Tag Archives: beethoven

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Seattle Symphony Welcomes New Year with Beethoven & Brahms

Carlos Kalmar

Every New Year, the Seattle Symphony takes on Beethoven’s massive Ninth Symphony, but each year since music director Ludovic Morlot’s debut, the format has been slightly different. Yes, it’s the centerpiece, but he chose to pair it this time with Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn, another familiar and much-loved work, and he didn’t conduct himself, handing over the podium to the music director of the Oregon Symphony, Carlos Kalmar.

Kalmar is an imaginative conductor who uses his whole body to convey his wishes clearly to the orchestra. Watching him during the Brahms Thursday night at Benaroya Hall, it was fascinating to see him raising his arms to indicate a rising volume and to hear the orchestra mirroring his movement in sound at precisely the same speed and with the same quality. He shapes that sound and phrasing meticulously, his whole demeanor delineating precisely what he wants in shading and nuance. The result was a warm and satisfying performance of the Variations, decisive or jaunty, plenty of energy but without bring driven, each variation a small miracle of musicianship in itself.

The orchestra was pared down considerably for this concert, most of the principals being absent, but the quality was unimpaired, the prominent winds in the Brahms sounding as excellent as ever. Kalmar’s interpretation and the orchestra’s performance of the Beethoven can be described in one word: exuberant, but exuberance tempered with lightness and a wide dynamic range.

From the symphony’s triumphant opening statement and succeeding lyrical moments to a soft brief fugal entry, brash timpanic interruptions, and a stately opening to the third movement where Kalmar stroked the music along with his gestures, there was plenty of variety. When the last, choral movement began, he had the basses and cellos coming out of nothing, so quietly did they play, building the tension and volume very slowly as the other instruments joined in.

In his composing here, Beethoven gave little consideration to the sopranos of the chorus, whose role is unremittingly high and can all too often sound reduced to a shriek. It was much to the credit of the Seattle Symphony Chorus and its trainer, the orchestra’s associate conductor for choral activities Joseph Crnko, that they never sounded that way in this performance. Loud high, but not strained, and always musical.

The operatic voices of the four soloists, soprano Nathalie Paulin, mezzo soprano Angela Niederloh, tenor Brendan Tuohy, and baritone Charles Robert Stephens, also had no problem rising above the smaller orchestral forces. The whole performance was dramatic and exciting, and the audience surged to its feet enthusiastically at the end. It will be repeated Saturday night, and tonight, Friday, just the Beethoven will be performed in the Symphony Untuxed series.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

What We’re Hearing This Holiday Season: Classical Music Picks For Christmas

Northwest Boychoir’s “A Festival of Lessons & Carols” (Photo: Northwest Choirs)

The holiday concert season may already be in full swing, but there’s still a full calendar of festive musical events set to spread Christmas cheer all around the Seattle area. Our list is just a small sampling of the vast seasonal offerings at this time of year, but we guarantee that you’ll find something here for everyone, from grandma to your hipster cousin. Christmas overload? We’ve included a few non-holiday-themed offerings for yuletide-weary souls.

Dec. 13 — The perfect gift for an avid early music fan! The Tudor Choir celebrates Advent with a program of Renaissance carols and motets at the intimate Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church chapel. This is a busy month for the ensemble. On December 28, they’ll perform a hearty mix of English Christmas carols and classics at the University District’s Blessed Sacrament Church.

Dec. 13 – 14 — As the winter chill sets in, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons provides a timely reminder that the cold and grey won’t last forever. The Seattle Symphony presents two performances of this audience favorite, one on December 13 as part of the casual “Symphony Untuxed” series, and another on December 14 with regularly-tuxedoed orchestra.

Dec. 13 – 22 — Handbell ensemble Bells of the Sound performs holiday favorites at a series of concerts hosted by churches around the Puget Sound region. The 15-member group will travel from Bellingham to Poulsbo on their December tour, with stops in Seattle, Renton, Bellevue, and Lynnwood.

Dec. 13 – 23 — The Northwest Boychoir‘s annual Christmas concert combines holiday readings with favorite yuletide songs. Hear “A Festival of Lessons and Carols” at some of Seattle’s best musical venues, including St. Mark’s Cathedral and West Seattle’s Holy Rosary Church, as well as a special performance at Benaroya Hall with the Northwest Sinfonietta.

Dec 13 – 29 — Of course, the big ticket in town this holiday season is Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s Nutcracker. Each year, PNB’s production charms audiences of all ages with Tchaikovsky’s timeless score, Maurice Sendak’s gorgeous sets, and breathtaking performances from a cast of over 200 dancers. Read Pippa’s review of this year’s PNB Nutcracker production for more details about this Seattle tradition.

Dec. 14 — This year, Seattle Pro Musica‘s annual holiday concert honors Benjamin Britten. The English composer, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year, penned several Christmas-themed choral works, including his beloved Ceremony of Carols. The singers of Seattle Pro Musica perform this holiday favorite alongside festive pieces by contemporary composers inspired by Britten.

Dec. 14 – 15 — Take a break from the whirlwind of shopping, cooking, and decorating with Choral Arts‘ Christmas program. Boasting the motto “Not Your Typical Holiday Concert,” the performance aims to help audiences relax and unwind with a medley of ancient chant, traditional carols, and contemporary works. Guitarist Bob McCaffery-Lent performs instrumental interludes between choral pieces.

Dec. 15 — The annual performance of Handel’s Messiah is a holiday tradition for many local ensembles. But for true Handel fans, Orchestra Seattle & Seattle Chamber Singers presents Seattle’s must-see Messiah. Thought many Messiah concerts trim Handel’s lengthy score to fit into a typical two-hour program, OSSCS’ Messiah is an afternoon-long event that features the work in its entirety, ensuring that you won’t miss a note of this Christmas favorite.

Dec. 15 — For a slightly different take on Handel’s Messiah, drop by Green Lake United Methodist Church for Seattle Mandolin Orchestra‘s “Mandolin Messiah.” Hear an abbreviated version of Handel’s masterpiece performed by an all-mandolin ensemble. They’ll be joined by four vocal soloists in this unusual homage to the holiday classic.

Dec. 21 — Part public sound sculpture, part flash-mob, Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night is an annual tradition that brings a wintry soundscape to neighborhoods around the country. Each participant downloads one of Kline’s four musical tracks onto an audio device of their choosing, then gathers with the group for a musical stroll through the city streets. Beginning at Wallingford’s Good Shepherd Center, Seattle’s performance of Unsilent Night is free, open to the public, and a unique way to get into the holiday spirit..

Dec. 21 — The Medieval Women’s Choir performs a program of 12th century sacred works originating from abbeys in France, Germany, and Spain. Experience the same music that medieval legends Hildegard of Bingen and Héloise d’Argenteuil may have heard during their time as nuns at these abbeys.

Dec. 24 — Join one of Seattle’s newest orchestras for a Christmas Eve celebration. Ensign Symphony & Chorus presents the second concert of their inaugural season at Benaroya Hall, where they’ll treat audiences to a medley of sacred and secular holiday favorites.

Dec. 28 – Jan. 4 — Ring in the new year with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the good tidings of “Ode To Joy.” This year, Seattle Symphony & Chorale pairs the Ninth with another classic, Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn.

Dec. 29 — After a month of Christmas carols, there’s nothing like chamber music to celebrate the end of another joyous holiday season. The Byron Schenkman & Friends concert series continues with a collection of Vivaldi concertos. Harpsichordist Schenkman will be joined by a chamber orchestra of baroque winds and strings for this performance at Benaroya Hall’s cozy Nordstrom Recital Hall.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

A Remarkable Young Quartet in Modigliani

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Photo by Jerôme Bonnet.

Photo by photo Jerôme Bonnet.

Modigliani Quartet 1 (photo Jerôme Bonnet) thumbnail
Modigliani Quartet 2 (photo Jerôme Bonnet) thumbnail

The Emerson String Quartet came to mind more than once during the performance by the Modigliani Quartet at Meany Theater Tuesday night. It was not just that the ten-year-old French group of four close friends began as a quartet right after school (maybe in school), nor that within a year of forming it began to win prestigious prizes. It was the musicianship, the close communication that seemed effortless, the fresh outlook and thoughtful interpretation, and the undeniable topflight quality of performance that made the connection.

At the UW International Chamber Music Series Tuesday, the Modigliani began with the last quartet, “No. 3 in E-Flat Major,” by Juan Crisostomo Arriaga, an immensely gifted younger Spanish contemporary of Schubert who died at 19. Not at all a lightweight composition, Arriaga’s work fits into the pantheon of the late Haydn Quartets and of Mozart. The second movement owes something to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with its birdsong imitations in the first and second violins and a splendid storm created with tremolos and eerie lulls.

The Modigliani played much in the style of the time: clean, with emotions and energy inside an elegant frame. As a group, the musicians are spare with their vibrato, using a little for expression but often none. Only cellist Francois Kieffer used it continually thought the program.

The last Beethoven Quartet, “No. 16 in F Major,” composed two years later than the Arriaga, is clearly more forward looking, but at the same time, Beethoven here created almost a distillation of his musical ideas, so it is sparer, more concentrated than some of his earlier works. Although in F Major, its extraordinary third movement, profound and unhurried most of the time, was not joyful in the Modigliani’s hands, while the last moody movement, with its repeated emphatic chords, gave the feeling of Fate knocking on the door. It was a riveting performance, but not more so than the Debussy which followed.

The four are playing superb instruments, from a Mariani viola of 1660 with a deep velvety sound to a Goffriller cello from 1706, and violins by Gagliano (1734) and Guadagnini (1780). The musicians have found out how to draw the most responsive sound from them, beautiful, rich and warm, with attack and emphasis where the music demands it, but with no forcing, dragging or pushing to its creation.

They used more vibrato but, again, more as an ornament than as a continual style in Debussy’s only quartet, in G Minor. Where the music required it they merged their voices, while at other times sounding distinct and individual, as though having a conversation, whether in the many plucked-string sections or the muted third movement. The music sounded fresh minted, fresh washed, with its colors glowing.

It was not a capacity audience for this astonishingly gifted quartet, but the listeners at Meany were as quiet as one ever hears them until the end, when they brought the quartet back for two encores — the first a minuet with two trios, Schubert’s D 89, again elegant and sprightly; the second a complete change of pace, a Shostakovich polka which left everybody laughing.

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Arts & Entertainment, Music

Byron Schenkman & Friends Offer a Fascinating Glimpse Into Beethoven’s Early Years

Local chamber music fans now have another reason to head to the concert hall this season. On Sunday evening, pianist and harpsichordist Byron Schenkman cut the ribbon on a brand-new chamber music series at Benaroya Hall’s Nordstrom Recital Hall. The five-concert Byron Schenkman & Friends series explores music of the Baroque and Classical Eras with programs that combine beloved classics with lesser-known works.

Byron Schenkman (Photo: Michelle Smith Lewis)

An enthusiastic crowd gathered for Sunday’s performance, which centered around three sparkling piano quartets by Beethoven. Written when the composer was only fourteen, the works showcase Beethoven’s youthful talents while hinting at the musical intensity he would develop in the years to come. The pieces weren’t published until after Beethoven’s death in 1827, putting them outside of the composer’s canon of commonly-performed works. It was a treat to hear all three together on the same program.

Well known in Seattle for his devotion to period instruments and historical performance practices, Schenkman branches out with his new series. This season’s concerts give audiences the opportunity to hear him perform on both harpsichord and modern piano. For Sunday’s program, his choice of a modern Steinway grand shone in Nordstrom Recital Hall’s intimate space, adding both crispness and warmth to Beethoven’s cascading passages.

Schenkman was joined onstage by a trio of string players hailing from ensembles around the country. Violinist Liza Zurlinden, a recent Seattle arrival, performs with San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra, while violist Jason Fisher is a founding member of A Far Cry, a self-conducted chamber orchestra based in Boston. (A Far Cry visits Seattle in January 2014 as part of the UW World Series). A regular performer with the Seattle Baroque Orchestra and other Pacific Northwest early music ensembles, local cello luminary Nathan Whittaker rounded out the trio.

Together, the four musicians brought a spirited energy to Beethoven’s set of piano quartets. In these youthful pieces, one can hear the teenage Beethoven trying out different harmonies and techniques, paving the way for the adventurous experimentation and emotional drama that characterizes his later work. Of the three quartets, the Quartet in D Major (WoO 36, No. 2) featured the most exciting examples of harmonic complexity and musical contrast, particularly in the first movement. The ensemble gave the frequent melody exchanges between piano and strings the character of a lively conversation, balancing Schenkman’s bright tones with rich layers of string sound.

The third movement showcases some of the products of young Beethoven’s musical tinkering, including a quirky pizzicato section in the strings and an awkward ending that has the piano pounding out a bombastic final note before the strings finish their grand ending. Schenkman and friends brought a light-hearted sense of fun to these moments, accentuating the musical anomalies just enough to point out the unusual features to the audience. The result was a memorable performance full of charm and wit.

The other two Beethoven quartets featured similar fare, though neither can boast the same level of excitement and drama of the Quartet in D Major. After getting off to a slow start in the first piece of the program, Beethoven’s Quartet in C Major (WoO 36, No. 1), the players resolved several issues with intonation and ensemble communication, knocking the third movement out of the park with exciting musical contrasts and a cohesive sense of excitement.

A skilled ensemble player, Schenkman has an excellent ear for balance, sensing effortlessly when to take the lead with the piano and when to hold back and play a supportive role. When matched with Zurlinden, Fisher, and Whittaker, whose string tones complement each other particularly well, the result was a rich piano quartet sound that perfectly blended the four voices. Solo passages were not as consistent, however. A few intonation wobbles crept into Whittaker’s brief solo in the Quartet in E-flat Major (WoO 36, No. 3). Similarly, Zurlinden seemed to hold back at times, her violin tone sounding a little thin against the backdrop of the other three players.

All came together during a delightful performance of Boccherini’s Sonata in B-flat Major for violin, cello, and piano. A contemporary of Haydn and Mozart, the Italian composer and cellist specialized in chamber music, producing hundreds of quintets, quartets, and trios during his lifetime. Schenkman, Zurlinden, and Whittaker brought a sweet character and lush piano trio sound to Boccherini’s Sonata.

A solo piano sonata by Haydn rounded out the program. Schenkman emphasized Papa Haydn’s famous joviality and prankster personality in the composer’s Sonata in D Major, highlighting tempo changes and surprising dissonant chords in a performance that drew both cheers and chuckles from the crowd.

Bumps and wobbles aside, Sunday’s concert offered a unique view on a specific moment in musical history, celebrating Beethoven’s early years with charismatic playing and memorable musical moments. There’s a lot of potential here for Schenkman’s new series to grow and blossom. Judging from the warm response to Sunday’s performance, many in the audience will be back for more in November, when celebrated Baroque violinist Ingrid Matthews joins Schenkman for a program of sonatas by J.S. Bach.

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Arts & Entertainment, Music

A Light-Hearted World Premiere at Seattle’s Summer Chamber Music Festival

As he tells it, Lawrence Dillon began his career as a composer at the tender age of seven, when he fell in love with his piano teacher and began to write songs to bring to his weekly lessons. Though a childhood struggle with severe chicken pox cost Dillon 50 percent of his hearing, his love affair with music and composition continued. In 1985, he became the youngest composer to receive a doctorate from the Juilliard School.

Composer Lawrence Dillon

On Monday, the Seattle Chamber Music Society gave the debut of Dillon’s newest work, Sanctuary, as part of the 2013 Summer Chamber Music Festival at Benaroya Hall’s Nordstrom Recital Hall. Composed for French horn, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, and piano, Sanctuary‘s unique instrumentation is unprecedented in the classical chamber music canon. The four-movement work explores universal notions of shelter, comfort, and respite. Sanctuary joins a growing collection of pieces commissioned by the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Commissioning Club, which funds the creation of a new chamber work each year.

An uplifting work that complements the summer season, Sanctuary is full of energetic rhythms and buoyant timbres that would be perfect for an outdoor concert on a warm evening. Dillon’s composition treats the septet as a miniature chamber orchestra, dividing the ensemble into different instrumental sections to achieve specific timbral effects. Brassy tones from the French horn and brilliant passages on the piano float above classic string section accompaniment provided by violins and viola. The rhythmic power of the double bass adds punch to jazzy sections, particularly during the fourth movement, titled “A Reliable Pulse.”

Dillon’s interest in contrasting timbres come into play in Sanctuary‘s dramatic first movement, “Domed and Steepled Solitude.” The movement’s title originates from a quote by Mark Twain, who marveled at the sense of anonymity he felt during his first visit to bustling New York City. Dillon, who is Composer-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, evokes one man’s loneliness among the hubbub busy city streets by pitting a tender string melody (barely audible due to the use of practice mutes) against aggressive chords and erratically-bouncing notes in the piano, horn, and double bass. Playing in unison, pianist Andrew Russo and Seattle Symphony Principal Horn Jeffrey Fair conjured up the image of a rubber bouncy ball with sharp staccato pokes that ricocheted around the auditorium.

Fair’s horn solo was the highlight of Sanctuary‘s second movement, “Winged Sandals,” which celebrates notions of speed and flight. Outstanding solo moments also abounded in the third movement, “Scents and Recollection.” Violist Rebecca Albers brought a gorgeous velvety tone to a sentimental solo section. At the movement’s end, a weeping violin cadenza by Nurit Bar-Josef ushered in the work’s energetic fourth movement.

The other two works on Monday’s program continued the trend towards lighter, summery fare. The evening began with Beethoven’s Ten Variations on “Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu” (“I am the Tailor Cockatoo”), written for violin, cello, and piano. For a piece with such a comical name, the work began on a rather slow and serious note before delving into the joviality and humor one would expect. The work’s high opus number suggests that it was composed late in Beethoven’s life, but scholars believe that it was drafted earlier in the composer’s career and published at a later date.

Though the so-called “Kakadu Variations” follow a fairly standard classical style, the trio effectively emphasized the occasional strange harmonies and idiosyncratic Beethoven moments that pop up throughout the piece. Violinist Andrew Wan and cellist Bion Tsang anchored the ensemble with a unified string sound, while pianist Anton Nel provided contrast with a light and sensitive touch on the keyboard.

An audience favorite, Mozart’s Divertimento for String Trio in E-Flat Major concluded the program. The work explores a wide range of classical forms and moods, from sprightly minuets to stormy Allegros. With violinist Augustin Hadelich at the helm, the trio powered through the Divertimento’s six movements, which are full of sizzling runs and scales.

A natural soloist with a powerful tone, Hadelich’s playing captivates the ear, sometimes drawing attention away from violist Cynthia Phelps and cellist Ronald Thomas, whose sound was more subdued. Still, the trio brought an infectious energy to the performance. This all came to a head in the lively final movement, during which Hadelich’s music fell off his stand at a particularly speedy moment. The trio handled the gaffe with grace, aplomb, and smiles. Hadelich quickly fixed the errant sheets and the group brought the work to its rousing conclusion.

The Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Summer Festival continues with two more weeks of performances. Tonight, hear works for violin and piano by the 19th century’s most famous musical couple, Robert and Clara Schumann. Piano trios by Dvořák and Smetana round out the program. Come an hour early for a free pre-concert recital by pianist Anton Nel, who will perform pieces by Haydn and Granados.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

For Summer, a Chamber Music Feast at Benaroya Hall

James Ehnes
James Ehnes

Starting a few days earlier than usual, the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Summer Festival opened Saturday night at Nordstrom Recital Hall with some new faces and music. Under violinist James Ehnes, who succeeded Toby Saks as artistic director a year ago, the festival is branching out with more music for winds or brass. The opening night’s concert reflected this with works by Honegger and Enescu for trumpet and piano. (The next concerts are tonight and this Wednesday, July 3, beginning with recitals at 7 p.m., the concert at 8 p.m.)

Before these, however, came one of those moments which remind one of how sublime a chamber music performance can be in the right hands.

From the three trios of Beethoven’s Op. 1, his first published work, violinist Ida Levin, cellist David Requiro (a festival newcomer) and pianist Inon Barnatan performed No. 3. It was one of those magical times when the rapport between the players, their musicianship and sensitivity, their awareness of the environs in which they played all came together to create something rare and memorable. It engaged the listener from the first notes.

There was also the marvel of realizing what Beethoven achieved at the tender age of 21. This trio in C Minor is a turn in the path of classical music, a step towards the, as yet, unknown of classical ideals veering towards a more romantic style, a change from what Haydn and Mozart had been creating in their chamber music.

There is little that is truly uncomfortable in Haydn’s and Mozart’s chamber music. It’s exquisite, elegant, imaginative, profound at times, with depth, but rarely goes beyond what would then be considered decency in allowing emotions to show. Not so Beethoven, who uses sudden changes in mood, tensions versus calm, unmasked feeling and drama in his trio. It is also a wonderful vehicle for the pianist, who has the lion’s role.

Here, too, one can sense Beethoven’s fascination with discovering the limits of what could be done with what was still a very new instrument in 1791, an all-wooden piano with a light key action, quick sound decay and the ability to change dynamics. Today’s nine-foot concert grand piano is a very different animal, heavily braced with metal, with heavier key action and a long decay. Yes, there are differences in the stringed instruments, also, with their now usually metal strings and bracing inside the body to enable higher tension and louder sound, but nothing like so much as with a piano.

Beethoven has the pianist racing from end to end of the instrument with lightning fast runs and expressive dynamic changes, and it says volumes for Barnatan that he encompassed his busy role with lightness, ease, excellent articulation, and without ever drowning out the violin and cello.

Such was not the case in the earlier concert recital, in which pianist Andrew Armstrong and clarinetist Ricardo Morales performed Brahms’ Sonata in F Minor. Armstrong could play with expressive gentleness when called for, but often in louder passages he gave it such volume that the clarinet sound was mostly drowned.

Jens Lindemann, trumpet

He played the same way in Honegger’s Intrada (1947) for trumpet and piano, and in Enescu’s Legende (1906) for the same instruments, but here he was more than matched by the clarion sound of Jens Lindemann’s trumpet. An angular piece, the Honegger is often dissonant, a bit jazzy or jaunty, quite short, while the Enescu is more impressionistic, almost a lullaby at times. Both require a gifted trumpet player, which they had in Lindemann, a newcomer to the festival (as is Morales). Nevertheless, both works served to show that the trumpet can be too loud an instrument for a small concert hall.

The performance ended with Brahms’ familiar Quintet in B Minor for clarinet and strings. Here it was possible really to savor Morales’ butter-smooth, effortless, eloquent clarinet playing. He was joined by Ehnes and Stephen Rose, violins; Rebecca Albers,viola; and Brinton Smith cello; both these last two also newcomers, who from their prominent parts in the variations movement leave one eager to hear more of them.

The entire festival this year is dedicated to the memory of two women who did a great deal to further the aims of the Chamber Music Society, Helen Gurvich and Arlene Hinderlie Wade.