Kimm (1952)
Paul McCreesh (1960)
and
William Trevor (1928)
Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Violist breaks a string during Carmina - and other observations
During the Monday evening performance of Carmina Burana with the Oregon Symphony, I noticed that principal violist Joël Belgique broke a string on his viola and quickly repaired it during a movement later in the work when he didn't have all that much to play. I talked with Belgique yesterday over the phone about it - just because broken strings during performances don't occur all that often.
Which string broke?
Belgique: It was the G string, which is located second to the bottom. You know, I played a concert with Fear No Music in Utah three months ago and a string broke on the same spot twice in the same piece. This usually indicates that there’s something sharp on edge of the bridge.
So I went to get that fixed and thought that it would be fine but the feroce in the Carmina got it. I keep a separate set of strings in the pocket of my tails if anything goes wrong. Carmina is pretty easy for the strings and there was a movement in which I didn’t have to play, so I did some repair work and it was pretty successful. I’ve actually practiced restringing just in case this sort of thing happens.
Charles Noble, the assistant principal, offered his viola, but I opted to try my repair skills. I might have had to have used his viola if the music had been more demanding.
Thanks for giving us the lowdown!
Belgique: No problem.
--- other observations --
On Sunday evening, Kalmar had a great way of raising one eyebrow each time that the women of the choir had to sing a quick, repeating phrase. It was pretty uncanny.
I loved the way that baritone Stephen Powell could put a hiccup at the end of one of his passages. And his timing was impeccable.
On Sunday evening the percussion and the keyboards fell behind the beat at one point and then on Monday the Horn section fell behind the beat for a short while.
I head a couple of people in the choir jump the gun in a couple of spots on Sunday and Monday.
We received standing ovations every night, but the audience really jumped out of their seats on Saturday and Monday. It was great to see a sold-out Monday evening performance. I heard that people were turned away at the box office.
The program notes by Elizabeth Schwartz were fine, but she left out the famous quote by Jim Svejda about Carmina: "For at the end, we are thoroughly convinced that this is music that a gland would write, if only it could."
Which string broke?
Belgique: It was the G string, which is located second to the bottom. You know, I played a concert with Fear No Music in Utah three months ago and a string broke on the same spot twice in the same piece. This usually indicates that there’s something sharp on edge of the bridge.
So I went to get that fixed and thought that it would be fine but the feroce in the Carmina got it. I keep a separate set of strings in the pocket of my tails if anything goes wrong. Carmina is pretty easy for the strings and there was a movement in which I didn’t have to play, so I did some repair work and it was pretty successful. I’ve actually practiced restringing just in case this sort of thing happens.
Charles Noble, the assistant principal, offered his viola, but I opted to try my repair skills. I might have had to have used his viola if the music had been more demanding.
Thanks for giving us the lowdown!
Belgique: No problem.
--- other observations --
On Sunday evening, Kalmar had a great way of raising one eyebrow each time that the women of the choir had to sing a quick, repeating phrase. It was pretty uncanny.
I loved the way that baritone Stephen Powell could put a hiccup at the end of one of his passages. And his timing was impeccable.
On Sunday evening the percussion and the keyboards fell behind the beat at one point and then on Monday the Horn section fell behind the beat for a short while.
I head a couple of people in the choir jump the gun in a couple of spots on Sunday and Monday.
We received standing ovations every night, but the audience really jumped out of their seats on Saturday and Monday. It was great to see a sold-out Monday evening performance. I heard that people were turned away at the box office.
The program notes by Elizabeth Schwartz were fine, but she left out the famous quote by Jim Svejda about Carmina: "For at the end, we are thoroughly convinced that this is music that a gland would write, if only it could."
Today's Birthdays
Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986)
Artie Shaw (1910-2004)
Jean Françaix (1912-1997)
Alicia de Larrocha (1923)
Robert Moog (1934-2005)
and
Anatoly Karpov (1951)
Artie Shaw (1910-2004)
Jean Françaix (1912-1997)
Alicia de Larrocha (1923)
Robert Moog (1934-2005)
and
Anatoly Karpov (1951)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Benefit for Quake Victims
I received the following urgent email from Nadene Steinhoff, who works in the Office of Communications at Willamette University:
"I've been talking with Jay Chen, who is a trumpet teacher here at Willamette University. He is a native of Chengdu, from the Sichuan Province of China, 50 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. He has been watching the images emerging from China and said, 'I have never cried so much in my life.'
The quake occurred in the middle of the day, so schools were the hardest hit. In just one school alone, more than a thousand children were buried, Chen said. 'When they were uncovered, they were found wrapped in their teachers’ arms. There is a true humanity here. The response by the Chinese government is also unprecedented.'
Chen, who is also principal trumpet with the Portland Opera, is organizing a response. He is short on time and big on heart, and hopes to get the word out quickly. He has invited friends from the Portland Columbia Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet and Oregon Symphony, along with professors from many Portland and regional universities, to join him in a fundraiser, scheduled for Sunday, June 1, at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 1838 SW Jefferson Street in Portland. (There is free parking, or use the Goose Hollow MAX stop).
Compelling slides of the disaster will be accompanied by brass ensemble music, provided by French horn, trumpet and low brass musicians. One timpanist will join the group. Chen will speak about the disaster in China and how it has affected people’s lives. All funds will go to the American Red Cross for dispersal to earthquake victims."
WHAT: Concert to Benefit Quake Victims
WHEN: Sunday, June 1, at 4 p.m.
WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson Street, Portland
Donations accepted
Contacts:
Jay Chen
Willamette University
(503) 313-4920
jychen@willamette.edu
Rachel Anderson
Benefit Concert Coordinator
(503) 667-7833
rachel52770@yahoo.com
Betsy Hatton
Portland Columbia Symphony
(503) 234-4077
cso@pacifier.com
"I've been talking with Jay Chen, who is a trumpet teacher here at Willamette University. He is a native of Chengdu, from the Sichuan Province of China, 50 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. He has been watching the images emerging from China and said, 'I have never cried so much in my life.'
The quake occurred in the middle of the day, so schools were the hardest hit. In just one school alone, more than a thousand children were buried, Chen said. 'When they were uncovered, they were found wrapped in their teachers’ arms. There is a true humanity here. The response by the Chinese government is also unprecedented.'
Chen, who is also principal trumpet with the Portland Opera, is organizing a response. He is short on time and big on heart, and hopes to get the word out quickly. He has invited friends from the Portland Columbia Symphony, Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet and Oregon Symphony, along with professors from many Portland and regional universities, to join him in a fundraiser, scheduled for Sunday, June 1, at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church at 1838 SW Jefferson Street in Portland. (There is free parking, or use the Goose Hollow MAX stop).
Compelling slides of the disaster will be accompanied by brass ensemble music, provided by French horn, trumpet and low brass musicians. One timpanist will join the group. Chen will speak about the disaster in China and how it has affected people’s lives. All funds will go to the American Red Cross for dispersal to earthquake victims."
WHAT: Concert to Benefit Quake Victims
WHEN: Sunday, June 1, at 4 p.m.
WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson Street, Portland
Donations accepted
Contacts:
Jay Chen
Willamette University
(503) 313-4920
jychen@willamette.edu
Rachel Anderson
Benefit Concert Coordinator
(503) 667-7833
rachel52770@yahoo.com
Betsy Hatton
Portland Columbia Symphony
(503) 234-4077
cso@pacifier.com
Today's Birthdays
Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Johann Schrammel (1850-1893)
Minna Keal (1909-1999)
George Tintner (1917-1999)
Humphrey Lyttleton (1921)
John Browning (1933-2003)
Peter Nero (1934)
and
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)
Johann Schrammel (1850-1893)
Minna Keal (1909-1999)
George Tintner (1917-1999)
Humphrey Lyttleton (1921)
John Browning (1933-2003)
Peter Nero (1934)
and
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Menotti's The Telephone to be performed at The Old Church
This benefit peformance for the Portland Symphonic Choir is coming up on May 27th at 7:30. Details are in the poster (below) that you can expand. It should be a fun show.
Today's Birthdays
Joseph Parry (1841-1903)
Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943)
Gina Bachauer (1913-1976)
Heinz Holliger (1939)
Rosalind Plowright (1949)
and
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989)
Robert Creeley (1926-2005)
Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943)
Gina Bachauer (1913-1976)
Heinz Holliger (1939)
Rosalind Plowright (1949)
and
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989)
Robert Creeley (1926-2005)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Hephzibah Menuhin (1920-1981)
George Hurst (1926)
Karl Anton Rikenbacher (1940)
Joe Cocker (1944)
Sue Knussen (1949-2003)
Jane Parker-Smith (1950)
Emma Johnson (1966)
and
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
George Hurst (1926)
Karl Anton Rikenbacher (1940)
Joe Cocker (1944)
Sue Knussen (1949-2003)
Jane Parker-Smith (1950)
Emma Johnson (1966)
and
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Berlin Philharmonic's hall catches on fire - musicians evacuated
I found this on Opera Chic's web site. No injuries and nothing damaged except the roof. Reports indicate some kind of welding accident. A more dramatic picture and report can be found here on the New York Times web site.
Tim Page takes buyout from the Washington Post
Classical music criticism shrinks further: Tim Page, the classical music critic at the Washington Post has taken a buyout offer. This sad news appears in The New York Observer here. Ionarts has a well-written piece about Page here. Opera Chic also notes the buyout.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Dame Nellie Melba (1859-1931)
Kerstin Thorborg (1896-1970)
Sandy Wilson (1924)
Pete Townshend (1945)
Stephen Varcoe (1949)
and
Nora Ephron (1941)
Kerstin Thorborg (1896-1970)
Sandy Wilson (1924)
Pete Townshend (1945)
Stephen Varcoe (1949)
and
Nora Ephron (1941)
Cellist search underway for Fear No Music
After last night's performance of Carmina Burana with the Oregon Symphony I talked briefly with Inés Voglar, who is a member of the orchestra's violin section and is also the artistic director of the Fear No Music ensemble. Now that cellist Adam Esbensen is leaving the orchestra and FNM to play with the Boston Symphony, I asked Voglar if FNM has found a new cellist. She replied that FNM will use a different cellist for each concert next season and sometime afterwards they will make a decision.
Portland has a lot of fine cellists. This is Celloland after all. But Esbensen has been one of the very best to play here. We wish him the best in his music making with James Levine and company. Tonight is Esbensen's last regular season concert with the Oregon Symphony. If you can still get a ticket to Carmina Burana, you'll have a chance to hear him with his Oregon colleagues.
Portland has a lot of fine cellists. This is Celloland after all. But Esbensen has been one of the very best to play here. We wish him the best in his music making with James Levine and company. Tonight is Esbensen's last regular season concert with the Oregon Symphony. If you can still get a ticket to Carmina Burana, you'll have a chance to hear him with his Oregon colleagues.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Karl Goldmark (1830-1915)
Ezio Pinza (1892-1947)
Meredith Willson (1902-1984)
Sir Clifford Curzon (1907-1982)
Perry Como (1912-2001)
Boris Christoff (1914-1993)
Mikko Heiniö (1948)
and
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Walter Gropius (1883-1969)
Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991)
Ezio Pinza (1892-1947)
Meredith Willson (1902-1984)
Sir Clifford Curzon (1907-1982)
Perry Como (1912-2001)
Boris Christoff (1914-1993)
Mikko Heiniö (1948)
and
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Walter Gropius (1883-1969)
Margot Fonteyn (1919-1991)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Carmina Burana with the Oregon Symphony
I had a wonderful time singing Carmina Burana with the Oregon Symphony this evening. It was great to see a completely sold out house - with extra chairs placed at the very tip top of the upper balcony - and the entire audience jumped to their feet at the end of the performance, with bravos, cheers, and enough applause to fill an ego to the very brim. It was a fantastic experience! Maestro Kalmar was doing his thing on the podium - juking and jiving like no one else in the biz - our In Taberna section was very uptempo - the choir was on fire and the soloists were ultra fantastic - well baritone Stephen Powell really hams up his Abbot aria - you have to see it! Speaking of seeing it, I understand that there are a few tickets available for the Sunday night performance and a little more for Monday's show. If you want to experience a real entertaining evening with symphonic and choir music at its best, be sure to come and hear us. You'll really enjoy the show.
Extra note: Playing in the violin section is Becky Anderson, who is still a teenager but has been recognized for her talent and artistry. Anderson will be attending The Curtis Institute of Music in the fall and will be featured in the "From the Top" program on May 31st at Kaul Auditorium. That will be a live taping. In the Carmina Burana, Anderson is sitting at a separate stand next to Julie Coleman.
Extra note: Playing in the violin section is Becky Anderson, who is still a teenager but has been recognized for her talent and artistry. Anderson will be attending The Curtis Institute of Music in the fall and will be featured in the "From the Top" program on May 31st at Kaul Auditorium. That will be a live taping. In the Carmina Burana, Anderson is sitting at a separate stand next to Julie Coleman.
Charlotte Pistor and the Vancouver Symphony (WA) concert
This afternoon I attended the Vancouver Symphony (WA) concert that featured soprano soloist Charlotte Pistor in Richard Strauss' "Four Last Songs." Pistor turned in a terrific concert and I only had 45 minutes to scribble a quick review of the concert for The Columbian newspaper. They have already posted it online here.
Today's Birthdays
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Sandor Vegh (1905-1997)
Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005)
Dennis Brain (1921-1957)
Paul Crossley (1944)
Brian Rayner Cook (1945)
Bill Bruford (1949)
Ivor Bolton (1958)
Sandor Vegh (1905-1997)
Birgit Nilsson (1918-2005)
Dennis Brain (1921-1957)
Paul Crossley (1944)
Brian Rayner Cook (1945)
Bill Bruford (1949)
Ivor Bolton (1958)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Richard Tauber (1891-1948)
Ivan Vishnegradsy (1893-1979)
Jan Kiepura (1902-1966)
Woody Herman (1913-1987)
Liberace (1919-1987)
Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000)
Donald Martino (1931-2005)
Robert Fripp (1946)
Monica Huggett (1953)
Andrew Litton (1959)
and
Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866)
Louis "Studs" Terkel (1912)
Ivan Vishnegradsy (1893-1979)
Jan Kiepura (1902-1966)
Woody Herman (1913-1987)
Liberace (1919-1987)
Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000)
Donald Martino (1931-2005)
Robert Fripp (1946)
Monica Huggett (1953)
Andrew Litton (1959)
and
Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866)
Louis "Studs" Terkel (1912)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
Michael William Balfe (1808-1870)
Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986)
John Lanchbery (1923-2003)
Ted Perry (1931-2003)
Brian Eno (1948)
and
Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931)
Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980)
Peter Shaffer (1926)
Jasper Johns (1930)
Michael William Balfe (1808-1870)
Lars-Erik Larsson (1908-1986)
John Lanchbery (1923-2003)
Ted Perry (1931-2003)
Brian Eno (1948)
and
Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931)
Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980)
Peter Shaffer (1926)
Jasper Johns (1930)
Hilarious diagram of New York Philharmonic hierarchy
I found a pointer to Matthew Guerrieri's diagram of the New York Phil's organization in a posting by Alex Ross on his blog. It's hilarious! Maybe someone can draw one of these for the Oregon Symphony or the Seattle Symphony.
Preview of Vancouver Symphony (WA) concert with soprano Charlotte Pistor
Today's Columbian newspaper has my preview of this weekend's Vancouver Symphony concert, which features soprano Charlotte Pistor in Richard Strauss's "Four Last Songs" and Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony.
Review: Marc-André Hamelin in recital
On Sunday afternoon at the Newmark Theatre, acclaimed pianist Marc-André Hamelin gave a recital that displayed his impeccable command of a wide range of music. The concert, sponsored by Portland Piano International, featured two Haydn sonatas, a jazz-inflected sonata by Weissenberg, a ballade and a barcarolle by Chopin, a Johann Strauss-inspired number by Godowsky, and a couple of new evocative pieces by Hamelin himself. It was a delightful hodgepodge that struck me as more cerebral than emotional. Maybe that was due to the fact that Hamelin didn’t throw his head back or make any grand gestures with his hands and arms after he finished an ardent phrase. This virtuoso pianist didn’t go over the top on the emotional side, instead he delivered clean and clear interpretations
I have heard a lot about Hamelin from a friend of mine who plays blues guitar but has a keen interest in the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan, whose works Hamelin has performed and recorded to great acclaim. Hamelin has received the the Preis der Deutsche Schallplattenkritik (Prize of the German Recoding-critics) and the 2000 Gramophone Instrumental Award and has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.
The concert opened with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in F major (Hob. Xv1:23) and Sonata in B-flat major (Hob. XV1:41). Hamelin began the first sonata with a very light, almost crystalline touch. He gave the second movement (Adagio) a dreamy, lyrical quality, and it contained some brief, yet dramatic pauses as well. The third movement (Presto), Hamelin emphasized Haydn’s humor in an understated way that included some very rapid flourishes.
Hamelin’s interpretation of the second sonata was slightly weightier, beginning with a first movement that skillfully alternated between noble sentiments and lighter passages that seemed to trip along like a kid skipping down a sidewalk. Hamelin impressed me with his quick articulation of tricky phrases. He played both Haydn numbers very quickly.
The first half of the program concluded with Alexis Weissenberg’s "Sonate en état de jazz" (Sonata in a State of Jazz). The first part of this piece (evoking a tango) contained a lot of crunchy chords and a complicated mix of notes that drew the audience deeper and deeper into the music. At one point, the music spills into a tango, but then another set of odd, crunchy chords take over again before the music ends with question. The second part (Charleston) revealed a virtuosic combination of notes and rhythm and no discernable melody. The third part of the piece (Blues) kept us in a melancholy reverie until it faded away with a musical question mark at the end. The fourth part (Samba) had an intriguing set of sophisticated rhythms that would sound like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo in lesser hands.
After intermission Hamelin returned to play Frédéric Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp major (Op 60) and the Ballade No 3. in A-flat major (Opus 47). Hamelin performed the Barcarolle in an understated manner, but he did seem to open up a bit of emotion for the Ballade – especially when he delivered an exquisitely tender transition from the first theme to the second.
Next Hamelin played two of his own works: the Etude No. 8 "Erlkönig" (after Goethe’s poem) and the Etude No. 7 (after Tchaikovsky). The Etude No. 8 was Hamelin’s re-imaging of the Goethe’s famous poem about a father carrying his young son on horseback through a wild forest and the son hearing the call of the elf king (Erlkönig) who lures the child away from the father. I thought that the treble notes in Hamelin’s piece represented the voice of the child, and I could easily hear the father on horseback riding faster and faster. It seemed like a work that deserves another hearing, and Hamelin told the audience (before playing the work) that he would perform it again this summer in a festival in Norway where he would accompany the great German baritone, Thomas Quasthoff in Schubert’s famous "Erlkönig."
Hamelin played his Etude No. 7 with his left hand only. This was a hauntingly beautiful number that gave me the picture of someone losing his/her way in the woods on a wintry evening. If you shut your eyes, you could’ve sworn that Hamelin was using both hands. He demonstrated an innate sense of how to use the pedal and a very, light and even touch on the keyboard. The result was magical.
The concert concluded with Leopold Godowsky’s “Symphonic Metamorphoses on Johan Strauss’s ‘Wine, Woman, and Song.’” Hamelin made this complicated piece look a lot easier than it is, rounding out the concert with a glorious and joyous sound.
After a hearty round of applause, Hamelin gave us an encore, an arrangement by Weissenberg of "April in Paris "(Charles Trenet). This piece was lush and elegant and left us at the salon and wanting more.
I have heard a lot about Hamelin from a friend of mine who plays blues guitar but has a keen interest in the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan, whose works Hamelin has performed and recorded to great acclaim. Hamelin has received the the Preis der Deutsche Schallplattenkritik (Prize of the German Recoding-critics) and the 2000 Gramophone Instrumental Award and has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.
The concert opened with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in F major (Hob. Xv1:23) and Sonata in B-flat major (Hob. XV1:41). Hamelin began the first sonata with a very light, almost crystalline touch. He gave the second movement (Adagio) a dreamy, lyrical quality, and it contained some brief, yet dramatic pauses as well. The third movement (Presto), Hamelin emphasized Haydn’s humor in an understated way that included some very rapid flourishes.
Hamelin’s interpretation of the second sonata was slightly weightier, beginning with a first movement that skillfully alternated between noble sentiments and lighter passages that seemed to trip along like a kid skipping down a sidewalk. Hamelin impressed me with his quick articulation of tricky phrases. He played both Haydn numbers very quickly.
The first half of the program concluded with Alexis Weissenberg’s "Sonate en état de jazz" (Sonata in a State of Jazz). The first part of this piece (evoking a tango) contained a lot of crunchy chords and a complicated mix of notes that drew the audience deeper and deeper into the music. At one point, the music spills into a tango, but then another set of odd, crunchy chords take over again before the music ends with question. The second part (Charleston) revealed a virtuosic combination of notes and rhythm and no discernable melody. The third part of the piece (Blues) kept us in a melancholy reverie until it faded away with a musical question mark at the end. The fourth part (Samba) had an intriguing set of sophisticated rhythms that would sound like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo in lesser hands.
After intermission Hamelin returned to play Frédéric Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp major (Op 60) and the Ballade No 3. in A-flat major (Opus 47). Hamelin performed the Barcarolle in an understated manner, but he did seem to open up a bit of emotion for the Ballade – especially when he delivered an exquisitely tender transition from the first theme to the second.
Next Hamelin played two of his own works: the Etude No. 8 "Erlkönig" (after Goethe’s poem) and the Etude No. 7 (after Tchaikovsky). The Etude No. 8 was Hamelin’s re-imaging of the Goethe’s famous poem about a father carrying his young son on horseback through a wild forest and the son hearing the call of the elf king (Erlkönig) who lures the child away from the father. I thought that the treble notes in Hamelin’s piece represented the voice of the child, and I could easily hear the father on horseback riding faster and faster. It seemed like a work that deserves another hearing, and Hamelin told the audience (before playing the work) that he would perform it again this summer in a festival in Norway where he would accompany the great German baritone, Thomas Quasthoff in Schubert’s famous "Erlkönig."
Hamelin played his Etude No. 7 with his left hand only. This was a hauntingly beautiful number that gave me the picture of someone losing his/her way in the woods on a wintry evening. If you shut your eyes, you could’ve sworn that Hamelin was using both hands. He demonstrated an innate sense of how to use the pedal and a very, light and even touch on the keyboard. The result was magical.
The concert concluded with Leopold Godowsky’s “Symphonic Metamorphoses on Johan Strauss’s ‘Wine, Woman, and Song.’” Hamelin made this complicated piece look a lot easier than it is, rounding out the concert with a glorious and joyous sound.
After a hearty round of applause, Hamelin gave us an encore, an arrangement by Weissenberg of "April in Paris "(Charles Trenet). This piece was lush and elegant and left us at the salon and wanting more.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Otto Klemperer (1885-1973)
Sidney Bechet (1897-1959)
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Aloys Kontarsky (1931)
Peter Skellern (1947)
Maria de La Pau (1950)
Helen Field (1951)
Sidney Bechet (1897-1959)
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Aloys Kontarsky (1931)
Peter Skellern (1947)
Maria de La Pau (1950)
Helen Field (1951)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
Constantin Silverstri (1913-1969)
Gareth Morris (1920)
Jane Glover (1949)
David Hill (1957)
Tasmin Little (1965)
Constantin Silverstri (1913-1969)
Gareth Morris (1920)
Jane Glover (1949)
David Hill (1957)
Tasmin Little (1965)
Review: Seattle Opera's I Puritani a pure delight
Seattle Opera pulled out all the stops in its production of Bellini’s I Puritani, delivering a thrilling performance on Saturday, May 10. The success of this production hinged on a quartet of singers who could sing Bellini’s demanding music and work exceptionally well together. Seattle Opera’s foursome, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, soprano Norah Amsellem, baritone Mariusz Kwiecien, and bass John Relyea delivered the goods with Brownlee showing why he is in the pole position to become a world-renown bel canto tenor.
Bellini wrote I Puritani as a romance based loosely on the a bit of history from England’s civil war when the Protestants and Catholics were at each other’s throats. The opera was a hit when it premiered in Paris in 1835 but fell out of the repertoire from approximately the time of Verdi’s death (1901) until the 1950s when singers like Maria Callas resurrected the bel canto tradition. This season’s production of I Puritani marks the first time that Seattle Opera has done it.
Brownlee, as the cavalier Arturo, not only possesses the extended upper register that is required by this opera, but he has plenty of it and it’s a gorgeous sound with lots of resonance. He hit the D above high C with gusto and the F above that in full voice with mega gusto. I don’t know that I’ll ever get the chance to hear that live again. It was astounding. No wonder that Brownlee already has recording contracts coming out of his ears. We’ll be hearing a lot more of him.
As the young Puritan noblewoman Elvira, Norah Amsellem acting was phenomenal. She completely won over the audience when she went mad after her fiancée, Arturo, presumably ran off with another woman. However, her vibrato became very wide in the upper stratosphere – so much so that it sounded as if she was singing two separate notes instead of one.
Kwiecien embodied Riccardo, the jealous lover of Elvira, with a powerful baritone and demonstrative acting. He seemed to force his voice it a little too much at times, but that worked with Riccardo’s pent-up emotions.
Reylea was a perfect fit for Giorgio, the retired colonel and uncle of Elvira. His majestic voice had a world of depth and his gestures and expressions matched the character impeccably.
In lesser roles, Simeon Esper as Sir Bruno Robertson, Joseph Rawley as Lord Gualtiero Walton, and Fenion Lamb as Enrichetta were excellent. The Seattle Opera Chorus was superb vocally, giving us a lively, rich, and present sound that was balanced and filled the house. Kudos to chorusmaster Beth Kirchhoff for preparing them so well.
The orchestra was conducted with great sensitivity by Edoardo Műller. Together, they paced the opera very well and never overwhelmed the singers with too much sound.
Stage director Linda Brovsky had everyone moving in such a way that it looked natural and almost spontaneous. Especially impressive was the interaction between Amsellem, Kwiecien, and Reylea during mad scene in the second act. For example, Elvira would sing of losing her lover and then turn around and run directly into Riccardo.
The scenery, designed by Robert A. Dalstrom and built by the Seattle Opera Scenic Studios, featured multilevel platforms that easily suggested a fortress. The design allowed the principals and chorus to enter and exit from several directions – all of which helped to keep the story moving forward. All of the singers met the challenges of climbing stairs and singing very well.
The traditional costumes were designed by Peter J. Hall and looked terrific. The program noted that the costumes belong to the Metropolitan Opera and were premiered there as part of its production of I Puritani in 1976. Lighting designer Thomas C. Hase contributed to the overall success of Seattle’s production marvelously.
Bellini wrote I Puritani as a romance based loosely on the a bit of history from England’s civil war when the Protestants and Catholics were at each other’s throats. The opera was a hit when it premiered in Paris in 1835 but fell out of the repertoire from approximately the time of Verdi’s death (1901) until the 1950s when singers like Maria Callas resurrected the bel canto tradition. This season’s production of I Puritani marks the first time that Seattle Opera has done it.
Brownlee, as the cavalier Arturo, not only possesses the extended upper register that is required by this opera, but he has plenty of it and it’s a gorgeous sound with lots of resonance. He hit the D above high C with gusto and the F above that in full voice with mega gusto. I don’t know that I’ll ever get the chance to hear that live again. It was astounding. No wonder that Brownlee already has recording contracts coming out of his ears. We’ll be hearing a lot more of him.
As the young Puritan noblewoman Elvira, Norah Amsellem acting was phenomenal. She completely won over the audience when she went mad after her fiancée, Arturo, presumably ran off with another woman. However, her vibrato became very wide in the upper stratosphere – so much so that it sounded as if she was singing two separate notes instead of one.
Kwiecien embodied Riccardo, the jealous lover of Elvira, with a powerful baritone and demonstrative acting. He seemed to force his voice it a little too much at times, but that worked with Riccardo’s pent-up emotions.
Reylea was a perfect fit for Giorgio, the retired colonel and uncle of Elvira. His majestic voice had a world of depth and his gestures and expressions matched the character impeccably.
In lesser roles, Simeon Esper as Sir Bruno Robertson, Joseph Rawley as Lord Gualtiero Walton, and Fenion Lamb as Enrichetta were excellent. The Seattle Opera Chorus was superb vocally, giving us a lively, rich, and present sound that was balanced and filled the house. Kudos to chorusmaster Beth Kirchhoff for preparing them so well.
The orchestra was conducted with great sensitivity by Edoardo Műller. Together, they paced the opera very well and never overwhelmed the singers with too much sound.
Stage director Linda Brovsky had everyone moving in such a way that it looked natural and almost spontaneous. Especially impressive was the interaction between Amsellem, Kwiecien, and Reylea during mad scene in the second act. For example, Elvira would sing of losing her lover and then turn around and run directly into Riccardo.
The scenery, designed by Robert A. Dalstrom and built by the Seattle Opera Scenic Studios, featured multilevel platforms that easily suggested a fortress. The design allowed the principals and chorus to enter and exit from several directions – all of which helped to keep the story moving forward. All of the singers met the challenges of climbing stairs and singing very well.
The traditional costumes were designed by Peter J. Hall and looked terrific. The program noted that the costumes belong to the Metropolitan Opera and were premiered there as part of its production of I Puritani in 1976. Lighting designer Thomas C. Hase contributed to the overall success of Seattle’s production marvelously.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Giovanni Viotti (1744-1824)
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
Burt Bacharach (1928)
Dalmacio Gonzalez (1945)
Doris Soffel (1948)
and
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sir Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
Burt Bacharach (1928)
Dalmacio Gonzalez (1945)
Doris Soffel (1948)
and
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
Review: Step up to Portland Opera’s Aida
The principals and chorus overcame some challenging scenery in Portland Opera’s Aida, which opened on Friday night to a full house in Keller Auditorium. Dominating the stage were a series of temple steps and an incredibly large statue of a falcon with a wing span of breath-taking proportions. Cast members crisscrossed the steps carefully, and once they were in position, they sang with the full-throttle conviction that this grandiose opera requires. Yet the sheer size of the steps took away the space needed for big procession of the warriors after the battle between the Egyptian army and the Ethiopians. So, the overall spectacle of the opera was reduced somewhat.
Lisa Daltirus created an energetic and compassionate Aida with convincing acting and thrilling singing. Daltirus showed her fantastic range and grasp of dynamics, matching words, phrasing, and sound to make the conflicted character of the princess-slave come alive. One of the many vocal highlights she did occurred in the third act, when she shot out a small beam, focused, pure sound with no vibrato and then gradually increased the volume, added vibrato, and kept it heartrendingly beautiful at the same time. And her acting was totally amazing with facial expression, gestures, and timing that drew the audience into her perspective.
Philip Webb sang the role Radames, captain of the Egyptian guard and the lover of Aide, wonderfully. Webb’s “Celeste Aida” glowed with radiance and power, and his voice became stronger as the opera progressed. Webb’s presence as a leader of armies needed to show more confidence and his acting, in general, looked wooden. He looked uncomfortable ascending the stairs that were built into the unfolded wings of the falcon-statute and his sash came undone. But he delivered his passages terrifically and nudged the sash over the edge with his foot before he descended.
As Amneris, the daughter of the king of Egypt, Leann Sandel-Pantaleo guarded her voice in the first act but let it grow as the opera unfolded. By the last act, she unleashed the full anger and anguish of a woman who knew that she would forever be unhappy. Her actions as the vengeful and emotionally charged rival of Aida were outstanding.
Keith Miller as Ramfis, chief priest and Greer Grimsley as Amonasro, the captured Ethiopian king and father of Aida gave superb performances. Their declamatory bass voices suited their characters perfectly. Jeffrey G. Beuran had the physical stature but needed more heft and depth in his voice as the king of Egypt.
In place of the procession of Egyptian soldiers at the end of the first act, an ensemble of dancers re-enacted the battle between the Egyptians and the Ethiopians on the steps. The athletic dancers performed well, but the mock rape of the Ethiopian priestess seemed to push the point of defeat a little too much. The two body builders who carried the Egyptian high priestess, Sharon Apostolou, were struggling to maintain their balance at the top of the steps. Fortunately, no one took a spill, but it looked dicey at times.
The falcon-statue rotated to help change the setting from scene to scene, revealing a tomb for the last act. The scenery and properties were designed by Gerard Howland and are jointly owned by Portland Opera and nine other opera companies. It’s a smart but treacherous set that has no handrails, so anyone who descended the steps needed to make sure that his/her footing was secure. Stage director Sandra Bernhard did a good job in making sure that the movement of choruses and principals didn’t get in each other’s way. (The original production of this version was directed by Colin Graham.)
I liked it when hieroglyphics were projected onto the walls and steps, and lighting designer Helena Kuukka didn’t do anything tricky with color schemes or else we might have seen some people tumble.
The costuming, designed by David C. Woolard, seemed to be out of joint. Amneris wore a dress with an overextended bustle and an odd headdress. Aida wore a print number that harkened to cotton field garb of 19th Century America. At least the Egyptian priests looked sort of priestly.
Robert Ainsley fashioned a well-balanced sound for the chorus that reached a satisfying zenith at the end of the Triumphal March. But overall, I wanted more volume from them at other crucial moments in the opera.
Conductor Vjekoslav Sutej expertly led the orchestra, which played better than ever.
Lisa Daltirus created an energetic and compassionate Aida with convincing acting and thrilling singing. Daltirus showed her fantastic range and grasp of dynamics, matching words, phrasing, and sound to make the conflicted character of the princess-slave come alive. One of the many vocal highlights she did occurred in the third act, when she shot out a small beam, focused, pure sound with no vibrato and then gradually increased the volume, added vibrato, and kept it heartrendingly beautiful at the same time. And her acting was totally amazing with facial expression, gestures, and timing that drew the audience into her perspective.
Philip Webb sang the role Radames, captain of the Egyptian guard and the lover of Aide, wonderfully. Webb’s “Celeste Aida” glowed with radiance and power, and his voice became stronger as the opera progressed. Webb’s presence as a leader of armies needed to show more confidence and his acting, in general, looked wooden. He looked uncomfortable ascending the stairs that were built into the unfolded wings of the falcon-statute and his sash came undone. But he delivered his passages terrifically and nudged the sash over the edge with his foot before he descended.
As Amneris, the daughter of the king of Egypt, Leann Sandel-Pantaleo guarded her voice in the first act but let it grow as the opera unfolded. By the last act, she unleashed the full anger and anguish of a woman who knew that she would forever be unhappy. Her actions as the vengeful and emotionally charged rival of Aida were outstanding.
Keith Miller as Ramfis, chief priest and Greer Grimsley as Amonasro, the captured Ethiopian king and father of Aida gave superb performances. Their declamatory bass voices suited their characters perfectly. Jeffrey G. Beuran had the physical stature but needed more heft and depth in his voice as the king of Egypt.
In place of the procession of Egyptian soldiers at the end of the first act, an ensemble of dancers re-enacted the battle between the Egyptians and the Ethiopians on the steps. The athletic dancers performed well, but the mock rape of the Ethiopian priestess seemed to push the point of defeat a little too much. The two body builders who carried the Egyptian high priestess, Sharon Apostolou, were struggling to maintain their balance at the top of the steps. Fortunately, no one took a spill, but it looked dicey at times.
The falcon-statue rotated to help change the setting from scene to scene, revealing a tomb for the last act. The scenery and properties were designed by Gerard Howland and are jointly owned by Portland Opera and nine other opera companies. It’s a smart but treacherous set that has no handrails, so anyone who descended the steps needed to make sure that his/her footing was secure. Stage director Sandra Bernhard did a good job in making sure that the movement of choruses and principals didn’t get in each other’s way. (The original production of this version was directed by Colin Graham.)
I liked it when hieroglyphics were projected onto the walls and steps, and lighting designer Helena Kuukka didn’t do anything tricky with color schemes or else we might have seen some people tumble.
The costuming, designed by David C. Woolard, seemed to be out of joint. Amneris wore a dress with an overextended bustle and an odd headdress. Aida wore a print number that harkened to cotton field garb of 19th Century America. At least the Egyptian priests looked sort of priestly.
Robert Ainsley fashioned a well-balanced sound for the chorus that reached a satisfying zenith at the end of the Triumphal March. But overall, I wanted more volume from them at other crucial moments in the opera.
Conductor Vjekoslav Sutej expertly led the orchestra, which played better than ever.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Review: Portland Baroque Orchestra exuberant in Brandenburgs and Telemann
By Lorin Wilkerson
The Portland Baroque Orchestra presented their second-to-last concert of the season on Saturday evening, May 10 at the First Baptist Church in down town Portland. Talk about going out with a bang: they played three of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti (1, 3, and 6) as well as a grandiose orchestral suite by Telemann. This exciting concert marked the close of a two-year cycle in which the PBO has brought all six Brandenburgs to Portland, but is also a harbinger of big things to come from this group during their Silver Anniversary next year. The PBO has been invited to perform the entire set of Brandenburgs for the Oregon Bach Festival in 2009, marking the first time an authentic period orchestra will perform at this august event. Next year they will also play two concerts in smaller Oregon cities. Having grown up in small-town Oregon, I think this is an extremely laudable undertaking, and I’m sure that wherever they play they will be as warmly received as they were here Saturday night.
While the Brandenburg Concerti have long been ranked at the top of my desert island list (e.g., if I were to be marooned on a desert island for the rest of my life [with some miraculous provision enabling me to listen to CDs] with only one work to listen to, it would be these six concerti), I have always felt that #1 is rather ‘clunky’ compared to the rest. The blatting of horns in odd syncopation to the rest of the orchestra’s rather straightforward movement, the strings harrumphing along at the root of a surprisingly dense texture, its four movements standing in contrast to the traditional baroque three-movement symmetry—these things have always led me to consider #1 a sort of ungainly stepchild in comparison to the other five. That’s not to say I didn’t love it, it just never occupied the special place in my heart that these other treasures have.
Enter the PBO on Saturday night. Just watching as the orchestra took their places told the discerning baroque concertgoer that something unusual was afoot: this was a big group assembling on stage. A trio of cellos, a pair of violas, a bassoon and continuo gathered with a whole throng of violins at the start. As if that weren’t enough, out came a pair of horns, three oboes and a few more violins for good measure! The house was sold out (and it was extremely warm inside), and as artistic director Monica Huggett took the stage the excitement in the audience was palpable.
The brisk tempo right at the start did not disappoint. This may have been the fastest I have heard this work played, and that in itself was refreshing and lent to the opening Allegro a crispness that dispelled one of my private gripes with the recordings I have heard of #1, and that is the ponderous exactitude of tempo. R.J. Kelley and Paul Avril had a difficult task with the baroque horns that are the centerpiece of the first movement, and their playing was virtually flawless. Even at this speed there was none of the warbling or misaligned pitches that one occasionally hears even with modern French horns, let alone these valveless descendents of the original cor de chasse. Lecturer and oboist Debra Nagy had explained that the opening horn motif was an authentic Saxon hunting call, and Kelley and Avril delivered with an air of true majesty. The brass and winds executed a delightful, rapid-fire call-and-response with crystal clarity.
Baroque oboe specialist Gonzalo Ruiz intoned the sonorous mystery of the Adagio almost hypnotically, and as Carla Moore answered on the piccolo violin, she played this tricky instrument so sweetly that it belied its origins as a bawdy Polish tavern fiddle. The third movement was marked by a lusty trio for oboes and bassoon. Listening once again to a horn and wind dialogue in the fourth movement reminded me why I love Baroque music so much: this delicate yet somehow raucous filigree would crumble to dust if everything weren’t placed just so, and yet there it was, exposed, naked and perfect for all the world to hear.
The PBO’s interpretation of #1 on Saturday night gave me the most enjoyment I have ever had listening to this particular work. When an ensemble “re-interprets” a well-loved chestnut, the new iteration is often described as “bold” or “visionary” in some way. The great vision I heard in the PBO’s Brandenburg #1 was simply that it was balanced and integrated in a way I have yet to hear in any recording. The horns didn’t stick out, the tempo didn’t drag, the violino piccolo was not scratchy or wailing. This music is so dense, complex and rapid that it would’ve been easy to just hammer it out and/or plod along (as I often hear on CDs), yet the PBO skillfully negotiated these treacherous waters.
The second work on the bill was Brandenburg #3, which paired trios of violins, violas, and cellos with a basso continuo consisting of double bass and clavier. This work galloped right from the outset as well, and these marvelous string players unflinchingly tossed up Bach’s polyphonic wall with such spontaneous zest that at times it felt more like watching a group of old friends jam around a campfire. Huggett played a selection from Bach’s G-major violin concerto (BWV 1021) as a cadenza in the two-chord Adagio that forms the second movement, and she phrased it without any excessive sentimentality, rendering it as a pure, simple statement.
The way they tossed an airy motif from one player to another in the closing Allegro was like listening to a rivulet cascade down nine instruments one-at-a-time, all the way from the top violin to the bottom cello, and then suddenly it was grounded by a saucy, grumbling continuo joined by the cellos. It was a joy to see how much fun they were having while playing #3; wry grins would suddenly appear on one face or another as everything was clicking and they hurtled along full-throttle.
Following the break was #6, the final work in the set which is scored for treble instruments; the highest notes we heard came from Huggett on the viola. She was joined by one more viola, cello, two violas da gamba, and continuo. Bach wrote a lot of good music for the viola, an instrument that he was especially fond of playing, and this was a treat for me as I have not heard Huggett play viola before. The abundance of low strings lent this piece a rich, dark timbre, and it was a marked departure from the other works of the evening. The violas were the featured melodic instrument in #6, and the Adagio ma non tanto of the second movement heard the pick-pock of this pair over a measured sawing in the violas da gamba. The final movement closed with a quick cat-and-mouse theme wherein each viola scurried incessantly after the other.
The switch to the Telemann Overture-Suite in F Major saw a return of the grande ensemble from the Brandenburg #1. The work consisted of a set of French dances bracketed between an overture and a closing fanfare. The exuberant hunting call from the horns that opened the overture sounded almost like a coronation march, and seeing this large group sway to and fro reminded me of a scene from the film Tous les Matins du Monde, where Marin Marais stands before the magnificent Vingt-Quatre Violons du Roi, a group of the French King’s proud instrumentalists stewing in the rich juices of their own fecund musicianship. Stylistic, dotted French rhythms abounded in the Telemann, and the whole enterprise smacked of the stateliness and royalty that would have been associated with this size of ensemble in Telemann’s day. A lightning-quick Badinerie that couldn’t have lasted more than 45 seconds was preceded by a spritely Menuet that gave us yet another trio of bassoon and oboes. I loved the title of the seventh movement: Rejouissance, or ‘Rejoicing.’ For me, that word aptly summed up the entire evening.
The PBO gave us yet another remarkable concert Saturday night, and I left the venue thinking that I would dearly love to have a recording of their interpretation of Brandenburg #1. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and they will release a CD of their version of this epic set, the way they’ve recently done with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
The Portland Baroque Orchestra presented their second-to-last concert of the season on Saturday evening, May 10 at the First Baptist Church in down town Portland. Talk about going out with a bang: they played three of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti (1, 3, and 6) as well as a grandiose orchestral suite by Telemann. This exciting concert marked the close of a two-year cycle in which the PBO has brought all six Brandenburgs to Portland, but is also a harbinger of big things to come from this group during their Silver Anniversary next year. The PBO has been invited to perform the entire set of Brandenburgs for the Oregon Bach Festival in 2009, marking the first time an authentic period orchestra will perform at this august event. Next year they will also play two concerts in smaller Oregon cities. Having grown up in small-town Oregon, I think this is an extremely laudable undertaking, and I’m sure that wherever they play they will be as warmly received as they were here Saturday night.
While the Brandenburg Concerti have long been ranked at the top of my desert island list (e.g., if I were to be marooned on a desert island for the rest of my life [with some miraculous provision enabling me to listen to CDs] with only one work to listen to, it would be these six concerti), I have always felt that #1 is rather ‘clunky’ compared to the rest. The blatting of horns in odd syncopation to the rest of the orchestra’s rather straightforward movement, the strings harrumphing along at the root of a surprisingly dense texture, its four movements standing in contrast to the traditional baroque three-movement symmetry—these things have always led me to consider #1 a sort of ungainly stepchild in comparison to the other five. That’s not to say I didn’t love it, it just never occupied the special place in my heart that these other treasures have.
Enter the PBO on Saturday night. Just watching as the orchestra took their places told the discerning baroque concertgoer that something unusual was afoot: this was a big group assembling on stage. A trio of cellos, a pair of violas, a bassoon and continuo gathered with a whole throng of violins at the start. As if that weren’t enough, out came a pair of horns, three oboes and a few more violins for good measure! The house was sold out (and it was extremely warm inside), and as artistic director Monica Huggett took the stage the excitement in the audience was palpable.
The brisk tempo right at the start did not disappoint. This may have been the fastest I have heard this work played, and that in itself was refreshing and lent to the opening Allegro a crispness that dispelled one of my private gripes with the recordings I have heard of #1, and that is the ponderous exactitude of tempo. R.J. Kelley and Paul Avril had a difficult task with the baroque horns that are the centerpiece of the first movement, and their playing was virtually flawless. Even at this speed there was none of the warbling or misaligned pitches that one occasionally hears even with modern French horns, let alone these valveless descendents of the original cor de chasse. Lecturer and oboist Debra Nagy had explained that the opening horn motif was an authentic Saxon hunting call, and Kelley and Avril delivered with an air of true majesty. The brass and winds executed a delightful, rapid-fire call-and-response with crystal clarity.
Baroque oboe specialist Gonzalo Ruiz intoned the sonorous mystery of the Adagio almost hypnotically, and as Carla Moore answered on the piccolo violin, she played this tricky instrument so sweetly that it belied its origins as a bawdy Polish tavern fiddle. The third movement was marked by a lusty trio for oboes and bassoon. Listening once again to a horn and wind dialogue in the fourth movement reminded me why I love Baroque music so much: this delicate yet somehow raucous filigree would crumble to dust if everything weren’t placed just so, and yet there it was, exposed, naked and perfect for all the world to hear.
The PBO’s interpretation of #1 on Saturday night gave me the most enjoyment I have ever had listening to this particular work. When an ensemble “re-interprets” a well-loved chestnut, the new iteration is often described as “bold” or “visionary” in some way. The great vision I heard in the PBO’s Brandenburg #1 was simply that it was balanced and integrated in a way I have yet to hear in any recording. The horns didn’t stick out, the tempo didn’t drag, the violino piccolo was not scratchy or wailing. This music is so dense, complex and rapid that it would’ve been easy to just hammer it out and/or plod along (as I often hear on CDs), yet the PBO skillfully negotiated these treacherous waters.
The second work on the bill was Brandenburg #3, which paired trios of violins, violas, and cellos with a basso continuo consisting of double bass and clavier. This work galloped right from the outset as well, and these marvelous string players unflinchingly tossed up Bach’s polyphonic wall with such spontaneous zest that at times it felt more like watching a group of old friends jam around a campfire. Huggett played a selection from Bach’s G-major violin concerto (BWV 1021) as a cadenza in the two-chord Adagio that forms the second movement, and she phrased it without any excessive sentimentality, rendering it as a pure, simple statement.
The way they tossed an airy motif from one player to another in the closing Allegro was like listening to a rivulet cascade down nine instruments one-at-a-time, all the way from the top violin to the bottom cello, and then suddenly it was grounded by a saucy, grumbling continuo joined by the cellos. It was a joy to see how much fun they were having while playing #3; wry grins would suddenly appear on one face or another as everything was clicking and they hurtled along full-throttle.
Following the break was #6, the final work in the set which is scored for treble instruments; the highest notes we heard came from Huggett on the viola. She was joined by one more viola, cello, two violas da gamba, and continuo. Bach wrote a lot of good music for the viola, an instrument that he was especially fond of playing, and this was a treat for me as I have not heard Huggett play viola before. The abundance of low strings lent this piece a rich, dark timbre, and it was a marked departure from the other works of the evening. The violas were the featured melodic instrument in #6, and the Adagio ma non tanto of the second movement heard the pick-pock of this pair over a measured sawing in the violas da gamba. The final movement closed with a quick cat-and-mouse theme wherein each viola scurried incessantly after the other.
The switch to the Telemann Overture-Suite in F Major saw a return of the grande ensemble from the Brandenburg #1. The work consisted of a set of French dances bracketed between an overture and a closing fanfare. The exuberant hunting call from the horns that opened the overture sounded almost like a coronation march, and seeing this large group sway to and fro reminded me of a scene from the film Tous les Matins du Monde, where Marin Marais stands before the magnificent Vingt-Quatre Violons du Roi, a group of the French King’s proud instrumentalists stewing in the rich juices of their own fecund musicianship. Stylistic, dotted French rhythms abounded in the Telemann, and the whole enterprise smacked of the stateliness and royalty that would have been associated with this size of ensemble in Telemann’s day. A lightning-quick Badinerie that couldn’t have lasted more than 45 seconds was preceded by a spritely Menuet that gave us yet another trio of bassoon and oboes. I loved the title of the seventh movement: Rejouissance, or ‘Rejoicing.’ For me, that word aptly summed up the entire evening.
The PBO gave us yet another remarkable concert Saturday night, and I left the venue thinking that I would dearly love to have a recording of their interpretation of Brandenburg #1. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and they will release a CD of their version of this epic set, the way they’ve recently done with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Today's Birthdays
Alma Gluck (1884-1938)
Irving Berlin (1888-1939)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Ross Pople (1945)
Judith Weir (1954)
Cecile Licad (1961)
Irving Berlin (1888-1939)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Ross Pople (1945)
Judith Weir (1954)
Cecile Licad (1961)
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Link to NPR article and soundbites of the Portland Opera Chorus
Click here to link to the NPR article and soundbites of the Portland Opera Chorus in preparation for "Aida."
Today's Birthdays
Max Steiner (1888-1971)
Dmitri Tiokin (1894-1979)
Artie Shaw (1910-2004)
Richard Lewis (1914-1990)
Milton Babbit (1916)
Maxim Shostakovich (1938)
and
Karl Barth (1886-1968)
Dmitri Tiokin (1894-1979)
Artie Shaw (1910-2004)
Richard Lewis (1914-1990)
Milton Babbit (1916)
Maxim Shostakovich (1938)
and
Karl Barth (1886-1968)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594)
Carlo Maria Giulini (1914-2005)
Nigel Douglas (1929)
Billy Joel (1949)
Michel Beroff (1950)
Linda Finnie (1952)
Anne Sofie von Otter (1955)
Alison Hagley (1961)
and
James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937)
Carlo Maria Giulini (1914-2005)
Nigel Douglas (1929)
Billy Joel (1949)
Michel Beroff (1950)
Linda Finnie (1952)
Anne Sofie von Otter (1955)
Alison Hagley (1961)
and
James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937)
Interview with soprano Lisa Daltirus – Portland Opera’s Aida
(Photo: Corey Weaver for Portland Opera)Soprano Lisa Daltirus is staring in the title role of Portland Opera’s "Aida," which opens tonight at Keller Auditorium. Earlier this year, Daltirus did a fantastic performance of "Tosca" with Seattle Opera and will be doing "Aida" with them in August. I talked to her a couple of days ago in order to find out more.
Tell us a little of your background and how you got interested in opera?
Daltirus: My father was an amateur trumpeter and played with jazz bands. My mother loved Broadway musicals. There was always music in the house. I was always sort of performing impromptu. My mother encouraged me to do skits. My mother bought me a piano, and I took lessons at an early age. I was heavily involved in music in my church, which gave me a wide selection of styles from classical to gospel. What intrigued me early on was a production of ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors.’ I was in the chorus and did some dancing. I loved the idea of a production – of putting it all together. I loved the idea of performing. I did know that I would go into opera until high school when I had an epiphany moment. I was more into straight drama. I did a lot plays at the school and did recitation competitions. Then one day it all came together. I loved singing and my voice liked the classical style and I liked acting. So, that meant opera.
Where did you get your training?
Daltirus: At Westminister Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. I got married right after college and had a couple of kids. So I put my singing career on hold, but kept my training up privately. I did a few competitions and was really fortunate to have some of the right people hear my and recommend to others for performing opportunities. So I went from level to level and all that culminated in my debut at Central Park in 'Tosca.'
I read that you saved the day at the last minute for another soprano.
Daltirus: Yes, I was attending the Richard Tucker Foundation’s gala at Avery Fisher Hall, and I had been attended the gala concert the previous two years. I was also acquainted with the organization through some other smaller concerts they do in New York City. When I entered the lobby I greet them and told them what had been doing. I had just finish an 'Aida' in Delaware. They said, ‘Ok, great. Enjoy the show.’ Then the soprano Aprile Millo sang her first number and had to apologize and excuse herself from the rest of the show because she was ill. The final part of the show was the Triumphal scene from Aida. So the Foundation people came down to my aisle, found me, and asked me if I could do it. So, in that moment I said, ‘God, you opened the door; now you’re going to have to walk me through it.’ Then I just went up on the stage and did it.
How many 'Aidas' have you done?
Daltirus: This will be number seven. It’s one of my favorite roles. I love Verdi. I identify with his heroines. Aida is defiant, and she decides to die with her love. She could’ve run away, but she doesn’t. Her love for Radames wins out.
What draws you to the character of Aida?
Daltirus: I love it that she’s a slave to the Egyptian princess, but she is a princess herself. Amneris can’t figure out what’s so special about this girl, Aida, and why Radames is drawn to her. Why is she regal and different than all the other ones.
The intimate part of the story the orchestration features some light orchestration, but then in a few minutes everything can escalate with trumpets blaring and the orchestra going full tilt. You’ve got to ramp up quickly, and that’s got to be taxing on your voice.
Daltirus: That’s Verdi! He tests your entire range vocally as well as dramatically. It’s all there together – especially in 'Aida.' This particular production has impressed me because both the grand story and the intimate love story will stand out. You’ll get to see all of the emotions and conflicts on stage.
You will be singing 'Aida' again in August with Seattle Opera. What will you do between shows?
Daltirus: I’ll fly home to suburban Philadelphia for a little bit to be with my family and then return to Seattle for the rest of the summer. Later this year I’ll be making my debut with Chicago Lyric Opera in 'Porgy and Bess.' That’s a demanding opera as well.
What other roles are you working on?
Daltirus: I love most things by Verdi. There’s still a lot more for me to explore there. I’ve done 'Il trovatore' and have learned Amelia in 'Un ballo in maschera,' but haven’t performed that one yet. 'La forza del destino' is on my list and so is 'Simon Boccanegra' and 'Don Carlo' that I’m prepared for. I love Puccini and the verismo style. 'Manon Lescaut' is high on my list. So there’s lots to do.
Portland Opera presents “Aida” on May 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 at Keller Auditorium.
Here's a review that I wrote of Daltirus in Seattle Opera's production of "Tosca" earlier this year.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869)
Heather Harper (1930)
Carlo Cossutta (1932-2000)
Keith Jarrett (1945)
Felicity Lott (1947)
and
Edmund Wilson (1895-1972)
Gary Snyder (1930)
Thomas Pynchon (1937)
Heather Harper (1930)
Carlo Cossutta (1932-2000)
Keith Jarrett (1945)
Felicity Lott (1947)
and
Edmund Wilson (1895-1972)
Gary Snyder (1930)
Thomas Pynchon (1937)
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Audrey Luna (PSU grad) receives rave review for performance
I've just been informed that there are two Audrey Lunas who are young, up and coming singers. Unfortunately, the Audrey Luna that I wanted to highlight was not the singer in this production of the Mahler 4. However, Audrey Elizabeth Luna is doing very well as a professional singer. See
http://www.herbertbarrett.com/artist.php?id=aeluna.
Updated 6/6/2008
Audrey Luna got a rave review in the Baltimore Sun for her performance in the Mahler 4 with the Annapolis Symphony. Luna is currently teaching at Miami University (Ohio).
http://www.herbertbarrett.com/artist.php?id=aeluna.
Updated 6/6/2008
Audrey Luna got a rave review in the Baltimore Sun for her performance in the Mahler 4 with the Annapolis Symphony. Luna is currently teaching at Miami University (Ohio).
Today's Birthdays
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Elisabeth Soderstrom (1927)
Philip Land (1950)
Robert Spano (1961)
and
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Archibald MacLeish (1892-1962)
Piotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Elisabeth Soderstrom (1927)
Philip Land (1950)
Robert Spano (1961)
and
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Archibald MacLeish (1892-1962)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Portland Opera Chorus featured on NPR this Friday
(Photo: Cory Weaver for Portland Opera)Julia Sheridan, publicity and publications manager at Portland Opera has informed me that NPR's Morning Edition will broadcast a 7-minute story on the Portland Opera Chorus this Friday, May 9. She thinks that it will run at about 7:50 but doesn't have a confirmed time yet.
In Sheridan's words: "It's a story about life in the chorus--and the Portland Opera chorus in particular. The story includes interviews with a couple of the chorus members as they go about their day jobs and great clips from the chorus rehearsals for Aida (led by chorus master Rob Ainsley, and later by conductor Vjekoslav Sutej) including a rousing finish of the 68-member chorus on stage with the Portland Opera Orchestra. It's a huge and wonderful sound."
Visitor statistics - update
Over the past week, Northwest Reverb has received over 2,000 visits a month (the analytics take in the past 31 days as it moves forward). Right now, it's at 2,200 visits from over 1,400 visitors. Thanks to all of you who have been reading this blog!
A big thanks, also to Lorin Wilkerson who has been writing some excellent previews and reviews.
A big thanks, also to Lorin Wilkerson who has been writing some excellent previews and reviews.
Today's Birthdays
Jascha Horenstein (1898-1973)
Godfrey Ridout (1918-1984)
Murry Sidlin (1940)
Ghena Dimitrova (1941-2005)
and
Robert Peary (1856-1920)
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Godfrey Ridout (1918-1984)
Murry Sidlin (1940)
Ghena Dimitrova (1941-2005)
and
Robert Peary (1856-1920)
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Video preview of Seattle Opera's I Puritani
Seattle Opera production of Bellini's "I Puritani" opened last weekend. Here's a glimpse of the opera (© 2008 Bill Mohn and Seattle Opera).
Today's Birthdays
Hans Pfizner (1869-1947)
Maria Caniglia (1905-1979)
Kurt Böhme (1908-1989)
Charles Rosen (1929)
Mark Ermler (1932)
Tammy Wynette (1942-1998)
and
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Nellie Bly (1864-1922)
James Beard (1903-1985)
Maria Caniglia (1905-1979)
Kurt Böhme (1908-1989)
Charles Rosen (1929)
Mark Ermler (1932)
Tammy Wynette (1942-1998)
and
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Nellie Bly (1864-1922)
James Beard (1903-1985)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Portland Youth Philharmonic triumphs in season finale
The Portland Youth Philharmonic met the challenges of a very demanding program in its final concert of the season. Under the baton of former music director and conductor Huw Edwards, the orchestra tackled the March No. 4 in G Major Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Cirrcumstance”, Benjamin Britten’s “Sinfonia da Requiem,” and Anton Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, “Romantic.” The Britten piece marked a premiere by the PYP and the Bruckner was a premier of the complete work.
Although everyone knows the first march of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” because of its use in many graduation exercises, the fourth march is in many ways the more interesting. The Portland Youth Philharmonic did justice to the main, stately theme and the lively secondary theme, setting a brisk tempo and wrapping it up with a flourish.
Britten’s wrote the “Sinfonia da Requiem” at the age of 26 while he was in the United States, and it is considered by many to be closest that Britten came to writing a full orchestral symphonic work. Divided into three movements that are taken from the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, this piece is a powerful lament for those whose lives have been extinguished by war.
The PYP percussion battery impressively replicated the noise of battle at the beginning of this work (Lacrymosa). Outstanding playing by saxophonist Taylor Brizendine added tension to the theme begun by the strings and bass sections until the entire orchestra broke out in a series of anguished cries. The angry timpani and snarling trumpets in the second movement (Dies Irae) were impressive, and I loved the way that the saxophone floated above it all. After a huge swell of orchestral rage, the commotion died down to reveal a soothing theme in the third movement (Requiem aeternam) that accented fine playing by the woodwinds, brass, and harps. The first violins showed poise in taking over the melody and extending it to second violins, cellos, and violas. After the entire ensemble became engaged a final theme, the sound was stripped down to a lonely, plaintive note from the clarinet, played expressively by principal Tom Salata.
After intermission, the orchestra undertook Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, a dauntingly difficult hour-long work that requires stamina, concentration, and technical agility from the entire orchestra at all times. The orchestra started very well, offering a glorious explosion of sound in the first movement and the violins held onto the high tremolo tenaciously. The soundscape held together fairly well through the second and third movements, downshifting and then accelerating together and shaping the complex passages. But intonation problems crept in and became more of a problem in the fourth movement as fatigue threatened to take over. To the orchestra’s credit and the credit of Edwards, the ensemble collectively regrouped as it played and delivered a spectacular ending with a beautiful, big sound.
I liked the way that the three seniors in the percussion section took turns in playing the timpani. Charles Dietz Crabtree, principal French horn, did the heavy lifting with some brilliant playing. Principal oboist Max Blair and co-principal flutist Emma Davis also played superbly. Edwards did a wonderful job of acknowledging the terrific effort of the orchestra in this arduous work, and the audience responded with heartfelt applause and a standing ovation.
Since this was the final concert of the season, each senior in the orchestra wore a red carnation, and the program announced the colleges and universities that many seniors will attend next fall. It looked like the woodwind section will be dealt a major blow by the exodus, in particular, four bassoonists are graduating. Fortunately, the new music director and conductor David Hattner, attended this concert and will be ready to audition the next crop of players. It will be interesting to see how Hattner shapes next year’s ensemble. He is only the fifth conductor to be in charge of this outstanding 85 year old orchestra.
Although everyone knows the first march of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” because of its use in many graduation exercises, the fourth march is in many ways the more interesting. The Portland Youth Philharmonic did justice to the main, stately theme and the lively secondary theme, setting a brisk tempo and wrapping it up with a flourish.
Britten’s wrote the “Sinfonia da Requiem” at the age of 26 while he was in the United States, and it is considered by many to be closest that Britten came to writing a full orchestral symphonic work. Divided into three movements that are taken from the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, this piece is a powerful lament for those whose lives have been extinguished by war.
The PYP percussion battery impressively replicated the noise of battle at the beginning of this work (Lacrymosa). Outstanding playing by saxophonist Taylor Brizendine added tension to the theme begun by the strings and bass sections until the entire orchestra broke out in a series of anguished cries. The angry timpani and snarling trumpets in the second movement (Dies Irae) were impressive, and I loved the way that the saxophone floated above it all. After a huge swell of orchestral rage, the commotion died down to reveal a soothing theme in the third movement (Requiem aeternam) that accented fine playing by the woodwinds, brass, and harps. The first violins showed poise in taking over the melody and extending it to second violins, cellos, and violas. After the entire ensemble became engaged a final theme, the sound was stripped down to a lonely, plaintive note from the clarinet, played expressively by principal Tom Salata.
After intermission, the orchestra undertook Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, a dauntingly difficult hour-long work that requires stamina, concentration, and technical agility from the entire orchestra at all times. The orchestra started very well, offering a glorious explosion of sound in the first movement and the violins held onto the high tremolo tenaciously. The soundscape held together fairly well through the second and third movements, downshifting and then accelerating together and shaping the complex passages. But intonation problems crept in and became more of a problem in the fourth movement as fatigue threatened to take over. To the orchestra’s credit and the credit of Edwards, the ensemble collectively regrouped as it played and delivered a spectacular ending with a beautiful, big sound.
I liked the way that the three seniors in the percussion section took turns in playing the timpani. Charles Dietz Crabtree, principal French horn, did the heavy lifting with some brilliant playing. Principal oboist Max Blair and co-principal flutist Emma Davis also played superbly. Edwards did a wonderful job of acknowledging the terrific effort of the orchestra in this arduous work, and the audience responded with heartfelt applause and a standing ovation.
Since this was the final concert of the season, each senior in the orchestra wore a red carnation, and the program announced the colleges and universities that many seniors will attend next fall. It looked like the woodwind section will be dealt a major blow by the exodus, in particular, four bassoonists are graduating. Fortunately, the new music director and conductor David Hattner, attended this concert and will be ready to audition the next crop of players. It will be interesting to see how Hattner shapes next year’s ensemble. He is only the fifth conductor to be in charge of this outstanding 85 year old orchestra.
Today's Birthdays
Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731)
Mátyás Seiber (1905-1960)
Tatiana Nikolayeva (1924-1993)
Roberta Peters (1930)
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (1931)
Marisa Robles (1937)
Enrique Batiz (1942)
and
Horace Mann (1796-1859)
Frederick Church (1826-1900)
Mátyás Seiber (1905-1960)
Tatiana Nikolayeva (1924-1993)
Roberta Peters (1930)
Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (1931)
Marisa Robles (1937)
Enrique Batiz (1942)
and
Horace Mann (1796-1859)
Frederick Church (1826-1900)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Iwasaki delivers electrifying Sibelius
Many concertgoers have wondered just how good of a violinist is Jun Iwasaki, the concertmaster of the Oregon Symphony. We’ve heard him play exceptionally well as primo violinist of the orchestra, but it’s always in brief snatches whenever he has an exposed solo. Fortunately, at Friday night’s concert with the Portland Columbian Symphony Orchestra, we got to hear the 26-year-old virtuoso perform Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, and it was absolutely amazing.
Iwasaki, who replaced an ailing former OSO concertmaster Amy Schwartz-Moretti as the soloist, played the demanding Allegro moderato, with its two difficult cadenzas with panache. He put a zing on the high notes, gave us exciting changes in tempo and volume, executed nifty glissandos, and made the double stops look easy. Because of the capacity attendance, the hall (First United Methodist Church) became fairly warm and seemed to cause Iwasaki and the orchestra to be a little out of tune with each other at the very end of the first movement. That was quickly resolved by wisely retuning before the Adagio di molto got underway.
Iwasaki and orchestra put a loving, soft touch on the second movement, keeping the sound well-balanced and emotive. I could easily hear him above the swell of the orchestra when it grew louder. The final movement, Allegro, ma non tanto, danced along with a lively, vibrant emotion, and after it ended the entire audience literally leapt to its feet to give Iwasaki a standing ovation and waves of bravos.
The concert began with “Crisantemi” (Chrysantemums) by Giacomo Puccini in honor of his birth 150 years ago. Music director and conductor Huw Edwards and the orchestra captured the moodiness of this beautiful miniature with an excellent blend and clean playing. The light-footed pacing ensured that the music never bogged down.
In the second half of the program, the orchestra played the Symphony No. 1 in C minor by Johannes Brahms. Because of the warmth of the hall, the men of the orchestra didn’t have to wear their jackets. This change in apparel benefited also benefited them because Edwards chose to begin the piece with a very quick tempo. The fast pace, unfortunately, didn’t allow for much buildup later in the first movement. Actually, it seemed that some passages later in the piece were rushed along a bit too much and the music lost some drama.
Aside from some intonation problems here and there, the orchestra played very well. One of the highlights was the duet between concertmaster Dawn Carter and principal French hornist Jill Jaques. Also, principal oboist Brad Hochhalter, principal clarinetist Carolyn Arnquist, and principal flutist Liberty Broillet were exceptional. I loved how the strings added tension in the pizzicato section of the fourth movement, and the horns, in general, played well throughout the piece.
Yet even Brahms’ great symphony couldn’t erase the impact of Iwasaki’s performance in the Sibelius concerto. If you have the chance to hear him play with the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra on Monday evening at the Gerding Theater at the Armory (in the Pearl district), I highly recommend it.
Iwasaki, who replaced an ailing former OSO concertmaster Amy Schwartz-Moretti as the soloist, played the demanding Allegro moderato, with its two difficult cadenzas with panache. He put a zing on the high notes, gave us exciting changes in tempo and volume, executed nifty glissandos, and made the double stops look easy. Because of the capacity attendance, the hall (First United Methodist Church) became fairly warm and seemed to cause Iwasaki and the orchestra to be a little out of tune with each other at the very end of the first movement. That was quickly resolved by wisely retuning before the Adagio di molto got underway.
Iwasaki and orchestra put a loving, soft touch on the second movement, keeping the sound well-balanced and emotive. I could easily hear him above the swell of the orchestra when it grew louder. The final movement, Allegro, ma non tanto, danced along with a lively, vibrant emotion, and after it ended the entire audience literally leapt to its feet to give Iwasaki a standing ovation and waves of bravos.
The concert began with “Crisantemi” (Chrysantemums) by Giacomo Puccini in honor of his birth 150 years ago. Music director and conductor Huw Edwards and the orchestra captured the moodiness of this beautiful miniature with an excellent blend and clean playing. The light-footed pacing ensured that the music never bogged down.
In the second half of the program, the orchestra played the Symphony No. 1 in C minor by Johannes Brahms. Because of the warmth of the hall, the men of the orchestra didn’t have to wear their jackets. This change in apparel benefited also benefited them because Edwards chose to begin the piece with a very quick tempo. The fast pace, unfortunately, didn’t allow for much buildup later in the first movement. Actually, it seemed that some passages later in the piece were rushed along a bit too much and the music lost some drama.
Aside from some intonation problems here and there, the orchestra played very well. One of the highlights was the duet between concertmaster Dawn Carter and principal French hornist Jill Jaques. Also, principal oboist Brad Hochhalter, principal clarinetist Carolyn Arnquist, and principal flutist Liberty Broillet were exceptional. I loved how the strings added tension in the pizzicato section of the fourth movement, and the horns, in general, played well throughout the piece.
Yet even Brahms’ great symphony couldn’t erase the impact of Iwasaki’s performance in the Sibelius concerto. If you have the chance to hear him play with the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra on Monday evening at the Gerding Theater at the Armory (in the Pearl district), I highly recommend it.
Today's Birthdays
Richard D'Oyly Carte (1844-1901)
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Bing Crosby (1903-1977)
Sir William Glock (1908-2000)
Léopold Simoneau (1916-2006)
Pete Seeger (1919)
Jonathan Harvey (1939)
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Bing Crosby (1903-1977)
Sir William Glock (1908-2000)
Léopold Simoneau (1916-2006)
Pete Seeger (1919)
Jonathan Harvey (1939)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Today's Birthdays
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
Alan Rawstorned (1905-1971)
Philippe Herreweghe (1947)
Valery Gergiev (1953)
Alan Rawstorned (1905-1971)
Philippe Herreweghe (1947)
Valery Gergiev (1953)
Shirely Apthorp tells Beriners to calm down and get back to work
There's been a lot of pepperspray in the Berlin press lately about Simon Rattle and Daniel Barenboim. Esteemed music critic Shirley Apthorp in this article says that the cultural elite in Berlin blow things way out of proportion:
"Berlin's seemingly limitless capacity to teeter on the edge of cultural oblivion is a symptom of a city where too many well-funded institutions compete for the same dwindling subsidies.
It is also a feature of a music scene dominated by a handful of media-savvy alpha animals, most of whom would rather predict the end of the world as we know it than admit that the problems stem from schoolyard squabbles."
"Berlin's seemingly limitless capacity to teeter on the edge of cultural oblivion is a symptom of a city where too many well-funded institutions compete for the same dwindling subsidies.
It is also a feature of a music scene dominated by a handful of media-savvy alpha animals, most of whom would rather predict the end of the world as we know it than admit that the problems stem from schoolyard squabbles."
Ian Bostridge's review of The Rest Is Noise
I concur with Charles Noble's recent posting about the brilliant review that Ian Bostridge, wrote in The Times Lieterary Supplement of Alex Ross'"The Rest Is Noise." Bostridge, a world-class singer who also has a Phd from Oxford University, eloquently summarizes and distills the central points of this amazing book and recommends it to anyone who wants to understand why classical music is where it is today.
If you don't have time to digest "The Rest Is Noise," then please take a few minutes to read Bostridge's review.
If you don't have time to digest "The Rest Is Noise," then please take a few minutes to read Bostridge's review.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Benefit concert for KBPS at the Museum of Contemporary Craft
On Friday, May 2nd at 7:30 pm, you can catch a chamber music concert at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in the Pearl District. Violinist Inés Voglar and pianist Cary Lewis present a world premiere of a work by Robert McBride (the KBPS radio host and composer). Voglar and Lewis will be joined by violist Joël Belgique and cellist Dorothy Lewis for a rarely heard arrangement of Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances" from the opera "Prince Igor. For the final number Lewis performs Richard Strauss' "Enoch Arden, a melodrama based on a text by Tennyson and narrated by Edmund Stone (KBPS raido host).
This concert is sponsored by Classical Millennium, the Museum of Contemporary Craft and All Classical 89.9 FM as a benefit for the KBPS “Permanent Home on Your Dial” campaign.
This event will also inaugurate a new concert space in Portland at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, located in the downtown Portland park blocks’ DeSoto Building at 724 Northwest Davis. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 each at Classical Millennium, 3144 East Burnside, Portland, 503-231-8909, or at the door on the evening of the performance, as available. Seating is limited to 100 for this intimate concert experience.
Insider tip: The "Polovtsian Dances" will be played by two husband/wife combos: Lewis/Lewis and Belgique/Voglar. So be watching for the eye to eye communication between these couples during that number.
This concert is sponsored by Classical Millennium, the Museum of Contemporary Craft and All Classical 89.9 FM as a benefit for the KBPS “Permanent Home on Your Dial” campaign.
This event will also inaugurate a new concert space in Portland at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, located in the downtown Portland park blocks’ DeSoto Building at 724 Northwest Davis. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 each at Classical Millennium, 3144 East Burnside, Portland, 503-231-8909, or at the door on the evening of the performance, as available. Seating is limited to 100 for this intimate concert experience.
Insider tip: The "Polovtsian Dances" will be played by two husband/wife combos: Lewis/Lewis and Belgique/Voglar. So be watching for the eye to eye communication between these couples during that number.
Today's Birthdays
Sophia Dussek (1775-1831)
Walter Susskind (1913-1980)
Gary Bertini (1927-2005)
Judy Collins (1939)
and
Joseph Addison (1672-1719)
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Walter Susskind (1913-1980)
Gary Bertini (1927-2005)
Judy Collins (1939)
and
Joseph Addison (1672-1719)
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Few Carmina Burana tickets are left!
If you are thinking about attending the Oregon Symphony's "Carmina Burana" concerts (May 17, 18, and 19), you'd better act quickly, because all of the concerts are almost sold out. This piece features three soloists, the Pacific Youth Choir, and the Portland Symphonic Choir (I'll be singing with them). Also on the program is the orchestra's first performances of Messiaen's "L’Ascension" (The Ascension). For more information and tickets, see the Oregon Symphony web site.
Otherwise, take a look at this article about an arena-sized presentation of Carmina Burana in England.
Otherwise, take a look at this article about an arena-sized presentation of Carmina Burana in England.
Very special benefit concert by soprano Nan Haemer
By Lorin Wilkerson
A concert will be given Friday, May 2nd at 730 p.m. at St Mary's Cathedral by soprano Nan Haemer. Accompanying on piano will be Ramona Moore. Admission is free, but the concert is intended as a fund-raiser for Portland Symphonic Choir. Haemer and Moore will perform selections from Italian Opera, German songs and American Standards.
Nan had this to say:
“Originally, I was going to do this recital at my house, but we got a free cathedral, and a monster was born. This will not be a stuffy, non-interactive recital or an extravaganza of derring-do, either. Some of the selections are:
Per la gloria
Porgi amor (Mozart)
O mio babbino caro (Puccini)
Nel cor piu non mi sento
Vissi d'arte (Puccini)
L'altra notte in fondo al mare (Boito)
Then 3 Germans, (2 Schumanns and a Brahms)
Then, SHOW TUNES, SHOW TUNES, SHOW TUNES (or Jazz standards/American art songs since that's how they SHOULD be classified).
Come & see.
Laugh, cry, hurl, give money.”
Oberlin-trained pianist Terry Nelson will also be performing during this concert. For those of you who haven’t heard Nan sing, not only does she have a marvelous soprano but a quick and biting sense of humor. This should be a hoot as well as a great musical experience.
A little more about the purpose of this recital: in an effort to keep the wolf away from the door (and that’s a great big monstrous $100k wolf that will be knocking on May 19th), an incredibly generous board member will match all contributions to the PSC between now and May 18th, up to $50,000 dollars. This is a challenge not only to members of the Portland Symphonic Choir, who have been concocting various imaginative fundraisers and giving generously from their own pockets, but also to the classical music community in Portland at large as well. Talk about casting your bread upon the waters…. any monetary donation you give will be doubled, and the PSC is sorely in need at this moment.
While addressing an immediate financial emergency, this is ultimately about the long-term health of Portland’s oldest choral institution. For 63 years, the PSC has been a fixture in Portland’s art community. Think of the magnificent utterances of the human spirit that this marvelous group will bring to Portland over the next year: "Carmina Burana," Beethoven’s Ninth, Vaughan-Williams’ "Serenade to Music," Mozart’s Requiem and the entire set of Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vespers," just to name a few. So if at all possible, please come and support Nan & Co. in this worthwhile endeavor, or if you can’t make it this Friday, visit www.pschoir.org and make a donation in the spirit of this generous challenge.
A concert will be given Friday, May 2nd at 730 p.m. at St Mary's Cathedral by soprano Nan Haemer. Accompanying on piano will be Ramona Moore. Admission is free, but the concert is intended as a fund-raiser for Portland Symphonic Choir. Haemer and Moore will perform selections from Italian Opera, German songs and American Standards.
Nan had this to say:
“Originally, I was going to do this recital at my house, but we got a free cathedral, and a monster was born. This will not be a stuffy, non-interactive recital or an extravaganza of derring-do, either. Some of the selections are:
Per la gloria
Porgi amor (Mozart)
O mio babbino caro (Puccini)
Nel cor piu non mi sento
Vissi d'arte (Puccini)
L'altra notte in fondo al mare (Boito)
Then 3 Germans, (2 Schumanns and a Brahms)
Then, SHOW TUNES, SHOW TUNES, SHOW TUNES (or Jazz standards/American art songs since that's how they SHOULD be classified).
Come & see.
Laugh, cry, hurl, give money.”
Oberlin-trained pianist Terry Nelson will also be performing during this concert. For those of you who haven’t heard Nan sing, not only does she have a marvelous soprano but a quick and biting sense of humor. This should be a hoot as well as a great musical experience.
A little more about the purpose of this recital: in an effort to keep the wolf away from the door (and that’s a great big monstrous $100k wolf that will be knocking on May 19th), an incredibly generous board member will match all contributions to the PSC between now and May 18th, up to $50,000 dollars. This is a challenge not only to members of the Portland Symphonic Choir, who have been concocting various imaginative fundraisers and giving generously from their own pockets, but also to the classical music community in Portland at large as well. Talk about casting your bread upon the waters…. any monetary donation you give will be doubled, and the PSC is sorely in need at this moment.
While addressing an immediate financial emergency, this is ultimately about the long-term health of Portland’s oldest choral institution. For 63 years, the PSC has been a fixture in Portland’s art community. Think of the magnificent utterances of the human spirit that this marvelous group will bring to Portland over the next year: "Carmina Burana," Beethoven’s Ninth, Vaughan-Williams’ "Serenade to Music," Mozart’s Requiem and the entire set of Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vespers," just to name a few. So if at all possible, please come and support Nan & Co. in this worthwhile endeavor, or if you can’t make it this Friday, visit www.pschoir.org and make a donation in the spirit of this generous challenge.
Today's Birthdays
Franz Lehár (1870-1948)
Louise Homer (1871-1947)
Frank Merrick (1886-1981)
Robert Shaw (1916-1999)
Günter Raphael (1903-1960)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (1939)
Garcia Navarro (1940-2002)
Vladimir Tarnopolsky (1955)
and
Kasper Hauser (1812-1833)
Louise Homer (1871-1947)
Frank Merrick (1886-1981)
Robert Shaw (1916-1999)
Günter Raphael (1903-1960)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (1939)
Garcia Navarro (1940-2002)
Vladimir Tarnopolsky (1955)
and
Kasper Hauser (1812-1833)
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