The summer’s extreme heat and lack of rain have created drought conditions in Atlanta. As fate would have it, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra this week programmed two works drenched with water, albeit of the salty variety. Elgar’s Sea Pictures captures the essence of the sea by joining orchestral music and the sung verses of various poets, who describe their thoughts and feelings about the vastness and mysteries of the deep. Elgar even included a poem authored by his wife, Caroline Alice Roberts, entitled “In Heaven (Capri)”. For this performance, Robert Spano and the ASO were joined by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. For the complete review, click here: https://bachtrack.com/review-spano-barton-wilson-mulligan-atlanta-symphony-november-2016
Showing posts with label Elgar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elgar. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2016
Drenched....
The summer’s extreme heat and lack of rain have created drought conditions in Atlanta. As fate would have it, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra this week programmed two works drenched with water, albeit of the salty variety. Elgar’s Sea Pictures captures the essence of the sea by joining orchestral music and the sung verses of various poets, who describe their thoughts and feelings about the vastness and mysteries of the deep. Elgar even included a poem authored by his wife, Caroline Alice Roberts, entitled “In Heaven (Capri)”. For this performance, Robert Spano and the ASO were joined by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. For the complete review, click here: https://bachtrack.com/review-spano-barton-wilson-mulligan-atlanta-symphony-november-2016
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Some Major Steps....
This week's Atlanta Symphony Orchestra(ASO) concert was notable for many reasons. The first is that it began with Elgar's "Nimrod" from "The Enigma Variation," which was fitting a memorial to Douglas Sommer, a long-time member of the ASO bass section, who recently passed away.
For program notes on this concert, go here: https://www.atlantasymphony.org/ConcertsAndTickets/Calendar/2013-2014/Runnicles-Spano.aspx. this program is notable is that it showcases watershed pieces from the history of music. It also featured Music Director Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles.
The next piece was the Leibestod from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde." For AMC this piece is the embodiment of a musical representation of overwhelming passion that results in a final release, but according to the story line for the opera, that release occurs only in death. The work is familiar today and doesn't sound particularly cutting edge to modern ears, but at its premiere it presented a chordal structure that broke the rules of music up to that time, and some said, led to atonality in music. The "Tristan chord" is the stuff of legends. To read more about it, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_chord. This performance was conducted by Mr. Runnicles, who is always welcome for his grand interpretations. Maestro Runnicles spends much of his time with the Berlin Opera so the Wagner suits him well. That said, AMC felt the horns were a bit too loud at the beginning of the Liebestod. AMC heard it from both the orchestra section of Symphony Hall and from the loge. This balance problem was apparent in both. Otherwise, the passion of the music shined brightly and sharply. Here is a version of the Liebestod from YouTube (its gets the horn balance right) :
Next was a dual piano version of Ravel's "La Valse, " featuring the piano skills of Messrs Spano and Runnicles. And much to AMC's delight, there was actual dialogue between Spano and Runnicles providing historical and musical context to the piece. AMC has long felt, (and advocated on this site) that having musicians address the audience helps to break down a bit the barrier between classical artist and audience. Where else can someone spend two hour with their back to the audience and still receive a standing ovation except in the concert hall? Runnicles, by the way, has a grand voice.
While "La Valse" is not a ground breaking piece of music it does show how music can represent the destruction of an old way of life and the emergence of a new leaner, meaner, and not-so-elegant new style, i.e., the waltz as a metaphor for a changing world. The two piano- four hand version brings a hard edge to this music and makes it seem less luxurious than the full orchestral version. This performance was a knock out. Here is a version of the tow piano "La Valse":
Following the piano version, Runnicles led the full orchestral version, where he applied rubato to underscore the point was the waltz had an elegant and grand past but faced a future where things might spin out of control. AMC's only objection was that the orchestra sounded a bit earth-bound without the lightness that characterize other performances. Here is "La Valse" conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (who AMC encountered while walking in Salzburg):
The final piece on the program was Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." This too was played first with piano four hands and followed by the full orchestral version. AMC's introduction to the Rite" occurred at about age 11 or 12 from a demo LP version of Bernstein's interpretation with the New York Philharmonic. Since then, there have been innumerable versions, ranging from a performance led by Massimo Freccia with an orchestra simply not up to the task (Santa Cecilia) to a very angular performance led by Antal Dorati with the Minneapolis orchestra. Given the wealth of recorded performances that AMC has enjoyed, it is startling that Spano's interpretation was one of the best. AMC is used to Spano providing very competent, if not necessarily very surprising or insightful interpretations, but his "Rite" was full of rawness and primitiveness. The music calls for a large orchestra so the ASO was augmented with many contract players who did a wonderful job adding their talent to the orchestra. AMC heard the performance twice. Thursday night's opener was definitely more raw, especially in the opening where the wood winds had what seemed to be odd balances, but which ultimately gave an even more primitive sound to the music. Saturday's performance had a few bassoon intonation issues that did not appear on Thursday. But the ASO sounded better to AMC that it has before. Their were outstanding performances by all sections of the orchestra, but the percussion section, led by Tom Sherwood, was phenomenal. The eleven bass notes in the second half of the work were imposing and Spano let Sherwood play front-and-center, where other conductors let the contrabasses have more prominence in this passage. Spano's approach again underscored the primitive nature of the music. Toward the end of the first half of the piece, the washboard player was also encouraged to "let it rip." AMC has never before felt the visceral impact that this simple instrument could have on the music. Masetro Spano and the ASO gave a monumental performance, and the audience loved it. Even in musically conservative Atlanta, this great work of art- albeit dissonant and raw- is appreciated!
Here is a version of the "Rite" played by the ASO under former Music director Yoel Levi
( it is much more polite than Spano's version):
AMC cogitated over the giant leap that Stravinsky's music was over what had ever been hear before. It created a riot at its premiere, but with its creation, music was freed from the conventions and rules of its past. One can only imagine what it must have been like in the first two decades of the Twentieth Century in Paris, where so much artistic greatness was created and fostered. One need only consider the likes of Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Fokine, Picasso, Braque, the Ballet Russe, to get a sense of what transpired in that magical time in that magical city.
Thanks to all of the musicians, benefactors, patrons and volunteers that made this concert possible.
While "La Valse" is not a ground breaking piece of music it does show how music can represent the destruction of an old way of life and the emergence of a new leaner, meaner, and not-so-elegant new style, i.e., the waltz as a metaphor for a changing world. The two piano- four hand version brings a hard edge to this music and makes it seem less luxurious than the full orchestral version. This performance was a knock out. Here is a version of the tow piano "La Valse":
Following the piano version, Runnicles led the full orchestral version, where he applied rubato to underscore the point was the waltz had an elegant and grand past but faced a future where things might spin out of control. AMC's only objection was that the orchestra sounded a bit earth-bound without the lightness that characterize other performances. Here is "La Valse" conducted by Sir Simon Rattle (who AMC encountered while walking in Salzburg):
The final piece on the program was Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring." This too was played first with piano four hands and followed by the full orchestral version. AMC's introduction to the Rite" occurred at about age 11 or 12 from a demo LP version of Bernstein's interpretation with the New York Philharmonic. Since then, there have been innumerable versions, ranging from a performance led by Massimo Freccia with an orchestra simply not up to the task (Santa Cecilia) to a very angular performance led by Antal Dorati with the Minneapolis orchestra. Given the wealth of recorded performances that AMC has enjoyed, it is startling that Spano's interpretation was one of the best. AMC is used to Spano providing very competent, if not necessarily very surprising or insightful interpretations, but his "Rite" was full of rawness and primitiveness. The music calls for a large orchestra so the ASO was augmented with many contract players who did a wonderful job adding their talent to the orchestra. AMC heard the performance twice. Thursday night's opener was definitely more raw, especially in the opening where the wood winds had what seemed to be odd balances, but which ultimately gave an even more primitive sound to the music. Saturday's performance had a few bassoon intonation issues that did not appear on Thursday. But the ASO sounded better to AMC that it has before. Their were outstanding performances by all sections of the orchestra, but the percussion section, led by Tom Sherwood, was phenomenal. The eleven bass notes in the second half of the work were imposing and Spano let Sherwood play front-and-center, where other conductors let the contrabasses have more prominence in this passage. Spano's approach again underscored the primitive nature of the music. Toward the end of the first half of the piece, the washboard player was also encouraged to "let it rip." AMC has never before felt the visceral impact that this simple instrument could have on the music. Masetro Spano and the ASO gave a monumental performance, and the audience loved it. Even in musically conservative Atlanta, this great work of art- albeit dissonant and raw- is appreciated!
Here is a version of the "Rite" played by the ASO under former Music director Yoel Levi
( it is much more polite than Spano's version):
AMC cogitated over the giant leap that Stravinsky's music was over what had ever been hear before. It created a riot at its premiere, but with its creation, music was freed from the conventions and rules of its past. One can only imagine what it must have been like in the first two decades of the Twentieth Century in Paris, where so much artistic greatness was created and fostered. One need only consider the likes of Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Fokine, Picasso, Braque, the Ballet Russe, to get a sense of what transpired in that magical time in that magical city.
Thanks to all of the musicians, benefactors, patrons and volunteers that made this concert possible.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
A talented Moser....
On February 16, 2012, the Atlanta Symphony orchestra, under the direction of Roberto Minczuk, presented a concert consisting of:
Wagner- Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
Elgar- Cello Concerto in E minor
Mozart- Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 (“Haffner)
Strauss- Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59
The solo cellist in the Elgar was Johannes Moser.
Maestro Minczuk’s biography says that he is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning conductor who is music director of the Calgary Philharmonic and principal conductor of the Brazilian Symphony in Rio de Janeiro. Like the bios of most of his contemporaries, Minczuk’s says he is “…firmly established as one of his generation’s brightest talents.” Who writes this stuff?
The Wagner piece was a rousing way to begin the concert. It is not too long and it provides a good taste of the master’s great orchestrations. This can be treacherous music because of its thick orchestration. Minczuk conducted without a score and it seemed that from time to time he let the brass overshadow the strings to a degree that the music became a blur. The ASO strings could not be heard even where they are a very important part of the music.
After the Wagner, there was a brief video that featured cellist Johannes Moser. This was a very touching and emotional presentation. It began with Moser narrating how a casket bearing the body of a soldier was removed from his airplane as it arrived in Atlanta. It appeared as though Moser captured it on camera from inside the aircraft. He noted the solemn ceremony that accompanied this most sorrowful of events. Moser drew a parallel to the sadness that Elgar felt after the “War to end all wars” during the time he wrote the cello concerto. Moser’s was a powerful presentation and a great lead in to the profound emotion and sadness in Elgar’s music.
Elgar’s piece is beautiful, allowing the cello to express his dismay about conditions after World War I. It is in four movements, with the first two played and last two played without interruption. This is very sad and introspective music that does not suffer from the lack of editing that I feel was apparent after hearing the ASO’srecent performance of Elgar’s First symphony. Minczuk conducted from the score and Moser’s playing was nothing short of incredible. He has a large tone that never deteriorates into edginess. He can be aggressive when needed, and subtle where required. His strong playing is a reminder why he is a highly regarded soloist and others should best remain in the cello section of a great orchestra. Moser and Minczuk seemed to be in agreement about the music and there seemed only to be seamlessness between the cello solos and the orchestral passages. Per Atlanta tradition, there was a standing ovation with many curtain calls for Moser and Minczuk. In this instance, the SO was appropriate and well deserved. Moser returned the love by playing one portion of Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. The music was elegant and requires absolute control over the bow. Moser played grand fortes and hushed pianissimos and his use of the bow was stunning. Particularly notable were the very piano staccatos written by Bach. Moser’s performance was faultless. By the way, here is Moser’s Wikipedia entry: “Johannes Moser (born 1979) is a German-Canadian cellist who has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras.” Now that’s modesty.
After the intermission, the Mozart symphony was performed. This of-heard performed piece was ably led by Minzcuk, without benefit of a score, and played impeccably by the ASO. The strings were particularly golden in the elegant second movement Andante and in the fourth movement Presto.
The Richard Strauss Suite is a blockbuster, featuring a large orchestra with enhanced percussion. Its waltz sections are very familiar and seemed to resonate greatly for the ASO audience. There is absolutely nothing wrong with schmaltz from time to time. Minzcuk again conducted without a score and the ASO’s playing was first rate. The twenty-five minute long piece lasted for what seemed just a few minutes. It was a great performance.
There were several things of note in this program and performance. I have already noted the grand playing of the ASO. I have also noted Minczuk’s conducting three quarters of the pieces without benefit of the score. As a result, page turning and attending to the written page did not have to come between him and the music making. Minzcuk does not provide a strong beat with this right hand and he does not seem to use his left to control the orchestra’s playing, yet all of these pieces were interpreted and played wonderfully. In fact, Minzcuk’s style of conducting looks like he is mimicking the music rather than leading it. Nevertheless he was impressive. It is also interesting that the ASO can respond very well to guest conductors. Their tremendous playing under the leadership of Van Zweden and Remmereit were examples of this. Certainly chemistry has something to do with it, as well as the talent of both the lead and the leader.
Finally, I note that the principal players of the symphony are frequently absent in the chamber-sized orchestra setting, and sometimes in concerti. It seems to happen more often at the ASO’s performances that with other orchestras. I have no idea what that means!
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