James Ehnes Conquers Stravinsky and the Masters of Lyricism

James Ehnes Has Some Professional Fun

by Meghan Farnsworth

April 29, 2011

Benjamin Ealovega

To kick off his performance as part of the Artist Recital Series, violinist James Ehnes greeted Finney Chapel’s audience with calmness and quiet charm. As he walked onstage with pianist and colleague Orion Weiss, Ehnes stopped in front of the piano, bowed and threw the audience a boyishly elegant smile. With his professional yet somewhat childlike persona, Ehnes forged a personal connection with his audience that seemed to say: “Let’s get down to business — but let’s have fun at the same time.”

Hailed as “the Jascha Heifetz of our day” by Canada’s Globe and Mail, Ehnes, a native Canadian, reserves the right to “have fun” with audiences worldwide. With a Grammy, Gramophone and six Canadian Juno awards under his belt, Ehnes has recorded Paganini’s 24 Caprices (violin e?tudes that display Ehnes’s technical brilliance and thoughtful musicality), as well as a plethora of other complex pieces, including all five of Mozart’s violin concertos. With this vast and all-encompassing repertoire, none of the audience members present in Finney Chapel should have doubted Ehnes’s ability to command the expansive program he performed this past Tuesday, featuring — among others — Igor Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, Evard Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 in C minor and the obscure Mozart Sonata No. 20 in C major, K 303.

Ehnes began the night with his rendition of Stravinky’s Suite Italienne, an interesting choice due to its only partial focus on the capabilities of a violinist’s technique. Instead, Suite Italienne focuses on the violinist’s ability to convey Stravinky’s rhythmical stamp in the bow hand while maintaining flawless tone and phrasing. Suite Italienne ultimately served as an ideal piece to start the evening, decreeing Ehnes’ sound as natural, conditioned and powerful.
Suite’s placid and balanced classical motifs careened into capriciousness with the program’s next piece — Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 in C minor — which vacillates between phrases of passion, the questioning of these ardent feelings and the truthful conviction in them. Inspired by a home visit by the alluring 20 year-old violinist Teresina Tua, Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 was his final chamber work and sonata for violin.

Even amidst the emotional torrent of the piece, Weiss followed and listened to Ehnes with stunning precision. His accompaniment was honest, providing immeasurable stability for Ehnes’s frenetic playing, and his phrasing was concise, emphasizing the thoughtful and appropriate arrival points of the music.
The last two pieces of the program modeled after the same type of pattern presented in the first half, with an immensely dramatic work providing a counter-balance to a lighter-natured one. The Mozart Sonata No. 20 — which Ehnes referred to as a “sorbet cleansing the palate” — contained only two movements: Adagio, Molto Allegro and Tempo di Menuetto. Serving as a portal into the life of the 22 year-old Mozart — the age at which he composed the sonata — the piece was innocent and cute, lacking the blemishes of the bleak realities of Mozart’s later life. The light-hearted Mozart piece was then capped off with the Saint-Saens’ Sonata No. 1 in D minor which ends on a surprisingly jocular major chord.

As “the Heifetz of our day,” Ehnes certainly lives up to the reputation of his predecessor; however, unlike Heifetz (who was criticized for his cold, detached playing), Ehnes’s playing fully embodies the phrasing and tonal spectrum of a piece. Simply mastering violin technique is not his first priority. Rather, his playing serves as a bridge between the past and the present, producing a unique sound that is both modern and traditional.

Hello Cleveland! Viva la Revolucion!

     Yes, Cleveland -- there is a Revolution near you. To be exact, it' a Classical Revolution that will happen this Tuesday, April 19 between 8-10 P.M.
     All over the U.S., Canada, and Europe -- from Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, D.C., Portland, Seattle, Philly, South Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh, Berlin, Amsterdam, and even Cincinnati, bars and cafés will play host to chamber music.  Yes, that's right.  Out from the feathery cobwebs, starchy collars and powdered wigs (not that I mind powdered wigs seeing as how Mozart and Marie Antoinette were creators of ones I particularly dig) arrives classical music for a generation in the here and now.

    Founded in 2006 at the Revolution Cafe in the Mission District of San Francisco, Classical Revolution features recently graduated artists from music schools such as Oberlin Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Juilliard, and Rice University.  "To present concerts involving both traditional and modern approaches while engaging the neighborhood by offering chamber music performances in highly accessible venues and collaborating with local musicians and artists from various styles and backgrounds" -- its mission statement. 
   Since its creation, it has continually spread.  Who would have ever thought that venue choice alone could have such an immense impact on as high of an art form as classical music?  (Music in general, or any form of "self-expression," in my opinion, is high art. Yet many people consider "classical music" as the highest form of self-expression for the music world.  So, I say this in regards to those traditional folks.)  Classical Revolution makes classical music "cool" and accessible to the audiences culturally conditioned to receive pop, hip-hop, rap, and all forms of rock.  

   So, go check it out.  It will be fine, fab, fantastic, and all of the hip and pimpley-hyperboles one can muster.  It's at the Happy Dog on W. 58th & Detroit, Gordon Sq.           

Blurring Musical Boundaries

    While rifling through the Strings January 2011 issue, I came across an intriguing article.  Today’s burgeoning, fool-proof classical music is sustained in its ability to cross-over genre-defining boundaries.  Titled “Unconventional Wisdom,” the author, Jeremy Kurtz, celebrated the fact that modern string players no longer need to embrace ideas of endless, rote preparation of orchestral excerpts in finding an acceptable paying gig.  Instead, fully equipped with electricity, James Page, Robert Plant, Bill Munroe and His Bluegrass Boys, associates Mozart, Stravinsky, and Bach, classical musicians can really bring it with the concept of well-roundedness (not just preparedness) as vital organs in their repertoire.
    Kurtz interviewed three bassists: Louis Levitt of the Sybarite5, Peter Seymour of Project Trio, and Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers -- three ensembles that encompass the idea of crossing-over genre barriers.  Because chamber music repertoire yields a barren amount of quintet literature including a bass part, these three bassists solved the issue and concocted, along with the other musicians in their ensembles, a formula: engage modern audiences and claim sanctuary for the desperate chamber musician bassist. 

    According to Louis Levitt of Sybarite5, after preparing a program for one performance that included Dvorak and Led Zeppelin’s “Babe, I’m Going to Leave You,” audience members, intent on hearing standard chamber music repertoire, were impressed with Sybarite5’s Led Zeppelin arrangement.  The secret behind this phenomenon? Listing on the program “James Page and Robert Plant” as the piece’s composers instead of “Led Zeppelin.”  Audience members were asking Levitt,  “James Page and Robert Plant -- how come I’ve never heard of them? Where can I hear more of their music?  Do you have any recordings?” 
    At the essence of any notable piece of music -- whether it be classical, jazz, funk, rock, or pop -- remains a constant message: its relation and message to the audience.  Levitt himself says, “If you take the music seriously and present it in a serious way, the audience takes it seriously.”  So, with his advice, I believe that today’s classical music lovers can succumb to the idea of accepting strictly American-cultivated music which is being added to the austere “European” artform of Western Classical Music. American rock musicians (or even jazz, blues, and country artists who invented rock with their influences) can present “serious” music because truly they communicate so well with audiences today.  So, does it matter the medium used to connect listeners to what any performer is trying to say? I believe the answer is no.  After all, like modern art which is devoid of strict mediums, music too can communicate incredible messages.                             

Take Punch Brother's Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 for instance,

Or Project Trio's version of a Bach Bourée à la Jethro Tull.

Opera finally!! A Preview for Oberlin Opera Theater's Annual Production

Talented Cast Conquers Updated Mozart Opera La Clemenza di Tito

by MEGHAN FARNSWORTH

MARCH 17, 2011

Darkness surrounded Hall Auditorium as a head bopped into view in the middle of the orchestra pit. The head belonged to guest conductor Niels Muus, who established a commanding yet amiable persona from the very beginning of the overture. Right after the orchestra finished, the curtain lifted and luminescent, metallic Romanesque columns appeared before the audience’s eyes. So began the opening night performance of Oberlin Opera Theater’s production of Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito.

Written during the last year of his life between July and September 1791, Mozart finished La Clemenza on the eve of its initial performance. Accordingly, the opera is often criticized for its hastily compiled nature; however, during the early 19th century Clemenza was one of Mozart’s most popular operas, and the work is now hailed as a landmark in the development of the opera seria genre (an Italian form of opera that is characterized by its intensely dramatic nature).

As the title suggests, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito (“The Clemency of Titus”) articulates a message of mercy and forgiveness. The opera features a cast of characters who alternately display extreme forms of compassion, passion, skepticism, selfishness and most significantly, love (a theme that serves as the driving force behind almost every opera).

Unsurprisingly, the forces of love motivate the plot of Clemenza as well. The opera is set in Rome, where the city’s ruler Tito is enamored with the foreign queen Berenice. Vitellia, the emperor’s daughter, believes that she should be Tito’s consort, and seeks revenge on him by seducing Sesto, Tito’s loyal companion. Vitellia then convinces Sesto to lead an assassination attempt on Tito, resulting in a shocking and unexpected ending.

The production features two separate casts: one for Wednesday and Saturday, and another for Friday and Sunday. The opening night performance showcased Conservatory seniors Cree Carrico as Vitellia, Roy Hage as Tito and Julia Dawson as Sesto. The Friday/Saturday cast features Conservatory seniors Summer Hassan as Vitellia and George Somerville as Tito, and Conservatory junior Katherine Janakos as Sesto.

Utterly stunning and impressive, the talented and professional company portrayed their roles with passion, dedication and artistry. Each singer’s part could stand on its own and was never dependent on the power of other voices for support. Even when characters were singing duets, the sound of their voices in unison was clear and clean, beautifully showcasing the singers’ perfect intonation.

Director Jonathon Field’s simple and effective staging was also striking, with specific moments beautifully highlighting the action as it unfolded. For instance, Carrico as Vitellia would, at certain points, retrieve a tube of lipstick from her clutch, applying the lipstick with painstaking, almost religious care. This simple gesture served as a subtle and tasteful foreshadowing of the opera’s ending. The chorus, who walked slowly and steadily while elevated behind the stage’s columns, was another ingenious staging detail, making it seem as if the main events unfolding at the front of the stage were doing so in a completely different time zone.

I strongly recommend Clemenza to anyone who loves modernist, updated adaptations of Shakespeare plays: Contemporary elements such as Pop Art, iPads and cocktail dresses make appearances throughout the production. The inventive production design, with a hint of harpsichord thrown into the mix, results in a refreshing and delightful approach to opera seria. Even Mozart himself would adore it. 

"Hear What the World is Talking About" - Really?

From the New York Times - Music Critic vs. Maestro: One Looses His Beat and Norman Lebrecht's Franz Welser-Möst - The conductor they loved to hate

   Wakin and Lebrecht’s articles are both from early moments in Cleveland conductor Franz Welser-Möst’s career. Nevertheless, both address a relevant issue in Cleveland today: the strange and tumultuous success of conductor Welser- Möst.
   Don’t get me wrong. The Cleveland Orchestra will always be at the top of its game, regardless of conductor. The purpose of music, however, is self-expression and communication that exhibits passion and substance. And I feel compelled to write that, under Franz Welser-Möst, the orchestra has lost most of this. 

    After seeing Andrey Boreyko conduct the orchestra a few weeks ago, there was an improved difference throughout the ensemble during Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony.  A high-caliber performance must be musically passionate and non-formulaic which is artistry, and for a vast ensemble like the Cleveland Orchestra, this really depends on who’s leading the ensemble.   It just makes sense, and this change was incredibly apparent when Boreyko brought his energy and knowledge to conduct the Prokofiev.  It could be felt, sensed, seen, and heard. 

     These two articles are a good example of what I feel is happening throughout the classical music world, and how over time, it will slowly be disintegrated by it.  The lack of criticism, awareness, and opinion which glosses over classical music performances (and the art world too) will do this.        

Careful - This May be Your Last Look at Classical Music Stardom

Artist Recital Series: Pianist Bronfman Shows Flair for Understatement

by MEGHAN FARNSWORTH

MARCH 10, 2011

MEGHAN FARNWORTH

Bronfman Brings It :

Russian-Israeli pianist Yefim Bronfman displayed subtly brilliant artistry and a brusque stage persona during his performance at Finney Chapel last Saturday.

During this past Saturday’s Artist Recital Series concert, a silent and venerable man graced Finney Chapel’s stage. The man was Yefim Bronfman, a concert pianist renowned for his viable palate of musical warmth and depth. Born in Tashkent of the former Soviet Union, Bronfman’s artistic assertiveness and clarity shines through his extensive classical piano repertoire. He has received praise from audiences worldwide, a reputation that has earned him a 1997 Grammy for his interpretation of Bartok’s Piano Concertos 1, 2 and 3.

With a beefy program — Joseph Haydn’s Sonata in C Major, Robert Schumann’s Humoreske in B-flat Major, and Frederic Chopin’s Twelve Etudes — Bronfman walked onstage with brisk purpose, launching into Haydn’s Sonata before even fully sitting down on the piano bench. Written while Haydn was in his sixties, the sonata starts with an Allegro movement that perfectly captures the composer’s exuberant youthfulness and playfulness.

Bronfman established his knack for beautiful and cohesive phrasing in the first few moments of Sonata, playing assertively, yet with surprising freedom and expression. Eschewing flamboyant stage antics, Bronfman commanded the audience with every nuance, color and tone that flew from his fingers. Despite Finney’s cavernous acoustics, the audience could hear every note even at the quietest dynamic, a feat that is representative of true artistry.

Schumann’s Humoreske in B-flat Major showed a side of Bronfman that further confirmed his standing as a compelling artist and interpreter. Originally called Gross Humoreske, or “great humoresque,” the work’s six movements represent Schumann’s capricious mood swings: Although today the term humor is associated with comedy and laughter, the title of Schumann’s piece is a reference to the centuries-old concept of the four humors – black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood — that govern the human body. Completely changing the color and tone from the Haydn sonata, Bronfman’s rendition of Humoreske was carefully mapped out and planned, a precision that yielded subtle and effective phrasing, dynamics and color.

Yet it was the last piece on the program — Chopin’s Twelve Etudes — that most exemplified Bronfman’s prodigious gifts, culminating in a technically brilliant performance that tastefully complemented his musical artistry. All the musicality remained in the pianist’s fingers as he played the piece, deftly navigating the technical challenges presented by Chopin’s writing. Although the form of the etudes is often associated with mechanical and unemotional music, Bronfman deliberately avoided falling into this rut by creating distinction between his left and right hands, brilliantly articulating two separate voices on the piano. The result of this careful tactic was nothing short of fantastic. 

As the evening reached its conclusion, Bronfman exited the stage in a manner befitting of his stage persona: promptly and without flourish. However, the audience’s resounding applause beckoned him back onstage, and he returned to the piano without hesitation to perform a total of three encores. In a sense, this brilliant conclusion to a brilliant evening was perhaps Bronfman’s way of saying, “Here, I’ll show you what I’ve got. Take it — or leave it.” 

For your consideration...

Boreyko Stirs Fire in Cleveland Orchestra During Finney Chapel Performance

by MEGHAN FARNSWORTH

MARCH 3, 2011

MEGHAN FARNSWORTH

Cleveland Sounds Fill Finney Hearts

The Cleveland Orchestra visited Oberlin last weekend.

As part of its annual Oberlin Artist Recital Series visit, the Cleveland Orchestra showcased new and upcoming talent during its performance last Friday evening. Although typically directed by conductor Franz Welser-Möst, last Friday’s performance showcased the artistry of Russian-born Andrey Boreyko, who led a program featuring Igor Stravinsky’s Divertimento: Suite from “The Fairy’s Kiss,” Peteris Vasks’s English Horn Concerto and Sergei Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony in B-flat Major.

The first piece, Stravinsky’s Divertimento, was an ideal warm-up for the orchestra. Written for the ballet Le baiser de la fée (“The Fairy’s Kiss”) as an homage to Tchaikovsky’s early works, the suite beautifully conveys Stravinsky’s admiration for Tchaikovsky’s music by quoting liberally from his pieces.

The orchestra’s rendition of the suite captured the compositional style characteristic of Tchaikovsky — resplendent, lyrical and quietly evocative melodies — while still preserving Stravinsky’s primitive and rhythmical stamp, a performance that demonstrated the ensemble’s polished aesthetic. The instrumental sections impressively listened to each other and followed one another’s leads, resulting in a unification of sound that bolsters the orchestra’s reputation as a world-renowned ensemble.

However, under the direction of Andrey Boreyko, the orchestra lost its musical warmth and passion. Though metronomical, precise and assertive, Boreyko seemed somewhat musically estranged from the first two pieces, demonstrating a lack of familiarity that also revealed itself at other points throughout the recital. Although the exquisite music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev speaks for itself, under the guiding hand of Boreyko, the ensemble’s ethos appeared to be as follows: Learn the music, play it well, and forget what it actually means.

During Vasks’s English Horn Concerto, however, the audience could overlook the orchestra’s rote performance and Boreynko’s mechanical direction. Featuring the Cleveland Orchestra’s Robert Walters on English horn, the concerto showcased the virtuosic Walters’s rich tone and excellent sense of time and rhythm. Much like the work of composers Ralph Vaughn Williams and Antonin Dvorak, Vasks’s concerto incorporated folk elements and soaring, poignant melodies, serving as an ideal fit for Walters’s English horn.

During intermission, the audience anticipated Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, a piece that I would wait more than 15 minutes to experience. Defined by the composer himself as “a symphony about the human spirit,” Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony exudes passion, strength, love and tragedy. I feared that these emotions would be lost in Boreyko’s translation of the piece, because even if you have learned the symphony perfectly and cleanly, if you play any of the notes without meaning, the piece communicates nothing.

Yet when Boreyko came back to the platform and conducted the first few phrases, a whole different man seemed to be onstage. The orchestra changed its demeanor as well, prompting me to mentally step back a few paces and think, “Wow.” To my surprise and delight, Boreyko knew the symphony like the back of his hand and could really lose himself in the music. It was as though he was an actor conveying every nuance of the piece, capturing Prokofiev’s spirit through his facial expressions, body language or even through oddly gesturing with his left hand.

By the end, the Cleveland Orchestra’s performance was faithful to Prokofiev’s original intentions for his symphony — it sung “the praises of the free and happy human being — of such a person’s strength, generosity and purity of soul.” During last Friday’s performance, Boreyko’s actions stirred a fire in the orchestra, and they had never sounded better.