The members of Lucidarium. Photo courtesy of the Ensemble.
For some time Ensemble Lucidarium has been exploring and recreating Jewish music from medieval times and the Renaissance, and they brought one of the programs to Town Hall Saturday night under the auspices of the Early Music Guild.
Titled Una Festa Ebraica—Celebrating Life, the program covered the music of joyous Jewish occasions, from the bris—when a baby boy is circumcised—to weddings, even a song predating Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man, from infancy to the doddering centenarian. It was performed without intermission by the seven musicians, including three singers (two sopranos, one baritone), and four versatile instrumentalists playing a variety of recorders (sometimes one person playing two at once), lute and gittern (a small early guitar), hammer dulcimer, hand drums, and tambourine.
The short pieces came mainly from the 15th to 17th centuries, mostly from southern Europe, with words in Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, Yiddish, and from the solemn to the bawdy.
Some were sung cantorial style with the nasal tone and the slight sob, others had a folksong quality, and most were expressive, upbeat, cheerful and rhythmic. Dance rhythms were frequent, even one which might have worked for a Scottish reel. The large audience had translations for the words, but it was sometimes difficult to work out which song was bring sung, though others were unmistakable.
In “Doz Mensh Geglikhn,” the song for celebrating the bris, Enrico Fink described every age by decades until he reached 100, when he appeared totally decrepit, sang the verse in a cracked voice and collapsed full length on the floor. Given his appearance— lanky, bearded, wild grey curls peaking out from under a brightly striped yamulka, it was very effective, and much appreciated by the audience.
Sopranos Gloria Moretti and Anna Pia Capurso had high pure voices, sometimes singing in duet, one song considered politically incorrect today in its advice for submission by a bride if her husband strayed or slapped her.
There was plenty of earthy humor as well as highflown advice in these songs. Indeed, one of the many wedding songs, according to the program notes, is so shockingly obscene that the group did not include the words. They performed only one tenth of “El Divrei Habaress” as suitable for tender 21st century ears, although the singer sang parts in English. All we heard was that the bride might bring skin diseases, weevils, and mice to the marriage while he would pluck a louse out of his beard and drop it on her!
Researching the music in depth, scholar-musicians and skilled performers like these bring a microcosm of life as it might have been lived at celebrations all those centuries ago. The EMG brought Lucidarium here in 2008 and it’s to be hoped it will bring the group back again.
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The Enso String Quartet performs at Town Hall Seattle on November 6 (Photo: Richie Hawley)
After the many musical treats (no tricks!) of October, the classical music season is in full swing here in Seattle. November’s calendar abounds with visits from touring ensembles and soloists, as well as exciting performances by local groups. Head to a concert hall and take advantage of this month’s diverse musical offerings, especially before the holiday music deluge inundates the concert calendar for December.
Nov. 6 — Most classical music fans know Puccini and Verdi through grand operas like Madama Butterfly and Rigoletto. But did you know that these famous Italians also penned string quartets? The New York-based Enso String Quartet brings these rarely-performed gems to Town Hall as part of their program “Opera Composers’ String Quartets”.
Nov. 8 – 17 — Immerse yourself in an evening of dazzling premieres at Pacific Northwest Ballet, featuring the work of choreographers Jiri Kylian and Crystal Pite. You’ll experience brilliant full-ensemble pieces and smaller-scale works, including Kylian’s Petite Mort, which incorporates fencing foils into the movements of six pairs of dancers.
Nov. 9 — Be transported to 18th century Constantinople by Portland’s Cappella Romana choir. Accompanied by guest director Achilleas Chaldaiakis, a cantor from Athens, the ensemble performs a program of Byzantine chants at the stunning St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church.
Nov. 15 & 17 — It’s all about the cello at Simple Measures‘ season opening concert. The chamber music collective has gained a loyal fan following for their up-close-and-personal performances featuring top-notch local talent. Hear their “Cello Divas” program at Town Hall (Nov. 15) or at Mt. Baker Community Club (Nov. 17).
Nov. 16 — Hailing from Northern Italy, the members of Ensemble Lucidarium are dedicated to exploring the music of the Medieval and Renaissance eras. Their Seattle performance, hosted by the Early Music Guild, celebrates the circle of life with a festive program of Jewish music.
Nov. 21 & 23 — Giuseppe Verdi wrote his monumental Requiem Mass in honor of his friend, Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni. Seattle Symphony offers two performances of this beloved work, which features full orchestra, chorus, and four soloists.
Nov. 22 — Experience the passion of tango at Town Hall. Young bandoneónist J.P. Jofre, a rising star in the tango world, returns to Seattle with his Hard Tango Ensemble after wowing local audiences in 2012. The quartet puts a fresh, exciting spin on smoky Argentine classics.
Nov. 22 — The Seattle Modern Orchestra explores “open form” with a set of innovative works from the 20th and 21st centuries. In these pieces, the musicians get to make decisions about the musical form during performance, resulting in a truly unique experience each time the work is played.
Nov. 24 — Begin the holiday season early with a complete performance of Handel’s Messiah by the Our Lady of Fatima Parish Baroque Orchestra and five guest soloists. No shortened versions here — this is the real Messiah deal, featuring every note of Handel’s expansive score.
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra performs at Benaroya Hall’s Nordstrom Recital Hall in 2011 (Photo: UW)
The crisp air, rainless gray sky, and golden leaves spoke of a perfect autumn Saturday afternoon in the Wallingford neighborhood. Inside the Chapel Performance Space housed in the historic Good Shepherd Center, the atmosphere was cozy and warm. The intimate venue’s cathedral-style ceilings and wood-paneled walls provided an ideal setting for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra (SMCO) season opener concert, featuring a delightful program of music by Hector Berlioz and Igor Stravinsky.
Founded in 2009 by conductor Geoffrey Larson and a group of local performers, SMCO serves as an important resource for up-and-coming classical musicians. The orchestra is mostly comprised of young professionals in their 20s and early 30s, including many graduates from local universities like the University of Washington, Western Washington University, and Central Washington University. Performing with SMCO gives them the opportunity to tackle adventurous repertoire for smaller ensembles. Besides giving Seattle audiences a sneak peek into the future of local classical music, SMCO provides a chance to hear works by emerging composers alongside beloved gems.
SMCO Associate Conductor Kim Roy
Since 2012, Larson has shared conducting duties with Associate Conductor Kim Roy, who also works with the Seattle Rock Orchestra and directs the Snohomish County Music Project and the Westside Symphony. Roy took the podium for Saturday’s concert, bringing a clear, no-nonsense conducting style to the short program, which contrasted Berlioz’s Romantic orchestral song cycle Les nuits d’été (“Summer Nights”) with Stravinsky’s small ensemble work L’Histoire du soldat (“A Soldier’s Tale”).
The orchestra was joined by local mezzo-soprano Melissa Schiel for “Summer Nights.” Originally composed in 1841 for voice and piano, Berlioz arranged the work for orchestra and vocal soloist in 1856. Based on short poems by Théophile Gautier, the six songs represent the height of the 19th century Romantic Era in both poetry and music. Despite the cheerful title, the songs actually evoke a bit of dark spookiness, conjuring up imagery of faded roses, lost love, and ghostly apparitions. It’s a perfect work for the Halloween season.
After a few bumpy transitions between soloist and ensemble during Villanelle (“Pastoral Song”), the first song of the cycle, Schiel and the orchestra clicked in for the rest of the piece. Schiel’s captivating mezzo-soprano voice floated perfectly above the string-heavy ensemble, sounding both warm and deliciously live in the Chapel’s intimate, wood-filled space. As a soloist, Schiel is delightful to watch in action. Her tasteful, well-timed gestures and expressions added personality and charm to the performance.
Mezzo-soprano Melissa Schiel
Berlioz’s short songs are full of memorable musical moments. Especially effective were the dense string textures of the third song, Sur les lagunes (“On the lagoons”), which recalled images of a stormy sea. Schiel’s chilling refrain — “Ah! To go to sea without love!” — punctuated the layers of string sound, blending perfectly with a haunting horn call. Flutists Maggie Stapleton and Jessie Polin brought a sweet quality to their solo refrain in Au cimetière (“At the cemetery”), evoking the sound of a dove’s “morbidly tender melody” amidst the graves.
The final half of the program was devoted to another Halloween-appropriate work, Stravinsky’s “A Solider’s Tale.” This programmatic piece tells the story of a soldier who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for worldly riches. Written for an unusual 7-piece ensemble of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion, the work features signature Stravinsky characteristics, including overlapping rhythmic patterns, clashing harmonies, and meandering melodies. Stravinsky’s interest in different musical genres is apparent here, especially in a trio of dances that touch on tango, waltz, and ragtime.
SMCO’s performance of the fiendishly difficult piece was full of thrilling solo and ensemble playing. After mounting tension in the ironically-titled “Pastorale” movement, which had clarinetist Sabrina Pope and bassoonist Jamael Smith reaching to the very top of their ranges, bold performances by David Hall on trumpet and Sota Takagi on trombone strode to the forefront, especially during the energetic “Marche royale” movement.
Depicting the story’s wayward soldier, violinist Mitchell Drury brought a decidedly fiddle-like character to virtuosic passages that often had him sliding through unusual chords and harmonic progressions. Bassist Ross Gilliland and percussionist David Solomon brought a jazzy quality to many of the movements, especially during pizzicato sections in the bass. Despite occasional issues with balance which left me yearning to hear more from the woodwinds, the ensemble worked very well together, fused by Roy’s clear direction and a solid sense of momentum from bass and percussion.
Concerts like Saturday’s season opener demonstrate why SMCO is an ensemble to watch. Larson, Roy, and the orchestra combined inspired programming and an intimate concert setting with energetic performances from some of Seattle’s best young musicians, all in a bite-sized package (90 minutes including intermission) that’s inviting to families with children and newcomers to classical music.
There’s a lot to look forward to in SMCO’s upcoming season. February brings a program of chamber music, while June’s season finale features the winner of the SCMO’s composition competition, as well as the North American premiere of works by Alex Baranowski and Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Sergei Prokofiev).
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Guest conductors are nothing new for orchestras these days. Over the past few decades, permanent conductors have become peripatetic and are at home base only part of the year, conducting all over the world the rest of the time. Ludovic Morlot, conductor and music director of the Seattle Symphony, is no exception, and we enjoy hearing our orchestra under talented guests.
Now for the first time, we have a permanent guest conductor. Thomas Dausgaard has been here to conduct before, but he will now have a regular connection with the Seattle Symphony, directing three programs a year, starting next season. Dausgaard, 50, brings valuable credentials which complement those of Morlot. A Dane, he brings a fine understanding and love of the Scandinavian musical repertoire, which apart from the most familiar works of Sibelius and Grieg, has not been much present in programming here for many years.
He is also steeped in the classical repertoire, and this past week he was here to conduct the orchestra in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto — so called as it has three soloists — and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, the “great” C Major, so called as he also wrote a “little” C Major symphony.
His performance with the orchestra last weekend garnered enthusiastic applause, and he appeared to be well liked and admired among the orchestra musicians. (They only tap their bows or shuffle their feet, clapping if they have both hands free, for conductors of whom they approve.)
The Beethoven soloists are all young, all appearing here for the first time, and all wonderful musicians it will be a delight to have here again. Violinist Alina Pogostkina, 30, showed a delicacy of touch, a nice sense of classical drama, and complete ease with Beethoven’s music. The hands of pianist Christian Ihle Hadland rippled over the keys so seemingly relaxed that the notes floated out, yet there was plenty of power when needed. Cellist Andreas Brantelid, 26, drew a rich warm tone from his instrument, so that it sang. The three played in excellent harmony with each other and with the orchestra, which Dausgaard made sure did not drown them out.
Playing with soloists requires the conductor to work closely with them, giving them the lion’s share of prominence, but it’s in works without soloists that the conductor’s interpretations come to the fore. Conducting without a score, Dausgaard paced the huge Schubert work so that each movement had shape and fit within the overall structure. He is dynamic on the podium, using his whole body to indicate to the musicians what he wants, often guiding them rather than tightly controlling every nuance, yet making his wishes clearly known. The result was a lively performance, never dull, never overloud, but with myriad shades of meaning, reaching an exciting peroration at the end.
Dausgaard will be welcome here, and we look forward to the music he brings, particularly in light of the large Scandinavian presence Seattle enjoys.
Andrew Manze has been better known in Seattle for his mastery of the Baroque violin and his ability to engage and pull in listeners like the Pied Piper, but for some years now he has been moving into conducting and expanding his range to the full classical repertoire.
This week he is here conducting one of the Seattle Symphony’s Masterworks series at Benaroya Hall. While the program included, Thursday night, one Baroque work by Henry Purcell, arranged from various short piece into a Suite by Benjamin Britten and Manze himself, the other two works were Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major with soloist Simone Dinnerstein, and Vaughan Williams’ Fifth Symphony in D Major.
Anyone expecting a Baroque-style approach to the Purcell and 18th century performance practices applied to the Mozart would have been disappointed.
The Purcell Suite arrangements are for a modern orchestra, though using only Purcell’s notes. The four sections are brief, a couple of them just snatches, so that there is barely time to get into them before they are over. Nevertheless, Manze and the slightly reduced symphony gave a sprightly performance.
The Mozart sounded unabashedly modern. It was composed in 1786, when the piano was in its infancy. Mozart would have used an early fortepiano, a light, agile instrument with brief tone decay, very different from the ponderous, nine-foot Steinway grand piano with the lid full up that Dinnerstein used. She is a remarkable pianist, one who considers and shapes every note, and her and the orchestra’s performance had vigor and excitement, but not the elegance we associate with Mozart. The audience was politely enthusiastic, but overall this was not a moving performance.
What a contrast was the Vaughan Williams!
Manze took a few minutes to put this symphony in the context of its time. It was composed between 1938 and 1943, begun when the clouds of war were gathering all over Europe, and completed and first performed at the Promenade Concerts in London in 1943. London had endured two years of bomb-battering and destruction by then, and one year of some victories accomplished at great price. By 1943, the tide was turning, and England felt it might come out of this terrible war on the winning side — which had not been so clear, despite Churchill’s valiant words, in the early war years.
This symphony, as described to Manze by a 95-year-old who had been at that first performance as a sound engineer, came to the audience like a beacon of hope.
And that’s how Manze conducted this big work, 42 minutes long. The first movement sounds like the rising dawn of a promising day, continuing upwards into a time of peaceful sunniness with the brass contributing to the high warmth of noon, and then gradually dropping gently, but still peaceful, still open and warm, towards dusk and evening’s silence. You can almost hear the birds.
A light and slightly quirky movement follows, quite short, folk-like and upbeat, but still with the serenity engendered by the first, and then a slower, more stately, quite somber movement, with a spiritual, processional feel.
Lastly comes a movement of optimistic determination, a kind of British grit in music, but with a particularly beautiful serene midsection, the sound flowing, the instruments weaving in and out of each others’ melodies.
This is not in any way listed as a war symphony, yet it captures the spirit of the time with a message of better times to come. Manze and the orchestra gave it their all in a profoundly sensitive performance, the orchestra played its heart out and at the end, the audience stayed silent for a long, long moment before the appreciative applause broke out.
This program is repeated Saturday, Oct. 12.
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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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