a rubdown, a rinse, a ruckus – part II

mozart is not one of my favorite composers.  it has to do with him being so goddamn perfect all the time.  frankly, i still question whether he was actually a human being.  [well, if he says he’s human, then i guess he’s a human, but...]  c’mon: 41 symphonies, 27 piano concertos, 22 operas, hundreds (hundreds!) of other brilliant compositions all before his 36th birthday?  and then there’s no body left?!  no grave?!?  hmm…

alright, so the beavs is a mozart birther questioning wolfie’s human citizenship.  everyone’s entitled to their own conspiracy theory, right?  i haven’t a shred of doubt, however, about the soloist i witnessed with my own beady eyes and furry ears last weekend.  jeffrey kahane (a sort of gene wilder/shawn wallace mash-up) bounded onto the schnitzer stage, beaming and bowing before taking his place in front of the mighty steinway keyboard.  the next half-an-hour unfolded smoothly and sweetly, gently steeped in sheer joyfulness.  for me, the surprising highlight of the night was the middle movement coming real close to triple concerto status… maestro kahane on piano, ms. sindell on flute, and ms. wagner on oboe: an equilateral triangle of musical precision and heart-warming tenderness (backed by the best band in stumpland).  ahh.  i have to admit that after the r-v-dub rubdown at the start of the program, mozart’s divine music was the perfect purification, scrubbing the soul squeaky clean.

a rubdown, a rinse, a ruckus – part I

just like the program a couple weeks ago that showcased Beethoven’s fourth, the beavs once again finds itself contemplating symphonic siblings. after 69 long years, the oso finally got around to playing ralph vaughan williams’ fifth symphony this weekend.  for the past year, it’s been this work’s lil’ bro hogging the spotlight in portland.  [you know, the one the band played in carnegie hall with shattering force according to new yorker critic alex ross.]  well, move over #4: #5 is here, is a dear, get used to it.  absolutely every movement begins and ends with gentle smoothness, and now this rodent just can’t help but refer to vaughan williams’ fifth as his “prune juice” symphony.  i’ve never heard anything like it.  uncle ralphie belies his british background in this musical watercolor by sounding impressionistically french ~ melodies and chords and even entire orchestral sections blend and bleed into one other with bittersweet beauty.  extra-special shoutouts to captain frank diliberto and his double-bass batallion, who provided an undercurrent of warmth throughout the performance and a solid foundation for the higher strings to sing and soar.  oh, and no one (and i mean no one) was singing and soaring more than guest concertmaster sarah kwak, whose brief but dreamy solo in the gorgeous third movement was a brilliant candle atop the sweetest icing atop a densely rich cake.  [yes, it was ms. kwak’s second try-out with the band in a concert that just so happened to be recorded... read into that what you will.]  ahhh… simply put, the rvw #5 was a 41-minute deep-tissue massage for the soul, certainly worth a 69-year wait.  bravo!  bravo!  bravo!

give and take

we interrupt our regularly scheduled concert review for a very important message and special offer:

well, the second annual kick-ass week of fantastic giveaways is fast approaching.  do you (or someone you have influence over) have anything to donate? gift certificates & comp tickets are ideal, but hell – the beav is ready and willing to give away just about anything.  major advertizing shout-outs await!  thanks in advance…

holla for more deets ~ brian@brianhoray.com

what’s on tap?

tomorrow and sunday afternoon, the oregon symphony kicks things off with the 5th symphony of british composer ralph vaughan williams [how british is he?... he’s so british his first name is pronounced “raif”].  the band is then joined by piano god jeffrey kahane for a mozart concerto and wraps it up with a little charmer by sir edward elgar.

why go?  um, 5 reasons off the top of my furry lil’ head:

1) *charles noble (xo of the mighty viola section) recently sent this out into the tweet-o-sphere: The Romanza of RVW’s 5th Symphony just might be the most gorgeous thing we play this season.

2) *sarah kwak (guest concertmaster for the band’s recent performance of papa haydn’s the creation) is returning as guest cm for a second try-out this weekend… read into that what you will.

3) it’s the first time (like, ever!) the oregon symphony will play vaughan williams’ fifth symphony ~ a premiere 69 years in the making.

4) the pentatone label will be in the house… recording!

5) jeffrey kahane.  piano.  mozart.  ‘nuff said.

got tix?  great.  need tix?  *click here and get ‘er done.  yay!

jeffrey kahane tackles 10 questions

dear beaver readers, this saturday and sunday the band welcomes one of the planet’s most accomplished pianists: jeffrey kahane.  i knew he was the cream of the crop when it came to playing piano (and conducting), but i had no idea he was such a great writer as well!  read on, and see if you don’t agree…

maestro, you’ll be playing mozart’s piano concerto #25 with the band ~ how would you describe this music?

It’s one of the grandest and noblest pieces of music from the latter part of the 18th century.  It’s one of the most “symphonic” of all of Mozart’s concertos, meaning that it is as much a piece about the orchestra as it is about the solo piano, and the solo wind instruments in particular have an amazingly rich role. Like all of Mozart’s later piano concertos, which are among the supreme miracles of music, it is a kind of instrumental drama, in which every instrument is an actor.  I’ve played the piece probably close to 100 times over the last 30 years and never get tired of it.

ooh, you’re already giving the beaver goosebumps!  i see the fifth symphony of ralph vaughan williams opens up the program – any thoughts on pairing this work with mozart?

You can pair Mozart with almost anything….

true ‘nuff.  hey, i thought i read you performed all of mozart’s piano concertos with the los angeles chamber orchestra.  is that true?!

I performed them over the course of two and a half seasons.  It was a daunting task, and took a tremendous amount of concentration, physical discipline, and will.  But it was also one of the most inspiring and moving things I’ve ever experienced.  There is no more magical and fascinating body of repertoire in all of Western music than the Mozart piano concertos, and the opportunity to survey the whole collection with such a great group of musicians was something I’ll never forget.

i can’t even imagine… so sweet!  if you could invite 3 composers for dinner, who would you choose and where would you go?

Off the top of my head, I’d pick Gyorgy Ligeti, Hector Berlioz, and Gustav Mahler, because I think they’d be so incredibly interesting to talk with.  There are other composers I’d love to meet just as much, but I have the feeling that they wouldn’t be great dinner companions since they were not noted for being particularly sociable (Beethoven for example, or Brahms, or Bach).  I have no idea where I would go, but it would be someplace that had no background music!

oh man… you are rackin’ up some briliant responses here!  um, let’s see… i know this is like a piano 101 question, but could you explain what a trill is and how the heck you get your fingers to play them?

A trill is simply the very rapid alternation of two notes.  For most musicians, they either come easily or they don’t.  It is possible to practice them and improve, but it’s one of those physical things that you’re either good at or you’re not.  There’s nothing impossible or even difficult about them if you happen to be someone to whom they come fairly naturally.

along with tickling the ivories, you also do a fair amount of conducting… did you receive any instruction or did you just kinda start doing it?

I had almost no training in conducting.  I took one semester of conducting in school, but I learned by doing it, which is the way almost all conductors in the past learned.  It is only relatively recently that people have even been able to study conducting in an academic environment, and the reality is that the only way to really learn how to conduct a professional orchestra is to get on a podium in front of real live professional musicians.

gulp!  well, speaking of live professional musicians, what’s so great about experiencing classical music live?

When great music is played by great musicians, there is nothing more thrilling in the world than being in the physical presence of that and sharing it with others.  It can be as viscerally exciting as any sports event, and it is also something that touches us and enriches our sense of what life is about in a way that few other things in life can do.

i can’t tell you how much i’m enjoying your answers… amen to all of ‘em!  so, i’ve noticed most of the time guest soloists with the orchestra do not use sheet music ~ is it considered cheating to have the music in front of you?

No, it’s not.  Some people never use music, some people do sometimes, and some people always do.  Most soloists prefer to play without the music because it’s very freeing to not have to read the score and rely on it.  But there have been some very great soloists who have decided at some point in their lives that they simply preferred to have the music in front of them.

if i could buy you a drink, what would you order?

Mineral water with lime.

that actually sounds really good right now.  alright, before i let you go, i’m wondering what you’re expecting from the band?

I’m expecting a tremendously high level of music-making and great intensity.  I have never worked with Maestro Kalmar, but I know that he is a musician of the highest caliber so I look forward to this immensely.

yowza ~ me too!  oh my, i am really, really, really looking forward to hearing you bring mozart to life saturday night.  maestro jeffrey: for all the time and energy you put into your responses, thanks a million!

hey mr. dj

for those of you who aren’t (yet) listening to *stumptown’s 89.9, let me just say it’s gotta be the most kick-ass classical radio station in the country.  seriously.  there are a million reasons why this is true, but high on the list are the brilliant announcers spinning all those oldies but goodies.  weekend host edmund stone was kind enough to share some thoughts on ralph vaughan williams’ fifth symphony, which carlos and the band will play this saturday and sunday at the schnitz.  i implore you: read the following with a british accent…

Ralph Vaughan Williams grew up in bucolic rural England, a countryside strangely removed from the harshness of survival… a place, like his music, where pleasant moments and sojourns can be found, everywhere!  A dichotomy from birth, Vaughan Williams descended from both England’s Wedgewood family and Charles Darwin – he could have avoided service in World War I but following his conscious, became a stretcher-bearer in France. There he witnessed the extremes of cruelty and kindness in men that influenced his symphonies.  Thirty years later, with World War II raging and despondency on every horizon, the Fifth Symphony is peaceful, hopeful – almost joyous – a projection of the best in mankind.  Premiered in 1943 in London with Vaughan Williams conducting, it begins and ends with horns and strings, perhaps a gentle tribute to the fallen.  The work opens with gentleness, moving softly to the second movement and a light ballet of changing motifs and playful folk themes.  In the Romanza, the Fifth Symphony finds a harmonic voice in English horn and strings.  Like his earlier Lark Ascending, a solo violin phrase soars in sun-filled blue skies.  It is a wistful, dreamlike movement where imagination takes flight.  The finalé, a rich tapestry Passacaglia, leads us by the hand towards a light-filled horizon where a state of grace awaits.

wow: sir edmund, you’ve painted a very sweet picture of this symphony… thank you so much for the beautiful words!  oh, and faithful beaver readers, tune in tomorrow for another grand interview.  [okay, i’ll give you a hint: it’s with pianist jeffrey kahane!]

draw back your bow

although i didn’t actually witness a pudgy, winged, lightly-armed infant flying about the schnitzer auditorium on the 21st of may 2007, i do know cupid’s aim was true and sure the night of my very first oregon symphony concert.  ain’t no secret the beavs has been smitten with the band ever since (i’ve just grown accustomed to that tiny mystical arrowhead lodged between my left and right ventricles).  some folks [i.e. oregonians] think an eternally faithful bond can only be forged between one man and one woman, while others [i.e. washingtonians] believe in a slightly more flexible definition of love.  whatever your view, i say nothing tops the devotion of a rodent and a certain gang of 76 professional musicians.  happy valentine’s day to those who have plucked, blown, and banged their way into my heart ~ you know who you are.

jessica sindell tackles 10 questions

happy monday ~ let’s get the party started with the band’s super-fresh principal flutist, shall we?  as if she has nothing better to do, jessica sindell was nice enough to chat with the classical beaver about her heart rate, her mouthpiece, and more:

so what was your reaction when you found out you got the gig with the oregon symphony?

I was thrilled, but I tried to stay as collected and cool about it as possible! Funny story: I was about to hop on the treadmill at the gym when I got the phone call from Carlos.  My workout was complete after finding out – my heart practically leaped out of my chest it was beating so fast!

so tell me, why is the flute so awesome?

I love the flute because it is the instrument closest to the human voice.  I tried the piano for a few years… you can shake your fingers as much as you want, but the piano will not vibrato for you!  Nothing against piano though – I just feel like I am singing into the flute when I am playing.

and what about the particular instrument you use?

Currently I play on an older Powell flute which was made in the 1970’s, whose previous owner was one of my teachers from Cleveland.  She played it in the New York Phil for a year, won her first job on it, and then ended up winning her piccolo job with Cleveland on it.  My headjoint is an Arista brand with a 14k gold mouthpiece – a very unique instrument combo and I’m a proud owner! Upgrading a flute can be very costly and a long process, but I’m going to be doing some major searching for my dream flute this summer.

speaking of c-town, what do you miss most about cleveland?

I do miss the days when I played in the Cleveland Youth Orchestra.  It was a special opportunity for me to perform and rehearse in Severance Hall, knowing my aunt played solo violin on that same stage with the Cleveland Orchestra on several occasions when she was younger.  I kept hoping that one day I too would become a member of a symphony and here I am today, my first job!

ahh… severance hall… a pre-concert stroll around the giant art museum pond… a post-concert cannoli in little italy… alright, snap out of it beavs. um, what 3 composers would you invite to dinner?

Hmm… I would love to dine with Ravel in Paris!  I’ve never been there and who better to sip on some wine with?  I mean this guy melts my heart with Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2.  Next composer would have to be Brahms.  We could hit up any restaurant for all I care, as long as I could ask him everything there is to know about his Symphony No. 4 and his unbelievable Violin Concerto.  Lastly, I would love to experience a dinner date with Mozart and his sister Nannerl, who apparently composed too.  I’m sure Mozart would keep me entertained with his humor.  It would be nice to play his Flute Concerto in G major for him at dinner or better yet compose an epic cadenza with him.

mind if we double date in paris?  i’ll bring debussy.  hey – what’s so great about experiencing classical music live?

I can’t quite explain the thrill I get when I’m on stage and I am about to perform a big classical work.  It can be stressful when a particular performance has a huge flute solo or it is technically challenging, but that stress I have right before a solo can sometimes turn into an intense concentration that transports me to another level as soon as I start to play.  This doesn’t always happen, but when it does I am in complete bliss and those are the moments I live for as a musician… the most beautiful and genuine playing can come out of these heightened emotions, even if stress and fear are involved.

sweet response: thanks!  let me buy you a drink… what are you having?

My current obsession is the CGP drink over at the Heathman Hotel!  No idea what it stands for, but it’s a delicious/on-the-fruity-side type of drink.

had one myself before the creation – totes delish!  i remember grapefruit being involved… yo, what did you think of the britten piano concerto you played with the band for your try-out back in november?

A relatively unknown work, even amongst classical musicians… I LOVED it.  The slow movement is so gorgeous.  I was very fortunate to perform that with Steven Osborne, as the recording of it I used to study the piece was by Osborne (very helpful as I prepared for the trial).  I loved that the principal flute has to switch to piccolo a few times in the last movement – I really enjoy playing piccolo when I get the chance, so thank you Britten!

yay, uncle benny!  are you stoked by any non-classical music?

I love it all… and yes that includes hip hop.  I tend to jam to self-created lists on Pandora.  Right now (as I’m writing these answers) I have my French Cafe Music playlist blasting, so fun.  There was a lot of Piazzolla going on this time, so hopefully my answers are coherent.  Broadway music tends to get my blood going too since I am a huge fan of acting and singing.  Radiohead is great as well, of course.

does anyone not like radiohead?!  seriously.  alright, that was rhetorical… wrapping it up, what are your expectations for p-town?

Too early for me to say… just so thrilled to be here.  I couldn’t have joined the Oregon Symphony at a better point in time.  Everybody I know has been raving about the new cd, the Carnegie concert received great reviews, and not to mention our conductor Carlos Kalmar is unbelievably musical and talented! It is such an honor for me to work under his baton.  He knows exactly and precisely what he wants from his players – it is such a special experience for me and I hope that this lasts for a long time.  Really looking forward to working with my colleagues on the rest of the exciting repertoire this season.  Cheers to that!

cheers, indeed!  and congrats again on snagging the principal flute position ~ really looking forward to hearing more of you this season.  thanks jess, for all the stellar responses!  – xoxo cb

the weather report

well, in lieu of actual precipitation this winter, it’s been raining violinists (hallelujah!) here in p-town: pinchas zukerman in december, joshua bell in january, and february’s posterboy stefan jackiw (who i like to think is still meandering around the pearl district).  a fun few months for fiddlers indeed, and while the beavs is sad to see ‘em go, a steinway on stage is an equally glorious sight.

you say goodbye and i say hello – part IV

it’s not over yet?! – that’s what the lady a few seats over muttered under her breath when she realized the band was not vacating the stage after Beethoven’s fourth.  in fact, the musicians’ ranks were actually swelling for the giant send-off: brahms’ academic festival overture.  i could understand where my bewildered aisle-mate was coming from: after all, what more needed to be heard after a sublime symphony by Beethoven?  but monday night was fated to be an evening filled with beautiful contradictions and surprising combinations, so there was no point in trying to resist… just sit your ass down for 10 more minutes (i may or may not have muttered under my breath).  i mean c’mon: how often does a program end with an overture?  how often does a back-to-back LvB/brahms mash-up happen?  how often does one get to say goodbye to their own resident conductor?  [wait, don’t answer that.]  sure, gregory vajda may find himself saying goodbye when he technically isn’t leaving until the end of the season, but after 7 solid years at the helm, a few months of well-wishes seem more than appropriate.  in the end, it was fitting to squeeze just a little bit more fun out of this concert with some good ol’ fashioned german drinking songs.  that’s what maestro gregory seemed to do all the time: joyfully and energetically squeeze just a little bit more fun out of just about everything.  adiós!  gracias! (and see you around!)