PREformances with Allison Charney (2/25/13)

First, some backstory, then the program.

PREformances is billed as a program that presents artists performing pieces while still in the learning process, or in the learning-how-to-perform-them process. That’s not quite what we got on Monday night at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, a new venue to me. I attended as a guest via a giveaway from WQXR (NYC classical station, built on the public radio concept). Thank you, WQXR—thank you for a lot of things. (And yes, I am a member, and yes, my contribution has increased from year to year—go, ye, and do likewise—there, off my soapbox now.)

The PREformers included Allison Charney (soprano), Kajsa William-Olsson (cello), and Carol Wincenc (flute), all ably assisted/accompanied by Bryan Wagorn (piano)

The Program

Quando m’en vo (Musetta’s Waltz) (La Bohème), Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
Sonata for Cello and Piano in d-minor, Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Salce, Salce…Ave Maria (Otello), Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
Achat Sha’alti, Paul Schoenfield (b. 1947); Syrinx, Debussy; Cantabile et Presto, Georges Enesco (1881–1955) – all for flute
Zueignung, Richard Strauss (1864–1949)

These were not quite PREformaces, since most (if not all) of the works, except for the scene from Otello, seemed to be works that the players knew very well and had under their belts, so to speak, very well.

Musetta’s Waltz was included so that there would be something upbeat on the program. Throughout, Ms. Charney sang well, though there was some patchiness to my ears. Still, she has power and can also really float beautiful sounds.

The Cello Sonata was written late in Debussy’s life, but displayed very avant garde sounds and techniques. The playing (both cello and piano) was superb throughout. Even though these were new techniques and new sounds, all three movements always made sense musically—it didn’t seem to be technique for technique’s sake.

With the scene from Otello, Ms. Charney explained some of the things that she was working on, in preparing the piece. She had interactive moments, having the audience try to determine what soft, softer, and softer still, sounded and felt like; then stated that she had to explore what soft was so that the others would be balanced and make sense. We (the audience) also explored the meaning and difficulty of the exact same pitch repeated a few times. Ms. Charney made her points and then made them musically in her PREformance.

Discussion with Ms. Wincenc told us that the first piece, by Mr. Schoenfield (flute and piano), was composed for her. How cool is that? It was an interpretation of Jewish chant (or psalmody? I was jotting a few words and phrases as best I could), with a bit of a haunting melody. Apparently, Debussy’s Syrinx (solo flute) was composed as music for a play/ballet, and was originally played offstage. To enhance our listening experience, the stage and house lights were extinguished, and Ms. Wincenc played the entire solo in the dark. Very interesting. The Enesco (flute and piano) was quite nice with some technical pyrotechnics for both flute and piano. And I will say, again, Mr. Wagorn was as solid as a rock throughout the entire concert.

The Strauss (English title, Dedication) was a heartfelt rendition of what it is to honor someone else—something we should all remember to do a lot more often.

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A Splurge—Sort of

The backstory (already known to a few family members). I saw a recent WQXR blurb referencing a musical instrument called a serpent. You know how to Google, Yahoo! and internet search, right? Anyhoo, my Yahoo! search referenced PDQ Bach (do your own search!). I checked to see whether PDQ had any scheduled NYC performances. He didn’t. On a whim, I checked the King’s Singers (that’s the way my crazy mind works). Well—it appears that they were supposed to perform at Carnegie Hall (Zankel) but were postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. Huh! Out of the blue, I received a $50 gift card as a thank-you for my response to attempting to help out in the initial aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. And the King’s Singers concert was rescheduled for Feb. 18. I bought a $50 ticket; I went; I enjoyed.

The history—three pairs of madrigals from The Triumph of Oriana and Il trionforio di Dori—I’m not making this up, you know!

Suffice it to say that these six vocalists presented these 1557–1609 works in an absolutely beautiful performance, plus intermezzi. These consisted of works by Thomas Morley, Giovanni Croce, Camille Saint-Säens (intermezzo), Giovanni Gabrieli, Edward Johnson, Francis Poulenc (intermezzo), Giovanni Palestrina, Thomas Weelkes, plus Jody Talbot and Goffredo Petrassi. I’m not making this up, you know.

This is an all-male group consisting of two countertenors (no jokes, please), one tenor (no jokes, please), two baritones, and one bass. Whether that’s always been their mix in their history, I do not know.

This was great stuff. Beautiful sound—a mix of exquisitely blended sound with individually voiced sound, from time to time.

The second half of the concert included the Petrassi—Nonsense, by Edward Lear, translated from English to Italian. I’m here to tell you, limericks are funny – even in Italian! There followed a group of American Tin Pan Alley songs followed by four encores. Four well-deserved encores.

God Bless the Child (arr. Richard Rodney Bennett (world premiere – might need some work)), Look at Me, I’m On a Train (a tribute to subway noise), You Are the New Day (perennial favorite), plus And So It Goes (my best guess).

I love hearing this group. Obviously the personnel has changed over the last 30+ years, but they still put on a great show. I’m glad I heard them in a world-class hall.

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Con Brio Ensemble – 2/16/13

This is my second time hearing this ensemble. In checking my posts, I actually heard these three performers, as well. They were Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, piano; Hamilton Berry, cello; and Paul Roczek, violin.

The Program

Fantasy Pieces opus 73 for Cello and Piano (1849), Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Zart und mit Ausdruck (delicately with expression), Lebhaft, leicht (lively and lightly), Rasch und mit Feuer (fast with fire)

Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano (1886), César Franck (1822–1890)
Allegretto ben moderato, Allegro, Recitativo-Fantasia, Allegretto poco mosso

Trio on G major opus 3 (1911), Franz Mittler (1893–1970)
Allegro molto appassionato, Scherzo-Allegro, Andante, Allegro vivace

The entire afternoon was enjoyable but I must say that I really enjoyed the Schumann.
Mr. Berry (and Ms. Mittler-Battipaglia) played superbly. The movements were rich in tone and scope, with very nice interplay. There was a playful section in the second movement, with the third movement quite rapid, still beautiful, and still spirited, even when the tempo slowed slightly. This was A+ in my book—the piece itself and especially Mr. Berry’s playing.

I was not quite as taken with the Franck. Compositionally, there was more separation in the writing, with violin and piano and then separate phrases for piano only. Some of the chordal sections in the piano accompaniment reminded me of what my best friend in the entire world used to describe as “creepy-crawly French chords,” reminiscent of Franck’s history as a composer-organist. The third movement (and especially the fourth) brought recognizable tunes—indeed, the fourth movement is almost a “warhorse” candidate.

The Mittler trio was quite nice. Given the opus number and date of composition, we see that this was the early work of an 18-year-old. While not particularly sophisticated, it was fine, compositionally. I liked the second movement, with its lively opening, contrasting section and then a return to the opening themes. This movement (and the third) could be presented as stand-alone movements, in my opinion. That goes without saying for the final movement of the Franck, as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYlKi1n-n-8

I’d want to hear the Schumann in its entirety any time I heard it. Did I mention that I liked the Schumann?

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Live from Lincoln Center

“What is this?” you say?

But, Concertmeister, you provide commentary on free, or low-cost, NYC concerts. True. And that’s what Live from Lincoln Center is—the best NYC has to offer, for free (check your local PBS listings—it may be re-broadcast).

A tribute to Kander & Ebb, hosted by Rob Fisher* at the piano, with Marin Mazzie, Chita Rivera, Joel Grey, and Jason Danieley. Not a bad crowd.

We were spared “New York, New York,” but we were treated to numbers from Flora, the Red Menace, The Rink, Cabaret, Chicago and others. Having performed in both Chicago* (on three different occasions) and Cabaret* (twice), they were of special warm-and-fuzzies to me. Mr. Grey, in the opening from Cabaret, was a joy to behold. But so was his rendition of “Mr. Cellophane,” from Chicago and “Married,” from Cabaret. Ms. Rivera (whiskey-baritone and all) was great in “All That Jazz” and “Class,” both from Chicago. And, really, as far as lyrics go, you gotta love these rhymes—“Ev’rybody you watch … s’got his brains in his crotch—what became of Class?”

Mr. Danieley was superb throughout, and Ms. Mazzie really came through with “Ring Those Bells.”

A great tribute and a great Live from Lincoln Center production!

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*Additional info available on request.

Carnegie Neighborhood Concert Redux

Alison King, soprano; Carrie-Ann Matheson, piano

The program: Here amid the shady woods, from Balus; O sleep, why dost thou leave me, from Semele; Tornami a vagheggiar, from Alcina – George Frideric Handel, (1685–1759); Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, Franz Schubert (1797–1828); Shéhérazade, Asie, La flute enchantée, L’indifferént, Maurice Ravel (1878–1937); Selections from Chants d’Auvergne, Joseph Canteloube (1879–1957).

So far, we have a pretty straightforward song recital. And it begins that way, as well. The first two Handel arias are from what I consider to be early opera—light, clear vocal lines and light, clear accompaniment. Accompaniment, yes—vocal lines, a little less so.

I am not here to write a review, but my take on the vocal performance is my take. Ms. King’s approach, to these ears, seemed a little too harsh (I tried thinking of different words but this is what I came up with). The pitch seemed to suffer a bit, maybe from overforcing.

Her technique in the third Handel piece was self-evident and fine (if a little too prominent).

The Schubert was a lovely piece, with the addition of clarinetist Jessica Phillips. Throughout, Ms. Matheson was a supportive, and equal, partner.

After the intermission we had the Ravel, and Ms. King seemed a bit more relaxed—as did her voice.

Interestingly (history lesson here), Ms. King’s English translations of Chants d’Auvergne, by Sheldon Harnick, were a world premiere. Marilyn Horne, who was at the concert and spoke to the us at the intermission, informed us that Mr. Harnick had presented these lyrics to
Ms. Horne some years ago (and I’m being generous) but she never got around to using them. Ms. King did—and they are quite lovely. On top of that, they were written for Julie Andrews, who also never got around to using them!

On top of that, I saw Sheldon Harnick at my last Carnegie Neighborhood Concert. Is this a great city or what?!?

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Carnegie Hall Concerts—Community Sing

This was my second Community Sing and boy, am I glad I went. This one was “The People Sing with the Broadway All-Star Voices,” and did we ever. There were some sing-alongs—we started with “Let the Sunshine In” (from Hair), which we learned part-by-part (soprano, alto, TENOR, bass). After instruction, we were expected to remember it all! Some did.

This was followed by “Do-Re-Mi.” Okay, who can’t sing along with that? It tells you what to do! Next there was “To Life,” from Fiddler on the Roof—sounds crazy, no? This was a little iffy, since we didn’t have lyrics in front of us. But, oh! the next one. “Sunrise, Sunset,” introduced by Sheldon Harnick.  What an unassuming genius. This would have been worth the price of admission alone—but it was free! I love seeing living legends, and this was one more great example. And yes, Sheldon, the song still moves people to tears.

But, hey! This was a community sing. We did Rodgers & Hammerstein, we heard Kander & Ebb, we heard Sondheim. We sang portions of Rent (“Seasons of Love”) and “The People’s Song” (Les Miz—though the fast lyrics left a lot of us in the dust).

Then, in a bold move, we tackled the “Tonight” quintet from West Side Story. Kudos have to be given here to Leslie Stifelman (music director of Chicago) and Thomas Cabaniss, our host for the afternoon.

They taught us (the audience) the basics of that quintet and then threw us into the fire—what a great experience! The last time I sang Tony was with the Alabama Symphony (mumble-mumble-years-ago). The pipes were rusty, but they still worked!

I skipped out on the “New York, New York” finale. ConcertMeister tries to maintain some sense of decorum.

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