June 12 was the opening concert of Naumburg’s 113th season, and it was a perfect evening for an al fresco performance by Ensemble LPR, Ankush Bahl, conductor; Tessa Lark, violin.
Fanfare & Fugue (for a Fish) (2018) World Premiere – David Handler (1980–)
Aurora (1999) East Coast Premiere – Thea Musgrave (1928–)
The Red Violin: Suite for Violin and Orchestra (1999) East Coast Premiere – John Corigliano (1938–)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880) – Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Clair de Lune (1890), L. 75, (arr. Lipton) – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
The first piece was a sort of atonal throwback to an American band concert piece. It was interesting music with a touch of whimsy (a nice harp/marimba duet) leading into a rather hefty pizzicato section for all of the strings. A good opener. The second piece was for strings only—well, the birds joined in from time to time—and was also fairly modern/atonal and somewhat static, although there was a build of intensity, rhythm, and volume before retreating to a subdued ending. I know very little about the film that Mr. Corigliano wrote the score for, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. In the suite performed here, the solo violin sections set against an orchestral backup were some of the best parts. Also very effective was pairing the violin and harp with string accompaniment. The interruption of the percussion was both startling and energizing. The piece was enjoyable and Ms. Lark did a fine job.
After intermission, the Tchaikovsky, one of my favorite pieces, was unabashed romantic fun. In four movements, the first had a haunting grandeur in the opening theme that then transformed into bubbling joy. The second movement was pleasant and lilting from the very beginning. The movement chugs along and it’s just right, even with touches of rubato (where the tempo is stretched and adjusted ever so slightly). The third movement sets out to tug at your heartstrings and succeeds. The segue into the fourth movement was a thing of beauty, a slow build into a cheerful (almost relentlessly so) section and then bam! a return to that grand opening theme brought us full circle. I loved it and the audience did too.
In a rather clever bit of programming, Clair de Lune was almost a programmed encore. It was a lovely way to end a lovely evening.
Two weeks later, same venue but with a different orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21/61 (1826–1843), (arr. Andreas Tarkmann) – Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Summer Night, Pastoral Intermezzo for Strings, Op. 58 (1945) New York Premiere – Othmar Schoeck (1886–1957)
String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 “Serioso” (1810), (arr. Gustav Mahler) – Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
The Mendelssohn is relatively well known, at least parts of it, and this suite in ten movements led me into a sort of stream-of-consciousness note taking. It began with calm, serene writing leading into a sprightly section, then full, sweet, and charming—including a tell-tale hee-haw, hee-haw!—before returning to the opening motif. The second movement was bright and cheerful, with forward-driving rhythms (plus those chirping birds from two weeks ago, too) and then a clever ending. The third was fuller with horns, percussion, and a fuller winds presence. The fourth was like a song, mostly in the winds and some of the lower strings. The fifth continued with driving rhythms but also slightly gentler, like a little breather, and then a little dance. The sixth was calmer and legato, a chorale in the horns and lower strings, although the higher strings added a few accents leading into lovely longer phrases. And then the seventh—the Wedding March (is everybody humming along?). The eighth was a little darker, with bassoon, timpani, and clarinets and then full orchestra. The ninth had driving rhythms but was not overly loud or harsh. The tenth mirrored the calm, serene chords from the opening. It was nice to hear all of the movements together.
With all of the strings (except the cellos) standing, the Schoeck was slightly modern but still very tonal, with a mostly calm opening that built in volume a little, fairly pleasant and unassuming. That might sound like a put-down but really, it isn’t. It was a pleasant summer night diversion.
The Beethoven had a fairly aggressive opening with a mix of louder and softer dynamics and with a richness and heft associated with Beethoven and then a lovely ending. The second was calmer but with enough rhythmic energy to earn its Allegretto moniker, though it did end with a slightly introspective feel. The third was very energetic, including a dramatic section that then calmed somewhat and was straightforward, though a few playful touches were included as well. The final movement began calmly but also had rhythmic motion and accents not quite where you expected them. A brief coda rounded out the piece and the evening.
For my New York peeps, the next Naumburg concert is Tuesday, July 10, when the Boston-based chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, will be performing.
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