Author: Philip Gardner
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CMS Summer Evenings 2023 ~ Concert 4
Above: pianist Juho Pohjonen, photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
Author: Oberon
Tuesday July 18th, 2023 – The final concert in Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center‘s 2023 Summer Evenings series presented a quintet of distinctive artists in music of Haydn, Mozart, and Fauré. The remarkable Finnish pianist Juhi Pohjonen was at the center of this engrossing program, playing in all three works with the combination of passion and subtlety that is his trademark.
Haydn’s Trio in E-flat major for Violin, Cello and Piano, Hob. XV:29, dating from 1797, made for an elegant start to the evening. The opening Poco allegretto commences with a sustained note from the three artists: violinist Stella Chen, cellist Sihao He, and Mr. Pohjonen. The music then progresses in a ‘theme and variations’ setting, briefly entering the minor mode. The pianist’s rippling florid passages delighted the ear, whilst violin and cello duetted lyrically.
The pianist opens the Andante with the most delicate of pianissimi, taking up a simple melody in which the three voices blend sweetly. The ebb and flow of passion and restraint leads to a mini-cadenza from the pianist before the Allemande finale kicks off with a burst of energy. Mr. Pohjonen spins off immaculate fiorature laced with trills, whilst Sihao He offers rapid cello scalework. After pausing for a playful piano passage, the music dances on: winding down, only to re-boot to a zesty finish.
Mozart’s Concerto No. 12 in A -major for Piano and String Quintet, K. 414, was written in 1782 for the composer himself to perform, with a small ensemble; the string quartet setting was created later. This piece offers a perfect showcase for Mr. Pohjonen’s artistry.
The opening Allegro features genial strings: violist Beth Guterman Chu has joined violinists Stella Chen and Danbi Um, with Sihao He’s mellow sound enriching the harmonies. Mr. Pohjonen’s marvelous tone and sparkling agility are pure magic. Ms. Guterman Chu, with a gleam in her eye, is a wonderful addition to the ensemble, whilst Sihao He’s rich-toned descending motifs are truly appealing. At last comes a fabulous Pohjonen piano cadenza, so gracefully played.
The Andante suffered from the intrusion of two dropped objects and a jangling cellphone, but the artists kept their focus, opening with a string quartet. Mr. Pohjonen’s nuanced playing was just sublime, and I must again praise Sihao He’s plush sound. A minor-key piano passage underlined by sighing strings achieves a marvelous blend, and Mr. Pohjonen’s cadenza was offered in a hushed pianissimo, with trills etched in.
The final Rondeau: Allegretto is lively indeed, with nimble, utterly clear piano phrases and unison string passages, which eventually develop into a fugue. Full stop…and then the pianist’s virtuosity was in full flourish, pausing only for some enticing delicate measures along the way. Bravo Juho!
Following a rather longish the interval, Gabriel Fauré’s Quartet in C-minor for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello No. 1, Op. 15, was given a luminous performance by Mr. Pohjonen, Danbi Um, Beth Guterman Chu, and Sihao He.
The opening Allegro molto moderato momentarily has an à la Russe feeling, later becoming quietly rapturous. A piano theme is soon taken up by Danbi Um’s silken violin, then passed on to Ms. Chen and Ms. Guterman Chu. The music becomes overwhelmingly beautiful and passionate, before turning more lyrical. Mr. Pohjonen’s sorcery is again evidenced in the movement’s sustained conclusion.
Delicate plucking opens the Scherzo, with sprightly motifs from the Steinway: all is lightness and air. Rhythms compete, the music covering a broad dynamic range with shifts of energy. After a false finish, the piano gently resumes. The unison strings then part company, taking up slithering scales. The music dances on, full of fun.
Sihao He introduces the Adagio with an achingly gorgeous theme; the strings unite, and the pianist is at his most pensive. Danbi Um’s violin sounds radiantly, whilst the violist and cellist, playing in unison, introduce darker hues. These lower voices join Danbi in poignant harmonies. The music is lush and passionate until a sudden mood swing comes from the piano, playing pianissimo. The the opening cello solo returns, and a feeling of time standing still gave me the chills…so haunting. Then Mr. Pohjonen offers a final benediction.
In the final Allegro molto, we can simply sit there and savour the vibrant playing that’s on offer. Juho is beyond splendid, and bits of melody are passed about among the string players. After a brief interlude, the music seems to be summoning energy for a big finish, but instead there’s a full stop. From the silence, Danbi Um’s exquisite sound emerges, opening a pathway to a grand and sweeping finish.
Cellist Sihao He wrote of his experience learning the Fauré C-minor quartet as a teenager; I wanted to include his thoughts about the work here, as they align perfectly with my own:
~ Oberon
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Anna Moffo Sings Verdi
Anna Moffo, a beloved star at The Met in the 1960s and 1970s, made an album of Verdi arias from roles she never sang onstage. Entitled A Verdi Collaboration, the program was conducted by Franco Ferrera.
(The photo above is autographed, though the signature has faded.)
Here are some tracks from this wonderful and largely forgotten recording.
Anna Moffo – SIMON BOCCANEGRA – aria
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TRISTAN UND ISOLDE ~ Chicago 1979
Above: Roberta Knie as Isolde & Jon Vickers as Tristan; photo by Tony Romano
A performance of Wagner’s TRISTAN UND ISOLDE given by Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1979. Franz-Paul Decker conducts, with the following cast:
Tristan – Jon Vickers
Isolde – Roberta Knie
Brangaene – Mignon Dunn
Marke – Hans Sotin
Kurwenal – Siegmund Nimsgern
Melot – Richard Versalle
Shepherd – Gregory Kunde
Steersman – Daniel McConnell
Voice of a Young Sailor – William MitchellListen here.
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Franco Corelli as Radames
Franco Corelli sings Radames’ great arias Celeste Aida from a 1962 Met broadcast; Giorgio Tozzi sings Ramfis.
Franco Corelli – Celeste Aida – AIDA – with Giorgio Tozzi – Met b’cast 1962
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Norman Treigle Sings Carlisle Floyd
The great American basso Norman Treigle (above) sings songs from Carlisle Floyd’s Pilgrimage. Listen here.
Pilgrimage is described as a “solo cantata on Biblical texts, for low voice and piano or orchestra”; it was premiered by Mr. Treigle at Syracuse, New York, in 1960. Further information on this work may be found here.
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Soňa Červená
Soňa Červená (above) sings the aria “Connais-tu le pays ?” from Ambrose Thomas’ MIGNON, recorded under the baton of Heinz Fricke. Listen here.
Ms. Červená, a Czech mezzo-soprano who recently passed away at the age of 97, was a mainstay at the Frankfurt Opera, and was on the roster of singers at the National Theatre in Prague. She also appeared with the San Francisco Opera.
After reading of her passing, I listened to more of her recordings and was quite taken with her rather unusual rendering of Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder. Listen here.
Following her retirement from singing, Ms. Cervena continued her stage career, appearing as Emilia Marty (above) in a Robert Wilson production of Karel Čapek’s drama The Makropulos Case at the National Theatre in Prague. She debuted in this staging in November 2010, and returned to the role many times, performing well into her 80s.
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Samuel Barber ~ Symphony #1
Above: Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Allen Tinkham, in a 2018 performance of Samuel Barber’s Symphony #1, Opus 9.
Watch and listen here.
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Haitink Conducts DIE WALKURE ~ Act I
Sir Bernard Haitink (above) conducts the first act of Wagner’s DIE WALKURE at a concert given by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at Amsterdam on February 24th, 2008. The soloists are Eva-Maria Westbroek, Clifton Forbis, and Sir John Tomlinson.
Watch and listen here.
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Bach & Handel – Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Above: Hugh Cutting
~ Author: Oberon
Tuesday June 17th, 2023 – The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, conducted by Bernard Labadie, presenting countertenor Hugh Cutting in a program of music by Bach and Handel at Zankel Hall.
The players of St. Luke’s, led by their gracious concertmaster, Krista Bennion Feeney, set the mood of the evening with a cordial performance of the Sinfonia from the Bach cantata “Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal” (“We must pass thru great sorrow”), BWV 146, featuring organist Avi Stein. This music drew us in with its melodic flow and rhythmic grace. A key element of the entire program was the rich double-bass playing of John Feeney: like the heartbeat of the universe.
Mr. Cutting then took the stage; blonde and boyish, he reminds me a bit of cellist Jonathan Swensen. In Bach’s immortal “Vergnűgte Ruh” BWV 170, Mr. Cutting’s lovely clarity of tone, his mastery of dynamics, and his intriguing personality at once engaged us; it was easy to understand why, in 2021, he was the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award. The voice effortlessly fills the hall, and his gorgeous straight-tone notes, gradually infused with a touch of sensuous vibrato, were spine-tingling.
The second half of the program was given over to Handel, commencing with the overture to Giulio Cesare, which was the very first music of Handel I ever heard in live performance…yes, the night of Beverly Sills’ triumphant Cleopatra at New York City Opera. Mr. Cutting then offered a sly and captivating rendering of Cesare’s ‘hunting’ aria, “Va tacito e nascosto” from Giulio Cesare, with Zohar Schondorf playing the demanding horn part. The two gentlemen seemed to revel in their duetting, bowing to one another at the aria’s finish.
The charismatic Mr. Cutting then switched characters to offer Tolomeo’s angry aria, “L’empio, sleale, indegno!” from Giulio Cesare. With acting as vibrant as his singing, he has a wonderful gift for ornamentation, reveling in his technical prowess, much to the audience’s delight.
A four-movement suite from Handel’s Ariodante featured some nimble playing from bassoonist Shelley Monroe Huang in the second and fourth movements. In the third, marked Allegro, Maestro Labadie set an exhilarating pace, and then accelerated to the finish line.
Mr. Cutting brought vibrant dramatic accents to the opening recitative “Otton, qual portenso fulmine è questo?” from Agrippina; then, in the pensive aria “Voi che udite“, he was at his most affecting, his singing seconded to lovely effect by oboist Melanie Feld. In the da capo, Mr. Cutting’s voice was incredibly moving. Here again, Mr. Feeney’s double bass was so poignant.
In “Furibondo spira il vento” from Handel’s Partenope, the singer tossed off Handel’s florid demands with stunning virtuosity: his scale passages swift and sure, his low notes lending dramatic vitality. This incredible showpiece caused the audience to erupt in cheers and applause at the end. Mr. Cutting was called back three times; the crowd so wanted an encore, but none was forthcoming.
We must hear this voice again, and soon. There is so much music I want to hear him sing.
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 