A Centenary Celebration of Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)
William Terwilliger, violin
Andrew Cooperstock, piano
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano – Grazioso – Un poco più mosso; Andantino – Vivace e leggiero (1941–42/2008) – Leonard Bernstein (arr. William Terwilliger)
For Aaron Copland (1942) – Leonard Bernstein
Duo for Violin and Piano – I. Flowing; II. Poetic, somewhat mournful; III. Lively, with bounce (1971/1977) – Aaron Copland (1900–1990)
Violin Sonata – I. Moderato assai; II. Variation on Movement I (1939–40) – Leonard Bernstein
Touches: Chorale, Eight Variations and Coda (1980) – Leonard Bernstein
Four Moments from Candide – I. Moderato (“I Am Easily Assimilated”);
II. Andantino cantabile (“You Were Dead, You Know”); III. Aria (“Glitter and Be Gay”); IV. Andante Moderato (“Make Our Garden Grow”) (1956/2008) – Leonard Bernstein (arr. Eric Stern)
For those of you reading closely, you’ll wonder why a violin and a piano played
a piece written for clarinet and piano. This is a fairly frequent substitution,
and if you’re reading very closely, you’ll see that the work was arranged by
Mr. Terwilliger, the violinist of Opus Two. The first movement seemed very modern for Bernstein but melodic and rhythmic in a good way. The second was gentle to begin with, followed by a quicker, rhythmically driving section. A return to gentleness was lovely in certain places. The next quick section mixed some harsh sounds with some nice tunes. It was a good opening to a good concert.
For Aaron Copland is one of a set of Anniversaries for Piano—a series that Bernstein did from time to time in homage of favorite people in his life. It was calm and pretty for the most part though it still included some modern harmonies. And it was appropriate here, as Bernstein and Copland had a lifelong friendship.
The Duo by Copland began with solo violin before being joined by the piano and was lyrical but also mixed in some rapid sections as well. The second movement was also gentle at the beginning, leading to a tuneful section with more modern harmonies; it was rather moody at times. The final movement was bright, almost harsh, yet with a certain charm.
The first movement of Bernstein’s sonata opened with a wandering violin tune above an insistent slow rhythm in the piano. A somewhat amorphous section followed; a lot of it was interesting though it didn’t make a lot of sense to me. The first variation had a piano introduction with harsh chords and rhythms joined by the violin with a calmer tune, and then the piano took over again in harsh mode joined by an equally harsh violin, with lots of noise and lots of notes. Next we had a calmer piano introduction and a calm violin tune when it came in. It was a lot easier to listen to, for me. A contrasting section was louder and more rhythmic. In what seemed to me to be a third variation, it was lyrical to begin with, followed by a section with a sustained low violin note against a rippling piano accompaniment. This was followed by a subdued, abrupt, calm ending. As explained from the stage, this was a student composition and it sort of showed. There was a lot there but it needed to be harnessed a little better. All of this is my opinion only, of course.
An interesting note about the solo piano piece Touches is that it was composed as a required piece for all contestants in the sixth Van Cliburn International Competition. The Chorale had lots of open chords and wide ranges in the phrases. I had trouble distinguishing the eight separate variations, but they ranged from choppy, with touches of jazz, to darker and heavier, though still with jazz influences, to more rhythmic, without being too brash, to choppy phrases again, to clanging, bell-like chords, to gentler. It was a nice piece even through all of the rambling.
I was familiar with three of the four Candide tunes. (As an aside, I worked with the arranger, Eric Stern, in 1980 when he was musical director of an Equity showcase production of Anyone Can Whistle that I was cast in. But enough about me.) The first Candide tune had a distinct Spanish/Latin flair which makes sense because the character who sings it in the show has been transported to South America. There was a lovely lyrical middle part, almost swooning and swaying, before returning to the fiery opening. The second movement, originally a love duet between Cunegonde and Candide was my unfamiliar one. It was gentle, tuneful, and quite charming, just what you want in a love duet. Next was Glitter and Be Gay. I didn’t even bother taking notes—I sat back and listened. If you don’t know it, do an online search and treat yourself. I was of two minds about the fourth movement, which is also the finale of Candide. Even though it’s eventually uplifting, it has an inherently haunting feel to it that weighs down on me.
I was also of two minds about the encore played by the duo. Somewhere, from West Side Story, was relatively straightforward, with a few frills thrown in for good measure, but it seemed like a bit of a downer to me, especially right after Make Our Garden Grow. Once again, my opinion only. But, hey, that’s why they pay me the big—oh. Never mind.
ConcertMeister
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