Erin Wagner
(photo by Jiyang Chen)
In a world in which artistic organizations come and go, in which artistic missions are altered to suit changing tastes, and in which new institutions are mere flashes in the proverbial pan, it is reassuring to know that Naumburg Orchestral Concerts has been providing free outdoor concerts for New York City concert goers for a record 121 years! This is the oldest free concert series in the world!
That inclement weather drove Monday night's concert indoors took nothing away from the experience. St. Mary's church in the Theater District is not only capacious but visually artistic. The space was filled to capacity and a large clutch of disappointed would be audience members were sadly left outdoors.
And what a concert they missed! This was not the first time that the venerable Orchestra of St.Luke's was invited to perform at the Naumburg Concerts and it was a most fortunate choice. Under the baton of Maestro Brad Lubman, a program of Mozart works was scheduled, offering works from his teenage years all the way through to his mature works.They were perfectly suited to the outdoor venue of the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park but, by virtue of some superb performances, survived the steamy atmosphere inside the church whilst nasty thunderstorms raged outside.
The Naumburg Concerts historically presented vocal music at a time when opera was all the rage. To our delight, that tradition was preserved at this performance by the welcome presence of Erin Wagner, a singer we much admire and whose career we have documented from her undergraduate days at Manhattan School of Music, through her winning of multiple competitions.
Five years ago, Ms. Wagner won the Walter Naumburg International Competition. Listed on the program as a mezzo-soprano, a fach by which we know her, we were puzzled as soon as we opened the program. Her selection of Mozart arias did not include the expected "Parto, Parto" but did include the moving "Porgi amor" from Nozze di Figaro!
We managed to find Ms. Wagner backstage during intermission and heard the news from her directly. There is a change of fach in progress and we are totally on board with it. Without benefit of costume or set, Ms. Wagner conveyed the pensive and pleading tone of the abandoned Countess Almaviva from Nozze di Figaro with all the artistic subtlety the aria demands. Cherubino's aria "Voi che sapete" was delivered with totally different coloration, just as one might expect from a hormonal youth. Both characters are lovelorn but in different ways.
By contrast, "Tutte nel cor vi sento" from Idomeneo is an expression of Elettra's jealous rage, all of which came through loud and clear. It was illuminating to hear the artist create three different characters in three different situations. Several concert arias completed the set and the artist graciously acceded to the audience's demands for an encore.
The remainder of the program showed the range of Mozart's talent from his teenage forays Divertimento in D Major, K 136 and Symphony No. 21 in A major, K. 134 to his mature Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 of l787 which was our favorite instrumental work on the program. We certainly got the point that Mozart was a master of the sonata-allegro form but the final piece showed off his melodic mastery and left us humming the tunes,a situation which regular readers know is one of the things we most appreciate about music.
We wondered how many people in the audience were aware of the energetic fight to preserve the Naumburg Bandshell from demolition several decades ago. Fortunately Elkan Naumburg's plan to democratize musical performance has been preserved. The story is well worth your attention, not only the story of the building of the bandshell and its history but also the story of the initiator of the concert series and the involvement of his family.
There are even connections with Walter Damrosch and Marcella Sembrich whose vocal foundation has benefitted so many young singers. Even the story of the architecture of the Naumburg bandshell is fascinating. Indeed we are happy that it was preserved!
© meche kroop
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