Concerts old and new
Matthew Heil
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Over the weekend, we received several comments about the previous week's concerts with Christopher Seaman and Benedetto Lupo. Due to the fact that there wasn't a posting about the concert that week, those comments had nowhere specific to live, due to postings on other topics last week. So, in deference to our eager posters, we're attaching all the commentary associated with the excellent concerts by our guest conductor and guest soloist this past week. Thanks to all for their interest!
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Over the weekend, we received several comments about the previous week's concerts with Christopher Seaman and Benedetto Lupo. Due to the fact that there wasn't a posting about the concert that week, those comments had nowhere specific to live, due to postings on other topics last week. So, in deference to our eager posters, we're attaching all the commentary associated with the excellent concerts by our guest conductor and guest soloist this past week. Thanks to all for their interest!
And you can expect a totally new posting shortly, for our next Classics concert!
5 Comments:
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Did Rouse’s “Rapture” a-Rouse you?
By Sonny the Cat
Phoenix Symphony Patron (Special to the SoundPost)
Saturday night marked the last stop on the 2006-2007 Christopher Rouse Mini-Tour through the Valley of the Sun. Considering the fact that only four of his works were performed by the Phoenix Symphony, he sure left a trail of mass dissention as well as total ecstasy in the hearts of some listeners. Who would have thought that a piece of music could stimulate such a heated exchange of opinions, here in the barren desert that lacks a tradition of classical music! In this case, everybody wins. Maestro Michael Christie must be congratulated for his courage and innovation in bringing this about.
“Rapture” (2000) is one of a series of more recent scores, in the composer’s words “to look towards the light." This is somewhat of a departure from his earlier works such as Symphony No. 2 (1994) and Iscariot (1989). Even this writer will agree that the Rouse of old was indeed aptly named "the Stephen King of contemporary music." His music was so violently energetic and might have even caused fear in a few audience members.
Similar to last week’s Flute Concerto, “Rapture” started out very calmly with a Mahler-like broad adagio of strings and harp. Soon, various wind and brass instruments jumped out with aleatoric solos, which were strictly demarcated areas for improvisation in length of notes, while the strings sang on in regular meters. This gave the wonderful impression that they were playing another piece, yet they would rejoin the orchestra without a glitch. Then there was the beautiful, independent harp solo bass line. My mind was kept busy trying to decipher the number of melodic elements happening at any given time. Speaking of which, it took me a while before I spotted the last stand string section players contributing to this mystery. If only Elliot Carter could have resolved his atonal intellectualizing down to this blissful ‘symphony of three (or more) orchestras.’ Believe it or not, my only complaint: the two sets of timpani were way too loud for an orchestra less than 106 strong. The final aleatory bowing by the strings signified a triumphant ascension for us all. BRAVO!
Who is "ORRIN HOWARD?" The Program Notes for this past week's Phoenix Symphony concert set were attributed to him. He supposedly annotated programs for more than 20 years while serving as the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Director of Publications and Archives. In that case, one would expect more accuracy. And the Phoenix Symphony's management should read these old program notes more carefully to determine how applicable they are.
My primary concern as a musician was the noted instrumentation. In "Rapture," the composer Rouse clearly calls for 3.3.3.3-4.4.4.1-harp.timp(2).perc(3). That includes four trombones. Yet, the program notes did not mention any trombones. Presto the Cat, who has better night vision, told me that she saw Dem 'Bones a'slidin' away in the lower brass back alley.
The Mendelssohn “Reformation” Symphony was most definitely played on this occasion by 2.2.2.2+contra.2.2.3.timp.strings. Yet, the program notes did not mention the contrabassoon (Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s Honorary Chair for goodness sakes!) that was undoubtedly stationed on stage and emitting that ominous grumble on cue. And we most definitely did not have a “TUBA” or a period equivalent “Serpent” in the “last movement.” Mr. Howard must have been referring to another orchestra’s performance.
According to another professional program writer Susan Halpern, the Reformation Symphony is scored for two bassoons, a contrabassoon, and a “serpent.” From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: a serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name. It is generally made out of wood, with walnut being a particularly popular choice. The outside is covered with dark brown or black leather. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Serpent_groves.jpg.
Perhaps what the “other” orchestra’s tuba player blew was an “Ophicleide.” Patented in 1821 by French instrument maker Jean Hilaire Asté, it became the structural cornerstone of the brass section of the Romantic orchestra, replacing the outdated serpent. It is played with a cupped mouthpiece similar to other brass instruments. It originally had nine keys, later expanded to as many as twelve keys, covering the large tone holes. hudson_ophis.jpg One very famous work which used the ophicleide was Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.
As a tuba player, I would have paid extra bucks to see one of those monsters in action. Doesn’t Mr. Dave Pack own one? How about the Phoenix Symphony expanding its “baroque initiative” and purchase or rent a couple of those babies for this fall’s performances!
While guest conductors take the podium, our Maestro Christie has been busy on the road. Interesting to read what others have to say about him:
A review from the Pittsburgh Symphony concert.
Of greater interest to us back home in Phoenix, here is a review of the Maestro conducting the Edgar Meyer's new Concerto No. 2 for double bass and orchestra with the composer as the soloist. This piece will be played by the Phoenix Symphony this fall with the composer as soloist. With that "dress rehearsal" in Dallas, our concert should be great!
On Saturday, April 28, 2007, the Washington Post reported on Michael Christie's performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
An audience blogger "Jack" wrote:
A Pittsburgh Symphony concert I saw back at the Burgh earlier in April... had the youngish American conductor Michael Christie conducting.
Michael Christie seems like a conductor with something to say; he conducted an eye-opening Sibelius Second Symphony, from which he coaxed a surprisingly modern-sounding sense of edge and contrast. Notably by holding silences long enough to settle in as negative space: this was thrilling in the scherzo, where you have this Beethoven-sounding flurry that goes for a minute and a half and then just stops cold. The soaring parts all soared just the same, more powerful for being restrained just a bit; and the PSO were in fine form, all of them, especially the invincible-as-ever brass section. Pretty blissful.
While the Cats are here at home, the Maestro continues to play away.
This weekend, it was with yet another major institution, the St. Louis Symphony. According to the POST-DISPATCH CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC, "Christie is a superb conductor, a justly rising star in the musical firmament. His interpretations of three very different pieces were exceptionally, uniformly well conceived and well executed by the orchestra..."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/visitstlouis/story/D44CE79435782288862572D200000AFC?OpenDocument
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