PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

April, 2008

RAVE REVIEWS

REVIEW:  Robert Levin, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, March 6, 2008

Gardiner, CSO find unity in different styles

Capitol Quartet Saxes Things Up

It also wasn't above a little - well, actually, a lot - of showmanship. Witness that dazzling, even witty, virtuoso work by, of all things, a saxophone quartet that tumbled in a single piece from Bach to jazz and back again, as if Leipzig and Chicago, Weimar and New Orleans were trading places with each other.

The concerto was full of jagged, shifting rhythms, and the quartet managed them well - as did the orchestra, which proved itself virtuosic in its command of all the pieces on the program. The woodwinds sounded wonderful in Bernstein's Three Dances; the trumpet solo, by Amy Larson, sounded appropriately world-weary and blue. Gerswhin's "An American in Paris" was the clear audience favorite and deservedly so: The musicians played with exuberance and panache. Here's a versatile group that can tackle Haydn, plumb minimalism and nail bluesy solos. What's next?

REVIEW:  SPECTRUM with the Long Beach Symphony

POPS! Concert Hits Entire “Spectrum”

By Jim Ruggirello, Long Beach Grunion/Gazette
Thursday, February 15, 2007

   
Now that’s what I’m talking about.

What a fabulous POPS! concert the Long Beach Symphony put on the other night. Great music, great performers, the place looked beautiful (no mean feat for the cavernous, ugly and ancient Long Beach Arena), and I didn’t even notice the sound system. This was one of, if not the, best LBSO POPS! shows ever.

Most of the credit must go to the guest performers, a vocal quartet called “SPECTRUM.” These four guys are supremely gifted and unbelievably energetic, and they put on one heck of a show.

The evening was billed as a salute to Motown, and we got the more or less predictable hits by such iconic groups as the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Miracles and the Drifters. But there were also tributes to lesser known ensembles like the Delfonics, the Spinners and the Stylistics.

Each featured some incredibly smooth and tight vocal work, powerhouse solos (the group consists of Darryl Grant, Pierre Jovan, David Prescott and Cushney Roberts), the requisite stylized choreography, and performances that were definitely old school but that were much more than mere imitation.

The show was seamless, as song after song poured out. The program was a long one, but it never lagged, and the thing was over seemingly in no time. A glittery backdrop and disco ball, made colorful with some very effective lighting, were added to the mix.

And Michael Krajewski was back. Our former principal POPS! conductor didn’t have time to do too much, comedy-wise, but he made the most of the time he had, coolly laying down a very funny diaper joke at the top and having fun with the auction-winning guest conductor to begin the second half.

The concert began, brilliantly, with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” which got the audience clapping about a bar and a half into that unmistakable opening. The arrangement was a little fussy, but the greatness of the song got people in the groove. (I still haven’t decided whether this or “Old Man River” is the best song ever. It’s close.)

The other orchestral contributions weren’t at that level, a “Rock Around the Clock” with classical interpolations (Mozart, the “1812” overture, etc.) and an overlong and uninspired tribute to Diana Ross, but the orchestra sounded good and the time passed pleasantly enough.

It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of the POPS! current approach, which is to simply package stars and let them do their thing. Up next are Peter Cetera and then Marvin Hamlisch, both of whom can be expected to put on a good show but neither of which really floats my boat.

SPECTRUM are not big stars (their regular gig is at something called the Boardwalk Casino in Vegas), but they got the old Arena rocking in a way I haven’t heard in a long time. With a master conductor like Krajewski on the podium, the energy of these four wonderful performers and some of the world’s greatest music, this was a POPS! concert to treasure.

More, please.

REVIEW:  KEITH BRION with the Oklahoma Philharmonic

Orchestra spotlights music of Sousa

THE OKLAHOMAN , By Rick Rogers

    Tuesday, February 27, 2007

For those of us whose introduction to music came by way of public school band programs, no discussion of that medium would be complete without some reference to John Philip Sousa. His marches were challenging to perform, but once mastered, they left you with a genuine sense of accomplishment. More importantly, they whetted an appetite to play more.
 Today, the thrill of hearing a first-rate ensemble tackle a Sousa march remains an incomparable joy. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic's recent pops concert pair reinforced that feeling, thanks to the efforts of conductor Keith Brion and his re-creation of a typical Sousa concert.
 Sousa's concerts were meticulously organized, swiftly paced and musically diverse. But Sousa offered his audiences one added benefit: the element of surprise. Instead of tacking on an encore or two at concert's end, Sousa would sprinkle his programs with a half-dozen or more, each identified by a poster-size card bearing the march's name. Sousa composed 136 marches, each a miniature gem featuring an infectious array of melodies, carefully-chosen harmonies and a rhythmic drive that was rarely interrupted.
 Brion opened with Ambroise Thomas' overture to "Raymond,” an attractive curtain raiser that spotlighted the orchestra's collective musical talents. Before the applause had completely faded, Brion segued immediately into what is widely considered the most popular newspaper march ever written: "The Washington Post.”
  The concert continued in similar fashion with a mix of marches, concert works and solo features. Karl Sievers, Charleen Ayers and Nancy Stizza-Ortega proved to be accomplished soloists in works for cornet, soprano voice and piccolo respectively. Bellstadt's "Napoli” (for cornet) and Damare's "Through the Air” (for piccolo) fall under the heading of novelty features. But Sousa, and by extension, Brion, never treated them as such. If they were worthy of being programmed, they deserved just as much attention as an orchestral classic.
 Ayers tackled "Juliet's Waltz Song” from Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet” but was more convincing still in Victor Herbert's "Romany Life.” Other works allowed Brion to shine the spotlight on one of the orchestra's many sections: the trombones gleefully smearing their way through Henry Fillmore's "Lassus Trombone,” the percussion creating an entire toy box of sounds in Sousa's "Variations on Gershwin's Swanee,” and the cellos sounding especially lush in Percy Grainger's "Irish Tune from County Derry.”
 Sousa enthusiasts had ample opportunities to satisfy their martial desires with a selection of marches that included "The Power and the Glory,” "U.S. Field Artillery,” "Semper Fidelis” and "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty.” The highlight for me was "Daughters of Texas,” a little-known Sousa march that my public school band had played for contest 40 years ago.
 While Sousa is best remembered today for his marches, he was also adept at writing in other musical genres, as evident in Brion's choice of "Songs of Grace and Songs of Glory.” Incorporating the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee,” this moving work resulted from Sousa's desire to offer something reverential for his Sunday concerts.
 Sousa's fervent patriotism found vivid expression in works such as "Hail to the Spirit of Liberty” and, since 1987, the official march of the United States: "The Stars and Stripes Forever.” In keeping with that spirit of flag-waving, Brion paid tribute to servicemen past and present with a medley that spotlighted each of the five branches of the U.S. military.
 You wouldn't trust just anyone with the responsibility of preserving and promoting the music of an American icon such as Sousa. But thanks to the efforts of people such as Brion, Sousa's place in American music will always be secure. Perhaps Brion put it best when he said, "I feel like I've been given the keys to the kingdom, so I see myself as someone who has a legacy to take care of.” Bravo!

WEBSITE LINKS

www.berkmusic.com (Michael Berkowitz)

www.leechin.com (Lee Chin)

www.davidschrader.com (David Schrader)

www.capitolquartet.com (Capitol Quartet)

www.patricksheridan.com (Patrick Sheridan)

www.buddywachter.com (Buddy Wachter)

www.geocities.com/mrkmusic (Manhattan Rhythm Kings)

www.newsousaband.com (Keith Brion and the New Sousa Band)

www.louisemandrell.com (Louise Mandrell)

www.mjblue.com (Michael Johnson)

www.michaelmartinmurphey.com (Michael Martin Murphey)

www.ridersinthesky.com (Riders In The Sky)

www.specialc.com (Special Consensus Bluegrass)

www.infullswing.net (In Full Swing and The Living Christmas Card)

www.spectrumsings.com (Spectrum: A Tribute to Motown and R & B)

 www.joelulloff.com/index2.html (Joe Lulloff)

www.kathyandlew.net (Katherine Terrell and Lewis Dahle von Schlanbusch)

www.mithril.us (High Energy Celtic Music: Mithril)

www.radiancesings.com (Radiance)

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ARTICLES

Riders Declare Solidarity with Writers,

Vow No New Jokes

Riders In The Sky announced today "full solidarity" with the ongoing entertainment writers' strike, vowing no new jokes or routines "until our latte lappin' punchline partners out there in L.A. are free to fire up their laptops and earn a fair ancillary wage."

"Nope," answered the Ranger. "Just let it trail off into

A portrait of Ya-Fei Chuang

by Gregor Willmes

     She was born in Taiwan. As a teenager she came to Germany to study the piano. Today she lives in the United States. At the Ruhr Piano Festival Ya-Fei Chuang proved that she is an outstanding pianist. 

     The Bochum Art Museum was founded in 1960 as the Municipal Art Gallery for art after 1945.  Fifteen years after the end of the Second World War a new museum was to be founded specially for contemporary art. And although art from 1900 up to the present is collected, stored and presented here, the newest con- temporary art nonetheless has a particu- larly high ranking. This is also demonstrated in exemplary fashion by the museum hall, which receives a new mural every three years. The present one, from Katharina Grosse, is 24 by 6,60 meters and attracts attention with its strong colors. Eleven cut-out and in other connections inserted circles make the whole into an expressive picture puzzle.
     If the huge painting nonetheless retreats to the background on this evening, it is thanks to the concert grand positioned in front of it and naturally to the scintillating pianist Ya-Fei Chuang, who is giving her Ruhr Piano Festival debut here. In a completely unspectacular manner she gets her eminently ambitious program going with four of Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s “Songs Without Words.” Twice Andante con moto and once Andante sostenuto give her immediately three occasions to sing on the keys and to savor in a nuanced manner her predilection for catchy melodies. In the final presto movement her fingers move quick as a flash over the keyboard in a lighthearted, cheerful counterpoint to the three Andante movements.
     Even greater is the contrast to the next work, in which Ya-Fei Chuang must interpret some wildly vehement passages before the almost 20-minute fantasy gradually calms itself until the final apotheosis. “Toward the Center” is the title of the work, a little pun, as Yehudi Wyner dedicated the piece in 1988 to the American pianist and pedagogue Ward Davenny (“To Ward”). Wyner — born 1929 — is scarcely known in Europe, but is a renowned composer in America. In 2006, for example, he was honored with the highly endowed Pulitzer Prize for his piano concerto “Chiavi in mano.” Indeed, the concerto was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 2005 by Robert Levin.
     Thus a circle closes itself, for two rows in front of me Robert Levin can barely hold still in his seat. He gestures more feverishly with the music than he seems to as a rule in his own concerts. “Wyner is a close friend of my husband and mine,” says Ya-Fei Chuang two days after the concert in an interview.  “I value Wyner greatly and love the piece.  I had performed it once earlier and absolutely wanted to play it again now.”  Since 1995 Ya-Fei Chuang has been married to Robert Levin—indeed, the wedding announcement made the New York Times.
     But it does not make her nervous when her former teacher and present-day husband, himself one of the most famous musicologists and pianists of our time, mingles with the public in her concert. “I am always happy when he is there, because he stands totally behind me and that supports me.  He is in fact always the one who tells me that I am far too self-critical.”
     Did the pupil fall in love with the professor? Her answer is a laugh.  “No, that was later.  And after I graduated he was the one who asked me out.  So it was the other way around.” Three pressing questions:  Does he still advise her today, when she learns new repertoire?
Do they sometimes argue over questions of interpretation?  And is it difficult for her as his former student to emancipate herself artistically? “We never fight,” says Ya-Fei Chuang.  “When we play together and have differing viewpoints, we discuss it.  Apart from that it depends upon the repertoire.  For example, when my husband prepares romantic or contemporary music, he is happy to play for me.  I am especially pleased to play baroque or classical repertoire for him. Actually he always has helpful advice to offer, whatever I play for him.  And we do this for each other gladly.” In the future both of them want to play more often as a duo, which has a purely practical reason: “Both of us travel a great deal, although my husband is on the road much more than I.  Thus we unfortunately do not see each other as often as we wish. And it is so nice to play and travel together.”
     Ya-Fei Chuang— born 1970 in Taiwan— discovered at the age of four the piano that her parents had actually bought for an older sister.  At the age of eight she made her first television appearance, at nine she gave her first solo recital, and at eleven she won the national youth competition. At her first recital the audience included a German professor, who was to have great influence upon her future: “That was Professor Ottmar Rohde. He was in fact a chemist, but also a very good pianist. He established contact with the Freiburg Musikhochschule.  Professors from Freiburg then came to Taiwan to hear me.  They wanted me to study in Freiburg immediately, but my parents did not want me to leave when I was nine.”
     After she had attended two summer courses with Mechtild Hatz in Freiburg, she came as a 13-year-old to the Freiburg region in the care of foster parents and began her studies with Rosa Sabater. “She was a major Spanish pianist, who unfortunately perished in a plane crash.  I then went to Professor Tibor Hazay and then to my husband.”
At 18 she won second prize in the International Tomassoni Competition in Cologne—and at the prizewinner’s concert she met Pavel Gililov, with whom she later studied for her concert diploma.  “He had an uncannily beautiful sound, with great warmth,” she recalls.  “And I am very grateful to him, in fact, that he never told me exactly what I should do in order to produce such a sound.  I thus found through him what I hope is my own voice at the piano.”
     In 1993 Ya-Fei Chuang went to Boston to work with Russell Sherman. Sherman— pupil of Eduard Steuermann, who himself had been able to study with Busoni and Schönberg — has a reputation in America as a very esteemed pianist and pedagogue — with whom for example Marc-André Hamelin also studied. Ya-Fei Chuang experienced with him a “very exciting, complicated and difficult learning experience,” as Sherman sought to push her in a direction that was hitherto completely unknown to her.  “I think that the most important thing that I learned from him is that music is not merely about beauty. And for that one needs tremendous courage.  I come from a culture in which most of us are very polite and reserved and always want to do the right thing.  And already in Germany I noticed that the culture here is different; people’s personalities are more open.  But with Sherman things went yet another step further. I notice more and more how personal it is for me to give a concert.  I play for so many people and wish nonetheless to communicate with every single person who sits in the hall.  I show everything that is in my deepest inner self.  Perhaps I wasn’t able to do that earlier quite so easily.  Sherman was a terrific help in this.”
     That Ya-Fei Chuang learned how to come out of her own shell was revealed in Bochum by her interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Second Sonate, which she played, by the way, in the second version, which was shortened by the composer.
And yet— it is rather the lyrical aspects that emerge in her interpretation, the singing, completely tranquilly shaped slow middle movement, for example. Ya-Fei Chuang plays rather controlled and sensitively differentiated rather than bursting with strength and with emotional excess. This benefited Ravel’s “Gaspard de la nuit” in the Art Museum as well. With what coloristic splendor she fulfilled the three “romantic poetic settings,” how picturesquely she traced the surges of the waves in “Ondine”, in “Le Gibet” she let the bells of death ring and softly fade away and how securely she whirled through “Scarbo” with its repeated notes and jumps.  That had stature.
     In the meantime, Ya-Fei Chuang communicates her abilities and knowledge, having moved from the New England to Boston Conservatory. Parallel to this she concertizes in solo appearances, in duo concerts with her husband, but also in varying chamber combinations. She works particularly happily with the cellist Steven Isserlis.  “I have just come from New York, where I performed with him. And in October we shall play together again. With him I feel totally free, which I cannot always say when I perform chamber music. There one sometimes has to play with musical reserve. He is one of the very few cellists — now the cellists will hate me— who always wants more sound from me. There are musicians who say, “Could you bring the piano lid down a bit?”  Steven, however, demands “More! Come on!” That’s the way he is, and not just about sound.  And I love that very much.”

Riders Celebrate ‘The Career That Wouldn’t Die’

Riders In The Sky marked their 30th anniversary as a band on Sunday, November 11, capping a profitable weekend marked by frolic, festivity, and a letter from the governor of Utah.

Friday night found the boys in Heber City, Utah, entertaining their little hearts out at the big Cowboy Gathering and Buckaroo Fair. The kind folks running the show had arranged for four sets of hand-tooled custom cowboy leather cuffs commemorating America's Favorite Cowboys' thirty years in the saddle to be presented onstage.

And then, amid swelling excitement, the Honorable Gary Herbert, Lieutenant Governor of the Beehive State, rose to read a congratulatory letter from the governor himself, who was otherwise detained at an undisclosed location. “Your unique style and versatility places you in an elite class of American entertainers,” wrote the savvy statesman. “Your music and entertainment remind young and old of our important past. Best wishes as you celebrate a remarkable milestone. Sincerely, Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Governor.” Then he wrote in a fine, blue Sharpie cursive at the bottom, in his own hand, mind you, “Congratulations!”

Saturday night it was Blackfoot, Idaho's turn to host history. There, at the town’s Performing Arts Center at the high school, home of the Broncos, 11-0 for the year, by the way, the 30th celebration rolled on with quips, tunes from the vault, and a new stage banner proclaiming 30 years of taking “Good Beef to Hungry People.”

Alvaton, Kentucky, and the gracious neighbors at First Southern Bank sponsored Sunday’s gig, 30 years to the day since Ranger Doug, Too Slim, and Windy Bill Collins carried a saddle and big old saguaro onto the stage, or, more accurately, into the dim corner, of Herr Harry’s Phranks and Steins in Nashville and played Bob Nolan songs and Gene Autry songs and cut up until the eight inebriates at the bar begged for more.

History records Woody Paul coming along a few months later and Joey showing up in 1987 and never going home, completing the quartet. And here they are, against some pretty impressive odds, still alive, still friends, still booking 180 dates a year, still true to The Cowboy Way.

"People often ask if we thought way back then if it would last this long,” said Ranger Doug. “I can’t say I did, but I’m thankful for every day of it.”

"I remember waking up still laughing on the Tuesday after that first weekend,” said Too Slim. “I called the Ranger and said ‘I don’t know what happened back there, but America will pay to see it.’ I had no idea how much or for how long but God bless’em, they still come to the shows.”

"I’m in for 30 more,” said Woody Paul.

"Me too,” said Joey.

“Let’s ride,” said the Ranger, and with a hearty yodel and a cloud of dust, the foursome disappeared over the horizon, into the future, down that lonesome trail of cowboy songs, jokes, adventure, thrills, Mercantile opportunities, and the ongoing saga of  life along The Cowboy Way.