Trio Hantaï

Back in January, 05, I reviewed a concert here in Richmond of the Hantaï brothers.

On Tuesday evening, at 7:30 PM, I attended a recital by the three Hantaï brothers with violinist Ryo Terakado at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond. Their concert consisted of the Pièces de clavecin en concerts by Jean-Phillipe Rameau.

The trio consists of three brothers (Marc, flute; Pierre, harpsichord, and Jerome, viol da gamba)… the most famous, most likely, is the keyboard virtuoso whose recordings I have reviewed more than once here on biberfan.org. He was certainly the most charismatic of the performers; the verve of a conductor was within him; with moments with hands off keyboard, he’d gesticulate in the manner of a conductor and seemed to be feeling the music throughout his whole body.

Another strong player was the Japanese baroque violinist. I own his own recording of these works (with Christophe Rousset). There were a short number of moments where intonation was suspect, however I am sure no one noticed. When playing together with the flute, their intonation together was quite remarkable… since Rameau only wrote three lines (violin, harpsichord, and viol), the flute part was a bit of a improvisation… in some instances, Marc Hantaï played the violin line; other times, he’d turn it over to Mr. Terakado. And in other instances, they’d play in unison… Terakado played in a true baroque style (as did Pierre on harpsichord), with a dizzying array of ornaments that really help define the word baroque for us. Terakado whipped them off with hardly a wink… Hantaï’s flute playing, while not a major portion of the ensemble’s program, was very noteworthy… his tone was remarkably even throughout the registers… I often recall baroque transverse flutes being extremely weak in the low register, and thinner and even out of tune in the higher registers; he seemingly effortlessly command the gamut of his instrument with excellent intonation, dexterity, and an evenness in tone and volume.

Sitting back during the first half, the gamba was my least favorite of the instruments being played. It simply got lost in the texture, and I became suspicious at certain points with regard to intonation. It wasn’t until the second half of the program, when we moved to the front row at request of the performers, did the gamba take on a more assured role, with good intonation and better voice through the trio texture.

The performance of Rameau’s works got tiresome at some points… his use of repeats was a bit much… Jerome Hantaï did the most to bring our attention to changes in dynamics; at some points he’d blast forth enough to drown-out his fellow musicians–this didn’t bother me, he spoke musically with more energy than required, but the gestures were nice breaks from Rameau’s simple, but evident counterpoint.

Terakado’s instrument vanished from perception a few times; the upper register of his instrument sounded veiled compared to the bass; it was in instances such as the fourth concert’s La Rameau where he really shined with a break-neck speed and clarity. At one point during La Forqueray things almost lost cohesion with the ensemble; nevertheless, the one constant among the players was Pierre on harpsichord (on loan from Williamsburg), who seemed at complete ease with the difficult music. We could see his hands bouncing about with some cross-handed playing, and those omnipresent ornaments.

During the recital I felt a few times that “these guys don’t like to slow down; they keep a pretty even tempo throughout…” When listening to the Rousset recording, they do much the same; in comparison, I preferred the Hantaï/Terakado tempos over those by Rousset.

In the end, it was ultimately refreshing to hear these familiar works performed live, and with the additional color of flute. It was most definitely a celebration of Rameau; I would have perferred, perhaps, a mixed program. I caught Mr. Terakado performing a Bach solo work during the ensemble’s warmup before concert time.

My only wish is that more Richmonder’s could have taken advantage of this intimate gathering of excellent music making. We very seldom get performers of this quality in town; I couldn’t help but notice the ensemble looked surprised when they came into the sanctuary at how few people were in attendance.

Monterey Jazz on Tour

Last night I attended the concert held at the Carpenter Theatre on behalf of “Modlin Downtown” to hear artists Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, and Russell Malone in a concert entitlted Monterey Jazz Festival, On Tour.

The ensemble had only been playing for a month together, admitted one of the artists, but they had a variety of pieces to show off each artists’ talents, including one for trio, and eventually, a solo for guitar.

The two artists not mentioned on the website were the bassist (Kiyoshi Kitagawa) and the drummer (Johnathan Blake) who were also good. Kitagawa’s bass performance was marred by an inability to hear him within the ensemble’s texture (amp too small?). Blake had two prominent solos, the second one was the real winner.

Carter and Barron played a duet that was outstanding, combining several verses of Georgia (on my mind) with How Great Thou Art. It was played in the second set, when the ensemble seemed to really find their place, where Johnathan Blake played an outstanding solo, where Carter seemed to break out of her shell and break a sweat, and where the ensemble locked in together with each person contributing something substantial (including vocalist Kurt Elling who is an outstanding vocalist).

An excellent event which brought me to the new and revitalized Center Stage.

December Update

I’ve simply been too busy lately to put a lot of work into this site. For two days the site went “down,” because I missed re-newing the domain name. That shows you the love I’ve been pouring into maintaining my love for Biber and other musics.

It’s not that I simply don’t have time; I obviously have the time everyone else has. It’s been time, however, that I’ve felt less capable at being creative enough to sit down and write. I hope that changes significantly in 2010.

I just returned from visiting my parents south of here, and under the tree, Santa left me a pair of Sennheiser 650 headphones. I’d been using their 580 model for a number of years, the 650 is a similar design, but two notches up in their lineup. At some point, it was their best headphone; today it is eclipsed by the $1300 Sennheiser 800. I didn’t think the 800 was worth the price upgrade, at least in the application I have now.

The plane touched down at 11:00 PM on Sunday night, and now it’s 12:01 Monday morning… I’ve got the pair plugged-in, and already, I notice quite the improvement over my older trusty 580s. Clarity, more stereo separation, and even a little more comfortable. Better defined bass, too. Now, after a week of intense listening, I should be ready to really report on these.

While visiting my parents, my mom bought us all tickets to go see Barrage, an ensemble of five violinists and backup (percussion, bass, guitar). Started out of Calgary, Alberta (not far from the Banff Center), this group played a two-hour show with Christmas songs and some of their more upbeat, standard repertoire. For the most part, the musicanmanship was high and the emotional impact strong.

My dad thought their outfits were a tad lackluster. He evidently wanted something more flashy and show-y. They do a lot of moving around in the show, including dancing, jumping, and twisting about in various formations. While in some cases this choreography was entirely appropriate and apropos to the music, at times, it also looked contrived and overdone. The music, you see, stood on its own without the theatrics.

As my mom said, “The energy and music kept the momentum up the entire evening,” and this was true. You never grew bored, and despite the fact they did include some lower-energy numbers, it all fit together well. Some members of the ensemble would go to the synthesizer to augment the ensemble’s sound closet, and they also all used microphones either to sing, talk to us, or shout throughout the production.

They have a full International lineup planned through March, 2010. If they happen to come through your town, I’d recommend them—no matter your musical taste.

Monica Huggett at Banff

You can listen to a recital of Monica Huggett and Adam Burnett at the Banff Center.

I was at the Banff Center last summer, too bad I missed this! (I was a month too late.)

It’s an honest recording, very live, with commentary from Ms. Huggett. By honesty, I mean, it’s what you’d here right up close as if she was just a few feet away. An intriguing listen, with early baroque sonatas with harpsichord.

Academy of Ancient Music – Bach

This past Sunday, I attended at concert at George Mason University by the Academy of Ancient Music under Richard Egarr of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.

I previously saw Egarr’s band in Portsmouth, in 2007, performing Handel. I thought his joviality lent a certain freshness to the ensemble, and they sounded good (in a church). The concert today in Mason’s large performing arts hall was too large for the intimate ensemble, although they did bring in a crowd to fill almost every seat.

Egarr has a dry wit and he used it effectively during stage changes after each concerto by talking to the audience and cracking some jokes. The ensemble’s choice of using one player per part worked, but only to a certain degree.

At times with two strings on a part, you could detect some intonation issues, but honestly, any two string players cannot play each note perfectly in-tune. That’s why orchestras typically opt for multiple players per part: the inconsistencies between tones make for a ‘lush’ sound. While I trust the scholarship behind the 1 per part decision, it worked less ably in a large space. At times the harpsichord continuo got lost. They did ramp-up the volume with continuo, however, by inviting William Carter on theorbo. His bass lute had enough punch, especially with the open strings, for appropriate balance.

The ensemble made their way through all six of Bach’s diverse concerti, although in their own special order: opening with #1, and ending with #4. The fourth ended with a super-fast tempo, one that I thought must have been a special challenge for the violin soloist, Rodolfo Richter. The first concerto suffered from some cohesiveness issues: at times the ensemble did sound as “tight” as possible. #5, in contrast, was far more tight, opening the second half of the concert.

Egarr made reference to Pickett’s allegorical readings of the six concerti, which I have referenced in my own research on Bach’s concertos. Egarr and Beznosuik both played in Pickett’s recording with the New London Consort in the 1990s.

The ensemble at times really looked as it was having fun, especially with seasoned players who felt the freedom of adding ornamentation to Bach’s notes. Especially refreshing were those from the violins in Brandenburg #3. The ensemble’s sound was good, but it suffered from projection issues in the large hall. Especially lacking were some of Richter’s playing (he took the reins from Beznosuik in concertos #1 and #4 as the violin soloist), the double bass, and at times the harpsichord.

The recording by the AAM released on harmonia mundi suffers none of these drawbacks, but the performances are perhaps a little less extrovert in the recording. The ensemble toned-down their ornaments, extremes in tempi, but do treat us with a rich, sonorous sound.

After the concert, the AAM was selling CDs and director Egarr was signing. I snagged his autograph amid the fans and shared quick words with the latest director of Hogwood’s AAM.

Revisiting the Brandenburgs

Next weekend I will be traveling to George Mason University to hear the Academy of Ancient Music perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, under the directorship of Richard Egarr.

Growing up baroque, we had the English Concert and the AAM as mainstays of learning about Bach’s music aurally, using original instruments in the 1980s. A couple years ago, I saw the AAM live for the first time under Egarr’s direction featuring music of Handel.

In preparation for this concert, my friends may wish to read a little bit about the six concerti. For those uninterested in the Wikipedia’s take, here’s the skinny:

Bach presented these six individual works as a collection to the so-called Margrave of Brandeburg supposedly as a résumé for employment. The concerti likely were pulled together among Bach’s more unusual and fanciful concertos that he’d previously used elsewhere, for courtly entertainment. The concertos were “discovered” some 100 years later, likely never played by anyone associated with the Margrave’s entourage.

The six “concertos” are multi-movement works that follow concerto principles of the time, namely, the fast-slow-fast Italian model. Each concerto is scored for a different set of instruments.

• One: horns, oboes, bassoon and strings. Think of a hunting trip. This one has 4 movements.
• Two: think “concertino,” a small group of soloists. Trumpet, violin, oboe, recorder with a small orchestra. The trumpet sits out in the slow movement.
• Three: All strings. 3 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, and bass. My favorite.
• Four: Solo violin with two recorders or “echo flutes.” The two recorders kind of act as one instrument.
• Five: think concertino again, this time, transverse flute, harpsichord, and violin. Stylistically, this one seems the most modern.
• Six: the dark concerto for low strings: arm violas, leg violas, and bass. This one rarely gets played fast enough for my taste. Beautiful middle movement that demands we stuff our mouths with caramels it’s so rich and sweet.

Among my favorite recordings are those by:

• Musica Antiqua Köln
• Café Zimmermann
• La Stravaganza, Hamburg
• Il Giardino Armonico

Purchase the AAM recording via Amazon to support biberfan.org.

David Daniels and Martin Katz

Last night, I saw countertenor David Daniels in a concert at the University of Richmond with pianist Martin Katz. Together, they performed a program of works including those by Brahms, Peri, Durante, Frescobaldi, Reynaldo Hahn, Handel, Vaughan Williams, Quilter, among others in a program that spanned a wide gamut of time, languages, and styles.

Imagine my surprise when I assumed he’d be appearing with the Italian baroque ensemble that is due to perform tomorrow night. But the fact that the entire program was not baroque was no matter.

Both Daniels and Katz are remarkable musicians, and every piece of music was a gem that they obviously savored. A great program then, memorable too, for the remarkable affect offered by several pieces.

There were a few things I noticed that I thought I’d comment upon. First, Daniels audibly was clearing his throat several times and I found this distasteful. It’s like someone who doesn’t want to blow their nose, and is sucking-up phlegm. I mean, if you’ve got it, and you’ve got to sing, I understand. But it was kind of odd.

Second, Daniels appeared several times as if he was going to fall over. As a concertizer, he really does get into each song. He was almost as interesting to watch as he was to listen to. The fact that the entire program was sung from memory on his part was on the verge of amazing.

Third, at times Katz seemed to overpower Daniels. Balance between two musicians is a challenge, sure, but with a countertenor, someone who has a restricted dynamic range, Mr. Katz needed to back off a few notches in a few places.

Fourth, Katz was less effective with a favorite piece by Frescobaldi, where his style at the keyboard used pedal and sounded quasi-romantic. The performance was great, but I’d like things “all baroque” or all “avante-garde,” but not some mushy area in the center.

Fifth, is it me, or is Daniels’ continuous use of vibrato throughout his singing, even bridging styles, authentic, when it comes to a baroque singing style? His voice is in fact very good, and like critics, I’d dare to say he’s a front runner in the countertenor stars. But at times, my mind wandered, thinking if a more “straight” sound would be appropriate for the baroque works. It’s not a criticism, as I haven’t been reading on the latest historical performance research… but more an aesthetic question.

In all, a nice recital; and we were treated to three encores.

Shanghai Quartet in Concert

This past week I travelled to the University of Richmond to hear the Shanghai Quartet perform works by Mozart, Ligeti, and Dvorak.

The Mozart work was late (1790-1), and was one that I did not have regular familiarity. It was well played, but later hearing the group on more grueling material, I felt they might have injected a little more dynamics into the Mozart.

This is my time really hearing the Shanghai quartet. Each of the players has a personality that stuck throughout the evening’s concert. The most expressive player is V1, while V2 is the least expressive. The cellist is the most facially interesting as he plays, and the viola, he’s the most animated during applause, but plays with the most straight of backs and is a little stiff.

Of course none of this matters; it’s the sound and emotion that make us love or hate the experience. I was unfamiliar with the Ligeti work, and found many instances where the composition went wrong. The performance, though, was convincing, and well-done. It was quite a contrast with Mozart, and was well-received by the audience. Powerful sound, for sure.

The Dvorak was the crowd-pleaser. Having been written at the start of Antonin’s deparure from America, it had one thinking about journey. The Shanghai felt, I gather, most at home here, making the most out of this work, with the widest range of dynamic and emotional contrasts. They were “warmed up,” and the last of this work gave them all a workout with fleeting notes.

I typically go to concerts to hear one or more works on the program. This was unique, I guess for me, going for the ensemble over the music. While the vibrato used in the Mozart was at times making me wince (it’s a personal issue, I know), I found the whole experience musically satisfying.

Concert Review: AAM with Egarr

I recently attended a concert with the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of Richard Egarr, harpsichord.

They appeared along their U.S. tour in Portsmouth, VA, playing a concert of “favorites”: Handel, Telemann, and Bach. Water Music, Brandenburg 4, and a flute concerto by Telemann. In fact, all the music is on record here at home… it was nice to judge the group based on “favorites.”

Egarr has quite a personality, and a dry wit with the audience. The playing space, Trinity Church, was too small for them, and warm. And despite the weather and humidity, they maintained excellent intonation for the duration of the concert.

This is not “your father’s AAM” anymore… this is a new group… well, their style is. More on the edge, like Il giardino armonico, than say, the AAM. They play with energy and fun, and I enjoyed the overall effort by the musicians. Some of the members have been around a long time: Beckett on recorder, Jones on viola, and Beznosuik on violin. Young faces and older together made great music.

They stayed at my hotel. In fact, I recognized Pavlo Beznosuik on the dockside area in Portsmouth before the concert… I should have said something. Hoping to get a signature on a CD by Egarr after the show, I hung around the hotel lobby. One by one, the Academy of Ancient Music walked by me, carrying their instruments… Bill Carter with his theorbo, Rachel Beckett with her flutes, Joe Crouch with his cello… Egarr never came back while I waited. Then, one by one, they walked about out, supposedly for dinner, in less formal clothing.

I didn’t think much of Portsmouth… I can only wonder what their reaction was.

Among their best pieces of the evening was a closing encore of Handel from op. 3, and the Telemann Wassermusik suite. It was all good, but these stuck out. With new blood and energy at the helm, they’re once again to be listened to… I think I will check out their Handel CD. None were for sale after the concert.

Update: I should add that Trevor Jones, the violist, looks very much like the comedian, Larry David. And the lutenist, William Carter, very much looks like our friend, Greg. And–I added two photos of the venue for the concert from my cell phone.

Baroque by Candlelight

The Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia presented a concert on December 12, 2006 at the Second Presbyterian Church, Richmond. Performers included Amanda Balestrieri, James Wilson, Carsten Schmidt, Mary Boodell, and Theresa Salomon on original instruments.

The program included DeFesch’s Sonata in A minor for cello and harpsichord, a Pastorale ad libitum attributed to Antonio Vivaldi, and de Monteclair’s Pan et Syrinx, a cantata for voice and instruments.

I enjoyed Wilson’s playing on cello. Many know him as a member of the Shanghai Quartet, that was centered at the University of Richmond. His playing style was spirited and confident, and his baroque style was pretty good. He was accompanied by my favorite musician of the evening, harpsichordist Schmidt, who played with such enthusiasm, emotion, and fervor. It is exciting to see someone really “get into” the music, and I think, ultimately have fun.

Our singer was Ms. Balestrieri, who did an excellent job at French diction. At times her power out-did the instruments, but for the most part, she was an affective singer with above-average Baroque technique. Weaker performances came from the flute and violin.

After the intermission, and a short re-tuning, the duo of Wilson and Schmidt returned with violinist Ms. Salomon to perform Biber’s first Mystery Sonata. What a gem! A favorite!

I felt the entire ensemble rushed the work, despite the fun I had listening to it. Drama and gravitas is lost when everything is just rushed through. I felt the group hadn’t adequately studied the work. Salomon seemed more in her element on this work, but her violin had an especially wirey, thin tone that sometimes lost itself to squeaks.

The next major work was La Lucrezia, an Italian cantata by Handel. This work was technically and musically richer than the earlier French work. It was also far too virtuosic for Ms. Balestrieri to perform confidently. At one point she became lost in a muddle of fast notes, and the look on her face told us “she was trying to relax and get the notes out,” but the result would have afforded a scolding from a voice coach.

Sorry–she did a great job, but it was lacking in the fastest parts. I’ve heard better Italian diction, too. But the continuo team of cello and harpsichord did an admirable job.

Perhaps one of the most fitting works was the finale: Telemann’s Concerto, his Paris Quartet in D in three movements. Here, our flute was more confident (and in better tune), and the continuo support was excellent. Only in a few sections did the violin player look taxed.

In all, it was an admirable concert, especially so for an ensemble that doesn’t normally perform together. The diversity of music was robust, and the highlights many.

Bach and his Era

On Tuesday evening, November 7, 2006, I watched as Musica Antiqua Köln took the stage for one of their final concerts in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Hall.

I questioned, however, what made this “MAK” versus, just some friends who had played together before? For their leader, Reinhard Goebel was absent due to health reasons. I am not sure if this had to do with his recent hand injury reoccuring or something else. I wish him well.

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Chanticleer – Live

On March 18, 2002, I attended a concert put-on by Chanticleer in Richmond, VA.

This evening I had the opportunity to hear the all-male vocal ensemble Chanticleer perform at the University of Richmond. Dubbed as the only “full time, professional choral organization devoted to classical music,” the 12 members performed everything from spirtuals, renaissance madrigals, and the Scott Joplin tune “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.”

First, it is always disappointing to go to a concert here, at the University of Richmond, only to see more people with white hair than you see anyplace else, save for a retirement home with assisted living services. The sold-out concert though, did bring a crowd, and the triple standing ovation at the end was a testament to their success as an ensemble. Read the rest of this entry »