Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Colorado Ballet, Gil Boggs, Marie Belew Wheatley, The Nutcracker
Every time I see a performance by the Colorado Ballet, I think that they cannot get any better, but they always do. The Saturday matinee of The Nutcracker was one of the best performances of the Colorado Ballet, and certainly of The Nutcracker, that I have seen. There are at least two reasons for this: 1) I have never seen every dancer in the Colorado Ballet dance with such obvious joy. That makes a tremendous difference in the performance. Yes, they have exhibited much joy before Saturday afternoon, but Saturday afternoon was truly exceptional. 2) For a variety of reasons, I was unable to see The Nutcracker last year, but I have seen it in the past, and this year, there was so much that seems to be new. This ballet performance could be classified as bright and sunny.
There was a new opening curtain depicting Herr Drosselmeyer’s workshop. This is quite similar to an overture to the ballet, and when this curtain opened to reveal the street outside the Stahlbaum’s house, I am sure that it was a new set. There was also a new set for the living room of the Stahlbaum house, which included a marvelous clock with an owl on top. When the clock chimed the owl flapped its wings and its eyes flashed: spectacular! Some of the costumes seemed new, and some of the wigs seemed new, and I can guarantee you that the spirit was new.
One glance at the program, and it was easy to see the depth of the Colorado Ballet. Some of the dancers, who had secondary roles in the matinee performance, danced lead roles in the evening performance. Dana Benton danced Clara, and Adam Still danced the Nutcracker Prince at the matinee. Sharon Wehner was the Sugarplum, and Viacheslav Buchkovskiy danced the Cavalier. I have long admired these four dancers, but I must tell you that at the matinee, they seemed to demonstrate a newfound energy and pleasure in their dancing ability, and I can guarantee you that it was totally effortless. I will also say that I have never heard the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Adam Flatt, sound better, and I know that had to help motivate the dancers. As I have stated in past reviews, conducting a ballet orchestra is quite difficult, because one has to make sure that the dancers are following the conductor, and that the conductor is taking into consideration the individual dancers slightest differences in interpretation.
Once again, in looking at the program, it was terrific to see some dancers added to the Corps de Ballet who have moved up through the ranks of this company. This simply means that their dancing ability is appreciated by Maestro Gil Boggs. He has done wonders for this ballet company, and it has improved every single year, and I am quite sure that the dancers appreciate having their effort rewarded.
I cannot stress how different this production was (was the choreography still the same?), even though the Nutcracker is so very familiar. There were so many changes in the small details, such as the aforementioned clock, and in the snow scene, there truly was a lot of snow, so much that it appeared that the dancers were behind a scrim. It truly added to the mood of the scene.
Gregory K. Gonzales, who once again played Herr Drosselmeyer, portrayed him as much kinder and less menacing this year, but still was able to leave the impression that he was an individual best left in a good mood.
The set for Act II was the same as I have seen in previous years, but the towers of candy with their smiling faces made all of the children sitting around us in the audience smile too.
Dmitry Trubchanov, Chandra Kuykendall, Ariel Ha, Morgan Buchanan, Gregory DeSantis, Sean Omandam, Kevin Gaël Thomas, Luis Valdes, Cara Cooper, Christopher Moulton, Jesse Marx, Shelby Dyer, and last but not least, Asuka Sasaki, are just a few of the incredible dancers in this company. And to all of those whose names I did not mention, please accept my humble apologies.
It was also wonderful to see the Sugarplums and the Polichhinelles, who were excellent, be so alive and obviously thrilled at being on stage.
Virtually all of the dancers in the Colorado Ballet share one attribute that I have never seen in any other ballet company: that is the ability to reach out to the audience, not only with their dancing skill, but with their acting skill, as well. They draw one into the performance, and when one leaves the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, one has the feeling of leaving behind some old friends. Since that is shared by every dancer who appears on stage, it not only reflects their skill, but it also reflects the atmosphere and leadership of Maestro Gil Boggs who is the Artistic Director of this organization.
That aspect is also a reflection on the leadership of Executive Director Marie Belew Wheatley, who, in such a very short time seems to have made this a very strong organization. This was an outstanding performance, and I hope that any of you who think that you will not come to see it simply because The Nutcracker is traditional and done every year, will understand that in spite of its familiarity, this is a production that you have to see. The orchestra is one of the finest ballet orchestras in the country – I know that may be strong, but it is true – and the dancers, so astoundingly equal in ability, comprise one of the best ballet companies in the country. And, in a time, when so many organizations seem to be suffering, not only financially, but artistically as well, here is an organization that is solid in its aesthetic footing and solid in its success in bringing to Colorado a true artistic experience.
Filed under: Commentary
I am often taken to task about the articles that I write, either as commentary, or reviews of performances that I hear. There are those who think that my review articles are too harsh, and, believe it or not, there are those who think that I am not critical enough in my articles. There are also individuals who believe that if I write a critical article, that I will do them, or their organization, irreparable harm. I have often been asked to change my review because people think that I have been too harsh. But these individuals do not seem to understand that if I change my review upon their request, then my reviews would have no meaning whatsoever. And obviously, my integrity would suffer.
I do try to write my reviews so that they are abundantly clear to everybody who reads them. Serious music is a language, and trained musicians, individuals and orchestras, are the interpreters of the language created by the composers. Because of its complex structure and the required skill, jazz is a very serious language as well. Music that is not so serious, rock, rap, hip-hop, etc., has a more simple language, even though there are those musicians who approach it in a very serious way. Sometimes, the language, not only of the text, but of the harmonic structure (which is usually extremely restricted) is simply obscured by the volume.
As I said above, it is up to individuals and orchestras to be the interpreters of the language. If one is going to be an interpreter, then one needs to be careful and dedicated to that particular skill. In serious music (and by that term I am carefully avoiding the use of the word “classical” music because that delineates a certain time period in the history of music) every composer has his own language. Therefore, it behooves the musicians to not only study that language, but also to perfect the vehicle for translating it: piano, violin, flute, etc. As each word in any language requires the correct pronunciation and inflection for complete understanding, so does the language of music require dynamics, pitch, and phrasing, for complete understanding. Therefore, both language and music can have a sense of architecture; otherwise it leaves the composer’s (or speaker’s) world in fragments. If I am required by circumstances to ask for someone’s support in a task, and I say this: “Dude! Will you help me out with this!” that will certainly not be very eloquent, and will imply and communicate a great deal about my vocabulary and ability with language, or lack thereof. But, if I am more eloquent, as Iphigenia (Goethe) is, and I say, “I shall not escape great reproach nor serious harm, if I do not succeed; however, I’ll lay it on your knees! If you truly are as you are extolled for being, demonstrate it by your support [of me] and exalt truth through me.” This one sentence implies a substantial narrative that Iphigenia is circumscribed by, and it is easy to understand that Iphigenia is transforming language into action. There is a world of difference between these two examples.
Of course, we do not speak like that on a day to day basis, but that kind of language is why many of us go to plays or to concerts. We want to luxuriate in the art, and we want to luxuriate in the drama of the language. The sentence above, “Dude! Will you help me out with this!” reflects very little eloquence, and frankly, it does not take much thought to understand.
When I write review articles on concerts and performances that I have heard, I do not use made-up formulaic sayings, nor do I intend to deliver judgments ex cathedra. However, I do write my reviews based on a lifetime of being a musician, having a sound musical background based on training, on performance experience, and on teaching performance practices. I try to communicate to the readers of my articles what the orchestra was trying to “say,” and what they should have been “saying” based on my knowledge of the composer. I cannot base my review on my like or dislike of any individual symphony orchestra or chamber group, or personality. I have often been taken to task for not being “nice,” but if I shaded my opinion of the performance in order to please the orchestra, or whatever ensemble I was reviewing, then my integrity as a musician would suffer.
When it comes to dealing with community orchestras, which are largely made up of volunteers, then things become more difficult. Volunteer orchestras have precious few members that have degrees in music, and are therefore not accustomed to practicing long hours that professional musicians must fulfill.
But many orchestras need to realize that one does not have the right to volunteer if the organization deems the individual to be ineffective by demonstrating his or her inability with the language. And no one should argue in favor of their limitations. I am certainly not saying that every community orchestra should sound like the Colorado Symphony or the Cleveland Symphony, but there are certain basics which must be manifest in every performance. How else can the composer’s language be translated? Would we give a standing ovation at a play if half of the words were garbled and unintelligible?
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Boulder Symphony Orchestra, Brahms, Copland, Devin Hughes, Mark o'Connor, Musique de Salon, Patrick Sutton, Ricardo Iznaola
Friday evening I drove to Boulder to hear the Boulder Symphony Orchestra play at the First Presbyterian Church. This orchestra is conducted by Maestro Devin Hughes, and as many of you will surely recall, the First Presbyterian Church is their new place of residence. Maestro Hughes’ reputation is expanding, I am happy to say, for he is now the Music Director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, and he has also conducted, just this summer, at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.
The Boulder Symphony opened their program with a very charming work entitled Appalachia Waltz written by American composer Mark O’Connor (b.1961). Quoting form his web site: “He currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Miami. Mr. O’Connor is the founder and president of the internationally recognized Mark O’Connor String Camp, held each summer at ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee and at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
“As a teenager and a young professional musician in his twenties, Mr. O’Connor performed and recorded with some of the best musicians in the world, as well as being a member of some of the best groups ever assembled. At the age of 13, Mr. O’Connor won the Grand Masters Fiddling Championships in Nashville, Tennessee competing against all ages both amateur and professional. By age 19, he had won that contest two more times, won the National Old-Time Fiddlers Contest three times, the National Flatpicking Guitar Championships twice, and became the World Mandolin Champion, an incredible record of contest wins that no one believes will ever be matched. At age 17 Mr. O’Connor played guitar as a member of one of the greatest acoustic string bands of the 1970s, the David Grisman Quintet. At age 19 he played violin and guitar alongside Steve Morse as a member of one of the greatest rock-fusion instrumental bands of the 1980s, The Dregs. In his twenties he was a member of one of the greatest acoustic bands of all time with four of the greatest players on their respective instruments, Strength in Numbers (with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer). He also assembled two of the greatest Country bands of all time in 1989 and 1990 – The American Music Shop house band and New Nashville Cats. During his twenties, Mr. O’Connor became the most in demand session musician of any instrument and in any genre for a 3-year period, appearing on more top ten hits in the country, recording over 500 albums, and recording with everyone – Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Randy Travis, The Judds; the list is too long to print.”
Appalachia Waltz was originally written for solo cello, and, as Mark O’Connor says, it is probably his most popular piece. But the program notes don’t explain who arranged it for orchestra. A quick search on the web said that it had been arranged for cello, violin, and bass, by Edgar Meyer who is on the recording of this piece with Mark O’Connor and Yo-Yo Ma.
It has been a while since I’ve heard the Boulder Symphony perform, because it is sometimes difficult for me to drive from Littleton to Boulder. I heard them last season, and I was impressed with every section of the orchestra. Friday night, as I sat and listened to them, I was a little puzzled at their performance of Mr. O’Connor’s piece, Appalachia Waltz. The strings, particularly the violas, were having a difficult time playing in tune, and that was a little surprising to me. In addition, from where I was sitting, it was difficult to hear any dynamic changes, and that created the impression that the orchestra was playing level without much passion. The last time I saw Maestro Hughes conduct, he used the baton, but at this evening’s performance it was not until the second half of the program, where he conducted Brahms Serenade, that he made use of the baton. His motions with his hands were very fluid, but from where I was sitting, I could not see any emphatic motions that might indicate an increase in dynamics or passion.
The next work on the program was Vocalise, written by DU’s Ricardo Iznaola. This work, as is explained in the program notes is “…the fourth movement of the suite, Musique de Salon, a work that evokes the spirit of the Parisian end-of-the-20th-century salon, where friends gathered to share good music.” I’m quite sure that everyone in the state of Colorado is familiar with Ricardo Iznaola. He is on the faculty at DU, and not only is he a performing artist, but he is also a fine composer. I will quote from his website:
“Mr. Iznaola’s impressive catalogue of original works includes his orchestral (‘In the Eyes, a Silver Dagger’; Tiempo Muerto – Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra), chamber (Danzas de la Abuela; Triptico Criollo; Gran Guaguanco; Diferencias para el Conde Claros Criollo), vocal (Corinna’s Songbook; Vocalise) and solo works (Sonata Daedalus; Blood Wedding Suite; Three Little Tales; Variations on a Theme by Lauro; Concert Etudes; Circus Vignettes; Monologo I and II, etc.) The Concert Etudes, written in a neo-Romantic, highly virtuosic idiom, have attracted considerable attention by fellow guitarists, as well as becoming audience favorites in many of Mr. Iznaola’s performances.
“Ricardo Iznaola’s distinguished performing career includes innumerable concert performances at venues like Wigmore Hall (London), Merkin Hall (New York City), Hercules Saal (Munich), Grande Salle de l’Unesco (Paris), Ishibashi Memorial Hall (Tokyo), Auditorio Nacional (Madrid), Teatro Municipal (Caracas), Gran Teatro de la Maestranza (Seville), the Philharmonic Society (Bilbao), the Manuel de Falla Auditorium (Granada), as well as many music festivals in the United States, Europe, South America and Japan. He has been guest soloist with numerous orchestras under the batons of conductors Murray Seidlin, Keith Lockhart, Theo Alcántara, Donald Johanos, David Lockington, Manuel Galduf, Gerhardt Zimmerman, James Setapen, Stephen Alltop, and many others. Since 2001, he is a member of the prestigious artist-faculty at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine (USA).
“An artist of charisma, charm and authority, his performances are characterized by immediate rapport with his audiences, who respond with enthusiasm to his virtuosity and intense musicality.”
Patrick Sutton is a doctoral student in guitar at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. I have heard him play before, and at that hearing, he was one of the outstanding performers of the evening. The same was the case Friday evening. He has won many awards, and it is abundantly clear that he loves chamber music. He is a student of Mr. Iznaola.
Vocalise is a beautiful piece that is remarkably lyrical. Sutton’s playing is just as lyrical, and his phrasing is very well considered and thought out. I was struck Friday night by his ability to create a sense of architecture. However, I must say that it seemed as though the Boulder Symphony was not giving him quite the support that he needed. From where I was sitting, I could barely see Patrick Sutton’s head and shoulders, but it sounded as though his acoustic guitar was amplified, and in the hall that size, it would certainly be necessary. But compared to his sound, which I judged to be just fine, the orchestra sounded almost anemic, and there were still problems with the strings being in tune. I must say that this is not the way the Boulder Symphony sounded last season. Occasionally, the orchestra seemed to not arrive at phrase endings together, and they were sometimes almost an eighth of a beat off. This was really a shame, because Patrick Sutton’s performance was absolutely beautiful.
Next on the program, came Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. I know that all of you readers are familiar with this piece. I’m not going to say anything about its history. I will, however, say that this is one of those pieces where one cannot help but think that in spite of its popularity, it is always a wonderful piece to hear. Everyone knows who Aaron Copland is, and, of course, this is the piece that helped to make him famous. But he is still a much underrated composer. How many of you readers have heard Quiet City, his Clarinet Concerto, or his Variations for Piano?
The woodwind section in this composition has to stay on their toes. And I was quite surprised to see Shaun Burley performing with the Boulder Symphony, as he regularly plays with the Denver Philharmonic. He was, however, filling in for Jack Chen who is the principal clarinetist. Shaun Burley and the flute section, Kristin Stordahl-Kanda, and Ginger Hedrick, made this piece beautiful. But again, the dynamics of the entire orchestra seemed to be almost nonexistent. There were some isolated spots where I could tell that they were getting a little bit louder or a little bit softer, but it certainly wasn’t the dynamic range that this piece calls for, in my opinion. In addition, many times, the orchestra was a fraction of a beat behind Maestro Hughes. It also seemed to me in this piece that Maestro Hughes was not quite as forceful as he might have been. I have never had conducting lessons, but again, I noticed that Maestro Hughes was not using a baton in this piece. I have seen other conductors who do not use a baton be quite forceful, because it helps to sharpen the movements that they are making with their hands. But I must say, that when the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, made its appearance, the orchestra was spellbinding. I also emphasize that the performance of Copeland’s famous work was not bad. It’s just that I am accustomed to hearing better from this orchestra. There were many places where I longed for some detail work. After the intermission the Boulder Symphony Orchestra performed Brahms’ marvelous Serenade Nr. 1 in D major, Opus 11. This Serenade evolved from a nonet for winds and strings which was written in 1858. He then rewrote it for chamber orchestra in 1859, but as so often is the case with Brahms, the two early works are either lost, or they were destroyed by him. We are indebted to a critic and writer named Max Kalbeck who edited some of Brahms letters, as well as sketches of compositions, that had been saved from destruction by Brahms’ secretary. Kalbeck also wrote an eight volume biography of Brahms, which, to my knowledge, has never been translated to English (doctoral students, take note). But apparently, he could not save the original of this work. At any rate, Brahms added two more movements and published the serenade as an orchestral work in 1860. This work was considered as an avant-garde composition, which today, seems a little surprising.
Maestro Hughes used a baton to conduct this work, and I am unsure as to whether its use contributed to the better performance which I heard, in comparison to the first half of the program. Certainly, the dynamics were better in the Brahms than they were in the Copeland, O’Connor, and Iznaola.
The woodwind section clearly is the best section in this orchestra. Sometimes the French horns were wonderful and sometimes they burbled or were off pitch. As this composition progressed through its six movements, it seemed that the viola section played more and more out of tune, and they sometimes took the cello section with them. In this work, the orchestra was uneven. I have always marveled and wondered at what makes orchestra so inconsistent. Do they practice enough? But again, and I emphasize this point, this was not a bad performance. It was so close to being really good, that the problems were maddening for the listener. The woodwind sections, clarinets and flute, were consistently good, but the strings scooped their pitches and in one movement which was filled with pizzicato, they were so soft that the rest of the orchestra almost covered them. Their pizzicato was even out of tune, let alone not together. There is no question in my mind that Maestro Hughes knows how to conduct Brahms, and that he knows how to make Brahms work. But I found myself wanting to run down the aisle occasionally, and encourage the string section to practice.
As I said above, I am accustomed to hearing better from this orchestra, and there’s no question that any orchestra can have a “bad night.” I am being supercritical because I heard them play so very well last season.
Filed under: Commentary
Today, I finished teaching my semester course on Wagner’s opera Parsifal at the Academy For Lifelong Learning. I have had quite a bit of experience with this opera as I explain below, and because of my experience, it is one of my favorite operas of all time. Wagner, of course, took legends that were fairly popular, and then changed them to suit his needs and the scope of his operas. Parsifal is roughly based on the legend – or, more exactly, what we thought at one time was a legend – of King Arthur.
Because of the work done by the late Norma Goodrich, who was Professor Emeritus of French and Comparative Literature at Scripps College and the Claremont Graduate School, the discovery was made that much of the evidence in England concerning King Arthur had been destroyed by King Henry II, who could not endure the competition from a “once and future King,” especially a king of the united Celtic tribes and one who might rise again at any moment. Professor Goodrich found a great deal of convincing evidence of the existence of Arthur in Medieval French literature; she truly seems to have proven the historical authenticity of King Arthur.
The story of Parsifal, like the story of King Arthur, deals with the legend of the Holy Grail and the Holy Spear, as well. Wagner set his story of Parsifal in Monsalvat, Spain, and there the Grail and the Spear are worshiped by an order of dedicated Knights led by the King Amfortas.
The Indiana University School of Music produced Parsifal every Good Friday from 1949 to 1968, when production ceased because of a disastrous fire that burned the costumes and sets for several operas, let alone Parsifal.
At the time, 1949, my family and I were living about seven miles outside of Greencastle, Indiana, where I was engaged in my fifth year taking piano lessons at DePauw University. The news that the School of Music was going to produce this huge opera (it is six hours long) by Richard Wagner was as large as the opera itself, and my grandparents sent me all kinds of musical information concerning the School of Music. We eventually moved to Bloomington in 1950, and in 1951, I saw Parsifal for the first time. Because it left such an indelible imprint, I went to the opera without fail for the next seven years.
In 1958, I enrolled at the School of Music as a freshman piano performance major. I soon found out that piano majors were used to fill out the IU Concert Choir and the opera choruses. Now, let me be clear about one important point: I never could sing. In fact, when I try to sing, I sound like the adenoid kid. Nonetheless, I was told that I would be a member of the choir for the production of Parsifal. As a matter of fact, I was in the next five annual productions of Parsifal.
Rehearsals always started around the time when all the students were studying for spring midterm exams, so I must admit that rehearsals cut into my practice and study time. Realize that I was what was called at the time, a “townie,” because Bloomington was where I born and where I now lived. That meant that my friends were sometimes children of the music faculty. And, I ran around with Bill Krueger, who was the son of the remarkable base-baritone/conductor on the music faculty, George Krueger. George Krueger was 6’10”, and sang the role of Gurnemanz, who is an aging Knight of the Holy Grail. Can you imagine what it was like to see and hear the father of one of your friends sing in the opera Parsifal? Amazing! As I recall, he sometimes sang the role of Titurel.
The rehearsals were quite rigorous, and were under the stage direction of Hans Busch, who was renowned the world over. Later, as I recall, the stage direction for Parsifal was given to Ross Allen, who was very kind indeed, and really seemed intent upon not only giving stage direction, but in teaching about the opera as well. As I look back at those performances, there is no doubt that I learned a great deal. I made it a practice to say hello to Ross Allen, Hans Busch, Andreas Nomikos, and Mario Cristini, in the hallways, just as my way of thanking them for teaching me so much outside the area of piano. I must say that I also learned a great deal about set construction, because when I was backstage waiting for an entrance, I usually spoke with Tom Parker, who was the Master Carpenter for the Opera Division.
And speaking of construction, there is one very interesting and profound story that I must pass on because I witnessed it. In the last scene of the opera, Parsifal is celebrated on stage after wresting the Holy Spear from the evil king, Klingsor, who used to be a Knight of the Grail, but turned to the “dark side.” The Grail Knights reward Parsifal by allowing him to receive communion and making him their King. As he does so, he holds the Grail aloft over his head. In the first several performances where I was in the audience and in the first performance where I was a chorus member, every time Parsifal held the Grail aloft, the lighting crew had to be very accurate and very agile. They were responsible for shining a very narrow beamed spotlight on the Grail. Needless to say, Parsifal had to hold the Grail as steadily as he could. This worked quite well except that the audience could easily tell that there was a spotlight emanating from somewhere in the auditorium. The props department, ever industrious, came up with a very neat solution. One of the crew obtained a taillight lens from a 1959 Buick. If any of you remember, these were about four or five inches across at the top and came to a point at the bottom. The props department mounted this on a small, round, plastic base with wire hangers on either side for double handles, and covered the entire Grail, except for the red lens, in tinfoil so that it was bright and shiny like silver. Inside the base, the props crew mounted a flashlight bulb and some batteries with a rheostat switch on the outside. As Parsifal held the Grail aloft, he began to slowly rotate the rheostat switch with his thumbs which, of course, the audience could not see. As he did so, the Grail began to glow, and as the music ascended in the Grail theme (you must understand that the music in this scene is some of the most beautiful that Wagner ever wrote), the Grail began to glow brighter and brighter. The effect was absolutely marvelous, so much so, that as I stood on stage and looked out at the audience, I saw one audience member cross herself. Of course, no one in the audience could see the accustomed beam of light coming from a spotlight in the auditorium because it was no longer there. To them, the Grail simply began to glow.
The other thing, of course, that many do not remember today, was what a marvelous production this was. Audience members came from all over the world to see this opera. The Music School at Indiana University, had the necessary facilities, and was large enough and rich enough, so they could produce this opera. For a slight additional cost in the price of the ticket, one could go to the Tudor Room in the Indiana Memorial Union after the first act, and have a sumptuous meal. Everything was perfectly timed so that audience members could eat and have time to return to the IU Auditorium for the second and third acts. The opera always began at four o’clock in the afternoon on Good Friday only, and was over at around ten o’clock that evening. I cannot stress what an incredible “music appreciation course” this was for everyone in the entire cast. I truly wish that the Jacobs School of Music could find the funding to replace the lost costumes and sets. Nonetheless, this opera helped to establish the Jacobs School of Music as the best music school in the world.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Amy I-Lin Cheng, Chad Burrow, Christina Jennings, Claude Debussy, Edward Knight, Leonard Bernstein, Matthew Dane, Max Bruch, Michael Webster
Those of you who read my articles may recall that a couple of weeks ago, when I received the notice that there was a new chamber group in Denver, that I got very excited. I have always loved chamber music, and I am of the opinion that there cannot be too many chamber groups. And yes, there are a number of high-quality chamber groups in the state. But the group that I was excited about was the Peak Performances Chamber Series founded by Matthew Dane, viola, and Christina Jennings, flute. I have heard these two perform before with the Boulder Bach Festival, and they are two of the most outstanding musicians I have heard in recent years; they have added immeasurably to the success of the Boulder Bach Festival. Keep in mind that the Boulder Bach Festival is comprised of superb musicians. I promise you that I do not use “superb” lightly.
So it was, on Saturday afternoon, November 12, that I drove to St. Andrews Episcopal Church on Glenarm Place just north of downtown for the Debut Concert of this new chamber ensemble. I have praised this venue in the recent past because of its fine acoustics and intimate atmosphere. Dane and Jennings were joined by Chad Burrow, clarinet, and Amy I-Lin Cheng, piano, in an absolutely wonderful chamber music concert.
Below, are very short bio statements which I have taken from the press release announcing their debut concert.
“Violist Matthew Dane is well known in this region and beyond as a collaborator, teacher, and performer. Principal violist of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston and member of several chamber ensembles, he was previously tenured faculty at the University of Oklahoma and Editor of the American Viola Society’s Journal.
“Flutist Christina Jennings is a past winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and she has appeared as soloist with over fifty orchestras. On the faculty of the University of Colorado, she also directs the nationally recognized Panoramic Flutist Seminar.
“Born in Taiwan, pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng has been described by the New York Concert Review as a pianist whose “control of the keyboard is complete, technique easy and relaxed, with a wide range of touch.” Amy has appeared in recitals at venues such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and National Concert Hall in Taipei.
“Clarinetist Chad Burrow’s playing has been described as “brilliant technique and tonal beauty mixed with an expressive ferocity.” Formerly Principal clarinetist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and the New Haven Symphony, he is now on the faculty at the University of Michigan and concertizes regularly in the US, Asia, and Europe.”
Flautist Christina Jennings, Chad Burrow, clarinetist, and Amy I-Lin Cheng, pianist, opened the concert with Debussy’s Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune. Yes, this was an arrangement of Debussy’s work for orchestra, but before any of you readers cringe at the thought of an arrangement of such an important piece, understand this: this has to be one of the best arrangements of any piece that I have heard. It was done by Michael Webster who is a professor at Rice University’s shepherd School of Music. He is also the artistic director of the Houston Youth Symphony. He is a clarinetist, and as a soloist he has appeared with many orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra with Aaron Copland conducting, the Boston Pops with John Williams conducting, and he was for many years Aaron Copland’s favorite interpreter of his Clarinet Concerto. I also point out that his recital career began in Town Hall with his father, Beveridge Webster, who was a world renowned pianist.
The minute these individuals began to perform, it was readily apparent that this was going to be an extraordinary concert. Christina Jennings’ tone but was full and round, and matched the remarkable warm sound that Chad Burrow got from his clarinet. Please keep in mind that in a piece such as this, the pianist is an equal partner, and not just an “accompanist.” I bring this up only because so many people have said to me after a performance, “What a nice concert. Didn’t you love the accompanist?” Ms. Cheng is a wonderful pianist and artist. She has such a marvelous way of getting everything, both legato and portato from her hands, using precious little pedal. The most outstanding aspect of this performance, and one that I think is rare, is the fact that all three of these musicians were equally sensitive, not only to the music, but to what each individual wanted to do. It was identical to the close musical association that I witnessed so many times, for example, between Starker and Sebok. It is sometimes difficult to describe, but it is instantly recognizable and magical. And it was always what the composer wanted. Chad Burrow is capable of some of the most haunting sounds that I have ever heard come from a clarinet. Jennings, Cheng, and Burrow gave a wonderfully mystical performance of Debussy’s work, which is based on an equally mystical poem by Stephane Mallarmé. The poem, itself, is almost impossible to understand because it uses so many metaphors, but these musicians had no problem interpreting one of Debussy’s most enchanting compositions.
(If any of you readers would like to pursue Mallarmé’s incredible poem, I would suggest that you read two books: A Grammar of Metaphor by Christine Brooke-Rose [Secker & Warburg, London, 1958], and Anna Balakian’s The Symbolist Movement in the Literature of European Languages, [Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1984]).
Next on the program came a wonderful piece by Edward Knight (b. 1961). Knight has a background in jazz, classical, and theatrical composition. He toured Europe as a jazz trumpeter and earned his DMA from University of Texas at Austin. He studied privately with John Corigliano and was the first American to win the Sir Arthur Bliss Memorial award, for outstanding postgraduate composer at London’s Royal College of Music. Dr. Edward Knight is composer-in-residence and director of music composition at Oklahoma City University.
This work, entitled INBOX, was commissioned in 2009 by Matthew Dane, Christina Jennings, and Alexandra Ngyuen. It is a delightfully humorous piece with four movements, Do Not Delete!, Classmate Quest, Match.com, and E-Bay Bid Wars. Quoting from the program notes, the composer states:
“We live in an era of instant communication, multitasking, and short attention spans. INBOX explores a world where a flood of information awaits each morning in your e-mail inbox. Do Not Delete! is a tongue-in-cheek depiction of ‘high priority’ e-mail, spam, and viruses. A quirky little tune depicts various facets of those daily annoyances. Classmate Quest presents two former classmates with the flute and viola in disparate musical worlds. The piano plays a recurring nostalgic tune, sharing past memories. The two finally connect, reveling in the past, before being jolted back into the reality of their separate lives. Match.com spoofs cyber dating through the romantic give-and-take of the tango. E-Bay Bid Wars explores the frenetic world of online auctions. Cunning strategy combines with intense suspense right before the virtual gavel falls.”
Depicting humor with music is often difficult. First, the composition must be good, and this one was excellent, and second, the performing musicians must be as good as the composition. Otherwise, all can be overstated and sound corny, or the opposite may occur, leaving the audience wondering what was so droll. Matthew Dane, Christina Jennings, and Amy I-Lin Cheng were superb.
This was a difficult, piece and all three musicians were working. The opening was almost minimalist in style, but I soon realized that every theme was pictorial, and it was also clear that these musicians are excellent in portraying what the composer wanted. The second movement, Classmate Quest, was in truth, very much like a ballet. It was moving and sensuous, and utterly dancelike. The tango in the third was understated, and really quite sad; they proved that there is more than one way to look at a romantic spoof. The fourth movement was appropriately hard-driving and full of technical virtuosity. It was wonderfully well done, and again, the close communication among these musicians was natural, and perhaps, not noticeable to everyone in the audience who was not a musician. But without it, everyone in the audience would have known.
Following the Knight, Chad Burrow and Amy I-Lin Cheng performed Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, which was written in 1942.
Note the date in which this Sonata was written: 1942. Bernstein was still a student when he wrote this, and yet he received much acclaim for it. In the program notes for this concert Matthew Dane states that Bernstein speaks “… And the intensive harmonic language of Paul Hindemith while creating melodic phrases and textures of great accessibility on personality.” That is absolutely correct, but I also think that it needs to be stated that he was using harmonies of his time, and Hindemith was one of the leading composers when Bernstein wrote this piece. If one listens carefully, one can easily hear the language and speech that delineate Bernstein’s works from this point forward. This is a wonderful piece that I first heard back in the 1960s.
So often, especially in chamber music, it is so easy to grasp the fact that the musicians like or dislike what they are performing. One of the outstanding aspects of Saturday’s performance was the enthusiasm and joy which was reflected in this concert. Chad Burrow, and his wife, Amy I-Lin Cheng, perform with each other in a very easy and ecstatic way. She is a true artist who, with her phrasing, supports her husband’s incredible breath control with every phrase. Again, in the Bernstein, I was absolutely awestruck by the tone with which Chad Burrow plays.
This two movement work has tempos that go from moderately fast to very fast, and underneath it all, the pianist must keep up a certain pulse with the clarinet. The last movement seems to have an almost Latin rhythm which gives the ending a very solid sense of direction. Burrow and Cheng made this piece so very easy, though I am convinced they were working very hard. Their sense of phrasing, which they share throughout the entire piece, was absolutely beautiful and delightful to hear. They gave each other ample opportunity to explore their own musicianship as well as Bernstein’s.
The last work on the program was by Max Bruch, and is a late work, written when he was over 70 years of age. Each of the eight pieces is absolutely beautiful, and each of them, I think, is a set of character pieces. However, there are no titles to any of the eight pieces; they truly seem to describe eight different individuals. I found it very interesting because that is the way that Cheng, Burrow, and Dane performed them.
In the first piece, I was again struck by the intensity of tone from all three musicians. All three were lyrical and lush. The second piece is full of technical hurdles for the pianist to cross, but she did so magnificently. Her dynamic contrast was wonderful.
This marvelous musicianship of all three continued throughout the eight pieces; the darkness of the third piece; the passion of the fifth. In the sixth piece, Ms. Cheng was absolutely beyond compare. She has a remarkable concept of pedaling, and therefore, every single note could be heard. The seventh piece was cheerful and delightful, and the eighth piece was imbued with an incredibly sweet sound, as well as haunting passion.
I have already said that this was a remarkable performance. All of these musicians played their instruments with such musicality and tone that I was simply enthralled. It was the same feeling I had when I was in undergraduate school and heard James Pellerite and Robert McGinnis perform. Matthew Dane is simply one of the best violists I have heard. Ms. Cheng is an artist.
All four of these musicians are the kind of musicians that I would want to study with if I were in school again. They have a love of music and a care for music that is unmistakable and obvious. Their students, and the universities where they teach, are very fortunate indeed.
The Peak Performance Chamber Series will present another concert on January 14, 2012, and yet again on May 19, 2012. These two performances will include works by Mozart, the underrated English composer, Frank Bridge, and works by Bach and Stravinsky. With great enthusiasm, I encourage everyone who loves chamber music to come here these performances. We are very fortunate to have musicians of this stature in the Denver Metro area.
