JUILLLIARD ORCHESTRA AT CARNEGIE HALL

Concertmaster Ashley Jeehyun Park, Maestro David Robertson, and pianist Tomer Gewirtzman

Last night, the esteemed Juilliard Orchestra took the stage of Carnegie Hall and did honor to both Juilliard and to the renowned New York City landmark. We felt as if we were hearing the orchestra for the first time. The sonic landscape took shape before our very eyes, or should we say, ears.  

Dvorák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, known as The New World Symphony, is one of our favorite symphonies, one we have heard countless times.  Last night, we appreciated it anew as the incredibly talented Juilliard musicians brought an intense sense of drama to the work, under the baton of Maestro David Robertson.

We understand that Maestro Robertson will become the Director of Conducting Studies at Juilliard and, judging by the way the members of the orchestra responded to him, he is a splendid choice. His style is highly energetic, and at times he wielded the baton like an épée, thrusting it at various sections of the orchestra.

This produced a clarity that brought new understanding of Dvorák's melodic and rhythmic gifts. Although every program note we have ever read claims the use of Afro-American and Native American melodic material, what we heard struck us as significantly nationalistic-- Bohemian, not American. 

There was a sense of unity to the work with Bohemian melodies weaving in and out, modified rhythmically, dynamically, tonally, and harmonically. We danced our way out the door, humming the memorable melodies.  For us, this signifies a major musical success.

The 9th symphony was written, along with several other fine pieces, upon the composer's arrival in New York City in the waning decade of the 19th c. when he assumed the directorship of the National Conservatory of Music. 

He lived on 17th Street, just west of First Avenue. We know this because we lived in hospital housing just next door and were invited inside by the man who lived there at that time who saw us reading the brass plaque outside. Sadly, Beth Israel Hospital had the building demolished to suit their expansion. The campaign to "save Dvorák's House" failed.  We wept.

The work begins with a gentle introduction which bursts into a muscular explosion of sound, with plenty of rumbling in the lower end of the register. And then, one glorious melody after another comes tumbling out, bounding from one section of the orchestra to another in endless variations.

The Largo begins in solemnity with mournful themes and plenty of action in the brasses. We somehow felt the expansion of the universe. We heard the night fall. We loved the pizzicati from the basses. We needed the quiet pauses to catch our breath.

There was nothing funny about the Scherzo, just a salad of motifs picked up from the profusion of melodic invention, played with insistent rhythm.

The final movement introduced a powerful martial theme, leading to a raucous dance that held us in suspense.  Of course, everyone has their own response to music; we are only sharing ours.

The program also included the devilishly difficult Piano Concerto No. 3 by Béla Bartók, performed by the much honored Tomer Gewirtzman who is studying for his Artist Diploma at Juilliard but is already famous and sought after worldwide.

This was Bartók's final composition which he almost finished on his deathbed. It was actually finished by his pupil. This story was more interesting to us than the music which challenged our 19th c. ears. Whatever pleasure we found, other than admiring Mr. Gewirtzman's virtuosity, came from the middle movement which was somewhat less dense and allowed us to appreciate some of the nature sounds that were incorporated. Birdcalls were heard from the flutes, and Mr. Gewirtzman's piano demonstrated some lovely rippling figures.

As program opener, we heard Three Places in New England by Charles Ives, a contemporary of Bartók. This is purported to be "programmatic" but nothing we heard produced the visual imagery we enjoyed in the Dvorák. It was interesting to read about the original piece of music and how it was expanded for full orchestra from its original arrangement for chamber orchestra. But again, our ears were not dancing with glee.

We might add that our companion was very satisfied with the two 20th c. works, as was the rest of the audience. We reserve our appreciation for works with melody, just as we do in vocal music.

(c) meche kroop

MIRROR VISIONS ENSEMBLE--25 YEARS AND GOING STRONG

Alan Darling, Scott Murphree, Justine Aronson, and Jesse Blumberg

What's a writer to do when some of her favorite singers are performing a type of music she does not appreciate? What this writer does is to go, to listen, and to hope to find a composer whose music in the unappreciated genre might strike her fancy, thereby expanding her horizons.  And that was exactly what happened when we heard songs by Alexander Liebermann.

Last night at the Sheen Center, Mirror Visions Ensemble celebrated their 25th Anniversary and their quartet of fine singers, comprising soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritone Jesse Blumberg, and baritone Mischa Bouvier, were joined by guest artist Justine Aronson, whom we hardly ever get to hear. With a group of singers like this, we were sure to hear some music we'd like in this mostly modern program.  And we did!

The opening song "Invitation to Love" was  Aaron Grad's highly original setting of a text by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of emancipated slaves who was the first Afro-American poet to achieve international recognition and distinction. He wrote over a century ago and lived only 33 years. The text used by Mr. Grad rhymed and scanned, providing fertile material for Mr. Grad's unusual writing in which soprano, tenor, and baritone were given tuneful melodies, interesting harmonies, and overlapping voices. So few composers know how to choose text and how to make good use of the English language. We can honestly say that we were delighted by this work which won MVE's Young Composers Competition.

What MVE is best known for is presenting a text that was set by more than one composer. We can think of so many such works that inspired composers of the 19th c. (our favorite period). We always love Brahm's peaceful "Feldeinsamkeit" and thought Mr. Blumberg captured the tranquil mood of Hermann Allmers' text, especially the melismatic singing on the word "umwoben" (woven). We never knew that Charles Ives set the same text and it was also quite lovely, as sung by Mr. Murphree.

Both Paul Hindemith and Benjamin Britten set Thomas Moore's text  "How Sweet the Answer Echo Makes".  Ms. Slywotzky sang the Britten beautifully and Mr. Bouvier did justice to the Hindemith.

The other mirror image on the program comprised two settings of a Paul Verlaine text--"L'echelonnement des haies". Mr. Bouvier sang the setting by Debussy and Ms. Slywotzky performed the setting by Poldowska, a female composer whose style seemed very much influenced by that of Debussy. Poldowska was the pen name of a musically gifted woman who led an entirely too colorful life to be described here. Margaret Kampmeier's piano and both singers conveyed the gentle lilting music. Clearly, Verlaine's evocative text dictated the music.

And that is what we find unenjoyable about contemporary setting of English poetry.  The poetry sounds more like prose! We miss the lilt.  We miss the melody.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to a commission given to Tom Cipullo entitled A Visit with Emily. This was an elaborate work in many parts, mostly consisting of settings of Emily Dickinson's letters to T. W. Higginson and his letters about Ms. Dickinson to his wife. No doubt this is an "important" work but our pleasure came more from the singers than the songs. 

Ms. Aronson has the most exciting timbre in her voice and a vibrato that strikes our ears just right. The opening song quotes Ms. Dickinson's description of her definition of poetry as that which makes her whole body cold and makes her feel as if the top of her head were taken off.  We cannot say that we have ever felt that way from poetry! But music we like will give us goosebumps!

One of the more interesting parts of this cycle was Mr. Blumberg, Mr. Murphree, and Ms. Aronson singing three different poems about fame simultaneously in "Quodlibet I". Another part that we liked had the three of them singing a "Catch" which was brief and pithy--"Women talk: men are silent: that is why I dread women." The humor came from the fact that the men had all the lines with Ms. Aronson making wry faces. The English language lends itself well to humor!

"Passacaglia" was a pithy duet with elaborate variations poking fun at the hypocrisy of people saying they will come again some time.  (Kind of like "Why don't we have lunch some time?" in modern parlance.)

We also found something to appreciate in #17 and #18 when Mr. Blumberg and Mr. Murphree sang simultaneous arias about Wonder, Suspense, and Forgetting.

(c) meche kroop

THE SONG CONTINUES

Marilyn Horne and John Brancy

Ken Noda

It's been a long time since a man made us weep.  The intensity of last night's recital left us close to blubbering.  Baritone John Brancy's artistry is such that his exquisite technique has become invisible which leaves him free to connect with the audience and to bring his mature comprehension of the text directly to the heart of the listener.

This is not a showy performer; he uses an economy of gesture and a depth of feeling to bring us to the point of view of the poet.  The instrument is an excellent one with a pleasingly mature resonance, but it is the story-telling aspect of the performance that one remembers best.  And it's all done without any artifice whatsoever.

The recital was the initial event in what was formerly called "Marilyn Horne's Birthday Week", now under the auspices of Carnegie Hall.  The intimate Weill Recital Hall was the perfect venue for a recital of this type and Mr. Brancy scaled his voice to the size of the hall.

The theme of the recital was music from around the period of The Great War; therefore most of the songs were a century old.  At this time, the Free World is at war with Muslim Fundamentalists.  It is indeed a very different type of war but the consequences are similar.  There are premature deaths, separations from loved ones, privations and anxiety about the future.  We can identify.

Mr. Brancy's astonishingly fine diction in English, French and German, accompanied by innate musical phrasing, made the words completely comprehensible, along with the message of the text.  At times it seemed as if he were "tasting" the words he sang although "savoring" might be a better word.

Mr. Noda's sensitive and supportive accompanying made the piano part an essential part of the communication.  There were instances when the poet was being, well, poetic but the piano revealed the anger and pain underneath.

We particularly enjoyed the six songs from George Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad with texts by A.E. Housman. The songs are about youth, nostalgia, aging, separation and death.  Their power lay in their universality of message and the richness of the melodies. It was particularly painful to read that the composer died in the war shortly after composing the songs.

The quartet of song by Carl Orff were powerful and evinced a substantial heap of anger with their dissonant chords.  A trio of French songs captivated us.  Ravel's "Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis" utilized the colors of the French flag to symbolize messages from an absent lover.  Debussy's lament for the children suffering from the consequences of war "Noël des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons" was so effectively performed that we were way beyond dabbing our eyes with a tissue.  We were close to sobbing.

There were also two songs by Charles Ives--the angry and dissonant "In Flanders Field" and the gently nostalgic "Tom Sails Away".  "Popular" songs of the era (and how are they any different from "art songs" we may ask) included Ivor Novello's rousing encouragement to "Keep the Home Fires Burning" with Mr. Noda's piano contradicting the optimism.  The prayerful "God Be With Our Boys Tonight" involved some lovely tender arpeggios in the piano.  "Danny Boy" was a fitting and soulful final song, sounding quite different from when sung by an Irish tenor.

We have reviewed Mr. Brancy often, since he was an undergraduate at Juilliard. The seeds of his artistry were there from the start and we have revelled in witnessing the flowering of his talent.  It is no wonder that he is achieving recognition worldwide and garnering prizes from prestigious institutions.  His selection as the winner of the Marilyn Horne song Competition in 2013 was well deserved.  It was a major delight to experience him in a new light.  Truth to tell, some of those tears were tears of joy.

ⓒ meche kroop