Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Alex Komodore, KPOF Hall, Lawrence Golan, Rodrigo
Friday, November 20, the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra gave another fine performance at the KPOF Hall at 1340 Sherman St., which is their home base. Their next performance will be December 18, when they will perform Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, excerpts from The Nutcracker, and a Bach Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Sterling Trent. The Guest Conductor will be Tom Jensen.
The guest conductor at this performance was Dr. Lawrence Golan, who is the Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. In this position he is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater. Golan has conducted worldwide and throughout the United States, conducting symphonies, ballets, and opera. He is also the Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony as well as the Music Director and Conductor of the Portland Ballet Company.
A native of Chicago, Lawrence Golan holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (B.M. and M.M.) and the New England Conservatory of Music (D.M.A.). In addition, he studied at all of the major conducting festivals including Aspen and Tanglewood, where in 1999 he was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Conducting Fellowship. The long list of distinguished conductors with whom Dr. Golan studied includes Robert Spano, Jorma Panula, David Zinman, Seiji Ozawa, Gustav Meier, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Murray Sidlin, and Harold Farberman.
The program for the evening began with Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Guitar in D Major, RV 93. It is interesting to note the RV number. Unlike the D. numbers in Schubert, which stand for Deutsch, the musicologist who put Schubert’s works in chronological order, there are six different methods in identifying Vivaldi’s output. To make a long story short, Mario Rinaldi catalogued much of Vivaldi’s output, but some works were not included or not yet discovered. The Danish musicologist, Peter Ryom began his own catalog of Vivaldi’s works and also included a Concordance with Rinaldi’s catalog. Ryom suggests using RV, where in the V stands for the German word Verzeichnis or catalogue (not Vivaldi as many suspect) and R can refer to either the Italian publisher Ricordi or to Rinaldi. I pray that you readers will trust me on the following comment, and that is: once the difference between all of the Rs is established then one can continue to the Pincherle Catalog, the Fanna Numbers, or the Malipiero Organization. There is enough information here for a doctoral dissertation.
The guest artist for the evening guitar performances was Alex Komodore, Professor of Music at Metropolitan State College.
His powerful interpretations, formidable technique, and natural musicianship have won unanimous praise from critics, audiences, and many of the world’s finest guitarists. First Prize National winner in the Music Teachers National Association 1985 guitar category, his subsequent appearances on NPR and PBS broadcasts brought swift national acclaim. John Dileberto of PBS “Echoes”, gave his collaborative 1990 CD “Redstone” with flutist Rod Garnett a rare highest rating, which also earned the coveted “Best of Westword” best classical recording of 1990. He has played as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra soloist in virtually every concert venue along the Front Range. He has performed extensively across the United States, including at New York’s Town Hall at the age of 11, a solo recital in historic New York’s St. Paul’s Chapel at the age of 16, and an appearance at the United Nations while still a music performance major at New York University. His 1994 solo debut recording “Passport” won praises from several of the world’s most prominent guitarists, including Christopher Parkening and Sharon Isbin, both who hailed his interpretation of Carlo Domeniconi’s “Koyunbaba” as “Terrific!”
The last time I heard the Vivaldi performed live, was several years ago when Jo Ann Falletta performed and conducted the work with the former Denver Chamber Orchestra. Friday night’s performance was truly quite exceptional. Golan’s movements when conducting the Vivaldi were almost neat and tidy, but of course he was conducting a chamber orchestra. He was still very expressive, particularly in his facial expressions, and it was very clear that the musicians responded quite well to his direction (and in this work Golan did not use a baton). Komodore had good contact with the Golan, and the orchestra never covered Komodore – the balance was perfect. Komodore had plenty of opportunity in this first movement to demonstrate his musicality and his remarkable technique. The second movement of this concerto is certainly one of the most beautiful works that Vivaldi wrote. I particularly liked the way Komodore performed it, because his ornaments were not “affected” or pedantic, but were quite accurate and within this style of the period. I was sitting quite close to the orchestra, and for the first time in this piece I noticed that Komodore either did some tuning “on the go” or, perhaps, there was an example of scordatura in this piece. Scordatura is an extended technique of tuning the instrument so that the performer can play notes that are normally out of the range of the instrument. The third movement of this concerto was wondrously vigorous, and everyone concerned seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Golan and Komodore worked very well together.
Next on the program was the Mozart Symphony Nr. 21 in A Major, K134. This symphony is the sixth symphony that Mozart wrote in the summer of 1772 when he was sixteen years of age. This particular work was completed in Salzburg in August. What is unusual about this symphony is that the meter of the first movement is 3/4. This is a meter that is normally associated with something more gentle; however, let us remember that Haydn’s Farewell Symphony and even Beethoven’s Third Symphony have opening meters of 3/4 time. The first movement of Mozart’s Symphony is considerably more gentle than those two. This symphony is extraordinarily beautiful and the Mozart seems to have spent a great deal of time developing the inner voices of the orchestra. Golan used a baton in this work, and the orchestra responded to his every effort beautifully. The second violins, as seems to be their custom, got off to a somewhat rocky start but as the symphony progressed, they played more and more in tune. Early Mozart can be quite a remarkable experience under the hands of someone who truly loves it, and it is clear that Lawrence Golan is one of those individuals. It was also clear that the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra really appreciates his conducting.
After the intermission, Alex Komodore returned to the stage with Dr. Golan to perform the very popular Concerto de Aranjuez, written by one of Spain’s important composers, Joaquin Rodrigo. Rodrigo was born on November 22, 1901, a serendipitous day for sure, because that is St. Cecilia’s Day, and as many of you may know, St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. When on a journey to Paris, Rodrigo had lunch with the guitarist Regino Sainz de la Maza and the Marqués de Bolarque Joaquin. These two individuals suggested to Rodrigo that he compose a guitar concerto, and even though he was quite busy performing many piano concerts, he agreed to begin the composition. There is no question that this concerto is the most popular for the instrument. The orchestra did extremely well in this piece and the violins seemed more in tune than they have been for some time. Komodore’s playing was exceptional and is a balance between the orchestra and the guitar was very good, and it can be quite a trick in this particular hall. This piece is always a joy to listen to. It may be that sometimes an audience goer will look at the program and think, “Oh my goodness, this concerto is being performed again.” But when the music starts, and when the soloist and the conductor are so accomplished, and the orchestra so responsive, one can only think, “I’m really glad they’re doing this.”
Closing the program was another very popular piece, and again, it is popular for a very good reason: it’s a good piece. This work also gave the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra an opportunity to show that they can perform with incredible passion. The low strings, the harp, and the woodwinds were all quite remarkable. The violins, and sometimes I think that I pick on them too much, were quite good and their pizzicato was excellent. From where I sat, it was very easy to keep a close eye on all of the orchestra members, and they were absolutely riveted on Lawrence Golan. There was a real connection that was quite apparent. Indeed, when I spoke with several members of the orchestra after the performance, they all said that they felt a kinship with his conducting.
The evening was enormously successful not only because of the high quality of the performance, but because the KPOF Hall was filled to capacity. I do not recall ever seeing it that full. As I have said so many times, and it needs to be said again, this orchestra is the best community orchestra in the state. They worked very hard under Dr. Horst Buchholz, and they worked just as hard Friday night under Dr. Lawrence Golan. If there is anyone in this state who thinks that community orchestras are always second-class, I strongly suggest you come hear the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: commercial music, electronic pop culture, Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music
It has come to my attention that there are still people in the world, some of them dangerously situated on university faculty and holding the position of administrators, who think that the future of serious (non-pop and non-rap) music is only electronic. They honestly believe that in the near future, live music will no longer exist. This view is shared by many in the general public at large. Many believe that since so many record stores – I suppose I should say CD stores – have recently closed, or have had their inventory drastically reduced, that this is a sign that their prediction is coming true. They also cite the fact that much of the music in America today is available on download from the Internet. They make note of the declining attendance at concerts of symphonies, ballets, and chamber music. What is indeed shocking, is that some of these individuals seem to think that once music becomes all electronic, there will be no more live performances Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Mozart, or any of the great composers.
Many of these naysayers are involved in what has now become known as “commercial music.” They consider themselves to be on the cutting edge of a new era where the art of music is no longer necessary, and they continually refer to music as merchandise. And indeed, too many serious musicians often refer to their profession as an industry. That is something I have never understood. It is as if they are apologizing for being involved with an art. Many of my university students, when they are introduced to serious music, admit that their involvement with pop music in their younger years was induced by the fact that it required very little thought. They continue to say that they are now enjoying serious music because it causes them to look inward, and it enforces an emotional attachment, and in some cases changes them. And, like it or not, that is what art often does, whether it is music, painting, or literature. All art makes a person think. If one goes to a movie, one usually comes out the same way he or she went in. But, if one hears a Beethoven sonata or sees a Rauschenberg painting or a sculpture by Michelangelo, the individual may be very subtly changed. There are those who find this hard to deal with.
What is so lamentable is that the individuals mentioned in the first paragraph do not consider music as an art. But, of course, they have caused that lack of understanding by themselves, because they have fallen victim to the mass production and canning that exemplifies their concept of music (and art). They have become accustomed to exerting a minimal amount of aesthetic thought and consideration. In addition, they have also fallen victim to the across-the-board abandonment of music in the public schools which has coincided with the electronic pop culture that they proselytize (we know with certainty that young people who have instrumental lessons, or some kind of lessons in music, become the concertgoers of tomorrow). They may fiddle with marketing, which is really not so difficult, but that will certainly have a small effect on the art of music. The art of music has a long reach. For example, a well-run school of music can have a profound cultural and economic impact. A study released in 2008 by the Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business conducted an economic analysis of the Jacobs School of Music and found that, and I quote:
“The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music helps foster Indiana’s economic and cultural well-being. According to a study released last week, the Jacobs School accounts for $120 million a year in economic activity in Indiana, supporting about 900 jobs and generating $4.7 million in state and local taxes.
“But the school’s impact goes far beyond dollars and cents, says the study, which quantifies the ways in which the Jacobs School and its faculty, students and alumni play an essential role in the vibrancy of the state’s cultural life.
‘This study confirms what we at Indiana University have always known intuitively: the Jacobs School of Music is a state treasure in every sense,’ said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. ‘The Jacobs School not only attracts top student musicians from around the world to Indiana, it provides Hoosiers across the state with easy and affordable access to musical productions of a caliber and quality normally heard only in the cultural capitals of the world.’”
These individuals mentioned in the first paragraph have no concept of the interdisciplinary role of music as an art and its effect on the dimensions of human existence. They may be strongly influenced in their beliefs by the advent and near success of the Kindle. But even then, they must concede that there is something very comforting about carrying another portable object around which contains paper, and actually has the words printed on the paper. And what can be better than recalling the live performance of a Medieval Mass while thinking of a scholar in his study, illuminated by the long, golden rays of a late afternoon, as he reads an actual book on the composer Guillaume de Machaut and his friendship with Charles V of France?
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Joseph Galema, Lamont School of Music, Max Reger, pedal piano
Sunday afternoon, November 15, Joseph Galema presented his faculty recital on the organ in the Hamilton Hall at DU. Dr. Galema has been Music Director and Academy organist at the United States Air Force Academy since 1982, and recently joined the Lamont School of Music faculty at the University of Denver in September of 2008, replacing Dr. Horst Buchholz. Joseph Galema received his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan, where he was also the recipient of the Palmer Christian Award for outstanding accomplishments in music. He has also performed throughout Europe.
Dr. Galema began the program with Felix Mendelssohn’s Sonata Nr. 2 in C minor, which belongs in a set of six organ sonatas, Opus 65. Even though the title of this piece states that this work is in C minor, each movement alternates from C minor to C major. The Six Organ Sonatas were published in 1845 and provide an overlap from the 18th to 19th century romantic style of organ composition. Dr. Galema presented this work in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn’s birth. This Sonata begins with a fanfare-like opening which is very serious indeed. This is followed by a very lyrical second theme group albeit quite slow. The opening of the second movement is very forceful as well, though it moves along more quickly than the first movement. The third movement begins without a break and is an enormous fugue. This work seemed to be a great deal more chromatic than other Mendelssohn compositions. I am perfectly aware that organ students have been studying these works ever since they were written, and since these pieces have been in the literature for a very long time, I know that it is almost pointless to discuss the merits of the work. But while the piece is very enjoyable to listen to, I found myself wondering whether or not this was some of Mendelssohn’s best writing. There is no question that this work has a great deal of pedagogical value, but Dr. Galema accomplished this piece with great assurance in spite of its technical demands which are many.
At the same time that Mendelssohn published his above-mentioned Opus 65, Robert Schumann and his wife Clara, completed some exercises in counterpoint. Today, we would probably call this a home study project. As a result, Schumann composed Six Fugues on the Name BACH, Opus 60. Many composers during the 1800s have written fugues on the same subject in homage to J.S. Bach. In the German musical alphabet, B-flat is called “B”; A natural is common to our “A”, as is C natural. However, B natural is called “H”. These Six Fugues that Schumann wrote were originally written for a pedal piano which Schumann had rented so that he could become more familiar with organ technique. The popularity of the pedal piano (where the low notes are played with feet, just as on the organ) was short-lived. It was used primarily for practice purposes by organists at home, and there was very little music written for it. In any case, it is not clear if Schumann hoped the instrument would have a longer life, but these pieces have always been played on the organ. If my memory serves me correctly, I think there is one pedal piano in existence, and it is in a museum in Düsseldorf. Joseph Galema began with the second fugue of the six, which was quite Toccata-like because of its technical demands, both in the hands and the pedal. Fugue Nr. 3 was in five voices and extremely serene. Dr. Galema then performed Fugue Nr. 5 which was in a very pronounced 6/8 meter and quite rapid. It was very similar to a perpetual motion piece that sounded absolutely irrevocable. The final fugue began in a very dark and foreboding manner, but eventually became quite lyrical. There were two very dramatic climaxes, both musically and extra-musical. Keep in mind that from where I sat, I could not see Galema’s feet on the pedal board all that clearly, but it seemed to me that this last fugue made use of parallel octaves in the pedals. I am also quite sure that Galema was not using the normal heel-toe pedal technique in these octaves, but was using toe to toe. That was impressive. And, I would like to point out that Galema used his own registrations for this work, which were very effective.
After the intermission, Dr. Galema performed the Chorale Prelude and Fugue on “O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid” by Brahms. As Galema stated in the program notes, the opening Chorale has the melody in the soprano with three moving parts below it. The fugue is just the reverse; the fugue is in the upper three voices with the chorale melody in long note values played in the pedal, quite similar to a cantus firmus. I was really quite impressed with Galema’s finger legato in this work. He once again demonstrated that he deserves to have the position of faculty member at DU as well as the Director of Music at the Air Force Academy. His playing is very clear and his musicianship is impeccable.
The final piece on this excellent program was Max Reger’s Fantasy on the Chorale, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers, Awake! The Voice is Calling). I am sure that everyone in the audience recognized this as the chorale written by Philipp Nicolai in 1599, as it is the same chorale used by Bach in his Cantata 140. For me, this work was the highlight of the concert. Max Reger (1873-1916) was a pianist, organist, and composer who had many successful tours as soloist and conductor throughout Europe. He is widely respected for his polyphonic writing, as well as his harmonic writing. This is a remarkable piece of music and is incredibly difficult. The demands on just pedal technique are enough to frighten many organists away. It is wonderful to know that there is an organist in Colorado who can perform works such as this. The fugue was particularly impressive. Reger takes the first three notes of the chorale and turns them upside down to make the fugue subject which is then joined by the chorale theme in the pedal and keyboard. Again, it seems to me, that Galema was using toe to toe technique on the pedals, as much as heel and toe. This may be due to the fact that the Coors organ and Hamilton Hall has a flat pedal board which is typically found in German organs. American organs have a curved keyboard. I am certainly not an organist, but it seems to me that the curved keyboard would be easier to use. Dr. Galema seems to be extremely comfortable with a flat keyboard.
The bothersome aspect of this performance had nothing to do with Galema’s playing. The organ on the first half of the program (where there were such rich harmonies), seemed to be creating overtones apart from the normal sound of the organ. There were unusual vibrations producing a sound almost like the warble in the singer’s voice. In the Reger work, there was a very definite rattle which was clearly extramusical coming from the organ. I do not know enough about organ construction to suggest where this was coming from, but I do hope that it is repaired as necessary. The Coors organ is a remarkable instrument, and it is a wonderful thing to hear it so well played as it was on Sunday. It is a shame that the audience was not very large – those who chose to stay home missed a great deal of music indeed. Perhaps DU needs to publicize the programs a little more thoroughly.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Aldo Ragone, Chopin, DU, Fazil Say, University of Denver
The concert pianist, Aldo Ragone, played Sunday afternoon, November 8th, in Hamilton Hall at the Newman Center on the DU campus. This performance was part of the Distinguished Alumni Concerts sponsored by the University of Denver. Aldo Ragone received an Artist Diploma from DU in the fall of 2008. He has also taught at Regis University in Denver. I have heard Ragone play several times, and in one of my previous reviews, I said that we here in Denver were very fortunate to have a true concert pianist of his stature living in Denver. He is a remarkable pianist who has performed throughout Europe and much of the eastern half of the United States. He has a very solid reputation in his home country of Italy, and indeed, he came from Italy to give this particular performance.
He opened the program with Beethoven’s Sonata Opus 2, Nr. 2, in A Major. There are three sonatas in the Opus 2 group. Beethoven had agreed to play a benefit concert for an orphanage in Vienna, having just arrived there from Bonn. He was 19 years old at the time and had nothing to play for this concert, so he wrote the first three piano sonatas for himself. They are amazing pieces and it is difficult to imagine that they were written by a 19-year-old.
From the outset, Ragone demonstrated meticulous phrasing and absolutely superb use of the pedal, and one could tell that this was going to be pure Beethoven. There are many dangerous traps in this work, and probably the most important item the pianist must consider when learning this piece is that of tempo. Beethoven heads this movement with the instruction allegro vivace. But what he means here, is that the spirit of the piece must be vivace. If the pianist takes this at too fast a tempo, he will find himself in trouble where the triplet octaves occur. Beethoven instructs the performer to use the fingering 1-5-1, then 2-5-2. Granted, in an article like this, where the score is not available, it is difficult to visualize, but suffice to say Ragone had absolutely no problems whatsoever. The slow movement can be maddening to perform as well. The right hand must be very legato and the left-hand thumb must sustain quarter notes and half notes in the opening theme while the fifth finger of the left hand plays portato or staccato (portato is longer than staccato but shorter than legato). Again, tempo has much bearing on the beauty of this movement, and again, Ragone’s tempo was absolutely perfect. In fact in every single piece on this program, Dr. Ragone demonstrated absolute control, and a very musical control, of tempo as well as pedaling. The Scherzo, which is the third movement, is light and airy, with most of the passionate playing coming in the trio section. The trio section is tricky due to the irregular phrasing caused by Beethoven’s use of a one measure motivic fragment. But make no mistake: Ragone knows what he is doing when he plays this piece. The last movement is a typical Rondo form, but again, Beethoven’s instruction is an atypical Grazioso. It is necessary to take Beethoven at his word, and let this instruction of “gracefully” be the tempo indication of this movement. And that is exactly what Dr. Ragone did. It was absolutely beautiful, his tone was incredible, and his knowledge of Beethoven is truly unsurpassed.
After the Beethoven, came the Three Intermezzos, Opus 117, of Brahms. These pieces were absolutely above reproach. They were emotionally charged and hauntingly rhapsodic. Aldo Ragone’s specialty, if this pianist can have one because he plays everything so incredibly well, is Scriabin. I bring this up only because it is my personal opinion that his masterful ability with Scriabin has also influenced his insight into Brahms. There was an incredible clarity to the Brahms; every single melodic line could be heard as well as the counter melody. It was totally beautiful playing and it was totally Brahms.
After the intermission, Aldo Ragone performed two Chopin Nocturne’s followed by the ferociously difficult Ballade Nr. 4 in F minor. The nocturnes were absolutely wonderful and delicate. And again, Ragone’s playing was marvelously clear and transparent.
I really do not think that anyone can tell what Chopin had in mind as a predetermined plan for any of the ballades. The Third Ballade does have a certain elegance, but the other three are absolutely heroic in their scope. The technique required to do the ballades is most usually associated with his large sonatas, but each one is different, and each one shows Chopin letting his creative imagination flow. Even in the most difficult passages, and the Fourth Ballade is full of them, Ragone’s clarity in exposing the harmony, and his truly monstrous technique, was used to show the audience what Chopin really wanted musically. Ragone is that kind of musician: the music always comes first.
The last piece on the program was a set of variations based on Paganini’s 24th Caprice for violin. It was written by the Turkish composer and pianist, Fazil Say. Fazil Say was born in 1970, and has established quite a reputation having played in Europe and the United States with many different orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, Berlin Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, and the list goes on. He established himself at an early age by winning many prizes and awards both in piano and in composition. The work that Ragone performed, Paganini Variations, Opus 5E, written in 1995, is a jazz work with seven variations. This work should certainly not to be attempted by just anyone because of its astounding difficulty. It places remarkable demands technically on the pianist, but it also is rhythmically very complex. It is an excellent piece, very well written, and is a genuine work of concert jazz. It begins with a classic boogie-woogie style and moves through a wonderful slow movement, a rumba, and ends with a classic, but very fast, swing. This piece of music truly demonstrated that Aldo Ragone can successfully play any style with grace and aplomb. There is no question why the University of Denver considers him a Distinguished Alumni, nor is there any question why they invited him back to perform.
What I do question is why the University of Denver allowed him to leave in the first place. When he graduated, the faculty was conducting a search for a new piano faculty member to replace the retiring Theodore Lichtman. Had they kept him here, they could have saved time and money going through a search, and would have an individual who has a more prominent name than anyone on the present faculty. Aldo Ragone is a superior musician and pianist who would have brought a great deal of artistic ability and renown to the University. University politics are often a mystery, but it is a shame they had to remain so in the face of the obvious.
Filed under: Commentary
In case you have not heard, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is having a three day fundraising event in cooperation with Colorado Public Radio. This is not a fundraising event for Colorado Public Radio – it is for the CSO. Please send them a donation. Call 303-534-0762 and give what you can.
The great conductor, Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977), is often quoted as saying, “A painter paints pictures on canvas. Musicians paint their pictures on silence.”
Let us all be sure that the Colorado Symphony Orchestra has silences that last only a few days between weekends.