In/Outside Heinz Hall after the PSO concert

PSO 2010 European Tour

Click the image to view the google map of the tour

PSO 2010 European Tour
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra BNY Mellon 2010 European Tour
blogs.pittsburghsymphony.org/2010/05/bny-mellon-2010-european-tour/

PITTSBURGH – Music Director Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) embark this week on the 12 concert BNY Mellon 2010 European Tour from May 15 through 29, 2010. In addition to two concerts at Vienna’s famed Musikverein, the Orchestra is also performing in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia. Joining the Orchestra and Maestro Honeck are violin virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter, renowned pianist Emanuel Ax, and dynamic cellist Jan Vogler.

Repertoire for the tour includes one of Maestro Honeck’s signature works: Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. Performances include Brahms’ Violin Concerto; Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8; Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5; Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor;” and Schumann’s Cello Concerto.

Depth of Focus

Everything I expected, and more. That's the proverbial phrase, yet there it is, I've thrown it out and I hope you catch it. Hilary Hahn exuded technical mastery and exquisite tone. Her fingering on the strings were amazing to watch. And the whole of the the PSO brought a depth that moved my very soul.

Backup to the afternoon before the concert. I decided to do a photo similar to one I'd seen on Hilary Hahn's web site. I read in her journal that this perhaps this is her 'snow' year, as she encountered snow in Nashville and at many stops along a recent European tour. Here in Pittsburgh we had quite a bit of snow, and perhaps it was everyone's snow year, but to tell you the truth, I'm glad it's spring now and that there is glorious weather out there with green leaves and birds singing everywhere. In her photo she was holding her violin out in front of her, and the depth of field shows the difference in focus. So I tried to replicate the effect, setting up my camera on self timer, then running, turning and holding up my genuine fake Stradivarius before the shutter would release.

In the last movement it was interesting to see the techniques that Sibelius ascribed to some of the instruments of the orchestra. The Cello section kept a fabulous tempo moving along not so much by the drawing of the bow across the strings, but more so with a clever bouncing of the bow - which produced an sound almost akin to the low drums, they too were keeping time. The tribal flavor if this movement is hauntingly melodic and lingers with me still today. Yesterday morning I was humming along to the country tunes of Red Rain Music, and today I find I'm whistling the melody of the Sibelius Concerto

During the applause it was refreshing to see Miss Hahn applaud the orchestra and even the audience, with the obvious humility to appreciate those around her and we that came to hear her play.

After intermission the next grand treat was the huge Shostakovich Symphony No. 5. Not only had the size of the orchestra increased, but the grandeur and depth of the music also enlarged. I was fascinated by the politics associated with the writing of this symphony, as described in the program notes. I can feel for Shostakovich and his dramatic struggle between freedom of expression, and towing the government line. Freedom is a virtuous thing, and he didn't exactly have the freedom we all enjoy. His solution to me was clever, this symphony, while a response to demands from politics, seemed to me to have hidden mockery to that very system. It started slow, with 4 feld notes, repeated, and then went in to convoluted mixtures of directions, as if torn. There were militaristic marching mixed in, as if to portray a nationalism, but then the second movement mocked that them with a jovial joke. The third was slow, but ramped up a time or two and the final movement brought the house down in its grand style. All together I believe the composer accomplished two goals, to put together something that the politicos were asking for, and at the same time resist total loss of individualism with his the obvious mixture of themes.

Preview: Hilary Hahn returns to Heinz Hall

Heinz Hall Friday, May 07, 2010 at 08:00 PM Saturday, May 08, 2010 at 08:00 PM Sunday, May 09, 2010 at 02:30 PM Manfred Honeck, conductor Hilary Hahn, violin Sibelius: Violin Concerto Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 More Details Buy

I heard Hilary Hahn first at Heinz Hall with the PSO in the mid 90s. I couldn't remember the exact date, so I asked the friendly and helpful PSO folks who responded:

'She first performed here in May 1994 with Maazel. (we think it was for 3 performances) '

I'm pretty sure she played the Beethoven Violin Co., if I remember correctly. What I definitely do remember was how awe struck I was that a 14 year old teenager could play so well, it was simply amazing.

Fast forward to this weekend at the PSO, and now I'll be experiencing her music one more time, this time with the Sibelius Concerto, one of my favorites. This concerto is certainly as winsome as the Beethoven, yet it has a deeper, more meaningful foreboding character, not in a dark way, but with a love-sick variety of a soul who is yearning. At least that's my impression, especially the third movement. Anticipation for the fourth and final movement should bring a smile, there's tons of resolution to the tension in there.

I look forward to the performance, I hope you do too!

Some like it hot

"Jazz, well I guess some like it hot,
personally I prefer classical music" -- Tony Curtis 'Some Like it Hot'

Who says classical music isn't 'hot'?
Tonight we found out otherwise, with the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2.
Valentina Lisitsa poured her heart out on the piano, it was spectacular to watch and to hear. The strings of the PSO opened with sizzling sounds that exploded with scintillating reverb bringing that 'hot' lush sound I'm often longing for when I attend a Pittsburgh Symphony. And the whole of the first movement seemed to whiz by with such alacrity and aplomb, I was awe-struck. But it was the second movement that literally brought goose bumps. The romanticism is evident in this movement - I've listened to it so many times, and I never grow tired. The final movement has some of that famous sounds that many have heard before - again a very romantic theme, and the piano and the orchestra share turns repeating the theme over and over, leading up to a stunning and climatic finale. The hands on the piano were amazing, and the audience leapt to a standing ovation.

I'm so glad to have had this opportunity to witness the joy of this concerto, performed by an artist, Valentina Lisitsa, who's smile was radiant and beaming with effuse expressions, especially at intermission when she signed autographs. I shook her hand, congratulated her on a great job on my favorite concerto of all time -- and now, I have a favorite performance of this beautiful concerto.

I do not know the name of the selection that Lisitsa played as an encore, but it was soft, delicate and stirring.

The concerto was sandwiched between two pieces this evening that couldn't have been more different. The concert began with "Rocking the Cradle," in which composer Richard Danielpour gave a very descriptive introduction of what it is all about. Myself, I prefer to hear the music in a vacuum, not knowing the programmatic context, so that I can form my own impressions. Because of that, I had a difficult time appreciating the music until the second movement. After intermission came Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" I first heard a long time ago when I watched Disney's Fantasia, and of course that context was all that I conjured, lava and dinosaurs, yet I was smiling all the while.


Abstract wisdom of the past is clear,
mixed with current subtle sounds I hear,
probing rhythm of my thoughts appear,
I'm trusting you my dear

Jack Everly, the PSO and Cirque de la Symphonie

In a world full of politics, business, sports, and other competitive endeavors, it's nice to take a step back from that world and occasionally experience a new artistic performance meant simply for entertainment, and based upon the incredible skills of eight talented individuals accompanied by the lush symphonic sounds of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jack Everly, that repose was achieved.

Saturday afternoon I had the pleasure to take my mom, my daughter and her friend to the Cirque de la Symphonie - truly an exciting new concept, and a fabulous way to listen to the beautiful classical music being performed while watching the amazing performances and adept skills of these extremely capable aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, balancers and strong men. The stage at Heinz Hall took on some very distinctive purple, blue and red hues for this particular performance.

My three companions overwhelmingly voted their favorite as Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski, former Polish national hand-balancing champions. Their act was an artistic performance that was almost like a ballet in that their motions were very slow and deliberate, and the stunning effect captivated everyone, with the PSO playing Also Sprach Zarathustra and The Pines of Rome in the background. My daughter remarked that the Symphony is much better, for her, when they have something like this program to make it more entertaining. Of the music, she liked George Bizet' "Les Toreadors" from Carmen, especially because they had recently studied that in her school's music appreciation class, and well, because it has such a great melody.

Personally for me, it's hard to vote for a favorite, since every act was spectacular, and as a whole the entire program gets my vote as a favorite, but if I had to pick I'd say the acrobatics of Christine Van Loowere so, inspiring. The act consisted of two stage-height ribbons that she adroitly handled to perform amazing aerials making it seem so effortless as she ascended with spell-binding trapeze - it was like poetry in motion. The lighting was very effective, shadows of the performers would miraculously fly along the large walls out into the audience, the combination gave such a wonderful effect.

Then there was Vladimir Tsarkov, the juggler, performing the 'Red Harlequin' act - funny and very entertaining. Being a juggler myself (purely just for fun), it was amazing to see how many balls, batons and rings he could juggle at one time.

Jack Everly, the conductor for the evening, also gets a nod of approval -- he was funny and very entertaining. I'd like to see the PSO bring him back again and again. One act had the juggler bring him forth, and along with Elena Tsarkova, they would do a magic act where Jack and Elena are put into a cloth tube - Elena is tied securely with a rope - and in 20 seconds the tube is removed to reveal Jack's coat on Elena, the ropes securely tied on top. We all wondered - how did they do that..? Jack's joke was to come back to see the midnight performance - with a quick 'Whoops' when he acknowledged the kids in the audience.

And of course the PSO itself did a great job with the music. Many of these selections I know very well, having heard them may times. The PSO played them with great aplomb, and the sound came through marvelously. I wondered how they could play with all that was going on around them, especially the juggler, who was so funny.

Vast oceans of harmonic bliss

Vast oceans of written words are scribed with kindled passions running through the veins of inquisitive souls -- vivid passages glisten with the sweet love revolving in one's sphere of influence whence the thoughts and senses acquire a greater dimension of fluency. When I strive to extol vast hemispheres of new worlds yet to be experienced, I feel the exhilarating essence of induced feelings of gleeful anxiety. And I, the lowly observer, listening to passages of music made bare before my ears, often find instances of interlude yet to be savored, sometimes conjuring before my mind's eye an adventure to taste and to grip in ones own two hands, an affair to remember and a new encounter to thrill the heart in barely veiled anticipation. Yes, these are the events that drive fresh adrenaline to stir my interests, and as the senses stir, progressively the concert becomes my intimate and the venture is complete.

As luck would have it this weekend, I asked a friend at work to attend the concert on a 'guest blogger' pass (no really, I just invented that term), and she accepted. Neither of my guests
had experienced a classical symphony concert before, although they both told me they had been to performances at the Benedum previously. So it was my idea to let others experience the beauty of classical music.

I myself grew to love this form of music over many years, sort of a gradual transition which led me to somehow become such a fan that it's almost exclusively the only kind I listen to now. Sure, I'll still occasionally play The Moody Blues, one my favorites, or listen in to some of my daughter's music, including one of my new favorites: Sara Bareilles. So it's always fascinating to find out what kinds of music others enjoy. Paula, on the left in the photo, must be a fan of The Temptations because she mentioned that they would be playing at Heinz Hall on Sunday night. Tara, her daughter, didn't commit to a favorite form, so I was hoping she'd be open minded to the symphonic music. One comment she did make was that she enjoyed watching the conductor, Juraj Valcuha, a guest conductor born in Slovakia and who now spends much of his career in European cities including Paris, based on the program notes. Indeed, Mr. Valcuha was very animated, and was using his baton all over the podium, in ways that seemed to inspire the orchestra into seamless synchronization and fluent harmony.

Well I must say, my two guests were a delight to host for this evening. When they found out I got the tickets they said they were 'super excited' in the email response - well it wasn't just hyperbole, they really were. They enjoyed the music and the performance, at least, that was the impression I got based on their eagerness to discuss the aspects of the performance, the instruments, piano versus strings, and alas, perhaps the 'scary' nature of the brass during the performance of "The Mermaid" composed by Alexander Zemlinsky.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Beethoven 3rd Piano Concerto, and Yefim Bronfman was amazing with the piano. He seemed to have a form of 'scope', sort of in a space inside himself when he played the piano passages. I could see him occasionally move his lips as if reciting words that would go with the melody. The PSO played as his counterpart marvelously. As Beethoven is one of my favorite composers, this piece was one of his masterpieces that I could easily hear again and again.

The Mermaid was also a nice piece of music, although at times I didn't quite understand the programmatic context. I'd have to say that I'd prefer to hear it again, as I said before, this music grows on me, and the more I hear it, the more I like it.

One more note: Bronfman's encore was a fun, seemingly impossible, and certainly amazing piece, I hear it was Paganini's 24th Caprice (IMPOSSIBLE solo violin work).

Pittsburgh nights with a Russian theme

It was a cold and windy day in the Burgh, juxtaposed between warmth prevailing the Spring season and hearty musical interludes that affectionately melt my soul. I was on my way to yet another Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert. Earlier in the day I had forgotten the selections to be played this evening. It was one of those moments, when asked, one can't quite recall, and when I was asked what was on the slate for tonight, my thoughts were a week from tonight towards the next program, and it took me by surprise. Yet I really did know that Yan Pascal Tortelier would be conducting the PSO for Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, and that piano soloist Stephen Hough would be playing along with the PSO in Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 2, and yet I could not recall on the spot - and me the supposed expert - a bit embarrassing to say the least. I had even listened to an internet interview with Mr. Hough that morning discussing the lesser know Tchaikovsky Concerto. It's funny how the mind works.

In addition to being a blogger I'm also a subscriber to the PSO's season, and I try to attend as many concerts as I can. This evening began when I entered the lobby. I was fortunate to listen to Katherine M Zhou, the Steinway Society Young Artist Winner play many selections in the lobby. She was wonderful on the piano, and when the last selection came, I knew I could recognize that tune. I told myself that it sounded like Edvard Grieg, even though I didn't know for sure. And when I found the program notes, it was indeed Grieg's "March of the Dwarfs" - a selection full of gratifying melody that one could remember for hours, yet I wouldn't have that luxury, because the PSO concert would begin shortly.

Maestro Tortelier, as is his wont, began the concerto as soon as Mr Hough was seated at the piano - there was not laborious introduction - and we all delved right into the music. Right away we could hear Mr. Hough's style of playing, his mastery and his romanticism.

His debut with the PSO was nothing less than superb. The concerto seemed to begin as a march, but soon went off into certain furious passages on the piano, then intermixed with simpler tones and notes, somehow mixed into a suitable opening. Some of the piano parts were so technically challenging, my mind could not begin to try to assimilate the kind of skill necessary. The audience applauded after the first movement, and it was a joy to see Mr. Hough's smile and a lip synched 'thank you'.

The second movement was more my style, a trio with the cello, violin and piano with orchestra as the backdrop keeping time. the final movement was a tuneful spirited fare with lots of melody and songs arrayed as items along a musical path, racing with joyful fun. At it's conclusion the whole of the audience immediately rose to raucous applause.

For an encore Stephen Hough played the selection "Moscow Nights," except it seemed to begin with the a Rachmaninov theme, and for a moment I thought he would play a Rachmaninov concerto as an encore, but then it immediately moved into the Moscow Nights music. At intermission a very congenial man named Fred introduced himself while observing me taking photographs of Mr. Hough. He struck up a conversation, and told me the story set in 1987, Van Cliburn was invited to perform at the White House for President Ronald Reagan and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, and that it was Gorbachev's wife who asked for Mr. Cliburn to perform Moscow Nights. I knew the melody, but had never heard the name of the Russian song, originally composed in 1955.

After intermission came another delightful performance by Maestro Tortelier and the PSO with the Prokofiev symphony! My favorite parts were the 2nd - reminding me of dance - perhaps a rumba or tango - and we saw conductor Tortelier dancing with the orchestra (it takes two), then the deep tones of the 3rd followed by the 4th and final movement; it seemed to get better and better as the symphony progressed. This was no classical symphony like his first symphony, which is delightful in it's own beautiful style. This symphony was full of new and romantic themes. One of my favorite aspects was the impression I had that the tempos were like a metronome or perhaps like a clock keeping time, sometimes pushed by the basses or brass, and it kept progressing and eventually moved through and into the stirring finale, another robust conclusion which did bring warmth to my heart.

The Planets, Holst and the PSO

Each of the planets in its progression aligned before our ears, and in their turn these passages from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were presented one by one. And as I listened all I could do was smile. I could not write notes, I could not conjure words, hearkening to that stunning sound -- it came to me as an image upside down, inside out, inverted in sensory magic, and before my mystical mind was an n-dimensional universe, with planets everywhere.

Which was my favorite? It is hard to pin down, but I have to say that Holst weaved a magical chord in: Uranus, The Magician, what a mischievous tonal wandering, I like it more than ever before. Of course Jupiter is always fraught with jollity, and a bit of frivolity.



I reached, but she was no longer there,
and as my reward 'twas an empty hollow embrace,
these fragile hands no longer feel her supple silky hair.
Would I awake from a dream bereft of her sweet grace?

Alone, like the planets that revolve around the sun,
some with moons, some with none,
yet all alone are they in their darkest void of space,
never slowing, never yielding, till their path is done.

Lost souls wandering, connecting with only means
of simple communication, like light beacons between the stars,
some understood, others pass us by, missing our horizon,
until the heavens unite our worlds, a journey ever far.

Berlioz: Harold in Italy

Congratulations to Randolph Kelly, viola, in Hector Berlioz: Harold in Italy -- his solo was fabulous. I perceived that his playing sometimes became lost in a whirlwind of passion, a torrent of tempest -- the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra all around gave tumultuous beauty to the composition, yet did not tear Mr. Kelly's passion to tatters.

Somehow this is the vision I perceive when I think of a soloist accompanied with an orchestra. There was beauty all through the first three movements. His playing was not as pronounced as many of the violin soloists we are used to, yet it was distinct enough in those 3 movements to reach my ears; the temperance and smoothness of the viola was simply pleasing. It was only the 4th and final movement that acquired a robust torrent of bravado, which on its own stood out like a symphonic tempest, yet somehow I felt that the soloist was overshadowed. Perhaps it was by design, a particular penchant of Hector Berlioz.

At the completion of this half, there was much applause for Mr. Kelly and guest conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier, who did a great job introducing the piece beforehand. At one point Mr Kelly walked over to congratulation his own viola section to much applause -- during the 3rd movement their playing was pronounced. In the program notes it indicated that these were the "wandering minstrels of the third movement’s Serenade."

After intermission -- Holst: The Planets -- what can I say -- it was spectacular!

Connections: Rossini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky

A rendezvous with classical music is often a journey to the depths of one's soul. Often I see it as a look into our emotions, our hearts and our passions. When I hear the best of this form, it often elicits a lucid experience of what I love most, and for me it is the core of this music, this glorious art-form that transcends all others and mixes these emotions in inexplicable manners and expressions which fulfil and bring joy and a smile to my lips. This happened tonight as I listened to the selections performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda, one of my favorite conductors.

Benjamin Hochman gave a fabulous performance playing the piano in Mozart's Concerto No. 19, a piece I've experienced countless times, and was perfectly glad to finally hear live and in person. I found it fascinating to hear from some friends and others that they had not heard this before, nor the Cinderella selection by Rossini, another of my perennial favorites. So I myself must be an oddity, or simply a classical music enthusiast of sorts, and it was nice to hear these selections with which I am so familiar.

Perhaps I am lauding the PSO in particular, but I suspect that the live performance aspect, as I've mentioned before, brings out the very best of the acoustics, the dynamic range, and the total tonal hearing phenomena to its fullest form - one's hearing of the actual instruments at a concert hall like Heinz Hall is without compare.

The final selection, Tchaikovsky's symphony No. 3 was breathtaking, and typical of his symphonies for it's flair, Russian sounding themes, and total triumphant bravura. Being a lesser known symphony, this performance gave me the opportunity to hear it for perhaps only the second time. The final movement was better known to me, and the rest was new. My favorite parts were the softer movements - the 2nd, 3rd and 4th - out of the total of 5 movements, yet they were each interesting in their own respect.

In the 2nd there commenced a soft pastoral theme, and at one point the low basses were keeping the beat, while the rest of the orchestra dramatically presented breathtaking mood. Later, at home, I listened to this symphony again, and I didn't hear the exact same thing, probably because it's difficult to hear the same dynamic range. The 3rd movement was also quite soft, mixing in resplendent melodies dramatically placed using somber sounds, with low frequencies and low volumes, easily heard in Heinz Hall with its acoustics. I wondered how it would ever be done on a recording, without the use of a volume compression technique, which sort of ruins the intended effect. Throughout these movements the string section held the pieces together like a lofty tether on a lazy afternoon, holding clouds and feathers together in an ambling mixture of tepid flowing fluid.

The 4th movement took the pastoral theme from the previous and expanded it in a way as to seemingly make the sounds of the instrument come alive. At one point I envisioned within my mind the scrambling of small animals, perhaps in the depths of the large Russian forests, full of lush greenery and huge conifer and deciduous trees lining the entire canopy. Quickly, with conductor Noseda's sweeping of his arms, he inspired the orchestra into motives and sounds subtle yet attuned to my metaphor. I heard the rustling of leaves, the swaying of trees, the commotion in the forest lessened, and the sound faded out finally with the final scurry of the final animal to one side only to behold the entrance of the fifth and final movement.

Then the grandeur commenced, only this time my imagination brought forth to my mind the image of the huge brown bear, a national 'personification' of Russia -- a large magnanimous creature, not clumsy, rather more cuddly, despite his size. This magnificent beast ambled into the scene slowly, with slower and softer sounds from the orchestra building concisely to a masterful statement built upon a melody that is overlaid multiple times, and eventually the whole ensemble brings together this image I've conjured for myself into a climax rivaled only by Tchaikovsky himself in his subsequent symphonies. One of my friends stood to applaud and exclaimed "There's no doubt, that is most definitely is Tchaikovsky!"

What are the connections between these pieces and the conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra? Well, tonight the banding piece is the PSO, our very own wonderful American Orchestra which is the binding connection itself. This evening was played three completely different pieces, written many years ago by European and Russian composers, and as conductor Noseda said himself in the post concert chat, the PSO has a "versatility that stands out," according to "different styles," and was able to play these pieces "three different ways," marvelous ways, they are not just "good," but these musicians want to play the music in a way that "touches," by "participating in the music." That was a wonderful complement to the PSO from Maestro Noseda, who is not only an impressive conductor, but a marvelous speaker in his own right. He also described connections between each of the selections this evening. Stay tuned for another blog post on the post concert chat...

Mixing Metaphors

Durable notes, shedding impatient grandeur,
and when they, upon their wings, do soar -
I see eloquent shades uplifting, enveloping uproar,
Mixing metaphors, my heart can hurt no more.

I rise, I fly, I glide well high,
my effort, little and with subtle tilt of wings,
climbs over her visage, her sight slightly cries,
swiftly gained yet gainsaid shadows bring
me crashing back to transient sighs.

Rejecting doubt, rather, believe in love,
Radiant, enveloping, completely without abandon.
Heed pure words offered with honest candor,
Eloquence comes rarely, as the wings of a dove,
genuine sincerity is offered up once more.

Leonard Slatkin at PSO

Leonard Slatkin at PSO - New music and what he would conduct - Heinz Hall with Mason Bates and Richard Danielpour post concert chat


Leonard Slatkin at PSO - Mason Bates and Richard Danielpour post concert chat - Discuss their compositions Liquid Interface and Pastime - Heinz Hall - Gershwin American in Paris - Bernstein On the ...

Photos - Slatkin, Bates and Danielpour at Heinz Hall

I read in a review by the New York Times that the PSO's program seems to some how be lacking in new music.... Well I'm not sure their definition, but judging by the evening's performance, there were two new pieces, one by Danielpour who we've seen several times this season, and an amazing Techno fusion with the orchestra and the composer Mason Bates playing 'Electronica' which could hardly be called anything but new music, something very close to popular culture, yet not lacking in interesting symphonic elements.

I was very pleased with the new music. There were quite an array of instruments here this evening (see some below). There was this large drum which I suppose made a storm like sound for the 'Liquid Interface' composition, and there was a washboard, played very interestingly, and there were even multiple glasses filled with water - the musician played it by running his wet finger along the edge!

There was also Bernstein's On the Town, and finally, Gershwin's An American in Paris, how could I go wrong?

It was nice to see Leonard Slatkin return and I'm glad he is as energetic as ever.

Leonard Slatkin at PSO - does only music that 'touches me', as in 'the music of this country' 

Mason Bates and Richard Danielpour post concert chat - Discuss their compositions Liquid Interface and Pastime

Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Mason Bates: 'Liquid Interface'

Richard Danielpour: 'Pastime'

Video Harp on display at Heinz Hall

Creator: Paul McAvinney

Finger tracking and gesture interpretation software

Paul McAvinney and Dr. Joe Newcomer

Produced by the Sensor Frame Corp, Pittsburgh 1991

Presented for the PSO by Joe Newcomer

Various instruments used for the concerts this evening

javadoug standing at the banister at Heinz Hall

Young artists in the lobby before the concert

The moon, before the concert :)

Love at first sight

Mahler Symphony number 4:

The first movement begins with sleigh bells, piccolos and other woodwinds followed immediately by what I perceive as a pastoral setting conjured with the string section, which continues throughout the whole symphony.

I imagine: Skating and a snowball fight, as if scenes from the movie "The Bishop's Wife," which somehow pops into my mind. Then the tempo builds with a pretty little melody played by the flutes.

I continue to perceive my picturesque study, framed by the oboes, piccolo and flute. Gradually I begin to think of Mahler as being a landscape painter who, with his composer's brush, paints broad strokes filling the canvas hall with harmony later to be augmented with crisp shapes which take melodic form.

Then a sudden change of tempo, as if on a journey, a tour of the snow covered fields, perhaps then to a villiage, and then people going too and fro, as the sleigh approaches it's destination - home.

2nd movement:Scherzo

With the flute I hear - a walk - a journey. Every instrument is used well, they are staggered into the music, reminiscent of the way Ravel wrote his Bolero, yet not like that music, really. I hear a subtle playing, against the dramatic theme.The oboe at the ending is very surprising, pleasantly.

3rd movement: Slow

Another surprise appears, smiling. Slow strings - Cello and violas - then joins the violins - oboes follow and the English horn. Eventually I hear the bassoon, with a beautiful low sound. At length I perceive the harp, playing a selection which at first made me think a piano was on stage, yet it was the harp.

Maestro Honeck raises the ante for a moment, lifting his baton, and the orchestra grows with restrained volume, then continues forward and back to the pastoral sound. The vibrancy continues, then changes again, with melodic pizzicato, with the base, and eventually I hear and see the drums. Again I visualize the composition being painted by Mahler before my eyes and ears, again I perceive each brush stroke being applied to this canvas, never rushing, yet always building, perhaps towards the final movement.

4th movement:

A reprise of the opening movement with melody heard before, and again it joins into another pastoral scene. Soon I hear a melody that reminds me of the music from Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. Often in classical music we hear that music is based on the theme of another composer's work, and I wonder if composer Bernard Herrmann has used these few notes as an inspiration for his composition on that film. Perhaps I'm wrong.

I visualize in my mind's eye waves splashing, crashing over rocks, I hear the harp, I'm seeing the very essence of this music. I'm completely into this music and its portrayal, and the way that Manfred Honeck is conducting and the beauty that is coming from the PSO directly to my ears.

In all I'd say that Mahler's 4th is a symphonic delight which is love at first sight (hearing), and just as with Beethoven's symphony number 6, will remain one of my favorites for it's pleasant pastoral setting.

Gil Shaham, violin

Gil Shaham performed the solo for both of these at Heinz Hall this evening:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2
Franz Joseph Haydn: Violin Concerto No. 2

His movements were graceful and deliberate.

The violin he played had the most magnificent tone.

When the movement called for two strings to be played simultaneously, the sound came forth with striking clarity, and immediately grabbed my attention. Then he would return to the pure tones of the composition and his marvelous style. His smile was brimming -- there is never a doubt when I see that, it's the musician who equally loves the music.

I've heard both of these concertos before; both have marvelous simplicity yet melody and harmony which are catchy and so pleasant to hear. Although my favorite Mozart violin concerto is number 3 - for it's wow factor, I do have to say that number 2 is equally nice, and this performance was invigorating. Mr Shaham and the orchestra (smaller than the full orchestra) played the notes extremely pure, and with the excellent acoustics at Heinz Hall, I could hear and enjoy a distinct clarity. If I closed my eyes it was as if I were right there up on stage.

The Hayden was another concerto I've heard often on CD and radio, and is much better when played live at Heinz Hall. Here is Mr. Shaham playing another Haydn concerto: Haydn Co 1, 1st mov

One of my friends thought it might be odd to play these two smaller limited concertos at Heinz Hall, as if this were a chamber concert, but somehow I believe it worked, it was a good classical introduction to the second half of the program, the larger romantic Mahler Symphony number 4.

As I was listening to both of these concertos, I imagined I could place myself anywhere in the concert hall, and photograph the artists and their instruments on the stage. Since I am an amateur photographer, I enjoy visioning what a possible 'shot' would look like, even if I don't have my camera in hand. The PSO doesn't allow photography of the musicians on the stage, I suspect it is because flash would completely distract warm-ups or the actual performance; and perhaps because they want to maintain a certain decorum, and would prefer that their photographs be professionally produced to be of good quality.

So I sit there, and listen intently to the wonderful music, and I imagine the perspectives I could create, the kinds of lighting I could use for background 'bokeh' a sort of effect you often see in photography. The photos above were taken in the lobby as Mr. Shaham was signing autographs.

I'll post again on the wonderful Mahler Symphony...

Bruckner's 7th and upcoming Mahler's 4th

I've just heard that they will be recording Mahler's 4th symphony this weekend (Fri/Sun). I like when the PSO records a performance for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that there tends to be less background noise in the theater, they usually request we put forth a 'wall of silence'. So if you are like me, that makes for more enjoyment of the Orchestra.

Bruckner's 7th symphony was a massive structure which somehow overwhelmed me. This was my first hearing of this symphony, so please accept my comments with a grain of salt. Several of the movements were very good, and on the whole, I enjoyed the way the Pittsburgh Symphony played this music, a very good performance was the result. Yet when I say overwhelmed, I mean it was loud at times, as if it was loud just to be loud, it didn't bring a reason or a harmony that I could latch on to. I couldn't grasp the context. I think perhaps one of my problems was my closeness to the orchestra. If I had been up above, the gallery seats way in the back, I believe I would have enjoyed this experience much more. For a Mozart slow movement, being up front has its advantages, but for this symphony, not so much.

The program notes indicate that Bruckner was a Wagnerite, and to the degree that this music was like Wagner's I agree, yet I wasn't left with the same beautiful feeling I get when I listen to just about any of Wagner's music. There is a certain aspect of Wagner's scores, something I just can't describe, which is so beautiful that often I'm left with goosebumps. I didn't get that with the Bruckner. Yet I know I will return again to Burckner's music, because as has happened to me in the past, I have grown to like music that previously left me wanting.

The most enjoyable part of the performance was watching the symphony and the conductor. It was Honeck's sublime conducting that gave a supreme veneration, his lofty bearing elevated my enjoyment as I watched the fluid motions of his arms and baton.

Ax struck a resoundingly brilliant chord

There is a reason why I keep going back again and again to experience the piano concertos with Emanuel Ax as the soloist: simply put, his virtuosic talent, his keen and ardent desire to play the music and to enjoy the orchestra left me impatiently longing for each passage, each phrase, each cadence and eager for more yet hopeful this beautiful concerto would never end. And this concerto number 5 by Beethoven, this keen and sharply struck chord of melody played against the flourishing orchestral embellishments contrasted in temporal position toyed with my introspective mind. The concerto itself is lavish yet contrapuntal, liquid yet precise, classical yet romantic and effervescent in metaphoric scenes which in my mind ranged from waterfalls to the earnest entreaty of love.

The concerto began with Conductor Manfred Honeck quickly sweeping his arms in a lunging motion to signal the intensely evocative beginning of the first movement -- and then the piano began, ranging up and down the keyboard in what was the beginning of many similar phrases which to me conjured images of water tinkling over stones. And from that simple beginning the orchestra took over, extending the theme and developing the melody, with sounds distinct to this concerto, yet evoking portions of Beethoven's symphony number 6. When the piano rejoins, it begins on a journey of building tucks and turns, as if a tennis match between Mr. Ax and the orchestra, back and forth. When he wasn't playing the keyboard, Mr. Ax would look toward Maestro Honeck with a brimming smile, and swaying to the music personified by the orchestra, invoked an instant infectious smile in my heart. His eyes were alert and aptly attentive to the direction of the conductor, then, returning to the keyboard, would produce a succinct rapturous passage, soft, yet cascading with a deluge of quickly paced notes that just flew. I'd imagine children's rhymes in one moment, quickly followed by rolling thunder produced by the orchestra into an apex of expanding flourish.

The second movement was slow, with earthly tenderness brimming with gentle wonder. Could I be at a lapse for words with it's beauty? This movement bears repeating, so I listen again at home while composing this text, and I hear these words in my minds eye:

Once there was a place for thee,

as kind and gentle grace can see,

where grass grows,

and love knows,

all I've seen,

wondering what could be.

Listen from 0:20 to 0:52 to hear the melody with the words I've written.

The orchestra repeats this melody, this time the piano meanders along the keys in a beautiful counterpoint. Together the two parts of the concerto have intertwined, and the movement concludes by immediately forming the beginning of the 3rd movement with a quiet introduction, like a prelude of reverberation, or an echo of what will come next. And it does, in robust form. By the end of the final movement it was advantage Ax, then game set and match!

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Part of the display at Heinz Hall associated with Beethoven's hearing loss: