Getting All Modern on Your Ass

Everyone in Blogville is up in arms, positively and negatively, that Gérard Mortier will become artistic director at New York City Opera. For all of the annoying things that have been reported about productions under Mortier's various tenures, let us not forget that it was he who commissioned John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer for Brussels, opened his tenure in Paris with Robert Wilson's staging of Pelléas et Mélisande (originally from Salzburg in 1997), brought back Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise to Paris, has produced enough Janáček and Martinů for even the most devoted fan, and Hindemith and Shostakovich, too, not to mention some exceptional Strauss. I'm thinking about relocating to New York.

There are good things happening around these parts, though, especially with the announcement of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's first season under the leadership of Marin Alsop. Alongside a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies, John Adams, Tan Dun, James MacMillan, and Thomas Adès will all conduct performances of their own compositions. Get all the details in the official press release (.PDF file). Tim Page called the lineup, quite rightly, "an infinitely more thought-provoking season than the one the National Symphony Orchestra offered for 2006-07, which has been much criticized for its timidity and reiteration of standard repertory."

Even better, to honor the 25th anniversary of the opening of Meyerhoff Hall, private donors have made it possible for the BSO to offer subscription tickets at the very affordable price of $25 each. (That does not affect prices at Strathmore, of course.) Will the people of Baltimore respond? If they don't, they must have no pulse. We will see what the NSO has to say next week.

New Main Maestro in Philadelphia while the NSO Keeps Looking.

This is hardly breaking news, but last Friday the Philadelphia Orchestra announcedthat the Swiss maestro Charles Dutoit would be their new Chief Conductor (and Artistic Adviser - very pretty alliterative titles), starting September 2008 and running for four seasons. This is in addition to his role as artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra’s annual three-week residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and will include the option to lead concerts when the Orchestra is in residence at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. For those who want a little preview of what the Philadelphia Orchestra will sound like under the man who turned Montreal into the best French orchestra, he will perform with them on March 1st in Sibelius, Rimsky-K., and Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto with his ex-wife, Martha Argerich.

Last week I mentioned (amid some other other speculations) James Conlon in one breath with Philadelphia's need for a new Chief Conductor or Music Director. This point is now obviously mute - and Charles Dutoit is one of the few choices that I think is every bit as good if not possibly even better for Philadelphia than Mr. Conlon. Assuming that this time the Orchestra members were more heavily involved in the choice than the last time, when Christoph Eschenbach was plunked upon them, and assuming he knows better how not to alienate them (hint: when you go on tours, don't ostensibly take first class when the rest is in coach... don't stay at a different hotel because the one the players are staying at isn't good enough for you), this should be a very exciting addition to the East-Coast music scene - and every bit as fine as Boston/Levine.

Meanwhile I am endowed with faint hopes that the National Symphony Orchestra's board and direction will come to its senses and not appoint NSO Principal Guest Conductor Iván Fischer to Music Director or Chief Conductor prematurely - but look hard, elsewhere. (Namely, James Conlon!) Not that Mr. Fischer is not a wonderful conductor and musician (and charming in the bargain) who, in that position, has two-and-a-half successful concerts with the NSO to his name (a wonderful mixed program, fine Mendelssohn, a teddy-bear-concert [un-reviewed]). His recordings, too, I am very fond of, as I am of his advocacy of Mahler's music. But great Bartók, Mahler, Brahms, Mendelssohn (notably music all from the same zip-code) – as much as we need them – are not necessarily enough to make a decision such as appointment of a Music Director position upon. Aside, for most of the qualities that Fischer brings to D.C., we already have him! For the National Symphony Orchestra, it might be befitting to continue with an American conductor (the type that also knows the fund-raising business best in the country). Since James Levine (New York / Boston), Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco), David Robertson (St.Lewis, slated for Chicago), Lorin Maazel (New York), Kent Nagano (Montreal, Munich) are not candidates (they would not come, even if they could), the NSO should look at conductors like Hugh Wolff, James Conlon, James Judd, Benjamin Zander, James DePriest, Russell-Davies, Myung-Whun Chung, Andrew Litton, or Robert Spano.

True, not all of the above are necessarily realistic choices, or would fit, or be an sure improvement over Leonard Slatkin (this is a town, after all, where name recognition means more than intrinsic quality), and I remain convinced that among them, James Conlon would be the best fit for Washington, especially if he could work with the Washington National Opera, too… but none should be dismissed and all are worth looking at before we seriously think of making the Prinicipal Guest Conductor the Music Director before his first contract is even up. Indeed, it might be better to have an interim Music Director for the year between Slatkin’s departure in 2008 and Fischer’s contract being up in 2009. It would give ample time to see how Fischer and the NSO gel, should they be on a path toward a more extensive and more intimate relationship... or look for someone else who fits the NSO’s profile and would bring an exciting, wide range of orchestral performances to the District. And if that somebody is a conductor who cares about neglected repertoire and is not afraid of the 20th century, all the better!

Flórez's Breakthrough

Available at Amazon: Rossini, Matilde di Shabran, Annick Massis, Juan Diego Flórez, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Riccardo Frizza (released on September 26, 2006)

Being a cover or a replacement singer is not all that glamorous or exciting unless you end up on stage, and then it can launch a career. At the 1996 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, tenor Bruce Ford had to withdraw from a performance of Rossini's obscure opera Matilde di Shabran. A mostly unknown Peruvian tenor named Juan Diego Flórez, then just 23 years old, took his place in the role of Corradino. It was again with Rossini, The Barber of Seville, that he ultimately premiered at the Metropolitan Opera a few years ago, and just last season to Washington in L'Italiana in Algeri. This recent recording, cobbled together from five live performances of the Pesaro revival of Matilde di Shabran in the summer of 2004, is a nice way to revisit the scene of Flórez's first triumph.

The libretto of Matilde di Shabran, o sia Bellezza, e Cuor di ferro, credited to Jacopo Ferretti (author of the libretto for the delightful La Cenerentola), was a hack job, a case study for the dramatic failures of Italian opera. Faced with a rush commission intended for Rome in 1820, Rossini called upon Ferretti to shoehorn a story stolen from one of Méhul's opera into a new libretto. Limiting his self-borrowing to a few pieces, Rossini ran out of time composing the score. He was saved by Giovanni Pacini, who supplied a few numbers and most of the recitatives for the Rome premiere (with none other than Niccolò Paganini as concertmaster and conductor). At a revival in Naples later that year, Rossini substituted his own pieces for those of Pacini. Matilde di Shabran was performed in Pesaro in 1996 to coincide with the publication of Jürgen Selk's new critical edition of the opera, based on the all-Rossini Neapolitan version.

Annick Massis in the finale of Matilde di Shabran, Pesaro 2004

Flórez has a clear, agile tenor voice as Corradino, and if he sounded as good in 1996 as he did in 2004, it is not difficult to see how he ended up with a fine career. His high notes have a characteristic sweet ring, calibrated well with the lower part of his voice, and his fioriture are almost faultless. The role, both serious and comic as the macho Spanish nobleman who falls helplessly in love, is suited to Flórez's strengths. As the object of Corradino's love, Matilde, French soprano Annick Massis turns in another solid performance, especially in the lengthy cavatina-cabaletta that concludes the opera, captured in video from one of the 2004 Pesaro performances and now on YouTube, of course. The supporting cast, Prague Chamber Choir, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia all give admirable work, too, especially at the sometimes breakneck tempi imposed by conductor Riccardo Frizza. Special mention must be made of Israeli mezzo-soprano Hadar Halevy, in the pants role of Edoardo. Her Ah! perché, perché la morte / Ah! Se encora un'altra volta ei ritorna in Act III complemented the well-played and difficult horn obbligato, which Paganini performed on the viola at the premiere because the horn player was ill. This work, although obscure, shows Rossini near the height of his compositional powers, in the last seasons before he left Italy for Paris.

Decca B0006859-02

Inexplicable Disappointment at Haefliger Recital

Andreas Haefliger gave a concert on very short notice at the new Swiss Residence Concert Series (this was only the sixth such concert at the newly designed gloriously angular Swiss Ambassador’s residence), which was not only kind of Mr. Haefliger to do, but also a fine opportunity to hear Switzerland’s foremost pianist after having missed Austria’s, earlier in the week. Save for the thoughtful and rather lavish reception after the concert (especially considering the highly subsidized, puny $8 a ticket for these concerts), the recital was much less than it promised to be, though.

There are varying opinions as to what went wrong (admittedly, most in the audience didn’t think anything was wrong and were happily delighted, all the same) – and I am myself not sure where to assign primary blame for the outcome, the bad acoustic, the piano, or the way both were taken into too little consideration by Mr. Haefliger. The easiest answer is: All of the above – and Mr. Haefliger most of all. At any rate, the result was far from a professional grade recital.

Playing two Beethoven sonatas in context with Schubert’s great B-flat Major, D960, he chose sonatas nos. 15 (op.28, “Pastorale” – actually nameless in German-speaking countries) and 23 (op.57, “Appassionata”). From the opening Allegro of op.28, the notes were washed into another, lacked clarity, and annunciation. While the Steinway baby-grand looks appropriate in size for the rather intimate setting in the foyer of the residence, it still sounded one size too big in an acoustic that is extremely hard to come to terms with. Although it isn’t an echo-chamber like the National Gallery’s East Garden Court, it creates reverb above a certain decibel level. Everything above a p was given a meaty note, everything at or above f a booming ring and occasional buzzing rattle. (Mr. Haefliger thought that the piano had merely not been played enough but was otherwise fine. In that case they should roll it into a sound-proof room and make some piano student happy by offering free use in return for daily abuse.) Intense off-key humming was made more notable by the setting but did not terribly distract from an energetic, brisk, and bold Andante, fleet Scherzo, and bubbly, driven Rondo. The problems of sound persisted, but in retrospect this was the good part of the recital.

Sympathetic (but undesired) afternotes and vibrations hung over the “Appassionata”, the same rumble-mumble from the bowels of the piano, now turned up even louder, was, at worst, akin to the sound of jet engines warming up. The Allegro assai was overwhelmingly bullish and stormy, the Andante con moto a lullaby as gentle and sweet as sugar first, then a showcase of souped-up romanticism. The polar opposite of the compelling understatedness of Hans Richter-Haaser whose obscure recording I much enjoy in this work. With shock-effect attacks it all went into the finale that, missed notes aside, sounded pretty good at first because finally the character of the music matched that of the playing a little more. But then Mr. Haefliger proceeded to bang the music (and the listener) so mercilessly into submission that all good will dissipated. If I didn’t know Beethoven could ever sound like Mahler: crass, brash, neurotic, wilful, brutal, etc., here was a pretty good hint that it might be possible, after all. It was Beethoven on steroids and Ecstasy and not only a displeasure because I am off a serenely sublime Wilhelm Backhausen-trip through all the sonatas.

The Schubert sonata did nothing to ameliorate the impression from the first half of the program. This was simply unbefitting the good reputation of Mr. Haefliger’s. Lack of control and stiffness, a sense of constant effort and even slight discomfort, the piano growling away in disfigured rhythms, continuation of obscene over-pedaling (given the surroundings), and memory- and finger-slips assured that less of this sublime music survived this train-wreck of a recital than desired.

This should not reflect on the Swiss Residence Concert Series – they could not have asked a more renown and reputable artist to appear. What he does with that recital is out of their hands. For anyone interested in architecture or good food (let alone both), however, this series is well worth attending. And next time, the music (not always classical) will surely be up to par, again. Information about this series can be gotten by sending an e-mail to culture@was.rep.admin.ch

A Fair Wrap, with Pulse

It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon and criticize the goings-on at the fairs: where art is presented as a commodity and it’s value hyped, it’s fair game. On the other hand I find it exciting, like the kid in the candy store. I’m not buying, just exploring. Some attendees behave in a dignified manner while some little fatties sprawl on the floor, whining and kicking their feet, demanding attention. Luckily there’s enough for everyone to go around.

My one regret this year was not making it to The Art Show at the 5th Regiment Armory, where I understand there was a very good selection of art to see. The Armory Show, this year all in one building on the piers, was much easier to take in and get an overall feel for the offerings.

The Red Dot Fair in the Park South Hotel on 28th, was a good surprise. You never know what to expect or how gallerists will accommodate their collections in the confines of a small hotel room with poor lighting.

I’ve got to give the award for most inventive use of space to the Paradigm Gallery, as they took the mattresses off of the beds, stood them on end, creating cubicle spaces, on which they hung the art. Some were lucky enough to have rooms in the front of the building with plenty of natural light, like Jay Grimm’s did. Others reflected their lights off the ceiling, flooding the room with an all-over brightness, a perfect solution.

The 63 galleries at the Pulse Contemporary Art Fair, in the 69th Regiment Armory on 26th Street -- again, for its second year -- had plenty of good work to keep my eyes happy.

Some memorable work at Pulse was Kim Rugg's Don't Mention the War, a recycled news day from The Guardian, which didn't mention the Iraq war once at a particularly horrific period. Also, there were Samuel Rousseau's recycled plastic containers (shown above), arranged to form a cityscape, with video projection. A sale looked about to happen.

I mentioned Donna Sharrett last year and again this year she had me, at Pavel Zoubok Gallery. Also last year Chris Gilmour was showing a corrigated cardboard race car, at perugi artecontemporanea, this year it's a dentist's chair (ouch).

There's more eye candy with Julie Haffernan at PPOW and Isidro Blaco at DCKT. And to prove things aren't always what you perceive, the ever-gentlemanly Winkleman Gallery had a solo of Ivan Ballen's cardboard constructions, which are actually fiberglass forms. As I mentioned in a previous post, several galleries were experimenting with showing a single artist. Since the spaces are limited, in most cases, this could work out fine. If I were the gallerist I would be worried, putting all my hopes on one artist, not to mention three or four days of sales. On Friday Mr Ballen had two sold, and I understand all went well.

I really enjoyed the fairs. I met many people and also got to meet fellow bloggers Barry Hoggard (bloggy) and James Wagner, and Paddy Johnson, of AFC. After many e-mails and shared comments, it was a pleasure to be face to face. Get well, everyone who ended up with the flu.

Speaking of blogger meet-ups, I failed to mention the fabulous Anna L. Conti of Working Artist's Journal, who keeps us informed of the San Fransisco scene. Back in November when I was passing through, we got together and Anna kindly escorted me to some of the best galleries. A very belated thank you, Anna, and good luck with your upcoming show (called Red Sparrow, opening today at Newmark Gallery).

Berlin Piano Quartet, Dumbarton Concerts

We welcome another review from Ionarts guest contributor Michael Lodico.

Saturday evening, the Berlin Piano Quartet offered an engaging evening of works by Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Mendelssohn at the Dumbarton Concert Series. The young quartet opened their program with the Schubert Sonatina in D Major, D. 384, which was originally written just for violin and piano. Violist Philip Douvier arranged the work nicely for string trio, and it was performed with a sense that the group had made it its own. At times this arrangement required cellist Bogdan Jianu to skillfully provide Alberti bass figures to approximate the left-hand part of the original piano score.

Chinese-born pianist Tao Lin joined in the demanding Piano Quartet in E-flat of Robert Schumann. The full potential of this piece may not have been realized because of the limitations of the piano used in Saturday’s performance. Lacking brilliance and depth over its entire range, despite Mr. Tao’s gallant efforts, the instrument mostly offered a muted muddle.

Other Reviews: Joe Banno, Berlin Piano Quartet (Washington Post, February 26)

The Quartet approached this piece with a surplus of confidence that conveyed a powerful sense of command; even if this attitude left the actual music behind on occasion. Details were often played-through, leaving you wishing for the Quartet to linger more on the abundance of inspired material that Schumann provides. For example, throughout the program, except in the very quick Allegro molto or Allegro vivace movements, the violinist often played ahead of his colleagues by shortening rests or beginning a phrase early. The resulting sense of pull-and-drag was most noticeable in unison passages in the Scherzo, when the violin and viola were not together. The cellist and pianist, in contrast, were always well coordinated, creating a fine sense of ensemble. Hurrying through the beautiful sequence near the very end of the work did not enhance the sense of structure of the work.

Mr. Lin was most impressive in the Mendelssohn Piano Quartet in B Minor, where he tossed off devilish finger work with ease. Even though the instrument was not exactly responding to his vigor, energy, or precision, the audience could connect with his intent. Mr. Lin’s octaves in the final Allegro vivace were especially strong, and the group was generally more cohesive.

Hantaï Brothers and Friends, Library of Congress

We welcome another review from Ionarts guest contributor Michael Lodico.

The Hantaï Brothers and Friends offered patrons a pleasurable evening of duos by Mozart and trios by Haydn on the Library of Congress series Friday evening. The concert opened with the Trio in D Major for flute, violin, and cello, op. 38, no. 1, which gave the audience in the packed Coolidge Auditorium the opportunity to listen closely to the performers’ elegant and unforced playing. Placing two instruments of similar timbre together, Haydn allowed the violinist (Alessandro Moccia) to lead and be accompanied by the Baroque flutist (Marc Hantaï), while occasionally, and more interestingly allowing the quiet flute to lead and be gently accompanied by the violin. Instead of the audience’s attention being held by the performers’ virtuosity, they were able to relax in their seats to hear the form of each movement gradually unfold. This concert was about the music, not the performers.

Mozart’s Sonata in G Major for violin and piano, K. 379, featured Moccia accompanied by Jérôme Hantaï on the fortepiano. The fortepiano used was surprisingly not from one of the 20 million musical pieces in the Library of Congress’s possession, but borrowed, since a fortepiano is apparently not among them. The instrument used was a copy of a German fortepiano after Jean-Louis Dulcken, circa 1788, crafted by Thomas and Barbara Wolf of Virginia in 1991. In addition to the beauty of the instrument’s rich veneer and grain patterns, it displayed a clear sound, pearly, and on a much softer scale than a modern piano.

The Mozart sonata was played with a great deal of care. The tempo taken in the opening Adagio allowed space for the performers to shape the musical figures in the utmost detail. In the delightful Andantino cantabile con variazioni, the phrase endings were at times so wonderfully delicate that the audience had to imagine them, partially. This nuance is possible due to the fortepiano’s capability of playing very softly while sustaining less.

Other Reviews: Tom Huizenga, Two Brothers, Two Composers And Pretty Much One Sound (Washington Post, February 26)

Ending the first half of the program was Haydn’s Trio in D Major for piano, flute, and cello, No. 28. It was the first of two times that both Hantaï brothers were together onstage, and their rapport was instantly recognizable. It was this partnership between the flute and fortepiano that delivered the evening’s most successful results, making up for the somewhat contained playing of cellist Alix Verzier. When the Baroque flute and right hand of the fortepiano were playing brisk runs in unison, a very special, gem-like sound quality could be heard. The second half of the concert and encore were very similar to the first half of the program.

According to their biographies, these two of the three Hantaï brothers – harpsichordist Pierre was missing from Friday’s performance – gained much of their training and experience in Belgium from another musical family, the famed Kuijken brothers: baroque flutist Barthold; violinist and conductor Sigiswald; and viola da gamba player Wieland. Hopefully the full Hantaï Trio will be invited to perform in the Washington area soon.

James Conlon Happy in Los Angeles

Jens and I would both be happy if the National Symphony Orchestra could actually hire James Conlon as a successor to Leonard Slatkin. Chris Pasles had a great article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday (Cottoning to Los Angeles, February 25) about Conlon's work thus far at Los Angeles Opera:

He wants to make Los Angeles [...] the launching pad for his "Recovered Voices" project — reviving music suppressed during the Third Reich. He's already shown himself a passionate advocate for such composers as Viktor Ullmann, Alexander Zemlinsky, Pavel Haas and Hans Krása in concerts in Europe and in guest conducting stints in the U.S. Among his extensive recordings are nine Zemlinsky works.

"No major opera company has produced any opera at all from this period," he said. "That's amazing. We're going to be the ones to do it. And we're not going to be able to do it in two or three years. This whole issue will outlive me."

He also wants to give performances that are as life-changing as the one he heard as an 11-year-old seeing his first opera.

"It was the moment I became completely conscious of classical music and how much I love it," he said. "It transformed my life to what it is today. Every time I go out on that podium, I think to myself, 'There are people out there — they could be 11 years old, they could be 5, they could be 80 — but you have the chance to change somebody's life for the better. They deserve 100% out of me, and they deserve 100% out of everybody on that stage, everybody in the orchestra.' That's the credo."

Who knows if there is any chance for the NSO to hire James Conlon, but if there is, they should make it happen.

Oscar Night 2007

Edward Champion of Return of the Reluctant is hosting his Oscar Blog again this year. Maybe next year he will invite me to the party, but this year here we are again, the Ionarts liveblogging of the Oscars.

[20:48] The opening sequence was charming, and Ellen DeGeneres is funny so far. Art Direction and Makeup went the right way, in favor of my score card, that is, Pan's Labyrinth. It's the only point in the night, probably, that my record will be 100%. 1 point for Ionarts!

[21:04] Oh, and all our hopes are dashed! Two wrong picks for the shorts categories.

[21:13] Gospel choir and now Sound Effects choir?

[21:16] With Sound Editing, we go from 100% down to 25%. And signing off, that's all for us...

[21:23] Well, this is one of those cases when the person I wanted to win has won: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine! I picked Eddie Murphy, thinking that he would win.

[21:26] What on earth?

[21:31] Best Song, my least favorite category. The nominees are usually all so awful.

[21:37] Preachy song, preachy politician, preachy preachiness. UPDATE: This won Best Song.

[21:44] I was afraid that Happy Feet would win, but Master Ionarts insisted that I pick Cars, which was his favorite movie of the year. Well, my chances at winning the pool are definitely gone.

Continue reading this article.
[21:48] These montages are way too long. For this, they are not going to let a winner for Sound Editing thank his wife and mother?

[21:54] Well, I thought Borat would win in its only nominated category, but nothing for make benefit glorious nation of Khazakstan.

[22:03] Costumes, another case where I am happy for the winner but surprised at the decision. I thought this would be another part of the Dreamgirls landslide, but Marie-Antoinette was truly amazing in this category, such beautiful costumes.

[22:13] I had forgotten what it was like to get a category right. At least Pan's Labyrinth has not let me down so far. I could do without the weird dancers and the Ellen chatter so that Guillermo Navarro could say what he wants to say.

[22:22] Visual Effects: I went for Superman Returns. The bitterness is sweetened considerably by seeing and hearing the lovely voice of La Deneuve!

[22:31] Pan's Labyrinth just let me down. I'm planning to review The Lives of Others this week.

[22:36] As I feared, Jennifer Hudson wins. That neither actress from Babel won in this category means that it probably will win Best Picture.

[22:44] Ah, Gael García Bernal, The Science of Sleep got nothing this year. But I actually got this pick right: The Blood of Yingzhou District.

[22:49] Documentaries are good to Ionarts! Yes, I picked An Inconvenient Truth.

[22:52] Now we are talking: Ennio Morricone, film score genius. The Mission alone could have won him this recognition. Yeah, Untouchables, too. Shit, he composed a lot of amazing scores. Criminy, look at how many. What's the last American film he scored?

[22:58] Ugh, a pretty tune, I guess, but sung with colossal ugliness. Still, it's so nice to hear Italian on American television!

[23:08] Poor Philip Glass. Beyond that, no comment. Gustavo Santaolalla wanted his score not to sound like a National Geographic soundtrack. Did he succeed?

[23:16] Little Miss Sunshine so deserves the award for Best Original Screenplay, but although I picked it, I never thought it would actually win.

[23:25] Dreamgirls had to win Best Song, right? (I picked "Listen.") What, Melissa Etheridge? How am I still awake? Is anyone still watching?

[23:48] *SNORE*

Classical Month in Washington (May)

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Classical Month in Washington is a monthly feature. If there are concerts you would like to see included on our schedule, send your suggestions by e-mail (ionarts at gmail dot com). Happy listening!

May 1, 2007 (Tue)
12:10 pm
Noontime Cantata (BWV 147, “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”)
Fantasia & Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542 (Scott Dettra, organ)
Washington Bach Consort
Church of the Epiphany (13th and G Streets NW)

May 1, 2007 (Tue)
8 pm
New Music, University of Maryland [FREE]
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (College Park, Md.)

May 2, 2007 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Thomas Hrynkiw, pianist [FREE]
Music by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Prester, and Revutsky
National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium

May 2, 2007 (Wed)
6:30 pm
La Vie Parisienne (excerpts of French opera)
Opera Camerata of Washington
Charles Sumner School (1201 17th Street NW)

May 2, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Anna Maria Pammer (soprano) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE]
Music by Schoenberg, Webern, Berg
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Austrian Embassy

May 3, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
Composer Portrait: Antonin Dvořák
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Andrew Lindemann Malone (Washington Post, May 4)

May 3, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Marin Alsop, Leila Josefowicz
Includes Adams, The Dharma at Big Sur
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 4)

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
7 pm
Composer Portrait: Antonin Dvořák
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Road Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Memorial Concert in Honor of Susanna "Susie" Kim
National Association of Professional Asian American Women
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Charles Miller, organ
Organ music of the French masters
National City Christian Church

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Johannes Föttinger (tenor) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE]
Music by Korngold, Jelinek, Krenek, Schoenberg
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Austrian Embassy
Review -- Sarah Hoover (Washington Post, May 7)

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Marin Alsop, Leila Josefowicz
Includes Adams, The Dharma at Big Sur
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
American Chamber Players [FREE]
Beethoven septet, Zwillich
Library of Congress
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, May 7)

May 4, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
With Jennifer Koh, violin
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (Annapolis, Md.)
Review -- Andrew Lindemann Malone (Washington Post, May 7)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
11 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Casual Concert)
With Marin Alsop
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
2 pm
Andrew Von Oeyen, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, May 7)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Composer Portrait: Antonin Dvořák
National Symphony Orchestra
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 7)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Musical Madness (music by Tyl Meyn, Lassus, Gesualdo, Stravinsky)
Woodley Ensemble
St. Columba's Episcopal Church
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, May 7)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic
Rossini, Barber of Seville (in concert)
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Mark J. Estren (Washington Post, May 7)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
With Jennifer Koh, violin
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (Annapolis, Md.)

May 5, 2007 (Sat)
8:15 pm
Puccini, Tosca
Baltimore Opera
Review -- Ronni Reich (Washington Post, May 7)

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Kennedy Center Chamber Players
Music by Françaix, Hindemith, Schubert
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Choral Arts Society
Music by Mozart, Lauridsen, Gershwin
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Lise de la Salle, piano
Mansion at Strathmore

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Road Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Jonathan Byers (Baroque cello) and Richard Sweeney (archlute) [FREE]
Phillips Collection

May 6, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Anna Maria Pammer (soprano) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE]
Music by Schoenberg, Webern
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 8)

May 7, 2007 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
La Maison Française
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 9)

May 7, 2007 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Elisabeth Linhart(soprano) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE]
New songs by Hueber, Wykydal, and Tsenova
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Austrian Embassy

May 7, 2007 (Mon)
8 pm
Brahms Quintets (for Brahms's birthday)
Peter Sirotin and Co.
Embassy Series
Embassy of Germany

May 8, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Pierre-Laurent Aimard (piano) and Friends
Contemporary chamber music
La Maison Française
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 10)

May 8, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
International Sejong Soloists
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Daniel Ginsberg (Washington Post, May 10)

May 9, 2007 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Tao Lin, pianist [FREE]
Music by Brahms, Chopin, Haydn
National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium

May 9, 2007 (Wed)
7 pm
Puccini, Tosca
Baltimore Opera

May 9, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Musicians from Marlboro III [FREE]
Includes Shostakovich 8th string quartet
Freer Gallery of Art

May 10, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Serious Fun
With Peter Schickele, Marielle and Katia Labèque
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, May 11)

May 10, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 10, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
University of Maryland Symphony
Wagner, Siegfried (Act III)
Semi-staged with Lear/Stewart Emerging Singers
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (College Park, Md.)
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, May 12)

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
1:30 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Serious Fun (P.D.Q. Bach)
With Peter Schickele
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, May 12)

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
6:30 pm
5th Annual Children’s Opera on the Hill! [FREE]
Opera's "Greatest Hits" (for children, age 5 and older)
Washington National Opera Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program
Stuart-Hobson Middle School (5th and E Streets NE )

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
University of Maryland Chamber Singers
Music by Purcell, Poulenc, Penderecki
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (College Park, Md.)

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Yefim Bronfman, piano
WPAS
Music Center at Strathmore
Robert Battey (Washington Post, May 14)

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Klavier Trio Amsterdam
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 14)

May 11, 2007 (Fri)
8:15 pm
Puccini, Tosca
Baltimore Opera

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
3 pm
Konstantin Scherbakov, piano [FREE]
American recital début: complete Shostakovich preludes and fugues
Baltimore Museum of Art

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
6 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Prelude Concert [FREE]
Millennium Stage Event
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 14)

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra: Serious Fun (American Music)
With Peter Schickele
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Bach the Dramatist (BWV 205, Dramma per musica, “Zerreißet, zersprenget”)
Washington Bach Consort
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 15)

May 12, 2007 (Sat)
9 pm
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington (Rockville, Md.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 15)

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Puccini, Tosca
Baltimore Opera

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Darragh Morgan (violin) and Mary Dullea (piano) [FREE]
Phillips Collection

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
5 pm
Capital City Symphony
Music by Bach, Hanson, and George Walker
Atlas Performing Arts Center

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Miceal O'Rourke, pianist [FREE]
With the National Gallery Chamber Players String Quartet
Music by Brahms and Field
National Gallery of Art

May 13, 2007 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Leila Josefowicz, violin
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington (Rockville, Md.)

May 14, 2007 (Mon)
7 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 16, 2007 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Marta Felcman, pianist [FREE]
Music by Chopin, Guastavino, Ravel, and Scarlatti
National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium

May 16, 2007 (Wed)
7 pm
Celebrating the Lieder Tradition (lecture-concert)
Scott Murphree (tenor) and Thomas Bagwell (piano)
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Austrian Embassy

May 16, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 17, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Lang Lang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 18)

May 17, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 17, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Günther Herbig, Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 21)

May 18, 2007 (Fri)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Lang Lang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 18, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Borromeo String Quartet with pianist Wu Han [FREE]
Music by Stravinsky, Bartók, Shostakovich
Library of Congress
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 20)

May 18, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Günther Herbig, Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 18, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Donizetti, Don Pasquale
Opera Theater of Northern Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Community Theater (Arlington, Va.)
Review -- Mark J. Estren (Washington Post, May 22)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
1 and 3 pm
Teddy Bear Concert
Members of NSO
Kennedy Center Family Theater

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
6 pm
Tribute Concert for Mstislav Rostropovich [FREE]
Members of the National Symphony Orchestra
Millennium Stage Event
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, May 21)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Haydn, Die Schöpfung
Cantate Chamber Singers
Westmoreland Congregational Church (Bethesda, Md.)
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, May 21)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Brentano String Quartet
Kreeger Museum
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, May 21)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Sacred Mysteries
Thomas Circle Singers
National City Christian Church
Review -- Joan Reinthaler (Washington Post, May 21)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra
With Lang Lang, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Günther Herbig, Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 21)

May 19, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Offenbach/Strauss operetta
Embassy Series
Embassy of Austria
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 22)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
1 and 3:30 pm
NSO Kinderkonzert: Fiddlin' Around
Kennedy Center Family Theater

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, Don Pasquale
Opera Theater of Northern Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Community Theater (Arlington, Va.)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Günther Herbig, Leon Fleisher, Katherine Jacobson
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Eclipse Chamber Orchestra: That’s Italian
Music by Adamo, Vivaldi, Respighi
George Washington National Masonic Memorial (Alexandria, Va.)
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, May 22)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Shakespeare Festival Concert
Music by Berlioz, Walton, Vaughan Williams
Cathedral Choral Society
Washington National Cathedral
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, May 22)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Michael McHale (piano) [FREE]
Phillips Collection
Review -- Daniel Ginsberg (Washington Post, May 22)

May 20, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Inscape Chamber Music Project [FREE]
Music for violin, cello, clarinet, and piano by Beethoven and Khachaturian
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 21)

May 21, 2007 (Mon)
6 pm
Northwestern University School of Music [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 21, 2007 (Mon)
7 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 21, 2007 (Mon)
7 pm
Washington, D.C. Choral Festival
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, May 23)

May 22, 2007 (Tue)
6 pm
San Francisco Conservatory [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 23, 2007 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Brian Ganz, pianist [FREE]
Music by Chopin, Debussy, Griffes, Lennon, Liszt, and MacDowell
National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium

May 23, 2007 (Wed)
6 pm
Oberlin Conservatory [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 23, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 23, 2007 (Wed)
8 pm
Donizetti, Don Pasquale
Opera Theater of Northern Virginia
Thomas Jefferson Community Theater (Arlington, Va.)

May 24, 2007 (Thu)
6 pm
Berklee College of Music [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 24, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Roger Tapping (viola) and Judith Gordon (piano)
La Maison Française

May 24, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Mathias Hausmann (baritone) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE]
Shakespeare songs (Schubert, Korngold, Wolf, Haydn, Angerer)
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Austrian Embassy
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, May 26)

May 24, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Leoš Janáček, Jenůfa
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 24, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven (Fifth Symphony), Martinů (Sixth Symphony)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 27)

May 25, 2007 (Fri)
6 pm
Eastman School of Music [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 25, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven (Fifth Symphony), Martinů (Sixth Symphony)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 26, 2007 (Sat)
11 am
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Casual Concert)
Beethoven (Fifth Symphony)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

May 26, 2007 (Sat)
6 pm
Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 27, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, L'Elisir d'Amore
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Road Theater (Silver Spring, Md.)
Review -- Mark J. Estren (Washington Post, May 29)

May 27, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
David Quigley (piano) [FREE]
Phillips Collection

May 27, 2007 (Sun)
6 pm
Shepherd School of Music, Rice University [FREE]
Millennium Stage Conservatory Project
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

May 29, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Verdi, Macbeth
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

May 30, 2007 (Wed)
12:10 pm
Stephen Prutsman, pianist [FREE]
Music by J. S. Bach, Prutsman, and Ravel
National Gallery of Art, East Building Auditorium

May 31, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
NSO Pops
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

May 31, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Washington National Opera in Concert
Plácido Domingo, conductor
Music Center at Strathmore

In Brief

Here is your regular Sunday dosage of interesting items, from Blogville and beyond:

• Lisa Hirsch's writing was masculine enough to fool the Gender Genie, a text-checking algorithm that tries to predict the gender of a writer based only on a written sample. When given recent Ionarts samples by Jens, Mark, and me, it correctly identified us all as men. The lists of cue words it assigns to male and female is interesting. [Iron Tongue of Midnight]


• A. C. Douglas relays the reports that Wagner's granddaughter Katharina will get her chance to direct an opera at Bayreuth this summer, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. I dimly recall reading rumors that Katharina was being considered as a possible successor to Wolfgang Wagner to head the Festival. [Sounds and Fury]


• The Joyce Hatto thing gets weirder and weirder, as more recordings in her catalogue turn out to be frauds. It's revealing extra-musical factors in the way that people, including critics, listen to and critique music. Alex Ross notes the following: "one piano expert is quoted as saying that Minoru Nojima's Liszt playing is 'too clinical' and expressing a preference for Hatto — not aware that he's discussing the same performance!" [The Rest Is Noise]


• The Hatto thing reminds me of a publishing story that made the rounds of the litblogs this time last year, which I never mentioned but should have. Waggish book editors at the Sunday Times in London sent out typescript submissions from fake aspiring authors to 20 major publishing companies and literary agents for consideration. The typescripts were actually opening chapters from V. S. Naipaul's In a Free State and Stanley Middleton's Holiday, both of which won the Booker Prize in the 1970s. Not only did none of the recipients recognize either book as something already published, all but one reply was a rejection letter. [The Times]


• France, sometimes in conjunction with other European countries, hosts all kinds of free cultural events. The latest one is a very good idea, the Journées européennes de l'opéra (European Opera Days), under the stewardship of Natalie Dessay. Last weekend, people were invited into opera theaters to meet singers and others who work in them, to see how operas are produced. Laurent Hénart, president of the Réunion des opéras de France, gave an interesting interview with Jean-Louis Validire about it. [Le Figaro]


• Jacques Rivette's new film, Ne touchez pas la hache, was in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. It is an adaptation of Balzac's La Duchesse de Langeais, starring Jeanne Balibar and Guillaume Depardieu. Rivette, who was the subject of a film festival at the National Gallery of Art this month, is 78 years old. [International Herald Tribune]


• La Cieca takes down Bernard Holland for lackluster opera reviews: "Even though Holland was supposed to review actual live performances of these two operas (the latter a world premiere), he didn't quite get around to writing anything you might call a 'critique'." Not to be missed. [Parterre Box]


• "Although she rejected strict serialism ('It didn't correspond to my needs'), the experience was pivotal. 'I found more clearly my direction,' she says. 'In addition to what I learned, I learned many things I did not want to do'." Matthew Guerrieri on Kaija Saariaho. [Boston Globe]


• The LapDawg. Clearly, I need one of these things for my laptop. [Boing Boing]

Little Room at the Inn, Red Dot Fair, NYC

Most gallerists will tell you it would be difficult if not impossible to break even without doing at least one art fair per year; some dealers only do art fairs and have no gallery. As the importance of fairs grows, so grows the list of alternative venues. Red Dot carries on the tradition of art in the hotel room. Although not the best space to exhibit art, it’s efficient and until recently cost-effective: prices are almost equal to the cost of a booth at Scope. Just be sure to put your tooth brush away before your guests arrive.

Some of my picks from Red Dot were Carla Gannis’s manipulated digital prints, at Kasia Kay Art Projects, and Mitchell Gaudet’s cast glass pieces at Perry Nicole (Memphis). Gaudet is a New Orleans-based artist, and this work was submerged in the Katrina flood waters.

Jay Grimm had a small room of Lori Taschler’s paintings, lit with the best natural light. David Ivie’s small, thickly painted works at Elizabeth Harris and self-taught Lucy Fradkin at Denise Barnes Fine Art stood out too.

I really liked Margret Murphy’s beautiful watercolor at Pentimenti Gallery, of a woman in a flowing gown.

On my next post I'll finish with comments on the Pulse fair and try to sum up. As always, visit my Flickr site to see more images.

Scope, NYC

The best part about the art fairs is an opportunity to meet or just see the gallery directors and staff. Often they sequester themselves in back rooms or the staff is busy typing: a lot of typing goes on in galleries. Even if you don’t get to have a conversation with a gallerist, this is a chance put a face to a name or better, to watch the ritual of the sale.

An average art lover strolls into a booth and there is no response, no acknowledgment of your presence. All of a sudden the gallerist notices the presence of wealth. It could be the mink or the couture or a previous mating, but the courting begins. The gallerist pops up, the bored expression turns to a wide full-toothed smile, hugs and air kisses fill the space, some small talk, a few questions, and a deal is made.

The best part about the art fairs, other than the Armory Show or the Art Show is that type of behavior is less obvious, much more personal. While the Armory has champagne, the Thursday evening preview at the Scope fair was all beer, a reunion of sorts.

These are not the blue chip galleries of the Armory or the old guard at the Art Show. This is a bit scruffy, with some still setting up their booths; it’s comfortable here. The sales may not be in the millions, but still impressive.

Some standouts for me were Ben Grasso’s latest painting, a duet of flying houses, at sixtyseven gallery, shown above, the work in the Motti Hasson Gallery booth. It doesn't reflect the range of challenging exhibits he shows in his Chelsea gallery: the lushly painted shirts and coats, by British artist Colin Smith, shown at right, and an impressive surreal landscape by Fulvio di Piazza.

Another Brit painter, Laura Fond, had some very interesting imagery. Mike Peter Smith’s approach to evolution will definitely catch your eye: I mentioned this work on my Miami trip in November. And a shout-out to the women at D.C.’s own Douz & Mille, who are not only charming to talk to, but showing good work and trying out a variety of venues around the city to exhibit.

My goal is to attend two more fairs, Pulse and Red Dot. I'm leaving the city temporarily for the serene beauty of the Hudson Valley and very likely no Internet connection, but we at Ionarts know to troll for it. If I can find a signal in Guatemala, how difficult can upstate be? In the meantime watch my friend Flickr for pictures.

This Week in MP3

Here is what was at the top of the Ionarts playlist for the week. Click on the link to read a review (if we have published one) or the album picture to buy it through Amazon (if available).

New:

Bach, Christmas Oratorio, Regensburger Domspatzen, Collegium St. Emmeram, Hanns-Martin Schneidt (October 10, 2006)

Liszt/Chopin, Piano Concertos, Yundi Li, Philharmonia Orchestra, Andrew Davis (February 13, 2007)

Rossini, Matilde di Shabran, A. Massis, J. D. Flórez, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, R. Frizza (September 26, 2006)

Old:

Prokofiev, Ivan the Terrible, N. Putilin, L. Sokolova, Rotterdam Philharmonic, V. Gergiev (remastered, 2007)

Britten, Peter Grimes, P. Pears, Covent Garden, B. Britten (remastered, 2006) Review (live performance)

R. Strauss, Arabella, A. Dermota, E. Wächter, Vienna Philharmonic, G. Solti (remastered, 2006)

Genesis by Glass and Lanting

Hopes are high for the Baltimore Symphony and Marin Alsop, the first woman to be appointed Music Director of a major American orchestra. Last night at Strathmore, Washington got a taste of adventurous programming we may expect from Alsop, who has made a name conducting contemporary music, especially by American composers. In a brief introduction to this program devoted to the music of Philip Glass, born in Baltimore 70 years ago this year, Alsop made no reference to the embarrassing neglect of Glass in Baltimore for so many years. That era, she said by gracefully not saying anything, is over. To put that neglect into context, the BSO is the only major ensemble in the Washington and Baltimore area to acknowledge Glass's 70th birthday.

Frans Lanting, LIFE: A Journey through Time (2006)

LIFE: A Journey through Time began when nature photographer Frans Lanting, whose work is probably familiar from many appearances in National Geographic and other publications, saw a way to document the history of life on Earth, by looking closely at life right now. (A coffee-table book is now available, and an exhibit will begin touring the United States this year.) Together with visual choreographer Alexander V. Nicholas, Lanting organized a selection of his photographs into a video narrative. With the guidance of Marin Alsop, the project was brought to Philip Glass to provide a musical score, first performed last summer at the Cabrillo Festival, the contemporary music festival that Alsop directs. In tandem with Michael Riesman, who often conducts and orchestrates Glass's music, Glass adapted several earlier works, conceived originally for small ensemble or solo instruments, for orchestra.

Glass's music works best when it accompanies visual images, which is why he is such a good film and opera composer. Some of Glass's most memorable music accompanied the striking films by Godfrey Reggio, especially the first one, Koyaanisqatsi, from 1983. His latest film score, for Notes on a Scandal, is up for an Oscar and deserves to win, because it is such an important part of that movie. (In fact, because Glass is in Los Angeles this weekend for the Academy Award ceremony, he could not attend this series of concerts.)

Photograph by Frans Lanting, courtesy of National Geographic

Over the course of seven movements, detailing the story of creation, not according to Genesis but following the course of evolution as narrated by science, Glass's music accompanies the formation of the earth and its atmosphere; the beginning of life shown in fossilized remains of tiny creatures, crystals, and amber; the movement of animals in the sea; the movement of amphibians out of the water (with some of the most memorable images in the video, of frogs peering out of the slime toward land); the rise of tortoises and crocodiles, birds in the air, mammals, apes, and finally a few glimpses of our own species, but only as a fetus in utero. The video, projected on three large screens suspended above the orchestra, sets many of Lanting's images into motion, kangaroos bouncing along, birds soaring upward diagonally, multiple flowers tesselating furiously along with the bubbling music.

The score is everything one expects of Philip Glass, static, pulsating, and hypnotically pleasing to the ear. It occurred to me last night that Glass is the modern counterpart of Antonio Vivaldi, whose music was played with such verve and polish by the Venice Baroque Orchestra in a magnificent concert earlier in the week. Glass's music appeals widely, is mostly programmatic and rhythmically activated, trades on formulas in easy-to-understand forms, and is characterized by a high degree of self-borrowing. What is most evident in LIFE is just how important Michael Riesman's orchestration is to Glass's success: the underlying ideas are so simple, but Riesman's layering of instrumental colors dresses it all up considerably.

Photograph by Frans Lanting, courtesy of Baltimore Symphony

Marin Alsop did a good job of sculpting the masses of sound: without that dynamic and textural shaping there would not be much interest. Since its premiere, the video has undergone some significant changes for this set of concerts, its East Coast premiere, as Alsop explained during a question and answer session after last night's performance. Once the video has been started, the performance relies on Alsop's conducting to time the music so that it lines up with the sequence of images. The orchestra offered sounds from glassy to hysteric, with especially nice work on those trademarked whirring Glass arpeggios, which one could hear the woodwind players rehearsing at intermission.

Other Reviews: Tim Smith, An overdue toast to Baltimore's Glass (Baltimore Sun, February 24) Stephen Brookes, 'Life' Proves That BSO Can Be a Real Glass Act (Washington Post, February 24)

The program began with one of Glass's most often performed pieces, the Concerto for Saxophone Quartet, a piece featuring "instruments we normally try to keep out of the orchestra," as Alsop joked. The Capitol Quartet lent its suave tone and agile fingers to a fine performance, with minor lags behind the orchestra, which Alsop turned occasionally to correct with her gestures. This jazz-inflected work, combined with the BSO's "Casual Thursday" dressed-down look -- black shirts with open collars, black slacks -- contributed to the impression that we were at a hipper kind of Pops concert. Glass's appeal outside the classical realm meant that the audience was considerably less gray of hair than normal (that may account for the applause that broke out after each movement of the concerto, too). Brava, maestra! We look forward to more of the same.

This program will be repeated on Friday and Saturday evenings (February 23 and 24, 8 pm) and Sunday afternoon (February 25, 3 pm), but only at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. Plenty of tickets remain. Frans Lanting will speak about his LIFE photographs on Tuesday (February 27, 7:30 pm) at National Geographic Society headquarters (1600 M St. NW)

Janine Jansen with the NSO

Virginia composer Mason Bates, barely 30, was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra to deliver them a work for orchestra and on Thursday it arrived when “Liquid Interface” (could one possibly devise a more new-agey name?) received its World Premiere at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.

Mr. Bates, Philadelphia-born, Virginia-raised, and Oakland-residing did, what every modern composer seems to do: He looked up “percussion” in the New Grove and included every mentioned instance in his score. Topping the glass harmonica, wind machine, Glockenspiel, washboard with spoon (I’m not kidding), crotales, high tam-tam, etc., etc. was a electronica-beat drum-pad at which the composer himself tapped his fingers to project irregular electronic thuds. Mozartian improvisatory genius it was not – but in all fairness, the whole affair sounded pleasant enough. Much like a Buddha-Bar lounge version of anonymous film music. The sort of thing I’d play in the background at a moderately hip dinner party. Washed-out sounds of rain and atmospheric whimsy were superimposed on music that was good to hear in the moment, but forgettable the next. Nocturnes for Neverland.

F. Mendelssohn / M. Bruch, Violin Concertos, Romance, Jansen/Chailly/Gewandhaus

Janine Janson, the Dutch darling of the violin and current classical music downloads record holder, looking like a tall fairy princess, descended upon D.C. and brought the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with her. She sounded as elegant as she looked, light, clean, and other some such qualities that were admirable even as she undermined them here and there with playing that dug ever so deep into the romantic side of the concerto or else tried to prove (successfully, at that) that she is a speed demon with lightning fast and accurate fingers. She could probably have impressed the “finer ears” (Ivan Fischer’s phrase) in the audience with fewer of the flashy bits, and indeed, the filigrane elements were more to my liking. As it was, she crossed the “t’s” twice and dotted all the “i’s” with exclamation points… individualizing the concerto, grabbing it with vigor. Throwing in an electric vibrato (electric perhaps being the theme of the night), it all appealed directly to the heart and gut, even if the brain wanted to caution against the seduction. The NSO has had its Mendelssohn-drill with Ivan Fischer’s all-Mendelssohn program two weeks ago and continued where they had left off: They accompanied Ms. Janson very nicely, if not spectacularly.

Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique, his Sixth Symphony, was the work for the second half and it showed a soft touch, confident (loud) brass, well shaped individual phrases that showed a care and attention to detail as one might not have expected from Maestro Slatkin in a work like this. Perhaps he lavished more care on it during rehearsal, this run of performances being, unbelievably, the first time that Slaktin performes the Tchaikovsky Sixth with the NSO. There was tension and drama in the third movement (the second and fourth sagged a little), the decibel level certainly strong enough to make the tummy tingle. Tubist (if that’s the word) Stephen Dumaine stood out for most excellent tubaing.

Repeat performances take place today, Friday, at 1.30PM and tomorrow, Saturday, at 8PM.

The Armory Show

And we’re off! The 2007 art fairs extravaganza has begun. So much to see and so little time for sure. The press preview at the Armory Show was delayed at least an hour, waiting for Mayor Bloomberg. After a few short introductions there was a question and answer period, but few if any of the questions were about art. They were all for the mayor, about taxes, national politics, and such. Not one question for Glenn Lowry concerning his latest scandal at MoMA -- no fun at all.

Finally we were allowed in to see the show, and this year's Armory Show is pretty good. Galleries from all around the world, several from Asia, mostly the U.S. and Europe. Lots and lots of money being spent, even at the preview, meaning lots of new tax revenue for the mayor.

Several galleries were exhibiting only one artist: that's a lot of pressure. How do they sleep? Why are there so many paintings of anime characters? And let's have a moratorium on adding verse to your artwork: those who already do so may continue.

Kiki Smith has had a lot of attention this year because of her Whitney retrospective. Carolina Nitsch had a fabulous print of hers, Europa. I've seen a few embroidered pieces lately, like this Chuck Close: it reminds me of painting on velvet.

I liked Sophie von Hellerman's paintings at Green Naftali, which tell a story of a London jewelery designer who stalks his clients and kills them. Just think, a gift for someone you truly despise.

I'll have more comments later. In the meantime go to my Flickr site to see pictures from the Armory Show preview. I’ll have more to say later.

The Bolshoi's Cinderella a Gift of Wit

I rarely review ballet (too difficult to write, the music too slight to endure), and when I do, I savage it. It is an art-form that is even more artificial than opera (and that’s saying something) and one for which I have even less patience when it comes to tradition for its own sake. It is bad enough when opera doesn’t try anything new, relying on the old and staid. With ballet I find it instantly unbearable; sloppiness of execution unacceptable. A superb dancer can salvage a lot, and perhaps more than a superb singer, but it’s generally not enough.

But when everything comes together – or most everything – then a ballet performance can serve as justification for its entire genre. Roland Petit’s Pique Dame for the Bolshoi is such a production and performance (available on DVD), the Bolshoi’s updated Cinderella by Yuri Possokhov (choreography) and Yuir Borisov (staging), playing at the Kennedy Center, is such a production, too, and you can see it live – today, Thursday, and tomorrow, Friday, at 7.30PM. If you have any inclination toward ballet whatsoever, do yourself a favor and experience this fantastical, fantastic performance… a box of weird delights and surprises, cute turns, fun and wit. It crackles and tickles and unless the principal dancers (Ekaterina Shipulina and Andrey Merkuriev, Thursday, and Ekaterina Krysanova, Friday) feature hoofs and claws, it should be no different with them than the Wednesday guarde. (Sergei Filin is in the Wednesday and Friday performance and proved hoof-free.)

Unlike the Kirov Ballet, the Bolshoi takes its American tours seriously (Alexei Ratmansky, the Bolshoi’s artistic director was in the audience, the Bolshoi’s top dancers are here) – and while they didn’t bring the (incomprehensibly controversial) Pique Dame, they did bring that funky Cinderella. It is retold as a story within a story… the protagonist in the title role is really the housekeeper of “the storyteller” and becomes Cinderella by playing the part in his spun tale.

It all starts on the storyteller’s little planet (very much a “The Little Prince” scene) and spins concentric circles around it – with his helpers (ravens, teacups, a teapot, spoons, a broom, grasshoppers, dragonflies, sunflowers, bullfinches, horses et al.) aiding him and Cinderella and friends all throughout the ballet. From a starry night on his moon-rock it is only a few lightweight steps for Svetlana Zakharova as Ptashka-(the helper) cum-Cinderella to chez stepmother, a box in the right corner of the stage. Out come Maria Volodina (stepmother), Anastasia Vinokur, and Lola Kochetkova (the stepsisters). The sisters put elegance to brilliant use in clumsy buffoonery as these big-boobed, rouge-drenched, obnoxious, bumbling bimbos. Whether they try to learn the latest dancing move from the dancing master (witty – and excellently danced by Gennady Yanin) or misbehave at the Prince’s party in those wild “Gone with the Wind” dresses, these two gals are outrageously funny, riotously silly, loveably over the top. Occasionally they had to catch themselves so as not to dance too well (they are supposed to be pathetic, after all) – but both deserve extra recognition of making such great fun of their own art, dancing clumsy so believably, and acting so astonishingly well in every detail of their movement.

A little loop through the four seasons (Mlles. Stashkevich, Kurkova, Osipova, Kobakhidze as Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, respectively) comes courtesy of the storyteller when he readies Cinderella for the great ball: His helping fairies (aforementioned spoons, teacups et al.) look at first like half-naked Martian space-fairies but add to the lighthearted humor as does just about every other element in this first act. The choreography, furthermore, melts right into the music (those two sisters sliding down the staircase – along with the music – in act two makes me laugh, just recallingit) and convinces with its thoughtful details: A wiggle of the hip here, a coordinated nod of heads there… that’s sometimes all it takes for a cracked smile or a little spark of delight.

When the crowd at the prince’s party takes fuzzy orange balls (laced dessert oranges, say the program notes, but also a visual link to the pumpkin in which Cinderella arrived), the audience giggled along with this perfect example of how whimsical, capricious, and bright-eyed the best moments of this production are. Over an almost childish joy about all this fancy, dreamlike concoction, it was almost possible to forget or overlook the few more serious parts that gave Ms. Zakharova and Sergey Filin’s prince a chance to show just how fine a pair of dancers they are. Svetlana Zakharova, currently one of the most reputable and admired Prima Ballerinas in Russia, is rather tall for a lady of her profession and looks lanky at first… but always controlled and displaying a sort-of old-fashioned, slightly stiff or shy elegance. But a few moves and she has you under her spell. (She must be a perfect swan!) Her arms are so light as you will rarely see, her limbs regal, straight, and made of rubber at the joints. She can turn on a soft charm akin to Audrey Hepburn’s or mix it with the wide-eyed excitement reminding of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Together with the dashing and handsome prince, their dancing was exquisite in between the romp and the fun.

Time flies in this production; neither of the two intermissions is as keenly desired as they often are in opera. The wild ride continues in the third act, even if the production seems to try harder here and loses a little of the effortless lightness. Still, the very lively horses (dancers with pony-tails, Dressage hats, and horse-tail) carrying the prince and his buddies from one shoe-fitting stop to the next (meeting Heinrich Mann’s “Blue Angel” from his Novel “Professor Unrat” – popularized by Marlene Dietrich in the 1930 film – along the way) are just one more example of the creativity that went into creating this tale. The end – with those outrageous sisters again – is as funny as it is ultimately touching.

It wouldn’t be the same without the music. While the WNO orchestra made more or less a hash out of Romeo & Juliet when the Kirov was here, they performed admirably under Igor Dronov (who was projected onto the back of the stage in the prelude to the second act) and surprised repeatedly with its distinct and evocative coloring. There are musical calling cards that link the two ballets – and if the Romeo & Juliet score is good already, Cinderella’s might be even better. In combination with this lovingly presented production, it makes for unadulterated delight.

Jasper Johns, Four Themes

The National Gallery of Art's new exhibit, Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965, takes a focused look at four themes in the artist's work during an important decade in American art. Johns is one of the giants of American painting, and the chance to look at this selection of paintings of sketches is welcome. Up close, one can see the process, the imprint of the painter, the thick and beautiful application of paint, and even read the yellowed strips of newspaper used in his encaustic-coated collage technique ("Chester Weddings of Interest" reads one headline in the 1961 Target). The luscious surfaces, the joy and comic touch make up for the general inscrutability of the sphinxian Johns.

The first theme in the exhibit is the target, most familiar in an iconic Johns work, Target with Four Faces, from 1955, now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is shown near its much less familiar twin from the same year, Target with Plaster Casts, now in the collection of record and movie producer David Geffen. In both cases a hinged panel opens at the top of the work to reveal casts of human body parts. In the version with four faces, these are casts of the artist's lower face, seeming to indicate that the rest of his body could be behind the target. While the four faces are in a nondescript brown, the various casts Johns made of his own body (foot, nipple, ear, penis, etc.) for the other version are brightly colored. The first level of the exhibit is filled with various versions of the target motif, worked out in sketches and other paintings. Johns makes clear that the motif had lost all meaning and became a gimmick, in his Do It Yourself (Target), from 1960, a little kit to make your own target painting, signed J. Johns and __________.

Other Reviews: New York Times | Bloomberg News | Slate | Washington Post | Washington Times | Voice of America | Associated Press | Christian Science Monitor | New York Sun

The second theme, which begins with works on the first floor, is the naming of colors, in which the words for colors, especially RED, YELLOW, and BLUE, are applied by stencil. This strikes me as a reference to the paint by numbers technique, except that often the actual colors Johns applies do not match their corresponding words, as in the most famous canvas in this group, False Start, from 1959. This is not always without cynical reference to abstract expressionism and the so-called color field painters. Out the Window, from 1959, if the colors matched the stencils, could look something like a Mark Rothko.

On the upper floor, the exhibit shows works that use what Johns called "the device," usually a piece of wood attached to the canvas frame that could be used to scrape the paint on the surface in a circular shape. The motion of the device was somehow related to the swirling arms of American poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide by leaping into the Gulf of Mexico. Indeed, in two paintings shown in this exhibit -- Periscope (Hart Crane) and Hatteras, both from 1963 -- a hand and arm make the same circular swath as the device. These references to Crane, whose unhappiness with his own homosexuality may have led to his suicide, may be a rare autobiographical detail in the work of Jasper Johns, who was also gay. Whether the motif is an expression of sympathy or trivialization is not clear.

One of the most beautiful and somber pieces in the show is Diver, another Hart Crane-inspired work from 1962-63. A large canvas of mostly black and muted colors received the imprint of Johns's hands and feet -- the fourth theme in this exhibit -- in motions that recall the act of diving. The feet at the top of the canvas point toward the sky, and the hands begin at the bottom of the canvas, sweep upward in circles and end up at the center of the painting, alongside the diver's body, if he had a body. The curatorial text suggests a parallel with the Crucifixion, but Diver immediately reminded me of Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, an attempt to graph the proportions of despair.

All four themes highlighted in the show are present in two large paintings shown across from one another near the end of the exhibit, Diver (1962) and According to What. As Tyler Green has remarked at Modern Art Notes, the decision of curator Jeffrey Weiss to exclude the most prominent motifs associated with Johns -- flags and numbers -- means that the NGA exhibit does not tell the whole story. In particular, the connection between Johns and the work of René Magritte is explored in the Magritte show also on display right now at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The curators of the NGA exhibit acknowledge this deficit in their program, stating that their four lesser-known themes, illustrated by a series of beautiful paintings, are part of "an effort at de-familiarization."

All images © Jasper Johns, courtesy of National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965 continues through April 29. Admission to the National Gallery of Art is free.

NGA American Music Festival, Part 1

In conjunction with the Jasper Johns exhibit, the National Gallery of Art is hosting its 62nd American Music Festival, over the course of three installments of its free Sunday concert series. This past Sunday, it featured violinist Mark Kaplan and pianist Yael Weiss, both faculty members at Indiana University (and also husband and wife), in a program (.PDF file) they called "three generations of New Yorkers." This difficult music -- pieces for violin and piano by Roger Sessions (1896-1985), Elliott Carter (b. 1908), and Joel Feigin (b. 1951) -- could have few performers who serve it any better. The success or failure of each part of the recital rested only on the appeal of the score. The audience in the East Building Auditorium was sparse but mostly attentive, especially after a few strains of Sessions had driven off the mildly curious.

The opening work, a Duo for Violin and Piano composed by Roger Sessions in 1942, was rendered as four movements of rather different color. In the first, a melancholy, long-breathed violin line slowly arches over a gentle piano moto perpetuo, becoming more active in a middle section and then returning to calm. Here and in the lovely third movement, Kaplan and Weiss demonstrated that dissonance can be so pretty if played lyrically. Even jagged melodies, like those in the expressionistic second movement and the opening scherzo of the fourth (a dancelike flitting back and forth) can be treated as phrases in the same way you would approach Mozart (well, not exactly the same way). Throughout the Sessions piece, I admired the sound Kaplan got from his violin and was not surprised to learn later that he plays the Marquis Stradivarius (dated 1685), an early instrument from the Cremonese master but still of exquisite craftsmanship.

By contrast to Kaplan's extroverted playing, Weiss seemed reserved, choking off her sound with a lot of soft pedal and a touch that sometimes seemed not fully in the keys, making for sensitive playing that rarely challenged the violin's supremacy. The second work, Feigin's Veränderungen (Transformations, 1995) was suited to this approach, opening with whispery, ethereal sounds, including gentle stroking of the strings inside the piano cabinet. The composer, a student of Sessions, seemed to transform himself, too, with music that morphed temporarily into Debussy; there were even hints of Paganini in a virtuosic passage for violin. With some exciting, visceral playing in the fortissimo middle section, the piece closed with a sudden shift toward predominantly triadic harmony.

Other Reviews: Joan Reinthaler, Violinist Mark Kaplan (Washington Post, February 20)

The less said about the concluding work, Elliott Carter's Duo for Violin and Piano (1974), the better. The intellectual ideas behind Carter's music are not always of sufficient interest to propel this listener through the relentless, humorless abstraction. This piece was no exception. Carter dedicated this piece to his wife, Helen, intending it to be understood as an expression of love, because the two instruments allow one another absolute freedom as they exist together in time. The temporal and intervallic separation meant that both players were so caught up in the difficult mathematical relationships of the work, their heads bobbing up and down in different meters, that the performance was often like two pieces happening in parallel. That was, to be sure, precisely the idea, but with frustrating consequences when that idea is extended for as long as this work. You win some, you lose some.

The second concert of the National Gallery's American Music Festival will feature pianist Alan Feinberg (February 25, 6:30 pm), playing music by Babbitt, Cage, Feldman, Helps, Ives, and Nancarrow. It will also take place in the East Building Auditorium.

Eugene Onegin Outshines his Colleagues at the MET

On paper, the Metropolitan Opera’s Eugene Onegin offered one of the strongest casts imaginable these days for Tchaikovsky’s most beloved opera. With Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Tatiana and Onegin, Ramón Vargas as Lenski, veteran Russian bass Sergei Aleksahkin as Prince Gremin, Elena Zaremba as Olga and our Russian conductor of choice, Valery Gergiev, in the pit this was, as the New York Times had stated, the highlight of the season. All performances have sold out so far – and the remaining ones (today, February 24th, 28th, and March 3rd) will, too.

Perhaps the accordingly high expectations made for a slight disappointment – and a disappointment difficult to categorize. Much delights in this production, the singing is uniformly good or better, the staging and direction appealing and a most welcome break from the cluttered traditionalist settings Eugene Onegin endures so often, the acting very fine. Alas, last week it did not come quite together as it should. Perhaps the only noticeable flaw was the reason: The orchestra under Maestro Gergiev played dispassionate and shockingly sloppy – rushed from highlight to highlight but leaving no memorable tune quite as memorable as it should have been. Instead of ‘raw’ as in ‘exciting’, their playing and direction was raw as in ‘crass’, ‘unloving’, with insecure brass thrown in on more occasions than I care to remember. One nice swell, one forceful romp per scene dost a captivating orchestral contribution not make.

I thought I’d never think or utter the following: I wish Tchaikovsky had been played more romantically. Such a beautifully lush opera Eugen Onegin is, and its romanticism arguably more tastefully employed than in other Tchaikovsky works, there was a distinct yearning for what James Levine would or could have done here. I reckon that his approach would have had further merit by giving Renée Fleming the kind of accompaniment she deserves. Her voice may not be an ideal type for the character of young Tatiana, but it is nigh ideal for the music. In her first Russian role at the MET, she made the best of it and supported it with great acting - again cementing the fact that she is best when busy on stage, rather than when self-conscious in the recording studio. Her Tatiana was warm, suffering, unmannered, and harrowing. Although the letter-scene might offer the finest music, it was in the third act that her character, now matured, completely merged with Ms. Fleming for a cohesive, pleasantly un-spectacularly beautiful performance.

If Ramón Vargas sounded nasal, slightly strained and underpowered for much of the February 13th performance, he made up for it in his long, searing monologue (“Kada, kada” et al.) just before he allows himself to be shot by Onegin. Elena Zaremba, who I have admired since first hearing her Carmen in Munich, but scared me during Washington’s Rheingold where he voice seemed to be an eerie ghost of the past (purposefully, for Erda?), displayed a tone that sounded healthy, burnished, dark. Not exactly the epitome of the care-free Olga, but good to hear, all the same. Svetlana Vokova, as Madame Larina, grew on the ears during the first act. Homey, not too refined, it was befitting her role as the mother. Larisa Shevchenko as Tatiana’s nurse started effortful and was covered by orchestral swells before finding her stride in Scene two of Act one.

The staging (production by Robert Carsen, set and costume designer Michael Levine, stage director Peter McClintock), an oddly enchanting mix of conservatism and minimalism, was a treat for the eyes and left the focus where it should ideally be – on the acting. Playing with soft and hard shadows (especially in the shadow-cut-like Duel scene), vibrant colors (superb lighting by Jean Kalman), and diligent use of props, it appealed at every instance even if the over-all effect was not able to keep the excitement that these instances of inspiration provided.

It might have been an opera experience anywhere between ‘fine’ and ‘wonderful’ for all this, but no more. If it was more – and it was – then that credit belongs solely to one man: Dmitri Hvorostovsky (a singer whose fan-club I've never been a member of - but might now join) was in the very literal sense outstanding as Eugene Onegin. His voice a splendor of light and clear sounds, the only cast member that sang above the orchestra and into the wide round of the MET with seeming and shameless ease. My scribbled notes emerged from the darkness with half a dozen “D.H.!” markings in the margins. Dashing, regal, civilized, and with emphatic suffering when he finally sees “true love” slip through his hands. He was indeed the exclamation point of a production that may not have been ideal… but as Tatiana says in apt conclusion: “…came so close”!

Cuarteto Casals at Dumbarton Oaks

Cuarteto Casals, photo by Jo Schwartz

When the Cuarteto Casals came to the Library of Congress last year at about this time, we were not able to review their concert. However, we heard enough good reports of their playing that we were not going to make the same mistake this year. In their concert Saturday night at Dumbarton Oaks, on the Friends of Music series, the talented, young Spanish string quartet joined with oboist Thomas Gallant in an exceptional program of 18th- and 19th-century music. First, an oboe quartet by Josef Fiala (1748-1816) was an exotic amuse-gueule meant to wake up the palate. The composer was an oboist in the Salzburg court orchestra and a close friend of the Mozart family, and the piece is mostly for the oboe, essentially replacing first violin in a string quartet formation (Vera Martínez Mehner played the lone violin part), to show off on lots of runs. With sensitive playing and nice touches added on the repeats, this was a gracious first course, especially the melancholy Andante third movement, not least because it was such a rarety.

Cuarteto Casals: Influencias: Ravel, Toldrá, Turina (2007) Debussy/Zemlinsky, Quartets (2005) Mozart, Early String Quartets and Divertimenti (2005) Arriaga, Quartets (2003)

A twin course of better-known Classical music served as substantial antipasti, beginning with the entire Casals Quartet on Haydn's C major quartet (op. 54, no. 2). This quartet is a sunny, folk-inflected work with the composer's typical jollity subsumed more subtly than in some of his other quartets. For example, in the light-hearted sonata-allegro form first movement, the first violin humorously tacks an extra little triadic iteration on to the first theme at the recapitulation, handled with grace by Abel Tomàs Realp, who sat first violin for this quartet. Tomàs Realp also brought a ruddy Gypsy quality to the Hungarian variations in the spicy slow movement. The fourth movement, uncharacteristically serious for Haydn, included exhilarating sparkle in the Presto section and soaring line in the Adagio sections.

Gallant then returned with his oboe for the Mozart oboe quartet in F major (K. 370, from 1781). Written for the Mannheim oboe virtuoso Friedrich Ramm, while Mozart was in Munich working on Idomeneo, it is a daring work. Thomas Gallant has collaborated with many well-regarded chamber groups, including the Kronos, Lark, Calder, and Colorado String Quartets, and it is easy to see why. Gallant's striking technique, combined with careful shaping of lyrical lines, was impressive and even more so on this most difficult piece. The soft, purely intoned high F (the one way off the staff) that concludes the final movement was as pretty as such a note could be on the oboe, and the extremely virtuosic runs, even when they broke into ultra-rapid triplets, were flexible and accurate.

Previously at Dumbarton Oaks: Hopkinson Smith, lute (November 4, 2006) Paolo Pandolfo, viola da gamba (January 23, 2006) Musica Alta Ripa (May 10, 2005)

As charming as the pieces in collaboration with Gallant were, the two works featuring the Cuarteto Casals alone were a shade more pleasing, because the four players work together so cooperatively. This was most true of the devastating main course, Schubert's final string quartet (G major, D. 887), which as American-born violist Jonathan Brown mentioned in his introduction, featured prominently in Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors. The group's performance of its first movement, a counterpoint of light and darkness, was so emotionally powerful that a woman in the audience exclaimed when it was over, "Such music..." (in a whisper audible enough for the players to turn briefly to look at her). One has the feeling that Schubert's music would come across that way even if the performance were merely good, but this was several steps above. The Schubert was the high point of the concert (Brahms and Arriaga had been announced), even if the first half of the fourth movement, played very fast, never quite notched itself into place as it should have. All in all, this was another superb concert at Dumbarton Oaks, where chamber music is played as it was intended, with a small audience elbow to elbow with excellent performers.

The Cuarteto Casals will play later this month -- parts of this program plus the first Ligeti quartet -- at Carnegie Hall (February 23). The remaining concerts on the Friends of Music subscription series at Dumbarton Oaks this season will feature the Katona Twins (March 2 to 4), two guitar-playing brothers from Hungary, and the French ensemble La Fenice with Jean Tubéry and Spanish soprano Arianna Savall (April 20 to 22). To subscribe to the series, contact Cindy Greene by phone (202-339-6436) or e-mail (GreeneC at doaks dot org). Ionarts is hoping to catch the second one especially.

The Jenůfa Year Continues

Jenůfa, directed by David Alden, English National Opera, 2006, photo by Clive Barda

The final performance of the Met's production of Leoš Janáček's Jenůfa was broadcast on the radio on Saturday afternoon. I heard the first half or so before heading off to hear Jean-Yves Thibaudet's recital at the Kennedy Center, but I had listened to an earlier performance, too, thanks to Sirius radio. Musically, it was a knockout, but how much better an experience it will be to see and hear this opera in a live staging in the spring at Washington National opera.

This weekend, the production by David Alden that will be brought to Washington in May (co-produced with Houston Grand Opera and English National Opera) won the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production (hat tip to All about Opera). Go to the Opera Critic for links to reviews of the London production last fall. Catherine Malfitano, who sang the role of the Kostelnička in London, will also sing in Washington, but our Jenůfa will be Patricia Racette, instead of Amanda Roocroft, who won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, too. Tickets are on sale now for performances on May 5, 10, 13, 16, 19, 21, and 24, and all signs indicate that this may be the highlight of the Washington season. Tell your friends!

In related news, Houston Grand Opera, where this production premiered in 2004, will mount the composer's Cunning Little Vixen, unfortunately adapted in English for children but still one of my favorite operas.

Light Surplants Shadow at Thibaudet Recital

Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s piano recital at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall was oddly separated into two parts of vastly different quality. There was Chopin – and then there was everything else. But unlike one might expect from “the finest exponent of French pianism since the heydays of Aldo Ciccolini and Jean-Marie Darré” (LA Times), it was the Chopin that was infuriatingly mediocre and the rest – Liszt, Satie, Debussy, and Messiaen – that gave the greatest enjoyment.

The opening segment was an uninspired noodle-doodle run-through of Chopin’s ‘greatest hits’, two Nocturnes (op.9, nos. 1 and 2) that didn’t ebb and flow but were rather stop’n’go like a car stalling, than lurching forward again. It came in a languid, un-probing, gentle package with one, very narrow, dynamic band. Instead of a steady, powerfully moving rubato there were only nervous twitches; straggling notes that sounded like trying to catch up with the ones that had gotten away. French and sensitive, an unarguably excellent pianist – perhaps that is good enough a precondition to present Chopin in such a way and get away with it. Everything was either faultless in the same predictable ways (and nothing else) or displayed this utterly erratic rubato. Étude op.25, no.1 was pleasant enough, though, Étude op.25, no.3 muddy but sprightly. The Grande Valse Brilliante in A-Minor, op.34, no.2 was ‘just played’. There may be much thought behind Thibaudet’s notes, phrasing, tempi etc. in this work, but you couldn’t have told from the performance. It sounded, for better or worse, as if an immensely prodigious student sight-read the music with tremendous, but ‘standard-issue’ feeling. Alas, the final Chopin, the actually brilliant Grande Valse Brilliante in E-flat Major op.18, was a different story and hinted at better things to come. Showy, flashy, immensely appealing, even if the attacks were clanky here or there.

If this did not bode well for the offerings to come, Thibaudet now started on a path from redemption to apotheosis. It began with Liszt’s Après une lecture du Dante , an exciting “fantasia quasi sonata” that stands very well on its own (as opposed to being the conclusion of the second book of Anées de pèlerinage) and is then often referred to as the “Dante Sonata”… more because of its title and substantial nature than its form. Admittedly less often heard in concert and more difficult to compare than the Chopin, none of what made the latter less than ideal to these ears intruded into this genuine Liszt performance. Pomposity, grandeur, élan, also rigor: Everything that makes for good Liszt was present. A few painfully missed and wrong notes in the helter-skelter finale were gladly forgiven. Thibaudet risked something here – which is infinitely better than timidity in performance and brings ample rewards in its own right.

Other Reviews: Tom Huizenga, Thibaudet In His Native Musical Language (Washington Post, February 19) Charles T. Downey, Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Kennedy Center (DCist, February 21)

The second half started with a Thibaudet speciality: Satie. (Some pianists might consider it a put-down to be known for ‘good Satie’, but if you do it as well – and successfully – as Thibaudet, that could hardly be the case.) Gymnopédie no.1 was first. It’s a delight full of (usually gay) little birds on a rainy day on the beach, kicking and skipping stones – forlorn in melancholic thoughts. One long cinematic sigh. These same birds are up to no good and more turbulent stuff in Gnossienne no.7. Although tainted with melancholy as well, they are now showing a mischievous, if not malevolent, bent. Still kicking those stones, thoughtlessly, but now in the direction of your dog or window panes. That Dreamy Fish is as Zappaesque as its title suggests. And instead of aquatic somnambulism you get a fishy polka interspersed with absentminded rambling. Smile-inducingingly played.

If there are elevators in heaven, Debussy’s 11th Étude would play in them. Sweetly and innocuously played, it swirled deliciously toward the subconscious of the ears (except for a few exclamation marks). Étude no.7 was appropriately light and bubbled away in a showcase of Thibaudet’s fleet fingers; no.5 was jaunty, athletic, impressive.

Nothing was as pleasing and powerful as Olivier Messiaen’s XX. Regard de l’Église d’amour (from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus). Hymnic, free-flowing, unbound: this is music that might be difficult on the ears for some (dissonance, compared to ‘traditional’ works abounds – but nothing that should much offend after having heard Debussy); it is music that needs space to unfold to impress those uninitiated ears. It is music that, outside of Bach, is one of the best ways ever devised to sing the praises of Jesus. Simply divine, to pun badly… but in all seriousness this was the recital’s apotheosis. Emphasizing the boldness and the vigor, Thibaudet’s was an exciting rendition that more than made up for the Chopin. No doubt there were many audience members who felt exactly the opposite way, but the enthusiastic applause (eliciting two encores: Debussy’s L'isle joyeuse and the rare Shura Cherkassky 1925 Prelude Pathetique) suggested that that last of the Vingt Regards was not lost on many.

Thomas Adès at Présences Festival

We are fans of Thomas Adès at Ionarts, after hearing his opera The Tempest in Santa Fe, as well as some of his piano music played by Louis Lortie. This month the 30-something British composer is being honored at the 17th Présences Festival in Paris (recent honorees include Krzysztof Penderecki, in 2006, and Marc-André Dalbavie, in 2005). An article by Pierre Gervasoni (Thomas Adès, jeune tête d'affiche du festival Présences, February 9) for Le Monde has the details (my translation):

Who is Thomas Adès really? This Englishman is one of the headliners of the 17th edition of the Présences Festival, whose average age he has lowered considerably, from February 9 to March 4 at Radio France. Born in 1971, Adès has dominated, for more than a decade, the racetrack of contemporary music as composer and performer. The young composer refuses to give any interviews. His work is published by two companies (Faber for score and EMI for recordings) that hold exclusive contracts. So, it is only through his music that one can hear Thomas Adès' voice. Or rather his voices, so much does the composer's style change from work to work. Not through militant eclecticism, but as a way of finding in each case the appropriate form of expression for a specific project. In this sense, Adès represents the archetype of today's composer, precocious, brilliant, prolific, and more concerned with serving an idea promptly than a cause globally. [...]

At the heart of Adès' already full catalogue is Powder Her Face (1995), the first of his two operas, which drew attention to the English prodigy, not always for strictly musical reasons. Based on the true story of the Duchess of Argyll, whose sexual escapades shocked the world, this stage work as licentious in its libretto (which requires the lead female role to intone an air "with mouth closed" because it simulates fellatio) as by its instrumentation (rich in accessories like fishing rod reels) sums up the problem with this composer without ever answering it, while always whispering into the listener's ear: who is Thomas Adès really?

The program has more music by Thomas Adès than you could shake a stick at, much of it with Adès conducting or playing the piano. Ah, France.

In Brief: Mid-February

Here is your regular Sunday dosage of interesting items, from Blogville and beyond:

• Tyler Green wrote a touching Valentine's Day remembrance of his mom, who painted watercolors and loved Juan Gris, on the 20th anniversary of her death. It reminded me of my own mom, who was also (and occasionally still is) a painter. After reading Tyler's article, I went immediately to the phone to call her. [Modern Art Notes]


• It's true that, in recent years, the Academy has generally not chosen the year's best film for its Best Picture award. I mean -- Crash? Million Dollar Baby? Chicago? Gladiator? Titanic? Forrest Gump? Schindler's List? Rain Man? Please. That last one, in 1988, is apparently where it started: every film that won Best Picture from 1969 to 1987 is a stellar choice. Keith Demko's post about his 10 favorite Best Picture laureates got me thinking about what my Top 10 would be. Probably a lot like Keith's, but with Lawrence of Arabia and A Man for All Seasons in there somewhere. [Reel Fanatic]


• One Monsignor Marco Frisina, an Italian priest, will premiere an opera in Rome derived from Dante's Divine Comedy. The International Herald Tribune had the story. [Hat tip to All about Opera]


• Just because a certain Hallmark holiday went unremarked upon here does not mean that we don't love you. [ACME Heartmaker]


• Forest Whitaker, who is up for the Best Actor Oscar this year for The Last King of Scotland, is a tenor. Apparently, he studied voice in college and sang during an interview for Italian television. That's not opera he's singing in the clip: it's Amarilli mia bella, a monody by Giulio Caccini. [Opera Chic]


• Every classical music blogger in the world is all over the Joyce Hatto hoax story, and Lisa Hirsch has most of the links. I've never heard any of the supposed Joyce Hatto recordings, many of which have now been revealed as frauds, stolen from other recordings, but I have always liked that recording of Liszt's transcendental etudes by László Simon, from which several tracks were lifted as Joyce Hatto. [Iron Tongue of Midnight]


• Joshua Kosman gets the Best Question of the Week award: how did Astor Piazzolla become an honorary classical composer? The answer is also pretty good, that his music is "one of the standard methods performers have developed to get their 'contemporary music' ticket punched without scaring anybody." [On a Pacific Aisle]
  

Richard Goode. Very Goode.

Being at WPAS’ Richard Goode Strathmore recital last Sunday night probably meant for many piano lovers the concomitant bemoaning of missing out on Till Fellner’s recital (Charles’ review here). The joy of hearing Goode, one of the finest American pianists (I would even say by acclaim, reputation, and ability the finest), quickly supplanted the grief of missing the most promising of Austrian pianists, though, when the ears fell under the spell of Bach’s Partita No.5 in G-Major, BWV 829. Mr. Goode treated this music very pianistically – that is: he did not try to play it as a transcription from harpsichord. Although generally brisk, except in the Sarabande, he neither eschewed the pedal (subtly used as it was) nor leave the dynamic gradations the piano allows unused. The hummed along Sarabande at the center of the work – gentle and broad – displayed a bit of the romantic side that Bach attains in felt performances on the piano. Not excessively of pensive spiritualness, though neither just an athletic feat, this was good, humorous, joyful Bach that Goode delivered.

Mozart’s A-Minor Rondo KV.511 is an expressive and quietly contemplating Andante that, here, sounded like a continuation of the Bach. Details were pealed out of it with dedication; the mood of the Rondo never allowed to slip into the sentimental or sweetly-sad. Wit and crispness were closer to the surface than any of the projected emotions that many a Mozart piece must so often endure.

Other Reviews: Daniel Ginsberg, Richard Goode (Washington Post, February 12)

A dose of Brahms is always welcome, especially such a small one as the Seven Fantasies op.116. It is music written for pianists that are part ruthless lumberjack, part sensitive poet. Although Richard Goode possesses all the power and vigor needed for the ‘strong’ passages in this music, he is unmistakably and in all situations more the latter than the former. He can hit piano keys hard, but he’ll never sound brutal or even very earthy. Dignity and a fineness always continued to shine through in this work were force and determination marry high romance and indulgence.

The second half was switched from a Chopin assortment to Debussy’s second book of Preludes. It was casually wonderful to hear this pianist’s pianist go through them: profoundly whispered, never hushed, with exceptional ‘diction’ even in the murmuring runs. It sounded the way you expect to hear Debussy played, without knowing that you have these expectations… unobtrusively appropriate and fitting in each prelude. Light, flittering, blistering – whichever was called for. Chopin’s E-flat Minor Nocturne and a Brahms Ballade (118/3?) as encores capped the recital.

New Works at the Hirshhorn

Two new shows opened Thursday on the second floor of the Hirshhorn Museum, and an unexpected ice day offered the perfect chance to go see them. Refract, Reflect, Project brings together a few rooms worth of light works from the museum's collection, some more recent and some classics. The most striking work was an installation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, whose The weather project transformed the Turbine Hall of London's Tate Modern in 2003. Round rainbow, from 2005, combines an acrylic circular prism, suspended from the ceiling and made to turn slowly by a small motor, with a focused light. The combination of shadows and refracted light, bright white and rainbow, creates a mesmerizing ballet of undulating circles, spirals, and parabolas. The idea is so simple, but the results prove again — as did the last major show of light works in Washington, the Dan Flavin retrospective at the National Gallery two years ago — that light is the most unabashedly beautiful modern medium.

Several other works are also worth experiencing just for their gentle loveliness. In Robert Irwin's Untitled, from 1969, an acrylic disc mounted on the wall dissolves into its own four shadows, cast by lights mounted nearby. It is so dark inside the room containing James Turrell's Milk Run, from 1995, that it takes a long time for one's eyes to adjust to take in the work, a wall of faint light made by fluorescent tubes and colored gel. The longer you sit in there, the stronger and stranger the light becomes. In the first room is the Hirshhorn's Dan Flavin work, "monument" for V. Tatlin, a cool white, V-shaped classic from 1967, alongside the most recent work in the show, Chilean artist Iván Navarro's Flashlight, from 2006. This steel-framed wheelbarrow, adorned with yellow fluorescent tubes, is accompanied by a video, shown on a disappointingly small television set. The video, featuring a poem and soft song, I'm not from here, I'm not from there, shows the artist stealing gasoline, putting it in a generator, and putting the generator on the wheelbarrow to power the fluorescent lights. He then rolls the "flashlight" along a darkening railroad track, in a series of lonely, transient scenes. The object itself has visual interest, combining the functionality of a tool with the functionlessness of the lights (described in the poem as sunlight), but the weighty social commentary of the video is a little overbearing.

Video apparently counts as "light works," and the Hirshhorn has resurrected Jordan Belson's Epilogue, commissioned for the Visual Music exhibit in 2005. Twelve minutes of swirling colors would be pretty dull except for the soundtrack, Rachmaninov's symphonic tone poem Isle of the Dead (uncredited in the exhibit's wall text). More engaging is Christopher Girardot's Enlighten, from 2000, a video that combines images of lightning, all artificially created, compiled from film sources. Not actually looking at the screen helps avoid a flash-induced headache, and the shadows cast in the dark room are interesting. Just outside the exit is a pretty little piece that may or may not be part of the show, John Ferren's Construction In Wood: Daylight Experiment (Facade), from 1968. It is set up in front of an unshaded window, so that sunlight reflects the fluorescent paint on the back sides of the wood slats onto the white paint on the front sides, tricking your eye into imagining that the light comes from fluorescent bulbs.

Also opening Thursday, just across the elevators from the light works on the second floor, were two of the Hirshhorn's recent acquisitions. Earlier this month, Tyler Green at Modern Art Notes had the scoop about the museum's purchase of Robert Lazzarini's Payphone, from the 2002 Whitney Biennial. One of the most successful of Lazzarini's experiments with visual distortion, it is an exact replica of an old grimy payphone, just skewed magnificently on a crazy diagonal angle. Standing as it does in a plain, starkly lit room, it has the tendency to bend space around itself and recalls anamorphic optical illusions in Renaissance paintings, like the skull in Hans Holbein the Younger's The Ambassadors.

Der Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go, 1987), directed by Peter Fischli and David Weiss (DVD, 2002)

In an adjacent room, large dual screens — in their leaning tallness recalling Richard Serra's infamous Tilted Arc — show Play Dead; Real Time, a silent video from 2002 by Douglas Gordon. The camera swoops in circles around an elephant, also turning in a circle, that then lies down, playing dead, and stands again. Here again, the question posed is about perspective.

While you are at the Hirshhorn, go up to the third floor for the screening of Peter Fischli and David Weiss's Die Lauf der Dinge (The Way Things Go, 1987), a video made in Zurich, recently transferred to DVD. It's thirty minutes, not narrated, of the nuttiest home-made contraption ever conceived, a series of self-perpetuating, homemade actions and reactions that play out in an industrial warehouse. Tires, cartons, plastic jugs, ladders, tables, vats of chemicals all do their part to activate the next reaction in the line. It's a huge, moving, possibly carcinogenic Duchamp-inspired sculpture. Master Ionarts loved it, so we may buy our own copy on DVD.

Refract, Reflect, Project: Light Works from the Collection continues through April 8. There will be three Friday Gallery Talks on this exhibit, on March 2 and April 6. The Hirshhorn has periodic updates available on its Recent Acquisitions.

This Week in MP3: Snow Days

Here is what was at the top of the Ionarts playlist for the week. Click on the link to read a review (if we have published one) or the album picture to buy it through Amazon (if available).

New:

Shostakovich, Sonatas opp. 134 and 147, Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Kremerata Baltica (October 10, 2006)

Liszt/Chopin, Piano Concertos, Yundi Li, Philharmonia Orchestra, Andrew Davis (February 13, 2007)

Albeníz, Pepita Jiménez, P. Domingo, E. Baquerizo, J. A. López, J. Henschel, Comunidad de Madrid Orchestra, José de Eusebio (November 14, 2006)

Old:

Bartók, Complete String Quartets, Emerson Quartet (re-released, 2007) Review (Takács et al.)

Massenet, Esclarmonde, J. Sutherland, National Philharmonic Orchestra, R. Bonynge (re-released, 2006) Review (live performance)

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, Vienna Philharmonic, L. Bernstein (remastered, 2007) Review (live performance)

Double the Capuçon, Twice the Fun

I don’t know if orchestras get a two-for-one special if they invite the Capuçon brothers – but what a good occasion to hear Brahms’ Double Concerto, one way or the other. Hearing this late Brahms work (when he composed it, Arturo Toscanini already had a conducting career under way, Wilhelm Backhaus grown his first teeth, and Mahler composed his First Symphony) with the NSO under Leonard Slatkin this Thursday. It is a concerto much more prominent on the record shelves than in the concert hall, which is a shame, because it is easily Brahms’ finest concerto and a delight to hear when played as well as by the two shamelessly young French musicians. Who could be more in greater rapport together than two brothers, musically joined at the hip.

Renaud and Gautier (violin and cello, respectively) are both fascinating soloists in their own right – and in the Brahms their individual qualities came together for more than the sum of its parts, even. Their affinity with the work and each other was immediately audible (just how important that is can be heard on the famous RCA recording of Heifetz and Piatigorsky where the former drags the latter speedily around the work, producing fireworks while neglecting the whole). The opening on the cello was spot-on, in gloriously burnished sound. A brisk, but never hasty, performance displayed the cello as the “more equal” of the instruments – but hardly for any lack of engagement, skill, or enthusiasm on Renaud Capuçon’s searing part. The orchestra performed with equal engagement and subtle touches. The very well honed decrescendo toward the end of the third movement seemed like an exclamation point to that effect.

J. Adams, Harmonielehre, De Waart/SFSO J.Brahms, Double Concerto, Clarinet Quintet, Capucon Bros. / Myung-Whun Chung / Mahler Youth Orchestra

It was a highlight like there have been few and far with the NSO season so far – but it was not to be the only one. John Adams’ Harmonielehre featured on the second part of the program and it assured this run of concerts to be the most satisfying of the NSO’s season, yet. A little explanatory talk before it is a good thing, except it came too late for those attendees that had already fled the (rather empty to begin with) concert hall in anticipation of a un-dead composer filling out the entire second half. It was their loss.

Slatkin is predictable in his talks – but predictably good in connecting to the audience members that he needs to address. His approach softens the fears of exposure to the unknown and makes the casual listener’s ears more amenable to strange sounds they would not usually tolerate. Hearing Harmonielehre live adds the necessary layer of ‘triumphant glory-noise’ that an orchestral piece like that needs in order to appeal: on record and without the introduction it would likely make fewer friends.

Although Maestro Slatkin assured me (in an interview for WGMS that got lost in the DC's general classical radio station upheaval) somewhat disingenuously that he plays and conducts every piece of music with the same enthusiasm and dedication, the impression that he dedicates himself more – and more successfully – to those works he has a great affinity for and desire to propagate to audiences remains as strong as ever and was only furthered by this very detailed, passionate, and exemplarily played performance. Instead of a work to be avoided (or endured, for Brahms’ sake), Slatkin and the NSO turned it into a season-highlight, no matter how strong one may think the composition itself to be. (Calling it one of the great masterpieces “not just of our time but all times” as Slatkin raved might have been overshooting a bit, but a potentially marvelous piece it is by all means – and certainly was on Thursday.) Along with Adams’ Violin Concerto, Short Ride..., Shaker Loops and El Niño it is among the finest, most accessible of his works… swelling and ebbing rousingly, hinting at minimalism only faintly in the first movement.

Other Reviews: Tim Page, NSO Pieces Together John Adams's Patchwork (Washington Post, February 16) Tim Smith, NSO scores big with minimalism (Baltimore Sun, February 16) Charles T. Downey, DCist Goes to the Symphony (DCist, February 20)

The full orchestral forces and piano (Lambert Orkis) growled and shimmered and climaxed and drilled away unabashedly with the drive of Antheil, the means of Reich and Riley, and the flickers of Sibelian blue light. Adams stated the explicit presence of musical elements of Mahler, Sibelius (4th Symphony), early Schoenberg (Gurrelieder), and Debussy in this mélange of styles that takes its name, but hardly its ideas, from Schönberg’s musico-philosophical treatise. Nowhere are these many musical influences more audible in the second movement (“Anfortas”) than when Adams emulates the “Gate to Hell” chord from the Mahler Tenth Symphony’s Adagio, including that chord’s sliding dissolution. The third movement (“Meister Eckhardt and Quackie”) brought you back to the night’s opening Debussy (a brisk NSO performance of the Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun with flat winds and brass but otherwise gay and beautifully shaped) before Adams pays a long tribute to Philip Glass that ended in a Hollywoodesque burst of energy.

No matter the road conditions, this concert is very much worth attending – there will be plenty space available for the two remaining performances Friday at 7PM and Saturday at 8PM.

Fav Five

Mark and I have collaborated on this one. -- Charles

Tyler Green made a request for bloggers to select our five favorite works of American architecture. This is really, really difficult -- no, impossible. There are so many cultures and influences. Churches, housing, human and animal, industrial, transportation. We can't stop thinking of possibilities: pre-fab housing, high-rise buildings. Oh well, here are five of our favorite buildings (with their architects, when known), in no particular order:

1. B&O Railroad Roundhouse, Baltimore (Ephraim Francis)


2. The Baltimore Basilica, Baltimore (Benjamin Henry Latrobe, with Archbishop John Carroll and Thomas Jefferson)


3. U.S. Coast Guard Lighthouse, Marquette, Mich.


4. The Kreeger House (now Museum), Washington, D.C. (Philip Johnson, with Richard Foster)


5. Library of Congress (Jefferson Building), Washington, D.C. (John L. Smithmeyer)

We Lost a Great One

You may remember my mention of the Sondheim Prize, a $25,000 award given annually to a deserving artist from the Baltimore area, and my deep respect for its namesake, Walter Sondheim. Mr. Sondheim, 98 years young, was in a car accident earlier this week. He survived the accident and a day later was admitted to the hospital with a broken foot and soon developed pneumonia, passing away Thursday morning. The city of Baltimore has lost a great civic booster and a wonderfully kind and generous man.

DVD: Katerina Izmailova

Shostakovich, Katerina Izmailova, Galina Vishnevskaya, directed by Mikhail Shapiro (1966, DVD released on January 9, 2007)

Jens and I (for DCist) have both recently reviewed an extraordinary concert performance of Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, given by the Kirov Opera under Valery Gergiev at the Kennedy Center. After an initial success, Shostakovich's extraordinary work was condemned by Stalin, a decision that was to hang over the composer's head for decades until the dictator's death. This Soviet film, released in 1966 and not available outside Russia until now, used the revised version that the composer called Katerina Izmailova. In an attempt to rehabilitate the opera and save his reputation, Shostakovich toned down most of its shocking elements, cuts which add up to about 30 minutes of music. You can still recognize the outline of the work, certainly, but what is missing stands out when you know the opera. In particular, much of the humor that lightens the harshness of the story is gone, including the entire police scene showing the pettiness and criminality of the police force.

The composer oversaw staged performances of Katerina Izmailova in Moscow and other theaters. He most admired the one used as the soundtrack for this film, given by the Shevchenko Opera in Kiev, with Konstantin Simeonov conducting. A related performance (the Shevchenko Opera but with different singers) has been available, if not widely known, in the United States: it is one of the recordings that I had collected over the years, as I mentioned in another recent post. Mikhail Shapiro used actors to lip-sync the sung dialogue, in only one case having the singer act the part she sang -- the remarkable singer and actress Galina Vishnevskaya (wife of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich) in the title role. Much of Katerina's sung lines, which often read like internal dialogue in the opera, are treated as voice-overs, an effective adaptation. The film, even in this imperfect, somewhat rough print, has beautiful moments, although it is dated. The split-screen effects can be hokey, but just as often they skillfully advance the narrative, as when the drunkard runs along a street toward the police precinct in the upper part of the screen, while we see the wedding party of Katerina and Sergey emerging from the church in the lower part.

Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, directed by Petr Weigl (1992)

The other filmed version of the opera, directed by Petr Weigl (reviewed here), uses even less of the full score. Its soundtrack is better, however, taken from the recording conducted by Rostropovich with the London Philharmonic, also with Galina Vishnevskaya in the title role. Weigl uses Czech actors (many of them, reportedly, were famous in Prague for making soft-porn movies) to lip-sync the sung lines, to mixed success. His movie captures the shocking sexual scenes much better, not least because it includes them in full and leaves nothing to the imagination. However, the Russian film is better at depicting the brutality of the petty bourgeois -- Alexander Sokolov's Boris Timofeyevich is a heartless bastard -- and the cruelty of the forced march across the Steppes in the final scenes is searing. Both movies are interesting options for a collector. However, if you are only going to buy one DVD of this opera, wait for something complete to be made.

Decca 074 3137

Atlantic String Quartet, Strathmore Mansion

We welcome this review from Ionarts guest contributor Michael Lodico.

Chamber music lovers braved a winter storm to attend the Atlantic String Quartet’s performance in the Mansion at Strathmore on Tuesday evening. The quartet was founded in 1995 and is comprised of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra members. Previous reviewers, according to the quartet’s biography, have described their playing as “explosive” and having “sent sparks flying in all directions.” Unfortunately, this vigorous, high-energy approach largely detracted from the success of Tuesday’s performance.

The group performed Beethoven’s String Quartet in E Minor with passion and visual intensity, though this did not translate into an intense and passionate musical experience for the audience. Most of their energy was focused downward, giving a heavy, laborious sound to their playing. Many of the musicians’ attacks – when the bow meets the string to begin a phrase – were very strong and without control, which was most noticeable in the Molto Adagio movement. These rough attacks resulted in a loud accent on a note that subsequently diminished in sound, thus leading the ear and phrase nowhere. The persistent accentuation of the final notes of phrases also contributed to the heaviness of the interpretation. Lightening these final notes could have added a degree of charm to their playing.

Webern’s Langsamer Satz (Slow Movement) was written in 1905 when Webern was still under the tutelage of Arnold Schoenberg. Written in the High Romantic style, the piece has many complex chromatic attributes similar to the works of Max Reger (who was 10 years Webern’s elder). Regrettably, the Quartet seemed to approach this work as if it were avant-garde instead of entirely the opposite. Thus, basic sensitivities of Romantic-style playing, such as having an absolute legato, discreet flexibility in tempo, and carefully controlled swells in dynamics, were overlooked. Particularly, in the opening measures, the triplets in a chromatic motif were rushed. Soon afterward, the cellist entered at a faster tempo than the rest of the quartet, which prevented the seamless tranquility demanded by Webern’s composition from being achieved, until the final section. It was there that the quartet put their mutes into position, played gently, and reached a desirable level of clarity.

Brahms’s String Quartet in B-flat largely suffered the same fate as the Beethoven. The opening Vivace movement was taken at too brisk a tempo, which obscured the notes of fast runs and detracted from the strength of the movement. One could hear thousands of individual notes played horizontally in rows instead of being formed into small groupings to form three-dimensional musical shapes and a strong sense of style. The quartet played with a consistently heavy vibrato that was not used as a means to a musical end. Also, they appeared to carry a lot of tension in their bodies when playing. Instead of a single ensemble, one could hear four separate players.

However, during the third movement, interestingly marked Agitato, the stars aligned and the quartet suddenly had a tempo that was just right, subtle flexibility, and coherence. All at once one could notice the members of the quartet exchanging encouraging glances that gave the impression that they were having a powerful musical experience. Violist Christian Colberg, performing with the top two buttons of his shirt open (no tie), played with an inspiringly rich tone in the lower registers in a work that Brahms often allows the viola to lead.

This performance reminded me somewhat of the Shape-Note Sing – unaccompanied four-part colonial-era hymn singing – held in the same room just two days prior as a part of the fantastic Strathmore Education Program. At a Shape-Note Sing there is only one requirement: to sing at the top of your lungs with complete, if reckless, abandon.

Three Singers

Available at Amazon: Anna Netrebko, Russian Album, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev (released on January 9, 2007)

Anna Netrebko's assets on the stage in her recent appearances, in bel canto operas, have been her beauty and dramatic intensity. When Netrebko sang Elettra's mad aria from Idomeneo at the Salzburg Festival anniversary concert last summer (you can watch it at YouTube, of course -- embedded below, Japanese subtitles and all), there was this intense, almost scary moment at the opening of the aria. Netrebko walks on stage, ravishingly beautiful, smiles and nods at the conductor and orchestra and -- in a flash (at about 00:19 of the YouTube video) -- switches into character and sings the hell out of the aria. Naturally, a video of the recording session of one of the tracks from this CD is embedded at the Amazon page (click on the album image to get there). Although not announced, perhaps a DVD version of the Russian Album is waiting in the wings.


What Netrebko lacks in real ultra-high power singing and agile fioriture makes roles like her Violetta and Elvira less satisfying musically. However, the repertoire she sings on her new album of Russian songs and arias is much better suited to her strengths, dramatic and slow lines, hushed singing, and swells on held notes. That she is singing in her native language only makes things better for her, and in the liner notes Netrebko makes a lot out of coming home to St. Petersburg to make this recording in the Mariinsky Theater with Valery Gergiev. (It has not gone unnoticed, however, that in the middle of the recording sessions for the Russian Album, in March 2006, Netrebko applied for and received Austrian citizenship.) Particularly beautiful tracks include the arioso from Tchaikovsky's Iolanta (an opera I had the pleasure of hearing live last summer), the Rachmaninov songs, especially the Pushkin poem Ne poy, krasavica ("Oh, do not sing to me, fair maiden, / those songs from sorrowful Georgia"), and a thrilling Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin.

The stated aim of this album is to bring some lesser-known Russian operas to the world's attention, and that goal is met. Of course, the occasional staging of Eugene Onegin (last at Washington National Opera in 1985; the Met's latest production, with Gergiev conducting Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, was a joy via Sirius last night -- just in time for Valentine's Day, hah!) or The Queen of Spades (WNO, 2002) is nice enough. However, serious listeners would certainly welcome the chance to see Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tale of Tsar Saltan or The Snow Maiden (WNO did have The Tsar's Bride in 1992), Glinka's A Life for the Tsar, or Rachmaninov's Francesca da Rimini. It brings a smile to my face that the buyers who have driven this album's sales through the roof, mostly not opera nuts, are getting a taste of this repertory.

Deutsche Grammophon B0008153-02

Available at Amazon: Renée Fleming, Homage: The Age of the Diva, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev (released on October 17, 2006)

Speaking of La Fleming, it is the accepted Ionarts wisdom that she is better on stage, in character (as in the marvelous Capriccio I saw her in in Paris), than in her persona of "America's favorite soprano." In her latest CD, Homage, she pays tribute to divas past with selections from repertory they sang notably, mostly drawn from the years 1870 to 1920, not coincidentally the type of music for which Fleming's voice is best suited. Her selection of pieces, guided by the best possible sources, is outstanding, and yet on a number of tracks, her idiosyncrasies are intolerable, at least for this listener. Vissi d'arte and Poveri fiori, the latter from Adriana Lecouvreur, are the worst -- the sharp inhalations, the notes held (to the last bit of breath, with a little crescendo at the end) long beyond the orchestra has stopped playing, the sobbed diction. Most of the performances are technically fine, to be sure, with the exception of the track from Gounod's Mireille where some of the staccato high singing borders on painful to hear. Fleming's thick, broad voice is best up against a full Straussian orchestral sound: it is not a laser like Dessay's that can just shimmer against a light accompaniment.

Still, the tracks I will keep on my MP3 player are the obscurities, mostly in the style that Fleming sings so well: Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae, Smetana's Dalibor, Tchaikovsky's Oprichnik, Korngold's Die Kathrin and especially his Das Wunder der Heliane. (Can a U.S. company please mount that opera soon? Santa Fe Opera, you have done only one Korngold opera, back in 1984: give this one some thought.) Who knows why Gergiev elected to have a track from Rimsky-Korsakov's Servilia, a score only recently unearthed in the Mariinsky Theater's library, on Fleming's recital CD instead of Netrebko's. Whatever faults Fleming may have, she loves to discover little-known operas, and she has enough clout to get companies to stage them. God bless her for that.

Decca 475 8068

Available at Amazon: Edvard Grieg, Songs, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg (1993, re-released in 2007)

While we are discussing the recovery of obscure national repertory, it is a good time to mention that Deutsche Grammophon will re-release (on March 13) the marvelous Grieg recital disc made by mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter in 1993 ("a must for any collector," according to Gramophone). Recorded with her frequent collaborator Bengt Forsberg, who like von Otter is Swedish, this CD is a superb survey of the Norwegian master's songs. Grieg lived in a time shortly after Norway had finally gained independence from Denmark, and academics were arguing about how to achieve linguistic independence by rescuing what they could of the mostly vanished Norwegian language, which had been officially replaced by Danish. As a result of the linguistic flux of that life, Grieg set poetry in Danish (by Hans Christian Andersen), in Dano-Norwegian (by Henrik Ibsen), New Norwegian (by A. O. Vinje and Arne Garborg), and even German (by Heine, Goethe, and others).

These songs could not be more different from the repertory on the preceding two CDs. Grieg wrote his songs almost exclusively for the less than virtuosic voice of his beloved wife, Nina (née Hagerup). Von Otter's mellifluous, golden-toned voice is never pushed to its limits, but what she and Forsberg do so well is exactly what Grieg said he intended: "not to compose music but to do justice to the poet's most intimate intentions. My task is to allow the poetry to speak -- indeed, to allow it to speak in a heightened manner" (from the biography by Henry T. Finck, quoted in this CD's liner notes). Excellent discoveries are the eight songs of Haugtussa (The Mountain Maid, poetry in Norwegian by Arne Garborg, composed in 1895), which as a song cycle in a female voice is rare enough, but it also happens to be gorgeous and fascinating. Only a Scandinavian singer could make a line like Grieg's melody on "i Blåhaugen skal du din Sylvrokk snu" (on the Blue Mountain you will turn your silver spinning-wheel) sound so beautiful.

Forsberg's piano adds the right colors -- yes, colors in Norway beyond the white and gray of ice and eternal night -- and supports von Otter's voice with consummate grace. It is likely that two souls resting together on the mountain near Troldhaugen, overlooking the fjord, are happy whenever someone listens to this recording. If it is not already in your collection, this is a good time to add it, especially at the reduced price (Amazon's pre-order list price, $11.98).

Deutsche Grammophon 437 521-2

Save the Butterflies!

Damien Hirst, The Explosion - Exalted (2006, Gagosian Gallery)
Butterflies and household gloss on canvas (84 inches in diameter)
Bad boy British artist Damien Hirst's latest exhibit of butterfly paintings, Superstition, will open simultaneously at Gagosian Gallery, in London and also in L.A. These are real butterflies; the images are incredible. He was apparently inspired by stained glass windows: poor butterflies! See more images at supertouch.

Spectacular Roman Excavation in Nîmes

The Roman history of Gaul has always fascinated me. Here comes the latest discovery, an exceptional excavation in Nîmes has allowed the rediscovery of 6,500 square meters of the Roman city underneath, in a remarkably well-preserved state. The dig is described by Anne-Marie Romero in an article (À Nîmes, sous les pavés Nemausus, February 12) for Le Figaro (my translation and links added):

It is the largest window ever opened on the ancient past of Nîmes, or Nemausus as it was known in Roman times: the entire Cours Jean-Jaurès, the walking park that majestically crosses the town from the Jardins de la Fontaine up to the ancient fortifications, today has been disemboweled over a space 400 meters long and 17 meter wide, unveiling a spectacle comparable, all things being equal, to that at Pompeii. Streets, covered in paving stones, crossed with alleys, houses with floors covered in mosaics and with painted walls, statue monuments. And the show has only just begun. Archeologists of the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap), directed by Jean-Yves Breuil, have until the end of July to uncover this entire neighborhood of the ancient citadel, miraculously preserved by being turned into a promenade in the 18th century. Then they must give the land back to the city, who will turn it into a parking lot.

The emblem of Nemausus was a crocodile on a palm tree, symbol of the enslavement of Egypt to the Empire, and witness to the status of colony of the Roman law acquired by the town in 44 B.C., when Rome gave out lands here to its veterans. But Nîmes had been in existence long before that. For example, the Magne Tower, which dominates La Fontaine, is the last vestige of the Gallic oppidum, built here in the 4th century B.C. [...]

The town is atypical. It has several centers: the Forum (of which only the Maison Carrée remains), the Augusteum around La Fontaine (on the site of the Gallic oppidum), which has left us the Temple supposedly dedicated to Diana and the amphitheater now transformed into a bullfighting arena. The neighborhood to the south of La Fontaine was a residential area, fairly well-to-do. But in the third century, in a phenomenon found universally throughout Gaul, the town's borders were redrawn and, in the Middle Ages, it grew up more around the cathedral. The Jean-Jaurès neighborhood was abandoned. Nothing would be constructed there again, and its transformation into a promenade preserved it in its 3rd-century state.

The archeologists have discovered a large paved road, more than 7 meters wide, with sewers on either side, and houses with column bases indicating porticos. Most of them have black and white mosaic floors with geometric motifs. One beautiful example has an emblema, a woman's head in a circular medallion, surrounded by fish. Wall paintings discovered so far are mostly of floral motifs. The most spectacular find so far is a rectangular fountain of masonry, some 12 square meters in size, accessed by a gently sloped, paved walkway. A niche on one side probably contained a statue, possibly the statue of Neptune found lying down behind it. The fountain was apparently filled with coins thrown into the water, evidence that the practice of throwing a penny into the fountain goes back a long way. The archeological team will continue the excavation as long as they are allowed.

Till Fellner

In 2004, Austrian pianist Till Fellner (already known internationally at that point) made waves by releasing an extraordinary recording of the first book of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. A year after that, still riding a swell of concert appearances and the long-time support of none other than Alfred Brendel, the 30-something Fellner (b. 1972) cancelled a concert at Lincoln Center and several others after that. The reason was the appearance of a mysterious medical condition, as described by David Mermelstein in the New York Times (Hearing Things. The Wrong Kind of Things., January 28). Fellner had suddenly developed an irritating sensitivity to loud sounds, part of a set of symptoms collectively known as tinnitus, usually a result of damage to the inner ear. After three months of rest and treatment, his hearing appears to have returned to normal. Last week, Fellner played a recital program, first at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and on Sunday evening on the free concert series at the National Gallery of Art.

Other Reviews: Anthony Tommasini, A Pianist Returns, a Little Bit Shy, a Little Bit Sly (New York Times, February 10) Jay Nordlinger, A Musician Who Knows His Mind (New York Sun, February 12) Cecelia Porter, Till Fellner (Washington Post, February 13)

As at the New York recital, Fellner regrettably opted to omit the pieces by György Kurtág, as originally planned (still listed on the NGA's Web site). Although the Hungarian composer's music, an Ionarts favorite, was missed, Fellner did not disappoint in his other three selections, which added up to a relatively short 80 minutes or so. One of the youthful Beethoven sonatas -- op. 10, no. 2, from 1797 -- immediately gave Fellner the chance to display his nearly flawless execution and finely nuanced shading, from booming (if never overpowering) forte to whispered piano. The fast movements were fast and technically brilliant, with a mysterious second movement that was part tender barcarolle and part distant nightmare, with the bass accents in the middle section sounding like menacing knocks. The last movement was rendered like a brisk hunting song, with horncalls answering back and forth, the theme always made prominent in each contrapuntal statement. This superb performance bodes well for those lucky listeners in Vienna and London who will have the benefit of the complete Beethoven sonata cycle Fellner has planned starting next year in those cities.

Till Fellner on Disc: Bach, WTC, Book 1 (2004) Beethoven, Piano Concerto 3 (2003) Schubert, Moments musicaux, Sonata D. 784 (1997)

The first half concluded with J. S. Bach, the three-part inventions instead of the Well-Tempered Clavier. These pieces are often relegated to the status of etudes for advanced piano students, but Fellner rethought them as a cycle of character pieces, in a way that harmonized naturally with the way that Bach thought as a composer of encyclopedic collections. No. 5 was a drooping sarabande of beautiful languor, all achieved through tone and articulation -- the tempo never flagged. In no. 9, Fellner wove the tortured harmonic turns of the theme into a delicate web of complicated lace, and in no. 12 he produced an almost machine-like whirr of sound in the supporting voices.

Fellner seemed to love no. 11 the most, phrasing it with exquisite delicacy, and no. 13, where an uncharacteristic smile stole across his usually serious face, over an unexpected turn of melody. He allows Bach's music to unfold at its own pace, without distorting it rhythmically, giving subtle nuance to the layering of voices, as in no. 15, with the bubbling repeated notes of the main theme over the zephyr of an arpeggiated countersubject. Fellner does not underuse the sustaining pedal, it's true, but the test is in the sound, and there was nothing muddy. The sound was clear, if never dry.

Schubert's A major sonata (D. 959, finished shortly before the composer's death in 1828) concluded the program. In the Bach Fellner's sound was notably restrained, an internal dialogue, but in the Schubert he used more heroic strength. This interpretation was so refined, so smart, making the sonata-allegro form of the first movement so clear, opposing a forthright first theme with a gossamer-delicate second theme. The second movement was a melancholy parlor dance, heard from a distant room. Fellner did the best he could with that fantasia-like second section -- Schubert seemed almost out of ideas, taking the performer through a quasi-improvisatory pile-up of arpeggios.

The third movement whirled away, detached from the dying composer's fear of impending death, with the triplet cascades a perfect torrent at Fellner's tempo. In the trio, he handled the difficult crossing of the left hand with flair and taste. One thing about Fellner's touch is that it makes sense of the ultrahigh writing that Schubert so often favors: here it sounded like ethereal decoration, whereas if overplayed, it can be strident. In the fourth movement, Fellner treated the rondo theme like a hymn, in an easy rocking tempo, which comes back in minor in the most overt reference Schubert makes to the unstoppable progress of his illness. It was regrettable that the audience at this free concert was so poorly behaved -- enough shoe squeaking, coughing, and cell phone noise to make Fellner actually look out at the audience in distraction a couple times. This excellent recital deserved the attention level of the audience at the Emerson Quartet's Shostakovich concerts.

In conjunction with the National Gallery of Art's Jasper Johns exhibit, the museum devotes the next three weeks of its free concert series to the Sixty-Second American Music Festival: violinist Mark Kaplan and pianist Yael Weiss (February 18, music by Carter, Feigin, and Sessions), pianist Alan Feinberg (February 25, music by Beiderbecke, Cage, Feldman, Ives, and Nancarrow), and the Contemporary Music Forum (March 4, music by Cage and others). All concerts begin at 6:30 pm and are free and open to the public.

Einar Røttingen Plays Tveitt

Einar Røttingen's Embassy Series piano recital at the Embassy of Norway was fairly short (I’ve been to many that were too long – scarcely one that was too short, so no complaints, here), but the speeches before and after the recital were long enough to make up for it. That’s generally an unpleasant necessity to endure (and one of the most frequently complained about elements of WPAS and Embassy Series concerts), but in the case of pianist/professor Røttingen’s introduction to the two programmed works, Grieg’s Ballade op.24 and Geir Tveitt’s Sonata No.29, op.129 it offered welcome insights into these two rarely performed piano pieces. But not only his insightful and studied comments were a treat, his playing was equally so.

He played on the very appropriately sized Steinway of the Residence, intimate but easily able to realistically convey the most powerful passages that are nestled into the calm while-blue clarity of the Ballade’s 14 variations on the opening few notes of a Norwegian folk tune. Simplicity – not for the pianist, for sure, but as far as the detailed, often delicate sounds that come from this work are concerned – is one of the key signatures of this music that Grieg wrote, in part, as self-therapy in one of his darkest times: A lonely winter in 1875/76 in which both his parents died (his child had already passed away a few years earlier, his musical child, the opera Olav Trygvason lay freshly abandoned). The closing variation of this, Grieg’s most substantial work for piano, which he himself only played once, and never in public, put all that clarity, subtly, and simplicity aside for thunderous outbursts and clamor before gently reminding of its origins with a delicate postlude.

To hear a Tveitt work was more exciting, still. Robert R. Reilly dedicated a chapter to Tveitt in Surprised by Beauty, so I knew of the tragedy that this composer stands for: in 1970 his wooden home went down (or up, I suppose) in a blazing fire, taking with it thousands of works of this extraordinary composer. Few of which had been copied out or otherwise distributed. Given the quality of the few pieces that we do know, the loss is incomprehensibly large; perhaps the greatest in music history. Enjoying what still exists is consoling, however. And Sonata no.29 did not disappoint. Not only its number hints at a more famous piano sonata no.29 – its size, too, is of Hammerklavier-proportions. Its echo effects of the second movement are eerily evocative of the empty mountainside on a crisp, clear day. Above an ever-repeated Grieg-motif occurs a sonata movement with a motoric drive, frantically bubbling at times, ceaselessly active, in any case. Much of it sounds like Debussy or digestible Messiaen… but more immediate and more immediately enjoyable. With its unresolved ending of a rousing and (ever so slightly self-consciously) powerful finale, there are pretensions of Beethovenian grandeur, indeed.

If the performance of either works was not literally brilliant or flawless, the passion and engaged playing more than made up for an occasional muddled detail or a dropped note. Alas, no reason to play Beckmesser at such a richly rewarding recital with such rarely played great music to treat the ears.

The Norwegian Embassy, meanwhile, was the usual superb host – unparalleled in the style and quality of their reception and a model to all but a few other embassies that think they smartly save a few bucks by cutting the wrong corners.

Film: Le Petit Lieutenant

In France as here in the U.S., the policier, or cop film, is ground well trod, a genre that is hard to approach in a fresh way. Director Xavier Beauvois's attempt to do just that in Le Petit Lieutenant opened in France in 2005 and in New York last fall, but it has finally come to Washington, for a limited, exclusive engagement at E Street Cinema.

The story, co-written by Beauvois and a handful of others, follows a team of cops in Paris, led by veteran detective Commandant Caroline Vaudieu (Nathalie Baye). A recovering alcoholic who lost her young son to meningitis, Vaudieu becomes attached to a rookie lieutenant on her squad, Antoine Derouère (Jalil Lespert). Although it is stated only obliquely, Vaudieu begins to think of Derouère as her son, as if he had not died but had grown up. We understand this without any misty montages of Vaudieu's son and without any direct commentary from the characters. With the same subtlety that has marked some of his other films, like Nord and N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir, we know this simply by the way that the story unfolds.

Other Reviews: Manohla Dargis | Slate | Le Monde | Washington Post | Rotten Tomatoes

Like many directors, Beauvois is a dedicated lover of old films. If you notice the background of many shots, the police offices and the cops' favorite nearby bar are decorated with posters of classic films about cops and criminals, like Les 400 coups, Un Flic, Once upon a Time in America. Yes, Le Petit Lieutenant recalls film noir and classic police detective flicks, but Beauvois prefers to show the life of French cops as they really are, without the glamour. Mostly these police detectives wait around a lot, listening for the phone to ring. When they do get a case, we see them fumbling for leads, asking the same questions again and again, and making mistakes. They drink heavily (a police stereotype in France, one that is based at least somewhat on fact) at their favorite bar after hours, and even at a special bar in a room at the precinct (also reportedly true).

Beauvois's portrait of cops, flaws and all, is multifaceted, slow-moving, and fair. The director apparently became used to the lifestyle after filming it for so long. During last year's Cannes Film Festival, Beauvois was arrested for using a false police ID to get out of a ticket for illegally parking his scooter. The fake ID turned out to be a prop from Le Petit Lieutenant. All of the characters are beautifully detailed, but principally our sympathy lies with two of them. As the naïve rookie Derouère, Jalil Lespert represents the idealism of the men and women who go into law enforcement. His open face and broad smile are as transparent as his intentions.

Nathalie Baye's moving rendition of the world-weary Commandant Vaudieu, whom the cops describe as superflic, fille d'un superflic ("the supercop, daughter of a supercop"), won her the Best Actress category at the César Awards (France's Oscars) last year. When the unit ends up in Nice (all good crime films in France do) to close their case, Beauvois concludes the film, in a moment recalling Les 400 Coups, with Vaudieu walking on the beach. Her face has been a map of cares throughout the film, and here washed in Mediterranean light, she finally turns and looks directly into the camera. At last, we know her.

Grammy Time

The Grammy Awards are in for classical music, announced as they are before the big ceremony and mostly ignored. One of the big winners was Michael Tilson Thomas's Mahler 7 with the San Francisco Symphony (Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance). Of course, Jens reviewed this disc when it came out, but not so favorably:

With nuanced detail, well-structured, lovingly presented - quaver for quaver - this is easily the least satisfying Mahler 7th I have ever heard on record or live.

Typo? No.

For all its beauty, professionalism and excellence in execution, for every instance that is above criticism, the symphony as a whole is - to my ears - a complete failure.

Second, it was finally Osvaldo Golijov's turn this year, after Ayre lost out last year. A much stronger work, his opera Ainadamar, also won two Grammys this year, for Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Contemporary Composition. I heard the opera in Santa Fe and reviewed the recording:

However, Ainadamar has considerable appeal and will likely make a nice choice for sultry evening background sound (easy on the ears, by comparison with many other modern operas, certainly), beyond the growing market of those who have seen the opera staged. If nothing else, the price of the CD is justified by the opportunity to hear the final trio ("Venga, tome su mano" and "Doy mi sangre") as Margarita (Dawn Upshaw) is united in death with her beloved student Nuria (soprano Jessica Rivera) and the shade of Lorca (the unclassifiable Kelley O'Connor).

My threat in that post still stands: I am planning to teach Ainadamar in my Humanities class this year, combining it with a section on García Lorca's poetry, Silvestre Revueltas's Homenaje a García Lorca, and Crumb's Ancient Voices of Children.

Ionarts favorite Maurizio Pollini won Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra) for his set of Chopin nocturnes, which Jens reviewed recently: "I can’t say that the recording convinces me in its entirety, either. Not all the Nocturnes are such works that ask enough of Pollini; their surface-focused nature does not allow Pollini’s strength to shine."

Other Classical Grammy Winners:

• Choral Performance: "Pärt: Da Pacem," Paul Hillier, conductor (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)
  
• Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): "Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds)," John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Angelin Chang (Cleveland Chamber Symphony)
  
• Chamber Music Performance: "Intimate Voices," Emerson String Quartet
  
• Small Ensemble Performance: "Padilla: Sun of Justice," Peter Rutenberg, conductor (Los Angeles Chamber Singers' Cappella)
  
• Classical Vocal Performance: "Rilke Songs," Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Peter Serkin), track from Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto
  
• Classical Crossover Album: "Simple Gifts," Bryn Terfel (London Voices; London Symphony Orchestra)
  
• Engineered Album, Classical: "Elgar: Enigma Variations; Britten: the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes," Michael Bishop, engineer (Paavo Jarvi and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
  
• Producer of the Year, Classical: Elaine Martone

Oh, That Silly Agrippina

On Friday night, Virginia Opera brought its production of Handel's Agrippina to an undersold George Mason University Center for the Arts in Fairfax for two performances. Directed by Lilian Groag (who also mounted it for Glimmerglass Opera, much more sumptuously), this staging went far beyond a typical interpretation of Handel's youthful masterpiece, identified on its title page only as a drama per musica. As was quite common in this period of Venetian opera, the libretto mixes comic and tragic elements, but does that justify turning Agrippina into a silly farce? Here is how Handel's biographer Winton Dean put it:

The ability to suggest the profound, the commonplace and the ridiculous aspects of human behaviour, not only in the same opera but in the same scene and situation, places Handel beside Monteverdi and Mozart as a master of dramatic irony on many levels. The spirit of playful comedy is not absent from Handel's most serious operas. [...] This comprehensiveness of mood and dramatic approach gives his operas a depth seldom attained in the history of the art. But their quality can emerge only from productions based on a complete understanding of the convention.

In other words, directors would do better to trust Handel's innate dramatic sensibility, which usually surpasses their own, rather than giving into apprehension that their audience is not capable of appreciating Baroque opera on its own terms. Judging by the reviews, David McVicar has done no better in this regard in his production of Agrippina now at English National Opera (see the reviews linked in the inset below).

After making a name as an opera composer in Hamburg, the young Händel set off for Italy. He caught a big break while in Venice during the 1709-1710 season, in the opportunity to compose the music for a new opera at the Teatro S. Giovanni Grisostomo. Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani, who owned the theater, provided the libretto himself for Agrippina (HWV 6, for which Indiana University has made an online score available in its remarkable Variations prototype). The wild success of the opera with Venetian audiences made it "the climax of Handel's career up to the age of 25," as Winton Dean saw it.

Here is an opera whose setting would lend itself to the cold-hearted, modern interpretation we recently saw applied by the Kirov Opera, in a misguided way, to Verdi's Falstaff. In this opera, at least, we really do have a bunch of blood-thirsty wealthy elites -- the Roman imperial family -- who are certainly capable of the worst. Empress Agrippina hears that her husband, Claudio, has died and immediately sets in motion a plan to have her son, Nero (Nerone), named Emperor. When Claudio turns up alive, she has to try to have him killed, while plotting to unseat Ottone, whom Claudio named his successor, through a scheme involving Poppea, the mistress of all three men.

Other Reviews: Mark J. Estren, Virginia Opera's 'Agrippina' Shines With Modern Twists And Political Turns (Washington Post, February 12) T. L. Ponick, Modern-day 'Agrippina' with a bit of zing (Washington Times, February 3) April Phillips, Virginia Opera gets down and dirty with farcical "Agrippina" (Virginia Pilot, January 25) McVicar Production, English National Opera: Anna Picard (The Independent) Anthony Holden (The Observer) Edward Seckerson (The Independent) Warwick Thompson (Bloomberg News)

Why belittle the violence of the story by turning the characters into caricatures? Fine, Nerone sleeps in his mother's bed and snorts cocaine off his hand during an aria. Agrippina and Poppea do not need to click spoons in their teacups to the rhythm of another ritornello, and the manic laughter could be halved. Most unnecessary of all was the chorus of smoking supernumeraries, who confused the story from the moment that the overture was "staged" -- never a good sign. By the time we reach the end of the opera, the forced happy ending is undercut by ironic subtitles, with factoids about the historical consequences of the story (most of the actual people portrayed in the opera ended up suicides or victims of murder). What a laugh riot! Silly Romans!

The cast was of mixed quality, at about the level one would expect from a regional company charging lower ticket prices (maximum price, $90). The strongest singing came from the women, especially soprano Jane Redding, who glittered vocally as Poppea, especially in Vaghe perle, eletti fiori in Act I. Sujung Kim was strong as Agrippina, although some of the more demanding passagework of the role was not really there. Countertenor David Walker was not in optimal voice as Ottone, with a nervous flutter that soured the pitch occasionally. Still, his impressive experience in Baroque specialized performance was evident in the fine ornamentation he incorporated, and his rendition of the stunning Act II aria Voi che udite il mio lamento was particularly fine.

Tenor Jeffrey Halili was mostly underpowered and overacted in the role of Nerone, which Handel created for a soprano castrato (a fact suspiciously absent from the program notes). Bass-baritone Derrick Parker brought a well-projected, throaty sound to Emperor Claudio, but without much stylistic sensitivity (strange, given his experience singing Baroque opera). The only member of the supporting cast who requires mention is Matthew Burns, who had a consistently pleasing sound as Pallante.

Agrippina has its final two performances in Richmond this Friday and Sunday. Virginia Opera's final production of the season, a double-bill of Cavalleria Rusticana (with Cristina Nassif as Nedda) and I Pagliacci, opens on March 9 in Norfolk. It will come to George Mason on March 30 and April 1.

Washington National Opera Young Artists, Così Fan Tutte

We welcome this review from Ionarts guest contributor Michael Lodico.

Aundi Marie Moore and Claudia Huckle as Fiordiligi and Dorabella, Così Fan Tutte, Washington National Opera, photo by Karin Cooper

Members of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program presented Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte Friday night in their new professional venue, The Studio, in Takoma. Lorenzo da Ponte’s libretto was cleverly set in the present day by stage director Andrea Dorf. This production targets the sensibilities of Generation O, young professionals of ages 18 to 35 who have been offered discounted tickets and perks as part of the WNO’s wider initiative to reach out to young and diverse audiences.

The roles of sisters Dorabella (Claudia Huckle) and Fiordiligi (Aundi Marie Moore) were portrayed as fashionable party girls, who at times were chatting on their mobiles, sipping a Starbucks latte, or doing yoga in their gym clothes during the opera. The sisters’ lovers, Ferrando (Greg Warren) and Guglielmo (Trevor Scheunemann) were portrayed traditionally as soldiers pretending to go off to battle, until their disguised return to the stage as lecherous, greasy-haired perverts with the deceitful aim of seducing the other’s lover. This became a highly visual, entertaining, yet unsubtle confrontation between the classic poles of female fidelity and male licentiousness.

One characteristic moment occurred during Act I, when sisters Dorabella and Fiordiligi were passing around a banana while lamenting the worthlessness of all men. Due to the intimacy of the Studio, the capacity audience of 200, who surrounded two sides of the “alley style” stage, could observe the facial expressions, fondling, and excellent acting of the performers. This could well be considered opera buffa in the extreme, due to the level of vulgarity in this production. However, this may be just an attempt to go to the same level as any recent salacious feature film or show on television, which could be in line with the WNO’s aims to reach out to young and diverse audiences.

Other Reviews: [Anonymous -- hah!], WNO brightens 'black box' (Washington Times, February 13) Robert Battey, Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program (Washington Post, February 16)

British mezzo-soprano Claudia Huckle as Dorabella gave the most impressive performance on opening night. With a very creamy tone and consistently convincing musicality, Huckle shined most during Dorabella’s Act I aria expressing the despair caused by her lover’s departure for battle. The dialogue during Huckle’s recitatives with soprano Aundi Marie Moore as Fiordiligi flowed naturally along with the well-played continuo performed by harpsichordist Matthew Ottenlips. Swiss baritone Obed Ureña, as the hedonistic philosopher Don Alfonso, who subverts the idealistic lovers, possessed a wide range of tone colors. It was a pity that the role of Alfonso was not one that fully exhibited his vocal strengths.

Unfortunately, the performers were done a disservice by having to collaborate with a minimal orchestra – if one could call it so – consisting of string quartet, clarinet, piano, and harpsichord. This left the entire opera top-heavy, with no double-basses or other bass sounds to give the fundamental support necessary to convey the rich harmonic writing of Mozart. For the overture and most of the opera the piano doubled the string parts, which gave the first impression of a high school production. This impression was reinforced by the malfunction of the supertitle monitors for the first 15 minutes of the performance, leaving one in fear of their fate for the following 3 hours. The ensemble was led by Young Artist conductor Benjamin Makino, who largely beat time with both hands identically, with a rather astonishing absence of beat patterns. Fortunately, the singers, with their fine acting facilitated by Andrea Dorf’s effectively kitsch stage direction, saved the day.

Performances -- all sold out -- continue this week (February 11, 14, and 16) at the Washington National Opera Studio (6925 Willow Street NW).

In Brief

Here is your regular Sunday dosage of interesting items, from Blogville and beyond:

• Matthew Guerrieri answers the question "Do music critics go through all five Kübler-Ross stages?" (ending with acceptance) by using Slonimsky's Lexicon of Musical Invective. You know the story: Stravinsky's Rite of Spring causes a riot at its premiere but 30 years later is used by Walt Disney in Fantasia. [Soho the Dog]


• La Cieca discovers the YouTube videos of William Zauscher (followed by Alex Ross and others). Yes, that's the William Zauscher written up here at Ionarts in December. However, the comments never went in the direction they did at La Cieca's. Whoa. [Parterre Box]


• In related news, Washington, D.C., has an Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Affairs. And who else would you hire to head up such an office but a drag queen who performs under the pseudonym Cookie Buffet? [Wonkette]


• Who was Alice Prin? Kiki of Montparnasse, the muse of modernity. [The Guardian]


• There is so much interesting stuff to watch at YouTube. Marc Geelhoed directs us to a video of Messiaen's Oiseaux Exotiques performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Pierre Boulez. [Deceptively Simple]


• WHAT? Someone, somewhere, actually thought this was a good idea? Just one of those pallets of cash shipped off to Iraq could have been the seed money for the new Ionarts. [Wonkette]


• In other national news, the Ethnomusicologists (like the Dead Presidents?) come out publicly against using music as a weapon in torture. And, believe me, listening to some of the things they study is torture. *rimshot* [Boing Boing]


• Maury d'Annato looks back at his first opera at the Met, Eugene Onegin, coincidentally also his 75th opera there this season (related -- Sieglinde raves about the same production, with Fleming and Gergiev -- I will tune in via Sirius). My first night at the Met was one of my earliest experiences with live opera in a major house, on my first-ever trip to New York City (an undergraduate-years story I told a couple years ago here). Mirella Freni in Manon Lescaut, and I had no ticket. However, I did have a credit card (thanks, Mom and Dad!), which is how I ended up sitting in a box at the Met. [My Favorite Intermissions]


• Dawn Upshaw has recovered from chemotherapy and is back on a comeback tour. We wish her the best. [Opera Chic]
  

Two Nights of Shostakovich, Two Emerson String Quartets

The Emerson String Quartet finished their belated demi-cycle of Shostakovich Quartets 1 – 8 (out of 15) at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater last Tuesday and Wednesday – after an auspicious but not necessarily rousing start on Monday night. Tuesday saw three even-numbered quartets: The Second, Fourth, and the Eighth, widely considered to be DSCH’s finest of them all, and one of the finest string quartets altogether.

There is no doubt that this grand, highly personal work is a stupendous contribution to the genre. Every listener may have his own, emotional favorites, but the music of the Eighth is bound to awe anyone who hears it, especially live. From the musical DSCH quotation in the calm opening to the ripping, aggressive frenzy of a folk/gypsy (some say Jewish) dance in the Allegro molto, the Mahlerian Allegretto followed by the mourning of the first of the two final Largo movements - packed with musical self-quotations - to the final slow movement through which breathes the ghost of Beethoven: This is tremendously moving music and it was played by the Emerson Quartet with the intensity, skill, and dedication that it deserved; altogether better than any of the preceding works – despite continued rough patches from Eugene Drucker, who took all the first violin parts on Tuesday.

Quartets Nos.4 (one of my perennial favorites along Nos. 1, 3, and 9) and 2 also offered a few sloppy moments (notably in their respective first movements) and were covered, like on Monday, with a sense of a muted mood, a somber and almost shallow touch. That was appropriate (if not the singularly satisfying way in which to perform it) for Quartet No.4 in D-Major, op.83 with its long pedal points (harking back to the second movement of the Second Quartet) underneath a firm pulse; its beautifully orchestral and melodic second movement, the subtle nervousness and two gently irresistible pulses tip-toe-galloping over more open string pedal points of the Allegretto third movement, before cumulating in the pizzicato-heavy Allegretto finale.

Quartet No. 2 in A-Major, op.68 offered density (Overture: Moderato con moto), a soft-spoken cantilena (Adagio – so aptly described as “mingling the voice of the cantor with that of the Bachian evangelist” by Ian MacDonald in his The New Shostakovich, which otherwise teems with unbearable conjecture), a dark, Russian waltz (Valse: Allegro), and mono-chromatic grace in the finale (Theme with Variations: Adagio – Moderato con moto).

Playing the quartets Nos. 3 and 6 on Wednesday night, followed by the sublime Piano Quintet, the Emerson String Quartet sounded like a different group. Now with Philip Setzer on first violin for the entire night, there was the engagement and passion that was missing in the first two nights. There was a spring in the step of the beautifully played well-tempered Quartet No.6, op.101, accurate from the start (faux-Johann Strauss shimmers through), a more cohesive sound for the quartet altogether, cellist David Finckel digging into the music; all four gentle and good-humored in the pizzicato-happy bliss of a second movement – and swelling and ebbing in unison in the two last movements.

Other Reviews: Charles T. Downey, Half-Cycle of Shostakovich Quartets (DCist, February 8) Stephen Brookes, Emerson Puts a Warm Finish on Shostakovich (Washington Post, February 7) -- first concert only

Quartet No.3 in F-Major, op.73, was played with feeling (not always the expected mode from the Emersons). A light mouse-dance with teasing twists first, a musical floor ripped out of the notes underneath it all, merging into a fatalistic dance of the first violin before the excited, communal frenzy breaks out. Two sonorous last movements, mild, bitter touches were all part of this performance with the four players finally taking their gloves off.

Finally, the Quintet in G-minor, op.57 is one of the best chamber works written – composed by Shostakovich for himself and the Beethoven quartet (which premiered 14 of his 15 quartets). Shostakovich was a fine concert pianist himself, but even so, the work does not demand the most prodigious technique… it demands bell-like tones, assertion, power, feeling. Fortas Chamber Music Series Artistic Director Joseph Kalichstein joined the Emerson Quartet for the performance and he managed some to incorporate some of these elements – but not enough, and amid too many technical errors to allow for unalloyed enjoyment of an otherwise very assertive and engaged performance. Mr. Kalichstein played with conviction, wrong notes and correct ones, but more practice (or even facility) would have been helpful to round out these three concerts in their deserved glory.

Beethoven Q4t

Jerusalem Q4t

One of the finest single discs of Shostakovich Quartets is the young Jerusalem Quartet's second recording for Harmonia Mundi. No other quartet - certainly not of their generation - puts as much emotional investment into their playing, combined with the technical wizardry that you'd expect from a group these days. Expensive but apparently in better-than-expected sound - and superb and surely "authentic" performances come from the Beethoven Quartet which premiered all but one or two of the DSCH quartets. I didn't include them in the list of cycles the last time and was promptly reminded of that omission.

This Week in MP3

Here is what was at the top of the Ionarts playlist for the week. Click on the link to read a review (if we have published one) or the album picture to buy it through Amazon (if available).

New:

Mendelssohn/Bruch, Concertos and Romance, Janine Jansen, Gewandhaus Orchester, R. Chailly (January 9, 2007)

Mozart, Requiem Mass, Munich Philharmonic, Christian Thielemann (November 21, 2006)

J. S. Bach, Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, John Holloway, Baroque violin (October 10, 2006)

Old:

Mozart, Symphonies 40 and 41, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski (2006)

Schoenberg, Gurrelieder, T. Troyanos, J. Norman, J. McCracken, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seija Ozawa (remastered, 2006)

R. Strauss, Arabella, A. Dermota, Vienna Philharmonic, Georg Solti (remastered, 2006)

Iván Fischer in Mendelssohn

Iván Fischer returned to D.C. for the second of three* times in his first season as Principal Guest Conductor (there are rumors he might become more than that, although my bets and hopes are still on James Conlon) of the National Symphony Orchestra and further displayed his indelible ways with romantic Central European repertoire that orchestras all over the world (have to) play anyway, but don’t always do with the flair and passion a maestro like Mr. Fischer can elicit.

Mendelssohn is the composer for this run of concerts (there are repeat performances of this program on Friday 7PM and Saturday 8PM) and this most precocious of composers is represented with two early works to prove it. Symphony No.1, rarely played – but not for lack of beauty – was created when Mendelssohn was 15 years old. A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was 17 – expanded, seamlessly, from the overture with the incidental music 16 years later, when he was only five years away from his early demise at 38.

Mendelssohn did most everything wrong he could do wrong to be a ‘good’ romantic composer. He was well-mannered, clean, undisturbed, and emotionally balanced. He was financially secure, had no split personality; was neither deaf nor syphilitic. He composed music in a rather classical manner and wasn’t prone to scandals. These deficiencies for the desired romantic stereotype of a composer cannot even be made up by having died sufficiently young. And even that early death is not seen as too tragic (compared to, say, Schubert!) because Mendelssohn’s greatest masterpieces were written when he was still a wee lad (Octet, Midsummer Night’s Dream).

Other Reviews: Tim Page, NSO and Ivan Fischer Make The Most of Mendelssohn (Washington Post, February 9)

The lighthearted, graceful and ‘touched’ work that is the Shakespeare-influenced overture and incidental music (which actually incorporates parts of the Octet and forms a sort of one-in-all greatest-hit work) was on fine display under Fischer’s precise, puckish command. He never allowed it to trod or be weighed down by the size of the large orchestral forces. Alas, the all-important spark that turns this music from ‘nice’, ‘pleasant’, and ‘lovely’ into something genuinely exciting was sadly missing in a consummate but tame – almost timid – performance. The horns, in particularly, played gingerly, as if under-rehearsed, the strings were wheezing on several occasions. With soprano Carolyn Betty as the first fairy it was a bit difficult to make out what she was singing – nor was she particularly fairy-like with her dense, dark-hued voice. Judith Norton kindly stepped in as the second fairy to replace the indisposed Kelley O’Connor. The “Women of the University of Maryland Concert Choir” (could they not change their name to “Singin’ Terrapinettes”?) provided the remaining fairies for the faultless chorus.

The First Symphony enjoyed a happy-go-lucky first movement but never sat firmly in the saddle, either – a deliberate and regal flow in the Andante ensured that the music’s charm came across, but not much more. Perhaps even higher expectations from maestro Fischer contributed to the perception of this performance being curiously lackluster.

Film: Blood Diamond

Things are easier to get done in Hollywood. Someone worries about how profits from the diamond trade are being used to fund civil wars. Someone else writes a script about Sierra Leone, with a nice supporting role for a talented African actor (Djimon Hounsou, whom you may recognize from Amistad and Gladiator), a family man, with a nice physique. You get Leonardo DiCaprio to play the lead, a devilish mercenary with a heart of gold and an unidentifiable accent (Australia? Jamaica? Minnesota? -- a "Sith Iffrican iccent" as Peter Bradshaw put it in The Guardian), and a pretty actress like Jennifer Connelly to play the tough journalist who brings him around. A rapper creates a song for the credits ("Fling down your bling bling"). As a result, somewhere in Orange County, a rich woman has a clean conscience spending six figures on more diamonds. Members of the Academy feel good about themselves at the ceremony as one actor or both receive awards. Voilà! they have solved the "conflict diamond" problem.

Other Reviews: Manohla Dargis | David Denby | The Guardian | Le Monde | Le Figaro | Washington Post | Rotten Tomatoes

The fact that Blood Diamond is a political cause masquerading as a movie is the only thing that can explain the prominence of this mediocre thriller among the year's Oscar nominations. Director Edward Zwick has made two beautiful, powerful movies -- Glory and Courage under Fire -- as well as a handful of turkeys (Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, The Siege, About Last Night). This one, with an original screenplay by Charles Leavitt, is often beautifully shot (cinematography by Eduardo Serra, who has been shooting films for years in France, including the exquisite La Veuve de Saint-Pierre) and features some good, if not outstanding performances from the cast. However, in the extra 40 minutes or so that the film struggles also to be a documentary about Sierra Leone, its preachiness tired me.

As Thomas Sotinel noted in Le Monde, the film's do-good message is obscene, given that it cost $100 million to make Blood Diamond (as we learned in Tristram Shandy, it's all in the -- mostly unnecessary -- battle scenes), when the 3.5 million inhabitants of Sierra Leone exist on a GDP of only $700 million. In fact, some people in Sierra Leone are not happy about the impact the film may have on the legitimate diamond industry and on the appeal of their country to tourists. Blood Diamond is up for two major awards, Best Actor for DiCaprio (presumably for shifty glances and obsessive smoking) and Best Supporting Actor for Hounsou (for a lot of eye-popping and screaming that veers dangerously toward the absurd). Neither nomination makes any sense to me.

The Harrowing Beauty of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Last Sunday, the Kirov presented Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk under the baton of Valery Gergiev: A single concert performance as their parting gift, concluding their annual residency at the Kennedy Center. Shostakovich’s more-or-less only opera from 1930/32 is a work of a very particular attraction. From the first moment, the listener is shocked by a deliberately dissonant, confused stream of sound. Fragments of melody appear only to disappear in confused screaming.

Maybe so. History judges the review from which these last two sentences are lifted (inspired, if not written by Josef Stalin) as harshly as perhaps only Hanslick’s verdict about Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (“Music that stinks to the ear”). True, the review included harsher language, accused Lady Macbeth of being a “crude, primitive and vulgar” composition. If the above is actually not so far off the mark, the latter judgment is woefully inept. Still, the arrogance of the critic who can call Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk an “impossibly beautiful” opera (without any qualification or explanation) probably exceeds the narrow mindedness of the (ideological) derision the work received at the hands of the party-hack who got to work on that Pravda review in January of 1936.


The truth is that Shostakovich’s masterpiece is not much less difficult to find beautiful than Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto or Prokofiev’s Third Symphony or Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes. All these works, to me and many dedicated classical music lovers, are of course considered “impossibly beautiful”, but this is a distinct minority (or more honestly still: elite) opinion. No one likes to call him or herself part of the “elite” – certainly not in this country. And surely not when it comes to classical music, which the elite thinks already suffers from an elitist image. It is precisely that irony that makes me spend time on the issue of calling Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk an “impossibly beautiful opera”: Because it displays the attitude of utter elitism without having the guts to admit it.

One look around the woefully empty Concert Hall would have sufficed in making that point. Many of those in attendance had regretfully wondered why it was the most interesting of the three Kirov presentations (Rossini’s Il Viaggio a Reims and Verdi’s Falstaff had been shown in staged performances) was relegated to a ‘mere’ concert performance. Because the wider public has an astounding, regrettably pronounced ability to resist such ‘impossibly beautiful music’. That's why.

This is a shame, because Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk actually is an astounding opera, a masterpiece as Shostakovich probably never wrote again. An early pinnacle after which few uncontroversially great works followed. I still think that “beautiful” is the wrong word for this work for most people, but this opera is many things: rousing, arousing, marching, dancing, tender, loving, abrasive, ironic, sardonic, terrifying, ripping, smashing. And, yes, occasionally plain beautiful. You will find touches of Berg, touches of Mahler, touches of Schoenberg in this work; others will hear Richard Strauss or even the lightness of the ‘lesser’ Strauss’ waltzes. After the official criticism DSCH never composed quite in the same style. Lamentable, because in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk he created a greater variety of tone, a greater sophistication, warmth, and compositional carefreeness than in any of his subsequent orchestral works.


Robert R. Reilly reviewed this opera at Covent Garden for Ionarts and was impressed. As I, he wondered how it would work in concert performance. Should anyone have had a doubt: It works marvelously! The operatic/cinematic musical language (second only to Bartók’s Bluebeard), almost graphic in its descriptions, is only enhanced by the concert-performance. As with the NSO’s Salome in late January, the orchestral details were more audible by hearing the orchestra from above the pit. A slew of new impressions, allusions, and subtleties suddenly indulged the ears. More than could possibly be all absorbed in one sitting. The impeccably human humor, the superb arch of the story (the libretto was written by Alexander Preis together with Shostakovich, based on a short story by Nikolai Leskov), the breathless storytelling within this opera all contributed to its success on the concert stage and made its three hours fly by.

The story of the protagonist Katerina Izmailova’s captivity in an unhappy marriage, her liberation by the dubious Sergey, her consequent humiliation and death (there is no more humiliating scene written in all of opera than when Sergey – during their shackled march toward a Siberian prison – has Katerina render her wool stockings to him under false pretenses only so that he may buy himself sexual favors with his new flame, Sonyetka) offers compelling theater dotted with the most improbable humor in its earthy, honest humanity… its witty orchestral effects. It offers the deepest irony, true anguish and false anguish. True love and false promises. It contains a universe of unmatched human emotion – leading directly to its tragic end. At its heart it has that one element that makes any work of art great in the first place: Truth. An ugly truth, at times, but represented so well and with so much skill that the intimidating exterior should not scare away novice ears from making this opera theirs, through multiple, open minded exposure.

D. Shostakovich, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Rostropovich, Vishnevskaya et al.

Shostakovich makes great demands on the singers and on no one more than the title role. Taken by Larisa Gogolevskaya on Sunday, this is a role in which you can either only fail, since it is nearly impossible to meet every requirement (dynamic range, the extreme range of register, beauty of tone throughout, vocal acting)… or only win, because no one could possibly expect more than a maximum of effort and dedication. Mme. Gogolevskaya could not be faulted for lack of the latter. Occasional difficulties were largely minor and she dug into her part with all her heart and soul. Hers is not the finest or most elegant of voices, but then Katerina Izmailova is not an elegant or ‘fine’ woman. She is a rather earthy, practical woman; illiterate but savvy and not shy of committing the occasional murder to further her freedom.

Other Reviews: Daniel Ginsberg, Kirov's Power Unleashed In Shostakovich Work (Washington Post, February 6) Charles T. Downey, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Kirov Opera (DCist, February 6) T. L. Ponick, 'Macbeth' Russian style (Washington Times, February 6)

Boris Timofeyevich is her father-in-law, sung by bass Alexei Tanovitski. It is the most rewarding male part and was sung with beauty of tone (almost too young and beautiful a voice for the part). The immediate impression of great strength in his voice was ameliorated as he more and more struggled to make himself audible over the (admittedly thickly) orchestrated parts. Tenor Viktor Lutsiuk as Sergey visibly reveled in his part as that indefinably anti-heroic character (the only fitting description for this two-timing, double-crossing, misogynist, cunning, possibly loving – more likely exploiting element is: “scumbag”). A terrific actor of small gestures, he provided all the necessary drama to make one forget that this was not in fact a staged performance. His singing, too, was very fine: Experienced and economic, open and vigorous. Evgeny Akimov, in the relatively small role of Katerina’s indecisive, ineffectual husband Zinovy Borisovich Ismailov, made his strangulation a truly mourned event. His tenor sounded like the fullest of baritones, his voice rang above the orchestra with clarity and astounding ease. His was a Heldentenor-like performance – and sure enough he has recently started tackling Wagner’s big guys. There is much to look forward to, from him, for Wagnerians worldwide. Liubov Sokolova sang Sonyetka with a smooth yet whisky-smoky mezzo that caressed the ears and gave a vocal dimension to her believable seduction of Sergey. The rest of the cast – most notable among them Vadim Kravets, Gennady Bezzubenkov, and Yury Vorobyev – was fine if often at pains trying to sing over the orchestra. But amidst such music, there was nothing that could deter from an evening that was nothing short of spectacular.

Lully's Armide Sells out in Maryland

Classical Music can’t be all that dead – or even sick – if you can show a relatively obscure French baroque opera on a freezing cold Sunday afternoon on the inconveniently located outskirts of the District of Columbia and do it to a full house. Well over 2000 ears perked to hear Opera Lafayette present Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Armide (on Torquato Tasso's oft set Gerusalemme liberata) under the direction of Ryan Brown. Even if (French) baroque opera can get long (maybe 45 minutes longer than would have been ideal for this otherwise rapt listener) and a tad repetitive, no one will have regretted the long trip to Maryland University’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Performed in a concert version but with baroque dance interludes (or danced ‘commentary’, so to speak – provided by the New York Baroque Dance Company), excellently played by the period orchestra (the strings a little shallow sounding, if a point of criticism must be found), and splendidly sung by its cast, Armide was as close as the baroque opera world gets to an ‘event’ in this town. The title role was taken by mezzo-soprano Stephanie Houtzeel who calls a fiercely trained, steeled, and concentrated veteran voice her own – a voice that could eat all the others on stage for breakfast… which is not to say that it was more beautiful or pleasant than, for example Ms. Dubrow’s soprano: a rich, full, pleasantly round instrument, well suited to French; a voice that has not yet had its naturalness trained out of it. An unrelated, mild struggle was faintly audible at times, but hardly distracted from her contributions (La Sagesse, Sidonie, Mélisse) which contrasted so nicely with Ms. Houtzeel’s. The latter’s voice filled the barn-like Elsie & Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall that it would not allow for the church effect that smaller voices were affected with. Veteran singer Ann Monoyios (La Glorie, Phénice, Lucinde) had this natural resonance added to her clear tone.


François Loup (Hidarot, Ubalde) is a natural choice for such undertakings as Armide in this region: Like a veteran sweeper in football, he can get the desired results with a fraction of the effort that younger colleagues would have to invest. His (musical) intelligence and experience allow him to sing his parts more marvelously than the voice he still has (impressive in its own right) alone would allow for. Robert Getchell’s Renaud was sturdy and unassailable – all in a role that does not quite offer the same opportunities to sparkle as those of his female colleagues. The same can be said about Tony Boutté’s “Danish Knight” and William Sharp’s Artémidore and his “Hate”, La Haine. The UMD students Darren Perry, Tara McCredie, Adria McCulloch, and Eric Sampson made the most of their small parts as Aronte, a nymph, a shepherdess, and that “fortunate lover”.

Other Reviews: Tim Page, 'Armide' the Obscure: Well Worth Bringing to Light (Washington Post, February 5) Charles T. Downey, Armide Project: Lully (DCist, February 5)

The dances, based on known patterns of baroque dance and choreographed by artistic director Catherine Turocy were delicate and graceful beyond what one might expect, in earnest ignorance, from prologues, preludes, and interspersed orchestral dances padded with baroque dancing. Elaborate costumes further helped add much appreciated color to this concert-performance which gave much reason to look forward to the upcoming performances of Gluck’s Armide, fully staged, at the Clarice Smith Center’s Kay Theatre in April.

Rain to S, Is an ort, Stroina, Nisarot

A couple days ago, Phil Ford at Dial M for Musicology called on me to take the iPod Random Challenge. First of all, while it's true that I did recently join the MP3 generation, I most certainly did not buy into the proprietary technology of the iPod. Furthermore, I have to confess that I had never actually used the Shuffle setting on my lovely Creative Zen player. Only one track of Arabella? In the length of a single track, my attention span has hardly even begun. It's just not how I listen to music.

Also, I have had this little toy only for a couple weeks, and so I have only 2 gigs of the 20-gig memory filled. This means that a random survey thing is not going to be particularly representative of my listening habits. (For those who want a more representative sample, tune in on Saturdays for the regular installments of "This Week in MP3" -- here are links to February 3 and January 27). Still, Phil asked, so here are 10 tracks from my first-ever use of the Shuffle button:

1. Mahler, Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), 1st movement -- Vienna Philharmonic, P. Boulez
   
   I clearly remember being an undergraduate singing in the chorus for a collegiate performance of this piece. This performance (reviewed by Jens) is emotionally thrilling, with great singing from Christine Schäfer, Michelle DeYoung, and the Wiener Singverein. The only Mahler symphony Boulez has not yet recorded [for Deutsche Grammophon -- thank you, Jens!] is the 8th: if/when that happens, it will probably be apocalyptic.


2. Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov, "Bozhe krepky, provy" from Act I -- Vienna Philharmonic, Karajan
   
   An outstanding opera, probably my favorite in the Russian repertory. It's hard to believe it was composed in the mid-19th century, because parts of it sound so modern. The orchestral introduction to and choral conclusion of "Da zdrastvstvuet tsar Boris Feodorovich" from the Prologue, with its oscillating variation over two alternating chords, could be inserted without too much trouble into an opera by Philip Glass or John Adams. This recording uses the revision by Rimsky-Korsakov.


3. Bellini, Norma (Scena - Introduzione, from Act II) -- LSO, Bonynge
   
   This is why the Shuffle function can be so frustrating: I didn't even get to hear Sutherland sing! This opera is in many ways the summa of the bel canto repertory, and Sutherland's version is astounding.


4. Webern, Piano Variations, op. 27 (1. Sehr mässig) -- Maurizio Pollini
   
   Pollini is an intellectual pianist, which may make his approach to Webern natural, but he mines this emotionally barren landscape for every bit of subtlety and expressive line possible. The second movement is a berserk dance of peg-legged giants, about 40 seconds long.


5. Handel, Solomon (HWV 67), "May no rash intruder" (Act I) -- Monteverdi Choir, J. E. Gardiner
   
   An extraordinary recording of a beautiful oratorio, about which I recently raved because it has been re-released in a remastered version. As I wrote there, the scene in which Solomon decides a case of disputed maternity is a wonder.


6. R. Strauss, Die Frau ohne Schatten, "Falke, Falke, du Wiedergefundener" (Act 2) -- James King, Wiener Staatsoper, Karl Böhm
   
   I almost had to abandon the experiment at this point, because I wanted to keep listening to the rest of the opera. James King sings the hell out of the Emperor's music on this recording. The opera is akin to Pelléas in its fairy tale setting, but the music could not be more different.


7. Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 18 (K. 576), 3rd movement -- Mitsuko Uchida
   
   This is from the "Steinway Legends" collection, where there is a nice selection of Uchida's Mozart, and this is a live performance. So clean, so strong, and yet ready to vanish in a wisp of smoke.


8. Smetana, "Dobra! Ja mu je dam!" from Dalibor -- Homage, Renée Fleming, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, Valery Gergiev
   
   Still in the process of listening to this recording, which I recently received: a review is forthcoming. I am always willing to hear more Smetana opera, and I do not know this opera at all. La Fleming is another thing. Still listening, still listening.


9. Wolf, "Jägerlied" (from Mörike-Lieder) -- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Geoffrey Parsons
   
   Schwarzkopf died this past summer. Her Wolf songs are not all successful, as they may require more subtlety than her voice was used to, as in this somewhat tossed-off track. Now the quiet desperation of Das verlassene Mägdlein is another thing...


10. Shostakovich, Katerina Izmailova, "Govori!... Plotinu-to Na" (Act I) -- Kiev Shevchenko Opera
    
    We just had the chance to hear Valery Gergiev lead the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater in a stunning concert performance of Shostakovich's operatic masterpiece (see my review for DCist). This recording is not all that good, not least because it uses the later, toned-down version of the opera. Hopefully, Gergiev will make a recording soon.

Everyone's doing it: Soho the Dog, Musical Perceptions, Opera Chic.

Shostakovich String Quartet (Mini-) Cycle at the Terrace Theater

Emerson SQ4t Fitzwilliams SQ4t Shostakovich SQ4t Brodsky Quartet Rubio Quartet

Sorrel Quartet Danel Quartet St. Petersburg SQ4t Borodin Quartet I Borodin Quartet II

The Shostakovich Centenary comes late to Washington, but it comes hard. No complaints on our part for experiencing the baffling giant of Russian composers four times in a row at the Kennedy Center. The Emerson String Quartet’s concert Monday night at the Terrace Theater was, after the Kirov’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk on Sunday, the second of those nights. Playing Shostakovich’s quartets 1, 5, and 7 they opened a mini series that will present the first eight of DSCH’s fifteen quartets and his phenomenal piano quintet. Nominally sold out on Tuesday and Wednesday, the current weather makes last minute availability of tickets a little more likely and worth a try. The performances (so much can already be judged from Monday’s concert) as well as the very opportunity to hear these works live, certainly is worth braving sub-zero temperatures.

There is no String Quartet that thinks itself greater than the Emerson String Quartet. Admittedly Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer, Lawrence Duttion, and David Finckel have had unprecedented success for a chamber group – and many recordings on Deutsche Grammophon (and a few Grammys and Gramophone Awards) to show for it. That said, they are not everyone’s favorite and often cited for a distinct lack of warmth or passion in their playing. Often they are more likely impress than endear. With Quartet No.1 op.49 they did neither. Curiously underplayed, almost laconic, and – most unusual for these four perfectionists – with pitch oddities, they played this 1948 work (Shostakovich started late with string quartets and although this first one was just supposed to be a test run, it is extraordinary, indeed!) with routine; presented it, but didn’t live it.

The gentle tock-tock-tock opening of Quartet No.7 was more convincing: calm and with single instruments shining through the sparse writing of the Allegretto. Following the haunting Lento, the third movement’s Allegro-Allegretto opened with an appropriate hollow-metallic atmosphere – its frenzied continuation before the quasi-Bachian, and then ironic, final elements was impressive in its precision.

Quartet No.5, its three movements played attacca (i.e. without pause between them), has a typical Shostakovich-like ‘strive’n’drive’ attitude in the Allegro non troppo while its motor was kept running by the Mr. Dutton’s viola (no audible or visible effects from his torn rotator cuff any more). The thin Andante middle movement, almost sweet (except in Shostakovich there is always something eerie in the slow movements), was perhaps the best moment of the evening’s performance. The ensemble work was flawless and its mood hit just right and – together with the third movement – made for a promising conclusion to this first of three exciting nights.



The Emerson String Quartet’s award winning (live!) Shostakovich Cycle has been reissued by DG for the Centenary. When it came out, it was the only complete modern cycle on a big label and it blew people away for its painfully acute precision and cleanliness. It competed only with the aged Fitzwilliams cycle on Decca and the spottily available second cycle of the Borodin Quartet (variously available on Melodiya, EMI, BMG and currently out of print.) If you can somehow get your hands on that Borodin cycle, do it. It’s a set of such a quality, it could make thieves out of honest men. Warmth and Russian flair, sometimes raw, sometimes sweet but always with pure emotions... all this is of paramount importance in these works and few quartets knew or know them better than the Borodin. The Quintet together with a certain Sviatoslav Richter also sweetens the deal. The Emerson set's assets, however, are no longer quite as impressive as the competition has increased manifold. Now there are the Brodsky Quartet cycle on Warner Classics, the Sorrel Quartet on Chandos (the same company also re-issues the first Borodin cycle, recorded before quartets 14 and 15 were composed), the St. Petersburg Quartet on hyperion, Brilliant Classics’ acclaimed Rubio Quartet cycle, the Danel Quartet (on Fuga Libera), Shostakovich Quartet (re-issued on Regis), the Eder on Naxos, and the Manhattan String Quartet cycle on Ess.a.y Recordings. You can find any range of technical precociousness and perfection coupled with different levels of gutsy, emotional playing. Top recommendations are (if you can’t find “Borodin II”) the Rubio, Danel, Shostakovich, and Borodin I cycles.

The Minetti Quartet Returns

Last Thursday (and Friday night), the Minetti Quartett (two “t’s”, since “Quartett” is part of their name and spelled the German way – as, for example, with the Hagen Quartett) graced the Austrian Embassy again – after their stunning appearance at the same place exactly one year ago. It remains, I am convinced, the Embassy Series’ finest discovery. “Even hearing them in minor works, one is inclined to take out shares on their future stardom” was my impression then, and nothing has changed since. Along with the Jupiter, Dædalus, Ébène, and Parker String Quartets, the Minetti Quartett plays at a level hard to believe for any group, much less one that is still so (relatively) young.

Among these four groups, the players that make up the Minetti Quartett (Maria Ehmer - first violin, Anna Knopp - second violin, Markus Huber - viola, and Leonhard Roczek - cello) may be the most homogenous, impressing with cohesion and coherence. On Thursday (as on Friday), their program of Haydn (C Major, op.20, No.2) and Mozart (G Major, KV387) was cleaved by Berg’s String Quartet op.3. Amid lucid Haydn and driven, yet graceful Mozart, it was the searing performance of the Berg that stood out. Languid yet with the density and twisted, knotty structure this work needs, the Minetti Quartett proved once again that they are a musical force to be reckoned with and one of the finest, most sophisticated ways to hear string quartets performed.

Dip Your Ears, No. 76

Naxos-delicacies are often found by the wayside in ‘undiscovered composer territory’. And even if Carl Stamitz (1745-1801) and Johann Baptist Vaňhal (1739 - 1813) are not completely unknown, you could probably not get two sides for a football-team in your town with classical music lovers that have heard either Stamitz’ Orchestral Quartets or Vaňhal’s Violin Concertos. Two Naxos discs might be about to change that.

C. Stamitz, Orchestral Quartets, NZSO ChO, Armstrong (released November 21st, 2006)

A gem of a disc comes in the form of Carl Stamitz’ Orchestral Quartets, performed with passion, vigor, and tenderness by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Chamber Orchestra (NZSO Chamber Orchestra) under the baton of Donald Armstrong. “Orchestral Quartets” in this case are quartets in the sense that they have four parts of music and could be played as a regular string quartet. In fact, two of the six op.14 works from which the four quartets on this disc stem, are pure string quartets (Nos.3 and 6, not included); two could be played by four players but are definitely meant for string orchestra (Nos.1 and 4, the most substantial of the bunch); Nos.2 and 5 could be either, are actually titled “Concertante Quartets” and make the upper voice optional for clarinet, flute, oboe, or violin, but are played here in the same manner as the “Orchestral Quartets”. The result is much more than one might expect from a ‘curious chamber work’ in a ‘curious orchestration’. This is not Kleinmeister-genius twice removed but, at least, Kleinmeister-genius at the root of origination... meant to be played like this and sounding truly delightful. A lightness of Mozart and Haydn, if without the same grace or humor, respectively, can be found – especially in the Fourth and First quartets, the Andantes of which are unadulterated sweetness (yet not cloying). Music, coincidentally, that seems like it is made to accompany a classical Valentine’s Day.

J.B. Vaňhal, Violin Concertos Vol.1, Nishizaki, Cologne ChO, Müller-Brühl (released October 31st, 2006)

Johann Baptist Vaňhal, also (un-)known as Jan Křtitel Vaňhal, has written (at least) 15 Violin Concertos – of which three are presented on this disc: Two in G major and one in B-flat major. 12 more might follow – as this Helmut Müller-Brühl / Cologne Chamber Orchestra collaboration with soloist Takako Nishizaki is titled “Volume 1”. This surely isn’t going to be considered “deep” music, but it is elegant music. Apart from three uncontrollable Mozartean genius-outbreaks, there aren’t that many classical violin concertos that promise or offer anything near the involving, sumptuous, and grandiloquent romantic violin concertos. These works then should not so much be compared to works of the (nominally) same genre from the hands of Bruch, Brahms, Mendelssohn et al., but rather with that of the Sinfonia Concertante (or something along those lines) of the time. Impressive fiddling from Mr. Nishizaki is present throughout these works, but it isn’t the glamorous virtuoso work that distinguishes the romantic violin concerto. (Still, Mr. Mrs. Nishizaki made an excellent choice in recording these works with which he can distinguish himself in new, uncovered territory, rather than straining to get a vanity recording of Tchaikovsky or Sibelius on the market, which would never spread his name any further than to those who already know him.)

Deliberate and unstoppable, pleasant (pleasant enough to have been picked by Mozart to play, as is the case with the B-flat concerto) and sometimes a little more than that, played with consummate skill (if not exactly burning fire) by the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, they are excellent light fare to intersperse into the Haydn/Mozart diet of the ‘classically inclined’.

Britten Operas on Ionarts

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

Paul Bunyan (1941)
Production: Central City Opera
DVD:

Peter Grimes (1945)
Production: Santa Fe Opera | Metropolitan Opera
DVD:

The Rape of Lucretia (1946)
Production: Portland Opera | Peabody Chamber Opera | Châteauville Foundation
DVD: English National Opera

Albert Herring (1947)
Production: Catholic University
DVD:

The Beggar's Opera (adapted from John Gay, 1948)
Production: Châteauville Foundation
DVD:

The Little Sweep/Let's Make an Opera (1949)
Production:
DVD:

Billy Budd (1951)
Production: Washington National Opera | Santa Fe Opera
DVD: English National Opera

Gloriana (1953)
Production: Opera Theater of St. Louis
DVD: English National Opera

The Turn of the Screw (1954)
Productions: Mariinsky Theater | Châteauville Foundation
DVD:

Noye's Fludde (1957)
Production:
DVD:

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960)
Productions: Glyndebourne | De Munt / Théâtre de la Monnaie
DVD: Glyndebourne | Robert Carsen

Curlew River (1967)
Production: Edinburgh Festival
DVD:

The Prodigal Son (1968)
Production:
DVD:

Owen Wingrave (1971)
Production:
DVD: Film by Margaret Williams

Death in Venice (1973)
Production: Glimmerglass
DVD:

The Burning Fiery Furnace (1979)
Production:
DVD:

Rape of Lucretia, Peabody Chamber Opera

Leah Kaye Serr and David Krohn in The Rape of Lucretia, Peabody Chamber Opera, photo by Jesse M. Hellman

We've been on a Britten binge lately here at Ionarts, and the chance to hear a live production of The Rape of Lucretia was most welcome. Just last month, I reviewed a DVD of this opera, and now Peabody Chamber Opera has mounted it in a fine production at Baltimore Theater Project. This is precisely the sort of opera that strong collegiate opera companies should be producing, rather than yet another mediocre staging of the old chestnuts. All three performances were sold out in advance.

Britten's librettist Ronald Duncan used as his main source a modern French play, André Obey's Le Viol de Lucrèce (adapted separately in English by Thornton Wilder). Obey certainly knew the Shakespeare poem on the story, The Rape of Lucrece, and the ultimate source, the first book of Livy's Ab urbe condita. At this point in the early history of Rome, the city was still under the control of Etruscan overlords. Sextus Tarquinius, the Etruscan Prince of Rome, is overcome with lust when he hears the story of Lucretia, the virtuous Roman wife of Collatinus. He gains entrance to her house, when Lucretia receives him honorably as a guest, and in the night rapes her. Lucretia calls upon her father and husband, reveals her shame, makes them swear to avenge her against her attacker, and then takes her own life with a dagger to spare her family the shame of her loss. Livy claims that Brutus stirred up hatred of the Etruscan rulers among the Romans by repeating Lucretia's story, helping to turn the tide of Roman hatred toward civil war. The legend of proud, independent Rome is born.

The opera takes place in wartime and concerns soldiers away from home and a wife left behind in charge of the household. As shown again by recent events, war sometimes brings out the worst in soldiers, even in how they interact with innocent civilians unfortunate enough to be in proximity to war. Roger Brunyate's production here sets the scene in a bunker, evoked by Kel Millionie's crumbling square concrete columns, draped with barbed wire, and military cot. Khaki uniforms for the soldiers, co-designed by Alexandra Ebright, and a camouflage duffel bag subtly suggest the trappings of the U.S. Army.

Leah Kaye Serr, Ruth Carver, and Sarah Hershman in The Rape of Lucretia, Peabody Chamber Opera, photo by Jesse M. Hellman

The male and female choruses -- roles that narrate, intersecting the action without really being part of it -- are cast as embedded journalists, trying to write about the horror of what they see in the field with the troops. They sometimes type the lyrical words of Ronald Duncan's libretto into a laptop, rediscovering fervent faith in Christ as a coping mechanism. (Male and female chaplains, or even a priest and nun serving in the field, may have captured the religious aspect better, but casting the choruses as journalists made the narration more natural. A doctor and nurse would have recalled M*A*S*H too much.) That the choruses are depicted here as husband and wife reinforces the opera's polarization of male and female, heightened by Britten in the score, with soft music dominated by the harp (excellent playing from harpist Marissa Knaub) for the scenes featuring Lucretia and her two servants, which the sharper, percussive music of Tarquinius's horse ride to her house tramples.

The intimate space of Baltimore Theater Project is perfectly suited to the voices in this strong collegiate cast, some larger than others. Leah Kaye Serr was lovely and vocally incisive as Lucretia, convincing as she lost her mind after the rape scene. The tall, blond-haired David Krohn was a refined and robust Tarquinius. Jeffrey Tarr, an alumnus of the Peabody Opera program invited back for this production, brought his focused bass sound to the role of Collatinus, sometimes overwhelming. As the choruses, Mary Catherine Moroney was more present than Kyle Malone. Lyric soprano Sarah Hershman had a light, pretty sound as Lucia, the high-flying role of Lucretia's maidservant. All cast members created believable characters in this soundly directed staging. JoAnn Kulesza conducted a generally good performance from the orchestra, seated at the back of the performing space behind a black scrim.

Peabody Chamber Opera's next production this season, Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, is scheduled for March 7 to 10, a coproduction with Temple University. Also, we hear tell that Lorin Maazel will lead a production of The Rape of Lucretia with his Châteauville Foundation this April. Hopefully, the group will bring the opera to the Terrace Theater.

Two Comedies of Errors

There is nothing either good or bad (about updating an opera to modern times) – but execution makes it so. The Kirov Opera, in its fifth annual hard-currency residency at the Kennedy Center, brought two comedies (a concert performance of Lady McBeth follows Sunday afternoon), both in modern guises, and made them exemplars of the difference between thoughtful and tasteless updating. One was Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims which is indeed (pun intended) a trip. The other is Falstaff, Verdi’s grand comedy, which, left to the Kirov, is no trip but an endurance test for the audience.

It might be surprising that what should be Rossini’s most dated opera (after all it was composed explicitly for the coronation of Charles X, ultra-royalist King during the short-lived French period of restoration, in 1835) was the entertaining and enjoyable one. (Because of Charles’ traditionalism the coronation took place in the cathedral of Rheims, the coronation location of choice during the Ancien Régime. His rule lasted scarcely five years, Rossini’s opera even less.)

It is one of the great ironies that this once-performed, immediately forgotten ‘event-comedy’ should have aged much less than all other Rossini comedies. Comedies, the libretti and dramatic action of which can only be called idiotic, of which there are many and on which Rossini wasted much good music. In Il viaggio we have a situation comedy that relies, for the most part, on personality types. It is (comparatively) delectable theater in its best parts, and the Kirov/Théâtre Châtelet production (Ionarts reviewed it in St. Petersburg, a while back) by Alain Maratrat (direction), Pierre Alain Bertola (set design), Mireille Dessingy (costumes), and Pascal Mérat (lighting) enhances it by playing off its inherent silliness.

The means to achieve this borrow heavily on European theater tradition from the last 15 years (which has now arrived in Russia) and are by no means original, but in the opera house, across the Atlantic, they can still instill some sense of the novel. The pit covered, the orchestra on stage, a walk-way extended from the stage across the orchestra seating (unfortunately largely invisible to the audience in the upper tiers) it started before it even started: Singers and musicians arrived as guests, one by one or in pairs, with their luggage, from all sides, climbing on stage and taking their various places. Audience members were greeted as old acquaintances; all good fun - if outlasting its humorous effect by several minutes. The last tourist to arrive through the isles, trench-coat clad, with hat and suitcase, was a certain Mr. Gergiev – to lead the ‘Bath & Festival Orchestra’ (in white) from the back of the sparse stage.

From thereon it continued in hammed up, riotous style. A romp of fun-house acting, winking, fainting, exhilaration, exclamation (from the balconies, and from amid the aisles), audience molestation and what ever else they could think of. There was much decent and good singing (if little that was outright excellent and little by way of proper pronunciation) and even more great acting. Anastasia Kalagina’s Madame Cortese, once her voice was running on operating temperature, impressed with dry, well contained high notes. Larisa Yudina as the outrageous, over-the-top, fashion-obsessed Parisienne Contessa de Folleville stole the show with her hilarious acting – and proved to be one of the finest singers on stage (and off stage) in the bargain.

Riding in on horseback (indeed, on a real horse!) was Daniil Shotda’s Russian general, packed full of stereotypes (downing Vodka is his first act) as just about every character in the work. (“To the Russian talk ‘Empire’, to the German, talk counterpoint”.) His singing was not quite as impressive as his entrance: Back in the throat (one is tempted to say in typical Russian-tenor style) and with little projection, it was neither bad nor noticeably good. The first entrance of Irma Gigolashvili’s outlandishly wigged and clad ‘Roman poetess’ Corinna (her hair and frock lit from the inside, accompanied by a harp wheeled on stage) was another spectacle… as was the excellent flutist-girl that, all awhile playing her virtuoso parts, acted out the story better than some actors could with the advantage of using words.

Other Reviews: Tim Page, Kirov's 'Il Viaggio a Reims': Zanything Goes (Washington Post, January 29) Tim Smith, Kirov lights up stage with Rossini work (Baltimore Sun, January 29) Tim Page, 'Falstaff': From Russia, With Updates (Washington Post, February 2) Charles T. Downey, Falstaff as Freak Show (DCist, February 2) Tim Smith, A modernized and punchy 'Falstaff' (Baltimore Sun, February 3) T. L. Ponick, Kirov's 'Falstaff' vision an unsightly mess (Washington Post, February 3)

One would have had to have been a very grumpy sourpuss not to be charmed at all by this production, which raises the standard of primitive camp to a whole new level. Not even the stupefying, endless, and anticlimactic finale can change that: Twenty-some minutes (it feels like 50) of old-fashioned attempts to arouse patriotic fervor are as terribly leaden as the "Hymn to Charles X" that concludes the opera. A daring production would cut or completely change that part; the rest of the opera would merit such an effort.

If Il viaggio was mostly-good, Falstaff was mostly bad… with momentary strokes of the awful interspersed, and too little excellence to redeem it. Falstaff need not wear a fat-suite (indeed, it is nice to be saved the standard issue Falstaff costume), nor need Falstaff necessarily traipse around in Shakespeare’s time. Lewd, drunken gentlemen who wish to live off well-to-do women and cash in a few amorous benefits along the way are hardly an ancient phenomenon. Having Ms. Quickly (Ana Kiknadze), Nannetta (Olga Trifonova), Alice Ford (Tayana Pavlovskaya), and Meg (Elena Sommer) open the second scene in a hair-salon is not too far fetched, either, and redeemably cute: Bored high-society ladies hanging out together, trying to impress and busy gossiping: their realistic portrayal must have been the easiest thing for Pavlovskaya and company.

Even the first scene of the third act – in a drive-in theater with the backs of little Wartburg’s facing the audience – could have been part of an enjoyable package… if only everything around it had been better, or made more sense, or tried less hard. As it was, the ‘tricks’ of this production (from the ‘American-Gangster-as-seen-by-Russians’ theme to the three ballet-spirit-fairy-mimes swirling about to pad the story where the singers weren’t able to tell it) were too much to take on one night. Even before the leather-and-chain ballet of S&M sex-gimps comes out as badly choreographed spirits in the finale, this production appears like a caricature of someone’s mistaken understanding of what constitutes “modern”. It’s a slightly cheap, seedy reproduction of bits and pieces seen before and elsewhere… trying so anxiously to be of its time but being that nowhere, except, perhaps, in the today of Moscow or St. Petersburg where money substitutes for style and the desperate attempt to be chic and ‘in’ can never quite shake that sense of having tried a little too hard.

With that impression pushed down one’s throat, it couldn’t even offend any further that Nannetta (as the fairy) sings from a hoisted-up car (a Ford, for subtleties’ sake) and then a bed, pulled by prostitutes. Or that the producers throw in a bit of gratuitous attempted rape of Ms. Quickly in Scene I of Act III in the obscene hope for a cheap laugh. (Icy confusion and muted applause was the shell-shocked reaction at such tastelessness.) Or that the Italian was so excruciatingly bad, some cast members – like Andrei Popov (Dr. Caius) – might as well have sung in Russian with no one able to tell the difference. Or that there descended a big, blinking “Tutto nel mondo è burla” red-white neon-billboard in the faux Coca-Cola style during the ‘grand finale’. Director Kirill Serebrennikov earns himself the tag of being Russia's answer to Euro-trash.

An astounding victory of bad taste, ameliorated only in faint degrees by the singing of Edem Umerov (Falstaff), Ms. Trifonova, Andrei Ilyushnikov’s Fenton (who replaced the scheduled Daniil Shtoda), and most of the rest of the female cast. The playing from the pit under Gergiev was, fittingly, on the crass side and a bit sporadic. Surely not the finest of contributions to the Shakespeare in Washington festival.

In Brief: It's February!

Here is your regular Sunday dosage of interesting items, from Blogville and beyond:

• Fred Himebaugh abruptly stopped blogging last fall when his wife had a cancer recurrence. In a post this week, Fred passes along the news that Julie is recovering slowly and thus far seems free of cancer after treatment. Please say the prayer or think the good thought of your choice in their direction. Fred, here's one Catholic who will be piling up the Hail, Mary's on your behalf. [The Fredösphere]


• Laila Lalami (the blogger formerly known as Moorish Girl) is on a Fulbright in Morocco. She is no supporter of American foreign policy in the Middle East, but she recently defended her fellow Americans in Paris. Apparently, many people think that no one in the United States opposes the policy of our country's President. [Laila Lalami]


• We are looking forward to the Jasper Johns exhibit, which opened at the National Gallery of Art last weekend. Tyler Green takes a look at what has been left out of this show -- the influence of Magritte -- and how it may be skewing the presentation of this decade of Johns's career. [Modern Art Notes]


• In an article about Google's digital library project, a sharp eye noticed an error that appears to be a computer coding artifact. In The New Yorker, print version! It sent me scrambling for this week's copy of the magazine, and there it was, on p. 31, near the top of the third column. [Languagehat]


• This bath time toy -- a powder added to your child's bath water turns it into a gelatinous slime, then easily dissolved by another packet -- just looks too frightening to let my children use. However, I am sure that they would LOVE it. [Boing Boing]


• Steve Hicken reviews eighth blackbird's Strange Imaginary Animals, a disk I reviewed here last week. [Sequenza 21]


• Tim Munro, flutist for eighth blackbird, writes about the group's rehearsals with vocalist Lucy Shelton, in preparation for performances of Pierrot lunaire and a new song cycle by Roberto Sierra. [thirteen ways]


• A while back, I noted a rare appearance of independent film actress Adrienne Shelley (a small role in Factotum). A short time after that, it was reported that Shelley had committed suicide. It turns out that she did not kill herself, she was murdered: she died because a construction worker punched her in the face, after she told him he was being too noisy, and tried to pass it off as suicide by staging the hanging in her bathroom. It's all too horrible. [Reel Fanatic]
  

Gardiner's "Solomon" Remastered

Available at Amazon: Handel, Solomon, English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner (remastered in 2006)

The wisdom of King Solomon was described in the Bible in numerous ways, none more vivid than his shrewd decision regarding the suit of two women, both of whom claimed to be the mother of the same baby (3 Kings 3:16-28). After hearing both sides, Solomon ordered his guard to divide the baby in half, so that both parties could be satisfied. One of the women becomes distraught, begging Solomon not to kill the baby but give him alive to her opponent. Solomon reveals his stratagem, that he gave the order to divide the baby only to determine who actually loved the baby more and was thus his mother.

Handel's setting of this scene in Act II, scene 2, of his oratorio Solomon (1749) is so beautiful that, in my mind, Handel's version must be how it actually happened. The first woman must have made her final plaint to Solomon with precisely the words of the libretto, attributed to Newburgh Hamilton:

Can I see my infant gor'd
With the fierce relentless sword?
Can I see him yield his breath,
Smiling at the hand of death?
And behold the purple tides
Gushing down his tender sides?
Rather be my hopes beguil'd,
Take him all, but spare my child.

Handel's heart-breaking music never sounded as good as in this classic performance featuring Carolyn Watkinson (Solomon), Joan Rodgers (First Harlot), and Della Jones (Second Harlot). If you do not already own it, this classic recording conducted by John Eliot Gardiner has just been re-released in a remastered version.

Philips 475 7561

Gian Carlo Menotti, 1911-2007

The death of composer Gian Carlo Menotti, at age 95 in Monaco on February 1, could hardly have escaped anyone's notice. Tributes, of a length rarely seen for a classical composer, have been published in a startling number of news sources around the world, mostly in English: The Times, BBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg News. None of the major French dailies have published an obituary. Bloggers, too, have chimed in, including Alex Ross, Daniel Felsenfeld, and Opera Chic. Menotti spent a lot of time here in Washington, premiering some of his operas and in other ways, connections that are detailed in Tim Page's tribute in the Post. Not least, Menotti composed a late work, Goya, at the request of Plácido Domingo, premiered here in 1986.

Menotti was a consummate man of the theater, and he should be remembered for many accomplishments. Most importantly, he opened up new vistas for opera composers, most successfully with Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951), the first opera composed specifically for performance on television (sadly, a trend that has not gone anywhere). One of his greatest accomplishments was not even in composition, but in writing the libretto for Samuel Barber's American masterpiece, Vanessa, which should qualify, as Tim Page put it, as Menotti's third Pulitzer Prize.

Available at Amazon: Gian Carlo Menotti, The Saint of Bleecker Street, Spoleto Festival, Richard Hickox

One of the things that Menotti did was to continue to open up the suitable territory for operatic subjects. Why could operas not be about everyday things that happen to everyday people? He based the characters in his early work Amelia Goes to the Ball on people he met at dinner parties. (The Met picked up this opera for performance after it was premiered at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia in 1937 -- those were the days.) The Medium relates the story of a bullshit artist who makes a living as a spiritualist, and in The Telephone, a man tries to propose to his girlfriend but is constantly interrupted by telephone calls.

In an attempt to find a middle way between the American musical and opera, those last two operas were presented as a double bill in a Broadway theater. Perhaps his greatest opera and certainly my favorite, The Saint of Bleecker Street, for which he won his second Pulitzer, was also premiered on Broadway. That opera, as well as the equally tragic and menacing The Consul, for which Menotti won his first Pulitzer, should put the lie to any accusations sometimes advanced, that Menotti was a lightweight or really only a Broadway composer. He will be missed.

This Week in MP3

Here is what was at the top of the Ionarts playlist for the week. Click on the link to read a review (if we have published one) or the album picture to buy it through Amazon (if available).

New:

Anna Netrebko, Russian Album, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, Valery Gergiev (January 9, 2007)

Renée Fleming, Homage: Age of the Diva, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, Valery Gergiev (October 17, 2006)

J. S. Bach, Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, John Holloway, Baroque violin (October 10, 2006)

Old:

Mahler, Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection"), Christine Schäfer, Michelle DeYoung, Vienna Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez (2006) Review

Mahler, Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand"), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa (1980) Review

Handel, Solomon, Carolyn Watkinson, Barbara Hendricks, Monteverdi Choir, John Eliot Gardiner (remastered, 2006)

Barber/Walton/Bloch, Violin Concertos, Joshua Bell, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman (remastered, 2007)

Grieg, Songs, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg (1993, re-released 2007)

Verdi, Falstaff, Tito Gobbi, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Anna Moffo, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Herbert von Karajan (1956)

Classical Month in Washington (April)

Last month | Next month
Classical Month in Washington is a monthly feature that appears on the first of the month. If there are concerts you would like to see included on our schedule, send your suggestions by e-mail (ionarts at gmail dot com). Happy listening!

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
1 pm
New Chamber Music from Japan [FREE]
Ruckus with Retsuzan Tanabe, shakuhachi
Freer Gallery of Art

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
1:30 pm
Wagner, Die Walküre
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Charles T. Downey (DCist, March 26)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci
Virginia Opera
George Mason University Center for the Arts
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 2)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
2:30 and 8 pm
Carmina Burana and Morphoses
The Washington Ballet
Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater
Review -- Sarah Kaufman (Washington Post, March 31)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Smetana, The Bartered Bride
Baltimore Opera
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, March 30)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, with Leonard Slatkin
Music by Mozart, Schumann, Warlock, Ginastera
George Washington Masonic National Memorial (Alexandria, Va.)
Review -- Ronni Reich (Washington Post, April 3)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Master Chorale of Washington (Brahms, German Requiem)
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, April 3)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Peabody Camerata (contemporary music) [FREE]
Peabody Conservatory of Music (Baltimore, Md.)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Symmetry and the Golden Ratio
With conductor Donald Judd and Mario Livio
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Jens F. Laurson (Ionarts, March 31)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Suspicious Cheese Lords: Palm Sunday Concert
First and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church (Baltimore, Md.)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Art Song Discovery Series [FREE]
Lisa Eden, Danielle Talamantes, R. Timothy McReynolds
Vocal Arts Society
Westchester Apartments

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
J. S. Bach, St. John Passion
Washington National Cathedral Combined Choirs and Baroque Orchestra
Washington National Cathedral
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, April 3)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Arco Voce, chamber ensemble [FREE]
Phillips Collection

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
5 pm
Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic
Music by Britten, Offenbach, Kazik
Schlesinger Concert Hall (Alexandria, Va.)
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, April 3)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Tallis Scholars
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 3)

April 1, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Mark Kosower (cello) and Jee-Won Oh (piano) [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

April 2, 2007 (Mon)
7 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Charles T. Downey (DCist, April 2)

April 2, 2007 (Mon)
8 pm
Elizabeth Hainen (harp) and David DePeters (percussion) [FREE]
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 3, 2007 (Tue)
8 pm
Talich String Quartet
Tuesday Evening Concert Series
Cabell Hall (Charlottesville, Va.)

April 4, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 5, 2007 (Thu)
6 pm
Wagner, Die Walküre
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House
Review -- Jens F. Laurson (Ionarts, April 10)

April 5, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with Yundi Li, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Charles T. Downey (DCist, April 10)

April 5, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
Efe Baltacigil, cello
Embassy Series
Residence of the Turkish Ambassador (1606 23rd Street NW)

April 6, 2007 (Fri)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with Yundi Li, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

April 7, 2007 (Sat)
5 pm
Games People Play (new music by Adès and others)
21st Century Consort
Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, April 9)

April 7, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 7, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with Yundi Li, piano
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

April 7, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic: Mendelssohn's Elijah
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Joe Banno (Washington Post, April 9)

April 7, 2007 (Sat)
8:30 pm
Alexander Kobrin, piano
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

April 8, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Alexander Kobrin, piano
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

April 8, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Ralitza Patcheva, piano [FREE]
Phillips Collection

April 8, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
National Gallery Chamber Players and the Poulenc Trio [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

April 9, 2007 (Mon)
6 pm
Wagner, Die Walküre
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 10, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 11, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Wolfgang Holzmair, Susanna Phillips, Hermine Haselböck, and Russell Ryan (piano)
Vocal Arts Society
Embassy of Austria (3524 International Court NW)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 13)

April 11, 2007 (Wed)
8 pm
Jerusalem String Quartet [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Jens F. Laurson (Ionarts, April 13)

April 11, 2007 (Wed)
8 pm
Dora Seres (flute) and Steven Beck (piano)
Embassy Series and Young Concert Artists
Embassy of Hungary

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Mendelssohn Piano Trio (three Dvorak trios)
Embassy Series
Embassy of the Czech Republic
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, April 14)

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Conrad Susa, Transformations
University of Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 16)

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
An Encounter with Rumi: Gardens of the Heart [FREE]
Neva Özgen (kemenche), Deepak Ram (Bansuri flute), Diana Rowan (troubadour harp), and Tupac Mantilla (percussion)
Freer Gallery of Art

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
American Composers Forum
Patricia M. Sitar Center

April 12, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor) and Horacio Gutiérrez (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Tom Huizenga (Washington Post, April 16)

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Conrad Susa, Transformations
University of Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor) and Horacio Gutiérrez (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Nathaniel Dett Chorale [FREE]
Library of Congress

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Purcell, The Fairy Queen
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 15)

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Peabody Trio
Music by Schubert and Ives, with baritone William Sharp
Corcoran Gallery of Art

April 13, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Ahn Trio
The Barns at Wolf Trap
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, April 16)

April 14, 2007 (Fri)
1 pm
Hai Jin Kim (piano) and Charles Mokotoff (guitar)
River Road Unitarian Church (Bethesda, Md.)

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
5 and 8 pm
Purcell, The Fairy Queen
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
6 pm
Wagner, Die Walküre
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
7 pm
Britten, The Rape of Lucretia
Châteauville Foundation (Castleton, Va.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 16)

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Conrad Susa, Transformations
University of Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Guarneri Quartet
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Review -- Joan Reinthaler (Washington Post, April 16)

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor) and Horacio Gutiérrez (piano)
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Tom Huizenga (Washington Post, April 16)

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Borromeo String Quartet
Quartets by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Dominik Maican
Dumbarton Concerts
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, April 16)

April 14, 2007 (Sat)
8:30 pm
JCC Symphony Orchestra
With flutist Dora Seres
Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia, Nielsen's Flute Concerto
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Donizetti, La Fille du Régiment
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Purcell, The Fairy Queen
Folger Consort
Folger Shakespeare Library

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Conrad Susa, Transformations
University of Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
American Masters: Bernstein, Barber, and Copland
The Washington Chorus
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, April 17)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier (conductor) and Horacio Gutiérrez (piano)
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Concertante [FREE]
National Academy of Sciences (2100 C Street NW)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Dora Seres, flute
Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Art Song Discovery Series [FREE]
Lisa Eden, Danielle Talamantes, R. Timothy McReynolds
Vocal Arts Society
St. Patrick's Episcopal Church (Falls Church, Va.)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Raphael Trio, piano trio [FREE]
Phillips Collection

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Amit Peled (cello) and Alon Goldstein (piano)
Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences
Congregation Beth-El (Bethesda, Md.)
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, April 17)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Carthage College Lincoln Chamber Singers [FREE]
National Gallery of Art

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
7 pm
Zarzuela Excerpts [FREE]
WNO Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program
Embassy of Mexico (2829 16th Street NW)

April 15, 2007 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Purcell, The Fairy Queen
Folger Consort
Music Center at Strathmore

April 16, 2007 (Mon)
6 pm
Art Song Discovery Series [FREE]
Lisa Eden, Danielle Talamantes, R. Timothy McReynolds
Vocal Arts Society
Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
Review -- Ronni Reich (Washington Post, April 18)

April 16, 2007 (Mon)
7:30 pm
John Dickie (tenor) and Markus Vorzellner (piano) [FREE, with RSVP]
Songs by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Embassy of Austria

April 17, 2007 (Tue)
6 pm
Wagner, Die Walküre
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

April 18, 2007 (Wed)
6 pm
Jennifer Ellis (soprano) and Mark Janello (harpsichord) [FREE]
Music by Barbara Strozzi, Monteverdi
Davis Performing Arts Center, Georgetown University

April 18, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
Jesse Blumberg (baritone) and Thomas Bagwell (piano) [FREE, with RSVP]
Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Embassy of Austria

April 18, 2007 (Wed)
8 pm
Evgeny Kissin, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Charles T. Downey (DCist, April 20)

April 18, 2007 (Wed)
8 pm
Miklós Perenyi (cello) and András Schiff (piano) [FREE]
All-Beethoven program
Library of Congress
Review -- Daniel Ginsberg (Washington Post, April 20)

April 19, 2007 (Thu)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Jiří Bĕlohlávek
With violinist Christian Tetzlaff
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Review -- Jens F. Laurson (Ionarts, April 20)

April 19, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
El Camino de Santiago
La Fenice, with Jean Tubéry and Arianna Savall
La Maison Française

April 19, 2007 (Thu)
7:30 pm
Gluck, Armide
Opera Lafayette and Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 24)

April 19, 2007 (Thu)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Vivaldi and Piazzola, Four Seasons
Music Center at Strathmore
Review -- Mark J. Estren (Washington Post, April 21)

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
1:15 pm
John Kamitsuka (piano) [FREE]
McNeir Auditorium, Georgetown University

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
7 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Jiří Bĕlohlávek
With violinist Christian Tetzlaff
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Gluck, Armide
Opera Lafayette and Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Gil Shaham and Friends
All-Brahms program (with Michelle DeYoung, Orli Shaham, et al.)
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Arisa Kusumi (soprano), Thomas Meglioranza (baritone), and Thomas Bagwell (piano) [FREE, with RSVP]
Songs by Brahms, Wolf
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Embassy of Austria

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Euclid Quartet and Degas Quartet [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, April 23)

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
El Camino de Santiago
La Fenice, with Jean Tubéry and Arianna Savall
Friends of Music series
Dumbarton Oaks
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, April 23)

April 20, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Vivaldi and Piazzola, Four Seasons
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Gluck, Armide
Opera Lafayette and Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Ilona Knopfler, cabaret singer
La Maison Française

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Jiří Bĕlohlávek
With violinist Christian Tetzlaff
Kennedy Center Concert Hall

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
El Camino de Santiago
La Fenice, with Jean Tubéry and Arianna Savall
Friends of Music series
Dumbarton Oaks

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Vivaldi and Piazzola, Four Seasons
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 21, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
George Mason University Center for the Arts

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
12 and 2:30 pm
Enjoying the Flowers: Chinese Music and Drama [FREE]
Gang-a-Tsui Ensemble
Sackler Gallery, Haupt Garden

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
1 pm
American Youth Philharmonic
George Mason Center for the Arts

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Gluck, Armide
Opera Lafayette and Maryland Opera Studio
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Vivaldi and Piazzola, Four Seasons
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Paul Katz (cello) and Friends
Music by Brahms, Arensky, Mendelssohn
Mousetrap Concert Series (Washington Grove, Md.)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
New Dominion Chorale (Schumann oratorio)
Schlesinger Concert Hall (Alexandria, Va.)
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, April 24)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
Raphael Trio, piano trio [FREE]
Phillips Collection

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
4:30 pm
Contemporary Music Forum
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, April 24)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
5 pm
Vienna Redux (music by Debussy, Mahler, Schoenberg, Strauss)
Inscape Chamber Orchestra
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Bethesda, Md.)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
David Hardy (cello) and Lisa Emenheiser (piano) [FREE]
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, April 24)

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
7 pm
El Camino de Santiago
La Fenice, with Jean Tubéry and Arianna Savall
Friends of Music series
Dumbarton Oaks

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
7 pm
Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel
Liszt - The Devil Made Me Do It
George Mason University Center for the Arts

April 22, 2007 (Sun)
7:30 pm
Castle Trio (trios by Beethoven and Schubert)
Smithsonian Castle

April 23, 2007 (Mon)
7:30 pm
Emanuel Ax (piano) and Edgar Meyer (bass)
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Robert Battey (Washington Post, April 25)

April 24, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Chu-Fang Huang, piano
Young Concert Artists Series
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, April 26)

April 24, 2007 (Tue)
7:30 pm
Scott Murphree (tenor), Robert Gardner (baritone), and Thomas Bagwell (piano) [FREE, with RSVP]
Songs by Mahler
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Embassy of Austria

April 24, 2007 (Tue)
8 pm
Fessenden Ensemble (Bartok, Elgar)
St. Columba's Episcopal Church
Review -- Cecelia Porter (Washington Post, April 26)

April 25, 2007 (Wed)
7:30 pm
James Madison University Wind Symphony
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater

April 26, 2007 (Thu)
2 pm
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
With Michael Christie and Orion Weiss
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (Baltimore, Md.)

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Christopher Maltman (baritone) with Julius Drake (piano)
Vocal Arts Society
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Tom Huizenga (Washington Post, April 30)

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
7:30 pm
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Road Theatre (Bethesda, Md.)

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Australian Chamber Orchestra, with Pieter Wispelway, cello
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Bach suites, Rorem
Evergreen Carriage House (Baltimore, Md.)

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Brian Irvine Ensemble [FREE]
Library of Congress
Review -- Stephen Brookes (Washington Post, April 30)

April 27, 2007 (Fri)
8 pm
Peabody Trio
Music by Schubert
Corcoran Gallery of Art

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
2 pm
Joyce Yang, piano
WPAS
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
Review -- Tim Page (Washington Post, April 30)

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
7:30 pm
Hermine Haselböck (mezzo-soprano) and Volker Nemmer (piano) [FREE, with RSVP]
Songs by Zemlinsky, Schreker, Berg
An das Lied: Festival of Song 2007
Embassy of Austria
Review -- Mark J. Estren (Washington Post, April 30)

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
The Great Service Of William Byrd (complete)
Chantry
St. Paul's K Street

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
National Philharmonic with Soovin Kim (violin)
Music Center at Strathmore

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Axelrod Quartet
Music by Schulhof, Janáček, Mendelssohn
Renwick Gallery

April 28, 2007 (Sat)
8 pm
Mia Elezovič, piano
Embassy Series
Croatian Ambassador's Residence (4871 Glenbrook Road NW)

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Lady Macbeth - Through the Eyes of Verdi and Shakespeare
Cast members from Washington National Opera
National Museum of Women in the Arts

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
2 pm
Robin Hood Project
Douglas Fairbanks Film with live music by Hesperus
Music Center at Strathmore

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
3 pm
Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor
Opera Bel Cantanti
Randolph Road Theatre (Bethesda, Md.)

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
4 pm
David Requiro, cello [FREE]
Phillips Collection

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
5:30 pm
Louis Lortie, piano
Complete Chopin Etudes
Shriver Hall (Baltimore, Md.)
Review -- Charles T. Downey (Ionarts, May 1)

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
6 pm
Rossini, Otello
Washington Concert Opera
Lisner Auditorium
Review -- Sonya Harway (Ionarts, May 1)

April 29, 2007 (Sun)
6:30 pm
Academy of Ancient Music [FREE]
Music by J. S. Bach, Handel, and Telemann
National Gallery of Art
Review -- Michael Lodico (Ionarts, May 2)

Pittsburgh's New Emperor in Washington

The National Symphony Orchestra’s series of concerts this week might have gone even more unnoticed with its nameless protagonists and unexciting programming. Verdi’s La forza del destino overture, Saint-Saëns’ Third Violin Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony are not exactly barnstormers; not the kind of programming that kindles fervor in regular concert-goers.

Chee-Yun, the violinist, is just another pretty face / face-less Asian fiddler (as a visiting professor at the University of Indiana there is a Slatkin-link, though); Manfred Honeck would be completely unknown in these parts of town had he not just been named the new music director at Pittsburgh, one of the best orchestras of the country.

This ends the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s misguided and expectedly failed experiment of having three roving conductors at the helm… as if three B-list conductors together might amount to the name recognition, status, or quality musical leadership that one A-list maestro might. (The overrated Andrew “Not Colin” Davis, the steady, reliable, reliably unexciting Yan Pascal Tortelier, and the underrated, insider-beloved Marek Janowski made up this troika that was allowed to waste precious years of distinct musical direction after one of the best conductors in the world, Mariss Jansons, stepped down in 2004.)

Now Manfred Honeck, who immediately reminds of Franz Welser-Möst (Cleveland’s mildly controversial custodian of quality music-making) in nationality, background, and even looks, will hopefully continue where the sublime Latvian left off. His performance in Washington on Thursday was not as telling about where he might take the bigger orchestra to the north… Verdi’s overture was driven, muscular, determined, and compact but surely not overly polished.

Other Reviews: Robert Battey, A Lasting First Impression (Washington Post, February 3)

Saint-Saëns’ Third Violin Concerto meanwhile is the kind of piece that allows you to judge soloist or conductor no more than the merits of a great chef who serves you grits. And sure enough, it was all good, as good as grits can presumably be. On a violin that produced a huge, whiskey-roughed tone (not very clean when she tried very hard) she applied extraordinary energy to a concerto that you need not (or cannot) say much in, musically, and can therefore use all the energy it gets. She showed a studied intensity, possessing wonderful harmonics, and a showy, indiscriminate vibrato that served the concerto well enough to make it sugary, pleasant, if entirely indistinct.

A musical shot of insulin would have been appropriate for the second half. Instead: Tchaikovsky “Five”; itself sufficient to induce symphony-diabetes. As it was, the Tchaikovsky turned out to be the finest performance: Deliberate, heaving like a dying beast, with dark clouds before the musical story-telling picks up with brighter, more animated rhythms. Slowly awaking was the second movement, much like film music, in the best sense. The finale, finally, was not too weighty, not choked by its own portentousness and even light and foot-tappingly moving forward during the Allegro vivace.

Today's performance will take place at 1.30PM, the performance on Saturday at 8PM.

Britten Operas on DVD, Part 4

Britten, Gloriana, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Kathryn Harries, Jean Rigby, Richard Van Allan, English National Opera, Lionel Friend (1984, DVD released on October 31, 2006)

Benjamin Britten composed Gloriana in honor of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when it was generally considered a failure. However, as I learned at a performance by Opera Theater of St. Louis, this is a satisfying work, as we might expect from a work by Britten at the height of his compositional powers. Covent Garden missed an opportunity by not reviving Gloriana in 2003, to mark the queen’s 50th anniversary. In retrospect, the St. Louis production (directed by Colin Graham, with costumes by David C. Woolard and sets by Neil Patel) may owe something to this staging done at English National Opera. As recorded in this film version by Derek Bailey in 1984 (remastered from VHS last year), it is somewhat similar in style. The St. Louis, while not a copy, seems cut from the same cloth.

My disappointment with the opera's conclusion stands: Britten made a mistake by having Elizabeth give speeches some of the most emotional moments in the final scene. The wonderful tension he has built up throughout the libretto -- an aging queen beset with the cares of state and the intrigues of younger men vying for her attention, and then forced to destroy the only love she has known -- is deflated as soon as Elizabeth starts to talk. Furthermore, this does not help a generally unflattering portrait of Elizabeth I (probably one of the reasons why the opera was not revived in 2003, for the present monarch's 50th anniversary). William Plomer’s libretto was adapted from Lytton Strachey’s Elizabeth and Essex, in which Strachey characterized the queen as someone who had to be cold and cynical because of her position: “In reality, she succeeded by virtue of all the qualities which every hero should be without—dissimulation, pliability, indecision, procrastination, parsimony . . . she had survived because she had been able to meet the extremes around her with her own extremes of cunning and prevarication.”

Gloriana: Film by Phyllida Lloyd, with Josephine Barstow (2000)

The music, however, is glorious, befitting its subject matter. Britten clearly enjoyed his recreation of late Renaissance court life, with superb imitations of court dances, beautifully choreographed in this production. The orchestration is ingenious, especially the numerous brass fanfares, which create the opera's regal atmosphere. In this DVD, Sarah Walker gives an emotionally driven performance as Queen Elizabeth I, and Anthony Rolfe-Johnson is strong as Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. The supporting cast is all good, with particularly fine singing from Jean Rigby, as Essex's long-suffering wife, Frances. In the only other version of Gloriana on DVD, director Phyllida Lloyd made significant cuts to the opera and made a film more about the staging of the opera, although I understand that Josephine Barstow's performance in the title role is worth the effort. That means that this DVD from ENO is a must-have for Britten enthusiasts.

Mezzo-soprano Jean Rigby will come to Washington next month, to sing a concert with the Nash Ensemble of London (March 20), including the world premiere of a new piece by David Matthews and Stravinsky's Three Songs from William Shakespeare.