Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Adam Flatt, Amy June Cain, Anna Montomery, Denver Philharmonic, Gene Stenger, Melissa Wimbish
Passion is the word that was in charge of the performance of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra Friday night, February 17th. I have never heard the DPO exhibit such passion in a performance. Not only a passion for the music that they were planning, but I am convinced there was a generous share of passion directed to the four young soloists who were the winners of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra’s Vocal Competition.
In addition, Maestro Adam Flatt once again demonstrated his ability to program seldom heard, but truly gorgeous, music. When is the last time any of you readers have heard the Puccini Capriccio sinfonico or Verdi’s Ballet Music from Macbeth? Yes, it is true that since there were four young singers as soloists from the competition, it would seem to be natural to choose operatic music. However, I was very impressed with how all of the music of the entire evening was such a wonderful fit.
Friday evening’s concert opened with the overture to Verdi’s Nabucco, the story of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. It was Verdi’s first unqualified success, and came at a time when Verdi was suffering greatly from the loss of his wife, and from the lack of any kind of musical success. As a matter of fact, this opera was so enormously successful, that one of its choruses, Va, pensiero, which in Italian means Fly, my thoughts, became the unofficial anthem of the Italian national liberation. Verdi was always active in politics and was elected to the first national parliament in 1861.
There are some difficult rhythms in the opening of this overture, but the DPO was absolutely and totally together section by section. Everyone was in tune, and they played with a great deal of excitement. It was as if the orchestra finally realized the excitement with which it could play, and that, in turn, fed upon itself. The orchestra seems to have finally developed a sense of “togetherness” as far as making music is concerned, where they realize that all of them have to do their part to make a concert successful. It was certainly a marvelous way to open this concert.
Following the Verdi overture, the tenor, Gene Stenger, the only male competition winner, sang a short aria from Bach’s Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243. Mr. Stenger has already distinguished himself with numerous performances with Opera Fort Collins and with the Opera Scenes Exchange Program with students at the East China Normal University in Shanghai. He has sung the Magnificat with conductor Helmuth Rilling, and will soon perform in Germany with the same conductor.
The title of the Bach comes from the Scriptures wherein Mary comes to the final realization that the Angel Gabriel’s prophecy was true. He had appeared to her and informed her that she was to bear the son of God, but at that time all she could say was, “I am the servant of the Lord. Do with me what you will.” Later her realization of what was happening, and its elation, made her exclaim, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” It is from this second exclamation that Bach basses his text for the Magnificat.
The aria that Mr. Stenger sang is from the text, He hath put down the mighty (hence the Latin, deposuit). Gene Stenger has an incredibly light and airy tenor voice, but at the same time, it is quite powerful. It is very well suited to this particular aria, but I also sat listening, and imagining what role an opera he could sing. Of course, the first role that came to mind was that of Rudolfo in La Bohème. As a matter fact, his voice quality reminded me of one of my undergraduate classmates at Indiana, Ray Naldi, who went on to sing with the Met.
Following the Bach, Stenger sang, Comfort Ye, Every Valley and Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted, both from Handel’s Messiah. Aside from Stenger’s obvious excellence in vocal technique and voice support, his diction was absolutely perfect. I could understand everything that he sang, and I emphasize that diction was one of the outstanding aspects of all of the soloists who performed with the DPO Friday evening.
Following Mister Stenger’s wonderful performance was Melissa Wimbish, a truly fine soprano with an amazingly dark quality to her voice. She performed the song Chanson perpétuelle, by the French composer, Ernst Chausson. Chausson was a student of César Franck, hence his flowing chromatic style. He was not a very prolific composer by any stretch of the imagination, and that is partly due to the fact that he died at a very young age from injuries that he received in a bicycle accident. He also started his musical training at a very late age.
The dark quality of Melissa Wimbish’s voice lends itself very nicely to the text of this song, which involves a young woman who has been abandoned by her lover, and is now contemplating suicide. Wimbish also has outstanding vocal support and a wonderful vocal mechanism. She has the ability to infuse what she sings with the raw emotion of the song. And she, like Gene Stenger, has incredible diction, and her French pronunciation was absolutely perfect. Her phrasing, which was quite emotional (and yes, phrasing can create much emotion) and her pitch were absolutely gorgeous. Quite frankly, I could not believe my ears. There are so many young singers today who want to display their voice, rather than their musicianship. Stenger and Wimbish have good voices, but they also felt the artistic necessity to be good musicians as well.
Immediately prior to the intermission, the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra performed the ballet music from the opera Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi. Verdi revised this opera for its Paris revival in 1865 adding, among other things, the ballet in the third act for the witches. This addition made it conform to the style of the French grand Opera, which usually has a ballet in the third act, or even as the third act.
Some of the audience members may have noticed that the ballet music wasn’t necessarily the beautiful and lyrical kind of ballet music one expects, for example, from Tchaikovsky, because this ballet does deal with witches. Once again, the orchestra proved itself, even though there were a few funny little spots in the violins. But almost every orchestra you can name has suffered through a few “funny little spots.” Maestro Flatt certainly worked very hard the entire evening, but his efforts seem to be very different from efforts in the past. Friday night, his conducting approach seemed to be one of encouragement to the orchestra, rather than “Keep your eyes glued to me. You are in trouble.” There is an enormous difference in these two approaches, and the former is based entirely upon the belief that the orchestra and the conductor are on the same side. And again, I have to mention, that the performance of this ballet music from the opera is such a breath of fresh air because it is so seldom performed outside the opera.
Puccini’s Capriccio sinfonico was performed immediately after the intermission. This work was written as a graduation piece at the Milan Conservatory in 1883 where Puccini finished his studies. It is an important work, because it is his first piece where we can hear not only themes from future operas, but we can also hear a readily definable “Puccini sound.” He certainly combines the Italian bel canto style with his almost Wagnerian treatment of the orchestra. A year earlier, he had completed the famous Preludio sinfonico which also contains themes that will be used in future operas.
The performance of this piece demonstrated that the DPO is capable of very intense passion. In fact, the entire orchestra appeared to wallow in its ability. It has been quite some time, if ever, that I have heard the DPO perform with such remarkable depth of tone. It was truly a splendid performance.
Following the Puccini, Amy June Cain, soprano, appeared and sang Elle a fui, la tourterelle from Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman. Ms. Cain has graduated (with a full vocal scholarship) from Wichita State University where she studied with Dr.Vernon Yenne. The aria that Ms. Cain performed comes from Act III of Offenbach’s Opera. In the opera, Antonia, sung by Amy Cain, has been forbidden to sing by her father, because she is afflicted with a disease which becomes fatal if she sings. However, having fallen in love with Hoffman, she cannot contain herself and bursts into a very sad aria about a turtledove. As soon as she finishes, she collapses and dies.
Amy June Cain is an absolutely phenomenal singer. She has an excellent sense of drama, and several members of the audience were becoming quite emotional as she sang this tragic aria. Her French pronunciation was superb as was her diction. She has a huge voice that is extremely powerful, not only in its volume, but in its emotional quality. She has the unquestioned ability to act as well as to sing, and that makes her a valuable asset to the music world and to opera in particular. She was a joy to listen to and to watch.
Next on the program, Anna Montgomery sang the aria, Que-fais-tu blanche tourterelle, from Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet.
Anna Montgomery is the youngest winner of this competition sponsored by the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, at the age of 18. She is a senior at the Holy Family High School, and has studied with Mary Louise Burke and James Myers. She has already performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall under the direction of the composer and arranger, Kirby Shaw.
The aria that she performed Friday evening is traditionally sung by a soprano, even though the character is that of Stephano, Romeo’s page. This is an insulting and sarcastic aria which Stephano sings outside the Capulet Palace (remember that Romeo was a Montague). Ms. Montgomery, as do her co-winners, has an excellent sense of theater, and I am quite sure that those in the audience who did not understand the context of the aria could, nonetheless, understand that something incredibly sarcastic was going on. Montgomery has an absolutely beautiful voice and absolutely remarkable sense of stage presence. She seemed truly at home in front of the audience. She is an absolutely scintillating artist.
As a finale to the concert, Maestro Flatt and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra performed the Triumphal March from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Aïda. There is ample opportunity in this March for the brass section to display their technical ability, and every single one of them did. It was an exhilarating performance.
Concerning the orchestra: there are several things that stand out in my mind about the evenings concert. I have mentioned several in the above article, but some of them bear repeating. The Denver Philharmonic under the leadership of Maestro Adam Flatt has progressed to a degree that I would not have thought possible, and in saying that I do not mean to cast any disparaging remarks about its players. This is a community orchestra and not a professional orchestra, but if they are not careful, they are going to sound like a professional orchestra if they keep their momentum going. And I’m sure that Maestro Flatt will see that they do. They have found a new precision, and it seems to me, a new pride in what they do. And Adam Flatt, through his leadership and teaching ability, has shown them what they are capable of, and they are doing it.
Concerning the competition winners: all of them deserve to be winners because they are winners, and they are also exceptional musicians. It is so refreshing to see young people who are serious about serious music and accomplishing serious roles in their life. In the arts, one can never come to this realization too soon. It is my hope that these young people will go to the best undergraduate and graduate schools they can find which suits their artistic abilities and role. It has been a while since I have heard four vocalists, each with their own outstanding abilities. All are possessed of good vocal production and diction and language ability, in addition to a sense of drama. They are proving to a cynical world that music and the arts have a place, and they are passionate about it. I know they will succeed.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Catherine Sailer, Conrad Kehn, Evans Choir, Lamont Chorale, Lamont School of Music, Morten Lauridsen, The Playground Ensemble
The Lamont School of Music presented a program Thursday night, February 16, of the music of the American composer Morten Lauridsen, one of the country’s most prominent composers for choral literature. There were several faculty members and ensembles involved in the performance: the Evans Choir and Lamont Chorale, conducted by Dr. Catherine Sailer; The Playground Ensemble, conducted by Conrad Kehn; and, Joseph Galema, who teaches organ at DU, and who is also the Music Director and Academy Organist at the United States Air Force Academy.
For those of you who are not familiar with Morten Lauridsen, I have shortened some information from his website. This is also the information that was enclosed in the program notes.
“The music of Morten Johannes Lauridsen, composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994-2001 and professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than thirty years, occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the Twentieth Century. His seven vocal cycles — Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke), Mid-Winter Songs (Graves), Cuatro Canciones (Lorca), A Winter Come (Moss), Madrigali: Six “FireSongs” on Renaissance Italian Poems, Nocturnes, and Lux Aeterna — and his series of sacred a cappella motets (O Magnum Mysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, Ubi Caritas et Amor and Ave Dulcissima Maria) are featured regularly in concert by distinguished ensembles throughout the world. O Magnum Mysterium, Dirait-on (from Les Chansons des Roses) and O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna) have become the all-time best-selling choral octavos distributed by Theodore Presser, in business since 1783.
“In speaking of Lauridsen’s sacred works in his book, Choral Music in the Twentieth Century, musicologist and conductor Nick Strimple describes Lauridsen as “the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, (whose) probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered… From 1993 Lauridsen’s music rapidly increased in international popularity, and by century’s end he had eclipsed Randall Thompson as the most frequently performed American choral composer.”
“A recipient of numerous grants, prizes and commissions, Dr. Lauridsen chaired the Composition department at the USC Thornton School of Music from 1990-2002, founded the School’s Advanced Studies Program in Film Scoring, and is currently Distinguished Professor of Composition. In 2006, Morten Lauridsen was named an “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2007, he was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts from the President in a White House ceremony, “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.” The National Medal of Arts is the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government.”
Members of The Playground Ensemble opened the program with a chamber work, Be Still, My Soul, Be Still, for voice, clarinet, cello, and piano. All of you who are familiar with The Playground recognize Megan Buness, voice; Brian Ebert, clarinet; Richard vonFoerster, cello; and Reggie Berg, piano. Before the program began, Mr. Lauridsen mentioned that this piece, which was written in 1979, was full of the angst of the Vietnam War. It certainly is a turgid and dramatic work. It was immediately obvious that this piece was written several years ago, because it was built around musical gestures. Even though these gestures were made up of tone clusters which were rolled across the keyboard and accompanied by dramatic cello and clarinet writing, it was a tonal work. It is also a very difficult work because of the technical demands on instrumentalists, but their entrances had to be very precise. Megan Buness has a marvelous voice quality for doing avant-garde music because it spans a considerable range, and that is what a lot of avant-garde composers call for. I have always been pleased with her performances, but it is difficult to understand the words that she is singing. I am left with the impression that she concentrates more on the quality of her voice that she does the text. Lauridsen’s work, Be Still, My Soul, Be Still, is based on a wonderful poem by A. E. Housman, and though the text was printed in the program notes, it was somewhat of a distraction to read the text and listen to the musicians at the same time. Every other aspect of her performance was excellent, and there is no question that she is quite accustomed to performing with these musicians. It was clear they have performed together enough to almost read each other’s minds.
Next on the program came four songs: Cuarto Canciones, written for the same instrumentation as the first work on the program. The text for these songs was written by the Spanish poet, Federico Garcia Lorca, who died far too early in 1936, at the age of thirty-eight. It is known that he was arrested during the Spanish Civil War, and it is assumed that he was shot, because he disappeared after his arrest. No grave has ever been found.
The compositional style of the Four Songs, Pause of the Clock, Night, The Moon Rising, and Farewell, seem to be similar with the first composition on the program because there are musical gestures in the accompaniment, while the vocal solo has a more mellifluous melodic line. Lauridsen, in his comments before the performance, said that this was an atonal work with no tonal center, and one could certainly tell that that was the case upon hearing the piece performed. This is a very moving work, and it is apparent that Morten Lauridsen selects his texts with great care. I think that of the four songs, my favorite was undoubtedly Farewell. The text is as follows:
If I die,
leave the balcony open.
The little boy is eating oranges.
(From my balcony I can see him.)
The reaper is harvesting wheat.
(From my balcony I can hear him.)
If I die,
leave the balcony open.
Aside from the text, which is obviously expressive, the music was absolutely sensational as was its performance. The musicians are clearly quite moved by the piece, and were truly trying to share its impact with the audience. These musicians were very precise and their entrances, and their dynamics and dynamic contrast, were really quite remarkable. But again, I missed being able to understand the words.
Following the Cuarto Canciones was a short work entitled, Canticle/O Vos Omnes, which was performed by the Women of the Evans Choir, with Rachel Hargroder performing on the vibraphone, and Richard vonFoerster, in the chime. This beautiful piece was the first on the program that sounded genuinely “new.” And indeed, it was written in 2005/2007. Rachel Hargroder is a very sensitive musician, and if you have never heard of a vibraphone played with great sensitivity, you should have been at this performance. She also had the chance to use a bow on the end of the vibraphone keys, which produced a sound that was very different from any sound I have ever heard a vibraphone produce. The choir, which was in the balcony, was extremely effective because Dr. Sailer knows how to get a very mystical sound that matched the sound coming from the bowed vibraphone.
The major work of the evening’s concert was Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, which was written in 1997. The performance of this piece involved the Evans Choir with Joseph Galema on the organ. This is an enormous work and it is a very emotional work. According to Lauridsen it is a “message piece,” and he tried to write each of the five movements so that they would demonstrate and express “light.”
Maestra Catherine Sailer’s conducting of this piece was absolutely magnificent, and so was this work. I am sure that it has to be one of Morten Lauridsen’s most famous works. As a matter of fact, he said that he had heard it played on the radio after 9/11. What ever the motivation for the piece, Sailer has an astounding ability to create phrases that contain incredible differences and dynamics. It has also been a long time since I have seen a choral conductor conduct each syllable, wherever it is necessary, so that those of us in the audience can understand every single word. And that is difficult. But every word that the choir sang was understandable. She is also a very demonstrative conductor, using very large sweeping motions. Dr. Galema was able to keep an eye on her from the organ console because of the mirror attached. Thankfully, I have never had to use a mirror in all of the performances that I have given; however, Galema and Sailer seem to have no problem with that whatsoever. Entrances, attacks and responses to each other’s musicianship, were perfect. This is a beautiful work, and it was performed beautifully by everyone concerned.
The last work on the program was a short piece with Lauridsen, himself, playing the piano with both choirs and Maestra Sailer conducting. It was a wonderfully effervescent piece with a very definite tonal center based on a text by Rainer Maria Rilke, entitled So They Say.
What an enjoyable concert this was! The first two works on the program, while superbly written (and therefore they are very good compositions) reminded me a little bit of listening to George Crumb, whose new pieces sound a little dated. But that is his style. Obviously, Lauridsen has made a significant journey through his compositional styles, and does not linger in old, but well done, approaches to his work.
Filed under: News
On Friday, February 24th, the Boulder Symphony Orchestra under the directorship of Devin Hughes, will present a chamber music series featuring Colorado’s premier avant-garde music ensemble, The Playground. The Playground, Artists-in-Residence at DU’s Lamont School of Music, is a force for new music in the Rocky Mountain region. Led by Playground Founding Director and Boulder Symphony Composer-in-Residence Conrad Kehn, selections include two works by influential Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, works for clarinet and piano by Stockhausen and Berg, Steve Reich’s captivating Electric Counterpoint for guitar and prerecorded guitars, and Stephen Goss’ River Winds – a piece commissioned for The Playground by Henry Sanger.
The Boulder Symphony Orchestra presents this chamber concert in addition to a new work by Conrad Kehn entitled, Playgrosso, Concerto for Playground and Orchestra, which will be performed on Saturday, March 31 at 7:00 PM also at the First Presbyterian Church in Boulder. Note that this performance will be a world premiere of Conrad Kehn’s new composition. Included on this program will be compositions by Charles Ives, Arvo Pärt, and Johannes Brahms.
From Mr. Kehn’s website:
“Conrad Kehn is a composer, improviser, performer, educator, writer and artist. He is the founding Director of The Playground; a chamber ensemble dedicated to modern music. An award winning composer, Conrad’s style spans many genres from traditional chamber pieces to aleatory, graphic scores, multimedia works and experimental rock. His music has been performed across the U.S. including Issue Project Room (NY), Audio Inversions (Austin, TX), Pendulum New Music Series (CU-Boulder), and the Summer New Music Symposium at Colorado College.
“Conrad is an advocate for arts education. He currently serves on the Denver Public Schools Arts Resource Council, an organization that advocates for funding and support from the Denver Board of Education to deliver a comprehensive arts education for every student.
In the summer of 2010 Conrad attended the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival as a teaching artist in the Young Composers Project. Here he worked directly with New York Philharmonic bassist Jon Deak, to learn the composition program Deak developed for young children.
“Conrad believes that it is essential for young people to see classical music is a vibrant, living art form and not a museum piece. This is done through composition and new music!
“Conrad holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (2010) from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. He also holds a Master’s degree in Composition (2000) and Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Music/Recording Technology (1996) from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. His composition instructors include Donald Keats, M. Lynn Baker, and Bill Hill. Conrad is currently a lecturer of Music Theory and Music Technology at Lamont.”
The February 24th concert will be begin at 7 pm (note the time) at the First Presbyterian Church, 1820 15th St., Boulder. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. Additional information is available at www.bouldersymphony.org or at 970-577-1550.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Annamaria Karacson, Bahman Saless, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, David Diamond, Gyongyver Patheo, Heinrich Biber, Mozart, Tchaikovsky
This concert season, there have been four or five ensembles that have been consistently excellent, and there is no doubt that the Boulder Chamber Orchestra under the directorship of Maestro Bahman Saless is one of those ensembles. Friday night, February 10, they presented an outstanding program at the Broomfield Auditorium, in which they performed works by Biber, Mozart, Diamond, and Tchaikovsky. The only disappointing aspect of this performance was that the audience attendance was much smaller than it should have been.
The program Friday evening consisted of works for strings only, but I did notice some new faces in the group. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra is so excellent, that it made me wonder what the audition process was like for the new faces. It must be as exciting as it is worrisome.
Maestro Saless opened program with Heinrich Biber’s Baroque tone poem (yes, there is such a thing as a Baroque tone poem) Battalia. Biber (1644 -1704) was a Moravian composer who was born in the eastern half of what is now the Czech Republic. At the time, that area of Europe was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Biber was quite possibly the best violinist of the 17th century, and his virtuosity provided him immense renown throughout all of Europe. He was also a very inventive and highly skilled composer. Perhaps, owing to his periodic isolation as a composer, he felt himself free to experiment with polytonality and special effects on the violin, such col legno. Col legno playing indicates that the performer taps the wooden part of the bow, or its back, against the strings, producing a percussive sound in addition to the pitch. Keep in mind that Biber lived in the Baroque period: this is an astounding example of his forward thinking. As memory serves, the only other composer to use this technique after Biber was Frederic Chopin, who indicates its use it in his Piano Concerto Nr. 2.
Biber’s Battalia is a programmatic piece, hence, tone poem, about a group of soldiers and their trials and tribulations. It is most noticeable for one section, in which the soldiers sing their native folk tunes, all in different keys and all at the same time (some sources say these are marching songs). The result is the aforementioned polytonality, which would not be heard again until the 20th century.
The Boulder Chamber Orchestra performed this piece beautifully with an incredible sense of Baroque clarity, and its originality was displayed simply through the music itself: There was no artificial emphasis whatsoever. Even though this work is written for a small ensemble, it has to be very difficult for the musicians involved. Can you imagine playing eight different folk tunes, all with different rhythms and melodies and keys, all the while staying together (and that means ending together)? It certainly requires some very intense listening to one’s self and to all of the other performers. I must say that the Boulder Chamber Orchestra is very fortunate to have Annamaria Karacson as concertmaster, and Gyongyver Petheo as Principal Second Violin. As the Biber is not written for conductor, these two individuals held the ensemble together, and they’re playing was absolutely superb. That is what comes from extensive experience. It was terrific.
The excellent program notes state that the next work, Mozart’s Divertimento, K. 136, truly has an unknown purpose, and that is accurate. The title, “Divertimento,” is not in Mozart’s handwriting, and in addition, it does not seem to fit the pieces of the day which were used solely for entertainment. Mozart certainly wrote pieces for entertainment; divertimenti, cassation, or nocturne, but the K. 136 shows a wealth of material that the earlier pieces do not display, and as the program notes point out, this seems to be at a time when Mozart (he was sixteen when he wrote the work) was truly developing into the composer that he was to become.
I have heard this work performed live at least twice before Friday evening but it has been quite a while. Friday evening’s performance was absolutely beautiful, and there were many aspects that made it so. The dynamics were absolutely perfect in their unison, and everyone performed this piece as if they were validating the fact that this work is discernible evidence that this young composer was on his way to becoming such an incomparable giant. Throughout the three movements, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra and Maestro Saless displayed such graceful precision in the phrasing and dynamics, let alone, the entrances and phrase endings, that I was left spellbound. This early work demands a certain transparent approach simply because of the way it was written. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra never failed in this. They generated such a warm tone in the slow movement, while maintaining the transparency, that it was quite similar to a pastorale. Maestro Saless has an uncanny ability to pick members of the orchestra who all think alike, or so it seems to me. The third movement of the Mozart is very difficult, but truly, that did not seem to deter the members of this orchestra. The BCO makes it appear, especially since I am not the one doing all the work on stage, that it is the easiest thing in the world to stay absolutely together in difficult passage work. It is not. But, that also displays the level of musicianship inherent in the organization.
The third work on Friday evening’s program was by American composer, David Diamond. I strongly feel that David Diamond is an underrated composer: he is well-known to musicians, but not to the public at large. This is truly a shame, because he belongs to the milieu of composers who survived the upheavals of World War II, and who left their exciting imprint on American music. Like Aaron Copland, he eventually studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, where he met Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel, both of whom, but particularly Ravel, had a profound impact on his writing. He became a prolific composer, and his Rounds for String Orchestra, which was performed Friday evening, became one of his most enduring and endearing works. Listening to this piece of music, one can hear Walter Piston, Howard Hanson, Aaron Copland, and Virgil Thomson, but I assure you that David Diamond has his own voice. Understand that these composers have their own style of composition, yet reflect the influence of all the others, much the way Mozart and Haydn and the Bach sons influenced each other.
I first heard this work when I was an undergraduate student at Indiana University. It was considered to be very avant-garde at the time, and, I really believe, by the conservative frame of mind – at the time – of this particular school. All three movements reflect canonic and fugal devices as the title suggests, but with much use of 20th century harmony. In fact, the second movement reminded me of Aaron Copland, because the harmonies seem to be based on Copland’s use of white key diatonicism (Please excuse me if I do not go into detail concerning white key diatonicism. I will simply say that it involves key signatures and enharmonic equivalence which are taken as points of departure in diatonic-chromatic relationship.).
This is a delightful piece of music, and Maestro Saless and the Orchestra performed it in an incredibly delightful way. Make no mistake about it: it is difficult. But, again, the musicianship of everyone in this orchestra is such that, only occasionally, did they seem to be working hard. It is my hope that this piece will be performed again in a couple of years. Even though it is one of Diamond’s most famous works, David Diamond, himself, is not as well-known as he should be.
The last work on the program really does not need any introduction at all. It was the Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings. When Tchaikovsky wrote this work, he must’ve been in a very “classical” frame of mind because it is in a classical shape, with four contrasting movements, but they really are not contingent upon each other as the movements of a classical symphony are. It has always amazed me that this work, solely for strings, can have such brilliant intensity, whether it is the waltz movement or the passion of the slow movement. It simply displays Tchaikovsky’s ability as a composer.
The Boulder Chamber Orchestra, as I said above, performed this with unbelievable intensity. The phrase endings were immaculate, and the entire first movement had a sense of momentum that I have not heard before in a live performance. As the program notes correctly stated, the second movement could have come from any of Tchaikovsky’s ballets, and it truly seemed to me that everyone in the orchestra had a ballet in mind as they played it: they were not mimicking a ballet, they created one. The viola section was superb in the third movement, and in the fourth movement, the entire orchestra displayed the capability for producing an incredible depth of tone. However, I have come to expect that every time I hear the Boulder Chamber Orchestra perform.
One wonderful aspect of this entire performance was the imaginative programming. There were four incredibly fine pieces of music put together that one simply does not get to hear on a regular basis. For those of us who were in the very sparse audience, it was an evening that will not be easily forgotten.
Filed under: News
All of you readers must certainly know by now, that I think that the Colorado Ballet is one of the finest ballet companies in the United States, and I can promise you that I have seen quite a few. Beginning Friday, February 24, this marvelous ballet company will begin performances of Peter Pan. The ballet has been choreographed by Michael Pink, one of the finest choreographers in the United States. The music has been composed by Philip Feeney. Mr. Feeney lives in England, but if he were a resident of this country, you would see United States written again for the third time.
Feeney and Pink have worked together before, and, of course, the ballet that comes to mind immediately is Dracula, which I reviewed from the Colorado ballet performed it in October of 2010. Those of you who saw that production, should be ready to buy tickets for the performance of Peter Pan. Michael Pink, to my way of thinking, will soon replace the late Merce Cunningham as one of the most vibrant and exciting choreographers in this country. I have excerpted bio statements from their respective bios below:
“[Choreographer] Michael Pink began his tenure as Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Ballet Company in December of 2002. Since that time, he has established himself as a prominent member of the Milwaukee arts community, demonstrating his commitment to the future of dance through education and collaboration. Mr. Pink’s dramatic production of Romeo & Juliet took narrative dance drama to a new level of interpretation. His new productions of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake both received critical acclaim. Other works for the Milwaukee Ballet include Solstice and The Red Dress.”
The score for Dracula was composed by Philip Feeney. “Philip Feeney studied composition at the University of Cambridge with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood, and at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome under Franco Donatoni. His works have been performed extensively throughout Europe, and he is most noted for his work in ballet and dance. After a period as pianist/composer for the Teatrodanza di Roma from 1980 to 1984, he returned to London and has been Composer in Residence for the Central School of Ballet and Musical Director for their national tour ever since. It was for Christopher Gable and Michael Pink that, in 1996, he wrote the highly acclaimed score for Dracula.”
The combination of Michael Pink and Philip Feeney is outstanding, and I encourage everyone to attend performance, even if you have never attended a ballet. You do not want to miss it.
Below is the performance schedule.
Performance Schedule for Peter Pan
Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 2, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 4, 2012 @ 2 p.m.
Sunday, Mar 4, 2012 @ 6:30 p.m.
