One of the best.....

Every so often there comes a recital or concert that stands head and shoulders above the rest.  The “Music on the Hill” series at Northside Baptist Church presented on January 21, 2012.  This series of chamber concerts is a hidden gem in Atlanta and deserves to be heard by anyone who likes chamber music.   The chapel of the church is perfectly suited to chamber works- it provides rich reverberant sound that supports rather than smothers the music. 

The performers for this concert were Cellist Alexei Romanenko and Pianist Christine Yoshikawa.  Their program included:

Arvo Pärt – Spiegel im Spiegel

Schnittke – Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano

Fauré – Aprés une Rêve

Schnittke – Suite in the Old Style for Cello & Piano
Stravinsky- Suite Italienne

Arvo Pärt ‘s ‘Mirror in the Mirror” was written in 1978.  It is hypnotic and full of beautiful sound. Pärt is known for his “mystic” minimalism that makes a virtue of repetitiveness.  In contrast to other minimalists, such as Glass and Adams, Pärt’s music is gentle and of a smaller scale.  This is the kind of music that encourages the listen to lose contact with his/her surroundings and simply be in the moment with the music.  This performance was stunning. 

Schnittke’s Sonata is a searing almost painful piece that has both a spiritual and earthly outrage.  It traverses from lyrical to strident, almost screaming.  It is a wondrous piece played by two highly gifted artists. 

The Faure piece lasted only three minutes.  It is based on an anonymous Italian poem, where dreams of love are dashed by sad awakening.   Faure’s music is elegant and refined, and this piece is no different.  It was played with sensitivity by Romanenko and Yoshikawa.

The second Schnittke piece, Suite in the Old Style, is worlds apart from his Sonata.  It is a piece that pays homage to earlier styles of music yet was written in 1961.  Pieces of it were written for various films, but it holds together quite well.  I like the idea that Schnittke took music that he had composed for a sound track and modified to be a suite of classical chamber music.  It only composers like John Williams or Clint Mansell would do the same for their beautiful soundtracks that now only are snippets of music used to set the tone for a scene.  With a bit of development, their music could be more intriguing and would bear repeat hearing.  Alas, they probably make too much money now to make it worth their while.

The final piece was Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, which is drawn from his familiar “Pulcinella” ballet music.    It was interesting to hear the music paired down from a full orchestra to just two parts.  This performance was also perfection. 

Mr. Romanenko deserves particular attention for his performance.  He seemed to put his entire energy into his playing- in fact; he looked like a runner after running a marathon.  His tone is big and beautiful.  He can generate great volume as well as tiny pianissimos. His strength was incredible. 

This concert was a blend of musical styles played by two virtuosi.  This chamber music series should not be missed.

An acoustical nightmare

The Georgian Chamber Players presented a concert titled “Aus Wien” on January 28, 2012 at the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.  The program included:

Schubert:  Quartettsatz in C Minor, D. 7-3

Beethoven:  Grosse Fuge in B-Flat Major, Op. 133

Brahms: Quintet in F Minor for Piano and String Quarter, Op. 34

The Brahms piece featured Julie Coucheron on the piano.

This concert was a miss, not even a near miss.  The acoustics in the Trinity auditorium are flat, causing the sound to be thin and lacking in bass.  This is echo but little reverberation.  This concert was a study in how bad acoustics can torpedo a performance. 

The Beethoven was performed disappointingly.  There were moments with major intonation problems and poor violin bowing, leading to an occasional screech.  This was a disappointment given that this group includes the Principals of the violin, cello, and viola sections of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. As much as Christopher Rex is a great cellist, his tone always seems mild and is often lost in overall soundscape.

Last year I heard David and Julie Coucheron play at Spivey Hall.  They were magnificent, and Spivey’s acoustics do a great job of supporting a great performance.  Unfortunately, this time the Brahms quintet was a less than ideal.  It’s not that the playing was bad, but the sound was blurred and harsh.  This is certainly not the players fault, but nevertheless the performance suffered as a result. 

Alas, not every concert can be great and failures can be the result of many things.  As much as anything, the poor acoustics of the venue let down the Georgian Chamber Players.

Mahler's sublime Second Symphony

On January 26, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under Principal Guest Conductor, Donald Runnicles, presented Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection.”  The soloists were Nicole Cabell, Soprano, and Kelley O’Connor, Mezzo-soprano.  The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus was prepared by Norman Mackenzie.

This symphony is one of the greats in the late romantic period.  Mahler wrote large, but never sprawling, symphonies whose themes usually have to do with those things that make us human.  I have been listening to Mahler for decades, but must admit that I never really understood them.  But recently, I had the pleasure of hearing Maestro Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra play Mahler’s First.  Honeck’s interpretation highlights the folk-themes of the music and he plays particular attention to the layering of the music so that the inner voices do not get lost in a smear of sound.  Honeck’s interpretation is wonderful and moved me to a much greater appreciation of Mahler’s genius.

 

The ASO performance was stunning.  Runnicles has started to seat the sections of the orchestra in the European style (basses to the left, second violins to the right, with the celli adjacent to them).   This arrangement causes the soundboards of the low strings face directly into the auditorium.  Mahler’s music is rich with low strings and the seating arrangement provides a wonderful showcase for it. 

Mahler wrote this symphony for a very large orchestra, augmented with enhanced percussion, two harps, and organ.  At several points throughout the work, musicians leave to play-off stage.  The effect is stunning, particularly when Mahler’s music describes the clarion call of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.   Mahler wrote some grand fortes, using the full resources of the orchestra, but especially the low brass, tam-tams, and, two sets of tympani.  In spite of Symphony Hall’s problematic acoustics, this mass of sound was rich without being strident.  I noticed that some of the musicians took to wearing earplugs at the height of the sound, especially with the French horn players sitting next to the cymbals and tam-tams.   In several passages the reeds were required to play with their bells facing out toward the audience so as to increase their volume when they were massed with the rest of the orchestra.  The reeds never sounded harsh or squeaky.  Special kudos goes to Christina Smith, principal flute, and David Coucheron, concertmaster for outstanding solo work. 

Much has been said about the glories of the ASO chorus.  Their diction is precise, as if only one voice was singing.  Their performance was outstanding, bringing strength and beauty to Mahler’s lyrics.  Both Cabell and O’Connor are strong soloists.  Both were able to produce volume without losing their tonal quality.   Ms. O’Connor has a warm mezzo voice that fit perfectly with Mahler’s musings about earthly life, death, and eternity.  Both women had to sit and face the audience for a long time before their solos.  Ms. O’Connor took the opportunity to revel in Mahler’s music.  It was nice to see a musician enjoy the music to which she is a part. 

There was one long standing ovation for this performance.  It was well deserved and it seemed so much more genuine than the obligatory S.O. that ASO audiences give at nearly every performance.   

Finally, there was nary a seat empty in Symphony Hall.  That was nice to see. 

  

The ASO and James Ehnes

On January 19, the Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Principal Guest conductor Donald Runnicles, featured a program including:

Britten:  Violin Concerto, Opus 15

Beethoven:  Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Opus 55 (Eroica)

The soloist in the Britten was James Ehnes. 

Mr. Ehnes is a Canadian violinist who has performed extensively internationally and has released several solo recordings.  I had the pleasure of hearing the Ehnes string quartet last year in a noon-time performance at Mercer University in Macon, GA.  It was, for me, one of the best chamber recitals last season.  It included a powerhouse performance of a Bartok String Quartet.  So as a result, I think I was predisposed to like Mr. Ehnes’ performance with the ASO.  And, as fate would have it, I did.  He plays with a rich, golden tone that is never strident.  His bowing is precise and he and Maestro Runnicles seemed to have unified vision about the Britten. 

The ASO performed the Eroica as one would expect, that is, with first class playing.  This is one of Beethoven’s oft played works and sometimes it requires a special performance to make it special again.  The ASO did just that.