Here’s guest blogger Sam Sfirri’s first post this year — you may recall his contributions to Eargasms last festival. He’s a gifted jazz pianist and composition major at the college.
Just walking into St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church stirred up many wonderful memories of last Spoleto season. With the familiar excitement and beautiful ghost-sounds still resonating throughout the space (and my head), I approached my seat listening to the quiet chatter among the audience as they, too, looked forward to a wonderful performance. Modest applause greeted selected members of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra as they came onstage. Apres tuning, Maestro Olivier Reboul nearly floated to the stage to join his young colleagues, and began the program without hesitation.
As the piece emerged out of the silence, the opening sustained pianissimo notes reinforced themselves in the room. Somewhere in the distance, an airplane could be heard – but it only added to the effect. But by the time those gentle tones had lulled us into a sublime state, the fast part kicked in, bringing the piece to full bloom.
Franz Joseph Hadyn’s Symphony No. 102 in B flat major, though the tenth of his so-called twelve London symphonies, does not have the often stagnant qualities of a late-commissioned piece. In fact, it is quite fresh and original, but enhanced by the maturity and sophistication of a composer who was sixty-two when he wrote it. The work – in standard four-movement format – begins with a tranquil Largo passage, counterbalanced by a brilliant Vivace section. Next came a classic Adagio movement with poignant string melodies underpinned by cloudlike harmonies: an orchestration of material from his Piano Trio in F-sharp minor. The following brisk Menuetto (allegro) movement provided a wonderful transition into the bustling Finale, played Presto. The orchestra executed everything with precision and spirit, bringing the number to a jocular close that paid homage to the lighthearted comedic tradition of Italian opera buffa.
Reboul is of the French conducting school, concerned more with orchestral sound and precision than over-exaggerated gestures and strange body contortions. He maintained perfect posture throughout the entire concert, letting his arms do all the work. Needless to say, he had impeccable control over the young musicians who sat before him. It is clear that Pierre Boulez (his teacher) has shown all of his students the importance of this kind of conducting.
Arnold Schoenberg, as chamber series host Charles Wadsworth once joked, is well known for his “liberation of dissonance.” His pioneering serial approach frightens many, as it breaks too drastically from traditional methods of compositon – and alienates those whose ears are accustomed to diatonic harmonies. But even such folk agree that his Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) proves that he can write beautiful music in the popular sense. Before his venture into twelve-tone music, Schoenberg’s obsession with Richard Wagner was quite evident. Chromatic atonality and instability linger throughout this mysterious piece.
The piece — originally written for string sextet in 1899, had its first performance in 1902. The Viennese audience and critics were not all that interested in it, as the instrumentation was too thin for such rich material. Based on a like-titled poem by Richard Dehmel, the text reflects the strong emotions that the twenty-five-year-old Schoenberg felt towards his new love, Mathilde von Zemlinsky: the sister of his teacher, Alexander von Zemlinsky. He wrote it in just three weeks.
This performance, however, provided a much different effect: in fact, the full orchestral expansion makes one wonder how it could’ve possibly succeeded as a string sextet. Its size and ominous qualities represent a dark cloud of sorts, no doubt symbolic of the musical and political storms that were brewing in those volatile times. The thirty-minute piece was loaded with shimmering textures and complex rhythmic schemes that were carefully controlled by Maestro Reboul and expertly executed by the orchestra. While those who have heard recordings of the piece might picture a conductor furiously waving and moving, Reboul was able to get each idea across with ease and minimal effort
St. Matthew’s was blessed with yet another beautiful evening of music, full of rich body and noble character. Its walls will be echoing this wonderful performance up until the next Intermezzo performance, when John Kennedy will conduct music by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ingram Marshall on June 1.
Another Classy Intermezzo
Here’s guest blogger Sam Sfirri’s first post this year — you may recall his contributions to Eargasms last festival. He’s a gifted jazz pianist and composition major at the college.
Just walking into St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church stirred up many wonderful memories of last Spoleto season. With the familiar excitement and beautiful ghost-sounds still resonating throughout the space (and my head), I approached my seat listening to the quiet chatter among the audience as they, too, looked forward to a wonderful performance. Modest applause greeted selected members of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra as they came onstage. Apres tuning, Maestro Olivier Reboul nearly floated to the stage to join his young colleagues, and began the program without hesitation.
As the piece emerged out of the silence, the opening sustained pianissimo notes reinforced themselves in the room. Somewhere in the distance, an airplane could be heard – but it only added to the effect. But by the time those gentle tones had lulled us into a sublime state, the fast part kicked in, bringing the piece to full bloom.
Franz Joseph Hadyn’s Symphony No. 102 in B flat major, though the tenth of his so-called twelve London symphonies, does not have the often stagnant qualities of a late-commissioned piece. In fact, it is quite fresh and original, but enhanced by the maturity and sophistication of a composer who was sixty-two when he wrote it. The work – in standard four-movement format – begins with a tranquil Largo passage, counterbalanced by a brilliant Vivace section. Next came a classic Adagio movement with poignant string melodies underpinned by cloudlike harmonies: an orchestration of material from his Piano Trio in F-sharp minor. The following brisk Menuetto (allegro) movement provided a wonderful transition into the bustling Finale, played Presto. The orchestra executed everything with precision and spirit, bringing the number to a jocular close that paid homage to the lighthearted comedic tradition of Italian opera buffa.
Reboul is of the French conducting school, concerned more with orchestral sound and precision than over-exaggerated gestures and strange body contortions. He maintained perfect posture throughout the entire concert, letting his arms do all the work. Needless to say, he had impeccable control over the young musicians who sat before him. It is clear that Pierre Boulez (his teacher) has shown all of his students the importance of this kind of conducting.
Arnold Schoenberg, as chamber series host Charles Wadsworth once joked, is well known for his “liberation of dissonance.” His pioneering serial approach frightens many, as it breaks too drastically from traditional methods of compositon – and alienates those whose ears are accustomed to diatonic harmonies. But even such folk agree that his Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) proves that he can write beautiful music in the popular sense. Before his venture into twelve-tone music, Schoenberg’s obsession with Richard Wagner was quite evident. Chromatic atonality and instability linger throughout this mysterious piece.
The piece — originally written for string sextet in 1899, had its first performance in 1902. The Viennese audience and critics were not all that interested in it, as the instrumentation was too thin for such rich material. Based on a like-titled poem by Richard Dehmel, the text reflects the strong emotions that the twenty-five-year-old Schoenberg felt towards his new love, Mathilde von Zemlinsky: the sister of his teacher, Alexander von Zemlinsky. He wrote it in just three weeks.
This performance, however, provided a much different effect: in fact, the full orchestral expansion makes one wonder how it could’ve possibly succeeded as a string sextet. Its size and ominous qualities represent a dark cloud of sorts, no doubt symbolic of the musical and political storms that were brewing in those volatile times. The thirty-minute piece was loaded with shimmering textures and complex rhythmic schemes that were carefully controlled by Maestro Reboul and expertly executed by the orchestra. While those who have heard recordings of the piece might picture a conductor furiously waving and moving, Reboul was able to get each idea across with ease and minimal effort
St. Matthew’s was blessed with yet another beautiful evening of music, full of rich body and noble character. Its walls will be echoing this wonderful performance up until the next Intermezzo performance, when John Kennedy will conduct music by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ingram Marshall on June 1.