New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang, conductor; Danill Trifonov, piano. March 10, 2022.

NJPAC, Prudential Hall, Newark, NJ.  (Grand Tier, Seat B103, $43).

Program

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Capriccio italien, Op. 45.

Mason Bates Piano Concerto.

Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture.

Tchaikovsky Suite from Swan Lake, Op. 20a.

It is impossible to talk about this context without referencing the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which could have led to some awkwardness (probably there is a better term to describe this) to this series of concerts.  Both Carnegie Hall and the Met have cancelled some artists because of their refusal to criticize Putin directly.  I do not know Trifonov's background - other than he studied at Cleveland - and allegiance so didn't know what to expect.  The range of possibilities could have ranged from "nothing unusual happens" to full cancellation, this program is close to being all-Russian, after all.

Before the concert began NJSO's CEO Gabriel van Aalst came on stage with Trifonov and Bates and made some remarks about the recent horrific events, and the NJSO members stood up as the played the Ukrainian National Anthem.  While Trifonov looked uncomfortable, I thought it was a good gesture on everyone's part.  It was also my first encounter with the Ukrainian national anthem.

Bates, Trifonov, and van Aalst on stage as the NJSO plays the Ukrainian National Anthem.

All the Tchaikovsky pieces are quite familiar, yet enjoyable.  While the orchestra played the lines beautifully, I thought there was not a lot of urgency in their playing.  One reason might be the acoustics of Prudential Hall; while sounds are clear, they also come across as somewhat too clinical.

The Program Notes describes the love theme as an intertwining of two segments representing Romeo and Juliet.  One of those days I will find out what they are.  The selections from Swan Lake are lovely, but somehow the most dramatic ballet scene (I am talking about all these Fouettes) did not find its way into the suite.

It is rare for me to find a new composition the lynchpin of a concert.  Today's was one of those exceptions.  Bates writes using both classical and electronic instruments, but uses only traditional instruments in composing this piano to highlight Trifonov's virtuosity and style.  Again from the Program Notes: "The three movements take us on a time-travel adventure, opening with Renaissance flavor that suggests lutes and the percussion of early music.  The second movement immerses us in Romantic angst, as the soloist struggles in artistic (and musical) isolation.  The finale fast forwards to jazz and minimalism, filtered through Bates' individual voice."  Bates certainly wrote this concerto with these characteristics in mind, and the simple sentences I quoted helped tremendously in my appreciation of the music.  The piece is about 25 minutes long, if I remember correctly, and the movement transitions were quite obvious even without the breaks.  While I wouldn't have minded if the piece was a Prokofiev or a Rachmaninoff, having this Bates concerto in the Program was just fine.  My one observation (if others had not made it already) is that the "minimalist" part was "Philip Glass on steroids."  While the music seemed to move along slowly, it was done with a richness that would be incongruent with Glass's approach.

This was an afternoon concert, and a rather long one.  Attendance (see photo) was okay for an NJSO event.  Applause was - as usual - lukewarm.

Bates and Trifonov after conclusion of the concerto.  Zhang looking on from the podium.

At the conclusion of the (rather long) program.  Attendance was okay for an NJSO concert.

Seong-Jin Cho, piano. March 7, 2022.

Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Centre, Princeton, NJ.  (Balcony B, BB5, $33.)

Program

Sonata "1.X.1905" by Leos Janacek (1854-1928).

Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).

The Four Scherzos by Frederic Chopin (1810-1849).

Cho's name became quite common in the last couple of years, so I was interested in catching this recital, especially McCarter had a  half-price Thanksgiving (2021) sale.

After sitting through a rather long recital, I must say I enjoyed the concert thoroughly.  The program ended at around 9:15 pm, and Cho threw in a couple of encores, so we didn't get out of our seats until around 9:30 pm.  A two hour program for a soloist must be quite demanding.

Typing this blog entry four days after the event,  I have forgotten most of the specific reactions.  A couple of things stood out: how well-formed the lines were; and his great control of the dynamics, going from loud to soft smoothly in a short span of a few notes.

As with the February 18 program of Jennifer Koh's, David Wright provided the Program Notes.  It contains a lot fewer typo's this time.  I record some of them below for future reference, with my personal remarks (as triggered by reading the Notes).

Janacek wrote "Z ulice 1.X.1905" (In the Street) as a sonata of protest of the October 1, 1905 event which saw the German-dominated council of Brno send in armed forces to break up a Czech rally in opposition to the council's decision to veto the idea of setting up a university in the town.  The sonata had three movements originally, but the last movement (Finale: Funeral March) was destroyed by Janacek during the final rehearsal.  He further threw the remaining movements into the Vlatava River after a private performance in Prague.  The work was preserved as Ludmila Tuckova, who performed the premiere, had a copy.  What we heard today were Presentiment: Con moto; and Death: Adagio.  There was no pause in between, although the change in mood was very clear.

We had visited Czechoslovakia before (actually only Czechia) and I was happy to be able to recall Brno, Prague, and the Moldau.

I had only limited prior encounters with Janacek's music, most notably his opera Jenufa, which I saw in 2016.  The remark I made was "the opera is definitely worth seeing again."  The reaction I have today is more along the lines of "I would love to catch another Cho concert," though.

While the Program Notes describes how the poems of Aloysius Bertrand inspired Ravel's composition, Wikipedia explains the person word Gaspard roughly means "the man in charge of the royal treasures."  It further ranks the piece as one of the most difficult in the piano repertoire.  (Incidentally, I also consider Ravel's Tzigane one of the most difficult violin pieces.)  The three movements resulted from Ravel's attempt to say with notes what the poet said with words.  Surreal, macabre, and difficult are the words that came to mind as I listened to this, for the first time.

Briefly quoting from the Program Notes and Wikipedia ... Ondine is "the flurry of rain thrown against your window by me, Ondine, spirit of the water."  When she was rejected, the nymph retreated into the lake calling, pleading, and enticing.  The writing was inspired by Chopin, Liszt as well as Ravel's earlier compositions.  The gibbet (Le Gibet) is a gallows-like instrument for execution, here the deathly stillness (marked toujours ppp and sans expression) is broken only by a relentlessly tolling bell.  One could hear the bell distinctly throughout the work (B-flat octave ostinato).

Scarbo is a hallucinatory vision of an impish intruder, a dwarf who changes his shape from a spinning wheel to a candle to a steeple before the poet's eyes.  I don't have the skills to correlate things precisely, but the changes in character were easy enough to discern.  Wikepedia further adds Ravel's commen: I wanted to make a caricature of romanticism; perhaps it got the better of me.  The way Cho dispatched this movement reminded me of my first encounter with Trifonov (whom I will see in the next concert).

After listening to the four Chopin scherzos, my first reaction was few would call them that.  They are all virtuoso pieces that follow the scherzo form, but by no means a joke.  Quoting from the Program Notes: All but one of them seem to have no "joke" about them at all; they are fiery dramas, close cousins of the ballades.  The Notes also describes the pieces as "[an] exploitation of the vigorous new piano technique that the young Chopin virtually invented in his Etudes, Ops. 10 and 25."  When one tries to listen for the scherzo form, one can probably make out the "minuet-trio" aspects.

The four scherzos are (i) B minor, Op. 20; (ii) B-flat minor, Op. 31; (iii) C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and (iv) E major, Op. 54.  (iv) can be characterized "Butterfly" had the name not been assigned already to one of Chopin's etudes.

I set out to write a short blog, and ended up with quite an entry; I am sure how good I felt about the pianist and the program has something to do with it.

Before the program began, a gentleman came on stage, and explained Cho was a last minute stand-in a few days prior in a Carnegie Hall concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic.  He arrived at 2 pm on the day of the concert, practiced with the orchestra for 18 minutes, and then performed Rachmaninoff 2 without music.  Well, another example of "talent is God's being unfair."  This had to do with the recent invasion of Ukraine which resulted in many Russian artists being cancelled.  If I had a political blog, I would have a lot to say about that!

The auditorium was full.  Many of the Asians in attendance were probably Korean.  It was raining, and we had to park quite far away (close to "downtown").

Cho at the end of the concert.  He played two pieces as encore.

It is quite usual for a tuner to retune a harpsichord during the intermission.  Not so common for a piano recital.

New Jersey Symphony. Jose Luis Dominguez, conductor; Eric Wyrick, violin; Juan Pablo Jofre, bandoneon. February 26, 2022.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ.  (Balcony, Seat E113, $50.)

Program

Louise Farrenc Overture No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 23.

Juan Pablo Jofre Double Concerto for Violin and Bandoneon, No. 1

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74, "Pathetique"

Titling this concert "Tchaikovsky's Pathetique" may be a bit misleading as the first half consists of two works that are seldom heard in concerts.  Farrenc was a Frenchwoman who died in 1875, and Jofre is an Argentina native who lives in New York.

Dominguez leads the NJ Symphony Youth Orchestra.  We saw him on a couple occasions conducting the NJSO in outdoor concerts in Red Bank.

Ferrenc's piece was quite short, at less than ten minutes.  After listening to the overture for a while, I thought I would mistake it with one of Rossini's, given how light-hearted it sounded.  My original thinking was I was off as Rossini certainly was one of these "old" opera composers.  Turns out Rossini died in 1868, so it is safe to assume they were contemporaries.  Of course I do not know if they had met one another or had exerted a mutual influence.  Also, a musicologist may be able to tell how French and Italian musical styles were different at that time.

Per the Program Notes, Jofre is an award-winning bandoneon player and composer.  The piece heard tonight "fuses Western classical tradition with his Argentinian nuevo tango heritage.  He cites Bach, Bartok, Stravinsky and Piazzolla as major compositional influences ... Jofre challenges the conventional approach to violin, writing for it in a percussive manner (and occasionally using the violin itself as a percussion instrument)."  Them fighting words.  For sure this was the first written for a violin and bandoneon, but beyond that I am not so sure.  Not knowing much about the bandoneon, I can't tell the level of virtuosity that was involved - although a lot seemed to be in support of the violin solo.  On the other hand, the violin part seemed extremely challenging, beginning with a rather rapid succession of double stops.  I usually have mixed feelings about Wyrick's solo lines, but today he was most impressive, despite having some problems with harmonics.  The violin sounded great - better than the sound of Koh's violin a few days ago.

Wyrck, Dominguez, and Jofre.  One sees string players, a pianist, and a timpanist in this photo.  The Program also lists a guiro, a triangle, and a bass drum.

The Bandoneon.  Most people would think it's an accordion.

The music was reasonably captivating and interesting.  However, after 10 minutes or so I thought I had heard enough.  The entire piece was about 20 minutes.

Much has been said about how Tchaikovsky died eight days after the premiere of his last work, Symphony No. 6.  Today's Program Notes has a new take (for me) on why he (perhaps) drank poison.  It had to do with his alleged relationship with a young boy, and Tchaikovsky was asked to commit suicide to not embarrass the School of Jurisprudence that the composer attended some thirty years prior.

The Symphony is a challenge to any orchestra, and I am surprised that NJSO decided to take it on.  My overall reaction: technically things seemed fine, but the overall performance lacked the "passion" or "pathos" one expected.  Which all-in-all isn't a bad outcome.

After the Pathetique.

And, I am glad to say, it's no longer a "Jekyll and Hyde" ensemble, a term I used to describe NJSO when Lacombe was the conductor.  The orchestra did well with Lacombe leading, but would collapse under guest conductors.  Of course, Dominguez is a regular.

The concert was actually quite well attended, even though there were still quite a few empty seats in the balcony.  As with the State Theater, there were a lot of renovations done during the pandemic hiatus.  The auditorium still had the same feel as before things however were a lot "cleaner."

There is the addition of a proper lobby in the Balcony.

The auditorium has the same feel it did in the past.  The seats were reupholstered.

Half-time waits at bathrooms are considerably shortened with additional facilities.

Jennifer Koh, violin; Thomas Sauer, piano. February 18, 2022.

Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Centre, Princeton, NJ.  (Balcony B, BB5, $33).

Program

Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12, No. 1.

Bridgetower Fantasy by Vijay Iyer (b. 1971).

Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 47, "Kreutzer."

Beethoven's violin sonatas are standard pieces violin students learn.  They range in degrees of difficulty, with No. 1 being on the easy side, and No. 9 a rather difficult one to master.  I enjoyed both pieces.  I forget if the music contains actual repeat markings, but Koh and Sauer seemed to do all the repeats, which make for rather long performances.  The concert started a few minutes late, but didn't end until 9:45 pm, with one intermission.

A notable mistake violin students were taught to avoid was these screeching sounds from not doing your bowing properly.  Another would be playing unintentionally close to the bridge.  Both seem to be staple techniques in the piece by Iyer.  To make those sounds consistently would require a lot of practice - of course I do not know if the sounds were made consistently, or did the violinist do the best she could, and whatever came out, came out.

Per the Program Notes, the Bridgetower Fantasy was "a meditation on the enigmatic African European violinist George Bridgetower, who gave the first performance of the "Kruetzer" with the composer at the piano."  The Program Notes continues to describe the Fantasy, starting with the "lonely violin harmonics" to "a characteristic hesitate-and-rush coda that seems to outdo the master at his own game."  Quite a statement there, as the "master" in this case is THE master Beethoven.  Unfortunately I didn't hear most of what the Notes was describing.  The role Bridgetower played in the Kreutzer Sonata is interesting, though.

Jennifer Koh dyed her hair purple, with nail polish to match.  With a large black mask on, she was not recognizable.  She did the pieces with enthusiasm, and many hairs on the bow broke as a result.  She supposedly performs on a Strad, but the sound was not as smooth and clear as I expected.

Sauer matched Koh musically, I feel sorry for these "accompanists" who faced equal challenges but gets secondary billing in the program.

There were paper copies of the "Program Notes" available, and contains rather insightful observations by David Wright.  But it also contains some "gibberish" with out-of-order words such as "violin leading Rodolphe violinist Kreutzer and and Louis pianist, Adam, who respectively, Beethoven in Paris."  In any case, many violinist will disagree with his view that this sonata "as if to say goodbye forever to the old 'accompanied sonata'."

The tickets were bought at a 50% off sale during Thanksgiving.  Both the main auditorium and the balcony had lots of empty seats.  A bit discouraging.

Taken a few minutes before the concert began.  Not too many additonal people showed up afterwards.

Joshua Bell and Larisa Martinez with the New Jersey Symphony. Broadcast February 9, 2022.

Conductor - Zhang Xian.

Joshua Bell, violin; Larisa Martinez, soprano.

Program

Mendelssohn/arr. Kohn & Stephenson "Ah, ritorna, eta dell'oro" from Infelice

Mozart "Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!," K. 418

Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2

Broadcast on NJ PBS online.

The program was performed at NJPAC, to an empty auditorium, with orchestra members socially distanced.  Strings one to a stand.  It premiered at 7:30 pm on October 20, 2021, per the orchestra's website.

Bell and Martinez are married (in 2019, per Wikipedia).

Loved the Wieniawski violin concerto.

Playing to an empty auditorium, Bell faced the orchestra most of the time.

Socially distanced orchestra seating.

ALL-ARTS Channel Broadcast - Metropolitan Opera's Walkure. February 7, 2022.

Original performance date: 2019.

Conductor - Philippe Jordan; Siegmund - Stuart Skelton, Sieglinde - Eva-Maria Westbroek, Hunding - Gunther Groissbock, Wotan - Greer Grimsley, Brunnhilde - Christine Goerke, Fricka - Jamie Barton.

Speaking of not sitting through a PBS documentary on Itzhak Perlman, what started as "let's see what it is like" turned into a full 4-hour viewing of this broadcast.  I did lose my focus, especially during some of the more "boring" monologues and dialogues.

We saw the Met 2019 Ring Cycle and the cast for the performance we saw was mostly the same as the one for this show.  One notable exception was Michael Volle sang the role of Wotan in the performance we attended.  Interesting, we saw Grimsley as Wotan in the very first Ring Cycle we attended, in 2009 in Seattle.  I didn't write much about the performances then, but distinctly remember Grimsley as not having a strong voice.  I had seen Grimsley a few times in the ensuing years, and have given him a mixed review.  Either the recording engineers did a great job (no doubt they did), or Grimsley improved a lot during the decade.

The Walkure had to slide down these planks.  One could see the relief in their eyes when they landed on the platform below.

Brunnhilde and Wotan.

It is quite clear to me that a stunt double was used in this fire scene.

Walkure at curtain call.  In the center were Grimsley, Goerke, and Westbroek.

An Evening with Itzhak Perlman. February 5, 2022.

State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ.  Balcony (Seat K101, $58).

Program

Announced from stage.

Pianist: Rohan di Silva.

First, this was a packed auditorium.  And ticket prices were (relatively) high.  We paid more for a worse seat compared to the Royal Philharmonic concert.

As described in the notes on the event, Perlman went over his journey as a child in Tel Aviv to more recent times.  He showed many photographs and videos.  I did take some notes which I will retype below (musical numbers prefaced with an *).

He hated the word "virtual," although he recognized that as a life-saver for many people.

His prior encounter with a pandemic (polio) caused his physical problems.  Joked that since he couldn't be a tennis star, might as well practice the violin.

The first apartment his parents rented was 5 by 8 (feet?).

*The first piece he played tonight was Kreisler's Tempo di menuetto.

First teacher was found by his parents at the beach, not very good.

Switched teacher (a woman).

*Schumann's Serenade.  (That's what I wrote down, and it wasn't the famous one by Schubert).

*Concerto by Oskar Rieding.  I had never heard of this composer before, evidently he wrote many violin concertos for the beginning student.  In searching for this piece, I found a record of Perlman titled "Concertos from my Childhood" (EMI Classics).

*Allegro by Joseph Hector Fiocco.

How he was picked by Ed Sullivan and began his journey to the United States.

Studied under Ivan Galamian (whom I know as editor of many violin pieces) and his assistant Dorothy DeLay.  Galamian ran a summer music school called Meadowmount.

While studying in New York, he earned money by performing at many Jewish fundraisers.

Carnegie debut with a piece by Wieniawski.

Mentioned Ravel's Tzigane.

Won a violin competition (Leventritt).

Talked about recording Schubert's Trout Quintet in London in 1969.  With Barenboim, Zuckerman, du Pre and Mehta.  I watched the documentary (available on YouTube) recently.

Made the cover of Newsweek.

Part of the "I Hate Steps" campaign.

Performance with Ray Charles.

Appeared on Sesame Street many times.

Sara Lee commercial.

He sang the jailor role in Tosca, with Pavarotti as Cavaradossi and Mehta conducting.

Talked about the Perlman Music Program which he attributed to his wife Tobi (who came backstage after a concert at Meadowmount and said she would marry him).  It's going strong after 26/27 years.

Started to conduct.

*Schindler's List.  He relayed how John Williams approached him about the piece.

I am not sure what the expectations of the attendees were.  The title of the event, "an evening with," should have led one to think this was going to be Perlman reminiscing about his life.  I could sense there were quite a few who were somewhat disappointed at the lack of brilliant violin playing during the 90-minute session.

His story is certainly an inspiring one.  Of course he has a talent that very few people are blessed with.  I do wonder if he hasn't lost a step or two on the virtuoso front, if the recent concerts I attended were any indication.

The session went by very quickly, and I enjoyed it.  What is it about a live session that makes it so much more interesting?  I can definitely see this as something one would broadcast on PBS, and I will probably give it a miss.

Perlman ended the concert by saying "now you clap," his way of saying there will not be an encore.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Vasily Petrenko, conductor; Kian Soltani, cello. January 30, 2022.

State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ.  Balcony (Seat C102, $43).

Program

Four Sea Interludes from 'Peter Grimes,' Op. 33a (1945) by Britten (1913-1976).

Cello Concerto No 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107 (1959) by Shostakovich (1906-1975).

Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 (1943) by Rachmaninov (1873-1943).

Yesterday (1/31) a "Live from Carnegie Hall" notice popped up on the WQXR APP inviting listeners to tune into a performance by the RPO.  As their website lists 2/3 as their next concert, in the UK, I was evidently catching the tail end of RPO's USA tour.

While all three pieces on the program were written in the mid-1900s, they are all rather popular and "easy listening."

The one piece I had heard the least - once, per this blog - I actually remembered quite well.  It was the first time I heard Alisa Weilerstein, back in 2011.  The 4-note theme, barely singable as a tune, has stuck in my mind ever since.  Today's was a great performance, but not as impactful as what I remember of the one 11 years ago.  The cello was a bit weak when played against the full orchestra.  Per his website, he is about 30 years old, and plays on a Stradivarius.

In addition to the 4-note theme, the other noteworthy aspect of the piece is the third movement, labelled "Cadenza."  Indeed it was a cello-only movement, and sounded and looked very difficult.

The Program Notes (such as it is) discussed at some length the 4-note theme, and labeled it as D-E flat-C-B.  The actual score has the notes as G-F flat-C flat-B flat.  Tried as I did, I couldn't quite get the two to sound the same.  One of those days I will find an explanation.  (The Wikipedia article on the concerto says its continually distorted and re-shaped; my question is if the tune is already unrecognizable at the very beginning, is it still that tune?)

That the piece sounded "familiar" when I listened to it for the second time was simply amazing.  That speaks to either the genius of Shostakovich, or Weilerstein, or both.

Kian Soltani after performing the Shostakovich cello concerto.  Per his website, he plays on a Stradivarius, but the varnish on this cello is light compared to most Stradivarii I have seen.

Alas, the same cannot be said about the other two pieces on the program, both of which I had heard on multiple prior occasions.

I did wish I had read up a little on Peter Grimes.  I finally saw a taped version of the performance during the lockdown, and understood the story.  I also recall parts of the Program Notes I read on prior performances - about these church bells, for instance.  However, I had generally little idea of what was going on.

That it was useful to read up on a piece beforehand was reinforced with Rachmaninov.  The piece was written a few years before the composer's death, and was actually his last completed work.  People who know Rachmaninov's music well can probably recognize it as his work right away.  To me it doesn't evoke the same romanticism.  Of course I could read the composer into the music since I did read the Program.  It wasn't until Dies Irae was introduced that I could say "of course it is."  Perusal of prior blog entries before this had one conductor describe each of the dances as introducing a new character.  I wish I had known that beforehand.

The cellist played an encore, a piece from Shostakovich's film score for "The Gadfly."  It was arranged for the solo cello and the orchestra's cello section.  The orchestra also played an encore: a familiar piece whose title I cannot recall.  (The encore was listed as "Dance of the Tumblers" by Tchaikovsky for their 1/31 Carnegie Hall concert.)  The piece was fast and "rowdy," but showcased how precise the musicians were.

After performance of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances.  This is a rather large orchestra, with over 50 string players, and another 30 of other instruments.  If the conductor was bothered by the low attendance, he didn't show it at all.

Despite my being pretty certain I have heard the RPO before, this evidently was my first encounter with them.  They have been around 75 years and does 200 (!) concerts a year.  Indeed they are hitting multiple cities in the UK after their Carnegie Hall performance.

We bought two tickets for the concert, Anne couldn't go because the grandkids were with us.  Finding parking off street was not difficult, even though the snowstorm on Saturday blocked off many parking spaces along Livingston Avenue.  Traffic was light.

The last time I was at the State Theatre was February, 2020.  In the meantime the place has undergone considerable renovation.  The price on the ticket is $35, but an additional $8 in fees.  My ticket was for the first three rows of the balcony, which was quite full.  Otherwise the balcony was empty, so several people moved to Rows D and E.  I sat in Row D.

Overall, this was an enjoyable concert.  And I joined in the enthusiastic (for New Jersey audiences) applause for a job well-done.

The State Theatre underwent considerable renovations during the Pandemic.  This is the lobby at the balcony level.

Ceiling of auditorium.

Taken 2 minutes before 3 pm.  Empty section of balcony.  A few more people moved to this area just before the concert started.

New Jersey Symphony. Xian Zhang, conductor; Daniil Trifonov, piano. November 5, 2021.

NJPAC, Prudential Hall, Newark, NJ.  (Grand Tier, Seat B104, $81).

Program
Stardust by Jessie Montgomery.
"The Moldau," "Sarka," and "Blanik" from Ma Vlast by Smetana.
Piano Concerto No. 2 by Beethoven.

Two in-person concerts in two days, quite an accomplishment.  The program was going to be repeated in Count Basie, quite a bit closer to our house, and nearby free-parking, but our grandchildren were planning to stay with us over the weekend.  We opted instead for NJPAC.  Only worrisome thing was traffic, which turned out to be okay.  And the $20 parking charge.

This was taken about 8 minutes before 8 pm.  The main auditorium was quite empty.

This is at the end of the first half of the program.  More people seemed to be seated.

Trifonov and Zhang, both masked, at the end of the Beethoven Concerto.

Trifonov was going to be playing a Brahms Piano Concerto (No. 1, if I recall).  He hurt his elbow, so went instead for Beethoven's second.

Beethoven's second piano concerto actually was the first one he composed, and to my ears it sounds like a fierier Mozart concerto.  Nonetheless, it is still quite physically demanding, so I hope it didn't aggravate Trifonov's hurt elbow.

For encore he played a Bach piece: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.  A surprise.  After we got home, Anne looked up YouTube and found a recording of him playing the piece.  He evidently is on a quest to explore the many dimensions of Bach.

We had heard an enjoyable performance of the Moldau by NJSO a while back, and for tonight two more selections from Ma Vlast were added, extending the performance to about 36 minutes (per Program Notes).  There is good reason why the Moldau is the most popular of the lot.

The evening started with a very short piece by Jessie Montgomery.  Her music was recently featured in a Princeton Symphony concert also.  I also listened recently to a Podcast with her as the guest.  So she has a lot of visibility nowadays.  I am typing this two weeks after the concert, and have no recollection - beyond my mental note that it was quite "listenable" - of the piece.

I find to my surprise that I am not as harsh in my review as I could be, probably because I somewhat relish being able to enjoy a concert in a large hall - albeit less than half full.  On the other hand, I am not rushing to find more events to attend.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra. Rossen Milanov, conductor; Shai Wosner, piano. November 4, 2021.

Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Centre, Princeton, NJ.  (Balcony A, CC109, $83)

 

Program

The Dream Deferred by Williams.

Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-flat Major by Mozart.

Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, D 417 by Schubert.

The most significant aspect of tonight’s event is that it’s our first in-person concert since we last saw an opera on March 9, 2020.  I attended it with mixed feelings.  After a lockdown – at different levels, some of which self-imposed – of over 18 months, I was surprised that my urge to attend live concerts (and travel, for that matter) has greatly subsided.  Looking over events and deciding on the ones to attend, the actual act of buying a ticket or a series, the logistics of getting to the venue are things I did with great enthusiasm; now I wonder if these chores are worth the effort.  This time the plus side was we got to have dinner with our friends Vivien and David, who alerted us to their attendance.  The somewhat snobbish in me also questioned if a PSO concert is worth the money it charges for their events – I can get a good seat at NJPAC or David Geffen Hall.  One has to dip one’s toe into the water …

The Princeton Symphony is a small ensemble; tonight there were fewer than 40 players, and I venture to guess they don’t have four horns in their regular roster.  In the relative confines of the Matthews Theatre, it sounds fine, with a few notable exceptions.

Evan Williams (b. 1988) is now composer-in-residence at the Detroit Symphony.  Loosely quoting the Program Notes, the piece was commissioned by “the activist orchestra” The Dream Unfinished for their 2017 season “Raise Your Hand.”  Milanov talked about how the piece describes “the school-to-prison” pipeline as an example of a dream deferred, and how the music devolves from hope to despair.  So those words set my expectation.  The music is not complicated, although (per David) the string players sometimes would bow in different directions.  I was trying to listen for this “hope to despair” procession and frankly didn’t hear it; there was little hope at the beginning.

Since my teen years I was told the basics of listening to Mozart are the dotted notes, the crispness, and lightness.  Other than the occasional splashes of inspiration, tonight’s performance missed on all three attributes.  I don’t recall having encountered this concerto in live performance before, so consider this a missed opportunity.

Wosner taking a bow after the Mozart concerto.  Notice the rather empty balcony section, the main auditorium had more people though.

Dinner at Dinky's before the concert.

Schubert wrote his fourth symphony, referred to as “The Tragic," when he was nineteen, but (per Wikipedia) the piece wasn’t performed until 1849, years after his death.  A characteristic of Schubert’s music is the ease with which he modulated.  For him to move from one key to an entirely unrelated key seemed effortless, either with brute force, or with a few intermediate chords.  I didn’t get that with this piece, again an unfamiliar one.  Whether it’s the orchestra or the music, I don’t know.  The third movement, titled Minuet and Trio, could well have been called Scherzo (and Trio?).  The orchestra didn’t take all the repeats, which was a wise choice given how it was performed.  The solo flute had quite a few lines, the clarify didn’t come through at all.  And that was against a small ensemble.

From a critic’s point of view, this had to be an unsatisfactory concert.  However, I found the evening a delight.  Dinner with old friends was certainly good, and being able to sit inside an auditorium turned out to more enjoyable than I thought.

 

In the middle of writing this blog entry, I bought tickets for tonight’s (Friday Nov 5) NJSO concert with Trifonov as the pianist.

NJ PBS. TRANSCEND: An NJSO Concert Film. July 21, 2021.

Program performed October 22-23, 2020 at NJPAC, Newark, NJ.

Program per NJSO Website.  Video also available on NJSO website.

Featuring the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Xian Zhang, Music Director

Directed by Yuri Alves

Arising from a pandemic shutdown, world-renowned conductor and star music director Xian Zhang leads the illustrious New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in a concert film directed by award-winning filmmaker Yuri Alves, who expands the magnetic soundscape with evocative visual meditations on a world in turmoil.

The concerts were recorded live at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ, October 22–23, 2020. Presented in 4K Ultra HD. Produced by DreamPlay Films in association with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

An immersive orchestral experience for a new era.

Part I

DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN i am a white person who _____ Black people (World Premiere, NJSO Commission)
MAHLER Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
MOZART Divertimento in D Major K. 136
MICHAEL ABELS Delights & Dances

Part II

STILL Mother and Child
PUCCINI I Crisantemi
COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Deep River
DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings

Featuring

XIAN ZHANG conductor & piano
ERIC WYRICK violin
RUBÉN RENGEL violin
JANNINA NORPOTH violin
DANA KELLEY viola
THOMAS MESA cello
NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

NJSO Concert Films - EMERGE Part 3. Premiered Jun 30, 2021.

Recorded live on March 11, 2021 at NJPAC, Newark, NJ.

Program

Shostakovich First Piano Concerto.

Beethoven Fourth Symphony.

Conductor: Xian Zhang; Piano: Daniil Trifonov; Trumpet: Anderson Romero.

ALL ARTS Channel Broadcast - New York Philharmonic Concert in Pyongyang. May 17, 2021.

Original Concert Date: February 26, 2008.

The concert took place at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, with Lorin Maazel conducting a program anchored by two well-known pieces premiered at the New York Philharmonic: Dvorak's "From the New World" Symphony and Gershwin's "An American in Paris."  The concert started with the national anthems of the USA and North Korea, and started with Wagner's Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin.  The encore pieces included pieces from Bizet, Bernstein, and the popular Korean folk song Arirang.

ALL-ARTS also had the video in its archives, so some of the photos are screen shots from my PC.

Metropolitan Opera at Home - Puccini's Turandot. April 26, 2021.

Original  Broadcast Date: ???

Conductor - Yannic Nezet-Seguin.  Turandot - Christine Goerke, Calaf - Yusif Eyvazov, Liu - Eleonora Buratto, Timur - James Morris, Ping - Alexey Lavrov, Pang - Tony Stevenson, Pong - Eduardo Valdes.

I am writing this down on July 2, so don't remember the specifics.  I suppose one could go back and at least find out when the live performance occurred ...

Below are some screen shots from the TV: