Trifonov after the performance of Schumann's Piano Concerto, with Grazinyte-Tyla looking on.
Program
De profundis for string orchestra (1998) by Raminta Serksnyte (b. 1975).
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1841-45) by R. Schumann (1810-56).
Selections from Lemminkainen Suite, Op. 22 (1895, last rev. 1939).
The drawing card on the program for most people was most likely Trifonov who at 32 has been a reliable (perhaps sensational is the better adjective) soloist for about 10 years.
And the piece did not disappoint. Looking over my blog entries, I found out to my amazement and chagrin that in January 2019 I had seen Trifonov perform this concerto with the New Jersey Symphony. And my reaction then is valid for today's performance as well. One could argue Liszt's influence came across clearer today, but that may well be due to my level of familiarity with this concerto.
Some interesting side notes. The Clara Schumann concerto, completed in 1936, was performed by Inon Barnatan and the New Jersey Symphony in 2020. She didn't marry Robert until 1939, so was still Clara Wieck. The Program Notes also mentions her influence by Liszt and Chopin. Perhaps that just the development of classical music during that time period? Also, Clara Schumann gave the premiere performance of the Robert Schumann concerto.
Today's Program Notes also describe most concertos written during that time were considered lightweight vehicles for showmanship. The composers listed - Kalkbrenner, Thalberg, Herz, Pixis, and so on - have indeed slipped to the fringe of the repertoire; I didn't know any of them. The Schumann concerto had its origin in 1841 as a one-movement Phantasie for Piano and Orchestra, performed twice at the Leipzig Gewandhaus with Clara Schumann as the soloist, and Felix Mendelssohn as the conductor.
[Note added October 25: Trifonov played an encore that sounded like one of Bach's three-part inventions, if there is such a thing.]
De Profundis was written by Serksnyte as her bachelor's graduation work in 1998. She is now teaching at the same Lithuania Academy of Music. In her words as quoted in the Program Notes: "This dramatic music, full of contrasts, reflects a certain worldview of a young person... At a young age life is perceived in an extreme, "severe" way, where euphoria quickly changes to disappointment..."
The composer of De Profundis, Raminta Serksnyte, on stage after the performance.
Indeed it's easy to discern some of the contrasts she talks about ("extreme" is too strong a word): beauty and melancholy, Western and Eastern cultures, rational and irrational ideas - quoting again from the Program Notes. And the use of major and minor thirds. For me, however, the music doesn't go beyond that. Other than describing these contrasts, the music didn't say much else to me. I certainly did get what the Annotator describes as "a taut, spellbinding intensity that eventually quiets even as it never entirely dissolves." Over the ensuing 25 years the composer has written music and many different genres, and accumulated quite a few prizes. De Profundis, however, is still her most-performed work.
My reaction to the Lemminaiken Suite by Sibelius runs hot and cold, mostly cold. In fact I considered my first encounter of "The Swan of Tuonela" forgettable. The one positive reaction I had was when the entire Suite was performed by NY Phil, under the direction of Sir Colin Davies. That was the first time the piece was performed in its entirety by the ensemble. The pieces selected for tonight's performance are: Lemminlainen and the Maidens of the Island; The Swan of Tuonela; and Lemminkainen's Return. Ryan Roberts, the orchestra's English Horn, was the soloist in the Swan movement.
The Program Notes spent quite a few words describing what is behind the first movement, discussing if it describes how Lemminkainen sleeps with with every woman on the island, or if it simply a portrayal of the wanton life of the protagonist (the word "hero" used doesn't seem appropriate). One would think the latter remark, supposed from Sibelius himself, would cut off all discussions of this nature. Being a tone poem, there should be storylines behind each movement, and I am sure there are. Those are not described in the Program Notes for tonight.
Ryan Roberts was the English Horn solo for the Swan of Tuonela movement.
This is the debut performance by the young Lithuanian-born Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla. She had a presence that is remarkable, especially considering her small stature, and is one of the few conductors with an upward facing palm in her conducting techniques. The reports that I have read all seem to heap praises on her, so it's somewhat of a pity that tonight's performance wasn't a showcase of her talents - others disagree. Of course the Schumann concerto being as pleasant as it was had to be due to the great performance of the orchestra. Unfortunately she was blocked from view by the piano.
Today's concert began at 11 am, so we were planning to take the 9:04 am train from South Amboy. As with our last trip, a pedestrian accident (which ended up being a fatal one) stopped all trains coming up from the south. Fortunately the 9:17 am train originated from South Amboy, so we got to Lincoln Center with 15 minutes to spare. The return trip was fine.
There were some empty seats in the auditorium, and - as is the case with many of these day-time concerts - many in the audience are older folks.
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