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Dec
11 Pasadena Symphony/Occidental College Chorus |
| PROGRAM:
Beethoven- Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op.93. Symphony
No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral". (S) Shana Blake Hill,
(A) Milena Kitic, (T) Randall Bills, (B) Dean Elzinga.
Jorge Mester, conductor |
| On the eve of
Beethoven's 234th birthday, the Pasadena Symphony put on a
concert that would have made Ludwig smile. The musicians,
under maestro Jorge Mester, breathed through the Eighth with
conviviality and grace that were sorely missing in their 2001
performance. The equally fabulous Nineth received
galvanizing support from the Combined Choirs of Occidental
College. My only quip was with the rushed Adagio that failed to
bring out Beethoven's sumptuous, shimmering strings. The
"Ode to Joy" was a big canon shot into the orbit, with the aid
of the Pasadena's excellent brasses (among the best anywhere).
The soloists were fine, but -- pray tell -- how often have you
seen a mezzosoprano upstaging a soprano in the glamour
department? Mezzo Milena Kitic (a former Miss Yugoslavia),
all decked out in a stunning red ballgown, made her soprano
colleague Shana Blake Hill look like a maid in her simple black
concert gown. But no matter, the performance rushed to its
headlong finish in a frenzied outburst of Universal Brotherly
Love. Clearly no diva rivalry here, it was an evening of
pure fun and excitement. Happy Birthday Ludwig! |
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Dec
12 L.A. Phil - The Tristan Project |
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PROGRAM: Saariaho- Cinq reflets de L'Amour de
loin; Wagner- Tristan und Isolde, Act III. Christine
Brewer (Isolde), Clifton Forbis (Tristan), Alan Held (Kurwenal),
Stephen Milling (King Marke), Michael Slattery (Sailor), Jill
Grove (Brangane), Thomas Studebaker (Melot) |
This
ambitious "Tristan Project" was the brainchild of conductor
Esa-Pekka Salonen, stage director Peter Sellars, and video
artist Bill Viola. Their goal was to present Wagner's
music drama in a semi-staged version with one act performed each
day --preceded by a piece which probably would not have been
composed had it not been for "Tristan und Isolde".
Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's song cycle "Cinq reflets"
is full of delicately erotic tone colors -- more Debussyian than
Wagnerian -- evoking the enchanted medieval world of "Tristan
und Isolde". Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and baritone
Kyle Ketelsen sang the song cycle's ill-fated lovers with great
ardor.
Conductor Salonen and the L.A. Phil performed the work for the
first time. Christine Brewer had sung it once before in London.
The entire cast can be proud of the results. There is no doubt
that the world has a superb Isolde in its midst. Ms. Brewer's
voice is ideal - powerful, but always under control;
particularly full and mellow in the middle to lower ranges with
a secure upper register when needed. Simply, it is a truly
magnificent instrument. The Liebestod was one of those rare
operatic moments when time stood still -- gloriously sung
Any tenor who is brave enough to take on the daunting task of
singing Tristan
deserves our support and appreciation. Clifton Forbis (Siegmund
for Toronto) was fortunate to sing his first Tristan in a
one-act-a-day concert version. He seemed to grow in confidence
over the span of time. He has the ability to soar through the
powerful LA Phil, especially in the higher range of his voice.
He sustained notes that many times are shortened. His third act
was a masterpiece.
Much of Kurwenal's music is sung with the orchestra at full
volume. Alan Held's strong bass-baritone was able to surmount
the challenge effectively. His freedom from the score allowed
him the advantage of believability. Stephen Milling is yet
another great bass who can deliver King Marke’s dialogues with
dignity, pathos and tonal beauty befitting the betrayed but
forgiving king. Michael Slattery, and Jill Grove in minor roles
rounded out the excellent cast.
Disney Hall is a unique place to stage “Tristan”. In Peter
Sellars’ words, "One of the things about Disney Hall is that
Frank [Gehry] already designed Act I of Tristan. I mean,
you sit down in your seat and you're in the boat." Salonen
kept things moving along, and the orchestral sound was bright
and crisp. Technically, the orchestra rose to the occasion.
The English horn playing from the heights in Act III was
magical.
Mr. Sellars and Mr. Viola are also deeply committed to this
project. Clearly, much thought has been given to interpret
Wagner's ideas. There is a risk when introducing powerful
visual images in opera -- One must be careful not to interfere
with the musical performance. There was much to distract the
listener in these performances. Many people were first time
consumers of this exotic music, and not many were able to attend
all three performances. With titles and a huge movie screen to
watch, I do wonder just how much the musical experience gave way
to the visual. I know this piece well, but still had to
concentrate with all of the visual stimuli surrounding me.
However, the visuals accompanying Isolde’s Liebestod and final
transfiguration were powerful and extremely moving.
The project moves to Paris in April for a fully staged version
with a different cast and orchestra. The “Tristan Project” team
hope to return it to LA in the near future and also to the
Lincoln Center, NYC. |
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Dec
14 Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzosoprano |
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PROGRAM:
Home for Christmas - Santa Lucia, Silent Night, J.S. Bach,
and traditional Swedish folk songs. |
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In her Los Angeles debut, the Swedish mezzosoprano charmed her
fans with an exotic Christmas program made up of Swedish and
traditional materials. Backing her up was a raucous nine-piece
Swedish ‘bluegrass’ band featuring such an exotic assortment of
instruments as an accordian, a flute, a Swedish guitar, a piano
and strings. No operatic numbers, to the dismay of her fans,
many of whom I spoke with felt shortchanged also by unnecessary
miking. Why the miking? After all, Ms. Von Otter came from a
long line of great Swedish singers (Lind, Nilsson, Boerling,
Winbergh, Soderstrom, et al) who could have whispered and still
be heard – with no electronic assistance whatsoever. Ms. Von
Otter sang with her customary zeal and lovely tone in only
one-third of the program. While I was intrigued by the
arrangement of Bach’s orchestral suite no.2 for percussion,
fiddle and accordian, and the many colorful Swedish costumes, at
the evening’s end I was left a bit cold. In a song recital (as
it was billed and promoted by the OCPAC), there should not be
more instrumental works than songs. Hopefully, Ms. Von Otter
will give a more heart-warming performance at the Los Angeles
Opera soon. |
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Dec
18 Messiah, Pasadena Symphony |
| PROGRAM:
Handel- Messiah, with Los Angeles Master Chorale, (S) Elissa
Johnston, (A) Suzanna Guzman, (T) Randall Bills, (B) Rodney
Gilfry. Jorge Mester, conductor |
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Thanks to the largesse of Harvest Rock Church, who had purchased
Pasadena’s derelict Ambassador Auditorium in 2004 and restored
it to its former splendor – from the warm swathes of wood panels
to the three-story tall crystal chandelier in the lobby, and the
ornate décor of the restrooms – for the purpose of, in Pastor
Che Ahn’s words, “[fulfilling] its great destiny to serve the
Los Angeles community, both spiritually and culturally.” It is
only fitting that the first concert at this resplendent venue
would feature the Pasadena Symphony, another cultural jewel of
Pasadena. Alas, I wish I were as favorably impressed by the
performance as by the new hall itself. The concert came on the
heels of the Beethoven Nineth only two weeks prior, and the
orchestra sounded tired and under-rehearsed. In an effort to
emulate the period instrument style of brisk tempi and light
bowing, the playing merely sounded brusque and inelegant –
except for the splendid trumpet in Part Three of the oratorio.
Members of the L.A. Master Chorale gave a strong but nuanced
performance. Soprano Elissa Johnston and baritone Rodney Gilfry
were the standouts in the vocal quartet. Ms. Johnston’s secure,
robust vocalism was reminiscent of her fine performance at
UCLA’s Royce Hall last year (in the re-orchestrated version by
Mozart!) After 10 long years of disuse and neglect (and threat
of demolishment), the Ambassador Auditorium finally came back to
life. Here’s hoping we will hear more great music-making at the
Ambassador for years to come. |
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Dec
19 Messiah, Los Angeles Philharmonic |
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PROGRAM: Handel- Messiah, with La Chapelle de
Quebec, (S) Karina Gauvin, (A) Andreas Scholl, (T) John Tessier,
(B) Nathan Berg. Bernard Labadie, conductor |
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The L.A. Phil knew how to do it right. It assembled a
first-class quartet of singers, a fine chamber choir and a
conductor who had the experience and expertise in 18th Century
music. Granted, Messiah is probably Handel’s technically least
demanding oratorio (hence its huge popularity) – It calls for a
string orchestra with a trumpet, an oboe, and only modest vocal
virtuosity. To bring out the full spirituality of Handel’s
inspired writing, however, will require artists of the calibre
that Handel scoured entire Europe to find -- artists like
Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, with her shimmering, graceful
vocalism, and German countertenor Andreas Scholl, whose
profoundly poignant account of "He was Despised" was
nothing short of a miracle. Canadian conductor Bernard Labadie
coaxed some meltingly beautiful playing from the L.A. Phil
strings, and La Chapelle de Quebec was superb. |
Truman C. Wang is editor-in-chief of Classical Voice,
whose articles have appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the
Pasadena Star-News and other Southern California publications.
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