Ulysses Quartet. June 23, 2024.

Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton, NJ.  (Orchestra level, Seat L21, free).

Program

Wild Summer by Joan Tower (b, 1938).

Traditional Folk Songs arr. Danish String Quartet.

   Hur var du i aftes sa sildig

   Unst Boat Song

   The Dromer

String Quartet in E-flat Major by Fanny Hansel Mendelssohn (1805-1847).

Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132 by Beethoven (1770-1827).

Artists

Christine Bouey and Rhiannon Banerdt, violin; Peter Dudek, viola; Grace Ho, cello.

For this summer we should be able to attend a few of these Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts.  This was the first one.

Per the description in the Program Sheet, this group was formed a few years ago, and has managed to make quite a name for itself.  Listening to their performance today, it's easy to understand why.  Their sounds were clear, they were in sync, the balance was excellent.  I don't know enough about the pieces to comment on how well they were interpreted.

Ruth Ochs, a professor at Princeton, spoke of the pieces (except the folk songs) at the beginning of both halves of the program.  The information might have been useful in my appreciation of the pieces, but too bad I had forgotten most of them by the time I heard the actual performance.  It would take a lot more work, but some written notes would have been useful.

Joan Tower is an 85-year old American composer who was described as "one of the most successful woman composers of all time" in her Wikipedia entry.  This was the first time I heard of her, or her music.  Contrast that with Caroline Shaw and Jesse Montgomery, who seem to appear in many programs nowadays.  "Wild Summer" is a delightful piece that showcases the different instruments of the quartet.

For reasons unclear to me, Ochs referred to Fanny Mendelssohn more by her married name (Hansel).  Mendelssohn was regarded as a great pianist in her days, her compositions have gained more in popularity these days, but - fairly or unfairly - are seldom the central piece of a program.  Today's quartet is quite substantial.  The four movements are Adagio ma non troppo, Allegretto, Romanze, and Allegro molto vivace.

I wasn't aware Beethoven had composed a quartet that was about 50 minutes long (about the same as Eroica).  It is also unusual in that it has five movements: Assai sostenuto - Allegro; Allegro ma non tanto; Molto adagio; Alla marcia, assi vivace; Allegro appassionato.  (And no Allegro con brio!)  The middle movement is 16 minutes in duration, and consists of 5 sections (thanks to Ochs description), and there was no pause between the last two movements.

The folk songs were from Northern Europe, transcribed for a quartet by the Danish String Quartet.  At times the music reminds me of bayou music.  Banerdt, the second violin, described what the folk songs were.

The concert started at 4 pm on a Sunday, another unusual aspect of these summer concerts.  Today was a sweltering hot day, so I was relieved that Richardson Auditorium had adequate air conditioning.  The concert lasted more than two hours, so at intermission I had to go out and feed more coins to the parking meter - Princeton now charges parking on Sundays (1 pm - 8 pm).

Hoboken Children's Theater. The Little Mermaid. June 16, 2024.

Hoboken Children's Theater.  Stalls ($5).

Maisie was in the play and had roles as a "sea folk" (fish?) and Carlotta.

New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang, conductor; Daniil Trifonov, piano. June 8, 2024.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  Orchestra Center (Seat R120, $68).

Program

Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture (1943) by George Gershwin (1898-1937)/arr. Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981).

Autumn Days and Nights (2023-24) by Daniel Bernard Roumain (b. 1971).

Concerto in F Major for Piano and Orchestra (1925) by Gershwin.

The numbers from Porgy and Bess included in the suite.

This was the final series for the season.  On tap were two pieces of American classics, a new piece (and a world premiere to boot) by NJ Symphony's resident catalyst Roumain, and the well-known pianist Trifonov.

With due respect to the composer, arranger, and the orchestra's musicianship and talent, the "Symphonic Picture" is best characterized as a crowd pleaser, with the many familiar tunes from Porgy and Bess.  And it served that function well.

This is the last season where Roumain serves as the catalyst at NJ Symphony.  I have encountered the name many times during his tenure, but have heard his music (same composition) only twice.  That piece, "I am a white person who ... Black people," was composed before he came to NJ Symphony.  (The second time had a different orchestration, as I recall.)  He came out to describe his piece, this time there were more social justice elements to his description.  Tonight's was the third time the piece was performed (this being the third concert in the series).  To me the earlier piece was a lot more accessible.  I wasn't sure where the music was going, and why the title "Autumn Days and Nights" was appropriate, especially given DBR's explanation.  He described the last 10 minutes as a passacaglia with various "things" happening over a series of repeated bass notes (calling it a theme can be considered overselling).  That indeed was the case, but "so what?"

DBR being acknowledged after his composition was performed.

After the intermission we heard Gershwin's piano concerto.  I saw Trifonov perform the same concerto with the National Youth Orchestra All Stars earlier this year at Carnegie Hall, conducted by Nezet-Sequin.  For that event I was sitting way up in the balcony; tonight I was in Row R (17th row).  Here I could both see and hear the performance clearly, and it was amazing how Trifonov pulled it off with ease.  Some writeups on the concerto describe the three movements as "fast jazz, blues, and faster jazz" (actual markings are Allegro; Adagio-Andante con moto; Allegro agitato), and there is a lot of truth to that.

For an encore he played Prokofiev: Three Pieces from "Cinderella," Op. 95: II. Gavotte.  I found the title via Google, which also describes it as a "song by Trifonov and Prokofiev."

The concert ended after Trifonov came out and bowed to the audience twice, rather quickly.

I noticed the absence of the principal bass, and one of the members of the violin section.  They often perform as extras at NY Phil concerts.  I saw the bassist at David Geffen Hall on Thursday, so her absence for this series is expected (though not quite explainable), I didn't see the violin player, though.

The concert was reasonably well-attended (by NJ Symphony standards), although there were still quite a few empty seats.  And when I walked up to the balcony during intermission, I noticed many sections were entirely empty.  Such is the state of the art in NJ.

New York Philharmonic. Jaap van Zweden, conductor. June 6, 2024.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat AA119, $84).

Program

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Resurrection (1888-94) by Mahler (1880-1911).

Artists

Hanna-Elisabeth Muffer, soprano; Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano.

New York Philharmonic Chorus - Malcolm J. Merriweather, director.

This was it, the last concerts of van Zweden's tenure with the NY Phil.

I did come to the concert with high expectations.  No matter what one's view of van Zweden's success as the NY Phil Music Director, a farewell concert carries with it nostalgia, sadness, (self-)reflection, and hope for a new beginning, among other emotions.  (For the record, I have enjoyed going to concerts he led.)  To boot, this would be the first time (as far as records in this blog go, and per my memory) I got to hear Mahler's second symphony, and this would complete the cycle of nine symphonies for me.

While Mahler provided a program for this composition on a couple of occasions, he ultimately withdrew them, thus leaving the interpretations to the performers and the audience.  Since those programs are still available, it would be difficult not to associate what one hears with the stories/scenes Mahler was trying to describe; that there are lyrics in the last two movements make it near impossible.  Of course the vastness and complexity of the work allows for different specific interpretations of what one hears at a particular movement, that there are stories being told in each movement is inescapable.

One can find many references to the "plot."  The one found in today's Program Notes is distilled from Mahler's three known explanations: the struggles of a titanic (or at least "well-loved") hero, his succumbing to fate and to death, the striving of the soul toward God, the inner experience of redemption, and so on.  I find the description in the book "Beauty and Sadness" by David Vernon particularly convincing and mesmerizing.  I was surprised that I ended up hearing something slightly different from what I had in mind going into the concert.  Indeed the first movement (Allegro maestoso) describes death and man's struggle with it, with the soft note at the end signifhing resignation, or that all is lost.  The second movement  (Andante moderato) is a delightful landler, broken up a couple of times by dark passages.  It was what 'peace' would be like (most of the time, anyway).  The third movement (in quietly flowing motion) the stirrings of discontent and grief reappear in the scherzo, punctuated by the "death shriek" chord (B-flat major/C), which is also used to start the last movement.  The title of the fourth movement (Primal Light: Very solemn, but simple) is self-explanatory.  The poem from Des Knaben Wunderhorn describes how the protagonist (or, if one prefers, the hero) refuses to be turned away from God.  The last movement, with a tempo marking of "In the speed of the scherzo - Allegro energico - Slow, mysterious," started with a long passage of instrumental music before the voices joined in.  The words to the poems written by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock and Mahler clearly point to a resurrection (aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n wirst du; was vergangen, auferstehen!).   The Program Notes makes a distinction between The Resurrection (Christian) and the resurrection Mahler had in mind - a rebirth of the individual into immortal triumph.  One could argue the words Mahler chose are more of the former kind.  Perhaps it should simply be left to the listener to interpret what the words mean?  (I am sure Mahler did not have the meaning spelled out, although he was widely regarded as an atheist.)

This was a powerful symphony, even a memorable one.  In terms of personal impact, it didn't quite rise to the level of the third symphony performed in March 2023 by the LA Phil, conducted by Zubin Mehta.  Nonetheless it held my attention for the entire 85 or so minutes.  The choice of the work to mark van Zweden's end with the New York Philharmonic is natural.  I first thought van Zweden was using this to describe his experience the last few years, and his hope for the future.  The Program Notes describes the decision as "conveying a message composed more than 100 years ago by one of his most eminent predecessors on our podium pointing to the Orchestra's future, while also saying farewell to the players and audiences who has accompanied his journey here."  Fair enough.

The symphony uses a lot of instruments, and a couple of off-stage ensembles.  The New York Philharmonic Chorus had its inaugural concerts in the 2022-23 season - that explains why I had never see it before; I wonder if they will now be used regularly as the chorus for NY Phil concerts.  Both vocalists stood out in their brief appearances (even less for the soprano).  They were on stage for close to an hour for those passages.  One could argue an opportunity to participate in such a production is worth the wait.

Van Zweden was recalled to the stage many times by the enthusiastic applause of the audience.

I remember a report that Yo-Yo Ma saying to Alan Gilbert at the end of Gilbert's tenure of the NY Phil that (paraphrase) "you have been the music director of the NY Phil, there is nothing more to prove."  The same must be said of van Zweden.  Looking back on my blog entries, it was interesting that both Lorin Maazel (No. 8, June 2009) and Alan Gilbert (No. 7, June 2017) performed a Mahler symphony as their last program with with New York Philharmonic.

Anne couldn't make the trip, so I asked CS to join.  We met up at the auditorium, and afterwards he took the subway to Penn Station to catch a train, and I got off Port Authority to catch a bus for Hoboken.

New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang & Jessica Rivero Altarriba, conductors; Min Kwon, piano. June 1, 2024.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  Orchestra Center (Seat G101, $46).

Program

Fanfare from The King's Row by Korngold.

Suite from Lieutenant Kije by Prokofiev.

Adagio sostenuto from Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff.

The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure by Wagner/Hutschenruyter.

Imperial March from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by John Williams.

Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Williams.

Selections from Star Wars by Williams

- Anakin's Theme from Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

- Princess Leia's Theme from Episode IV: A New Hope.

- Rey's Theme from Episode VI: The Force Awakens.

- Main Title from Episode IV: A New Hope.

Host - Brett Boles.

Zhang led the first half of the program.

This concert wasn't part of the NJ Symphony "season" we got last year.  Our crowded calendar made it necessary to switch to tickets for this concert.  Anne was feeling well enough that she decided she could attend, I did drop/off close to Count Basie so she didn't have to do the long(ish) walk from the Red Bank Train Station.

The concert had two conductors: Zhang did the first half, consisting of pieces from Korngold, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff; Altarriba, a Colton Fellow originally from Cuba, conducted the second half, which featured John Williams music scores from well-known movies.  The host, Brett Boles from Connecticut, provided some interesting (and often funny) commentary during the concert.

The concert did generate a few takeaways for me.  The most prominent aspect is Altarriba conducting.  With the cooperation of the orchestra, she did an excellent job.  It also helped that many of the themes in the music were well-known.

Someone not familiar with the Korngold piece would be excused in thinking it was composed by Williams.  That Williams somehow borrowed from Korngold was news to me.  To be fair, a search of the web would return references that Williams does cite Korngold as his inspiration.

The story behind the fictional character Lieutenant Kije is quite interesting.  Boles referred to the Suite by Prokofiev as (possibly) the first time such a composition is extracted from music composed for a movie.  The five movements in the Suite refer to Kije's birth, romance, marriage, ride on a horse-drawn sleigh, and death; and it was relatively easy to follow.

Rachmaninoff's music is often used in movies and ballets.  The movement heard today was made famous by the film "Brief Encounter" (so says the Program Notes).  I do think the concerto is well-known and well-regarded in its own right, but being included in a movie makes it much wider known.

Boles provided commentary on the program which was insightful.  Why did they have to bring someone in from Connecticut?  The well-dressed person standing in attention just opened the lid on the piano.

Min Kwon performed the Rachmaninoff movement.

Altarriba enjoyed her chance to conduct in front of a live (and quite substantial) audience.

Boles also described how Anakin's theme was related to Darth Vader's theme, and that John Williams had over 60 lietmotifs in his music scores for the Star Wars episodes.  The rest of the program explored three of the character themes.

The pianist Kwon teaches at Rutgers, and she played Debussy's Clair de Lune as an encore.  At the end of the concert a Star Wars theme was played as an encore.

Attendance was very good - although still far from being sold out.  Many people treat this as a pop concert, in that talking and looking at cell phones during the performance were widely practiced.  I even got the feeling that when the music was loud those who were inclined to converse raised their voices to be heard.  Perhaps a fair price to be paid for a well-attended event.

Next week would be NJ Symphony's last program for the year, and Trifonov is performing.  I wonder how crowded the auditorium would be (two weeks in a row at Red Bank!).

One does wonder why Zhang chose to conduct only the first half.  Of course this gave Altarriba an excellent opportunity to appear before a reasonable audience, and she acquitted herself well.

New York Philharmonic. Jaap van Zweden, conductor; Igor Levit, piano. May 31, 2024.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Orchestra (Seat T-1, $89).

Program

Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra, K.364/320d (1776) by Mozart (1756-91).

Concerto No. 1 in C minor for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, Op. 35 (1933) by Shostakovich (1906-75).

Concerto in A-minor for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra, Op. 102 (1887) by Brahms (1833-97).

Igor Levit and Christopher Martin.  Michelle Kim led the orchestra today.

Artists

For Mozart: Sheryl Staples, violin; Cynthia Phelps, viola.

For Shostakovich: Christopher Martin, trumpet.

For Brahms: Frank Huang, violin; Carter Brey, cello.

This was another "farewell" van Zweden concert, titled "Igor Levit and the Stars of the NY Phil. " Principals in the orchestra performed as soloists in the three pieces on the program.  The only exception was Levit played the piano in the Shostakovich concerto.

The Mozart and Brahms pieces are relatively familiar, and the orchestra and soloists certainly put in competent and pleasant performances.  The movements of the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante are Allegro maestoso, Andante, and Presto; of the Brahms are Allegro, Andante, and Vivace non troppo.

Cynthia Phelps and Sheryl Staples.

Frank Huang and Carter Brey.

I don't remember hearing the Shostakovich piece before, but it was surprisingly easy to follow.  Played without pause, the three movements are Lento, Moderato, and Allegro con brio.  The break between the first two movements during the performance was quite obvious, even though van Zweden had his arms up.  While listening to this piece, I thought back on the Gubaidulina concerto I heard, and could make the connection between the two composers.  The del segno passage in today's piece cemented that observation.

Levit put in a spirited rendition.  If one were simply to listen to the concerto, it would be natural to conclude that it's a piano concerto, with a rather prominent trumpet part in the orchestra.  Per the Program Notes, this was first perceived by the composer as a trumpet concerto, which eventually became a piano concerto, with the trumpet "relegated" (my word) to a supporting role.  Perhaps he forgot to re-title his work, so that's why the trumpet still gets its top billing?  In any case, there were several virtuosic passages for the instrument.

All things considered, this felt like a concert that didn't quite live up to expectations.  Certainly all the "stars" are great musicians, but the level of engagement seemed more like "a day at the office" level.  Last week I raved about the good acoustics in my seat, this week the solo instruments sounded more muddled.

There was a recent article (in the New York Times, if I recall correctly) about van Zweden's tenure at NY Phil, which basically says "unfulfilled promise" (apologies if the author didn't mean to say that).  This concert perhaps underlined that sentiment.  Instead of walking away being wowed by the programming and execution, the reaction I had was "it was nice."

Next week will be the final concert of this Farewell series, and Mahler's Resurrection Symphony is on the menu.  I certainly hope the performance will live up to the name.

The concert started at 11 am.  We left South Amboy at 8:30 am to get to Hoboken where Anne was dropped off, by the time we got back home it was around 3:30 pm.  My lunch was a Dunkin muffin bought at Port Authority.