2005–2006 Concert Reviews
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Reviews
These evaluations of the OMP
2005–2006 season originally appeared in the Eugne Register-Guard. For a
while the
Register-Guard only
archived material written by their own staff or from the wire
services. Consequently, we post the OMP concert reviews from the R-G
here courtesy of their authors.
Concert Review:
Mozart Players’
program, musicianship shine
Guest piano soloist Lisa Leonard’s work comes off with
aplomb
By Peter Bergquist
For The Register-Guard
October 3, 2005
The Oregon Mozart Players under Glen Cortese's direction began their
season Saturday night at the Hult Center with a stimulating, well
played program. It was repeated Sunday at Beall Hall on the University
of Oregon campus. The program was titled "The Nationalists," and each
piece had a specific national flavor about it, in a variety of ways.
The opener was W. A. Mozart's overture to his opera, "The Abduction
from the Seraglio," preceded by a short march from the same opera. The
opera has a Turkish setting, and in it Mozart often used what in his
time was considered "Turkish" style, which basically meant extra
percussion and a vigorous rhythmic pulse. The overture and march have
both of these, and are delightful music as well. Cortese and the
orchestra gave a brisk, clean account of both pieces.
The orchestra was then joined by guest piano soloist Lisa Leonard for a
performance of Dimitri Shostakovich's First Piano Concerto. This
concerto is scored only for strings and a solo trumpet, which often
functions as an obbligato instrument with the piano. The trumpet solos
were played by Marc Reese, an accomplished professional player who
happens to be Leonard's husband.
The Shostakovich concerto is an early work, composed before he aroused
the Kremlin's displeasure by being too modern and independent for their
taste. It is not overtly patriotic like some of his later works, but
the melodies and general atmosphere are distinctly Russian. The conceto
shows the young Shostakovich's sardonic side, but it can also be warmly
songful.
Leonard is a fine pianist who made the most of every opportunity the
concerto offered. Rapid passages came off with aplomb, while quiet,
lyrical moments were played with great sensitivity. It was a pleasure
to hear such fine playing through the entire concerto.
Even in the highly competitive world of piano soloists, she stands out
in both her technical command and her musicianship.
Reese's contributions were first rate. Both his duets with the piano
and his interplay with the orchestra were right on the money. The
orchestra itself played very well in every respect, and Cortese led a
well coordinated, very satisfying performance.
The program continued with Benjamin Britten's "Suite on English Folk
Tunes (A Time There Was...)." In its five pieces the composer casts an
affectionate glance back at some old English tunes. Rather than just
orchestrating the tunes, Britten used them as sources for his own
elaborations. This was one of his very last works, and after some
lively, dance-like pieces, it ends with what almost amounts to a
farewell.
The orchestra was in fine form in this piece, as an ensemble and in the
numerous solo passages for many different players. Jillian Camwell's
fine English horn solo in the last movement was especially noteworthy.
Cortese's reading of the score did it full justice, and he had the
orchestra playing with precision and enthusiasm.
The final work on the program was Aaron Copland's "Music for the
Theatre." He composed it in 1925, soon after he returned from a few
years in Paris. He wrote it not for a spcific play, but to reflect a
variety of moods that a drama might encompass. Two animated,
jazz-inspired movements are framed by three reflective pieces, and both
styles strongly reflect American idioms.
The orchestra again responded beautifully to the challenges of the
score, cutting loose in the jazzy pieces and showing beautiful control
in the quiet ones. Cortese's grasp of the music was excellent, and he
led a sparkling performance that brought out the piece's brash vigor as
well as its quiet meditations.
The Oregon Mozart Players have begun their season very auspiciously.
They play very well under Cortese's leadership, a few minor mishaps all
aside. Cortese seems to have good rapport with them. He conducts with
authority and sensitivity, and his interesting programs are well
chosen. The concerts to come should be highly enjoyable.
Peter Bergquist is a
professor
emeritus at the University of Oregon
School of Music.
Oregon Mozart Players shine at Soreng
By Peter Bergquist
For The Register-Guard
Monday, November 7, 2005
The Oregon
Mozart Players, led by Glen Cortese, gave a very
enjoyable concert Saturday night at the Hult Center. It was repeated
Sunday at Beall Hall on the University of Oregon campus. The soloist
was cellist Ronald Leonard, who has had a long and distinguished career
as a performer and teacher.
The concert was titled "Music About Music," and at
least the
first two pieces fit that description. The opener was Maurice Ravel's
"Le Tombeau de Couperin," a suite with a prelude and three dances based
on French Baroque models, though in Ravel's own style. He composed the
work originally for piano, then orchestrated four of the original six
movements.
Ravel's genius as an orchestrator is
evident in every one of his scores, from those for a large ensemble to
"Le Tombeau," which is for a chamber orchestra. He demands the utmost
from an orchestra, as individuals and collectively. The players rose to
the occasion wonderfully well. The numerous wind solos were beautifully
played, notably Cheryl Denice's elaborate oboe solos in every movement.
The ensemble playing as a whole was very good.
Cortese led a well-controlled performance, though it
sometimes
came across as matter-of-fact and uninflected, almost like a first
reading. The bright, clear acoustics of the Soreng Theater were perhaps
not the most favorable venue for this piece, for which a more sensuous,
resonant sound quality might have been desirable. Even with these
reservations, however, the performance was quite enjoyable.
Leonard then appeared for a performance of P.I.
Tchaikovsky's
"Variations on a Rococo Theme." The theme is the composer's own
creation; in it he imitates the music of W.A. Mozart, his favorite
composer. The seven variations that follow sound increasingly like
Tchaikovsky himself, though the theme is never lost sight of.
Leonard's performance was simply stunning. He must be
one of
the best cellists in the business, with a beautiful, strong tone
through all registers and unbelievable technical prowess. The
"Variations" take the instrument into what would be the uppermost
register of the violin, let alone the cello.
Leonard was thoroughly in command of this aspect of the
piece,
as well as the expressive qualities of each variation. He is an
extraordinary artist, and it was a great pleasure to hear him. He will
appear again in a recital Tuesday night at Beall Hall with members of
the School of Music and Dance faculty.
Cortese and the orchestra supplied Leonard with a fine
accompaniment. Cortese worked carefully and sensitively with the
soloist, and the orchestra followed him very well. It was altogether a
highly enjoyable performance of a most entertaining composition.
Mozart himself was the composer of the concluding work
on the
program, the "Little Haffner" Symphony in D, K. 248b, so called to
distinguish it from the better known "Haffner" Symphony, K. 385, also
in D. The "Little Haffner" was originally part of an orchestral
serenade in nine movements.
As he did with several of his other serenades, Mozart
extracted some movements from the serenade to make up a symphony, in
this case five movements, which is one more than usual. He also made
minor revisions for the symphony's version of the music. In this sense
the symphony may be "music about music," though its music is basically
the same as in the serenade.
The orchestra shone in this performance. The playing
was
crisp
and clean at all times, and the players brought out all of the drama,
passion and fun inherent in the piece. Cortese's direction was of
course essential to this excellent result. He had a clear view of how
the piece should go, and he conveyed it precisely to the orchestra.
The result was one of their best performances in recent
seasons. Even if this symphony is not top-drawer Mozart, it is
enjoyable music, and Cortese and the players made the most of it. It
was a fine conclusion to an outstanding evening of music making.
Peter Bergquist is a professor emeritus at the
University
of Oregon
School of Music. He reviews classical music for The Register-Guard.
Mozart Players hit right notes
for holidays
By Peter Bergquist
For The Register-Guard
Published: Thursday, December 15, 2005
The Oregon Mozart Players, conducted by Glen Cortese, gave its annual
"Candlelight Concert" Monday night at First Christian Church, repeating
it on Tuesday. The "Baroque for the Holidays" program was a delightful
selection of music from the early 1700s.
The opener was G.F. Handel's Concerto Grosso in D, Op. 6, No. 5. The 12
concertos in Opus 6 are Handel at his best, lively and songful. They
feature a small solo group of two violins and cello, which is set off
against the full orchestra. The solo violin parts were nicely played by
Alice Blankenship and Ji Yun Jeong, the cello by Ann Grabe, and the
indispensable harpsichord continuo by John Jantzi, who contributed
tastefully and solidly through the entire concert. Cortese brought out
very well the varied moods and characters of the concerto's five
movements.
The orchestra for the evening included only strings and continuo, but
wind instruments were prominent as soloists, beginning with a Bassoon
Concerto in C, RV 427, by Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi composed more solo
concertos for the bassoon than any other instrument except the violin.
They are challenging for the modern instrument, let alone the baroque
bassoon, and they hardly have an equal as a showcase for the
instrument's capabilities. The soloist was the orchestra's principal
bassoonist, Steve Vacchi. He did himself and the bas- soon proud with
an impeccable performance. His rapid passages had to be heard to be
believed, and he also sang sweetly on the instrument. Cortese and the
orchestra supported him strongly.
Another Vivaldi concerto then followed, this one in C for two trumpets.
Dave Keckes-Chartrey and Dave Bender were the two soloists. Placed on
opposite sides of the orchestra, they joyfully echoed each other, then
came together for rapid flourishes. Both soloists played on piccolo or
small-sized trumpets, which help a modern player reach the very high
register that so much baroque trumpet music calls for. They gave an
impressive and enjoyable performance in which an occasional missed note
didn't really matter. Cortese and the orchestra again collaborated very
well.
After the intermission, an extra number on the program was not in fact
baroque music. The Mozart Players each year raffle off as a fundraiser
a chance to conduct the orchestra. This year's winner was Sandra
Weingarten, who led a spirited performance of the first movement of
W.A. Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik."
We returned to the baroque with G.P. Telemann's "Don Quichotte" Suite
for Strings and Continuo. The piece has the shape of a baroque dance
suite, with an overture followed by six dance movements, several of
which are recognizable as standard dances of the period. Each movement
after the overture also has a descriptive title that refers to an
incident in Miguel de Cervantes' great novel, "Don Quixote." The music
often projects these events very clearly, so it is program music as
well as dance. The orchestra and Cortese gave a most enjoyable
performance of this piece. They had fun with the descriptive elements,
while the character of the dances came across clearly.
The concert closed with one of the most famous orchestral works from
the period: J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. This is a concerto
grosso for four soloists, who were Blankenship, violin; Jill Pauls,
flute; Cheryl Denice W., oboe; and Bender, piccolo trumpet. They are
all accomplished players, and they gave a fine account of their parts.
The orchestra is no mere accompaniment, and it joined enthusiastically
with the soloists in Bach's elaborate counterpoint. Cortese presided
with authority and sensitivity.
It was a very good concert, if not quite perfect. Entrances were
sometimes ragged, and precision in general was lacking more than usual.
How much this has to do with the acoustics at First Christian Church is
hard to say. In every orchestra concert I have ever heard there, one or
another instrument or section sounds more prominent than it ought to be
- and probably more prominent than is intended. If it sounds the same
to the players, it might affect them negatively in some way. Regardless
of these concerns, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, for which all
concerned deserve high praise.
Peter Bergquist is a
professor
emeritus of music at the University of Oregon. He reviews classical
music for The Register-Guard.
Collaborative program a fitting
tribute to
Mozart
By Peter Bergquist
For The Register-Guard
Published: Sunday, January 29, 2006
The Oregon Mozart Players served a banquet of their namesake's best
orchestral, church and operatic music for their "Happy Birthday to
Wolfgang!" concert Friday night in Silva Hall. A near-full house
indulged in a splendid performance by the orchestra, led by Glen
Cortese, and world-class guest artists and two local groups who joined
them.
The opening number was the Overture to "The Marriage of Figaro,"
conducted not by Cortese but by David Ogden Stiers.
This was not just a celebrity cameo appearance. Stiers has considerable
musical experience, having conducted locally and elsewhere, and he led
a solid performance of this sprightly piece. For the rest of the
program, he turned the baton over to Cortese and took the role of
narrator, delivering introductions to each of the pieces that followed,
adding background that put each piece into context.
The Eugene Concert Choir assisted in the next work, a "Regina Coeli,"
K. 127 from 1772, when Mozart was 16 years old. Besides some choruses,
the piece has elaborate soprano solos, which were sung by Lauren
Flanigan, a well-established soloist who has appeared in concert and
opera around the world. This "Regina Coeli" may not be among Mozart's
greatest works, but it is enjoyable music and a good example of how
early his talents ripened. Like much church music of its time and
place, it has a strongly operatic flavor, especially in the soprano
solos. Flanigan delivered these beautifully, negotiating the florid
passage work in this piece with precision and assurance. It was a
performance to savor. The Concert Choir's role was limited by
comparison, but they sang very well. The orchestra was an
accompaniment, and a very fine one. Cortese pulled the entire piece
together admirably, with well chosen tempos and sensitive collaboration
with Flanigan.
After this early piece, we jumped ahead to Mozart's final year with one
of his last completed works, the Clarinet Concerto. It is brilliantly
written for the soloist, but it also has what some call an autumnal
character, almost as if Mozart knew that his time on Earth was growing
short. Whether or not one accepts this interpretation of the music, the
concerto is one of Mozart's finest in a genre in which he excelled. The
soloist was David Krakauer, a noted clarinetist who has worked
extensively with contemporary composers and klezmer music as well as
the standard repertory. He gave a stunning performance of the Mozart
Concerto. His tone is perhaps reedier than some, but that was in no way
a defect. It reinforced the urgency he brought to the music, an urgency
that could seem almost to go over the top, but which was always under
careful control. He managed the technical challenges with ease, and
almost danced along with the music in the finale. Cortese and the
orchestra accompanied beautifully. Their role was much more than a mere
accompaniment, though. It was a collaboration. The performance was
outstanding.
The same is true of the following piece, "Exsultate, Jubilate," a motet
for soprano solo and orchestra.
Flanigan's performance of this work was even more remarkable than her
earlier appearance. The famous "Alleluia" finale is often sung
separately, and its elaborate coloratura passages are the climax to a
stunning display piece.
Flanigan's rendition of the entire composition was exemplary. It
brought the first half of the generous program to a rousing close.
After intermission, the orchestra had the stage to itself as Cortese
led them in the Symphony in C major, K. 551, the "Jupiter," Mozart's
last symphony. It is on the whole a joyful work, containing much of the
pomp and circumstance that were associated with the key of C in
Mozart's time. It also includes some of the most elaborate counterpoint
Mozart or anyone else ever wrote, especially in the finale. Cortese led
a performance that was both straightforward and affectionate. It moved
along at a brisk pace that did not preclude subtlety in the musical
phrasing and punctuation. The balances were always good within the
orchestra, so that important passages in any instrument could always be
heard. In all, it was one of the orchestra's best performances ever.
To conclude the evening, 11 singers from the University of Oregon Opera
Ensemble lined up on the front of the stage and performed the final
scene from "The Marriage of Figaro." The young performers gave a fine
account of themselves in a salute to Mozart's prowess as a composer of
operas.
The Oregon Mozart Players have never sounded better than they did on
this special occasion. Under Cortese's skilled leadership, they and
their distinguished guests earned repeated enthusiastic ovations from
what appeared to be a nearly full house. Mozart could not have received
a greater tribute.
Peter Bergquist is a
professor
emeritus of music at the University of Oregon. He reviews classical
music for The Register-Guard.
Mozart Players give strings starring role
By Peter Bergquist
For The Register-Guard
Published: Tuesday, March 7, 2006
Fritz Gearhart was the excellent violin soloist when the Oregon Mozart
Players presented its “Serenade for Strings” concert on Saturday and
Sunday at the Hult Center's Soreng Theater. The performances were most
ably conducted by Glen Cortese.
As the title suggests, the string sections of the orchestra were
featured; the winds in fact had the night off. An augmented percussion
section also played a prominent role. The “serenade” part of the title
implies night music in some sense, and this was central in the program,
with two pieces titled “Serenade” and another that invoked nighttime
visions.
Saturday's concert began with another installment in the orchestra's
continuing tribute to its namesake on his 250th birthday, W. A.
Mozart's little serenade for strings, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik.” This
famous piece can come perilously close to being a cliché, but
any such danger was avoided in this sensitive and energetic
presentation. I might have preferred a slightly faster pace for the
“Andante” movement, but Cortese's leisurely reading made good sense of
the music, and all in all, the performance could not be faulted.
For the next work on the program, Richard Danielpour's “Apparitions,”
the strings were joined by harp, piano, celeste and the big percussion
section. The composer reworked the piece from one of his string
quartets; he describes it as “a collection of pieces inspired by
fantasies, dreams and stories of the supernatural.” Such visions are
especially likely to occur at night, hence the appropriateness of the
music for this concert.
The subjects that inspired the five movements are highly varied,
including Rudolpho's dreams of Mimi after her death at the end of
Puccini's “La Boheme;” a mother's reunion with her children that had
died; and the composer's grandmother on her deathbed singing a duet
with her departed husband. “Last Tango at Teatro Colon” evokes the
famous opera house in Buenos Aires, while “Johnny Brown” is a
quasi-humorous lament for a pet monkey.
Danielpour's music is not literally descriptive of any of these
“apparitions,” though the “Last Tango” includes Latin rhythms and
“Johnny Brown” quotes children's songs. The general character of the
piece is serious and elegiac, occasionally even a bit spooky, and it
seemed to evoke a strong response from the audience.
It is a challenging score for the performers, and all concerned rose to
the occasion. The string sections managed their complex parts securely,
as did the expert percussion players. Incidental solos, especially in
the third movement, were beautifully played by Alice Blankenship and
Yvonne Hsueh, violins; Abigail Stoughton, viola; and Ann Grabe, cello.
Cortese had a firm grip on the intricate music throughout and led a
highly successful, very expressive performance.
After intermission, Gearhart was the soloist in Leonard Bernstein's
“Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp, and Percussion after Plato's
Symposium.” Plato's dialogue on love suggested to Bernstein the basic
moods and structure of the five movements of his Serenade, though music
can not of course convey the specifics of Plato's ideas. Whatever it
owes to Plato, Bernstein's music is for me one of his finest
achievements, and the performers gave an excellent account of it.
Gearhart, a member of the University of Oregon faculty, has frequently
performed here as a soloist and with the Oregon String Quartet. Five
years ago he played Bernstein's “Serenade” with the American Symphonia,
and what I said in my review of that performance was also true of
Saturday's concert: “He gave a stunning performance of what is in
effect a five-movement violin concerto. His beautiful tone always sang
out over the orchestra, and he was in full command of Bernstein's
elaborate solo part. Its lyrical, dramatic, and virtuosic aspects all
received their due.”
The strings and percussion collaborated beautifully with Gearhart.
Their parts are much more than mere accompaniments, and they played
with assurance and conviction. Cortese led a sensitive, well integrated
performance, beautifully coordinated with Gearhart. It was a very
satisfying conclusion to a stimulating concert.
Peter Bergquist is a
professor
emeritus of music at the University of Oregon. He reviews classical
music for The Register-Guard.
Guitarist shines in Mozart Players show
BY PETER BERGQUIST
For The Register-Guard
Published: Tuesday, May 9, 2006
The Oregon Mozart Players celebrated Spanish music and Spanish subjects
in its "Viva España!" concert Sunday afternoon at Beall Hall on
the University of Oregon campus. Glen Cortese conducted and the guitar
soloist was Sharon Isbin.
Sunday's performance, a repetition of a Saturday night concert at the
Hult Center, began with W.A. Mozart's Overture to "Don Giovanni."
Mozart, of course, was no Spaniard, but the Don Juan legend is Spanish,
and the opera is set in Spain. Cortese and the orchestra gave a
spirited account of the piece, which was an excellent curtain-raiser
here as it is in the opera.
Isbin then took the stage for the first of two pieces in which she was
the soloist. She has had a distinguished career as a guitarist, with
several Grammy awards and nominations to her credit as well as numerous
recordings and concert performances the world over. It was a real
privilege and pleasure to hear her perform in person.
She played two works by the eminent Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo.
The first was "Concierto de Aranjuez," perhaps the most popular and
effective guitar concerto in the repertory. The title of the piece
refers to a royal palace near Madrid, and the music in some ways evokes
the atmosphere of Aranjuez in bygone times. It is certainly full of
unmistakably Spanish rhythms and melodies.
Isbin must have performed this concerto many times, and her recording
of it was acclaimed by the composer himself. In other words, a more
accomplished performance than we heard in Eugene is hard to imagine.
Her mastery of the instrument is awe-inspiring; she draws a remarkable
range of color and dynamic shading from it, and the tone is never
forced or harsh. The varying moods of the concerto, from vigorous dance
episodes to mournful dialogues with the orchestra, were all projected
vividly.
Cortese and the orchestra collaborated beautifully in this performance.
They matched Isbin's sensitivity and flexibility, and balances were
good between soloist and orchestra. Cortese's direction necessarily
played a major part in this result, and the ensemble responded
attentively.
After intermission, Isbin returned for the second Rodrigo work,
"Fantasia para un gentilhombre." Its four movements are elaborations of
dance pieces by a 17th century Spanish composer, who is the "gentleman"
mentioned in the title. The work was composed for the great guitarist
Andres Segovia some years after the concerto. Its origin in earlier
pieces is obvious, but it is no less Spanish than the concerto and also
a fine display piece for a soloist.
Isbin shone as brightly in the "Fantasia" as in the "Concierto." The
"Fantasia" is a less flamboyant, more delicate piece, and she did
justice to those aspects of it, though there was no lack of
extroversion when that was called for. It was a nice contrast to the
concerto, showing complementary sides of Rodrigo's art as well as
Isbin's mastery. Once again Cortese and the orchestra provided solid
support for the soloist, taking the lead confidently themselves when
appropriate. Both Rodrigo pieces were delightful in every way.
The program concluded with a suite from "El Amor Brujo" by Manuel de
Falla, another great Spaniard of the 20th century. This was originally
a stage work with singing and dancing, and de Falla extracted more than
one concert suite from it. One suite includes some of the songs, and
for this performance Cortese arranged those numbers for orchestra
alone, giving the voice part mainly to the English horn. Cheryl Denice
played these and other solos admirably, and she was matched by many
others in the orchestra.
The entire performance was full of high spirits. De Falla's vigorous
dance music, notably the famous "Ritual Dance of Fire," was played with
passion and clarity, and the quieter music for love scenes and magic
spells was equally effective. It was a stirring close to the concert
and to the orchestra's season.
Cortese and the Mozart Players have had a fine run this year, and we
can look forward with pleasure to what they will offer us next season.
Peter Bergquist is a
professor
emeritus of music at the University of Oregon. He reviews classical
music for The Register-Guard.
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