On Second Hearing (8/23/14)

It’s been a while since my last post, but I did take a birthday getaway trip recently. Saturday was a return visit to Bargemusic, and Mark Peskanov, violinist, outlined a slightly unusual, yet enjoyable, program. There were three relatively short pieces on the program, so each was heard twice. First, we heard the Adagio movement from Bach’s G minor Sonata for solo violin. Mr. Peskanov’s playing was fairly muscular while also displaying periods of sweetness, and there were some very nice segues between musical phrases. When he went back a second time, I found his playing to be a little bit gentler and more flowing, demonstrating his point that pieces are often open to different interpretations. One of his themes throughout the afternoon was that musical works are almost always works in progress.

Next on the program was a pre-world premiere performance of David Del Tredici’s The Last Violin, with Mr. Del Tredici at the piano and Mr. Peskanov playing violin. An aside, here—one of the really cool things about Bargemusic’s free Saturday afternoon concerts is that you never know ahead of time what you’ll be hearing. By being in the right place at the right time, I got to hear a Pulitzer Prize–winning composer! The piece was quite lovely, gentle and song-like. Both musicians played with a chamber music approach and sensibility. There was also a section that built in intensity and drama before returning to the main theme, with embellishments. In this case, we did not get the second hearing immediately. We moved on to the third piece on the program.

This piece also featured the composer as performer, bass trombonist David Taylor. His piece, for bass trombone and violin, was much more modern sounding and was based on repeating “vamps”—musical ideas that were repeated and expanded upon. It was somewhat interesting, yet ultimately too segmented and artificial for my taste. There were effective compositional techniques, and it was well written and well played, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

On second hearing of The Last Violin, I enjoyed it anew. The melodies were just as effective, and knowing what was just ahead made it even more enjoyable—a wonderful combination of haunting and romantic. Can you tell that I really, really liked this piece? I decided not to give Mr. Taylor’s composition a second hearing; I wanted to end my afternoon with the sounds of Mr. Del Tredici’s work in my ear and my memory.

I can’t sing the praises of Bargemusic enough. Check it out if you get a chance. You never know what types of wonderful things you might stumble upon.

ConcertMeister

Naumburg Nights (8/5/14)

(No, you're not seeing double! The last one was Knights.) Oh wait, you are seeing double!

Christina and Michelle Naughton: A Concert for Two Pianos

I believe this was a first for me—I’ve seen piano four hands before, but never two pianos (at least not live). Not only are they sisters, they’re twins. Fortunately they were dressed in two different shades of green, so it was easy to distinguish one from the other, though I’m still not sure which was which.

Scaramouche – 1. Vif; 2. Moderé; 3. Brazileira – Darius Milhaud (1892–1974)
Hallelujah Junction – Three unnamed movements – John Adams (1947–)
La Valse – Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Rite of Spring – Part I: The Adoration of the Earth; Part II: The Sacrifice –
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)

The first movement of the Milhaud reminded me of a music box run amok, with lots of running scales and flourishes. I wondered if maybe it was based on folk tunes. The second had a gentle opening, with a call-and-response mix of tune and chords. There was a section that sounded like walking music that then morphed into a sweet waltz section, still with a music box feel. The third had definite Latin rhythms from the get go. It was tuneful and was a cross between Latin rhythms and ragtime. It finished with a full-out restatement of the opening theme.

For the Adams piece, the pianists switched instruments. That is, the one playing the stage right piano for the first piece was now playing the stage left piano and vice versa. The most I can say for this piece was that it displayed rhythmic explorations in a repetitive way. There were variations of rhythms, a hint of boogie-woogie, a thump-thumping section, a gentle section, a ... well, you get my drift. I was more impressed with the playing than I was with the composition.

La Valse had a misty opening until hints of waltz phrases began appearing, coalescing into more structured and lengthier phrases. There were variations on waltz themes, with one section particularly reminiscent of a French carrousel, at least to me. The piece sort of came together and then deconstructed itself.

The playing throughout was really very good, though some of the musical shadings were lost because of the outdoor setting. The soft sections were really soft while the bang-’em-up sections lacked oomph; without benefit of walls the sound dissipated fairly rapidly. Also, the pianists played all of this difficult repertoire from memory—quite a feat, if you ask me.

Most of what I wrote in the last paragraph sums up my musings on the Stravinsky. I liked it but it lacked some oomph. Not being overly familiar with the score or its attendant ballet plot, I wasn’t overly captivated by the piece as a whole. I’m glad I heard it but I’m not sure I’d seek out the score—two-piano or orchestral version—any time in the near future.

Fortunately, the weather was fine, if a bit warm and muggy. There’s one more concert in the Naumburg series on the 12th. The long-term forecast is a bit iffy, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

ConcertMeister

Trio Alba (7/24/14)

Livia Sellin, violin; Philipp Comploi, cello; Chengcheng Zhao, piano

Piano Trio No. 43 in C major, Hob. XV:27 – Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Give Me Phoenix Wings to Fly (1997) – Kelly-Marie Murphy (1964)
Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 – Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

This joyful concert took place at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and as one patron was heard to say afterward, “Sometimes the concerts here are very modern. This one was quite nice.” And I couldn’t agree more. My listening experience has grown with various programming at ACFNY but a more usual – for want of a better word – concert was an interesting change of pace.

Trio Alba was formed in 2008 yet they play as if they’ve been together a lot longer than that. The Haydn had very polished playing, with a strong sense of ensemble. The first movement began with a playful opening as well as a mix of some serious themes. The second opened with a brief piano introduction, with a slower tempo, in general, but the trio still had a very full sound. The violin was featured with a second theme followed by a dramatic section for all three players, leading to a quiet ending. The final movement was brisk and bright with a high energy level throughout (in fact, almost frantic at the end).

Ms. Murphy’s composition was modern but not fractured in style; powerful and very listenable, even with its modern sounds and techniques. There were hints of Stravinsky-esque rhythms that I felt were borrowed, not stolen, if that makes sense. A sustained bass piano note segued nicely into the second part which was moody and intriguing, mostly calm, and quasi-impressionistic. A solo violin theme, that was then joined by the cello and piano, brought a return of energy, speed, and power to close out the piece.

The Mendelssohn opened with a full, rich, Romantic sound. In some ways the writing was more predictable, in a slightly formulaic way, than the Haydn but it was very interesting and tuneful, soaring at times, even in its minor tonality. The second movement had a chorale-like piano opening. The others joined in with a gentler, though still forward-moving energy. There were beautifully shaped phrases throughout the entire movement. A scherzo followed, launched by the violin and quickly joined by the piano and cello. This was an extremely high energy movement, with the qualities of the scherzo and composition reminding me of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. The fourth movement, an allegro, actually sounded like a summing up of what had been heard previously, and was unabashedly joyful. There was a return to the chorale-like feel, which was then grandly stated, followed by a final flourish.

Trio Alba’s debut CD includes Mendelssohn’s two piano trios, and their playing here shows their thorough knowledge of the piece. It was pure fun. We were also treated to an encore – Oblivion, by Astor Piazzolla. It was sentimental and sweet but also sincere. And if what I heard announced from the stage was true, this was the trio’s first concert in the U.S. What a treat for us!

ConcertMeister