Tag Archives: review

perlman recital review

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[Justin Kagan, cellist and coffee roaster extraordinaire, was at the Itzhak Perlman recital Tuesday evening - the following is his exclusive review. - C.N.]

Itzhak Perlman - Photo: Akira Kinoshita

AN INFORMAL “REVIEW” OF ITZHAK PERLMAN RECITAL @ THE SCHNITZ 4-27-2010

Since my esteemed friends and colleagues of the OSO were doing yeoman’s work in Salem (four straight nights of Tchaik 5…no mean feat!) I felt it fair to fill them in on the Tuesday night event at the Schnitz….the cat’s away, the mice…in this case Itzhak Perlman in recital with Rohan de Silva.  As I imagine our local music critics will weigh in on this concert so I’ll be brief.

The evening’s offerings were sonatas by Mozart (A Major, K. 526) and Strauss plus a second half of Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne and 6 encore works, all lovingly and engagingly played.  While I’ve always been a fan of Perlman’s playing…he “introduced me” to the Stravinsky concerto….I’m usually left with the impression that he has to work to not overwhelm some pieces with his presence.  This isn’t really a knock…after all, humility is the clarion call of a great performer…but I would’ve loved to hear more of the passionate, romantic swoop of some great Strauss interpreters of yesteryear . The 65-years-young Perlman still plays the violin effortlessly (and still has one of the most astonishingly nuanced bow arms ever), so all the more surprising to see him somewhat emotionally disengaged. While interpretively succinct, I wished for more Itzhak in the Mozart and Stravinsky.

Frankly the revelation was Mr. de Silva, who I’ve only heard on recordings before last night.  He has paired with many great artists over the years, and now I see why…limpid sound, command of the piano and the music, complete bonding with the violinist. For me he stole the show.

The six miniatures were an interesting mix, and more engagingly played. In order…Kreisler-Francoeur Siciliana & Rigaudon; Gluck Melodie; Fiocco Allegro (a standard piece in Suzuki violin repertoire, played like it “should” be; Williams’s Theme from Schindler’s List; a Brahms Hungarian Dance; Bazzini’s fiendish La Ronde des Lutins “Dance of the Goblins”, which still shimmers in Perlman’s mitts.

Also kudos to the Schnitzer stage gang….I’d never seen the recital setup before, and the setting was both acoustically and visually intimate.  While I couldn’t hear ALL of the bowing nuances I could at least see them! The attendance was terrific and the audience generous (to the point of light-hearted chastisement by Perlman when there was between-movement applause).

–badbeard–

Justin Kagan, a.k.a. Badbeard

zukerman’s taut thighs

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A colleague in the orchestra sent me quite possibly the most bizarre music review that I’ve ever read.  It was written in 1983 for the Nevada newspaper Desert Aria by Lisa Coffey, when Zukerman was married to a previous wife (not Amanda Forsyth).  Bear that in mind when you read the last sentence.

This review was originally discovered by the great cellist Leonard Rose, who wrote to Zukerman’s East coast agent “Lee — Photocopy — show to Shelly. Both laugh!! — and please return! This I’ve got to frame — Leonard.”

It’s quite something!

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ZUCKERMAN [sic] DAZZLES LAS VEGANS
Wednesday, January 18, Pinchas Zuckerman conducted and perjformed [sic] with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in an all Beetthoven [sic] concert at Ham Hall. Those Las Vegans lucky enough to attend were treated to an evening of performance of a caliber shamefully rare in a city of a half million people.

The first half of the program, consisting of the Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus and the Symphony No. 4 in B-flat, Op. 60, was somewhat disappointing in that Zuckerman conducted the orchestra with his back to the audience. While one cannot fault him entirely for assuming the traditional posture of the vast majority of great maestros, it must be said that the choice of his stance in combination with his having also elected to wear the tradtional “tails” all but obscured whatever clarity of physique one might have hoped to savor, even from the best seats.

Even so, true genius shines forth. The broad expense [sic] of his shoulders, the abundant wavy dark hair, the well proportioned legs planted oh-so-firmly on the podium were sufficient food for the culture-starved crowd to feast upon throughout even the longest of movements. Perhaps it might even be said that the program order reflected a certain deftness of planning, for it certainly left the audience at intermission clambering [sic] to return to their seats in anticipation of the climactic second half which promised the chance to observe Mr. Zuckerman from the front for the duration of a while violin concerto. [SIC!]

Whose eyes could have been other than riveted to the spectacle of the grace and power of the bow arm, the fire in his dark eyes, the tension in his taut thighs as he made reday [sic] to launch into some passionate passage with the energy of an athlete.

What followed was pure magic, as Zuckerman proved that the combination of virtuosity, artistry and a great body can make even the Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61 seem too short. He inspired his audience where a performer of lesser attributes might have left them bored to death. But who among them could for an instant let her eyes stray from the Maestro as he cradled his violin so gently, yet firmly, with the touch of well proportioned hands made strong and supple by years of torturous practice? Whose eyes could have been other than riveted to the spectacle of the grace and power of the bow arm, the fire in his dark eyes, the tension in his taut thighs as he made reday [sic] to launch into some passionate passage with the energy of an athlete. [sic] Who could but succumb to the tenderness of his smile as he lost himself in the ecstacy of each undulating sweet melodic phrase that surged and swelled from the instrument at his command? It is only a wonder that the audience managed to suppress both thunderous applause and shrieks of pleasure until the end. We can only hope that it not be [sic] an eternity before he again graces our stage with the captivating magic of his talents.

Mr. Zuckerman is a native of Israel, Middle East. He has recorded quite a number of musical pieces onto records which are considered quite good by those who listen to them. He is married to a woman of questionalble musical ability and character.

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obt orchestra returns

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Bob Hicks (a.k.a. Mr. Scatter) has a review of the Oregon Ballet Theater’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which featured the return of the OBT orchestra after being absent due to budget cuts for all of the 2009-2010 season.  Here’s the portion of the review that deals with the orchestra:

Welcome back, orchestra.

After an elegant, crisp interpretation of George Balanchine‘s modernist classic “The Four Temperaments” and an intermission break on Saturday night, conductor Niel DePonte‘s head poked up for the first time this season from the orchestra pit.

The crowd in Keller Auditorium broke out in applause: At long last, the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra was back. Missing all season because of extreme budget cuts caused by the ballet’s financial near-death experience last year, the musicians – 45 strong, and buttressed by the singers of the Pacific Youth Choir – were back in the pit to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s warm, playful and sometimes deeply moving music for Christopher Stowell‘s ballet “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The orchestra’s performance was lively and assured. More important, it was there, back where it ought to be, providing the full sound and anticipatory, in-the-moment partnership that quickens dancers’ responses and brings a ballet fully to life.

Maybe it’s fitting that the orchestra’s first performance of the season came for a ballet set in a forest. OBT is hardly out of the financial woods yet, but it seems to be finding its path. After last spring and summer’s remarkable emergency drive that brought in more than $900,000 to keep the company afloat, donations this season are up sharply. In January alone OBT hauled in $455,000 from three major grants. That doesn’t solve the company’s long-term challenges, but it helps considerably.

And for the run of this “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” at least, it brings the orchestra back.

All was not smooth sailing, however: here’s a posting from OBT’s facebook page:
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, plus 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.
Tickets: $17-$130 (2 p.m. Saturday show, $8.50-$65)
Information: 888-922-5538 or www.obt.org

kimura parker responds to review of symphony

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Jon Kimura Parker 2 (c) Kent Lacin sits opus

In case you’ve missed it in your day’s rounds of the internet, Jon Kimura Parker, soloist with the orchestra last week in the Brahms d minor piano concerto, responded to David Stabler’s review (a markedly negative one) of the performance:

We live in a fascinating time where reviewers cannot hide behind their newspapers as in days past, and where online reactions cover a wide gamut. From my perspective as the solo pianist in question, I would like to reassure everyone that while I do often read my reviews, good or bad, I try not to take them too personally or too seriously. I appreciate Mr. Stabler’s being true to his opinion: the last time I played in Portland for PPI, he gave me an extraordinarily generous and enthusiastic review. If I enjoyed that review when it came out (which I did,) I can hardly turn around now and say that I don’t respect his opinion! In fact, he was clear in this review that while he usually likes my playing, he was baffled this time around. All of this is fair game for a reviewer and I am not in the least offended.

However there is a big difference between how I have been reviewed and how the Oregon Symphony is reviewed. Once I leave town (and in fact I’m already in rehearsals for the Beijing Music Festival) any review of my performance loses relevance quickly. It is different for Maestro Kalmar and the Oregon Symphony, who depend on ticket purchases and the collective goodwill of the Portland community on an ongoing basis. If there is a pattern of negative reviews, it is theoretically possible that this could affect the health of the symphony. Any sensitive reviewer knows this, and we have to appreciate that this puts Mr. Stabler in a difficult position: if he really takes artistic issue with concerts for weeks on end, how honest should he be to his opinion; how harsh should he be in print? A truly impartial reviewer cannot act simply as free PR. How do you balance being a cheerleader on one end, and a finicky critic on the other? He certainly has the option to exercise discretion and express appreciation for all that the Oregon Symphony is. While Mr. Stabler didn’t choose this approach this time, I am sure that he has on others. There is no question that he must be aware of the artistic and educational impact of the Oregon Symphony on the Portland community.

Around the country, musicians refer to Portland affectionately as “a real piano town.” I would go further to say that Portlanders are passionate and knowledgeable about all classical music. (And many other kinds of music as well – I’m a Pink Martini fan myself.) As a visiting performer I know that many in the audience will either have deep appreciation for Brahms, or specific knowledge of the First Piano Concerto. How wonderful it is to perform in such a welcoming and sophisticated environment! In the very long opening movement of the Brahms, I was aware on all three nights of the total commitment of the audience. Believe me, to most performers, that silence during a performance means much more than the amount of applause afterwards.

How appropriate that the Oregon Symphony chose to perform in memory of stage manager Bob McClung with deeply meaningful music on opening night… I don’t think it occurred to anyone at the Symphony that such a tribute would dampen the effect of the “opening night” vibe; the tribute simply had to be made. Granted, it made for a very long first half, but backstage we all felt good about the gesture. Also, while I’m not always a big fan of long speeches prior to performances (despite occasionally giving them myself) I was touched that Executive Director Elaine Calder made the public gesture of making each purchased ticket go as far as possible in bringing more people to hear the Oregon Symphony.

I would like to say this about the Oregon Symphony from the perspective of a musician who performed with them in the 90s under the esteemed direction of James dePreist, and then not for several years. As wonderful as they were then, they have grown enormously. Their sense of sound, their sense of phrasing, their sense of ensemble, of style, of finesse: for me it is like not seeing someone for several years and being surprised at how much they have changed and grown. I first worked with Carlos Kalmar 20 years ago in Frankfurt, and then not again until this past June in Grant Park. He challenges his musicians in every rehearsal and inspires them with ideas. He has a palpable intensity. There will be hiccups and growth spurts, but I am impressed with the direction these players are going.

In Monday night’s performance, in a moment in the slow movement where I am accompanying the oboes, I glanced in Maestro Kalmar’s direction, which put the cello section in my field of view. They weren’t playing at that moment, and easily could have been just counting bars until their next entry. Instead, Principal Cellist Nancy Ives and Assistant Principal Marilyn deOliveira were listening to the music in what I could only call a state of rapture. What a privilege it is to perform with conductors and musicians who play with this kind of involvement with their art.

Jon Kimura Parker