Princeton Plays 20th Century Classics and Impresses

The program of Britten's Four Sea-Interludes, Barber's Violin Concerto and Copland's (complete) Appalachian Spring would be impressive for any university orchestra to perform well. The fact that this was the Princeton Orchestra's first concert with just about six weeks of rehearsal made this program seem almost daring.

From the first intricacies of the rhythms and textures in the opening of the Britten it was clear that the orchestra was capable of performing this program. There were some minor flaws, mostly revolving around rhythmic uncertainty, but overall the quality of playing is quite high. Particularly impressive were the woodwinds, especially in the Copland.

I am not as familiar with the Four Sea Interludes, or Britten's music in general, but it is quite a cool piece! He plays with the rhythms, harmonies and textures consistently to keep the piece moving. The opening of the second movement almost felt like a precursor to minimalism with its repeated motifs. Maybe I've been studying for lit hum too much, but the piece felt like it could have been the soundtrack to the Odyssey.

The Barber Violin Concerto featured Princeton faculty member Sunghae Anna Lim as soloist. Her performance was technically sound and emotionally charged. She was solid without being imposing. I enjoyed hearing it performed in a smaller concert hall because some of the violin lines came through better with the thickly orchestrated accompaniment threatening to cover them up.

Since I tend to like fast music more, I have always favored the last movement, but the first two are also quite magnificent. I had forgotten how relaxed and tonally the first movement opens. It made the piece feel more like a journey to the harmonic language it eventually reaches. The performance of the last movement bristled with excitement and Lim really dug into each note. The audience showed its praise with a lengthy applause.

Appalachian Spring has a few moments which are especially moving and I could feel myself getting goosebumps at this performance. In the second section of the piece, the brass fugue with the whole orchestra crescendo as it returns to the tonic is quite satisfying! In the simple gifts section, when the the bass voice joins to make it a three part canon, something about the simplicity of the melody, yet the complexity of what is happening makes it truly moving. Similar to Bach, you don't have to understand that the voices are being layered with the same material at different speeds to know that it just feels right!

In his program notes the conductor noted that the insert section which is usually left out "brings a darkness to the piece that makes the final sunburst and closing prayer all the more powerful." I could not agree more. The new section added to the pieces overall journey and showed Copland's darker side, which is sadly present from many of his most popular works. The brass playing was quite impressive in the fast fugue section and the slow statement of the simple gifts theme at the end. The very end of the piece fades out with a beautiful chord. The final diminuendo was executed perfectly. Somehow these fade out endings leave the listener more satisfied then a bombastic drive to the finish, which certainly could have worked here too. This however made the journey feel complete, a parallel between the pieces opening tenderness and closing frailty.

The Art of Perfection

On Friday a former teacher offered me free tickets to see The Orion String Quartet and Windscape (a ny based woodwind quintet) play the complete Art of the Fugue by Bach. The piece was never given a specific instrumentation by Bach and simply written out on four staves by Bach. It seems he almost meant it as an exercise in composition instead of a piece meant for performance. This arrangement by Samuel Baron for string quartet and woodwind quintet was quite interesting. With 9 available instruments for 4 possible voices it created doubling opportunities to bring out important lines and build intensity throughout the piece. Some of the fugues were only for a few of the instruments so he was able to explore various combinations.

These pieces in particular really show Bach at his greatest strength. Having analyzed fugues in theory classes and even having attempted to write parts of fugues, I understand the complexity and difficulty involved. Bach makes it look easy. His subjects are clear and catchy. His countersubjects are distinct and recognizable. His overall counterpoint, impeccable. Even more than that though is where he is able to take a fugue. The first several fugues have such similar subjects but each ends up in such a different place! When looking at the music of a fugue and doing analysis it becomes easier to recognize strettos, restatements of the subject and countersubjects, invertible counterpoint etc. But when simply listening to a whole four voice fugue it can become difficult to keep track of all the material. Yet somehow it just feels right! This is one of the reasons I think Bach was so successful. His music is certainly complex, yet the music is not difficult for the listener to listen to and enjoy. In fact I think it is the complexity in the music that makes his music so enjoyable to listen to. Perhaps modern composers should strive for a complexity that is also enjoyable for the listener.

Before each half of the program, the musicians spoke a little bit about some of the meaning behind the piece. Their discussion of the canons and mirror fugues really illuminated the intricacies behind the pieces. For example the canon where one voice is four times as slow as the other voice. The second to last piece on the program as Bach's incomplete Quadruple Fugue. Bach "signs" the pice by using his name as the subject for one of the last fugue statements. This one in particular was more haunting then the others and you could feel Bach sensing his death. Bach did not get to finish the piece and no one has successfully finished it for him. Thus the musicians just stopped at the point Bach stopped his composing. The moment was quite powerful. Composers are brought to life through their music, so the music stopping represented his death in more than one way. The Final Chorale Prelude was the finale of the program and according to the musicians, the last thing Bach wrote. Bach dictated to one of his son in laws while on his death bed. Surprisingly I found this piece much lighter then some of the intensity before it. Perhaps Bach had accepted his death and achieved a state of anticipatory bliss.

The musicians also mentioned the emotion in the Bach pieces, even suggesting a connection to romantic music. Although emotion probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind with Bach, it was certainly present in many of the fugues. The climatic polyphony of the voices, especially in the fugues set for all the voices, were quite moving. The musicians gave wonderful performances and brought out the technicality and emotion in the pieces. In the parts where two or more instruments were doubled on the same line, the intonation was impressive. The string quartet sat traditionally and the woodwind quintet formed a semi circle around them. Although this looked like it might have created difficulty communicating, the musicians kept together very well. It's not easy to perform a piece that feels perfect, but the musicians truly brought it to life.

Jazzy Violin

Last Friday, my cousin invited me to attend a wonderful violin recital with her. I had never heard of this free weekly recital series at Rockefeller University before and I was surprised to find very little information about it on their website. They are free and they fill up the hall that the recitals are in so I suppose there is no need to advertise. I am glad I know about this well kept secret and I hope to go back at some point. The hall was more dome shaped and had almost an imax feel. The acoustics were not quite as focused as a more traditional recital hall but the music had a certain ambience and clearness throughout the hall.

The violinist was Lara St. John, a fairly young violinist trying to navigate a solo career. She opened the program with Debussy’s violin sonata. Her jazzy interpretation fit the piece well and she brought out the expressive qualities with flair. Some violinists I have seen put a certain importance in every note they play. They show it physically with how they prepare for each note and it comes through in the sound. Lara St. John, however, had a certain nonchalance about playing notes marked at a softer dynamic or that were just not as important to the piece. She just tossed them off the violin as if they were there, but didn’t matter as much. I thought this style fit perfectly for Debussy! The casualness of some parts felt like a jazz improviser just filling in short riffs. This then allowed her to build to the more dramatic parts and reach a new level of intensity. The contrast went beyond just dynamics but one of style and feel as well.

Second on the program was Beethoven’s Spring Sonata. Although this was the most famous work on the program, I thought it was the worst performance she gave. It was technically sound, although it lacked some flair in the toughest spots, but the expression was lacking at times. Beethoven writes for the violin with a certain elegance and I just did not quite hear that come through in her playing. Her style of decreasing emphasis on some notes did not work as well here. In Beethoven it feels like every note has an importance to it. The builds and overall arc of the piece is more gradual and less spontaneous as in Debussy. I wonder if it was the kind of piece she had to program to please the (mostly) older crowd. It was the only one she used music for, which I do not object to anyway, I just question if her heart was not as in the performance.

The last three pieces complemented each other wonderfully! The first was a piece called Trivial Pursuits by her accompanist Martin Kennedy. The piece was well structured and had interesting motives. His violin writing was excellent and he certainly knew how to breath life into his own piano part. Lara reached an impressive intensity during the piece’s climax and found a niche in the piece’s jazzy passages. Following that was an arrangement of Stephen Foster songs by composer Matthew Van Brink. Apparently the piece was only completed a few days before the recital, allowing Lara to poke fun at him by referring to him as Matthew “wet ink.” Lara still had the piece memorized and played as though she had been working on it for years. The songs of Foster are mostly simple, but they have a soothing melodic quality. The arrangement had a somewhat showy quality to it but Lara handled the flair and demanding technical passages well. The audience clearly seemed to enjoy it. She closed with Gershwin’s Three Preludes, originally for piano but transcribed for violin and piano by Heifetz. She came to them with a certain experience and made it sound easy. Again, her jazzy playing really brought out the expression and feeling of the piece.

I came away from this recital thinking that Lara has a wonderful interpretation of classical works which are influenced by jazz. It therefore surprised me that her best selling CD is of Bach and she just released a CD of Mozart. I am sure she has fine interpretations of those pieces, but I do hope she continues to advance her jazzier side. It seems like she has a relationship with several composers and I am curious to hear her interpretation of more contemporary works. She has the right style for it.

Gilbert Tempts Fate

Mahler's Sixth Symphony is an all-consuming and epic symphony. Hearing the New York Philharmonic's performance under Alan Gilbert last Thursday was truly memorable.

From the moment of the first down beat I began to sense a theme that would run throughout Gilbert's interpretation of the work. The performance was stately and the rhythms deliberate. Everything felt very precise which ultimately added to the symphony's rhythmic drive. The exactness did not however take away from any expressive interpretation. The mellower and sweeter sections of the music were quite delicate.

Mahler has the ability to express what seems like every emotion and keep the listener on a musical journey. Even when the music seems to settle down, harmonies shift and suddenly the listener feels in a different state. The vast amounts of colors and textures that Mahler draws from the orchestra are of course aided by the size of the instrumentation. Yet Mahler is still one of the best orchestrators in history. He knew how to reap the soul of every instrument in the orchestra.

The last movement of the piece had the greatest effect on me personally. The music is so contemplative and emotional. You can see perhaps Mahler's own inner struggle for happiness. The most memorable part of the piece is certainly the hammer! I learned from the program note by Alan Gilbert that originally there were 3 hammer hits, but Mahler took one out in a revised edition. He was scared of tempting fate as 3 is an omnipresent number in the traditional story of the hero. The hammer is not resonant, but is just a momentary blast of sound. You could see some audience members startled in their seats. What was interesting was that if you were watching the musicians, they prepared for it by covering their ears so you knew it was coming. Even still, the effect of it was tremendous! It also allowed for a shift in harmony and texture to make the musical moment all the more effective. Mr. Gilbert didn't actually say in his program note whether this performance would have 2 or 3 hammer hits. The 3rd one was actually the most musically satisfying for me. It felt perfect for that point in the music. I'm glad Gilbert kept it in...even if he was tempting fate...

Recitals

Went to Juilliard to hear to recitals in Paul Haul a couple Saturdays ago.

1. Roy's horn recital was truly impressive. Not only his playing, but he has excellent musical interpretation. He definitely seems headed in the right direction. I liked the harmonic content of the Hindemith Sonata he played. Somewhere in between tonal and atonal, a good place for modern classical pieces.

2. Duo faculty recital by clarinetists Laura Flax and Alan Kay. Particular highlights were Kay's impressive basset clarinet playing in the Mendelssohn. My favorite piece on the program was the Finzi Bagatelles. Cute and fun pieces that also had a deeper complexity about them. The finale that they played together with piano was quite a fun piece as well! Arpeggios are so effective on clarinet and having two clarinets seemingly doubles that effectiveness. Flexibility throughout the range of the instrument was clearly evident by both players.

Summer Fun

Highlights of concerts over the summer:

1. Summergarden at MoMA: The New Juilliard Ensemble played recent works in the sculpture garden at MoMA. I particularly liked the piece by Paul Dessenne. What he does with rhythm is incredible. I also liked his combo of instruments: Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano. Since the concerts are outdoors, the sounds of music mix with sounds of a New York City street producing a unique blend. New music for free...what could be better?

2. New York Philharmonic in Central Park. The concert was actually shared with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra to promote the world expo. Of particular interest was the composition they played written for the world expo. It was a very interesting combination of Eastern and Western influences. At times it sounded like a Disney song and other times a traditional Chinese one. The NY Phil finished out the concert with Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Bolero. There was something special about hearing Bernstein's music outdoors in New York with thousands of other New Yorkers. The final section of Bolero came through as bombastic on the speakers. What a powerful ending.

3. New York Philharmonic in Central Park Take Two. The first half of the program was somewhat forgettable as I did not find the saxophone concertos particularly appealing. As darkness descended on the park and the orchestra began Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet for the 2nd half, the mood totally shifted. It suddenly seemed that less people were talking and everyone was entranced by the music. It certainly is an enticing piece. Interesting decision by the conductor to not end on the soft chords of the written ending but to repeat the opening of the Montagues and Capulets.

4. Mostly Mozart Opening Night Gala. Discovery: onstage seating for Mostly Mozart is the cheapest section and perhaps the most interesting to sit in. Yes, the sound quality is at times distorted, particularly with the singing soloist. However, being able to watch the conductor is so fascinating. Louis Langree conducted without a score for the opening overture and the finale of the Haffner Symphony. He looked totally in control of the orchestra giving precise and moving gestures. The music had a certain vitality that I see in many Mozart compositions.

5. I also saw South Pacific and West Side Story this summer. Both revivals of classic musicals, it can be tough to measure up to the original. South Pacific certainly lived up to all expectations. The songs in this show are all classics and were performed and staged beautifully. The set was quite memorable and what a difference that orchestra makes! If only more broadway shows could have an orchestra of that size and caliber. The production captured both the intensity of the conflicts and the light heartedness of certain moments.

West Side Story did not quite meet the same standards. The dancing was definitely the strong point here. Hearing the music with the broadway pit is somewhat underwhelming knowing the full orchestral score. The orchestra still performed admirably though and the vocals were generally quite strong. A Boy Like That and Tonight were particularly memorable. The high Bb at the end...wow! The flow of the production was lacking at times with somewhat awkward pauses. Overall, a good revival of a great show.

First Post

I have wanted to keep track of the concerts I've gone to for a while now. Starting this blog seems a good way to do so, and perhaps share my other random thoughts on music. The title of the blog is inspired by a cover from the New York Times Arts Section I cut out several years ago:

"Some 1,800 classical ensembles perform 36,000 concerts a year. Once-obscure specialties yield sold-out events. Start-up labels produce a flurry of new recordings. Music is downloaded (legally!) faster than ever. And new concert halls are the must-have status symbols for cities on the rise. Check the numbers: rumors of classical music's demise haven't just been exaggerated. They've been dead wrong."

The facts speak for themselves. One thing this quote does not mention is the interest of young people in classical music. In order for classical music to truly survive, new generations must keep the same interest as the older generation. It seems that interest in classical music among the younger generations is not as weak as people may seem. I have noticed the average age falling at the concerts I attend and many people I have met through music are committed to keeping it alive. That does not mean I haven't encountered experiences which suggest the opposite though. Attending a concert last June, the older lady next to me remarked to her friend "look at these YOUNG people next to me" with a surprised tone. To her we seemed out of place, but I did not feel out of place at all. The music of Brahms on that day's program was powerful for both of us I'm sure. Afterwards we even discussed the modern Magnus Lindberg piece to open the program. I found myself falling into the stereotypical assumption that she would have negative comments but to my surprise she admitted she liked it. If the younger generation can be into classical music who says the older generation can't like new music. As we both realized that day, stereotypes aren't always accurate.

So while it may seem odd for an eighteen year old college freshmen to be blogging about the (mostly) classical concerts he attends, there is nothing I would rather discuss. Classical music speaks to me more than any other type in part due to its depth and complexity, but overall to express a wide range of emotions. I look forward to sharing my thoughts.