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Arts & Entertainment, Music

Seattle Symphony Cellist Efe Baltacıgil Delights With Dvořák

Ludovic Morlot at Opening Night at Seattle Symphony, 2011 (Photo: Ben VanHouten)
Ludovic Morlot at Opening Night at Seattle Symphony, 2011 (Photo: Ben VanHouten)

Seattle Symphony showcased the talents of one of their own this past weekend, featuring principal cellist Efe Baltacıgil in a performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor. A bustling Thursday night crowd at Benaroya Hall greeted the charismatic cellist, who has won many fans among Seattle audiences since his arrival in 2011. Though the Dvořák concerto seemed to be the highlight of the evening for many symphony-goers, the March 27 concert included two 20th century gems: Claude Debussy’s La Mer (“The Sea”) and Edgard Varèse’s Déserts.

Premiered in 1896, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor remains a favorite among audiences for its memorable themes and wide range of musical colors. Like many of the composer’s other works, the piece draws inspiration from folk tunes of Dvořák’s native Bohemia (part of today’s Czech Republic). Full of appealing melodies and exciting exchanges between orchestra and soloist, the concerto has plenty to offer for new listeners and seasoned fans alike.

Cellist Efe Baltacıgil (Photo: Christian Steiner)

This interplay between cello and orchestra makes Dvořák’s concerto the perfect work for Baltacıgil. A skilled chamber musician, the cellist blended well with the orchestra on Thursday evening. At times, the performance felt like an intimate conversation between Baltacıgil, Morlot, and the symphony. I particularly enjoyed Baltacıgil’s numerous duets with flutist Christie Reside throughout the concerto’s three movements.

Baltacıgil also knows how to take a good melody and make it sing. His lyrical solo passages in the first movement oozed tenderness, while tumultuous sections of the third movement were full of passion. The piece’s second movement balanced between the two, equal parts sweet and stormy. Although he looked quite exhausted at times, Baltacıgil handled the quick transitions between emotions with finesse.

Any signs of tiredness disappeared at the start of the third movement, the most exciting and energetic of the three. Baltacıgil tucked in eagerly, like a schoolboy reaching for a second slice of cake. He kept the energy building all the way up to Dvorak’s deliciously drawn-out finale, bringing the audience to its feet as the last notes faded.

The second half of the program featured two 20th century pieces inspired by natural environments. Varèse’s Déserts was written after the composer visited New Mexico, while Debussy’s La Mer commemorates the composer’s love of the ocean. Speaking from the stage to introduce the two works, Morlot emphasized the power of both pieces to evoke the sensory of experience of these natural environments. “They were inspired by the same journey…by the memory of being in those landscapes.”

An innovator constantly in search of new musical timbres, Varèse was one of the first composers to experiment with electronic sounds. Déserts was one of the products of his tinkering. In its original form, the piece alternated between snippets of electronic tape and music performed by a chamber orchestra of percussion, piano, woodwinds, and brass. Though Thursday’s concert featured a later version without the tape, it’s easy to imagine the work’s jagged melodic snippets and clusters of percussion juxtaposed with early electronic sounds.

Though Déserts is abstract, lacking any suggestion of a melodic theme, it doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to envision the desert’s stark landscape in the piece’s collection of sounds. Percussion plays a primary role in the work, which requires a veritable army percussion instruments, from woodblocks and chimes to gongs, timpani, and a dozen drums of all sizes.

It was a treat to watch Seattle Symphony’s team of percussionists in action, briskly moving between instruments across Benaroya’s vast stage. A gigantic metal sheet made a shimmering sound when struck, evoking wavering mirages tucked in the desert’s heat waves. Snare drums positioned across the stage from each other traded volleys of taps and patters. Meanwhile, reedy woodwind notes wove between majestic columns of brass sound, which towered overhead like stone monoliths.

Like the ever-changing ocean it depicts, Debussy’s La Mer is restless, shifting through a spectrum of moods and vivid musical imagery. This is a piece that’s meant to be experienced live. Under Morlot’s baton, Debussy’s music leapt to life, full of joyous energy, with melodies and colors flowing across the stage and through the auditorium.

La Mer unfolds slowly with a first movement that evokes a morning on the open sea. Snippets of melodies are heard as the ocean awakens. Particularly tantalizing were brief solo passages by concertmaster Alexander Velinzon and English hornist Stefan Farkas. Morlot and the orchestra emphasized Debussy’s unusual rhythmic patterns, evoking frolicking waves illuminated by sunbeams peeking through the clouds.

Full of quicksilver scales and chromatic runs, the second movement showcased the Seattle Symphony’s string section. Emphatic harp plucks and swooping passages accompanied the swirling string melodies. The excitement reached its peak in the third movement, which depicts the clash of wind and water. Under Morlot’s direction, I could both see and hear Debussy’s waves rippling through the orchestra from section to section.

Seattle Symphony continues the concert season with Carl Orff’s 1936 masterpiece for orchestra and chorus, Carmina Burana. The work’s famous “O Fortuna” movement has been used in countless films and TV shows. The symphony presents three performances of Carmina Burana this week from April 3 – 6.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

How Pictures at an Exhibition came to be

Beyond the Score is a gem of a program series the Seattle Symphony has been importing from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which creates it. In each one, the orchestra, plus pianists, actors and narrators deconstruct a single work, describing the history of its genesis, its composition and orchestration with many instrumental samples, photographs and other illustrations portrayed on a big screen. And then after intermission, the orchestra performs the entire piece.

In the second of three this season, performed Sunday afternoon, the work in question was Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which lends itself to this kind of analysis. Narrator Steve Reeder, with actor Galen Joseph Osier, pianist Anastasiya Popova and the Seattle Symphony, brought to life Mussorgsky’s close friendship with designer/illustrator Victor Hartmann, his devastation at his death, and his determination to create something in commemoration, using Hartmann’s own exhibited work as a jumping off point.

But also, they brought out Mussorgsky’s disorganized life and the total mess his papers and compositions were in after he died at the young age of 42 (brought on by alcoholic seizures).

They spent much of the first part of the concert showing, with enlightening samples from the orchestra, how various composers had tried to orchestrate his Pictures (which Mussorgsky had written for solo piano) but none had managed to transmit the composer’s originality to an orchestral realization until Ravel. Hearing the blandness of Rimsky-Korsakov’s attempt and that of Leopold Stokowski, showed in contrast how imaginative Ravel’s instrumental choices were and how true to the emotions of the original.

It made sense that most of the concert’s first half was spent on just one part of the work, Mussorgsky’s “Promenade,” in which he imagines with a specific melody the viewer walking from painting to painting through the exhibition, but including his feelings about the work he has just seen.

Perhaps though, what showed most clearly Ravel’s brilliant orchestration was how he portrayed the two Jews, one wealthy and established, the other poor and desperate, in “Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle.” Mussorgsky’s music for the former, Reeder pointed out, was based on religious chant, that of the poor man on klezmer music. Ravel chose low ponderous instrumentation for the first, and high, whiny trumpets for the latter, a marvelous contrast.

During the first half, Popova played brief excerpts on piano, her hands shown on screen, and she was often followed by the same excerpt in the orchestra, conducted by the orchestra’s associate conductor Stilian Kirov.

After intermission, Kirov conducted the entire work in Ravel’s orchestration, giving a now enlightened audience a chance to hear the full work with all its colorful, vigorous and descriptive glory in an excellent performance.

While the 2014-2015 season has a plethora of concerts guaranteed to attract many listeners, it’s a shame that Beyond the Score has been downgraded to just one concert next year. Certainly Sunday’s big and enthusiastic audience made clear its delight.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Concerts for March

JACK Quartet photo by Justin Bernhaut.

Let music whisk you around the world this month! March’s concert offerings combine Western classical favorites with musical traditions from around the world. Experience traditional Vietnamese instruments, a collection of works by Swedish composers, and contemporary dance from Taiwan, among others. Happy travels!

Mar. 6 – 8 — Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan visits Seattle for the first time as part of the UW World Series. The contemporary dance company performs founder Lin Hwai-min’s Songs of the Wanderers, danced on an eye-opening set containing millions of grains of rice.

Mar. 7 – 9 — Hear contemporary choral music inspired by lakes, rivers, and oceans performed in three locations around Seattle. The Esoterics sing works by Osvaldo Golijov, Gösta Nystroem, founding director Eric Banks, and others, with performances in the University District, Capitol Hill, and West Seattle.

Mar. 14 – 23 — An annual favorite, Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s Director’s Choice brings together a different program of short works each year. 2014’s production highlights modern and contemporary pieces by female choreographers as well as a world premiere by Chicago-based Alejandro Cerrudo.

Mar. 15 — New York’s JACK Quartet takes the UW World Series by storm with two back-to-back performances. The string quartet’s “early show” features new music by UW composers Juan Pampin and Richard Karpen. At the “late show”, JACK will be joined by UW musicians for a program of improvised works.

Mar. 16 — Baroque stars align for a concert of gems by French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. Local harpsichord luminary Byron Schenkman will be joined by violinist Ingrid Matthews and Elisabeth Reed on viola da gamba for this intimate program at Benaroya Hall’s Nordstrom Recital Hall.

Mar. 21 — Seattle Symphony‘s annual Celebrate Asia concert brings together music and performers from a variety of cultural traditions. Local conductor Julia Tai leads the orchestra in works by Asian composers as well as a world premiere by Richard Karpen that showcases traditional Vietnamese instruments.

Mar. 23 — Head to the Nordic Heritage Museum for the monthly “Mostly Nordic” series, featuring composers and musicians of Scandinavia. After each performance, audience members are treated to a Nordic smorgasbord feast. For March’s concert, Swedish violinist Karl-Ove Mannberg performs music of his homeland alongside tango favorites by Astor Piazzolla.

Mar. 27 & 29 — Seattle Symphony principal cellist Efe Baltacıgil performs Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the orchestra. Also on the program are Ravel’s La mer (“The Sea”) and Edgard Varèse’s 1954 work Déserts.

Mar. 29 — Irish-born conductor Kevin Mallon directs the Seattle Baroque Orchestra in a program of Bach cantatas for the Lent and Easter season. Mallon’s visit to Seattle is part of SBO’s search for a new music director, a process which has brought a host of internationally-known conductors to the city this season.

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

What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Picks For November

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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.