Filed under: Reviews | Tags: BWV 1052, Gustav Mahler, Hsing-ay Hsu, J. S. Bach, Michael Butterman, Symphony Nr. 1
There was a sold-out house Saturday evening, September 17, at Mackey Auditorium on the CU campus in Boulder. The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra performed two very important pieces from music literature: the first, was the keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, by Johann Sebastian Bach, and the second was Mahler’s Symphony Nr. 1 in D Major, which has been called the “Titan.” Both the Bach and the Mahler received well-deserved standing ovations, and the performance of both works has to be classified as some of the Boulder Phil’s best.
The soloist for the Bach concerto was Hsing-ay Hsu who is on the faculty at CU in Boulder. In case any of you readers are not aware of who she is, please make a sincere attempt to hear her performances because she is absolutely amazing, not only for her technique, but for her impeccable musicianship. To really be a good pianist, one must have sound technique of course, but to really excel, one has to be a musician first. Believe me, Hsing-ay Hsu is a truly fine musician.
I will quote from her bio statement: “Since making her stage debut at age four, Chinese pianist Hsing-ay Hsu (Sing-I Shoo) has performed at such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and abroad in China, Japan, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and France. Upon reaching the age of eligibility in her freshman year at Juilliard, Hsu captured the 1996 William Kapell International Piano Competition Second Prize. She is also winner of the prestigious Juilliard William Petschek Recital Award in 2000, a 2003 McCrane Foundation Artist Grant, a 1999-2001 Paul & Daisy Sows Graduate Fellowship, and a 1997 Gilmore Young Artist Award.
“She has served as visiting piano faculty at Ohio University and University of Colorado, given residencies at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and Xiamen University, and regularly teaches masterclasses. Ms. Hsu is currently the Artistic Administrator of the Pendulum New Music Series at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she resides with her husband, composer Daniel Kellogg.”
Bach constantly borrowed from himself, as well as revising previous works for new instruments, when he composed. Many scholars are now convinced that this particular keyboard concerto is a revised work that was originally for violin which has since been lost. This concerto was written for a harpsichord with two manuals, but nonetheless when it is performed today, it is almost imperative that it be performed on a piano rather than the harpsichord. If it is done on harpsichord then the hall has to be quite small and the ensemble has to be quite small as well, for the harpsichord can be a very difficult instrument to hear. Ferruccio Busoni, a student of Franz Liszt’s, arranged this concerto for a larger ensemble and a modern solo instrument. Purists should not be alarmed at this as it has certainly increased the popularity of this work and increased its chances of being performed. In addition, Busoni was a very fine musician himself.
I was pleasantly surprised at the very outset of this performance, because the tempo that was taken by Maestro Butterman, and without question asked for by Ms. Hsu, was a little faster than I am accustomed to hearing, but it is a tempo that I have longed to hear. It was spirited, it was quick, and it had the kind of rhythmic drive – or pulse, if you will – that is so necessary when one performs Bach. That drive is often missing from other performers and orchestras. There was so much joy given by both the soloist and the orchestra that one simply had to smile while listening. The first movement was amazingly articulate, and each phrase was perfectly executed and shaped. The first movement also contains some very difficult fingerwork, but every single note could be heard. Her pedaling was absolutely flawless. It is also a wonderful thing to see and hear the confidence with which Hsing-ay Hsu performs. There were no extraneous and unnecessary motions; she simply gets down to the business of concentrating and presenting the audience a wonderful and accurate picture of the composer.
It was also very clear that Maestro Butterman and Ms. Hsu had a great deal of confidence in each other. There was some eye to eye contact, but in some ways, surprisingly little. They both knew what each other wanted and they did it with great ease. I must say that it has been a long time since I have heard the second movement of this concerto done so mysteriously and with so much darkness of tone. It really was quite a surprise. It sounded as if Bach was suddenly recalling some great tragedy. Mind you, it was still superb Bach, but the first movement was so full of joy, that the “musical description” of the second movement was quite a surprise.
The third movement returned the listener to the jovial character of the first movement. I know that it is a terrible cliché to say that this movement “dazzled with its sparkling quality,” but that’s exactly the way it was. I also point out that the third movement is just as difficult as the first. All of the non-musicians in the audience must surely be aware that because every single note can be heard, and because the soloist is not visibly working hard or “shaken,” does not mean that the piece is easy. It simply means that Hsing-ay Hsu is an exceptional pianist and musician.
This was a delightful performance, and the audience called Ms. Hsu back at least three times, as I recall, for an encore. Unfortunately, no encore was played, which only makes me yearn for her next performance.
An intermission separated the Bach with the only other work on the night’s program: the Mahler First Symphony. This symphony gets its name, “Titan,” because it was originally conceived as a tone poem loosely based on a novel of the same name by Jean Paul. Jean Paul’s novel describes a youth who is full of artistic desire, but whom the world has no use for. He finds no outlet for his artistic ability, and, because he has such difficulty adapting, his only way out is to commit suicide. Much has been made of Mahler’s preoccupation with death, and I will not go into it here. It is certain that Mahler had to have been one of the most troubled composers in all of music history, save, perhaps, for Tchaikovsky.
The first two movements, as the program notes explained, express the joys of youth, while the last two movements examine death. This morbid outlook is typical of Mahler, but to my way of thinking it is sometimes overstated in the same way that so many doctoral dissertations were written about Schoenberg’s and Webern’s 12 tone compositions. In the 1950s and early 1960s, as far as these two composers were concerned, there was analysis, and analysis, and analysis. Scientificism was rampant. Concerning Mahler: as he grew older, I do think that his preoccupation with the morbid grew stronger, but it is sometimes overdone.
The first movement of this “Titan” Symphony is really a pastorale setting, and exhibits bird calls and distant fanfares. The main theme comes from the song “I Went Out This Morning Through the Fields.” The second movement is a rather rousing Austrian Ländler, which is a dance in ¾ meter, usually with a dotted rhythm on the third beat. Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, and Mahler used it often. Now for the unusual feature of this Symphony: the third movement is a funeral march which is based on a woodcut by Jacques Callot. The woodcut depicts a procession of forest animals carrying the body of a hunter to his final resting place. This movement is in three sections, wherein the center trio section is almost similar to some kind of rowdy dancehall music. The opening and closing sections are the French folk tune, “Frère Jacques” played in a minor key. This is so full of irony, that it has often struck me – at the risk of annoying all Mahler lovers – as humorous. As far as I know, there is no evidence that Mahler was concerned with humor at this point in this symphony. In fact, his whole life often seems to be devoid of humor. But to me, this movement, because of its irony, is humorous. Every time I hear it performed live, I watch the audience very carefully, and everyone is sitting staring straight at the orchestra, uttering no sound whatsoever, and with a very serious look on their faces. It is if they are all thinking, “Listen to this. This cannot be funny because it is Mahler, and everyone knows Mahler is always serious, and may not have smiled his entire life.” The last movement of this symphony begins without a break, and really, the only word that describes this last movement is triumphant.
The Boulder Philharmonic, with Maestro Butterman leading the way, was absolutely sensational in the performance of this work. The outstanding sections in the performance of this symphony, to my way of thinking, were the cellos and the violas. There was also some wonderful playing from the clarinet and the oboe. Before the performance, Mr. Butterman explained that this symphony has a reputation of being one of the two best “first” symphonies ever written, the other one being Symphony Nr.1 by Brahms. I am in complete agreement. The fact that I think the third movement is full of ironic humor certainly does not detract from the genius this symphony exhibits. It is also very clear that Maestro Butterman understands how this Mahler Symphony should be performed. The tempos were perfect, and the entire orchestra performed with enthusiasm and sincerity under his direction.
In spite of this symphony’s emotional turbulence, and even taking into account the artistry that it displays, it is still a good “first” work to initiate those who are unfamiliar with Mahler. I hope that the Boulder Phil will perform another Mahler symphony soon. And I think that says a great deal about the performance ability of this orchestra. They are excellent.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Cherokee Ranch and Castle, Dave Hanson, Nadya Hill, Neil Haverstick, Rich Chiaraluce, Ron Bland, William Hill, William Hill and Friends, William Hill Jazz Quintet
Friday, September 9, at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle, there was a marvelous program and celebration given by the William Hill Jazz Quintet. The cause for the celebration was the release of a new CD that evening by this jazz group. This was the result of a lengthy project and one that every member of the group was looking forward to. I might add that the Cherokee Ranch and Castle provided an absolutely incredible setting for this celebration and concert. Every once in a while, I have attended concerts where the air really feels charged with excitement of what is to come. I spoke with some of the musicians before the concert started and they were genuinely looking forward to performing, and they were equally excited about the music they were going to play.
I wrote about the William Hill Jazz Quintet and their concert which was performed April 11 of this year (and where they performed many of the same pieces). And I stated then that this was one of the best jazz groups in the country. Every time I make a statement like that – and I made it just a few days ago concerning the Alpenglow Chamber Festival Ensemble – I get reaction from people who doubt the veracity of the statements. I have always been surprised that the doubt these individuals express comes from the fact that the organizations that I speak of are local and often not from some other state or from some other country. It seems to prove the old adage that the further away you come from, the more sophisticated you are. Let me make it abundantly clear: the William Hill Jazz Quintet is one of the best in the United States and they are local.
In case some of you are unaware of the accomplishments of the members of this quintet, here are some short bios.
As most of you should know by now William Hill is the Principal Timpanist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He has held that position since 1980. He also teaches Composition and Counterpoint at the University Of Denver Lamont School Of Music. The Colorado Symphony and the Lamont Symphony Orchestra have performed his compositions more than 50 times. They have also been performed by orchestras throughout the United States, several new music festivals in the United States, and also in Europe. He also holds the coveted Performers Certificate from the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Ron Bland is the bass player, both acoustic and electric, for this jazz ensemble. Mr. Bland is on the music faculty of Metropolitan State College of Denver, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the Colorado School of Mines. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Eddie Daniels, Billy Taylor, and Doc Severinson. He is also a regular in the pit orchestras for Broadway shows, as well as appearing with the Colorado Symphony and the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestras.
Rich Chiaraluce is the woodwind musician with the William Hill Jazz Quintet, and when I say woodwind, I mean everything; flute, clarinet, and all of the saxophones. His professional life began to hit its stride when he was in the Navy School of Music and came to Colorado Springs to play with the NORAD band in 1967. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado. Rich has played lead alto sax with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Woody Herman, Bobby Shew, Red Rodney, Carl Fontana, and Don Menza. In addition, he has performed with Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, and Natalie Cole. He has played with the Colorado Symphony Pops, and he teaches jazz at the University of Northern Colorado.
Dave Hanson is a well published a pianist and keyboard musician with this Quintet. He teaches Jazz and Commercial Music Composition and Arranging at the Lamont School of Music. He has been a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts grant in Jazz Composition, as well as a Duke Ellington Scholarship award. His arrangements for orchestra have been performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Utah Symphony, Houston Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and the Boston Pops. He has performed with many jazz groups across the United States.
Neil Haverstick plays guitar with this Quintet. He is also known as an author, teacher, and composer he is one of the major composers in the United States of microtonal music (An octave consists of 12 tones. A microtonal system can have as many tones as the composer wishes – even as many as 36 tones per octave. His compositions have been performed in Denver, Prague, Brno, New York, Los Angeles, The Hague, Seattle, Albuquerque, and El Paso. He has also written two music theory books: 19 Tones: a New Beginning and The Form of No Forms. He has given seminars at universities around the United States, and the prestigious magazine, International Musician has listed him as a pioneer of microtonal music in the United States.
So you see, everyone in this quintet is a master musician in every sense of the word.
This program was compiled with pieces on the new 2 CD set by the William Hill Jazz Quintet, and that includes nine works that were on the program April 11 at the Lamont School of Music. They opened with a composition by Bill Hill called North Shore. I am always struck by this piece because it truly seems to combine two different jazz styles. The melodic line, which is on saxophone, is laid-back and has rather long note values when compared to the relatively hard driving rhythm that is underneath. Therefore, it is almost impossible to decide if this East Coast jazz style or is it West Coast. There were some amazing riffs taken by Neil Haverstick on guitar. Keep in mind that I have heard these pieces performed previously, so that makes writing a second review of these pieces and the CD a little more difficult in some ways. But it was immediately noticeable that these remarkable musicians demonstrated complete ease in performing with each other. For those of you who are a little unsure what I’m talking about, or who are not fully aware that ensemble is important in a jazz group, I am drawing attention to the fact that each member of this quintet has great confidence in each other’s musicianship and performance ability. There is absolutely no fear that one of them will have to cover up for another’s errors. In this entire concert, I caught absolutely no errors at all. The ease that I am talking about was demonstrated by their naturalness and the pleasure that they took in the performance.
So, you may ask, how are the performances on this new CD different from the one in April of the Lamont School of Music or even at the Friday night performance at Cherokee Ranch and Castle? In Chromatic Sunsets, which was the second work on the Castle program, and the second on the new CD, the difference lies in the fact that the CD has a “special guest.” That’s what the individual is called on the CD cover. I would argue with that term “special guest” because it should say “Guest Artist.” The guest artist who provides vocals is none other than Nadya Hill, William Hill’s daughter. (And, by the way, all of the compositions on the first CD of this 2 CD set are by William Hill.) Nadya Hill has just been accepted into the Masters program in voice performance at the illustrious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Small wonder. She demonstrates on this CD that she is of equal quality with all the musicians in this quintet, so my comment is that world-class musicianship runs in the family. She stays with Rich Chiaraluce note for note, and her voice production is amazing as is his flute playing. No one on the CDs is ever out of tune, no one is ever flat or sharp, entrances are always together where they should be, and rhythmically, it is constantly amazing, and without being stodgy. Nadya Hill’s voice and vocal production boggle the mind. There is nothing artificial or strained. Her incredibly accurate casualness equals the relaxed approach of everyone else in the group, and it reminds me very much of the great jazz vocalist, Astrud Gilberto. The only difference between these two vocalists would be that Nadya Hill is always on pitch, and if you listen carefully to some of Astrud Gilberto’s recordings she is sometimes just a microtone off.
On the first CD of this two CD set, there are nine compositions by William Hill. The nine compositions are the ones which were performed on the April concert at the Lamont School. The first CD is also cleverly entitled No Standards because they are all original compositions. Nadya Hill sings on five of the tracks. The second CD is entitled Eclectica and five of these are standard jazz tunes that everyone would recognize, from Sweet Georgia Brown to Billy Strayhorn’s Take the A Train. In addition, there are two more compositions by William Hill: one is a longer version of Banderas Bay which appears on the first CD, and Inner Consciousness which is new. I have never heard this particular composition before and it is wonderful.
In so many ways, this is been a very hard review to write because it is difficult to concentrate on either the Castle performance or the new CD set. Both are (and were) wonderful, and I cannot emphasize enough how superb Bill Hill, Neil Haverstick, Rich Chiaraluce, Dave Hanson, and Ron Bland are. Superb simply does not define them. William Hill has put together an amazing (there’s that word again) group of musicians that sound as if they have been playing together for years and years. Bill Hill and Friends will surely find their place on Mount Parnassus. They are that good and they are that sophisticated – and that really is the operative word. And I encourage all of you who think that jazz cannot be sophisticated to buy this CD, because you will be in for a real education. In addition, this CD set is the introduction of a very exciting new vocalist, Nadya Hill. It is abundantly clear that she belongs on this CD. As I understand it, her main goal is opera, and it would be very exciting to hear one of those performances, just as it has been very exciting to hear her in jazz.
I would also like to add that the engineering on these CDs, done by Erik Satie, is excellent.
You can obtain this 2 CD set by e-mailing Mr. Hill at whillmusic@aol.com. I was told some time ago by an individual who likes jazz but is not a musician that jazz has come along way, and that it has changed a great deal over the years. In some ways he was correct, even though I’m sure he didn’t know exactly what he was saying because he was not a musician. Bill Hill and Friends present some of the most complicated jazz performances I have heard in years (Bill Hill is an excellent composer), but it is still jazz in its elemental form. However, they create new colors and unheard of technical skill. That is what sets these musicians apart. It will bring tears to your eyes.
Filed under: News | Tags: Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival, Dov Scheindlin, Igor Begelman, James Wilson, Jesse Mills, Rieko Aizawa
It is always a pleasure to write about a group of musicians who are genuine artists. I have written before about the Alpenglow Chamber Festival musicians – the last time was September, 2010 – when I wrote a review of one of their performances in Silverthorne. I also said in that review that their Artistic Director and cellist, Edward Arron, was leaving the organization to concentrate on other projects and performances on the East Coast. Violinist, Danielle Farina, Aaron Janse, who played both violin and viola, and violinist, Kyung Sun Lee, also went with him. And at this point I would like to stress as strongly as I possibly can that none of these individuals left under duress or encouragement from the Board of Directors. They simply wanted something new, and that is very typical of almost any chamber group you can name.
Normally, replacing such outstanding individuals would be very difficult; however in this case, two individuals that have been with the group for some time are now the co-Artistic Directors. Those two individuals are pianist Rieko Aizawa and violinist Jesse Mills. Both of them have the profound artistic integrity, ability, and knowledge to seek out fellow world-class musicians. I promise you, that I do not use the term “world-class” lightly. Before I list the new members of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival musicians, let me refresh your memory concerning Rieko Aizawa and Jesse Mills.
I quote from the Alpenglow website:
“Praised by the NY Times for her ‘impressive musicality, a crisp touch and expressive phrasing’, Japanese pianist Rieko Aizawa has performed in solo and orchestral engagements throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, including Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus.
“At the age of thirteen, Ms. Aizawa was brought to the attention of conductor Alexander Schneider on the recommendation of the pianist Mitsuko Uchida. Schneider engaged Ms. Aizawa as soloist with his Brandenburg Ensemble at the opening concerts of Tokyo’s Casals Hall. Later that year, Schneider presented [Ms. Aizawa] in her United States début concerts at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall with his New York String Orchestra.
“An avid chamber musician, Ms. Aizawa has performed as a guest with string quartets including the Guarneri Quartet and the Orion Quartet. She has participated in numerous festivals, including the Marlboro, Evian, and Ravinia Festivals. Ms. Aizawa is a founding member of Duo Prism with a violinist Jesse Mills, which earned the 1st Prize at the Zinetti International Competition in Italy in 2006.
“March 2005 marked the release of Ms. Aizawa’s first solo recording of Shostakovich’s and Scriabin’s “24 Preludes,” on the Altus Music label. Her second album of Messiaen’s’ and Faure’s preludes will come out in 2011.
“Rieko Aizawa was the last pupil of Mieczyslaw Horszowski at the Curtis Institute and she also studied with Seymour Lipkin and Peter Serkin at the Juilliard School.”
Concerning Jesse Mills, I quote from the same source:
“Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills enjoys performing music of many genres, from classical to contemporary, as well as composed and improvised music of his own invention.
“In 2004, Mills made his professional concerto debut with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra conducted by Nicholas McGegan in a unique partnership with Salsa trombonist, Jimmy Bosch. This project combined a classical performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with Mills as violin soloist, and a Salsa band arrangement of the same piece, fronted by Bosch and Mills as improvising soloists.
“Mills is also known as a pioneer of contemporary works, a renowned improvisational artist, as well as a composer. He earned a Grammy nomination for his work on a CD of Arnold Schoenberg’s music, released by NAXOS in 2005. He can also be heard on the Koch, Centaur, Tzadik, Max Jazz and Verve labels for various compositions of Webern, Schoenberg, Zorn, Wuorinen, and others. As a member of the FLUX Quartet from 2001-2003, Mills performed music composed during the last 50 years (including the famous six-hour-long String Quartet No. 2 by Morton Feldman), in addition to frequent world premieres.
“As a composer and arranger, Mills has been commissioned by venues including Columbia University’s Miller Theater and the Chamber Music Northwest festival in Portland, OR.
“Mills is co-founder of Duo Prism, a violin-piano duo with Rieko Aizawa, which earned 1st Prize at the Zinetti International Competition in Italy in 2006. Mills is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he was a student of Dorothy DeLay, Robert Mann and Itzhak Perlman.”
I have heard both of these individuals perform several times, and Jesse Mills should be no stranger to any of you local concertgoers, because he has performed with the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. I think it would be fantastic if the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra would invite Rieko Aizawa to perform. She is a superior pianist and her musicianship is supported by formidable technique.
I think that it is very exciting that one of the new members of this chamber group is Igor Begelman, a clarinetist. As a wind player, he is not only outstanding, but will give the Alpenglow Chamber group added versatility.
Again I will quote from the Alpenglow website:
“In recent seasons Mr. [Igor]Begelman appeared as a soloist with the I Musici de Montreal, Houston Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Boston Classical Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Sinfonia Celestis, Astral and Chappaqua Chamber Orchestras as well as in recitals at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, New York’s Merkin Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y, Boston’s Faneuil Hall, LA’s Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, at Caramoor and Ravinia Festivals. Winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, a prize awarded to outstanding American artists, Mr. Begelman has also soloed with the Bangor, Key West, Fairbanks and Ridgefield Symphonies, Bienne Symphony Orchestra, Odense Simfoniker, New Haven, Savannah and Greenwich Symphonies. He has performed recitals in Western and Eastern Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Israel.
“Equally accomplished as a recitalist and a chamber musician, Mr. Begelman performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared at numerous festivals throughout the world, including Casals, Marlboro, Moab, Juneau, Caramoor, Tucson, Tanglewood and Schleswig-Holstein. An avid proponent of new music, Mr. Begelman has also premiered compositions by Jennifer Higdon, Anton Kuerti, Alex Krasotov, Meyer Kupferman, Elliot Schwartz, and Ralph Shapey.
“Mr. Begelman was awarded top prizes at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition in Denmark and the Geneva International Competition in Switzerland. In addition, he has earned top prizes at William C. Byrd Competition, Koussevitzky Competition, International Clarinet Society Competition, Heida Hermanns International Competition, Tilden Prize Competition and Crane New Music Competition among others. His honors also include the Special Prize at the 41st Munich International Competition and awards from the Altamura/Caruso Foundation and Salon de Virtuosi. In 2008, Mr. Begelman received the BRIO award from the Bronx Council for the Arts. He was also featured as a special guest in the Music Section of “Lifestyles” magazine.
“An active educator, Mr. Begelman has been a professor of Clarinet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and is the Director of Woodwind Program at the Bowdoin International Music Festival. He also teaches at Brooklyn College and Sarah Lawrence College. Mr. Begelman has guest lectured on various occasions at Yale, Juilliard, and Manhattan School of Music in addition to many master classes throughout the US.
“Raised in Kiev, Ukraine, Igor Begelman came to the United States in 1989. He received his Master’s degree from The Juilliard School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from The Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Begelman has also received valuable mentoring from Astral Artistic Services, a Philadelphia-based organization guiding emerging young artists.”
The second new member of the Alpenglow Chamber ensemble is violist Dov Scheindlin.
“Acclaimed by the New York Times as an ‘extraordinary violist’ of ‘immense flair,’ Dov Scheindlin has been violist of the Arditti, Penderecki and Chester String Quartets. His chamber music career has brought him to 28 countries around the globe, and won him the Siemens Prize in 1999. He has appeared as soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, the Paris Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic. Mr. Scheindlin has recorded extensively for EMI, Teldec, Auvidis, Col Legno, and Mode, and won the Gramophone Award in 2002 for the Arditti Quartet’s recording of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s Pulse Shadows. As a member of the Arditti Quartet, he gave nearly 100 world premières, among them were new works by Benjamin Britten, Elliott Carter, György Kurtág, Thomas Adès, and Wolfgang Rihm. He has also been broadcast on NPR, BBC, CBC, and on German, French, Swiss, Austrian, Dutch and Belgian national radio networks.
“Dov Scheindlin was raised in New York City, where he studied with Samuel Rhodes and William Lincer at the Juilliard School. He has taught viola and chamber music at Harvard, Wilfrid Laurier University and Tanglewood. He has regularly participated in summer festivals such as Salzburg, Luzern, and Tanglewood, and has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Met Chamber Ensembles. His chamber music partners have included members of the Juilliard, Alban Berg, Tokyo, and Borodin String Quartets, as well as concertmasters of many major symphony orchestras.
“Dov Scheindlin currently lives in New York and currently teaches at Princeton University. He is an associate member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and he performs frequently with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He plays a viola by Francesco Bissolotti of Cremona, made in 1975.”
And the third new member is James Wilson.
“For the past twenty years, cellist James Wilson has consistently performed to the delight of audiences throughout the world, from small towns to the world’s most illustrious venues. Acclaimed for his singing tone, and intelligent and soulful approach to music, the Los Angeles Times described Wilson as a musician “with something to say and a commanding way of saying it.
“As recitalist and chamber musician, he has appeared in many of the world’s most illustrious venues, including America’s Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center, Casals Hall in Tokyo, the Sydney Opera House, the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Montreal, the Philharmonie in Köln and the Musikverein in Vienna. He has performed at music festivals around the world such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the City of London Festival, the Deutches Mozartfest in Bavaria, the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and the Ysbreker in Amsterdam. In demand as a player of Baroque and modern cello, Wilson has collaborated with such diverse artists as violinist Joshua Bell, flutist Eugenia Zukerman, guitarist Eliot Fisk, actress Claire Bloom, the Tokyo String Quartet and the Mark Morris Dance Group. A former member of the Shanghai and Chester String Quartets, he recorded and toured extensively world-wide with both groups. Mr. Wilson’s performances have been broadcast on West German Radio and Bavarian Radio in Germany, CBC radio in Canada, CBS television and National Public Radio’s Performance Today and Saint Paul Sunday. He has also recorded for the Delos and Music Masters labels.
“A devoted advocate for the arts and arts education, Mr. Wilson is currently the Artistic Director of the Richmond–based Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, and teaches cello and chamber music at Columbia University in New York.”
I would like to point out that co-Directors Aizawa and Mills did not pick these individuals blindly. They have performed with them on a fairly regular basis.
I would also like to point out that while some of you readers may say to me that I have taken an enormous amount of time to give the biographies of these musicians, I have done so for two reasons. First, is that they are new to this organization, and the second, is that the Alpenglow Chamber Music ensemble has always been a world-class chamber group, and I wish to stress that they still are. If any of you readers would like to hear chamber music that surpasses any small chamber concert heard anywhere in the state, you must go to Silverthorne/Dillon and listen to one of their concerts.
The following is this season’s performance schedule. Note that after the schedule are instructions for tickets.
~ Festival 2011 ~
September 11, 2011 Sunday ~ soiree #1
Private Home
$65 – buy tickets (limited seats)
September 13, 2011 Tuesday 7pm ~ concert #1
Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Dillon
$20 – buy tickets
Free for students
Mendelssohn Piano Trio #1 in d minor, Op.49
Khachaturian Trio for clarinet, violin and piano
Clarke Prelude, Allegro, and Pastorale for viola and clarinet
Dvorak Piano Quartet #2 in E-flat Major, Op.87
September 15, 2011 Thursday ~ soiree #2
Private Home
$65 – buy tickets (limited seats)
September 16, 2011 Friday 7pm ~ concert #2
Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Dillon
$20 – buy tickets
Free for students
Mozart Trio “Kegelstatt” in E-flat Major, K.498 for clarinet, viola and piano
*Moravec “Tempest Fantasy” for clarinet, violin, cello and piano
Kodaly Intermezzo for violin, viola and cello
Brahms Piano Quartet #1 in g minor, Op.25
*2004 Pulitzer Prize awarded work composed after Shakespeare’s “Tempest”
Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival
P. O. Box 840
Dillon, CO 80435 USA
Phone: (01) 970-468-4774
Fax: (01) 970-468-5783
Tickets: (01) 970-468-4774
Email: info@alpenglowchambermusic.org
