Ray Chen and Zhang Zuo at People’s Symphony Concerts

This weekend, Your Correspondent dutifully went to Town Hall in New York for another in what has proven to be a stellar season of People’s Symphony Concerts.  Originally scheduled was violinist Augustin Hadelich (born 1984), whom we have covered previously in these pages.  Hadelich is one of the up-and-coming stars of the classical music world, and we were initially disappointed when we learned a scheduling conflict prevented his appearance.

However, we were more than delighted when the incomparable violinist Ray Chen (born 1989) took his place, with pianist Zhang Zuo (born 1988) accompanying him.  The result was magic – one of the finest concerts we have seen in some time.  It is rare that the seen-it-all crowd at PSC applauds between movements, but the demonstrative audience this past Sunday could not contain itself.  Chen played with such charm and insouciance, and his bowmanship was so exciting and sure-handed, that anything short of adulation would be unworthy.

The concert opened with the Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 12, No. 1 by Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).  The playing was robust and passionate, and the sound of Chen’s violin – he was playing the 1715 Joachim Stradivarius on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation – has a clarity that was uncanny. 

Both players were transcendent in the Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921).  The interval between movements was interrupted by unprecedented applause and, I’m sure if roses were on hand, they would’ve been happily tossed at the players.  The first act ended with the crowd on its feet and waiting for more.

Following the intermission, Chen and Zuo (nick-named “Zee Zee”) played a medley of songs by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946).  Though sprightly and fun, they were a step down in complexity and interest from Beethoven and Saint-Saens.  The duo returned to Saint-Saens for the Havanaise in E Major, Op. 83, which had a delicious Cuban feel.  The concert ended with Tzigane by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), which had a wonderful, Romanie feel. 

The audience would not let them leave without an encore, and Chen and Zuo served up a wrenchingly beautiful Thais by Massenet. 

Zuo has recently been chosen to join the BBC’s flagship Young Artist program in the UK for the next two seasons.  She has played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Belgium.  Dressed in a stunning evening gown of fuchsia, Zuo is a striking presence and gifted accompanist.

The performance, though, rested confidently in the assured palm of violinist Ray Chen.  Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Chen was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15,  where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concerts Artists.  An emerging social media star, Chen is the first-ever classical musician to be invited to write a regular blog about his life as a touring soloist for the largest Italian publishing house, RCS Rizzoli.  He cut a striking figure in a sheer dark suit with cream-colored lining, so it's no surprise that he is supported by Giorgio Armani and was recently featured in Vogue.  More, please.

One parting word about People’s Symphony.  There are still some tickets let for their three, concurrent series, but numbers are limited.  PSC has also created unlimited student passes, where full-time students age 35 or younger can enjoy unlimited access to all remaining concerts for one flat fee of $25.

PSC remains the best deal for New Yorkers passionate about music that I have ever come across, and subscriptions will not be regretted.  The can be found at:  http://pscny.org/.

People’s Symphony Concerts Return!

If New York is the classical music capital of the world, then perhaps the best bargain in the world for music lovers is the series of concerts presented by People’s Symphony.

The Peoples’ Symphony Concerts series was founded in 1900 by the conductor Franz Arens to bring the world’s finest music to students and workers for minimum prices.  That winter, more than 7,000 people jammed into the old hall at Cooper Union to hear Arens, the son of an immigrant farmer, conduct his series of five Peoples' Symphony Concerts.  Subscriptions for the five concerts ranged from $.25 to $1.25 and single tickets went for as little as $0.10 each. 

Arens himself started out a poor student in Europe who had been too broke to attend many concerts.  When Arens returned to New York, he was determined to find a way to bring music to students, teachers, workers, and others unable to pay normal ticket prices.  Since those early years, hundreds of thousands of Peoples' Symphony Concerts audience members have heard the world's foremost concert artists and ensembles at the lowest admission prices of any major series in the country.

Your correspondent has been going for nearly 25 years, and has heard such world class masters as Richard Goode, Garrick Ohlsson, and Marc-Andre Hamelin.  There are three concert series, two taking place on Saturday evenings at the spacious (and newly-renovated) theater at Washington Irving High School in Gramercy Park, and one on Sunday afternoons at Town Hall in midtown Manhattan.

The season opened last week with a magnificent performance by the Musicians From Marlboro, the touring extension of the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.  This group is comprised of exceptional young professional musicians together with seasoned artists in varied chamber music programs. Each program is built around a work performed in a previous summer that Artistic Directors Richard Goode and Mitsuko Uchida and their colleagues felt was exceptional and should be shared with a wider audience. The resulting ensembles offer audiences the chance to both discover seldom-heard masterworks and enjoy fresh interpretations of chamber music favorites.

The concert opened with a relatively new work by Svervánszky, the Trio for Flute, Violin and Viola.  This piece was filled with a rich, folkloric, Middle European flavor, and was played with great brio by the troup.

The was followed by the Sonata for flute, viola and harp, L. 137 by Debussy.  This was, perhaps, my favorite piece of the evening – offering a lush, yet limpid, interval of pure aural pleasure.

The evening progressed with Officium breve in memoriam Andreæ Szervánszky, Op. 28 by Kurtág which, frankly, went in one ear and out the other.  However, as with most contemporary pieces, mileage varies depending on user.

The concert ended with a gripping rendition of Beethoven’s String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29, which was greeted by the crowd with long, loud and lusty applause.

Artists for the evening included David McCarroll, violin; Nikki Chooi, violin; Kim Kashkashian, viola; Wenting Kang, viola; Karen Ouzounian, cello; Marina Piccinini, flute; and, Sivan Magen, harp.  These are exceptionally talented young people.

Many of my readers support the New York Metropolitan Opera, WQXR and/or Tanglewood, but few seem to know this wonderful reasoure for people who are serious about music. 

There are still tickets available for this season; visit http://pscny.org  or call (212) 586-4680 for more information.  

The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio With Nokuthula Ngwenyama at People’s Symphony

Nokuthula Ngwenyama

Once again the good folks at People’s Symphony Concerts (PSC) amaze and astound us with musicians both old and new to the program.  Last Saturday, perennial PSC favorites the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio returned for a concert of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Dvorak, amply assisted by a stunning Nokuthula Ngwenyama on the viola.  The result was magical.

The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio debuted at the White House nearly 35 years ago, and they continue to bring technical mastery, expressive depth, and magnetism to the concert stage. Their 30^th Anniversary was celebrated at Carnegie Hall, where Richard Danielpour devoted a piano quartet in honor of the anniversary – the piece has since become a part of their extensive repertoire. The Trio is one of today’s most beloved ensembles and these three artists share their passion for music with audiences worldwide.

The Trio – Joseph Kalichstein, piano, Jaime Laredo, violin, Sharon Robinson, cello -- has traveled the globe, including japan, New Zealand and Australia, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Paris, as well as Helsinki, South Bank and Tivoli.  Their most recent CD is of Schubert Piano Trios, released on the Bridge label.

Nokuthula Ngwenyama came to international attention when she won the Primrose International Viola Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions at age 17.  In 1998, she received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.  She has performed throughout the US and across four continents – and she has recently been featured as a Face to Watch by the Los Angeles Times.

With a wealth of talent such as this, it is no surprise that last Saturday’s concert was one to remember.  The concert opened with Trio in B-flat major, Op. 11 (1798) by Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).  This piece was interesting, and the playing worthy, but it is not Beethoven at his best.  The adagio is not perfectly conceived, to my ear, and the Tema con variazioni: Pria ch’ io l ‘impegno not wholly satisfying.

The Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 66 (1845), by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), on the other hand, is more coherently conceived.  Mendelssohn is not in the same league of genius as Beethoven, and though less ambitious he was more consistent.  Op. 66 is wonderfully melodic and the third movement, the Scherzo, Molto allegro quasi presto, is delivered with great gusto.  The Trio did a wonderful job of bringing it to life.

However, the undisputed highlight of the concert was the Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 87 (1889) by Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904).  We here at The Jade Sphinx had never heard this piece before, and it was as if a thunderclap erupted in the house.  This is a remarkable piece – melodic and dramatic, with a clear musical line and distinct tone and point of view.  Ms. Ngwenyama joined the trio for this piece, and her bowing was clear and strong, tightly controlled and passionately delivered.  One could almost hear the entire ensemble beating to one heart, and the flourish with which they finished brought applause long, loud and lusty.  It was one of those electric moments that PSC can deliver with such astounding regularity.

The New Season of People’s Symphony Concerts Opens with Pianist Lise de la Salle

We have covered the wonderful work done by People’s Symphony Concerts in these pages before.  The series was founded in 1900 by conductor Franz Arens.  The goal of People’s Symphony was to bring the best music to students and workers at affordable prices.  In its first year, more than 7,000 people squeezed into the old hall at Cooper Union to hear Arens, the son of an immigrant farmer, conduct the first series of People’s Symphony Concerts.  As a music student in Europe, Arens was too poor to attend many concerts in his youth.  When he returned to New York, Arens was determined to find a way to bring music to students, teachers, workers, and others unable to pay high ticket prices.  Since those early years, hundreds of thousands of Peoples' Symphony Concerts audience members have heard the world's foremost concert artists and ensembles at the lowest admission prices of any major series in the country.  During the first season, subscriptions for the five concerts ranged from $.25 to $1.25 and single tickets went for as little as $0.10 each. 

Current manager Frank Salomon, ably assisted by David Himmelheber, continue a tradition of incredible (and increasing) value to New Yorkers who are serious about music.  The duo run the program, which includes two different series that play Saturday night at Washington Irving High School, near Gramercy Park, and a third series which runs Sunday afternoons in Manhattan’s Town Hall.  The auditorium at Washington Irving has just been fully renovated, with new seats, refinished floors and an upgrade of the doors and trims.

Each year, some of the most prestigious names in classical music participate in People’s Symphony Concerts.  In more than 20 years your correspondent has attended PSC, I have seen such leading lights as the Guarneri String Quartet, Garrick Ohlsson, the Julliard String Quartet and Richard Stoltzman. 

The 2013 season started last Saturday with a wonderful performance by French pianist Lise de la Salle.  La Salle, 25, has emerged as one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation.  She began playing piano at the age of four and gave her first concert at nine in a live broadcast on Radio-France.  At 13, she made her concerto debut with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in Avignon and her Paris recital debut at the Louvre before going on tour with the Orchestre National d’Ile de France. At 16, she came to international attention with her Bach/Liszt recording for Naive which was selected by Gramophone as "Recording of the Month."

De La Salle has given recitals in Berlin, London and Paris, as well as New York, and has made concerto appearances in Lisbon, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg and Lyon, and is equally renowned for her frequent performances in the Far East. She will soon make her Philadelphia Orchestra debut and her first appearance at Carnegie Hall as soloist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

In her first PSC concert, de la Salle played the Bach/Busoni Chaconne with perhaps an expertise that was a bit too cold-blooded to be emotionally moving.  The 6 Preludes by Claude Debussy was played with a sure hand, richly conveying the delicate, solitary notes that resounded throughout the hall.  (Washington Irving has, perhaps, the best acoustics outside of Carnegie Hall.)

De la Salle was most masterful in her playing of Robert Schumann’s Variations on the name "Abegg" in F major, and his Fantasie C Major, Op. 17.  Her understanding of the rich vein of romanticism and feeling to be found in Schumann was quite remarkable – I have seldom heard Schumann done with such empathy and virtuosity.

The pianist made a fetching impression in her gold and purple evening gown, and her regal bearing set the right tone for the evening.  All-in-all, it was a wonderful start to what promises to be another sterling season of People’s Symphony Concerts.

Jade Sphinx readers interested in tickets for this year’s season can log onto: http://pscny.org/home/index for more information.

The Irish Chamber Orchestra with Leon Fleisher at the Piano

Your correspondent managed to escape any possible Halloween evening unpleasantness when he was surprised with a gift to see the Irish Chamber Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.  It was a remarkable concert.

A word first about the Irish Chamber Orchestra: the orchestra is recognized as one of Ireland’s greatest cultural assets.  This year, the orchestra will conduct an extensive US tour as part of the Imagine Ireland/A Year of Irish Arts in America 2011 with pianist Leon Fleisher.

The orchestra is conducted by Gerard Korsten and is led by Katherine Hunka.  Both are to be commended for making the Irish Chamber Orchestra a cultural force to be reckoned with.

Of course the story of Leon Fleisher is well-known.  One of the greatest pianists of his generation, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand at the height of his career.  Following this disaster, he mastered many one-handed pieces--before many decades later, he regained use of his right hand.  It is one of those dramatic, highly emotional stories that the world of classical music seems to so richly provide.

Alice Tully Hall, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, has been refurbished over the past few years.  I find the redesign of the concert hall to be a welcome change – it is a comfortable room that acoustically creates a very full sound.  Some find the acoustics generate a sound too loud for chamber music, but, as my tastes run towards orchestral pieces, I find it perfect.  Unfortunately, the hallways seem more mindful of a Soviet detention center, and the security staff needs to be better trained.  (Note to Alice Tully Hall – tell security that this is not Stalinist Russia.)

The concert opened with the Symphony No. 96 in D major, “The Miracle,” by Joseph Haydn.  This was a delightful piece, played with a great deal of snap and verve by the orchestra.  Korsten conducted like a man made of music – he nearly danced before the musicians and his enthusiasm was infectious.  Wonderfully done.

Haydn was followed by the Concerto for Piano (Left Hand) and Orchestra No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 53 by Sergei Prokofiev.  Section I, Vivace, was an amusing and entertaining piece with a great deal of clockwork momentum.  This forward motion is not lost in the Andante, which is extremely powerful and mindful of emerging from some dream of transcendence.  The piece is complete with all the Russian fillips expected from Prokofiev and, true innovator that he was, the composer seems to end the piece in mid-note.  It is both jarring and effective.

The third piece was, sadly, the one misstep of the evening: Termon (On the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11) for Uilleann Pipes and String Orchestra by Micheal O Suilleabhain.  The piece is filled with twee Irish shtick, delivered in a lugubrious manner to impart a sense of mourning.  If Termon is meant to inspire feelings of pain, it did.  Mostly in my ears.  Any other ambition was unmet.

(A parenthetical note here on the art of September 11^th.  Perhaps no event in human history since the crucifixion has been so fetishized as the terrible events of Sept.11^th.  Yes, it was a horrible day and dreadful things happened.  Yes, it was an affront to human reason and human dignity, and lives were cut short by barbarians in a brutal and terrible way.  But in 10 short years, more art commemorating 9/11 has been created than any representation of, say, the French Revolution, which is an historically more important event.  Could we please have a moratorium on September 11^th until history allows us to better understand it?)

Happily, the concert ended with the sprightly Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, by Ludwig Van Beethoven.  Often undervalued among his symphonic works, No. 7 is magnificently joyful and energetic.  Amazingly, Symphony No. 7 was written largely while Beethoven was recovering from an illness, but you could not tell that from the composition.  It is a full-bodied, enthusiastic work, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra was equal to the task.  It was a delight to be there, and a performance of the No. 7 that I will never forget.

More information on the tour can be found here: http://ico-ustour.com.  If the Irish Chamber Orchestra tours near you, they are not to be missed.