With the recent death of the distinguished pianist Alicia de Larrocha, whose career spanned the globe, one is reminded of how few Spanish pianists we hear on a regular basis. Sylvia Toran, whose local debut opened the UW President’s Piano Series Tuesday night at Meany Hall, was some compensation.
Continue reading Spanish pianist Makes Her Seattle Debut Tuesday night at Meany Hall
Normally, I don’t mix politics and music on this blog, but this fall Washington voters are being asked to “approve” or “reject” a referendum that would expand protections for same-sex and some opposite sex couples. If Referendum 71 is approved by Washington voters, Washington’s domestic partnership statute will remain intact. If the referendum is rejected, the rights available to the state’s 12,000 domestic partnerships will be drastically constricted.
Just before “Five for the Drive,” KING FM’s drive time show, an advertisement came on the air urging Washingtonian’s to reject Referendum 71.
Continue reading KING FM debases gay and lesbian contribution to music
On Friday, October 9th, the Northwest Sinfonietta performed Antonio Vivaldi’s Quattro Stagioni (“The Four Seasons”), featuring Adam LaMotte, and Astor Piazzolla’s Las Cuatros Estaciones Porteños (“The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”) arranged by Leonid Desyatnikov, featuring James Garlick. Both soloists did a spectacular job of capturing the essence of their respective concerti. The balance of LaMotte’s delicate playing with his period violin made in 1730 by Bernardo Calcagni was especially helpful in depicting the Baroque style of the four concerti that make up Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”. Garlick’s rendition of the Piazzolla was fiery and full of spirit, much like the tango dance that inspired the work. Both sets of concerti also showcased the mature, well-versed Northwest Sinfonietta string orchestra. The timbre of the blended strings in the Vivaldi warmed the hall and created an atmosphere one might have heard in the days of Schubertiades.
In the space of less than a week two soloists have had to bow out of Benaroya Hall concerts. For the Seattle Symphony, it was Louis Lortie. On Monday, however, Janine Jansen was unable to perform with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra who had come to town for one performance. Jansen was set to play Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major – a piece she recently recorded – for the second half of the concert program.
Taking her place, fortunately, was an equally talented replacement – Henning Kraggerud. Kraggerud is one of number of music talents coming out of Norway these days. Norway and its neighbors are turning out conductors, composers, and instrumentalists. And who can ignore the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestras, two of the world’s finest orchestras. Kraggerud is no slouch. He has played with some of the best orchestras in the world – Budapest Festival Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony for instance – and is well documented on disk with the Naxos label. As a fill in for the ailing Jansen, he gave a rousing, sharply drawn, expertly played performance of Beethoven’s concerto.
Thursday night’s concert at Benaroya Hall had a last minute change of program and soloist. Pianist Louis Lortie called in sick last week, and was replaced by Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa, who was last heard here in February on the Symphony’s Distinguished Artists series accompanying violinist Hilary Hahn.
It can be very hard for any presenting organization to replace a soloist at short notice, having to find not only a performer with a week free to come in and rehearse as well as play the concerts, but also with the requisite concerto at his or her fingertips. Often it means a change in program and that is what happened this time. Instead of the Poulenc “Aubade” and Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto, both of which would have been a treat to hear, Lisitsa, who is known for her Rachmaninov, brought that composer’s Piano Concerto No.1, thus ensuring the complete roster of Rachmaninov piano concertos at the symphony this season.
The Northwest Sinfonietta returns to action this week with a program that features eight seasons — Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” James Garlick — friend of the Gathering Note, frequent concertmaster with the Sinfonietta, and occasional contributor — took a few moments to talk about Piazzolla’s “Seasons.” Garlick is soloing with his orchestra for the Piazzolla while Adam LaMotte, the Sinfonietta’s concertmaster, is taking up solo duties for Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”
Continue reading Astor Piazzolla’s Four Season’s of Buenos Aires; Q&A with violinist James Garlick
Today, Stewart Kershaw, music director and conductor of Pacific Northwest Ballet announced his departure from the organization, effective immediately.
Kershaw, 68, has been PNB’s conductor for 25 years and it’s now 20 years since the orchestra began its own orchestra, last summer described in The New York Times as perhaps the best ballet orchestra in the country.
Kershaw emphasizes that he is leaving now, not because of any disagreements with PNB but the opposite. He wants to retire on a high note, and he considers the production of “Romeo et Juliette” just past was a highlight for the company and the PNB orchestra. He has just chosen a new concertmaster for the orchestra, Michael Lim, and feels he leaves the group in very good hands with Lim and, until a new music director is found, assistant conductor Allan Dameron.
Kershaw has been a ballet conductor for 43 years, directing the music for such luminaries as Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev among many others. He remains in town and will continue to conduct the Auburn Symphony, where many of the PNB orchestra also play.
PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal accepted Kershaw’s resignation with sadness, commenting that he had contributed tremendously to the company over the past quarter century. The company will begin to look for a successor immediately.
Normally when pianists do well at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, they end up touring the world with the biggest, bombastic concertos in the repertory. The competition has launched the careers of prominent musicians from Barry Douglas to Mikhail Pletnev. After placing at the competition in 1986, Anton Batagov could have followed the same, well-worn career path.
Batagov, however, chose a different course for his career. After winning, he passed the concerto repertory by, and instead committed himself to bringing contemporary American music – John Cage, Steve Reich, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass – to Russian recital halls. Batagov also used the minimalism and chance idioms pioneered by the American composers he admired as the basis for his own compositions.
Batagov’s unconventional career of performing and composing came to an abrupt pause in 1997. In a move that would have delighted Glenn Gould, he stopped performing in public. For almost 20 years Batagov’s work was limited to composing and studio recordings. A call to Elena Dubinets, one of the central figures toiling behind the scenes in Seattle’s classical music scene, changed this. Batagov wanted to play again and he wanted Dubinets to help.
Haochen Zhang, the youngest person ever to win the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, showed off his formidable skills at Portland Piano International’s recital series on Sunday afternoon at the Newmark Theatre. At 19 years old Zhang successfully conquered a challenging program that included works by Beethoven, Ravel, Brahms, Liszt, and contemporary composer Mason Bates. Continue reading Young Van Cliburn winner makes strong Portland Piano International debut
Jon Kimura Parker delivered a finely honed and satisfying performance of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Oregon Symphony on Saturday evening (Oct. 3) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in its first concert of the classical music season. I really liked the way that Parker painted a lovely canvas with this piece. The first movement was shaped with understated beauty. The second offered a lyrical and tender perspective, especially in the passage that sounds like raindrops falling hear and there. The third had a more forceful and spirited flair, and created a lively and exciting contrast that got the audience out of its seats with loud bravos. Continue reading Parker and the Oregon Symphony create beautiful tapestry in opening concert
Gathering Note 