The evening of August 9th was wet and blustery in Cornwall but inclement weather did not prevent local people and summer visitors from attending a concert played by a few members of the Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Penzance. The present church was built in 1833-5, becoming a parish church with its own vicar in 1871.TheCologne New Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Volker Hartung, is the only independent orchestra in Germany and its members come from many countries: the eight performers that evening were from Germany, Poland, Spain and Belgium. Hartung himself was not present.
The evening’s concert began with W.A.Mozart’s (1756-1791) Violin Concerto in G Major, KV 216.Composed in Salzburg in 1775, the work is in three movements. Soloist was Marek Dumicz, the orchestra’s concertmaster, with a string sextet playing the orchestral parts. The opening Allegro movement was fresh-sounding, with much interaction between the players. The cadenza was expressive and personal without being showy. The Adagio movement was given a personal, rich reading. Here, the cadenza was well paced and thought-provoking. The Rondeau:Allegro was joyful but measured, Dumicz’ phrases were finely shaped and melodic subjects nicely contrasted. The work ended with a touch of Mozartean humility.
Also by Mozart, we heard the aria “Nel Sen mi Palpita”, with the young Belgian soprano Astrid Defauw as soloist. The aria is from Act one of “Mitridate, re di Ponto”, an opera written by Mozart in 1770 (the composer was 14 years of age!), when he was touring Italy. In this aria, Aspasia, who is engaged to Mitridate, awaits her fiance’s return, grieving the fact that he is parted from her. Defauw’s performance was exciting and dynamic; her understanding of the role was supported by her vocal ease and musicality. Her diction was not always distinct.
The ensemble performed a selection of pieces from Henry Purcell’s (1658-1695) opera “Dido and Aeneas”. To a libretto by Nahum Tate, it was Purcell’s first opera, composed in 1689. In the Overture, the septet sets the gloomy scene. The aria “I am prest with torment” is sung to a ground (recurring) bass, a musical form frequently used by Purcell. Here, Dido tells her servant Belinda of her doubts about Aeneas’ intentions. Defauw’s performance of it was emotional and enriched by excellent instrumental support. The selection ended with Dido’s heart-rending “When I am laid in earth”. Defauw ornamented the piece tastefully as she let the aria unfold and breathe, her high notes rich and effortless. Her own involvement in the tragedy of the piece was convincing and moving.
Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) composed his six string sonatas in Ravenna Italy in the summer of 1804. He was only twelve years of age. They are often performed by larger ensembles; the CNPO players, however, performed his Sonata III in C major for strings in its original scoring, as a quartet. Based on the classical model of the generation preceding Rossini, the work conjures up the immediacy and sparkling cantabile melodic fluency present in Rossini operas! The opening Allegro was both cleanly played and delightfully entertaining, with its humorous moments and joy. The Andante painted a more serious scene, with the final Moderato movement presenting a dazzling set of variations, offering brilliant solos to players, double-bass player included.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) composed the incidental music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opus 61 in 1843. Actually, he had written the Overture 17 years earlier! The CNPO chose to play the Scherzo from it; the ensemble’s lightness and agility, variety of color and textures were a keen reminder to us that the setting for the Shakespeare play was an enchanted wood.
The concert ended with Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) Concerto in C major for Violoncello and Orchestra, Hob. VII:1, with the ‘cello solo played by Dmitri Gornovski. Haydn composed the work around 1761-1765 to be performed by his friend Joseph Weigl, the principal ‘cellist of Prince Nicolaus’ Esterhazy Orchestra. The score calls for strings, two oboes and two horns. There is also a basso continuo line that might have been played by another ‘cellist or a bass string player or, possibly, by Haydn himself at the harpsichord. The Cologne ensemble made do with no wind instruments. The original ‘cello line, however, divides its time between playing solo and joining tutti sections, this dual role making great demands on that player. All the concerto’s movements are in sonata form. The first movement – Moderato – expounds Haydnesque joy. Gornovski’s richness of tone and expression made for interesting listening, his cadenza measured, communicating a sense of well-being. After a dramatic entry of two bars, the Adagio movement is tranquil, articulate and meditative, with Gornovski’s bow caressing and singing. The final movement - Allegro molto – is witty and joyful. The soloist’s energy and virtuosity had his audience involved and bright-eyed.
Johann Pachelbel’s much-loved, mellow Canon in D major was played as an encore, providing another chance to hear beautiful solo work.
The program was varied, with an appealing selection of works. The Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra has high standards of performance, its reading into works profound. Tempi are taken for what they are and never as a vehicle for showmanship. Performing these works with so few players creates playing that is more individual and expressive than often heard in larger ensembles. The audience was enthusiastic and appreciative.
Junge Philharmonie Koeln,
Violins: Marek Dumicz (concertmaster, Poland), Sabine Baron (Germany), Mateosz Zuzanski (Poland), Michal Rozek (Spain)
Viola: Alexandra Kiszka (Poland)
Violoncello: Dmitri Gornovski (Germany)
Double bass: Alexander Maar (Germany)
Soprano: Astrid Defauw (Belgium)
The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Penzance, Cornwall UK.
August 9, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Nicholas Clapton-countertenor and Jonathan Watts-piano
It was 10:30 p.m. and people were streaming into the Great Hall of Dartington Hall on a blustery summer evening to hear a recital of English songs performed by countertenor Nicholas Clapton and pianist Jonathan Watts.
Nicholas Clapton, born in Worcester, has pursued a wide-ranging career in opera, oratorio and recital, he writes and researches, records and teaches. Born in Wales, Jonathan Watts has embraced many styles of keyboard playing, exploring the huge repertoire of piano-, organ- and harpsichord accompaniment.
The evening’s concert began with an arrangement of “The Three Ravens” by John Ireland (1879-1962). Organist and teacher, Ireland has produced much great English art-song, his style influenced more by French and Russian style than by folk-song style in Britain of his time. “The Three Ravens”, a spine-chilling folk ballad printed in the Melismata Song Book, was compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611. It opens with three scavenger birds discussing their next meal – a recently slain knight. Ireland’s arrangement of the song is rich and dark, with Clapton and Watts quickly setting the scene. Ireland’s harmonies contain surprises and Clapton matches them with his strong, kaleidoscope of vocal color.
“Silent Noon” (1903) is one of six sonnets composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) to texts by the English poet, illustrator, painter and translator Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Complex, erotic and sensual, the sequence was known as “The House of Life”. Rossetti described the sonnet form as a “moment’s monument”.
‘Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:--
So this wing’d hour is dropt to us from above.’
Evocative and lush, Clapton’s piani were magical set against the accompaniment Watts wove into the texture in shaped, nuanced phrases.
Organist, pianist, conductor and music critic W. Denis Browne (1888-1915) was a masterful songwriter. He fell in battle at age 27. His output consists of a handful of songs, a small quantity of choral, orchestral and piano music and an incomplete ballet. In his setting of Ben Jonson’s “Epitaph on Salathiel Pavey” (Salathiel Pavay was a child of Elizabeth I’s, chapel; he died very young) his dramatization is subtle, his writing for piano rich and beguiling.
Thomas Dunhill (1877-1946) was mainly a composer for the stage, also composing orchestral- and chamber music as well as piano- and vocal music for young musicians. His opus 30/3 setting of William Butler Yeats’ (1865-1939) “The Cloths of Heaven”, composed in 1910, is one of his best-known works performed by (adult) soloists. Clapton, his silken legato speaking the poem’s bitter-sweet text, brings out the humble and tender aspects of this touching piece.
‘I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’
Violist and conductor Frank Bridge (1879-1941) composed orchestral- and chamber music as well as 45 songs. Clapton and Watts performed his ballad “Love Went A-Riding” (1914) written to words of Mary Coleridge (1861-1907), with energy and excitement, the effect of galloping horses urgent and vivid. I loved the piano part, which is every bit as interesting and challenging as the vocal line.
Pianist Nicholas Marshall was born in Plymouth in 1942 and has taught at the Dartington College of Arts. His “Five Winter Songs” is a descriptive and evocative group of miniatures, beginning with Shakespeare’s “Winter” – a moody, direct, almost theatrical piece. The composer draws a vignette of stealthy feline gestures in his setting of W.B.Yeats’ “The Cat and the Moon” and an uncompromising, icy, bleak picture in the setting of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Song”. Following Marshall’s intense setting of Thomas Hardy’s “A Sheep Fair”, John Drinkwater’s “January Dusk” paints a gloomy picture of winter’s grey bareness, however, reminding us that spring’s “buds”, “primrose airs” and “coloured retinue” offer hope.
We were privileged to hear Nicholas Clapton in the first performance of Robin Walker’s “The Names of the Hare” composed for unaccompanied counter-tenor, to an anonymous medieval text translated in 1981 by the Irish poet, writer and Nobel Prize laureate, Seamus Heaney. Walker, born in York in 1953, has taught and traveled widely and now spends his time mainly composing. “The Names of the Hare” is feisty, rhythmical and wordy, plying the listener with ideas and associations at a swift rate, the text presenting a startling description of the animal that symbolizes the untamable and the uncontainable as well as wild sexuality. Clapton’s performance of this unconventional work was brilliant.
Born in Sussex, Roger Quilter’s (1877-1953) reputation rests mainly on his oeuvre of light orchestral music and more than 100 songs. The concert concluded with Quilter’s “Five Shakespeare Songs” opus 23 for high voice and piano. The song cycle opens with the somewhat modal and flowing “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun” in a lovely cantabile, pensive mood, this being is followed by “Under the greenwood tree”, a canvas rich in movement and early 20th century English harmonies. “It was a lover and his lass” was given a lyrical, delightful performance, full of joy and sunlight, with delicate hints of bird calls in the piano part, after which it was contrasted by the more thoughtful miniature - “Take, o take those lips away”, its long, flowing phrases sung sensitively. The whimsical last song “Hey, ho, the wind and the rain” from Twelfth Night was lively and amusing, bringing this interesting, varied and inspiring recital to an end. It was now time to face the wind and the rain outside.
The Great Hall,
Dartington Hall,Devon,UK
July 31,2008
Nicholas Clapton, born in Worcester, has pursued a wide-ranging career in opera, oratorio and recital, he writes and researches, records and teaches. Born in Wales, Jonathan Watts has embraced many styles of keyboard playing, exploring the huge repertoire of piano-, organ- and harpsichord accompaniment.
The evening’s concert began with an arrangement of “The Three Ravens” by John Ireland (1879-1962). Organist and teacher, Ireland has produced much great English art-song, his style influenced more by French and Russian style than by folk-song style in Britain of his time. “The Three Ravens”, a spine-chilling folk ballad printed in the Melismata Song Book, was compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611. It opens with three scavenger birds discussing their next meal – a recently slain knight. Ireland’s arrangement of the song is rich and dark, with Clapton and Watts quickly setting the scene. Ireland’s harmonies contain surprises and Clapton matches them with his strong, kaleidoscope of vocal color.
“Silent Noon” (1903) is one of six sonnets composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) to texts by the English poet, illustrator, painter and translator Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Complex, erotic and sensual, the sequence was known as “The House of Life”. Rossetti described the sonnet form as a “moment’s monument”.
‘Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragon-fly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky:--
So this wing’d hour is dropt to us from above.’
Evocative and lush, Clapton’s piani were magical set against the accompaniment Watts wove into the texture in shaped, nuanced phrases.
Organist, pianist, conductor and music critic W. Denis Browne (1888-1915) was a masterful songwriter. He fell in battle at age 27. His output consists of a handful of songs, a small quantity of choral, orchestral and piano music and an incomplete ballet. In his setting of Ben Jonson’s “Epitaph on Salathiel Pavey” (Salathiel Pavay was a child of Elizabeth I’s, chapel; he died very young) his dramatization is subtle, his writing for piano rich and beguiling.
Thomas Dunhill (1877-1946) was mainly a composer for the stage, also composing orchestral- and chamber music as well as piano- and vocal music for young musicians. His opus 30/3 setting of William Butler Yeats’ (1865-1939) “The Cloths of Heaven”, composed in 1910, is one of his best-known works performed by (adult) soloists. Clapton, his silken legato speaking the poem’s bitter-sweet text, brings out the humble and tender aspects of this touching piece.
‘I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’
Violist and conductor Frank Bridge (1879-1941) composed orchestral- and chamber music as well as 45 songs. Clapton and Watts performed his ballad “Love Went A-Riding” (1914) written to words of Mary Coleridge (1861-1907), with energy and excitement, the effect of galloping horses urgent and vivid. I loved the piano part, which is every bit as interesting and challenging as the vocal line.
Pianist Nicholas Marshall was born in Plymouth in 1942 and has taught at the Dartington College of Arts. His “Five Winter Songs” is a descriptive and evocative group of miniatures, beginning with Shakespeare’s “Winter” – a moody, direct, almost theatrical piece. The composer draws a vignette of stealthy feline gestures in his setting of W.B.Yeats’ “The Cat and the Moon” and an uncompromising, icy, bleak picture in the setting of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Song”. Following Marshall’s intense setting of Thomas Hardy’s “A Sheep Fair”, John Drinkwater’s “January Dusk” paints a gloomy picture of winter’s grey bareness, however, reminding us that spring’s “buds”, “primrose airs” and “coloured retinue” offer hope.
We were privileged to hear Nicholas Clapton in the first performance of Robin Walker’s “The Names of the Hare” composed for unaccompanied counter-tenor, to an anonymous medieval text translated in 1981 by the Irish poet, writer and Nobel Prize laureate, Seamus Heaney. Walker, born in York in 1953, has taught and traveled widely and now spends his time mainly composing. “The Names of the Hare” is feisty, rhythmical and wordy, plying the listener with ideas and associations at a swift rate, the text presenting a startling description of the animal that symbolizes the untamable and the uncontainable as well as wild sexuality. Clapton’s performance of this unconventional work was brilliant.
Born in Sussex, Roger Quilter’s (1877-1953) reputation rests mainly on his oeuvre of light orchestral music and more than 100 songs. The concert concluded with Quilter’s “Five Shakespeare Songs” opus 23 for high voice and piano. The song cycle opens with the somewhat modal and flowing “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun” in a lovely cantabile, pensive mood, this being is followed by “Under the greenwood tree”, a canvas rich in movement and early 20th century English harmonies. “It was a lover and his lass” was given a lyrical, delightful performance, full of joy and sunlight, with delicate hints of bird calls in the piano part, after which it was contrasted by the more thoughtful miniature - “Take, o take those lips away”, its long, flowing phrases sung sensitively. The whimsical last song “Hey, ho, the wind and the rain” from Twelfth Night was lively and amusing, bringing this interesting, varied and inspiring recital to an end. It was now time to face the wind and the rain outside.
The Great Hall,
Dartington Hall,Devon,UK
July 31,2008
Labels:
Bridge,
Dunhill,
Ireland,
Nicholas Marshall,
Quilter,
Robin Walker,
Vaughan Williams,
W.Denis Browne
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
"Sweet,stay a while" Dartington Hall,Devon UK
“Sweet, Stay a While” was the title of a concert performed in the Great Hall of Dartington Hall, featuring soprano Evelyn Tubb, Michael Fields-lute and theorbo, David Wright-harpsichord and organ and David Hatcher-viol. The ensemble calls itself “Sprezzatura”, (a term first used in Castiglione’s “Book of the Courtier”, published 1528, referring to the ability of a courtier to perform difficult actions nonchalantly, concealing any effort invested in them), promising a concert with a strong theatrical element. The program included music from the Renaissance and Baroque – mostly English, with some Italian music.
The concert included a number of pieces by Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Tubb performed the whimsical “Ye gentle spirits of the air” with playful ease. “The Plaint”, for voice, viol and lute, is a lyrical, moving piece built on an ostinato bass; Tubb outlined its various moods and mood changes with great artistry. In “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation”, a sense of despair made for an emotional, soul-searching performance. London-born David Wright, whose interests also lie in instrument building and restoration, gave an energetic and interestingly ornamented performance of Purcell’s Chaconne (Curtain tune from “Timon of Athens”). One of the highlights of the program was “Morpheus, thou gentle god” a work by Henry Purcell’s younger brother, Daniel Purcell (1664-1717). In her reading of this Baroque “mad song”, Tubb creates a gripping drama of desire and jealousy, coloring the work with many rapid ornaments and rhythm- and tempo changes. She uses the stage well and communicates with her audience in crystal clear diction, with her eyes, with her body. Evelyn Tubb, known to many of us from the Consort of Musicke, works closely with Michael Fields and today is vocal professor at the Schola Cantorum in Basel., Switzerland.
Michael Fields was born in Hawaii and has taken an interesting musical journey - from folk, rock and jazz, to coaching madrigal ensembles and directing medieval dramas. In this evening’s concert he played a complex and delicate lute Fantasia by John Dowland (1563-1626). This was followed by Dowland’s “In darkness let me dwell” for voice and lute, with Tubb weaving in the tragic text with rich melodic interest, her “piano” phrases rich and haunting.
‘In darkness let me dwell; the ground shall sorrow be,
The roof despair, to bar all cheerful light from me;
The walls of marble black, that moist’ned still shall weep;
My music, hellish jarring sounds, to banish friendly sleep.’
Henry Lawes (1595-1662) was a prolific song writer, composing more than 430 songs. His “Sweet, stay a while” for lute, viol and voice was declamatory and pensive. In Lawes’ “Slide soft you silver floods”, Tubb bewitches her listeners, inviting them to savor each word:
‘Slide soft you silver floods
And ev’ry Spring
Within these shady woods;
Let no bird sing,
But from this grove a turtle dove
Be seen to couple with his love:
But silence on each dale and mountain dwell,
Whilst that I weeping bid my love farewell.’
Also on the subject of Nature, the Vauxhall Gardens, opened in 1661, provided Georgian and Victorian Londoners with a summer-time retreat – a place to hear music, admire paintings, promenade, drink and flirt in a happy confusion of classes and media. We know that William Boyce’s (1711-1779) music was performed there. Wright (on harpsichord) and Tubb performed his “Spring Gardens”, with Hatcher joining them on viol in “Tell me ye brooks”, the latter rich in allusions to Nature’s beauty, including bird calls, but weighty in a young woman’s yearning for her lover. These songs were followed by John Weldon’s (1676-1736) lively, charming and melismatic “The wakeful nightingale”; the nightingale sings and takes no rest from the pains of love.
David Hatcher, back in Britain after ten years in Japan where he took a leading part in the country’s flourishing Early Music scene, gave a poignant, contrasted and finely crafted performance of “Whoope (Hope) doe me no harme” & Lachrimae (anonymous) from the Manchester Lyra Viol Book. Hatcher and Wright played two movements of Archangelo Corelli’s (1653-1713) Sonata in D major (originally scored for violin) opus 5, no.11, providing mellow, meditative respite from the drama and tortures of love.
It was an evening of superb performance, interest and variety, of humor, despair and tranquility. The audience sat at the edge of their seats.
“Sweet Stay a While”
Sprezzatura
Evelyn Tubb-soprano
Michael Fields-lute, theorbo
David Wright-harpsichord, organ
David Hatcher-viola da gamba
The Great Hall
Dartington Hall, Devon, UK
July 29, 2008
The concert included a number of pieces by Henry Purcell (1659-1695). Tubb performed the whimsical “Ye gentle spirits of the air” with playful ease. “The Plaint”, for voice, viol and lute, is a lyrical, moving piece built on an ostinato bass; Tubb outlined its various moods and mood changes with great artistry. In “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation”, a sense of despair made for an emotional, soul-searching performance. London-born David Wright, whose interests also lie in instrument building and restoration, gave an energetic and interestingly ornamented performance of Purcell’s Chaconne (Curtain tune from “Timon of Athens”). One of the highlights of the program was “Morpheus, thou gentle god” a work by Henry Purcell’s younger brother, Daniel Purcell (1664-1717). In her reading of this Baroque “mad song”, Tubb creates a gripping drama of desire and jealousy, coloring the work with many rapid ornaments and rhythm- and tempo changes. She uses the stage well and communicates with her audience in crystal clear diction, with her eyes, with her body. Evelyn Tubb, known to many of us from the Consort of Musicke, works closely with Michael Fields and today is vocal professor at the Schola Cantorum in Basel., Switzerland.
Michael Fields was born in Hawaii and has taken an interesting musical journey - from folk, rock and jazz, to coaching madrigal ensembles and directing medieval dramas. In this evening’s concert he played a complex and delicate lute Fantasia by John Dowland (1563-1626). This was followed by Dowland’s “In darkness let me dwell” for voice and lute, with Tubb weaving in the tragic text with rich melodic interest, her “piano” phrases rich and haunting.
‘In darkness let me dwell; the ground shall sorrow be,
The roof despair, to bar all cheerful light from me;
The walls of marble black, that moist’ned still shall weep;
My music, hellish jarring sounds, to banish friendly sleep.’
Henry Lawes (1595-1662) was a prolific song writer, composing more than 430 songs. His “Sweet, stay a while” for lute, viol and voice was declamatory and pensive. In Lawes’ “Slide soft you silver floods”, Tubb bewitches her listeners, inviting them to savor each word:
‘Slide soft you silver floods
And ev’ry Spring
Within these shady woods;
Let no bird sing,
But from this grove a turtle dove
Be seen to couple with his love:
But silence on each dale and mountain dwell,
Whilst that I weeping bid my love farewell.’
Also on the subject of Nature, the Vauxhall Gardens, opened in 1661, provided Georgian and Victorian Londoners with a summer-time retreat – a place to hear music, admire paintings, promenade, drink and flirt in a happy confusion of classes and media. We know that William Boyce’s (1711-1779) music was performed there. Wright (on harpsichord) and Tubb performed his “Spring Gardens”, with Hatcher joining them on viol in “Tell me ye brooks”, the latter rich in allusions to Nature’s beauty, including bird calls, but weighty in a young woman’s yearning for her lover. These songs were followed by John Weldon’s (1676-1736) lively, charming and melismatic “The wakeful nightingale”; the nightingale sings and takes no rest from the pains of love.
David Hatcher, back in Britain after ten years in Japan where he took a leading part in the country’s flourishing Early Music scene, gave a poignant, contrasted and finely crafted performance of “Whoope (Hope) doe me no harme” & Lachrimae (anonymous) from the Manchester Lyra Viol Book. Hatcher and Wright played two movements of Archangelo Corelli’s (1653-1713) Sonata in D major (originally scored for violin) opus 5, no.11, providing mellow, meditative respite from the drama and tortures of love.
It was an evening of superb performance, interest and variety, of humor, despair and tranquility. The audience sat at the edge of their seats.
“Sweet Stay a While”
Sprezzatura
Evelyn Tubb-soprano
Michael Fields-lute, theorbo
David Wright-harpsichord, organ
David Hatcher-viola da gamba
The Great Hall
Dartington Hall, Devon, UK
July 29, 2008
Labels:
David Hatcher,
David Wright,
Evelyn Tubb,
Michael Fields
Friday, August 15, 2008
Henschel Quartet at Dartington Hall,Devon UK
The Henschel siblings –violinists Christoph Henschel and Markus Henschel and violist Monika Henschel-Schwind – have been playing music together from a young age. In 1994, they were joined by ‘cellist Mathias Beyer-Karlshoj to form what has become the illustrious Henschel Quartet, an ensemble performing widely and the recipient of many prizes. Quartet members were tutors and performers at the 2008 Dartington Hall International Summer School.
The quartet’s concert in the Great Hall on the Dartington Hall campus in Devon UK, opened with Dmitri Shostakovich’s (1906-1975) Quartet no. 7 in f sharp minor, opus 108. Shostakovich composed the work, his shortest quartet, in 1960, dedicating it to the memory of his first wife Nina, who had died in 1954. Moving swiftly from the Allegretto to a Lento movement and on to the final Allegro-Allegretto, the Henschel Quartet outlined the melancholy character of this work, at the same time addressing other traits of the composer present in the work: the whimsical opening figure of the first movement, the almost visual bare, Russian landscape of the somber Lento and the somewhat devilish opening of the intense, sometimes cynical, contrapuntal third movement, a movement that includes thematic material from the previous two movements. The quartet ends on a major chord, a gesture of reflection rather than optimism. The players presented the drama of the piece with total involvement.
The next work on the program was Erwin Schulhoff’s (1894-1942) Quartet no.1. Born in Prague of German-Jewish parents, Schulhoff became a virtuoso pianist. His own composition absorbed both German and Czech idiom as well as that of Debussy, but was influenced by the jazz he had heard when in Weimar and Paris. Schulhoff perished in the Wuelzberg concentration camp. His Quartet no.1 was composed after his return to Prague in 1924. The opening Presto con fuoco is rich in texture, intense and energetic, certainly eastern European in character. The second movement – Allegretto con moto e con malinconia grotesca – sets bitter-sweet melodies against a pizzicato background. The Allegro giocoso alla Slavacca presents a fiery set of folk-type dances, one interrupting the other with a sense of urgency. Strangely enough, Schulhoff ends his quartet with a slow, somber movement. Here he creates a distant, hazy texture which develops into dark heaviness. The movement has a bleak message, with the ‘cello adopting a persistent “clock-ticking” motif. A work of virtuosity, color and originality, it was given a profound and moving reading by the players.
The concert ended with Franz Schubert’s String Quartet no.15 in G major, D887. Composed within ten days, in 1826, at a time when Schubert’s reputation in Vienna was gathering momentum, it was his last completed quartet. It opens with a highly contrasted Allegro molto moderato, with drama and melancholy juxtaposed, and the players brought out the strong dynamic contrasts of the movement. The second movement is intimate, singing and serene, disturbed, however, by two vehement outbursts. As in the first movement, the ‘cello plays a central role, with Beyer-Karlshoj’s sensitive bow weaving in each of the plaintive melodies. The Scherzo was light and whimsical, but not lacking in cantabile melodiousness. Schubert, leaving some surprises to the last movement, introduces abrupt changes from major to minor and plays with dotted rhythms and triplets. J.A.Westrup referred to this last movement as “a mad rondo, violent in rhythm and mad in harmony”. Schubert knew he was dying at the time he was writing the quartet; this work is surely a combination of defiance and resignation. The Henschel Quartet’s performance of it was motivated and sincere.
It was an interesting and balanced program. Playing was rich in color, articulate and expressive. This was string playing and musicianship at its finest.
The Henschel Quartet (Germany)
Christoph Henschel-first violin
Markus Henschel-second violin
Monika Henschel-Schwind-viola
Mathias D. Beyer-Karlshoj-‘cello
The Great Hall
Dartington Hall,Devon UK
July 27, 2008
The quartet’s concert in the Great Hall on the Dartington Hall campus in Devon UK, opened with Dmitri Shostakovich’s (1906-1975) Quartet no. 7 in f sharp minor, opus 108. Shostakovich composed the work, his shortest quartet, in 1960, dedicating it to the memory of his first wife Nina, who had died in 1954. Moving swiftly from the Allegretto to a Lento movement and on to the final Allegro-Allegretto, the Henschel Quartet outlined the melancholy character of this work, at the same time addressing other traits of the composer present in the work: the whimsical opening figure of the first movement, the almost visual bare, Russian landscape of the somber Lento and the somewhat devilish opening of the intense, sometimes cynical, contrapuntal third movement, a movement that includes thematic material from the previous two movements. The quartet ends on a major chord, a gesture of reflection rather than optimism. The players presented the drama of the piece with total involvement.
The next work on the program was Erwin Schulhoff’s (1894-1942) Quartet no.1. Born in Prague of German-Jewish parents, Schulhoff became a virtuoso pianist. His own composition absorbed both German and Czech idiom as well as that of Debussy, but was influenced by the jazz he had heard when in Weimar and Paris. Schulhoff perished in the Wuelzberg concentration camp. His Quartet no.1 was composed after his return to Prague in 1924. The opening Presto con fuoco is rich in texture, intense and energetic, certainly eastern European in character. The second movement – Allegretto con moto e con malinconia grotesca – sets bitter-sweet melodies against a pizzicato background. The Allegro giocoso alla Slavacca presents a fiery set of folk-type dances, one interrupting the other with a sense of urgency. Strangely enough, Schulhoff ends his quartet with a slow, somber movement. Here he creates a distant, hazy texture which develops into dark heaviness. The movement has a bleak message, with the ‘cello adopting a persistent “clock-ticking” motif. A work of virtuosity, color and originality, it was given a profound and moving reading by the players.
The concert ended with Franz Schubert’s String Quartet no.15 in G major, D887. Composed within ten days, in 1826, at a time when Schubert’s reputation in Vienna was gathering momentum, it was his last completed quartet. It opens with a highly contrasted Allegro molto moderato, with drama and melancholy juxtaposed, and the players brought out the strong dynamic contrasts of the movement. The second movement is intimate, singing and serene, disturbed, however, by two vehement outbursts. As in the first movement, the ‘cello plays a central role, with Beyer-Karlshoj’s sensitive bow weaving in each of the plaintive melodies. The Scherzo was light and whimsical, but not lacking in cantabile melodiousness. Schubert, leaving some surprises to the last movement, introduces abrupt changes from major to minor and plays with dotted rhythms and triplets. J.A.Westrup referred to this last movement as “a mad rondo, violent in rhythm and mad in harmony”. Schubert knew he was dying at the time he was writing the quartet; this work is surely a combination of defiance and resignation. The Henschel Quartet’s performance of it was motivated and sincere.
It was an interesting and balanced program. Playing was rich in color, articulate and expressive. This was string playing and musicianship at its finest.
The Henschel Quartet (Germany)
Christoph Henschel-first violin
Markus Henschel-second violin
Monika Henschel-Schwind-viola
Mathias D. Beyer-Karlshoj-‘cello
The Great Hall
Dartington Hall,Devon UK
July 27, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Music from the Lively Court of Dresden
The Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s final concert for the 2007-2008 season was “Music from the Lively Court of Dresden”, a program of music by Antonio Lotti and Jan (or Johann) Dismas Zelenka. The concert was conducted by Andrew Parrott, the JBO’s honorary conductor. At the harpsichord was Dr. David Shemer, the orchestra’s musical director. For the last 18 years, the JBO has been performing Baroque music on period instruments according to historical performance practice, putting Israel on the map in Baroque orchestral playing of the highest standard.
In the 18th century, Dresden, the capital of the Saxon Electorate, also referred to as “Florence on the Elbe”, was one of the most vibrant cultural centers of Europe. Saxony enjoyed its “Augustan” Golden Age under the reign of Frederick Augustus I (Augustus the Strong) and his son, Frederick Augustus II. The Dresden royal orchestra, the “Hofkapelle”, was known far and wide, performing church music, opera and works written for events at court. Vivaldi and J.S.Bach, in particular, both had connections with the court and its orchestra.
Antonio Lotti (1776/7-1740) was born in Venice and made his name as a musician at St Mark’s Basilica as an alto singer and organist, and he was a renowned teacher; in 1736 he became maestro di cappella, a post he held till his death. In 1717, the Crown Prince of Saxony was in Venice with specific instructions from his father, the king, to secure the services of singers for the court opera and church in preparation for his wedding in 1719. Lotti was given leave to go to Dresden and he left Venice with his wife, a librettist and a number of singers. In Dresden, he composed three operas. In October 1719, Lotti and his wife– the singer Santa Stella- left Dresden to return to Venice. As a souvenir of his visit, he was able to keep the carriage and horses given him for his return trip to Venice.
Lotti composed 24 operas in all, but only eight have survived. “Alessandro Severo”, premiered in 1716, was one of Lotti’s final operas for the city of Venice before he left for Dresden. Apostolo Zeno, a member of the Arcadian Academy, wrote the libretto; he was one of the first to define the “opera seria” as a return to “classical” drama. The JBO’s concert opened with the Sinfonia to the opera. Scored for strings and harpsichord, in three sections, it was given a crisp rendition. Sandwiched between two lively movements, the slower middle section was furtive and singing, with dissonances producing harmonic tensions.
Lotti’s “Missa Sapientiae” is among his most important religious works. Around 1730, J.D. Zelenka, having given the mass its name, added to its instrumentation. Handel copied out sections, using them in some of his oratorios and Bach owned a copy of it. For this performance, the JBO was joined by the Collegium Singers, a first class ensemble of twenty-five young, professional singers, founded by Avner Itai, its conductor, in 1997. Most of the soloists of the evening are members of the choir. Scored for strings, organ, harpsichord, oboes and bassoon, the work is a remarkable collage of pieces, of solos, groups of soloists, choruses, and so on. Different textures contrasting one another make this work interesting. Soprano Efrat Carmoush was impressive and competent; I also enjoyed hearing baritone Assif Am-David. The “Qui tollis” was especially moving, with a small two-note motif dominating the first half, repeated and imitated by upper and lower strings. In the “suscipe deprecationem nostrum” (Receive our prayer) the words were not only distinct but shaped beautifully into the musical phrase. The final movement, “Cum sancto spirito”, was rich in color and contrapuntal strands, exuberant and convincing.
Born in Ludovice, Bohemia in 1679, Jan Dismas Zelenka moved to Dresden in 1710, playing violone (a very large viol) in the court orchestra and receiving the title of “Court composer of church music” due to the numerous sacred works he had composed for the Dresden Catholic church. He died there in 1745. In 1715, he left for Vienna to study counterpoint under Johann Joseph Fux (whose book “Gradus ad Parnassum”, whereby the rules of counterpoint are set down, is still read by students of counterpoint.) On traveling to Venice in 1716, he met Lotti and may have studied with him; this meeting laid the basis for their friendship that would continue into the period they would be together in Dresden. Zelenka returned to Dresden in 1719 and the sophisticated counterpoint of his works written thereafter show results of his time studying with Fux. Zelenka composed the “Ouverture Hipocondrie” in 1723 for the crowning ceremony of Charles VI of Bohemia. The name given to this work is somewhat of an enigma but people in Zelenka’s circle of the time have mentioned that he suffered from bouts of hypochondria. Scored for strings, oboes, bassoon, and harpsichord, the work opens with a movement in dotted rhythms, the oboes playing in parallel rhythms. The second movement gives opportunities for quite demanding instrumental solos, punctuated by short homophonic octave sections.
In his motet “In Exitu Israel de Aegypto” Zelenka takes his text from Psalms 113 and 114 but adds the doxology. In this rich and varied work, solos weave in and out of choral sections, with soloists also singing in ensembles; words and music are well wed. Moving through fugual movements, elaborate textures and dissonances, the motet ends with a joyful and richly exhilarating Amen.
British musicologist and conductor Andrew Parrott coordinated orchestra, choir and soloists in a performance that was, indeed, pleasing and interesting, inspiring the audience to listen to music of Baroque composers not familiar to everybody. Looking back on the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s 2007-2008 season, I feel we are privileged to enjoy programs offering a rich variety of Baroque repertoire together with excellent performance. Shemer’s program notes (only in Hebrew) are always well worth reading. As of this season, Benny Hendel has been presenting a few words about works and composers in the concerts, adding interest, background information and humor.
“Music from the Lively Court of Dresden”
The Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra
David Shemer-musical director
Andrew Parrott-conductor
The Collegium Singers
Avner Itai-director
Benny Hendel-concert presentation
Efrat Carmoush-soprano
Orly Hoominer-soprano
Goni Bar-Sela-alto
Oded Amir-tenor
Assif Am-David-baritone
Peter Simpson-baritone
In the 18th century, Dresden, the capital of the Saxon Electorate, also referred to as “Florence on the Elbe”, was one of the most vibrant cultural centers of Europe. Saxony enjoyed its “Augustan” Golden Age under the reign of Frederick Augustus I (Augustus the Strong) and his son, Frederick Augustus II. The Dresden royal orchestra, the “Hofkapelle”, was known far and wide, performing church music, opera and works written for events at court. Vivaldi and J.S.Bach, in particular, both had connections with the court and its orchestra.
Antonio Lotti (1776/7-1740) was born in Venice and made his name as a musician at St Mark’s Basilica as an alto singer and organist, and he was a renowned teacher; in 1736 he became maestro di cappella, a post he held till his death. In 1717, the Crown Prince of Saxony was in Venice with specific instructions from his father, the king, to secure the services of singers for the court opera and church in preparation for his wedding in 1719. Lotti was given leave to go to Dresden and he left Venice with his wife, a librettist and a number of singers. In Dresden, he composed three operas. In October 1719, Lotti and his wife– the singer Santa Stella- left Dresden to return to Venice. As a souvenir of his visit, he was able to keep the carriage and horses given him for his return trip to Venice.
Lotti composed 24 operas in all, but only eight have survived. “Alessandro Severo”, premiered in 1716, was one of Lotti’s final operas for the city of Venice before he left for Dresden. Apostolo Zeno, a member of the Arcadian Academy, wrote the libretto; he was one of the first to define the “opera seria” as a return to “classical” drama. The JBO’s concert opened with the Sinfonia to the opera. Scored for strings and harpsichord, in three sections, it was given a crisp rendition. Sandwiched between two lively movements, the slower middle section was furtive and singing, with dissonances producing harmonic tensions.
Lotti’s “Missa Sapientiae” is among his most important religious works. Around 1730, J.D. Zelenka, having given the mass its name, added to its instrumentation. Handel copied out sections, using them in some of his oratorios and Bach owned a copy of it. For this performance, the JBO was joined by the Collegium Singers, a first class ensemble of twenty-five young, professional singers, founded by Avner Itai, its conductor, in 1997. Most of the soloists of the evening are members of the choir. Scored for strings, organ, harpsichord, oboes and bassoon, the work is a remarkable collage of pieces, of solos, groups of soloists, choruses, and so on. Different textures contrasting one another make this work interesting. Soprano Efrat Carmoush was impressive and competent; I also enjoyed hearing baritone Assif Am-David. The “Qui tollis” was especially moving, with a small two-note motif dominating the first half, repeated and imitated by upper and lower strings. In the “suscipe deprecationem nostrum” (Receive our prayer) the words were not only distinct but shaped beautifully into the musical phrase. The final movement, “Cum sancto spirito”, was rich in color and contrapuntal strands, exuberant and convincing.
Born in Ludovice, Bohemia in 1679, Jan Dismas Zelenka moved to Dresden in 1710, playing violone (a very large viol) in the court orchestra and receiving the title of “Court composer of church music” due to the numerous sacred works he had composed for the Dresden Catholic church. He died there in 1745. In 1715, he left for Vienna to study counterpoint under Johann Joseph Fux (whose book “Gradus ad Parnassum”, whereby the rules of counterpoint are set down, is still read by students of counterpoint.) On traveling to Venice in 1716, he met Lotti and may have studied with him; this meeting laid the basis for their friendship that would continue into the period they would be together in Dresden. Zelenka returned to Dresden in 1719 and the sophisticated counterpoint of his works written thereafter show results of his time studying with Fux. Zelenka composed the “Ouverture Hipocondrie” in 1723 for the crowning ceremony of Charles VI of Bohemia. The name given to this work is somewhat of an enigma but people in Zelenka’s circle of the time have mentioned that he suffered from bouts of hypochondria. Scored for strings, oboes, bassoon, and harpsichord, the work opens with a movement in dotted rhythms, the oboes playing in parallel rhythms. The second movement gives opportunities for quite demanding instrumental solos, punctuated by short homophonic octave sections.
In his motet “In Exitu Israel de Aegypto” Zelenka takes his text from Psalms 113 and 114 but adds the doxology. In this rich and varied work, solos weave in and out of choral sections, with soloists also singing in ensembles; words and music are well wed. Moving through fugual movements, elaborate textures and dissonances, the motet ends with a joyful and richly exhilarating Amen.
British musicologist and conductor Andrew Parrott coordinated orchestra, choir and soloists in a performance that was, indeed, pleasing and interesting, inspiring the audience to listen to music of Baroque composers not familiar to everybody. Looking back on the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s 2007-2008 season, I feel we are privileged to enjoy programs offering a rich variety of Baroque repertoire together with excellent performance. Shemer’s program notes (only in Hebrew) are always well worth reading. As of this season, Benny Hendel has been presenting a few words about works and composers in the concerts, adding interest, background information and humor.
“Music from the Lively Court of Dresden”
The Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra
David Shemer-musical director
Andrew Parrott-conductor
The Collegium Singers
Avner Itai-director
Benny Hendel-concert presentation
Efrat Carmoush-soprano
Orly Hoominer-soprano
Goni Bar-Sela-alto
Oded Amir-tenor
Assif Am-David-baritone
Peter Simpson-baritone
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sounding Jerusalem
“Sounding Jerusalem” is a festival taking place for the third year. Under the artistic direction of Austrian ‘cellist, Erich Oskar Huetter, this unique festival constitutes a meeting of people of different cultures and religions and offers three weeks of high quality chamber concerts taking place in beautiful venues around Jerusalem as well as in Abu Gosh, Jericho, Ramallah and Palestinian villages. There is no charge for entrance. In addition to the concerts, Maria Tupay Duque, a freelance artist from Upper Austria, ran workshops for children and young people, whereby some of the musicians played for them, inspiring children and youth to express themselves in color. Some of the paintings were displayed at the various concerts. Huetter’s aim is to present concerts free of charge to all communities in the region. Most of the artists performing in this year’s festival are Europeans, some are Israeli, an orchestra of young Palestinians, a few Japanese players and one Australian.
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On a balmy, Jerusalem summer evening, the Artis String Quartet (Austria) was performing a concert titled “Sweet Viennese Dreams” in the historical courtyard of the 12th century cloisters of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. With daylight fading, we took our seats in the serene courtyard, which boasts trees and greenery and timelessness. The Artis Quartet was founded in 1988 in Vienna, where all members nowadays reside. The quartet has a busy performance schedule; a highlight of their 2006-2007 concert season was their performance in Vienna of all the Mozart string quartets. Violinists and violist perform standing rather than sitting: standing, they explained, allows them to feel less restricted and more communicative.
The program opened with W.A.Mozart’s (1756-1791) Serenade no. 13 in G major, KV 525, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, composed in 1787 for chamber ensemble (with optional double bass.) A much loved and accessible work, the opening Allegro was forthright and clean, defined and melodic. The second movement – Romanze: Andante – was not taken too slowly, avoiding the pitfalls of over-sentimentality. With the fine acoustic of the courtyard projecting each note, the audience enjoyed the exuberance of the final movement – Rondo: Allegro.
The String Quartet in F major opus 50 “The Dream” is the fifth of Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) “Prussian” Quartets (1787) and was dedicated to his ‘cello-playing patron King Friedrich Wilhem II of Prussia. Written two years after Mozart’s “Haydn” Quartets, Haydn returns the homage by supplying a more Mozartian sound world than in former quartets. As of the initial sounds of the first movement – Allegro moderato- the players entertained the audience, bringing out Haydn’s humorous dissonances. The flowing second movement – Poco Adagio – is luminous and shifts mysteriously, hence its name “The Dream”. The Minuet and Trio were nuanced and shaped, with the intensity of the Finale: Vivace, exciting.
Listening to Mozart’s String Quartet in A major, KV 464, one is unable to imagine the troubles, changes and struggles Mozart encountered in its composition. In fact, it became Beethoven’s favorite of the “Haydn” set, published 1785. An anonymous reviewer, writing in Cramer’s Magazin der Muzik in 1789, wrote ‘Mozart’s six quartets for violins, viola and bass dedicated to Haydn confirm…that he has a decided leaning towards the difficult and the unusual. But then, what great and elevated ideas he has too, testifying to a bold spirit’. The Artis Quartet presented and contrasted both the grace and power of the opening Allegro movement. Their performance of the variations in the third movement – Andante- was delightful in its color and variety. The final Allegro non troppo was rich in counterpoint and textures, ending poignantly.
“Sweet Viennese Dreams”
The Artis Quartet (Austria)
Peter Schumayer-1st violin
Johannes Meissl-2nd violin
Herbert Kefer-viola
Othmar Mueller-cello
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Old City of Jerusalem
June 28, 2008
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The Artis Quartet’s second concert in Sounding Jerusalem was “Vienna Calling” and took place at the Jerusalem Music Centre. W.A. Mozart’s String Quartet in E flat major, KV 428 (1783) is the third of the “Haydn” Quartets, all composed in Vienna between1782 and 1785. These quartets set new standards for this medium – in richness of invention, density of thought, length and melodic appeal, making more demands on player and listener. They are structured in the fashion Haydn had introduced in his quartets – mainly, that each instrument has its own voice and none are subservient to the first violin. The E flat Major quartet begins boldly with a highly chromatic Allegro non troppo. The artists gave much attention to fullness of sound, tensions and mood changes. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a rich, flowing tapestry of swelling sonorities, dissonances and accents. The third movement – Allegretto (not referred to as a “Minuet”) is characterized by heavy accents and a pedal in the bass, giving it a rustic effect. The fourth movement is virtuosic and varied, with underlying humor.
Alban Berg (1885-1935) was born in Vienna and was a member of the Second Viennese School together with Schoenberg and Webern. Berg’s String Quartet opus 3 was the first of two string quartets and was composed in 1910, though not published until 1920. Berg dedicated it to his wife, Helene, whom he married in 1911.This was the work to establish Berg’s individual style. It is contrapuntal, motivic rather than melodic and wholly atonal. Written in sonata-form, the first movement – Langsam (slowly) – is dark in its statement and highly layered in textures, contrapuntal sections contrasting with a more orchestral approach. It ends contemplatively. The second movement, no more joyful than the first, is outspoken as well as expressive and intimate. Berg uses effects such as flagolettes. With rich sonorities called for, the Artis Quartet gave the audience an intense and moving reading of the piece, taking themselves and their audience to a different region of the soul.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg but settled in Vienna in 1863. His String Quartet in a minor opus 51 no.2 was composed in 1873. Melancholy and lyric, this quartet was dedicated to his friend, the Viennese surgeon and amateur violinist, Theodor Billroth. The intense opening motif of the first movement – A, F,A, E – was expressive and contrasted effectively with the more relaxed, graceful major second theme. The three-part Andante Moderato movement was given a delicate reading. The open fifth drone in the more homophonic Minuet, a strange element, gave the performance the atmosphere of an ancient tale. The graceful Finale is energetic, and with its hemiolas, produces a dancelike, perhaps gypsy effect, together with fluid melodic lines. The Artis Quartet presented us with a richly varied and profound Brahms canvas.
All hints of Brahmsian tension and brooding were instantly whisked away with a typically whimsical, off-center Shostakovich polka performed playfully as an encore.
The Artis Quartet’s concerts were well programmed and inspiring: chamber music and string playing at its best. The JMC is indeed a superb venue for chamber music.
“Vienna Calling”
The Artis Quartet (Austria)
The Jerusalem Music Center, Yemin Moshe
June 30, 2008
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“Spirit of Europe” took place at the Jerusalem YMCA and, as well as being one of the “Sounding Jerusalem” events, was a benefit concert for Physicians for Human Rights –Israel. Here in Israel for the second time, the Spirit of Europe Orchestra, under the baton of Israeli-born Ronen Nissan, was established in 2004, with the expansion of the EU, and is based in the city of Melk, on the Danube. The players, most of whom are young, come from Hungary, the Slovak- and Czech Republics and from Austria. Their concert schedule takes them to EU countries as well as out of Europe as part of the “Dialogue of Cultures” program organized by the Provincial Capital of Lower Austria.
The evening opened with Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) Symphony no.44 in e minor “Trauer” (Mourning), composed in 1772. Haydn’s wish was that the Adagio movement be played at his own funeral, hence the title. At the time, Haydn was in the service of the Esterhazy family and it was during those years that he wrote most of his symphonies; there he presided over an orchestra of some twenty players, an ensemble that became one of the best in Europe. The symphony is homotonal, all movements having the same tonic. It begins with an Allegro con brio in sonata form. The orchestra gave it a fresh, crisp and dimensional reading, with plenty of contrast and shape. The oboist added color and lyricism. The Minuetto is in canon form. It was performed with feeling and charm. The third movement, Adagio, was expressive and luxuriant, with delicate piani in muted strings and well-crafted phrase endings. The contrapuntal Finale, opening with a decisive unison statement, is again in sonata form. Nissan gave it exhilarating energy and its excitement was infectious.
We then had the privilege of being present at the Israeli premiere of Benjamin Yusupov’s (b.1962) Con Moto for Marimba and String Orchestra. Pianist, conductor and composer, Yusupov was born in Tajikistan and emigrated to Israel in 1990. His musical language draws from many sources, including the ethnic music of his native Tajikistan. Soloist in this work was the virtuosic Israeli percussionist Chen Zimbalista. The scene was set with a drone and a Slavonic-type melody sounding in the lower strings. Yusupov always creates a landscape. Both modal and tonal, there is mellow tension throughout the movement, which is dramatic and melancholy in character. Zimbalista’s solo had the audience spellbound. The second movement started with Zimbalista on drums and cymbals. The piece developed into a frenzied dance of assymetrical shapes and jagged accents, an unapologetic expression of colors, shapes and timbres and brilliance, all held together by fine ensemble playing. Zimbalista takes your breath away, but at the same time he is blending, watching the conductor and listening to his fellow players.
Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1898, Viktor Ullmann was educated in Vienna where studied form, counterpoint and orchestration under Arnold Schoenberg. He was a journalist and also a fine pianist. In September 1942 he was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where he remained active musically. In October 1944, however, he was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he was killed. His Piano Sonata no. 7, one of his last works, written on scraps of lined paper and dedicated to his children, was composed in Theresienstadt in August 1944. Guided by the composer’s own suggestions on the score, Nissan has orchestrated three of the five movements of the piece, choosing the medium of string orchestra in order to preserve the intimate character of the piano. The opening Allegro, surprisingly under the circumstances, has a feel of well-being, is very European, using bitter-sweet harmonies, jazzy motifs and gentle dissonances. Beginning with a violin solo, the second movement (the third movement of the complete sonata), Adagio ma con moto, is more dissonant and less tonal than the first. The last movement, titled “Variations and Fugue on a Hebrew Folksong”, opens with the folksong played on the violin, this followed by a set of variations - each a different mood but, in their Yiddishkeit, evoking Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
W.A.Mozart (1756-1791) composed his Symphony no. 29 in A Major KV 201 in 1774. Scored like many previous symphonies for strings, oboes and horns, this symphony is, however, less Italian in style, but with a broader variety of moods, pointing towards the diversity that would characterize his later works. Unusual for Mozart symphonies, the first movement – Allegro moderato- begins with a quiet introduction. The movement was performed in true Mozartian singing manner, with lightness of texture. The Andante, using dotted rhythms and played on muted strings, was elegant and touching in its directness of expression. The Minuet was conversational, nervous and energetic, with the trio being more graceful. The Allegro, con spirito complete with hunting horn calls, was a spirited finale to the performance. Nissan’s attention to fine details and contrasts combines well with the scope of expression and nuances in the orchestra’s palette.
The Spirit of Europe Orchestra is a small, select group of players. Conductor Ronen Nissan is articulate and his players’ performance is lively and dynamic. For their encore, we heard a bold, attractive and gregarious orchestration of “The Purple Dress”, an Israeli song (lyrics-Sasha Argov, music-Matti Caspi.) Not a Viennese waltz, it was, nevertheless, a waltz to be danced.
“Spirit of Europe”
The Spirit of Europe Orchestra
Ronen Nissan-conductor
The Mary Nathaniel Golden Hall of Friendship, Jerusalem YMCA
July 3, 2008
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“Sounding Jerusalem” ended with 30 or so brass players sounding from various rooftops in the Old City in a daring performance conceived and directed by German trumpeter Rainer Auerbach. This was a fitting musical message to end the festival.
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On a balmy, Jerusalem summer evening, the Artis String Quartet (Austria) was performing a concert titled “Sweet Viennese Dreams” in the historical courtyard of the 12th century cloisters of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. With daylight fading, we took our seats in the serene courtyard, which boasts trees and greenery and timelessness. The Artis Quartet was founded in 1988 in Vienna, where all members nowadays reside. The quartet has a busy performance schedule; a highlight of their 2006-2007 concert season was their performance in Vienna of all the Mozart string quartets. Violinists and violist perform standing rather than sitting: standing, they explained, allows them to feel less restricted and more communicative.
The program opened with W.A.Mozart’s (1756-1791) Serenade no. 13 in G major, KV 525, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, composed in 1787 for chamber ensemble (with optional double bass.) A much loved and accessible work, the opening Allegro was forthright and clean, defined and melodic. The second movement – Romanze: Andante – was not taken too slowly, avoiding the pitfalls of over-sentimentality. With the fine acoustic of the courtyard projecting each note, the audience enjoyed the exuberance of the final movement – Rondo: Allegro.
The String Quartet in F major opus 50 “The Dream” is the fifth of Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) “Prussian” Quartets (1787) and was dedicated to his ‘cello-playing patron King Friedrich Wilhem II of Prussia. Written two years after Mozart’s “Haydn” Quartets, Haydn returns the homage by supplying a more Mozartian sound world than in former quartets. As of the initial sounds of the first movement – Allegro moderato- the players entertained the audience, bringing out Haydn’s humorous dissonances. The flowing second movement – Poco Adagio – is luminous and shifts mysteriously, hence its name “The Dream”. The Minuet and Trio were nuanced and shaped, with the intensity of the Finale: Vivace, exciting.
Listening to Mozart’s String Quartet in A major, KV 464, one is unable to imagine the troubles, changes and struggles Mozart encountered in its composition. In fact, it became Beethoven’s favorite of the “Haydn” set, published 1785. An anonymous reviewer, writing in Cramer’s Magazin der Muzik in 1789, wrote ‘Mozart’s six quartets for violins, viola and bass dedicated to Haydn confirm…that he has a decided leaning towards the difficult and the unusual. But then, what great and elevated ideas he has too, testifying to a bold spirit’. The Artis Quartet presented and contrasted both the grace and power of the opening Allegro movement. Their performance of the variations in the third movement – Andante- was delightful in its color and variety. The final Allegro non troppo was rich in counterpoint and textures, ending poignantly.
“Sweet Viennese Dreams”
The Artis Quartet (Austria)
Peter Schumayer-1st violin
Johannes Meissl-2nd violin
Herbert Kefer-viola
Othmar Mueller-cello
The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Old City of Jerusalem
June 28, 2008
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The Artis Quartet’s second concert in Sounding Jerusalem was “Vienna Calling” and took place at the Jerusalem Music Centre. W.A. Mozart’s String Quartet in E flat major, KV 428 (1783) is the third of the “Haydn” Quartets, all composed in Vienna between1782 and 1785. These quartets set new standards for this medium – in richness of invention, density of thought, length and melodic appeal, making more demands on player and listener. They are structured in the fashion Haydn had introduced in his quartets – mainly, that each instrument has its own voice and none are subservient to the first violin. The E flat Major quartet begins boldly with a highly chromatic Allegro non troppo. The artists gave much attention to fullness of sound, tensions and mood changes. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a rich, flowing tapestry of swelling sonorities, dissonances and accents. The third movement – Allegretto (not referred to as a “Minuet”) is characterized by heavy accents and a pedal in the bass, giving it a rustic effect. The fourth movement is virtuosic and varied, with underlying humor.
Alban Berg (1885-1935) was born in Vienna and was a member of the Second Viennese School together with Schoenberg and Webern. Berg’s String Quartet opus 3 was the first of two string quartets and was composed in 1910, though not published until 1920. Berg dedicated it to his wife, Helene, whom he married in 1911.This was the work to establish Berg’s individual style. It is contrapuntal, motivic rather than melodic and wholly atonal. Written in sonata-form, the first movement – Langsam (slowly) – is dark in its statement and highly layered in textures, contrapuntal sections contrasting with a more orchestral approach. It ends contemplatively. The second movement, no more joyful than the first, is outspoken as well as expressive and intimate. Berg uses effects such as flagolettes. With rich sonorities called for, the Artis Quartet gave the audience an intense and moving reading of the piece, taking themselves and their audience to a different region of the soul.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg but settled in Vienna in 1863. His String Quartet in a minor opus 51 no.2 was composed in 1873. Melancholy and lyric, this quartet was dedicated to his friend, the Viennese surgeon and amateur violinist, Theodor Billroth. The intense opening motif of the first movement – A, F,A, E – was expressive and contrasted effectively with the more relaxed, graceful major second theme. The three-part Andante Moderato movement was given a delicate reading. The open fifth drone in the more homophonic Minuet, a strange element, gave the performance the atmosphere of an ancient tale. The graceful Finale is energetic, and with its hemiolas, produces a dancelike, perhaps gypsy effect, together with fluid melodic lines. The Artis Quartet presented us with a richly varied and profound Brahms canvas.
All hints of Brahmsian tension and brooding were instantly whisked away with a typically whimsical, off-center Shostakovich polka performed playfully as an encore.
The Artis Quartet’s concerts were well programmed and inspiring: chamber music and string playing at its best. The JMC is indeed a superb venue for chamber music.
“Vienna Calling”
The Artis Quartet (Austria)
The Jerusalem Music Center, Yemin Moshe
June 30, 2008
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“Spirit of Europe” took place at the Jerusalem YMCA and, as well as being one of the “Sounding Jerusalem” events, was a benefit concert for Physicians for Human Rights –Israel. Here in Israel for the second time, the Spirit of Europe Orchestra, under the baton of Israeli-born Ronen Nissan, was established in 2004, with the expansion of the EU, and is based in the city of Melk, on the Danube. The players, most of whom are young, come from Hungary, the Slovak- and Czech Republics and from Austria. Their concert schedule takes them to EU countries as well as out of Europe as part of the “Dialogue of Cultures” program organized by the Provincial Capital of Lower Austria.
The evening opened with Joseph Haydn’s (1732-1809) Symphony no.44 in e minor “Trauer” (Mourning), composed in 1772. Haydn’s wish was that the Adagio movement be played at his own funeral, hence the title. At the time, Haydn was in the service of the Esterhazy family and it was during those years that he wrote most of his symphonies; there he presided over an orchestra of some twenty players, an ensemble that became one of the best in Europe. The symphony is homotonal, all movements having the same tonic. It begins with an Allegro con brio in sonata form. The orchestra gave it a fresh, crisp and dimensional reading, with plenty of contrast and shape. The oboist added color and lyricism. The Minuetto is in canon form. It was performed with feeling and charm. The third movement, Adagio, was expressive and luxuriant, with delicate piani in muted strings and well-crafted phrase endings. The contrapuntal Finale, opening with a decisive unison statement, is again in sonata form. Nissan gave it exhilarating energy and its excitement was infectious.
We then had the privilege of being present at the Israeli premiere of Benjamin Yusupov’s (b.1962) Con Moto for Marimba and String Orchestra. Pianist, conductor and composer, Yusupov was born in Tajikistan and emigrated to Israel in 1990. His musical language draws from many sources, including the ethnic music of his native Tajikistan. Soloist in this work was the virtuosic Israeli percussionist Chen Zimbalista. The scene was set with a drone and a Slavonic-type melody sounding in the lower strings. Yusupov always creates a landscape. Both modal and tonal, there is mellow tension throughout the movement, which is dramatic and melancholy in character. Zimbalista’s solo had the audience spellbound. The second movement started with Zimbalista on drums and cymbals. The piece developed into a frenzied dance of assymetrical shapes and jagged accents, an unapologetic expression of colors, shapes and timbres and brilliance, all held together by fine ensemble playing. Zimbalista takes your breath away, but at the same time he is blending, watching the conductor and listening to his fellow players.
Born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1898, Viktor Ullmann was educated in Vienna where studied form, counterpoint and orchestration under Arnold Schoenberg. He was a journalist and also a fine pianist. In September 1942 he was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, where he remained active musically. In October 1944, however, he was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he was killed. His Piano Sonata no. 7, one of his last works, written on scraps of lined paper and dedicated to his children, was composed in Theresienstadt in August 1944. Guided by the composer’s own suggestions on the score, Nissan has orchestrated three of the five movements of the piece, choosing the medium of string orchestra in order to preserve the intimate character of the piano. The opening Allegro, surprisingly under the circumstances, has a feel of well-being, is very European, using bitter-sweet harmonies, jazzy motifs and gentle dissonances. Beginning with a violin solo, the second movement (the third movement of the complete sonata), Adagio ma con moto, is more dissonant and less tonal than the first. The last movement, titled “Variations and Fugue on a Hebrew Folksong”, opens with the folksong played on the violin, this followed by a set of variations - each a different mood but, in their Yiddishkeit, evoking Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
W.A.Mozart (1756-1791) composed his Symphony no. 29 in A Major KV 201 in 1774. Scored like many previous symphonies for strings, oboes and horns, this symphony is, however, less Italian in style, but with a broader variety of moods, pointing towards the diversity that would characterize his later works. Unusual for Mozart symphonies, the first movement – Allegro moderato- begins with a quiet introduction. The movement was performed in true Mozartian singing manner, with lightness of texture. The Andante, using dotted rhythms and played on muted strings, was elegant and touching in its directness of expression. The Minuet was conversational, nervous and energetic, with the trio being more graceful. The Allegro, con spirito complete with hunting horn calls, was a spirited finale to the performance. Nissan’s attention to fine details and contrasts combines well with the scope of expression and nuances in the orchestra’s palette.
The Spirit of Europe Orchestra is a small, select group of players. Conductor Ronen Nissan is articulate and his players’ performance is lively and dynamic. For their encore, we heard a bold, attractive and gregarious orchestration of “The Purple Dress”, an Israeli song (lyrics-Sasha Argov, music-Matti Caspi.) Not a Viennese waltz, it was, nevertheless, a waltz to be danced.
“Spirit of Europe”
The Spirit of Europe Orchestra
Ronen Nissan-conductor
The Mary Nathaniel Golden Hall of Friendship, Jerusalem YMCA
July 3, 2008
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“Sounding Jerusalem” ended with 30 or so brass players sounding from various rooftops in the Old City in a daring performance conceived and directed by German trumpeter Rainer Auerbach. This was a fitting musical message to end the festival.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Les Arts Florissants,Israel Festival 2008
The final concert of the 2008 Israel Festival was an evening of Baroque music performed by Les Arts Florissants (France). Les Arts Florissants, performing for the first time in Israel, is a Baroque ensemble including instrumentalists on original instruments as well as singers. It takes its name (The Flourishing Arts) from a short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and is responsible for unearthing and performing a number of neglected, seldom-performed works of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded by William Christie in 1979. In 2007, countertenor Paul Agnew took over conducting the group. The concert on June 22 was part of “Harmony 60”, celebrating 60 years of the State of Israel with three months of cultural exchange between France and Israel.
The evening opened with G.F.Handel’s (1685-1759) Zadok the Priest (HWV 258), one of four coronation anthems Handel composed using the English text, for the coronation of George II of Great Britain in 1727; it has since been sung at every subsequent British coronation service. It is thought that Handel himself made the paraphrase from 1 Kings 1:39-40:
‘Zadok the Priest and Nathan, the Prophet anointed Solomon King.
And all the people rejoic’d, and said:
“God save the King, long live the King, may the King live for ever!
Amen, Hallelujah!”’
The orchestral introduction builds up the drama in preparation of the choir’s entry. The middle section “And all the people rejoic’d” certainly rejoices in a triple dance-like section. The festive final section returns to duple time, with Amens threaded in and out of the texture, ending in the Hallelujah, an ornate Baroque cadence. The choir’s English was excellent, as is their diction. Trumpeters, playing on natural trumpets (no valves) added brilliance and excitement to the performance.
French composer and violinist, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772) enjoyed great success in his lifetime. He was well known for his harpsichord music and in 1738 wrote the first manual on playing violin harmonics. Between 1734 and 1755 he composed 17 grand motets, nine of which have survived. These intense and dramatic motets, in the style of the late French Baroque, became dominant in the music of the Chapelle Royale before the Revolution. They consist of arias, duets, trios, choral sections and ritornelli as well as instrumental sinfonias. The last of the motets, “In exitu Israel” (Psalm 114 and not Psalm 113, as was written in the program notes), was composed in 1753 and first performed at the annual Mass in honor of the king. Depicting the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, it includes verbal and musical descriptions of the parting of the waters, of the Egyptians following the Israelites, with Mondonville using word-painting and tempo changes for dramatic use. British tenor Ed Lyon was very expressive, ornamenting with vibrati and other techniques. Baritone Marc Mauillon (France) has a powerful voice and showed superb control, performing runs and ornaments with ease. Soprano Sophie Daneman (U.K.) showed delicacy; her voice, however, was not full enough to always be heard in this setting.
Handel’s “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day”, composed in 1739, happens to be his second setting of the same poem by John Dryden. The main theme of the text is the Pythagorean theory of “harmonia mundi”, presenting music as a central force in the earth’s creation. St. Cecilia was considered the patron saint of musicians. Premiered at the Theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London, Handel drew material not only from his own Concerto Grosso no. 5 but also from Austrian composer and organist Gottlieb Muffat’s “Componimenti musicali”, a collection of keyboard pieces. With the dazzling and original result he achieved in a very different kind of Handel oratorio, I suppose the composer is to be pardoned for “borrowing” from another. Consisting of recitatives, choral sections, instrumental sections and soprano- and tenor arias, the work falls into two parts, with a march dividing between them, each part ending with an elaborate choral piece. Discussing the merits of various instruments in an appealing manner, the work presents much word painting and some outstanding solo playing by members of the orchestra – the ‘cello, for example, joining the soprano aria in section 5 and fine interaction between trumpeter and tenor on section 6:
‘The trumpet’s loud clangor
Excites us to arms
With shrill notes of anger
And mortal alarms.’
Section 8 was delicate and poignant, with solo flautist and Daneman discussing the “soft complaining flute” against the gentle accompaniment of theorbo and strings. Daneman and Lyon breathed color and meaning into arias and the choir was expressive, perfectly coordinated and polished.
“Les Arts Florissants” has an outstanding choir of soloists working with first class instrumentalists. The audience was excited by their performance as by Paul Agnew’s direction. The 2008 Israel Festival went out with a flourish of brilliance.
“Les Arts Florissants”
Sacred Music by Handel and Mondonville
Paul Agnew-conductor
Sophie Daneman-soprano
Ed Lyon-tenor
Marc Mauillon-baritone
The Jerusalem International Convention Center
June 22, 2008
The evening opened with G.F.Handel’s (1685-1759) Zadok the Priest (HWV 258), one of four coronation anthems Handel composed using the English text, for the coronation of George II of Great Britain in 1727; it has since been sung at every subsequent British coronation service. It is thought that Handel himself made the paraphrase from 1 Kings 1:39-40:
‘Zadok the Priest and Nathan, the Prophet anointed Solomon King.
And all the people rejoic’d, and said:
“God save the King, long live the King, may the King live for ever!
Amen, Hallelujah!”’
The orchestral introduction builds up the drama in preparation of the choir’s entry. The middle section “And all the people rejoic’d” certainly rejoices in a triple dance-like section. The festive final section returns to duple time, with Amens threaded in and out of the texture, ending in the Hallelujah, an ornate Baroque cadence. The choir’s English was excellent, as is their diction. Trumpeters, playing on natural trumpets (no valves) added brilliance and excitement to the performance.
French composer and violinist, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville (1711-1772) enjoyed great success in his lifetime. He was well known for his harpsichord music and in 1738 wrote the first manual on playing violin harmonics. Between 1734 and 1755 he composed 17 grand motets, nine of which have survived. These intense and dramatic motets, in the style of the late French Baroque, became dominant in the music of the Chapelle Royale before the Revolution. They consist of arias, duets, trios, choral sections and ritornelli as well as instrumental sinfonias. The last of the motets, “In exitu Israel” (Psalm 114 and not Psalm 113, as was written in the program notes), was composed in 1753 and first performed at the annual Mass in honor of the king. Depicting the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, it includes verbal and musical descriptions of the parting of the waters, of the Egyptians following the Israelites, with Mondonville using word-painting and tempo changes for dramatic use. British tenor Ed Lyon was very expressive, ornamenting with vibrati and other techniques. Baritone Marc Mauillon (France) has a powerful voice and showed superb control, performing runs and ornaments with ease. Soprano Sophie Daneman (U.K.) showed delicacy; her voice, however, was not full enough to always be heard in this setting.
Handel’s “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day”, composed in 1739, happens to be his second setting of the same poem by John Dryden. The main theme of the text is the Pythagorean theory of “harmonia mundi”, presenting music as a central force in the earth’s creation. St. Cecilia was considered the patron saint of musicians. Premiered at the Theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in London, Handel drew material not only from his own Concerto Grosso no. 5 but also from Austrian composer and organist Gottlieb Muffat’s “Componimenti musicali”, a collection of keyboard pieces. With the dazzling and original result he achieved in a very different kind of Handel oratorio, I suppose the composer is to be pardoned for “borrowing” from another. Consisting of recitatives, choral sections, instrumental sections and soprano- and tenor arias, the work falls into two parts, with a march dividing between them, each part ending with an elaborate choral piece. Discussing the merits of various instruments in an appealing manner, the work presents much word painting and some outstanding solo playing by members of the orchestra – the ‘cello, for example, joining the soprano aria in section 5 and fine interaction between trumpeter and tenor on section 6:
‘The trumpet’s loud clangor
Excites us to arms
With shrill notes of anger
And mortal alarms.’
Section 8 was delicate and poignant, with solo flautist and Daneman discussing the “soft complaining flute” against the gentle accompaniment of theorbo and strings. Daneman and Lyon breathed color and meaning into arias and the choir was expressive, perfectly coordinated and polished.
“Les Arts Florissants” has an outstanding choir of soloists working with first class instrumentalists. The audience was excited by their performance as by Paul Agnew’s direction. The 2008 Israel Festival went out with a flourish of brilliance.
“Les Arts Florissants”
Sacred Music by Handel and Mondonville
Paul Agnew-conductor
Sophie Daneman-soprano
Ed Lyon-tenor
Marc Mauillon-baritone
The Jerusalem International Convention Center
June 22, 2008
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Ed Lyon,
Marc Mauillon,
Paul Agnew,
Sophie Daneman
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