From Rehearsal

Friday was spent at Elizabethtown College's Leffler Performance Center. I was rehearsing for Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona - I'm Vespone, the "mute" servant.
Here's Steve Morscheck, nee Umberto, the talented and visionary bass with me.Robin Wiper is the charming assistant, Serpina.
Karin Edwards is the collaborative pianist who astounds at keeping places in rehearsal.

This is during Barber's Dover Beach.


While turning pages for Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

The show is tonight at 7:30.

My operatic life

Well, my "mute operatic life" would be more accurate, although my stage directions and "lines" are many in the second intermezzo. (I'm having fun with this gangster aspect! mumble mumble)

Join me at Gretna Music tomorrow night in Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona. It's gonna be fun.

Read about it here and here. The original posting about my role was here.

[pictured is Karin the pianist from last night's rehearsal]

Five Things about Joshua Bell

I heard the phenomenal violinist Joshua Bell on tour last night in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center.
1. Josh was joined by pianist Jeremy Denk who was a wonderful match to collaborate with this program. The two were at ease with each other and have similar styles, both musically and technically.
2. The first half consisted of two romantic sonatas - close enough to be comparable and different enough to be contrasting. Both Schumann's first and Beethoven's last sonatas were played with passion and panache, not as if they were written two hundred years ago, but as if the ink was still fresh.
3. The ink was still fresh on Edgar Meyer's Concert Piece, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the stellar performance and interpretation - you'd guess it was an old friend that Bell and Denk could pull out anytime and just play, like the rest of the program which was "tba".
The inner movements of Meyer's piece were especially well crafted and exciting - looking forward to hearing this recorded soon. I also mentioned to a friend that I thought the Meyer stood up well against the Schumann and Beethoven. She mentioned another hearing would be awesome.
4. Bell and Denk then charmed the audience with Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, Ponce's Estrellita, and Sarasate's Introduction and Taratella. After a standing ovation, they came back for an encore - playing Tchaikovsky's None but the Weary Heart.
5. I've heard Josh many times live, and usually find something I adore about his playing. This performance it was his vibrato that captivated me. It was varied, sometimes used sparingly - I felt I had a lesson, from a narrow and quick arm vibrato to a more unique wrist motion, his sound is stellar.

Josh is touring with this recital and soon with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Check his website for more information, he's in great form.
You can also hear an interview I did with Bell before the tour here.

Exploring creativity

Be sure to check out my online interview with Kathan Brown - she's an artist who has worked with others in creating art.
Find it on the Composing Thoughts blog here. Enjoy!

Take a moment

and become a member of WITF, and send some roses to the one you love.

Join now!

Catching up with...

...some photos I've been meaning to share...

I was in Philadelphia just briefly the weekend the Royals were in town as well, and spied the train (not while they were on it.)

I also grabbed a shot looking south on 2nd street in Harrisburg one chilly night last week.

BTW, the doors at the Hotel Pennsylvania are old school and a bit odd.

I was next to room 666, which at points had loud latin speaking folks in it - luckily not loud enough to hamper crashing at 2am!

[all photos by John Clare]

Five Things about James Primrosch

I was able to hear the 50th Birthday celebration recital at University of Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon at Rose Recital Hall for composer James Primrosch. I met Jim last month when John Harbison was visiting.
1. The concert started with the Prism Quartet in a work from 2003, Short Stories. It was a quality piece of chamber music based on Sam Shepard stories, a Chirstmas present from the composer's wife.
2. The largest work on the program was Piano Variations, in a new (first performance) version played by the astounding Stephen Gosling. Originally it was part of the Sonata-Fantasia for piano and synthesizer, now all acoustic. It certainly ran the range and drama of the entire keyboard and explored all 88 keys, much to the flashiness and musicality of Gosling. It also was convincing music and knowledge of the keyboard prowess of Primrosch.
3. After intermission, Gosling was back, this time with electronics in 1993's Secret Geometry. It's a dated work and while entertaining not my cup of tea. It's not that I don't appreciate electronic music, and maybe its partially hearing the quality of the variations before it that this paled by comparison.
4. The Prism Quartet brought out two more works, a short premiere (from 2007!) of I Never Knew and a jazzy Straight Up from 2004.
5. If you're a believer in "best for last" sort of programming or philosophy, you'd be in seventh heaven with Holy the Firm from 1999. It's a song cycle premiered by Dawn Upshaw out in Utah. Sunday's performance was with the dedicated and delicous Lucy Shelton, collaborating with Gosling again at the keyboard. It was a moving reading, and is a brilliant and touching score. I joked with Lucy afterwards that we should have sang "Happy Birthday" afterwards, and she joked about it not rising to the occasion harmonically, I about needing some electronic accompaniment!

There are several cds of Primrosch's music available, as well as the Prism Quartet and Lucy Shelton - check them out, you'll be glad you did!

Seen under Philly

While taking the subway, an ad with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra was across the platform - I love it!

Five Things About the New York Philharmonic

Saturday evening I caught another of my subscription concerts with the New York Philharmonic, with guest conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen.
1. I enjoyed the pre-concert email of notes and snailmail letter inviting me to take a friend to the concert. I did, and he enjoyed it greatly! I think it's a brilliant move to offer subscribers to "take a friend" - on all levels, for exposure for the new audience member, for the orchestra playing to a fuller house, etc.
2. Principal Oboist Liang Wang was in fine form for Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin. In fact it was a fine opener all around, and the crowd seemed especially into the night's guest, Salonen.
3. Yefim Bronfman was certainly up for the evening's new work, dedicated to him, and Bronfman was indeed a delight to hear and see. For this world premiere performance of Salonen's Piano Concerto, he used music and had a page turner - and what a workout. I had been surprised it was not only recieved favorably, but also got sparkling reviews from the critics! I should clarify my surprise by noting it is a delightful work and am pleased it will be recorded - keep an eye out for it.
4. The second half was as exciting as the first, with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition getting a fresh and energetic reading. Section by section, players wove great music making with delightful technique.
5. My final surprise of the evening was a standing ovation for the Mussorgsky. New York has been the one place where I haven't seen the ubquitous standing o for every performance...and not to say the Saturday performance wasn't amazing, it just caught me off guard. I truly believe that it mostly came from the visiting Maestro and his dynamicism - desipte all the work from the orchestra. There is something magical about Salonen and it clearly is felt by audiences.
There's another performance of Salonen's Piano Concerto this week, catch it if you can. And if you get a chance to hear Salonen and his normal band, the LA Phil, in concert at Disney Hall, do that as well, you won't be disappointed.

Interviews

So it's been another busy week around ClassicallyHip. On Monday I talked with a rising young trumpeter, Alison Balsom - you can hear our interview on the WITF New Release Blog.

On Tuesday I met and interviewed composer Jeremy Gill, who will have a new work premiered by the Parker String Quartet for Market Square Concerts' 25th Anniversary and will be on Composing Thoughts.

Wednesday I was in State College, hearing new music...Saturday I'll be in NYC for the new concerto by Esa Pekka Salonen and Sunday finds me at U Penn for James Primrosch's 50th Birthday concert with the Prism Quartet and Lucy Shelton.

More soon!

Five Things about the St Lawrence String Quartet

I caught the Penn State performance of the St. Lawrence String Quartet (pictured below left) with soprano Heidi Grant Murphy (seen right) and pianist Kevin Murphy (below right) last night in State College.

1. The program was re-arranged, and as violinist Geoff Nuttall explained on the second half - despite their manager's insistance - that "the best was saved for last", even though it was the "modern piece." Nuttall said his dad used to complain in Canada that he'd go to concerts and have to sit through the modern piece before he could get to the romantic stuff.
In this case, it was the world premiere of Roberto Sierra's Songs of the Diaspora (Sierra pictured very bottom left). Geoff also joked (with the help of an usher?) that the doors were barred, and a clunk was heard! No one left after the announcement either.
So the line up was Chausson, Shostakovich, intermission, Debussy and Sierra. (Originally and printed in the program were the Shostakovich, Chausson, Sierra, Debussy.)

2. Ernest Chausson’s Chanson Perpétuelle, or Song without End, was a delightful way to begin the program, and in the capable hands of Heidi Grant Murphy, Kevin Murphy and the St. Lawrence Quartet (hereafter referred as SLSQ), you really didn't want the song to end. Especially charming was the ease of Murphy's voice changing from silky smooth melodic lines to nasal French inflections.

3. The SLSQ were like cartoon caricatures, in the best possible sense. In a way, they reminded me of the Guarneri Quartet circa 1980s: a virtuosic, flashy First Violinist, and steady and reliable Second Violinist, and mellow yet astounding Violist, and a energetic and well grounded Cellist.
Really the lineup for the SLSQ is just right, they ineract superbly and with the same musical and physical motion. Their Shostakovich Third Quartet, out on EMI Classics with the 7th and 8th Quartets, is dead on. And live, it was superb.

4. After intermission, I was thoughly disappointed by the Debussy performance. It wasn't that the flippant and carefree reading wasn't without excitement or depth. At times, it was breathtaking and gorgeous, but too many times the tempos were overdone, ridiculously slow and predictable accelerations - which could have been effective if it were annoying and for no apparent musical reason. There were also some humorous missed notes, such as glissandi that never made it to the actual note. I should say it was all done in the SLSQ character and with a good unison ensemble approach. It just wasn't enjoyable for myself. Ol' Claude might have done a little spinning himself in the grave along with me in my seat.

5. Roberto Sierra's Songs of the Diaspora was the reason I was at this concert, and I wasn't disappointed. Again, Murphy & Murphy joined the SLSQ for perhaps what was the biggest workout of the night. Sure, there were some ensemble issues (Scott St. John taking the 1st Violinist spot wasn't together with Violist Lesley Robertson on the opening Ocean/Klezmerish run - although when it returned, they were spot on) but overall it was a dynamic and interesting piece. The mostly lyric and traditional songs are of a moderate tempo and let each member make some music - lots of harmonics, pizzicati and wonderful interaction for the quartet and piano.
Of the seven, two are at a faster tempo: the fourth, "My mother-in-law, the evil one" and the final "The siren" are engaging and dramatic. They help shape the cycle from the idyllic trance Sierra weaves. Besides the rhythmic uniformity, I thought there might have been more ensemble variety, but then again, if you're writing for a piano quintet and soprano, why NOT have them busy all the time?
While the director of the arts center mentioned to be quiet while following the texts (they had an insert of all the songs with translations) the performers still had to wait for all of the noise to stop as the audience turned pages quite loudly (at least it wasn't typically during the music, but between movements!)
All-in-all, the Songs are well crafted and suit the strengths of the ensemble in an imaginative way.

The Songs of the Diaspora will be played across the country by these artists, catch it if you can!

Afterthought, or Post-Script: I hate mentioning what the performer wore, but yes, Heidi made a wardrobe change (no manfunctions, hahaha) - from a gorgeous springlike ensemble for the Chausson to a elegant black outfit for the Sierra.

You can read another account of this evening here.

Five Things about Ernesto Tamayo

I spent the day in Washington, DC on Sunday, to hear Cuban guitarist Ernesto Tamayo play at the Kennedy Center.

1. The program was packed with music! Ernesto played with very few pauses a dazzling program of Bach, Mangore, Sor, Brouwer and Rodrigo.

2. I've heard Ernesto perform for quite awhile, from chamber music performances in Wichita, KS to his Carnegie Hall debut. I haven't heard him sound finer than Sunday night. Simply put, Ernesto is at the top of his game.

3. Especially astounding was the Mangore set Ernesto included. Not only was it musically moving, but technically spectacular. As a string player, the harmonics Tamayo nailed were pleasing and unbelievable - lottery ticket buying performance - yeah, a performance that was awe-inspiring and jaw dropping.


4. The crowd was huge. And of all ages. There were two young kids in front of me that bobbed to the music, and unfortunately two kids to the side of me that did NOT behave as well - who eventually were quelled(?) or corrected by their guardian. This was my first but not last Millenium Stage concert. Definitely check out the link at the bottom to see their webcasts.


5. Ernesto's program was engaging and pleasing. It's too bad the actual music program wasn't printed, or that he would have known to announce the pieces from the stage. It was great to hear this young guitarist and look to many more concerts and recitals to come. If he's in your area, take some time out to hear a fine classical musician, one of the brightest of our time.

You can see and hear the concert later on the Kennedy Center website here.


There are also two interviews I've done with Ernesto, that you can read here and here.

Some scenes

From my trip around DC on Sunday:

John enjoying a cigar in Dupont Circle.

A video screen from the Kennedy Center for the day's events (note Ernesto Tamayo performing.)

John having a petite cigar outside the Kennedy Center with Watergate in the background.

Audio or video

Well, I recently put together a "day in the life" track for a project. You see last Saturday I really was in Philadelphia in the morning interviewing Gerard Schwarz, and in the afternoon I went to York where I taped spots with Paula Poundstone for WITF, before her show at the Strand Capitol. Mondo busy!

So you can listen to the audio [mp3 file] here.
or
you can see the presentation, I take all the blame for the bad video edits/choices, [wma file] here.
Enjoy!
Let me know if I should do other projects like these, leave a comment!

Another chance

I have always enjoyed Knockin' on Heaven's Door, whether it was the original or a cover.

Here's another video from Bob Way of Paul, Zach and yours truly at Eckels playing it. Enjoy!

[photo of Friday's audience from the musician's view]

In case you weren't there

Last Friday we had a blast at Eckel's Drug Store in Mechanicsburg. Paul Zavinsky, myself and Zach Baldwin-Way played some tunes, from (Bob) Dylan to (John) Denver; folk, blues and originals.
Here's a video from Bob Way of our "blues jam." Enjoy!

Original Aboriginal!

Thanks to ArtsJournal music for this link: Observer article
It is Europe's oldest known music, with its own bloody history. Now the 'yoik' of the Sami people is being revived - with a hip new twist, reports Chris Campion from the Arctic Circle

Here in Harribsurg we've gotten a dusting of snow, so it's nice to read about this and think about the north.

Wildly popular composer

I spoke with Karl Jenkins yesterday afternoon. He's one of those wild success stories - his music is in commercials, recently in Carnegie Hall and even on the big screen.

You can read my posts and hear portions of the interview here and here for WITF.

I'll also post my performance from Wichita State University a few years ago where I conducted his Palladio with the summer orchestra.

Interviews and entertainment

From Philly to York, I was all over Pennsylvania, talking with some of my favorites on Saturday.
I started in the morning at the Kimmel Center, talking with maestro Gerard Schwarz, the director of the Seattle Symphony, who is in Philadelphia conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. [You might be interested in hearing part of my interview with the last guest conductor of the COoP, JoAnn Falletta here.]
It was a real joy to catch some of the rehearsal and see Schwarz work with the musicians. I had previously interviewed him for 20/20 Hearing over the phone, but it was great to make the connection.

Look for the interview audio soon.


I then went to York in the afternoon, to record some custom spots with Paula Poundstone. (Hear my original phone interview for ArtBeat here.) She was a hoot, and signed my copy of her new book. I'll post a few of the outtakes here soon.


It was great catching her act last night at the Strand Capitol, and hearing from WITF listeners how much they enjoy her on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

Jamming and Java

Lots of fun Friday night in Mechanicsburg, as Paul, Zach and I played for a fun crowd at Eckel's Drug Store.