Oberon's Glade

Tag: Johannes Brahms

  • The Search for a Symphony @ Merkin Hall

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    Above: Johannes Brahms

    ~ Author: Oberon

    Tuesday June 19th, 2018 – The last concert the St Luke’s Chamber Ensemble‘s series, Facets of Brahms, at Merkin Hall brought us Andy Stein’s octet-arrangement of the Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36, and Alan Boustead’s nonet-reconstruction of Johannes Brahms’s Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11, which – in its orchestrated form – might have been designated as the composer’s first symphony.

    Brahms seems to have been hesitant to attempt composing a symphony in large part because he could hear “the footsteps of a giant” – Beethoven – walking behind him. Brahms’s anxiety meant that it wasn’t until 1876 that his 1st symphony premiered, some 14 years after he’d made preliminary sketches.

    This evening, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble opened with Beethoven 2nd Symphony in an octet realization conceived by Andy Stein. Two violins, one viola, a cello, a bass, and clarinet, bassoon, and horn made up the ensemble. Their full, rich playing did not give a feeling of a ‘reduction’ in any sense of the word. Instead, it was a very pleasing, absorbing experience; and Mr. Klein was called to the stage for a bow, warmly greeted by the crowd.  

    The 2nd opens with a slow introduction which in a flash turns into a lively Allegro; this is ‘glad music’, rich in melodies. In the Larghetto, Beethoven churns out cordial, lyrical themes. The music summons up thoughts of Springtime, flowering meadows, and blue skies. The Scherzo shows the composer’s sense of humour, which to me seems even more evident in the witty opening of the final Allegro molto, which seems to have a touch of sarcasm.

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    Above: Jon Manasse

    In tonight’s ensemble, Jon Manasse’s clarinet playing made a superb impression: I have heard him play often in recent seasons and he makes the music so alive, with his fragrant tone and attention to dynamic detail. His subtle playing in the final movement gave me a smile.  Of equal note was the sound of Marc Goldberg’s mellow bassoon. Violinist Krista Bennion Feeney, so fine in last week’s concert, impressed again, as did bassist John Feeney.

    The Brahms 1st Serenade is in six movements. The composer noted it as a ‘Sinfonie-Serenade‘, later enlarging it for full orchestra at the urging of Clara Schumann. Alan Boustead gives the music back to its chamber roots in his excellent rendering.

    Jesse Mills was the principal violinist in this work tonight, with Ms. Bennion Feeney, violist David Cerutti, cellist Daire FitzGerald along with Mr. Feeney’s bass filling out the string contingent. Joseph Anderer provided warm-toned horn-playing, and clarinetist Dean LeBlanc joined Mr. Manasse. Elizabeth Mann’s flute sang forth with serene, appealing tone.

    The first three movements of this Serenade each felt a bit long tonight, as if the composer wanted to keep presenting his admittedly lovely themes to us again and again. By the fourth movement, a double Menuetto featuring the winds, Brahms was showing more economy. Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. Anderer made the most of the ‘hunting call’ motif of the Scherzo, whilst Ms. Mann’s playing in the Rondo~Allegro was very pretty indeed. And throughout, Mr. Manasse continued to display the artistry that makes him such a valuable player on the Gotham scene. 

    ~ Oberon

  • Brahms & The Schumanns @ Merkin Hall

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    Above: pianist Pedja Mužijević, photographed by Jacob Blickenstaff

    ~ Author: Oberon

    Tuesday June 12th, 2018 – Works by Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann were on offer as musicians from the Orchestra of St Luke’s joined pianist Pedja Mužijević in this concert at Merkin Hall which is part of a series entitled Facets of Brahms.

    Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann, and Robert Schumann were close friends and confidantes. Schumann had pronounced Brahms the heir of Beethoven, marking him out as third of the Three Bs. Following Schumann’s mental deterioration and his eventual death in an asylum, Brahms and Clara continued a flirtatious friendship that endured for many years.

    Johannes Brahms’ Scherzo from the Sonatensatz in C-Minor was the composer’s share in an 1863  collaborative musical gift for the violinist Joseph Joachim; Robert Schumann and Albert Hermann Dietrich each contributed movements of their own.

    In this evening’s performance, violinist Krista Bennion Feeney joined Mr. Mužijević. We were seated very close to the stage, and at the Scherzo‘s animated start, the sound of the piano seemed often to overwhelm the violin. Ms. Bennion Feeney is a subtle artist, and it took a few moments for the balance between the two instruments to be achieved. Thereafter, the performance became distinctive, with alternating currents of passion and lyricism. Ms. Bennion Feeney’s arching tonal glow in the central violin theme was most appealing; the piece then moves on to a big finish. 

    Returning with cellist Myron Lutzke – whose playing with the St Luke’s orchestra has often endeared itself to me – the violinst and pianist gave a wonderfully simpatico rendering of the Schumann Piano Trio No.1, Op. 63. Mr. Lutzke’s dusky timbre and his Olde World cordiality of style seemed beautifully matched to Ms. Bennion Feeney’s superb control of dynamics whilst Mr. Mužijević at the Steinway reveled in the many marvelous piano passages Schumann has provided.  

    The opening movement is marked, “Mit Energie und Leidenschaft” (‘With energy and passion’). Throughout the first movement, achingly expressive passages from the violin over piano arpeggios alternate with dramatic outbursts. The cello’s incursions are relatively brief but telling. A change of mood near the end builds slowly to a kind of grandeur. Deep tones from the cello then have a calming effect, before another build-up leads to a return to the first theme, now altered and lovingly styled by Ms. Bennion Feeney. The music flows on to a rather unusual minor-key finish. 

    The second movement has a lively, scherzo-like quality. Its repeated rising theme and sense of rhythmic drive have a wonderfully familiar feeling. The rising motif returns in the Trio section, although here it is slower and more thoughtful. Violin and cello sing up and down the scale, then we zoom back to the original ascending theme, to a sudden ending.

    Marked “Langsam, mit inniger Empfindungen” (‘Slowly, with inner feeling’), the third movement ravishes with a poignant violin melody, the cello providing a tender harmony. Things grow more animated; the violin hands over the melody to the cello and their voices entwine. This music drew me in deeply as it lingered sadly, with sustained low cello notes. The movement ends softly, and the three musicians went directly into the Finale, with its joyous song. An exhilarating rush to the finish brought warm applause for the three players.

    As the audience members returned to their seats after the interval, it was apparent that our neighbors had stepped out for a cigarette: the smell was dense and unpleasant. We made a quick dash to the balcony where the usher was welcoming. We found a quiet – though chilly – spot from which to enjoy the concert’s second half.

    Ms. Bennion Feeney and Mr. Mužijević’s radiant performance of Clara Schumann’s Romances for Violin, Op. 22, assured that Frau Schumann’s music more than held its own when set amidst that of her more celebrated husband and the masterful Brahms.

    From its lovely start, the first Andante molto has a sense of yearning, the violinist bringing both depth of tone and gentle subtlety. Lightness of mood marks the Allegretto, with its passing shifts to minor, decorative trills, and a wry ending. A lilting feeling commences the final movement, melodious and – again – modulating between major and minor passages. The piano takes up the melody, and all too soon the Romances have ended.

    Ms. Bennion Feeney and Mr. Mužijević rounded out their busy evening with the Brahms Horn Trio, Op. 40, joined by Stewart Rose. Mr. Rose’s tone can be robust or refined, depending on the musical mood of the moment. A few passing fluffed notes go with the territory: as a frustrated horn-player, I know it all too well.

    I did find myself wishing that the violinist and horn player had been seated during this piece; I think it makes for a more intimate mix with the piano. The music veers from the pastoral to the poignant, from rich lyricism to sparkling liveliness, and the ‘hunting horn’ motifs in the final Allegro con brio always give me a smile. The three players made this quintessential Brahms work the crowning finale of a very pleasing evening.

    ~ Oberon

  • Brahms & Dvořák @ Chamber Music Society

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    Above: Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák

    ~ Author: Oberon

    Tuesday January 30, 2018 – This evening’s highly enjoyable program offered by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center brought us works by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák: music for piano 4-hands by each composer, with a piano trio from Brahms and a piano quintet from Dvořák. Six excellent musicians were on hand to delight an audience who had chosen great music over the SOTU. 

    Pianists Wu Han and Michael Brown shared the Steinway for the opening work: selections from Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances. Wu Han – clad is brilliant red – presided over the lower octaves and Mr. Brown the higher. The chosen Dances, two from opus 46 and two from opus 72, formed a perfect set.

    With the joyous opening of opus 46, #1, the cares and concerns of daily life were swept away; this Presto in C-major moves from exuberance to subtlety and back again. The players clearly enjoyed sharing the keyboard: in his program note, Mr. Brown compared playing 4-hands with playing doubles in tennis. And he further remarked that “…sharing one pedal is as strange as someone else brushing your teeth!” This duo got on like a house afire, vying in technical brilliance and relishing the more thoughtful passages. Opus 46, #2 has a darker, E-minor start, but then turns sprightly; Dvořák alternately accelerates and then pumps the brakes throughout this Allegretto scherzando.

    The dances of opus 72 are in general less extroverted and rambunctious than those of the 46. The pianists kept to E-minor with #2 which has a lyrical sadness and an emotional pull at first but later becomes sparkly and charming. They rounded off this opening Dvořák set with opus 72, #1, Molto vivace in B-major. This commences with a rocking rhythm and shows fresh vitality before it quietens with some lovely upper-range shimmers only to re-ignite as it hastens to its finish.

    For the Piano Trio in C-minor, Op. 101 of Johannes Brahms, Mr. Brown was joined by violinist Paul Huang and cellist Dmitri Atapine. This trio was composed in 1886 while the composer was summering at Hofstetten, Switzerland, and it was premiered in December of that year, with the composer at the piano, Jeno Hubay playing violin, and David Popper as cellist.

    The opening Allegro energico begins passionately, and the strings play often in unison. Following an animated passage, there comes a deep melody; the movement ends almost abruptly. 

    The trio’s second movement starts very quietly, almost hesitantly, the strings are muted and given over to almost sneaky plucking as the piano holds forth. Then violin and cello have a dialogue. The pizzicati recur, and the sotto voce atmosphere of the music is sustained.

    The Andante develops yet another conversation: this time between the duetting strings and the piano. All three musicians showed lovely dynamic gradations throughout. Mr. Brown’s dreamy and evocative playing drew sighing motifs from the violin and cello. A sudden burst of passion ends the Andante. 

    The rhythmic vitality of the concluding Allegro molto undergoes a mood change in an interlude where Mr. Huang’s polished tone could be savoured. Melodious exchanges lead on to a fervent finish. The three players’ sense of fraternity was evinced as they bowed to the audience’s sincere applause.

    Following the interval, our two pianists played three of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances. Wu Han and Mr. Brown had switched places on the piano bench, giving Mr. Brown the deeper registers whilst Wu Han shone in the soprano range.

    The Poco sostenuto in F-minor commences with a brooding quality, but then speeds up. A witty, almost ‘toy piano’ feeling charms in the central section before a return to the starting point. The music dances on to a fun finale. The Allegretto in A-major has a droll start and some playful hesitations: the two pianists seemed like co-conspirators here. Mr. Brown relished the low melody of the Allegro molto in G-minor whilst Wu Han’s sweetly struck higher notes felt like raindrops. The music then grows lively, with a gypsy lilt.

    A sterling performance of Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A-major, Op. 81 (dating from 1887) made for the evening’s perfect finale, with violinists Chad Hoopes and Paul Huang, violist Matthew Lipman, and cellist Dmitri Atapine joining Wu Han.  

    Mr. Atapine sets the opening Allegro ma non tanto in motion with a nobly-played cello theme; there follows a warm tutti passage where we’re assured of a beautifully blended performance. Wu Han’s gorgeous playing (throughout) underscores the silken high range of Mr. Hoopes’ violin; then Mr. Lipman takes up a viola theme which is passed to Mr. Hoopes. Pulsing strings lead to an expansive passage; the Hoopes violin sings deliciously. We can revel in the intertwined voices for a few moments before the movement dashes to an ending.  

    The second movement, Andante con moto, was a source of true magic tonight, with Wu Han again displaying her gifts for creating atmosphere. Mr. Lipman has the melody; a tempo increase brings us duetting violins. Then comes an engrossing passage: Mr. Atapine’s cello sings deep as the violinists pluck; then Mssrs. Hoopes and Atapine sound a gentle, rolling motif in support of Wu Han’s luminous playing. Mr. Lipman takes up the main theme with rich lyricism. A sudden animation is calmed by the limpid piano, and then the ‘engrossing passage’ is repeated, with unbelievable subtlety.

    Chad Hoopes sends the Scherzo off with a light touch; Wu Han’s dazzling playing has me under a spell. The viola and cello engage us, Mr. Atapine’s attentiveness and sense of joy in his playing is inspiring to behold. Following a luminous interlude, the cellist propels the Scherzo to a lively finish.

    The Finale: Allegro starts with a petite into, and then embarks on a flowing dance. I absolutely loved watching Wu Han here, ever-alert and eyeing her colleagues with affection, she was clearly having a marvelous time of it. The mood shifts unexpectedly as Mr. Hoopes plays what seems like a hymn…or a prayer. Then the music goes on its lilting way to a jubilant close. 

    ~ Oberon

  • Bychkov-Batiashvili-Capuçon @ The NY Phil

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    Thursday October 22nd, 2015 – A Brahms-centric program at The New York Philharmonic this evening, with two of the Master’s most beloved works and an impressive contemporary work inspired by his music.

    Detlev Glanert’s Brahms-Fantasie is one of the most appealing pieces of ‘new’ music I have experienced in the current century. So much ‘classical’ music being written today is expertly crafted and impressive in a cerebral way, but little of it reaches the heart or soul. In this 12-minute, overtly Brahmsian homage, Mr. Detlev eschews the current trend for over-reliance on percussion for achieving effects, and he is unafraid of melody.

    After a dynamic opening statement, the music simmers down to a misterioso passage followed by a delicate section of single notes, quietly played. A dolorous theme develops, with a slow buildup to an episode of rhythmic grandeur. Following some rather gnarly phrases, a minor-key dance eventually gives way to a big turmoil of voices before settling back into simmering mystery. Near the end, a brass chorale takes on a gloomy aspect. Glanert shows his skill at creating varying moods, and the Philharmonic players made the most of the melodic opportunities afforded them, with Maestro Bychkov in sure and steady command.

    Next up was the Brahms “Double” concerto. “I have had the amusing idea of writing a concerto for violin and cello …If it is at all successful, it might give us some fun,” wrote Johannes Brahms to Clara Schumann in the summer of 1887.

    The two soloists – particular favorites of mine: violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon – were warmly welcomed when they appeared onstage. As these two artists are as attractive to the eye as to the ear, we were in for a thoroughly absorbing experience. Mr. Capuçon’s soulful playing blends ideally with the silken style of Ms. Batiashvili, and as theme after theme was summoned up by these remarkable players – their voices echoing or entwining – the audience was drawn deeply into the music.

    The central andante was especially congenial this evening, with its beautiful opening melody which is played by the soloists and the strings, enhanced by the orchestra’s solo flute, bassoon, and clarinet. In the concluding movement, Batiashvili and Capuçon were at their most alluring as they introduced the familiar mellifluous second theme. The concerto then sailed on to its inspired finale; the audience erupted in hearty applause the moment the final note had sounded, and an enthusiastic ovation called the soloists and Maestro back twice. 

    Following the interval, we had the Brahms 1st symphony. The composer declared that this symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years – from 1855 to 1876 – to complete.

    Here we could bask in Maestro Bychkov’s ideal pacing and his obvious affection for the music; he is a conductor who favors depth over theatricality. And so for 40 minutes we were immersed in this symphony with its wealth of themes and its somewhat Beethovian air. The inner movements were particularly impressive today: the wistful Andante sostenuto with its lovely duet for solo violin and horn, and the charming Allegretto. In the finale (and all evening, actually), Philip Myers and the Philharmonic horns produced wonderfully plush, resonant sound. And it is here that Brahms makes his most obvious salute to Beethoven with a majestic theme, first heard in the strings, that evokes the “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th.

    Tonight’s Program:

    DETLEV GLANERT: Brahms-Fantasie
    BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin and Cello A minor op. 102 (Double Concerto)
    BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op.68

  • CMS: Brahms the Master

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    Above: clarinetist David Shifrin

    Tuesday October 21st, 2014 – The music of Johannes Brahms is well-represented at the great classical music venues of New York City this season. At the Philharmonic, Lisa Batiashvili just finished a series of concerts where she gave a resplendant reading of the composer’s violin concerto. Upcoming Brahms events on my calendar include Yefim Bronfman playing the piano concerto #2 with Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony at Carnegie Hall (January 31st, 2015); a performance of the GERMAN REQUIEM at Carnegie with Daniele Gatti leading the Vienna Philharmonic (March 1st, 2015); an All-Brahms evening at Chamber Music Society on April 24th, 2015; and Jonathan Biss playing the piano concerto #1 with the New York Phiharmonic (May 21st – 23rd, 2015).

    Tonight at Alice Tully Hall, the artists of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center carried the Brahms banner high in an evening devoted to some of the composer’s most endearing, intimate works, all of which were composed during the final decade of his life. 

    My ability to concentrate was somewhat taxed this evening by small but pesky audience distractions, and an unfortunate late seating after the first movement of the opening work really broke the mood. But eventually the excellent music-making prevailed.

    Timothy Eddy launched the Trio in A minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 114, with the warmth and richness of his tone immediately evoking the sensations of tenderness and regret that will colour the entire evening. David Shifrin, in his 26th year of performing with the Society, called forth the plum-coloured resonance of his clarinet, and Shai Wosner – a pianist new to me – played with elegance and impressive dynamic control. The blending of the three instruments in the adagio was particularly heartfelt.

    Mr. Wosner returned for the Sonata in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 108, with violinist Erin Keefe who looked lovely in a midnight-hued pleated chiffon gown. The two musicians immediately established a fine rapport and together they poured forth the melodic themes in an unending stream of poignant lyricism. Ms. Keefe, in the sonata’s gently romantic adagio, moved compellingly from the delicacies of the initial passages to the more passionate expressions as the music flows forward. In the sentimental intermezzo that follows, both players ideally sustained the mood, carrying us into the finale where the two musicians spurred one another on with playing that managed to be both eloquent and lively.

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    After the interval, pianist Shai Wosner (above) took the stage alone for two brief solo keyboard works: the Intermezzo in E-flat major, Op. 117, No. 1, and the Rhapsody in E-flat major, Op. 119, No. 4. The Intermezzo’s melody is drawn from a lullabye associated with Lady Anne Bothwell, a young 16th century Scotswoman who was classically seduced and abandoned, singing to her infant son. Mr. Wosner’s refined playing here held the hall in a rapt silence before giving way to the grand flow of the Rhapsody. The two pieces, so contrasted yet linked by a common key, made for an intimate interlude before the concert’s closing work: the Quintet in B-minor for Clarinet, two Violins, Viola and Cello, Op. 115.

    Alexander Sitkovetsky (violin 1) and Mark Holloway (viola) joined Ms. Keefe, and Mssrs. Wosner and Shifrin for this richly melodic musical feast, the voices trading themes in this quintet with its somewhat unusual structure: it closes not with a vivid presto but with a set of variations – Mr. Shifrin’s clarinet in high relief – which end in an unexpectedly thoughtful state. Earlier, it was in the quintet’s adagio that the five players created some of the most luminous resonances of the entire evening. I wanted it to go on and on.

    Tonight’s Repertory:

    Participating Artists:

  • Alto Rhapsody: Mildred Miller

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    Above: Mezzo-soprano Mildred Miller as Cherubino in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO. Photo: Sedge LeBlanc.

    Every year ar Christmas approaches I find myself wanting to hear the Alto Rhapsody of Johannes Brahms. I am not quite sure what it is about this unusual and unique vocal/choral work that suggests Christmas to me because the text has nothing to do with Christ’s birth. But it is about a Winter journey, and about hope and spiritual refreshment; maybe those are thoughts that should come to mind this time of year.

    Brahms wrote this work – I suppose we could call it a cantata – in 1869 as a wedding gift for Julie Schumann, daughter of Robert and Clara Schumann. Brahms is thought to have been in love with Julie. It was first performed privately but in 1870 it was heard by the public for the first time in a concert at Jena where the soloist was Pauline Viardot. (Viardot looms large in my musical imagination; hers is the one voice from out of the past that I most dearly wish I could hear; and how I would love to have met her…her, and Lillian Nordica!).

    The Alto Rhapsody begins with a sort of narrative for solo voice in a minor key; it seems a bit bleak, well-suiting the poetic image of a lost soul wandering in the desolation of a lonely landscape. The mood lifts as the chorus joins in, hymnlike and now in major-key mode. The music is tranquil, luminous, joyful in a calm way. The solo voice intones the melody against the choral harmonies – gorgeous – and the piece ends with a sort of benediction that has the effect of an amen.

    The Alto Rhapsody is not often performed in concerts these days. For symphony orchestras it means hiring a chorus in addition to the soloist, and for choral societies it’s a little difficult to program as it is a bit too short to be half of the bill, and you need to think of something else for your guest soloist to sing during the evening. I’ve only experienced it once in a concert hall.

    Many great singers have recorded the Alto Rhapsody: Kathleen Ferrier, Marian Anderson, Dame Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig, Marilyn Horne. I have Ludwig’s lovely rendition, and up til a couple years ago I would often break out Sigrid Onegin’s recording. But that magisterial performance is somewhat dampened by the singer’s tendency to be ever-so-slighly off-pitch at times. This year I decided I wanted a different recording and so I went to Amazon to peruse the listings and very quickly settled on the SONY recording with mezzo-soprano Mildred Miller, conducted by Bruno Walter. I got it for a bargain price, paired with the same composer’s Deutches Requiem.

    When I had a bit of free time the other day, I slipped the disc in and found the recording to be just perfect in every regard. The sound is warm, full and plush, Maestro Walter is perfectly in his element, the chorus sounds heavenly and Mildred Miller is a complete delight. She doesn’t falsely weight her lower range; her timbre is feminine and not overly-maternal, and she avoids overdoing the angst of the opening passages. 

    Mildred Miller sang at The Met for 23 years, making more than 300 appearances. She made her debut as Cherubino in 1951 and went on to sing Suzuki, Nicklausse, Octavian, and the Composer in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS. By the time I encountered her in the 1960s she had settled into a repertoire of ‘major-secondary’ roles; I loved her as Annina in ROSENKAVALIER and the Second Lady in the Chagall ZAUBERFLOETE. She was my first ‘Lene in MEISTERSINGER in 1968, when she signed the cast page of my program:

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