Composers from the Baltic

Photo by Ann Bowen Photography.

Sunday afternoon at St Stephen’s Church in Laurelhurst, Philharmonia Northwest gave an exciting concert of works from the eastern Baltic, with works by Estonia’s Arvo Pärt, Latvia’s Pēteris Vasks and Finland’s Jean Sibelius, the first two composers still living and Sibelius from almost a century earlier.

It’s a local community orchestra, but hardly describable as amateur, many of its members having music degrees and all of them having studied seriously for years.*  It’s been around since 1976, first as Thalia Chamber Orchestra, changing its name to Philharmonia Northwest in 1987, and with the same music director Roupen Shakarian building it for 24 years until 2010.
The orchestra entered a new era in 2011 under Julia Tai, an up and coming conductor with impressive credentials now beginning her third season as music director.

First up was Pärt’s Fratres, composed as music that has the same atmosphere as that sung by monastery monks, only here played by an orchestra. From the first notes, it’s peaceful and meditative, as it starts with soft drum and claves (wood sticks knocked together) over a drone in the low strings which continues and is joined by the other instruments in a hypnotic, lulling melody. The work repeats the short rhythmic drum and claves phrase alternately with the song phrase style of the melodic part which is never quite the same, and all of which gradually swells louder and then gradually dies back to the same soft notes as the start. The whole gripped the audience and at the end there was long silence before the applause.

To begin with, Vask’s Flute Concerto from 2009, here receiving only its second U.S. performance with soloist Paul Taub, has the same gentleness, with the sound of a breeze blowing, soft bells and string tremolo, unhurried. The flute sings high above the other harmony, very much part of it rather than as a separate entity with an accompaniment. Both first and third movements are slow, the third elegiac in feel; slow stately with a hint maybe of Elgar’s robustness, but with thoughtful, beautiful melody. The second is a total change of mood: brash, syncopated, impudent, fun. Vasks makes brilliant use of the different instruments, and at times there is even a feel of fairground barrel organ in the rhythm. The busy flute flies over the top, and in the course of the concerto uses techniques like overblowing, flutter-tonguing, even humming while playing.

Vasks’ concerto is a substantial work which deserves wide hearing, original without being in anyway inaccessible to the general ear. Taub gave a fine performance, playing almost continuously throughout with a long cadenza in the second movement. He knows Vasks and has been able to consult with him on how his music is played.  The second movement particularly is tricky for the orchestra, which Tai kept well together with her clear beat and indications, though there were moments which seemed harder for the orchestra.

Again, the appreciative audience gave the music moments of silence before applauding.

The Lemminkainen Suite of Sibelius is really a symphony with a storied program, the second section of which, “The Swan of Tuonela,” is the best-known. Philharmonia played that, but as well the first and fourth sections, to my mind just as good, with the sportive delights of the first wind theme, the excellent English horn solo (played by Terry Pickering) of the second and  the energy and tense moments of the last.

The orchestra’s performance was impressive for the whole concert. Tai’s indications were instantly followed, her beat was notably clear, and the orchestra felt well and efficiently rehearsed. This young conductor, in her very early 30s, is already making a name for herself, not just here in the Northwest (she was tapped by the Seattle Symphony to conduct its Celebrate Asia concert earlier this year) but abroad. Somebody to watch.

 

* All of the orchestra members have studied music seriously at some point, and about half of them have either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in music. About a third are currently employed as music teachers or freelance musicians, but the rest have jobs outside the field, as software engineers, attorneys, a veterinarian, financial specialists, etc.

 

 

Ecstasies sometimes, sometimes not

Choral Arts’ program, Bach Plus: The Ecstasies Above, performed at St. Joseph Parish Friday night, was a draw for anyone who loves Bach cantatas and for those who love the adventures of new choral music, knowing they would be sung by one of our most accomplished choirs under conductor Robert Bode.

The new choral works, “The Ecstasies Above” from 2006 by Tarik O’Regan and “The Deepness of the Blue” from 2012 by William Averitt, met every promise in both quality of the music and performance, as did two sacred pieces from the 19th century, Rheinberger’s “Sanctus” and Mendelssohn’s “Richter mich, Gott.”

Alas, the Bach did not. It was quite a shock to hear this group sound somewhat tentative, even weak in the first cantata, “Der Herr denket an uns.” Thought the balance was good and so was the chorus’ intonation, the whole approach sounded over-articulated to the point of feeling disjointed and preventing forward momentum. The soprano soloist was not up to the challenge, though the tenor and baritone duet came off much better. This cantata opened the performance and Bach’s “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden,” ended it, again sounding thinner, without the conviction and shaping given the works in between. The choir did not sound comfortable.

Perhaps more time was given to rehearsing the two 21st century works, neither of them easy and both superbly achieved. Phrasing and intonation were excellent and pure high voices soared angelically.

O’Regan’s “Ecstasies” is a setting of the Edgar Allen Poe poem “Israfel,” the angel whose “heartstrings are a lute.” Requiring a string quartet, choir and eight soloists, it sounded otherworldly much of the time, the singers floating or swooping up, over and down in close canon, or giving looping calls in high women’s voices, almost like yodeling. O’Regan uses the instrumentalists to add solid grounding often in restless opposition to the serenity of what was going on in the voices. One could also hear indications of lute heartstrings. It left an indelible impression and a strong wish to hear it again.

Succeeding it, Averitt’s work set five poems by Langston Hughes, his third song cycle on Hughes’ poems and using similar harmonic idioms and rhythms, with piano four-hands for accompaniment. This, too was a mesmerizing performance and quite different from the O’Regan, though both use a modern tonal language, and both use beautiful poetry. Each Hughes poem setting was different, one with gentle, relaxing singing over running rippling notes high notes on the piano and quite unrelated-seeming lower chords in the other, another an unaccompanied poignant lament for a dead friend, followed immediately with fast furious piano and emphatic loud singing describing the inevitability of death, being a drum calling, and the last, an almost-tango in a minor key, describing the sound of tom-toms. Sly syncopations and jazzy moments slid in, the piano sounding liquid, the singers quieter. The two fine pianists, Lee Thompson and Melissa Loehnig made a major contribution to the whole. This also was deeply satisfying to hear, leaving a wish to hear it again. Composer Averitt was present.

The Rheinberger and Mendelssohn had full-throated, rich performances, the first of praise, the other a prayer, a pleasure to hear. The string quartet accompanying several works comprised violinists Tom Dziekonski and John Kim, violist Sue Jane Bryant and cellist Meg Brennand.

Patxi’s Packs a One-Two Pizza Punch

Pizza, fresh from the oven

Pizza lovers can now find unique pleasure in going to Patxi’s—the small, California-based chain that’s opened three restaurants in Denver and now one in Seattle. The opportunity: Start the meal with one type of pizza and end with another.

14″ thin-crust pie with prosciutto and arugula

Place your drink order and pick a thin-crust pizza, and both will come to your table in mere minutes. Patxi’s thin-crust pies spin in a special rotating oven, and then speed their way to your table. The thin-crust pie at Delancey is better if you’re in Ballard, but the pie at Patxi’s is quite satisfactory, and you don’t have to worry about waiting in line. The thin crust allows the high-quality toppings to shine, and I enjoyed mine with Zoe’s aged prosciutto and fresh arugula. (Next time, I’m tempted to try one with the Creminelli prosciutto cotto.)

Half-order of Brussels sprouts with pancetta

While waiting for your deep-dish pizza (which takes about 30 minutes to bake after time to construct), some sides are well worth a try. I especially enjoyed warm Brussels sprouts with pancetta. Just be sure to toss things together to integate the sherry vinaigrette. This is a labor-intensive dish; instead of cooking halved or quartered sprouts, Patxi’s pulls the individual leaves. They don’t cook to a char like other preparations, which makes this dish more like a refreshing salad, with green apples adding tartness and red grape halves adding sweetness.

Padron peppers

Also good are the padron peppers, oven roasted and served with a sprinkling of sea salt and a side of spicy tomato sauce. Seems the night I went shishitos substituted for the padrones—still a fine choice, though smaller and less spicy than I prefer.

Deep-dish delight

As for the deep-dish pizza, like the thin-crust, you can order from the chef recommendations or build your own pie. I did a hybrid, spotting a promising Smoky Diablo pie on the specials sheet but wanting pork instead of chicken breast—which is not my favorite pizza topping. No chicken also meant eliminating the house-roasted corn, so I asked the server to have the chefs surprise me with the substitution. They did well in choosing Zoe’s hot coppa to go with the Diablo’s intended smoked chipotles, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Inside Patxi’s

The deep-dish pizza is a man-made wonder. It’s hefty, which means knife-and-fork food. The deep-dish features a “double dough.” First, there’s a thick layer of dough pressed into a pan, with toppings done in reverse starting with meat, then cheese, and then tomato sauce (simple but good)—placed on top to allow caramelizing for stronger flavor. But if you look carefully, you’ll also notice a very thin second layer of dough, with holes poked through to allow steam out. The crust is biscuit-like, a little crunchier than I expected, but enjoyable. Kids especially like eating the crust with a little local honey (purposely placed on the table) drizzled on. This is in lieu of having a dessert menu, simplifying matters though maybe not appealing to those with a real sweet tooth. Then again, I’m not sure how many people would want dessert after devouring both thin-crust and deep-dish pizzas.

The view from the sidewalk

Kasabian Gives an Arena-Sized Performance at the Showbox

Kasabian.
Kasabian.
Kasabian.
Tom Meighan of Kasabian.
Kasabian.
Kasabian.

Japanese noise-rock madmen Bo Ningen, opening for Kasabian. (photo: Tony Kay)

Tom Meighan (foreground) and Sergio Pizzorno of Kasabian. (photo: Tony Kay)

Chris Edwards of Kasabian. (photo: Tony Kay)

All together now: Tom Meighan of Kasabian leads the shout-along. (photo: Tony Kay)

Kasabian's Tom Meighan does the funky chicken. (photo: Tony Kay)

(photo: Tony Kay)

(photo: Tony Kay)

(photo: Tony Kay)

It seems patently absurd to call a band who’s routinely enjoyed sold-out arena gigs in Europe (and a decade of superstardom in their native England) underrated, but damned if Kasabian isn’t just that—in the States, at least.

On this side of the pond, the band went relatively unheralded in the explosion of UK acts that recharged pop in the early ’00’s (Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand, among them), and despite the odd festival gig, they never really rose beyond cult status in the US. Our loss. Initially slagged as derivative publicity mongers, Kasabian’s honed an addictive merger of Madchester dance swirl and arena-glam swagger to epic perfection over ten years and five progressively great full-length albums (their most recent, the fab 48:13, dropped Stateside on Tuesday). With the passage of time, they’ve garnered some serious chops (and tunes) to back up their bravado.

Given their big-league status overseas, Kasabian’s performance last Saturday in the relatively intimate confines of the Showbox was a real rarity—a chance to see an arena-ready Big British Rock Band playing in a venue 1/100th the size of their usual haunts—and they did not disappoint. The Leicester quintet barreled through their 90-minute set like the arena stars they were, shoring up a sharply-chosen batch of their strongest tunes with an industrial-strength dose of rock theatricality.

The joint backbone of the band’s onstage presence has always been been frontman Tom Meighan and guitarist/singer/principal songwriter Sergio Pizzorno. Whether by accident or by design, they’re evolved into apt representations of the yin/yang of Kasabian’s sound–rock showmanship rubbing shoulders with a heady dance-music dream state. Meighan, a raffishly-handsome cross between Jude Law and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, strutted at the center Saturday, turning his mic to the audience with pop-idol aplomb as the audience sang along, while shaggy-maned and bearded Pizzorno swayed and bobbed to the relentless dance backbeat with nigh-shambolic raver’s fervor. The rest of the band—drummer Ian Matthews, bass player Chris Edwards, and second guitarist Tim Carter—may have eschewed the overt showmanship of the two front guys, but they delivered the band’s synthesis of pulsing electro-disco and fat arena-ready riffs with snap and energy to spare.

The set cut an almost democratic swath across Kasabian’s five records, and really hammered home how many potent singles they’ve bashed out over the last decade. A stomping take on a new track, “Bumble Beee,” opened the set with a bang, and early hits “Club Foot” and “Processed Beats” received muscular runs at the set’s midway point. Best of all, the band bounded through a great rendition of their current UK hit “Eez-eh,” a slice of reptilian disco so slinkily, cheekily perfect that it deserves to be lodged on the playlist of every DJ on the planet. The capacity crowd pogoed and screamed vigorously right up to and through the three-song encore, visibly delighting Meighan and his bandmates.

Even before Kasabian impressed the hell out of me, they’d already generated a lot of respect from this corner with an imaginative hand-picked opening act. A nigh-Homeric adventure at the admission counter forced me to miss most of Japanese noise-rock band Bo Ningen’s opening set, but what I did see and hear—four whippet-thin dervishes, twirling lacquer-black locks with almost kabuki flourish and generating an unholy weld of prog-rock, metal, and My Bloody Valentine-style atmospherics—rendered me and much of the crowd speechless. It’s a measure of Kasabian’s good taste to present such an outside-the-box warmup act, and a measure of their well-placed confidence that a firestorm of an opener didn’t steal the headliners’ thunder.

Reykjavik is Calling; gives Seattle a Taste of Iceland

Seattle and Reykjavik seem to have a great Sister City relationship. Each year around this time, since about 2007, Reykjavik has been sending some of their most creative people to Seattle. This year, musicians, an author, an arts curator, a chef, and more will braving the long trip across the Atlantic to share their culture with us. If all goes well, the UNESCO City of Literature may even be able to put in a good word for our own bid for such a distinction.

I was at the media preview dinner for the meals that will be featured at the Dahlia Lounge this week. The lamb was quite tasty and got to drink some Icelandic vodka with a fish head frozen inside of an ice cube, because a friend would do no such thing. It was good and you couldn’t taste the fish until most of the ice cube had melted. I also drank some Aquavit out of an ice luge (see right). Sometimes report can be difficult work, I tell you.

One of the events I’m most excited for is the writing jam at Elliott Bay Book Company on Friday night. An Iceland writer, Bragi Ólafssonand Seattleite, Karen Finneyfrock, created stories based on characters supplied by the other author. They’ll read their stories at EBBC, or so I understand. I didn’t make the connection previously, but Ólafsson is also a musician and he was a member of the band the Sugarcubes, which puts him exactly one degree of separation away from Bjork.

There is also the annual, free concert. This will be held at Neumos and feature the Seattle Rock Orchestra, Eric Anderson of Cataldo, and Say Hi, collaborating with Sin Fang, Soley, and Júníus Meyvant.

The full schedule of events are:

FOOD

Icelandic Menu at Dahlia Lounge

Thursday, October 9 – Sunday, October 12

Dahlia Lounge welcomes Icelandic Chef Viktor Örn Andrésson, Nordic Chef of the Year 2014 who is working in collaboration with Chef Brock Johnson to craft a prix fixe, four-course menu showcasing some of the finest Icelandic ingredients such as salmon, cod and free-range lamb. Diners can also enjoy two signature Reyka Vodka cocktails with a dash of Brennivín created by Dahlia Lounge Mixologist Amber Gephart.

Chef Viktor Örn Andrésson is head chef at the internationally renowned Blue Lagoon’s LAVA Restaurant.  He was named Nordic Chef of the Year 2014, the Icelandic Chef of the Year in 2013 and has been a member of the Icelandic National Culinary Team since 2009. Chef Örn is no stranger to culinary competitions; in 2010 he received gold and silver medals at the Culinary World Cup, and has participated in two Bocuse d’Or championships. Chef Andrésson derives culinary inspiration from the climate and geography of Iceland, which drives his love of preparing local and seasonal foods, including the high-quality, fresh food provided in abundance by the north Atlantic sea; a passion clearly reflected in the Icelandic menu at Dahlia Lounge.

The four-course menu is $75 and reservations can be made by calling 206.682.4142. Dahlia Lounge is located at 2001 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98121.

MUSIC

Reykjavik Calling – Free Concert at Neumos Presented By KEXP 90.3 FM

Saturday, October 11 | Doors at 7:00 p.m.

At Reykjavik Calling, Icelandic musicians take the stage with some of Seattle’s most-loved artists for a concert at Neumos. This FREE, cross-cultural musical showcase introduces Seattle to the vibrant music scene that has securedIceland’s position as a musical powerhouse. Presented by KEXP 90.3, the FREE concert will feature performances and never-before-heard collaborations from the following Iceland/Seattle duos:

From Iceland                     From Seattle

Sin Fang                                 Seattle Rock Orchestra Quintet

Soley                                       Say Hi

Júníus Meyvant                    Eric Anderson of Cataldo

The Reykjavik Calling concert is 21+ only and limited to venue capacity. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Neumos is located at 925 E Pike St, Seattle, WA, 98122. For more information, visit http://neumos.com

ART

Odin’s Eye

Friday, October 10 – Sunday, November 9

The Odin’s Eye art exhibit seeks to build an inspirational bridge between Americans and Icelanders as artists visually interpret the Norse Mythology through various mediums. Participating artists include from Iceland: Gunnella, Kristín Ragna Gunnarsdóttir, Sindri Már Sigfússon, Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir.  From the US: Lulu Yee , Derek Weisberg, Pandora Andre-Beatty and Michael Linton Simpson. The exhibit is sponsored by Icelandair Cargo and Iceland Naturally.

“I lived in Iceland for 4 years and am fascinated with the connection Icelanders have with nature, their colorful heritage, their folklore, hidden people, elves, the Norse Gods,” said Lulu Yee, artist and curator of Odin’s Eye. “Iceland is a nation of great storytellers, and I wanted to work on a group show which addresses an aspect of the Icelandic heritage, while at the same time, viewing it through the lens of a foreigner who has had little exposure to those stories.”

The Nordic Heritage Museum is located at 3014 NW 67th St, Seattle, WA, 98117. For more information, visit http://nordicmuseum.org/

LITERATURE

Reykjavik Writing Jam

Friday, October 10 / 7:00 p.m.

Presented by the Seattle City of Literature and Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company, Icelandic writer Bragi Ólafsson and Seattle poet and novelist Karen Finneyfrock will join together to read stories based on characters of the other’s creation. This “character jam” will be accompanied by a “zine jam” hosted by ZAPP, Seattle’s Zine Archive & Publishing Project. Each guest who attends this event will be invited to craft their own zines of Karen and Bragi’s work with a variety of materials, and walk away with a one-of-a-kind art object.

Elliott Bay Book Company is located at 1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA, 98122. For more information, visit http://elliottbaybook.com/ and http://seattlecityoflit.org

ART AND GEOTHERMAL PRESENTATION IN TACOMA

Nordic Eco: Steps Toward Sustainability

Wednesday, October 1 – Wednesday, November 19

Special Event with Guest Speaker Árni Gunnarsson, National Power Company of Iceland: October 1, 2014 at 7 p.m.

The topic of Icelandic leadership in the field of geothermal and hydroelectric energy production will be punctuated at the opening on October 1st when featured guest Árni Gunnarsson speaks on the history of the industry in Iceland. This event bridges together “Nordic Edo: Steps Towards Sustainability” with the art exhibit, “Elements of Power: Capturing the Icelandic Landscape” as Iceland’s ability to harness renewable energy sources is directly tied to the landscape features recreated in Sigrun’s art installations.

The Pacific Lutheran University, Scandinavian Cultural Center is located at 12180 South Park Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003. For more information, visit http://www.plu.edu/scancenter

Elements of Power: Capturing the Icelandic Landscape

Wednesday, October 1- Wednesday, October 22

Artist Meet & Greet:  Thursday, October 16 / 5 – 8 p.m.

The exhibit, “Elements of Power: Capturing the Icelandic Landscape” will explore Icelandic glaciers, rivers, lava fields and northern lights through the medium of touchable textiles. Sigrun Lara Shanko, the featured artist, has garnered attention worldwide for her long running series of silks infused with themes from the Viking Age.

The Pacific Lutheran University, Scandinavian Cultural Center is located at 12180 South Park Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003. For more information, visit http://www.plu.edu/scancenter