Beethoven and a Bouquet of French Gems
Raj Bhimani is a pianist I’ve heard before, so I made sure to attend when I saw his name on the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts brochure. I wasn’t disappointed.
Sonata in G Major Op. 14, No. 2 (1798–9) – Allegro; Andante; Scherzo: Allegro assai – Ludwig van Beethoven – (1770–1827)
Sonata in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata” (1804–5) – Allegro assai; Andante con moto; Allegro ma non troppo – Beethoven
Preludes for Piano – IV. D’Ombre et de Silence (In Shadow and Silence) (1973); V. Sur un même accord (On One Chord) (1977); VI. Le Jeu des contraires (The Game of Opposites) (1988) – Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013)
Barcarolle No. 6 in E-flat Major, Op. 70 (1896) – Gabriel Fauré
(1845–1924)
Idylle, from Pièces Pittoresques (1881) – Emmanuel Chabrier (1841–1894)
Concert Etude in D-flat Major, Op. 35, No. 2, “Autumn” (1886) –
Cécile Chaminade (1857–1944)
Minuet in C-sharp Minor (1904) – Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Piano Piece, Op. 49, No. 3 (1933) – Albert Roussel (1869–1937)
All three movements of the first Beethoven sonata had nice, pretty, interesting phrases, but they were also a little bit disjointed, making the work seem slightly dry and lacking in wholeness, for want of a better word. The Appassionata had a mysterious quality to begin with and then added much more drama. There was a mix of dark, strong chords and phrases juxtaposed with some gentle filigree, with some bravura playing thrown into the mix. The second movement sounded like a chorale with a pensive quality. Once again, there was a bit of a disjointed quality before we segued into the third movement, consisting of lovely and lively and dramatic sections, including quite a lot of finger fireworks. It’s not nicknamed Appassionata for nothing!
After the intermission, Mr. Bhimani spoke briefly about Henri Dutilleux, even saying that he guessed most of us had never heard his music before. That was certainly true of me. Dutilleux’ output as a composer is not very large, and Mr. Bhimani had a chance to meet him and form a friendship while studying in Paris. In fact, one of the pieces on Saturday’s program, if I’m remembering correctly, is an unpublished work played from the composer’s handwritten manuscript. The first piece was modern, in terms of harmonies, somewhat moody yet still easily listened to. The second was a little more dramatic and slightly wandering, in an interesting way. (What was not interesting was a cell phone ringing in the audience during the piece. If you use your cell phone during intermission, silence it at the start of the second half of the program! Down off of my soapbox now.) The third piece had some harsh dissonances that resolved into a single pitch. There was fun use of sustained tones and pedaling resulting, though, in music that is worth listening to. But not to all of the audience, as quite a few people left after the Dutilleux.
Sadly for them, they really did miss some French gems. The next three pieces were played as a small set, and Mr. Bhimani managed to play them without applause in between just by his demeanor at the keyboard. The pieces were (and I’m sort of capsulizing my notes here) melodic and pretty, energetic but not too, nice to listen to in a light and pleasant way, and in the Chaminade, what seemed to me as if it could have been a grand accompaniment for a classical chanson.
The brief Ravel piece had a wistful quality and pretty tunes and phrases, while the Roussel brought us back to the world of modern harmonies, but not of the knock-your-socks-off variety. It was very boisterous with playful, shifting rhythms and touches of jazz, with a classical flair. Throughout the afternoon, Mr. Bhimani played beautifully (with maybe a bobble or two). He brought a real commitment to a broad range of solo piano music, and I’ll continue to keep his name on my radar.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Backtracking (2/6/16)
The New York Classical Players present
Beethoven Encounters
Symphony No. 2 | “Archduke Trio”
OK, this was pretty cool. Naomi Kudo, piano; Emily Daggett Smith, violin; and Alice Yoo, cello; presented a wonderful afternoon of Beethoven. The Symphony No. 2 was played in a piano trio version that the composer himself created.
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 – I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio;
II. Larghetto (A major); III. Scherzo. Allegro – Trio; IV. Allegro molto
Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke” – I. Allegro moderato;
II. Scherzo (Allegro); III. Andante cantabile ma però con moto. Poco piu adagio;
IV. Allegro moderato – Presto 2/4 – 6/8
Don’t you just love Italian? And math? The first movement of the symphony (in transcription) was quite dramatic from the outset, but also tuneful, including broad themes with some lovely filigree thrown in. The opening of the second movement made me think of theme music for a classical (WQXR?) radio program, though I can’t quite identify it. It was a mix of gentleness and power that was rather lengthy but full of enough variety to hold my interest. After minor re-tuning, the third movement had a nice feel of forward energy with sprightly passages that reminded me of Mendelssohn (though it might have been the other way around). The final movement was bright and lively, without being too boisterous. It was graceful throughout, even in the dramatic sections, only slightly marred by a cell phone going off. Really, people?
While the symphony was from around 1802 (early period), the “Archduke” (and I don’t know why it has that name) was from around 1810-ish (the beginning of the late period). In fact, as we learned from the stage, Beethoven played the premiere (or at least performed) this piece, one of the last that he did because of his increasing deafness.
The first movement had a mix of emotions—serious and beautiful. It was fuller in style that the earlier composition, with an interesting pizzicato section that had a filigree accompaniment in the piano. While stretching and expanding forms and harmonies, there were many shifts of mood leading to a dramatic ending. After a cello opening, the second movement had the violin join and then the piano in a playful but sturdy way. While very interesting, compositionally, I found myself wondering whether this was considered daring in its day. After slight re-tuning, the third movement had a chorale-like setting that then turned haunting and melancholy. There were many (almost too many?) themes that led immediately into the final movement. There were rapid dramatic themes with touches of brightness and, possibly, even hope.
Three wonderful players in an afternoon that included a bit of discussion with the artists before the start of the second half of the concert. While somewhat interesting, the discussion seemed slightly forced and scripted. This was not my (and some other audience members’) favorite part of the afternoon. But the music was a big hit. Even with my 94-year-old seat mate with whom I had a very interesting intermission chat. It’s fun being …
ConcertMeister
The New York Classical Players present
Beethoven Encounters
Symphony No. 2 | “Archduke Trio”
OK, this was pretty cool. Naomi Kudo, piano; Emily Daggett Smith, violin; and Alice Yoo, cello; presented a wonderful afternoon of Beethoven. The Symphony No. 2 was played in a piano trio version that the composer himself created.
Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 – I. Adagio molto – Allegro con brio;
II. Larghetto (A major); III. Scherzo. Allegro – Trio; IV. Allegro molto
Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, “Archduke” – I. Allegro moderato;
II. Scherzo (Allegro); III. Andante cantabile ma però con moto. Poco piu adagio;
IV. Allegro moderato – Presto 2/4 – 6/8
Don’t you just love Italian? And math? The first movement of the symphony (in transcription) was quite dramatic from the outset, but also tuneful, including broad themes with some lovely filigree thrown in. The opening of the second movement made me think of theme music for a classical (WQXR?) radio program, though I can’t quite identify it. It was a mix of gentleness and power that was rather lengthy but full of enough variety to hold my interest. After minor re-tuning, the third movement had a nice feel of forward energy with sprightly passages that reminded me of Mendelssohn (though it might have been the other way around). The final movement was bright and lively, without being too boisterous. It was graceful throughout, even in the dramatic sections, only slightly marred by a cell phone going off. Really, people?
While the symphony was from around 1802 (early period), the “Archduke” (and I don’t know why it has that name) was from around 1810-ish (the beginning of the late period). In fact, as we learned from the stage, Beethoven played the premiere (or at least performed) this piece, one of the last that he did because of his increasing deafness.
The first movement had a mix of emotions—serious and beautiful. It was fuller in style that the earlier composition, with an interesting pizzicato section that had a filigree accompaniment in the piano. While stretching and expanding forms and harmonies, there were many shifts of mood leading to a dramatic ending. After a cello opening, the second movement had the violin join and then the piano in a playful but sturdy way. While very interesting, compositionally, I found myself wondering whether this was considered daring in its day. After slight re-tuning, the third movement had a chorale-like setting that then turned haunting and melancholy. There were many (almost too many?) themes that led immediately into the final movement. There were rapid dramatic themes with touches of brightness and, possibly, even hope.
Three wonderful players in an afternoon that included a bit of discussion with the artists before the start of the second half of the concert. While somewhat interesting, the discussion seemed slightly forced and scripted. This was not my (and some other audience members’) favorite part of the afternoon. But the music was a big hit. Even with my 94-year-old seat mate with whom I had a very interesting intermission chat. It’s fun being …
ConcertMeister
Friday, February 12, 2016
Sybarite5 (1/31/16)
Thanks, once again, to a Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert (great series, by the way), I heard Sybarite5 play some very eclectic music. I took only a few notes, since the hall was completely darkened. As a result, I went to their website to get a playlist of the concert. My scribbled notes were pretty darn close, in terms of the titles, though.
Weird Fishes – Radiohead; Black Bend – Dan Visconti; Getting Home (…I
Must Be) – Jessica Meyer; Yann’s Flight – Shawn Conley; Paranoid Android – Radiohead (arr. Kim); Muerte del Angel – Astor Piazzolla (arr. Bragato/
syb5); Elegy – Edward Elgar; Groove Machine – Marc Mellits; Two Armenian Folk Songs – Komitas; No Surprises – Radiohead; Turceasca – Taraf de Haidouks (arr. Matt Van Brink); and, as an encore, Escuela – Piazzolla (arr. Bragato/syb5)
Um, ’Meister, who (or what) is Sybarite5? Ah, yes. They are a string quintet—the usual suspects, violins, Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney; viola,
Angela Pickett; cello, Laura Metcalf; with bass, Louis Levitt added into the mix. The first piece had driving jazz rhythms to begin with that were interesting but eventually ended up meandering. Maybe I’m just not a Radiohead fan. It turns out that that was true. I really wasn’t all that moved by any of the Radiohead songs throughout the afternoon.
In fact, very little of the music had much of an effect on me such that I can comment on it a week and a half later, though I distinctly remember wanting to like the Elgar more than I did. Piazzolla is a composer I am more familiar with than most on the program, and I enjoyed those pieces a little bit more than some of the others. All five players were really good, and they had a great rapport. And adding a bass to your standard string quartet gave a nice bit of oomph. As some of their promotional copy ran, this is “not your grandparents’ chamber music.” The two Armenian folk songs had some pleasant charm, and I liked the encore, probably because it was also Piazzolla.
Sybarite5 is not exactly my cup of tea, but they were enthusiastically received by the almost completely full audience. And the hall, the Dr. S. Steven Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library, is a gem of a theater, with comfortable seating, including ample leg room. An enjoyable concert in a truly enjoyable space, marred only by two different cell phones going off at two different times.
Concertmeister
Weird Fishes – Radiohead; Black Bend – Dan Visconti; Getting Home (…I
Must Be) – Jessica Meyer; Yann’s Flight – Shawn Conley; Paranoid Android – Radiohead (arr. Kim); Muerte del Angel – Astor Piazzolla (arr. Bragato/
syb5); Elegy – Edward Elgar; Groove Machine – Marc Mellits; Two Armenian Folk Songs – Komitas; No Surprises – Radiohead; Turceasca – Taraf de Haidouks (arr. Matt Van Brink); and, as an encore, Escuela – Piazzolla (arr. Bragato/syb5)
Um, ’Meister, who (or what) is Sybarite5? Ah, yes. They are a string quintet—the usual suspects, violins, Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney; viola,
Angela Pickett; cello, Laura Metcalf; with bass, Louis Levitt added into the mix. The first piece had driving jazz rhythms to begin with that were interesting but eventually ended up meandering. Maybe I’m just not a Radiohead fan. It turns out that that was true. I really wasn’t all that moved by any of the Radiohead songs throughout the afternoon.
In fact, very little of the music had much of an effect on me such that I can comment on it a week and a half later, though I distinctly remember wanting to like the Elgar more than I did. Piazzolla is a composer I am more familiar with than most on the program, and I enjoyed those pieces a little bit more than some of the others. All five players were really good, and they had a great rapport. And adding a bass to your standard string quartet gave a nice bit of oomph. As some of their promotional copy ran, this is “not your grandparents’ chamber music.” The two Armenian folk songs had some pleasant charm, and I liked the encore, probably because it was also Piazzolla.
Sybarite5 is not exactly my cup of tea, but they were enthusiastically received by the almost completely full audience. And the hall, the Dr. S. Steven Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library, is a gem of a theater, with comfortable seating, including ample leg room. An enjoyable concert in a truly enjoyable space, marred only by two different cell phones going off at two different times.
Concertmeister
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Songbook 2016 (1/25/16)
Featuring Lyricist Bill Nelson
First off, a great show with lots of talented performers, all volunteering their time. Now for the tough part. How to report on a lyricist? A lot of the songs were superb, and that's what comes from good teamwork between composers and lyricists; however, I can’t really quote lots of clever lyrics because they went by too quickly for my scribbling pen. That said, I’ll do the best that I can.
The opening number set the bar pretty high. Approximately 30 members of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus filed out to sing, appropriately, “I Will Sing,” from Mr. Nelson’s Harmony, Kansas (music, Anna K. Jacobs). It worked as an opening number, even though it’s the finale of the show. For the record, the evening contained three songs from Harmony, Kansas, three from Men with Money (music (and additional lyrics), Joseph Trefler), and two from Carmen (music, Ben Wexler).
There were stand-alone songs as well, including “There Are Rules” (music, Will Aronson), winningly sung by Gretchen Wylder, depicting a woman’s innermost thoughts while flying in a plane. Funny stuff. Another *starred* entry (my notes to myself) was “I Wish You Could Tell Me Who You Are” (music, Will Aronson), inspired by Mr. Nelson’s autistic nephew. It was extremely touching, and nicely sung by Brad Standley.
Two more numbers from Harmony, Kansas followed—“Singin’ with the Boys” and “I Bring the Snacks.” Briefly, the show, Harmony Kansas, is about a group of gay farmers who get together to sing. Both songs had nice vocal harmonies, and Aaron Phillips was appropriately over the top in “Snacks,” a rant about some newcomer bringing treats to the meeting, such treats being the self-proclaimed job of Mr. Phillips’ character. At last! A lyric that I captured, “No muffin left behind.” I’ve heard this song before; repeated hearings are just as enjoyable.
A stand-alone song sung by Mr. Nelson, “Cindy Brady” (music, Bradford Proctor), was a fun and simple paean to the youngest Brady girl. Another favorite of mine was “Be Like Bill Finn” (music, Will Aronson), written as a tribute for William Finn’s (March of the Falsettos) 60th birthday. Another stand-alone with an interesting back story was “Belle Rive” (music, Ben Wexler). Apparently, and I may be mangling this, all participants in the NYU songwriting curriculum are required to write a song for Blanche DuBois, and this was Messrs. Nelson’s and Wexler’s contribution.
Three songs, performed together, from Men with Money—“Men with Money,” “Hot Dogs,” and “Go for the Tackle,”—showed very well. As did two songs from “Carmen”—a 1970s, Las Vegas-esque retelling of the famed opera, with touches of soul music style.
This was, all in all, a varied, interesting program from a talented lyricist (and composer—he wrote the music to one of the songs presented) who seems to be able to make good choices in selecting composers as collaborators. Sorry I couldn’t capture more lyrics.
ConcertMeister
First off, a great show with lots of talented performers, all volunteering their time. Now for the tough part. How to report on a lyricist? A lot of the songs were superb, and that's what comes from good teamwork between composers and lyricists; however, I can’t really quote lots of clever lyrics because they went by too quickly for my scribbling pen. That said, I’ll do the best that I can.
The opening number set the bar pretty high. Approximately 30 members of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus filed out to sing, appropriately, “I Will Sing,” from Mr. Nelson’s Harmony, Kansas (music, Anna K. Jacobs). It worked as an opening number, even though it’s the finale of the show. For the record, the evening contained three songs from Harmony, Kansas, three from Men with Money (music (and additional lyrics), Joseph Trefler), and two from Carmen (music, Ben Wexler).
There were stand-alone songs as well, including “There Are Rules” (music, Will Aronson), winningly sung by Gretchen Wylder, depicting a woman’s innermost thoughts while flying in a plane. Funny stuff. Another *starred* entry (my notes to myself) was “I Wish You Could Tell Me Who You Are” (music, Will Aronson), inspired by Mr. Nelson’s autistic nephew. It was extremely touching, and nicely sung by Brad Standley.
Two more numbers from Harmony, Kansas followed—“Singin’ with the Boys” and “I Bring the Snacks.” Briefly, the show, Harmony Kansas, is about a group of gay farmers who get together to sing. Both songs had nice vocal harmonies, and Aaron Phillips was appropriately over the top in “Snacks,” a rant about some newcomer bringing treats to the meeting, such treats being the self-proclaimed job of Mr. Phillips’ character. At last! A lyric that I captured, “No muffin left behind.” I’ve heard this song before; repeated hearings are just as enjoyable.
A stand-alone song sung by Mr. Nelson, “Cindy Brady” (music, Bradford Proctor), was a fun and simple paean to the youngest Brady girl. Another favorite of mine was “Be Like Bill Finn” (music, Will Aronson), written as a tribute for William Finn’s (March of the Falsettos) 60th birthday. Another stand-alone with an interesting back story was “Belle Rive” (music, Ben Wexler). Apparently, and I may be mangling this, all participants in the NYU songwriting curriculum are required to write a song for Blanche DuBois, and this was Messrs. Nelson’s and Wexler’s contribution.
Three songs, performed together, from Men with Money—“Men with Money,” “Hot Dogs,” and “Go for the Tackle,”—showed very well. As did two songs from “Carmen”—a 1970s, Las Vegas-esque retelling of the famed opera, with touches of soul music style.
This was, all in all, a varied, interesting program from a talented lyricist (and composer—he wrote the music to one of the songs presented) who seems to be able to make good choices in selecting composers as collaborators. Sorry I couldn’t capture more lyrics.
ConcertMeister
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