Shattered Glass, a sixteen member string orchestra sans conductor, is very much a product of the 21st century -marketing themselves [...]]]> Rondo Music Society presents

Shattered Glass Ensemble at Carnegie Hall; photo credit: Brian Hatton

Shattered Glass, a sixteen member string orchestra sans conductor, is very much a product of the 21^st century -marketing themselves with a professionally produced website and all the elements of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram). The players hail from all around the globe, but they all met and joined together while attending the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to having a wide mainstream repertoire, Shattered Glass has been active in crossover collaborations with pop and hip-hop artists. Mentored by the noted violinist, teacher, and composer Albert Markov, this group is poised to make its mark on the music world by reaching out to as wide an audience as possible.

Violinist Elizabeth Woo, artistic director of Shattered Glass and highly acclaimed artist in her own right, headlined a program featuring her as a soloist in works by Vivaldi, Sarasate, and Albert Markov. The program opened with the Concerto for Three Violins in F major, RV 551 of Vivaldi, with violin soloists Elizabeth Woo, Holly Jenkins, and Tina Bouey.  The opening Allegro movement got off to a problematic start, with intermittent intonation issues and tentative playing. The question that arose was whether this was something borne of nerves or was it going to be an endemic problem throughout.  The answer was forthcoming in the Andante, where the playing was solid, and the final Allegro, which proved that any jitters were gone. The playing was confident, with good ensemble balance and precise intonation. The second work, the Ricercar a 6 from The Musical Offering by J.S. Bach was composed on what amounted to a challenge by Frederick the Great.  On May 7, 1747, Frederick gave Bach a theme with the task to improvise a three-part fugue on the spot.  When Bach made short work of that, Frederick demanded a six-part fugue. Bach asked leave to write out the work and The Musical Offering was the end result.  On the 266^th anniversary of this meeting, Shattered Glass played the Ricercar a 6 in an arrangement by young composer Qin Dang for twelve players  (six violins, three violas, two cellos, and a double-bass). Her arrangement uses as inspiration Anton Webern’s Klangfarbenmelodie approach to the same work (though the latter included winds, brass, and harp). As violist Michael Davis said in his comments before playing, “making connections is the biggest challenge,” in the work. That challenge was successfully met – the interplay between the twelve musicians was excellent; at no time was any single player dominating over the others in what was a perfect rendering of the Klangfarbenmelodie style. To end the first half, Shattered Glass offered the String Symphony No. 7 in D minor, MWV N 7, a remarkably mature work composed by Felix Mendelssohn at the age of thirteen (!).  For the first time, all sixteen players took to the stage. Bass player Max Jacob provided a moment of levity when he abruptly hustled off the stage only to return a moment later with a huge grin and his missing bow, much to the amusement of the audience.  Now that all players were properly equipped, they launched into a spirited reading. The precision of attack in the opening Allegro and superb dynamic control, especially the pianissimos in the Andante,  were striking. The playful, almost sinister colors of the Menuetto and finally the energetic Allegro molto contributed to a winning performance.

Sinfonietta Per Archi ( Sinfonietta No. 1 for Strings), composed in 1992 by Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933), opened the second half. This work alternates from the strident to the nostalgic throughout while making virtuosic demands in both solo and ensemble. Shattered Glass seems to possess a particular affinity for this work. The playing was exceptional from start to finish in what was the highlight of the concert to this listener. Special mention must be made of the soloists; violinist Elizabeth Woo, violist Celia Hatton, and cellist Grace Ho for their exceptional playing. After the thorny Penderecki, Pablo de Sarasate’s Spanish Dances - Playera, Zapateado, and Habanera, were a surefire way to lighten the mood. In an arrangement by Mr. Markov where the piano accompaniment was transcribed for strings, Elizabeth Woo took center stage in the soloist’s role.  Ms. Woo has the requisite technique and gave these crowd-pleasing works a virtuosic performance. The large and enthusiastic audience roared its approval. As much as I detest histrionics and admire control, I found myself wishing for a bit less restraint from Ms. Woo. To close, Ms. Woo performed the world premiere of Rhapsody No. 6, “Korean”, written especially for her by her teacher Albert Markov (b.1933). Inspired by a visit to Gangwon Province in South Korea,  this work uses traditional Korean folk melodies in an “East meets West” fashion. Ms. Woo was a shining star in this highly effective and charming work. The audience responded with a standing ovation for Ms. Woo, Mr. Markov, and the ensemble. This work will no doubt become a cornerstone in the music festival in Gangwon Province  that the dynamic Ms. Woo founded and where Shattered Glass will also perform.

Shattered Glass is a promising ensemble. With a core of such talented and enthusiastic young players, the future should be bright. With the growing popularity of such groups with similar missions, such as Brooklyn Rider and Alarm Will Sound, there is every reason to believe that Shattered Glass will enjoy commercial and artistic success. I look forward to hearing them again in the future.

-Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review, New York, NY

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is an [...]]]> Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is an organization that gives talented musicians and vocalists an opportunity to perform in world-class venues, often performing new works of both established composers and up-and-coming talents. Today’s concert was no exception; works from Mozart, Haydn, and John Rutter, with the New York premiere of Calling All Dawns, from new talent Christopher Tin, were on the program.

In what might have been called a pre-concert performance, Anonymous 4 opened with a set of six pieces done with the skill that has made then renowned. Possibly in keeping with the “anonymous” ideal, any information about these six pieces was withheld. It was a serious omission not to have the works named, in spite of the program noting “selections to be called from the stage”.  In this day and age when everything should be done to enlighten audiences and enhance the concert experience, a golden opportunity to foster further interest was lost.

Mozart’s Regina Coeli K. 276 is a jubilant work that honors the Virgin Mary. The trumpets and timpani lend the otherwise largely string orchestration a festive quality that is in keeping with the celebration of Easter.  There is a strong reminder of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus, although it is not known whether Mozart had seen Handel’s score prior the composition.  Guest conductor Eric A. Johnson led a solid performance that featured High School and University singers from Illinois, Oregon, and California. Next came the Te Deum for the Empress Marie Therese of Franz Joseph Haydn.  Johnson styled this performance with skill, conveying the work’s regal air and showing considerable attention to detail. The transitions to C minor and back to C major were particularly sensitively done.  It seemed that conductor, orchestra, and chorus gained in confidence as the performance progressed.

John Rutter (b. 1945) describes his Gloria as a three-movement symphony that is “exalted, devotional, and jubilant by turns”.  Guest Conductor Geoffrey Paul Boers took the podium and wielded his baton with the demeanor of a wizard preparing to hurl thunderbolts.  From the arresting opening bars, one was put on notice that the Distinguished Concerts orchestra was pulling out all the stops, from the stunning brilliance of the brass playing to the electric energy in the percussion. It was especially enjoyable for this listener to hear these players shine so brightly, as I have almost always found them to be the equals of any I have heard anywhere.  The exuberant orchestra overshadowed the chorus in the outer movements, where the latter simply did not project enough volume. Interestingly enough, the singers’ than full sound turned out to be a blessing in the 2^nd movement, where the chorus was actually quite radiant. In spite of these issues, it was an exciting, dynamic, and passionate performance that ended the half with a splash.

It must be a unique occurrence for a large-scale work to have its genesis from a theme written for a video game, but this is the case for Calling All Dawns, which was the only work on the second half.  In conversation with Jonathan Griffith, composer Christopher Tin (b. 1976) told the story of how Calling All Dawns came to be. The opening movement, Baba Yetu, was composed as the theme for the computer game Civilizations IV. It was so popular in the gaming world that the music went “viral”, with countless requests for more pieces from the composer.  Tin was inspired to write a large work that he described as a “four-year labor of love”.  Calling All Dawns is a forty-five minute, twelve-movement work, with each movement in a different language (Swahili, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, French, Latin, Irish, Polish, Hebrew, Farsi, Sanskrit, and Maori). The idea of a multi-cultural world where we are more similar than different was Mr. Tin’s stated goal.  Mr. Tin has a gift for writing music that is immediately accessible in its tonal consonance, rhythmically vital, and appealing to the emotions. It is easy to understand why his music is so popular. One can detect similarities to other composers’ work  (e.g. Karl Jenkins, Henryk Górecki in his Third Symphony, and Mike Oldfield, especially his Music of the Spheres), which might cause some to suggest the music is derivative, but I prefer the idea of a composer finding his voice. All these caveats aside, the pairing of Tin and DCINY is an ideal partnership, and it will be interesting to hear Mr. Tin’s next work, which DCINY will be premiering in 2014.

Conductor Jonathan Griffith was the master of the situation, as is the norm for this consummate leader and musician. Any composer should be thrilled to have him at the helm when his works are played.  The orchestra had already been excellent this afternoon, but they saved the best for the last in a performance that was done with style and grace.  The supporting chorus, with singers from Australia, the United Kingdom, Vermont, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York, was vibrant throughout with a strong performance that was not wanting in volume or passion. It was a joy to see the constantly changing soloists, from Anonymous 4, to others including members of the chorus who came forward and offered passionate performances. They were all stars today.  When two Maori in tribal dress entered the stage in the final movement and not only chanted the Maori lyrics, but did a ritual dance, it was that special DCINY “touch” that I have come to expect from this fine organization. The audience reacted after the final notes with the loudest and longest standing ovation I have ever heard at any concert. Mr. Tin was called to the stage and the ovation became deafening. It must have been one of the proudest moments in his life and it was wonderful to see. It’s an image I will not soon forget. Congratulations to DCINY for another winning performance.

-Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

CD Review: Patrick Gallois, flute; Maria Prinz, piano

Patrick Gallois, flutist and Maria Prinz, pianist

The Baroque period is rich in solo flute music.  The two greats, Bach and Handel, each wrote several sonatas, and many of the lesser geniuses contributed as well.  In the Romantic period, Schubert favored the instrument with a set of virtuoso variations and the French wrote reams of tuneful and often showy pieces.  In the twentieth century many of the most prominent composers, among them Prokofiev, Bartok, Poulenc, Hindemith, Piston, and Ibert wrote solo flute music.  And today’s composers love the flute.

The Classical period is a different story.  Unless the flutist has an orchestra at her (or his) disposal to play a Mozart concerto, she will find almost nothing.  Enter Patrick Gallois. Mr. Gallois, a prominent French flutist and conductor, has skillfully transcribed four Mozart violin sonatas, K.376, K.377, K. 378, and K. 570, for the flute.  At the age of eight, Mozart wrote sonatas that could be played by either flute or violin, as was common practice in the Baroque era.  This is the precedent for Mr. Gallois’ adaptations.

The lovely Sonata K.570 has a different history from the other three works.  In 1789, Mozart entered this work into his list of compositions as a solo piano sonata. In 1796 It was published posthumously by Artaria as a sonata for piano with violin accompaniment. Subsequent scholarship has concluded that this was not Mozart’s intent, although the arranger is not known.

For the most part, the flute is well suited to these genial, accessible compositions.  A few changes have to be made.  As the violin’s range goes a third or a fourth below that of the flute (depending on the flute,) there are some octave transpositions. The flute is more powerful in its high register than when playing lower notes. The notes in the first octave are just not very loud.  This is not the case with the violin, and for this reason it often behooves the flute to play in a higher octave in order to balance the piano.  Where the violin plays double stops, the flute plays arpeggios.  These changes do not impinge on the musical effectiveness of the pieces.

Unlike most flute sonatas these pieces do not give both instruments equal importance; the piano is the more important member of the duo.  Indeed, the sonatas are referred to in some editions as piano sonatas with violin accompaniment. Maria Prinz is a fine pianist who plays with style and verve, always vital but never overpowering her partner. Mr. Gallois has a lovely sound, beguiling phrasing and especially clean articulation. No doubt many flutists and fans of flute music will find great pleasure in this new addition to the repertoire.

 –Barrett Cobb  for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Each year in Vermont’s historic quarry village of Adamant, pianists of all stripes converge for practicing, lessons, master classes, and relaxation at the Adamant Music School. For 72 years the school has [...]]]> Adamant Music School: 72nd Anniversary

Tadeusz Domanowski

Each year in Vermont’s historic quarry village of Adamant, pianists of all stripes converge for practicing, lessons, master classes, and relaxation at the Adamant Music School. For 72 years the school has demonstrated the strength of their local granite in continuing its summer program, as well as its tradition of annual New York recitals, not an easy feat in this difficult economy. This season Adamant presented eight pianists in Weill Recital Hall, including faculty and student participants. There was music of Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Howard Bashaw (b.1957), and Marc-André Hamelin (the Etude No. 5), but I was there only for the last two works of Prokofiev and Chopin. Pianists Joni Chan and Tadeusz Domanowski represented their school well in what was a proud occasion for all involved.

Joni Chan

 Joni Chan performed the first movement (Allegro moderato) from Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82. She gave a measured and well-considered performance, which showed her to be a player of intelligence and integrity. Ms. Chan earned her BM, MM, and DMA at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and is currently teaching at Vincennes University in Indiana. As her biography states, she was recipient of a performer’s certificate for “outstanding graduate performance” from the piano faculty of the IU in 2006 and first prize in IU’s Mozart Concerto Competition in 2004, among other distinctions. She has performed widely throughout the US, Canada, and Hong Kong as soloist and collaborator. At the risk of overdoing the references to granite, Ms. Chan struck one as an extremely solid performer, one who has left no stone unturned in her study of the score (not to be confused with the violinists who famously leave “no tone un-Sterned”). All punning aside, nary a tone was even smudged, and one could probably take dictation from her scrupulously honest reading. Ms. Chan also showed plenty of strength in the fuller percussive dynamics, though my favorite performances of this work (the first of the three War Sonatas) have still greater projection of its dark irony. I also prefer to hear the Sonata in its totality, though one understands the time constraints in a group recital. Perhaps a stand-alone ten-minute work might fare better program-wise next time, but in any event Ms. Chan did a commendable job. Her thoroughness will be an asset to her students, and her steely reliability in performance bodes well for busy concert life.

To conclude the Adamant program, Tadeusz Domanowski played Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor (Op. 31). His was a fluent and confident reading that concluded the program with sweep and polish. Mr. Domanowski hails from Gliwice, Poland and is a graduate of the Frédéric Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.  His performances as soloist with orchestra, chamber musician, and recitalist, have taken him to an impressive array of festivals in France, China, Greece, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Sweden, as well as the US, where he currently continues his studies at NYU. He has excellent technical facility at his disposal, combined with a good stylistic sense and strong stage presence. Brilliant and refined, Mr. Domanowski’s interpretation of the Chopin could also be described as suave. There was, in fact such a pervasive sense of ease that at times some passagework seemed almost too silken for this listener, leaving one wanting more of a sense of traction; this is a highly personal preference, however, as were some differences of opinion on rhythm and rubato in the more meditative A Major sections. I would have loved more sense of exploration at times, including the quiet end of the spectrum in leggiero passagework. A secure player such as Mr. Domanowski has all the groundwork in place for such musical journeys. Though it is hard to add to the performance history of a piece like this, with Rubinstein, Argerich, and countless other greats (followed by Kissin, Yundi Li, and more), Mr Domanowski undoubtedly has the potential to add his own special stamp. I look forward to hearing him again and heartily congratulate the Adamant Music School on both fine performers.

-Rorianne Schrade  for  New York Concert Review; New York, NY

The Los Angeles Youth Orchestra arrived at Carnegie Hall and performed with great passion and dedication. They not only arrived at Carnegie, but as an organization and [...]]]> Los Angeles Youth Orchestra

Los Angeles Youth Orchestra

The Los Angeles Youth Orchestra arrived at Carnegie Hall and performed with great passion and dedication. They not only arrived at Carnegie, but as an organization and youth orchestra, they have truly “arrived’. The obvious reason for this event was to give these young players a remarkable opportunity to perform in New York, in one of the great halls of the world. But the other purpose was to show that this organization will be a permanent mainstay in their own community. Clearly, they will be just that.

The students’ training, which involves mentoring with members of major orchestras and rehearsing with professional musicians on a weekly basis, is paying off. The orchestra includes between 80 and 90 students ranging in age from 8-18, from both public and private schools. Although a good percentage of its students do not pursue music as a profession, all of the students’ lives are greatly enhanced through the classics and new music, and they learn life lessons through the program—including giving to and feeling a sense of community, the benefits of teamwork, plus knowledge of history and the arts. Some of their alumni, like violinist Niv Ashkenazi and flutist Elizabeth Erenberg, have decided to enter the music profession, and they joined current members for this Carnegie performance. Ashkenazi joined the orchestra originally as a teenager with the dream of becoming a concert violinist and studying at Juilliard with Itzhak Perlman, and he has fulfilled both those goals. Erenberg is now a successful flutist who recently received her master’s degree from The New England Conservatory, studying with Paula Robison.

Los Angeles Youth Orchestra

The program was dedicated to the memory of the orchestra’s late program director and viola coach, Eve Cohen. In addition, one of the premieres, “EveStar”, by Russell Steinberg, was composed in her honor. Cohen worked with Steinberg to help develop the future of the organization and also to convince violinists to make the relatively seamless switch to the richer, more velvety sound of the viola. The music appropriately concludes with the viola section sustaining a low G string note while violins shimmer and sparkle above–as if to say she has said goodbye but will always remain with the orchestra in spirit. The work is structured so that its sprightly middle section provides a welcome energetic contrast (kids like upbeat tempos)—as if to bask in the many happy memories Cohen provided. This section gives the work real variety, and therefore provides conductors with the opportunity to program a contrasting work that’s both dreamy and animated. No doubt, it is the kind of inspired, catchy piece that deserves many performances. The same can be said for Steinberg’s “Carnegie Overture”, which is naturally celebratory–containing freshly lyrical passages that invite warm feelings–but also pulsating with edgy syncopations and dissonance. The percussion section helps drive the work, which has a real sense of continuity and organic growth from beginning to end. The orchestra played both works with a sense of nostalgia and purpose, with focus and infectious energy. They were well-prepared, performing with rhythmical precision and tonal refinement.

Also on the program was music from Beethoven’s challenging eighth symphony and a welcome, playable William Ryden/ Stephen L. Rosenhaus arrangement of De Falla’s music: a combination of the Miller’s Dance from “The Three Cornered Hat” and the Ritual Fire Dance from “El Amor Brujo”. Steinberg exudes much joy in his conducting, and the players respond with affection and exuberance in return. His interpretations of the Beethoven and De Falla were first rate. I cannot mention everyone here, but the horn and percussion sections were particularly excellent throughout the program, with special kudos to the solo clarinet and solo bassoon players.

Carnegie Hall was packed with a nearly full house, and there was excitement in the air. The Los Angeles Youth Orchestra staff, board and generous supporters are making this orchestra a vital part of the Los Angeles community, and it was wonderful for them and the New York audience that they made such an auspicious Carnegie Hall debut. Russell Steinberg has greatly helped with building this orchestra into an invaluable treasure; a shining and everlasting star.

-Anthony Aibel for New York Concert Review; New York, NY