Zach Carstensen

John Sharp and Don Quixote: Chicago Symphony’s principal cellist returns to a classic role

CSO Principal Cello John Sharp. Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg

Originally published at Seen and Heard International

“It was intimidating and it was thrilling. That’s what I remember about my first audition week,” John Sharp says, reflecting on his first moments with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “To see Solti conduct and the way the orchestra played—it was really something incredibly exciting.”

Sharp, now the CSO’s principal cellist, began his musical journey far from the concert stage. Growing up in Texas, it was a stroke of luck that led him to the cello. “It was complete chance, really. I raised my hand,” he recalls, thinking back to his early days with the cello. “I was trying all kinds of things and ended up choosing the cello.” That choice propelled him on a professional journey that, starting October 24th, will see him perform Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote with the CSO under the baton of Donald Runnicles.

Chicago Opera Theater’s Leonora shines light on overlooked masterpiece

Originally published at Seen and Heard International

As the overture of Ferdinando Paër’s Leonora filled the historic Studebaker Theater, the audience for Chicago Opera Theater’s opening opera of the season experienced a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness an important – yet sadly overlooked – early 19th century opera. In fact, calling this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may understate its rarity. The performances of Leonora that began on October 4th marked the work’s North American premiere. Chicago Opera Theater’s production complements the Lyric Opera’s own run of Beethoven’s Fidelio, not only bringing the story of love and tyranny to life but also showcasing the emotional depth that Paër infused into his music, which stands in contrast to Beethoven’s take on the same story.

Tension and drama abound in CSO’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth and Walton’s Viola Concerto

_{Antoine Tamestit, Credit: Julien Mignot}

Originally published on Seen and Heard International

Having been captivated for years by Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony in F minor, I’ve attended countless performances, each offering their own insights. In my younger years, I found solace in the symphony’s emotionally charged melodies and the struggles against Fate they embodied. Growing older, however, I began to feel that Tchaikovsky’s histrionics sometimes missed their mark in concert. Yet, with the Chicago Symphony season barely a week old, Thursday’s performance, conducted by Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider — a frequent guest at the podium of Orchestra Hall — promised a compelling fresh perspective on this well-trodden classic by juxtaposing it with two seldom-performed works: Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Overture to The Wasps and William Walton’s Viola Concerto.

Seattle Opera’s ‘X’ Reflects on Malcolm X’s Legacy, past and present

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X was a groundbreaking work. Its 1986 premiere marked a significant moment for both the composer and the opera world. X finally graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in late 2023, further – if belatedly – recognizing the opera’s impact. And in early 2024 it was eagerly welcomed by Seattle audiences.

Beyond its artistic merit, X proved to be a powerful social force. Performances in Seattle drew a notably diverse audience, especially for a region of historically lower diversity. This alone suggests that contemporary opera has the potential to go beyond traditional boundaries and engage a wider range of people when tackling relevant and thought-provoking themes. The success of X serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that opera can evolve and stay relevant in an ever-changing cultural landscape.

Randall Goosby and Christian Reif shine in Seattle Symphony debut

Randall Goosby plays Mozart, Photo Credit: Brandon Patoc

Violinist Randall Goosby, who has been dazzling audiences since his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony at the age of nine, took center stage with the Seattle Symphony for a recent series of concerts. Goosby’s smooth and warm tone, reminiscent of an earlier era of violin performance – which is not surprising from a former student of Itzhak Perlman’s – has been praised by critics and audiences alike. His career took a major step forward in 2021 with the release of his first album of Dvorak, Florence Price and other rarities: Roots. Goosby followed that up in 2023 with a release of Price’s two violin concertos performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

For his Seattle debut, he performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major – sharing the spotlight with another rising star in classical music, guest conductor Christian Reif. After recently taking the helm of the Gävle Symphony, Reif has built up his bona fides in the U.S. this season with engagements in St. Louis, Milwaukee and now Seattle.

Kahchun Wong’s musical alchemy: Beethoven and Mahler in perfect harmony

Also published at Seen and Heard International

Anticipation crackles in the air, thick like summer lightning before the storm breaks. A hush descends, settling over an expectant audience. Every cough or rustling program feels like a desecration. At the podium, conductor Kahchun Wong stands at the edge of creation – shoulders squared, back straight, baton held aloft. A moment’s pause, pregnant with possibility, his hand dips, slow and deliberate, tracing the first stroke of a masterpiece – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

For sixty minutes Beethoven’s motifs ebb and flow, a struggle between light and shadow, order and chaos. Wong, a captain at the helm, guides the orchestra through the tempestuous waves. His every gesture framing the music’s path: joy, anguish, defiance, triumph.

By the end, Wong succeeded in taking the audience gathered at Benaroya Hall on a journey they would not soon forget. Wong conducted four performances from December 28th to 31st. Most years, Seattle’s traditional end-of-December performances of Beethoven’s Ninth are an afterthought for devoted concertgoers. They’re reliable revenue generators – and who doesn’t like a little uplift and possibility of Beethoven’s Magnum Opus (or one of them) to ring in the New Year?

Seattle Symphony shines in Brahms and Elgar, courtesy of Wigglesworth and Hough

Mark Wigglesworth and the Seattle Symphony, Photo Credit Brandon Patoc

Also published at Seen and Heard International

After an arguably slow start to its 2023-24 season, the Seattle Symphony is gearing up for a packed schedule of concerts in November and December highlighting works by Brahms, Beethoven, Sibelius, Elgar, and Mahler. For the first concert of this ramp-up, the orchestra deftly tackled two major works with guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth’s first turn at the podium: Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto — featuring soloist Stephen Hough — and Elgar’s Second Symphony..

Hough has frequently performed in Benaroya Hall over the years, often playing crowd-pleasing works by Rachmaninov. This time, he traded in Rachmaninov for Brahms, taking on challenging work composed during a productive time in Brahms’ life, which also yielded his Second Symphony and Violin Concerto. Brahms’ First Piano Concerto dazzles with youthful bravura. But in contrast, the composer fills his Second Concerto with a varied and lyrical journey: The first two movements feature bracing moments, the somber third movement includes longing paragraphs of music and affecting cello and horn solos. And if that wasn’t enough, the piece concludes with a playful, catchy closing movement.

Seattle Opera makes a rare foray into Baroque opera with Handel’s Alcina

Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina), Randall Scotting (Ruggiero), and Ginger Costa-Jackson (Bradamante) in Alcina. Photo Credit: Sunny Martini.

After a successful run of Wagner’s Das Rheingold in August, Seattle Opera is back with Handel’s Alcina. From its premiere at Covent Garden in 1735, Alcina was one of Handel’s most successful operas, with a record 18 subsequent performances. But Alcina’s early success wasn’t enough to keep it on stage. Performances were scarce until it emerged in the 1950s as a vehicle for soprano Joan Sutherland. This marks the first time the Seattle Opera has staged Alcina. Despite the Emerald City’s vibrant early-music community, Alcina’s arrival also marks one of only a handful of times the company has attempted an opera by one of the Baroque masters.

Along with Ariodante and Orlando, Alcina is based on Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso. Stocked with magical elements, chivalry and sometimes raw emotion, it is ideal source material for Baroque opera. Alcina begins with Melissa and Bradamante (disguised as her brother Ricciardo) arriving on Alcina’s enchanted island looking for Bradamante’s lover Ruggiero, who has gone missing. Ruggiero appears soon enough, bewitched by one of Alcina’s spells. From this point forward, the six principal characters weave their numerous plights together through multiple da capo arias and vocal acrobatics. Eventually, Ruggiero is freed from Alcina’s spell and returns to Bradamente – and in the end Alcina accepts losing Ruggiero as her powers fade.

A tale of two composers: Emanuel Ax explores Beethoven and Schoenberg in Seattle recital

Emanuel Ax performs in Seattle, Photo Credit: Nick Klein

In late 2020, I decided to listen to Beethoven’s 32 sonatas in chronological order. Consider it my take on one of those pandemic-era “deep dives” – sourdough bread, birding – that we all took.

My love for Beethoven dates back to 1996, when a dear friend introduced me to classical music for the first time. In the years that followed, I listened to individual sonatas on and off, but never in order. But my pandemic-era exploration showed them in a new light. Over the course of two weeks, and with the help of a dozen different pianists, I listened to them all. As a body of work, they are profound, humorous, elegant, and, of course, transformatively inventive.

Music on the Strait returns for 6th season

Now in its sixth year, Music on the Strait has become a cherished event for music enthusiasts on the Olympic Peninsula. This hidden gem of a music festival may not receive as much attention as some of its counterparts, but it certainly deserves recognition for the incredible performances it brings to this part of the Pacific Northwest year after year.