A Gorgeous evening in Zagreb...

The Zagreb Philharmonic makes its home in the Vatroslav Lisinki Concert Hall in the Nu Zagreb neighborhood.  It was opened in 1973 and has undergone at least two major interior renovations, but its exterior remains essential in its late-mid-century style. It has 1841 seats with no balconies and no side boxes.  The floor of the hall is a continuous slope from the stage level to about three stories.  There are no center columns, so there are unbroken sight lines throughout.  The visible walls of the auditorium are covered in a rich, golden brown, walnut-colored wood.  The stage appeared to be exceptionally wide, with space to house the organ console, the pipes of which are located behind the stage.   The auditorium is very important to the sound of this orchestra as will be noted.

The orchestra tuned on stage, much like is done in the US, but unlike what is done in Vienna, for example. The concertmaster tunes the orchestra by actually walking through it to each section. The audience never once rose to its collective feet for a standing ovation, as seems to be de rigueur in the US.

  

The program began with Shlomo Mintz conducting  “Hommage a Bach” by Croatian composer Boris Papandopulo, who lived from 1906 to 1991.  Mostly unknown in U.S. concert halls, he created a large body of works ranging from ballets, to operas, to chamber works.  This “Hommage” was derivative and unimaginative, but sounded like the master in modern dress.

The next work was Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins- likely one of his most popular and frequently heard works.  Maestro Mintz was joined by Ukraine-born violinist Orest Shourgot, who was once concertmaster of the Zagreb Philharmonic.  He currently holds Croatian citizenship.  The two violinists created musical magic in this performance.  It was note-perfect, and showed a warmth and regard for the music that was impressive.  Mintz, of course, is one of the leading violinists today, and Shourgot seemed equally gifted. This was a magnificent performance. 

The final work on the program was Brahms’s Symphony No. 2.  This was the work that demonstrated the magnificent acoustics of the Lisinsky auditorium.  The hall provides warmth and beautiful reverberation, without a trace of muddiness.  This was particularly noticeable when the tympani played; each strike was crisp and clean, but never cold.  In addition, the first and second violins were nicely spotlighted, yet always integrated with the sound of the entire orchestra.  It was not a perfect performance (the horns had occasional trouble), but it was transcendent.  The sound of the orchestra was so burnished that it was easy to totally engage the thinking brain, and simply enjoy a masterpiece- played by a wonderful orchestra, led by a talented conductor in a lovely sounding hall.  This is when one can truly appreciate the power of a grand work by a grand master. 

When the concert was over, it was a short walk through the Viennese-like lower town, past Zagreb’s beautifully lit Baroque museums to the city center.  In all, the whole evening was gorgeous.   

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

One of Wright's favorite composers was Bach...
 

Prague Streetscapes...

A walking tour of Old Town Prague accompanied by Bach's Air on a G String.

A fine memory....

The Riverside Chamber Players (RCP) presented a concert in memory of Douglas Sommer, who recently passed away. Mr Sommer was a member of the bass section of the Atlanta Symphony and was a member of the RCP.

The concert began with the Sarabande from Bach's Suite No. 2 in D minor, which was specifically dedicated to the memory of Mr. Sommer. This is a sad and introspective piece written by the master in about 1720 Its profoundness reaches out to us nearly 300 years later. Joel Dallow was the soloist. This was a great performance that was both technically and musically on target.

The Part "Fratres" is a good example of this composer's mystical minimalism. In addition it demonstrates Pärt's tintinnabular music, which is characterized by two types of voices, the first of which (dubbed the "tintinnabular voice") arpeggiates the tonic triad, and the second of which moves diatonically in stepwise motion. The works often have a slow and meditative tempo, and a minimalist approach to both notation and performance. An excellent description of the work appears here: http://www.sfsymphony.org/Watch-Listen-Learn/Read-Program-Notes/Program-Notes/PART-Fratres-for-Strings-and-Percussion.aspx

Domenic Salerni, from the Vega Quartet (see AMC's interview with Mr. Salerni under the "Conversations with..." tab on this site. His contribution was mostly to provide a drone that provides a foundation to the music. The beginning of Fratres has the first violin and viola play a simple melody using harmonic fingering. . For whatever reason this introduction had some unsettling intonation problems. Beyond that the piece was beautifully performed. For anyone not familiar with Arvo Part, here is a performance of Fratres by the quartet Edymion:

Fratres has been rearranged by Part for string orchestra and percussion, and for cello and piano.

The next piece was El Dorado for Harp and Strings by Marjan Mozetich, a Canadian composer. Elizabeth Remy Johnson played the harp for this performance. Mozetich uses minimalist techniques in his works (repetition and chord progressions) so that his music has a hypnotic quality. His music is also very accessible and it doesn't require repeated hearing in order to appreciate it. At times, it seems to AMC that it has a "New Age"quality, which is not bad, but does betray its lack of complexity. Notwithstanding this observation, AMC likes this composer's works. The Riverside Chamber Players performed this piece beautifully.

The final work was Philip Glass' String Quartet No. 5. Mr. Salerni took the first violin chair for this performance, which seemed fitting given that he had performed the work recently when Glass visited Emory University. AMC was impressed with the sound of Mr. Salerni's violin, which apparently was a recent acquisition. This quartet is a prime example of why AMC likes Glass' music so much. It is full of rich and touching melodies built upon a foundation of rapid repetition of slowly evolving chords (this begins with the second movement of the work). It produces (at least for AMC) a way to loosen the grip of logical thought in order to achieve a very pleasant reverie. Again, the RCP provided a great performance.

All of the members of the RCP (except for Mr. Salerni) are members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It was wonderful to see so many of their colleagues in the audience enjoying this wonderful concert and sharing their memories of Mr. Sommer.

Thanks to the musicians, benefactors, patrons, and volunteers that made this concert possible.


Addendum: Mr. Salerni provided the following information about his new instrument:


It's a Jon Van Kouwenhoven, and it was made in 2013. I also own, and frequently use, a Fabio Dalla Costa 2002 ex-Guarnerius. The Kouwenhoven is a very recent purchase.






JVK (as he is sometimes known) is based in Hartford, CT and has made instruments for Yuri Bashmet, Kim Kashkashian, Mstislav Rostropovich, Ole Akahoshi, and Gary Cappozziello.

Atlanta is fortunate to have many wonderful fine music ensembles: the grandfather of them all the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; the Atlanta Chamber Players, The Georgia Chamber Players, the Atlanta Baroque Ensemble, Sonic Generator,The New Trinity Baroque, the Riverside Chamber Players, and the Luna Strings.   Unfortunately, the city just lost the wonderful Music on the Hill Series, which had its own chamber groups.

Given the long list of talented organizations, can anyone be designated as "the best."  AMC would suggest that is a fool's errand, even in spite of the proliferation of lists about almost everything these days.  But for AMC, it is difficult to beat The New Trinity Baroque and Sonic Generator, the former focusing on music very old and the latter very new.

Last evening,The New Trinity Baroque (click here: http://www.youtube.com/user/newtrinitybaroque) presented a concert that featured only Music director Predrag Gosta on harpsichord and Andre Laurent O'Neil on the baroque cello.  The program  titled "Beyond Bach" featured two of Bach's solo cello suites, each of which contain sections that most people might recognize, even if they don't know from where, i.e.,  the Prelude from Suite No. 1 and the Bouree from Suite 3.  Go here to sample these two works featuring Mr. O'Neil: http://earlymusicfestival.instantencore.com/web/music_details.aspx?ItemId=971988.  The concert also included works by Gabrielli, Geminiani, Scipriani, and Vivaldi. Mr. O'Neil played the entire program from memory. This alone was a Herculean feat.  But he also played beautifully, with hardly a misstep.  Maestro Gosta played accompaniment in the Geminiani and the Vivaldi.  He too played flawlessly.

Before the concert, Messrs. Gosta and O'Neill talked a bit about the history of the baroque cello and the harpsichord.  They also talked about the social context in which Bach was composing.  Because the community he lived in was dominated by Calvinists, organs were not permitted in the churches.  The irony is that Bach was primarily an organist.  To avoid the Calvinist strictures, Bach composed his cello suites. To AMC this is an interesting example of the juxtaposition of art and culture.

The concert was held at St. Bede's Episcopal Church, a change of venue for the NTB.  Its sanctuary is full of hard surfaces (terrazzo floors and brick walls) so it had much reverberation. This provided a sympathetic acoustical environment for the cello and harpsichord. 

Finally, in addition to the musical skill of Maestro Gosta, he is a talented teacher who is  knowledgeable about his field.  He is also a great schmoozer who is approachable and affable.  If only more of our classical music leaders could be as personable maybe the whole concert experience would seem less stuffy and forbidding.

This was a grand concert by one of Atlanta's most intriguing and talented ensembles. AMC always looks forward to the NTB concerts and is never disappointed by their quality and programming.

To donate to the NTB, go here: http://www.newtrinitybaroque.org/

Thanks to all of the musicians, benefactors, patrons and volunteers that made this concert possible.

The self congratulatory words were deserved in this case....

From the Atlanta Symphony Encore program guide:
"Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time, combining flawless technique with inimitable warmth and a generosity of spirit."  and, 
"Ailyn Perez's dazzling vocalism, as well as her alluring and committed stage presence, have made her one of the most engaging and exciting artists before the public today."

The Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Music Director Robert Spano, presented a program that included:

Bach: Sinfonia in D from Cantata, "Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir."

Bach: Cantata "Nun ist das heil under die Kraft."

Bach: Concerto No. 2 in E major for Violin and String orchestra

Stravinsky: Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra

Poulenc: Gloria

The violin soloist was Gil Shaham.  The soprano soloist was Ailyn Perez.  The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus rounded out the performers.

The Bach Sinfonia sounded a bit thin from the Loge, and sounded much better from the orchestra section.  Just goes to show how treacherous acoustics can be.  The piece also featured Peter Marshall on a Baroque organ.  This music is grand and demonstrates Bach's skills both lyrically and contrapuntally.  The organ added the necessary low notes that add heft to the piece.

The Cantata was an opportunity for the tremendously talented Chorus to show its stuff.  Its enunciation is nearly perfect, as is its ensemble and pitch.  There was  one section, about halfway through the piece, where the sopranos sing a descending melody.   This was the only place in the performance where the singers seems challenging.  To me, they sounded like they were on the brink of falling apart, but alas, they did not.  Norman Mackenzie, the director of the chorus, manages to make every event where the singers participate a nearly note perfect affair. 

Mr. Shaham followed with the violin concerto.  He is a superstar and one can expect great things from him, and he surely delivered.  The first movement allegro, was taken at quite a fast tempo.  It added to the excitement of the performance, and only occasionally did Shaham show some bowing difficulty.  He played it impeccably in rehearsal, so  there is no doubt that he has the technical skills needed for the music.  The ever so grateful Symphony Hall audience applauded a bit after the rapid fire movement.  The second and third movements were played with perfection.  There was an occasional imbalance between the orchestra and the soloist, but not enough to mar the overall  effect.  It was apparent that Shaham and Maestro Spano enjoy a great rapport, which certainly adds to the performance. 

The Stravinsky Concerto is from the composer's "classical period."  His music was rather lighthearted and it is not much of a stretch to think of parts of it accompanying cartoons.  That's not said to denigrate the work, but rather to show the composer's ability to have fun with music.  Having just heard this concerto played in Vienna, I was eager to hear it in Atlanta.  Shaham again performed beautifully and it was apparent that he enjoyed it.  He even audibly tapped his foot in sections, which made the performance even more exciting.  Again, the affection between the violinist and conductor was apparent at the conclusion of the work.  This was a wonderful performance that not only showed off soloist skills, but also the awesome power of the ASO.  The brass section was particularly remarkable, a very necessary condition for a successful performance of a Stravinsky piece from this period. 

The Poulenc was also a showpiece for the Chorus.  The Gloria is not particularly cutting edge music even though it was written in 1959.  Spano successfully held all of the forces in check so that there was only an occasional balance problem.  The soprano soloist was Ms. Perez.  I don't think I have heard a richer yet controlled singer in Symphony Hall.  Her performance was grand, but controlled.  She has a golden tone that projected wonderfully into the hall.  To add to her glory, she had been named the recipient of the prestigious Richard Tucker award on the very day of her performance in Atlanta.  At 32-years old, she has enough time to make an indelible mark in the concert and opera halls. 

This was again a stunning performance by the ASO and its guest artists.  It was a joy to hear. 

Recent Atlanta Symphony Programming- a nice change

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has programmed some interesting and challenging music over the last month.  The first was the Nielsen Symphony No. 5.  This symphony is not often heard in US concert halls but its performance in Atlanta enabled concertgoers to hear something that is a bit edgier than Nielsen’s contemporaries Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Elgar, etc.  It was a good choice also to counterbalance the sometimes syrupy Grieg concerto that was also on the program.  Maestro Spano also presented a new staging of the Bach St. Matthew Passion.  While I only say the first half, I appreciated a presentation that was more than four soloists sitting in front of the orchestra.  It was not cutting edge music theater but it was a new direction for an old work.  Thanks to the ASO and Mr. Spano for this kind of new and challenging programming.