This month, you may feel the momentum of classical music swaying at the national festival circuit, with flashy premiere and revival, courtesy of the Opera Houses of Sporate, Ojai and St. Louis. But New York isn’t over yet.
The two premieres here over the weekend, one loud trumpet and the other relatively unenjoyed fanfare, were newsworthy and fun on their own terms. .. He also cautioned against ignoring the city’s June calendar.
In addition to the New York Philharmonic’s Friday presentation of Barber’s Violin Concerto featuring star violinist Hilary Hahn and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, the audience listened to the 14-minute “Forward Into Light” by premier composer Sarah Kirkland Snyder. ..
Entrusted by the orchestra as part of “Project 19” focused on women The composer “Forward Into Light” was inspired by the suffrages Elizabeth Caddy Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. “Light” was fragile and ferocious music, and also boasted a witty touch. “Light” has successfully told a story about a new idea struggling for the universe (and longevity). The harp’s reserve ascending motive fixed some early sections. As the orchestra reacted and added new consonant melodies in sequence, there was a sense of material development through collaboration. Elsewhere, a short clarinet song spurred other windy material. The subsequent interaction of the violin’s minimalist pulse offset by the cello and bass glissando reminded me of the plunging call-and-response arrangements of past Snyder works.Sark and the hangman“From her 2010 Song cycle “Penelope.”
Jaap van Zweden, a typical fierce Philharmonic music director, brought to life these moments. Still he enjoyed the hairpin turn. Meanwhile, the music was focused on Tutti’s writing. Later in the piece, he managed Snyder’s quick dynamic shifts in the sensation of a Hollywood sound mixer drama.
Overall, “Forward” was packed, but not abstract and concrete historical references. From time to time, Snyder Sturm und Dran suggested the boldness of early feminists, or the corresponding public sphere controversy. However, the pre-recorded sample of Dame Ethel Smyth’s “March of Women” later in the work wasn’t as strongly registered as any other music. But even in the most crowded moments, you could identify the feeling of Snyder’s painful commentary. Some brass passages seemed to know nods and subtle eyeballs. The characters who influenced this music seemed to know that the unwavering strength of the campaign could last longer than the noisy early dissents.
And, like her ecologically oriented “endangered mass,” the composer’s intellectual interest harmonizes smoothly with a rich and engaging score. (Death in the Classic Concert Series presents Snyder’s Mass, This Monday to Thursday At the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. )
It was a great beginning of the night for Philharmonic. The orchestra worked with Hahn to give the barber’s violin concerto a thrilling, rough edge, contrary to its reputation as a lighter fare. Van Zweden’s overly clear moody in the central part of Mahler’s symphony was brought about at the expense of the composer’s more colorful twist, but the handling of the conductor’s outer movements is undeniable. Brought a galvanic thrill.
The Carnegie crowd received Hahn’s appearance with applause worthy of her global star status and responded with enthusiastic satisfaction to Marler’s culmination, but they also enthusiastically released new works. I was greeted. It all became rich and satisfying, close to a challenging year outside the orchestra’s auditorium.
The next time you listen indoors, it will take place in the newly refurbished and redesigned Geffen Hall in the Lincoln Center. Over the next few years, the focus is on what they play there. And as Philharmonic admins continue to deepen their involvement with music by black composers, they may have been looking uptown for some ideas on Saturday.
Pianist and composer Adegoke Steve Colson, a veteran of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), premiered for 75 minutes on the closing night of the 2nd A Train Festival at the Harlem School of the Arts. A work of six movements. The school, entitled “Sweet Harlem,” was dedicated to the school and staged in a 120-seat black box theater. Like Snyder’s “Forward,” this work was also dedicated to the soprano Dorothy Mae, who founded the school in the 1960s, who paved the way for women.
Corson’s music, scored with piano, vocalist, trumpet, bass clarinet, violin, vibraphone, bass and drum octets, could feel like a thrilling update to the tradition of soul jazz. .. At other times, this work contained all of the avant-garde high-energy markers of the 1970s. And, thanks to the exciting performances from violinist Marlene Rice, the music also proposed several lines of music adjacent to Ellington’s room with the violin Ray Nance (). “Dance No.3” From the Liberia Suite).
In the first move of this premiere, “Sir King Harlem,” the composer’s wife, longtime collaborator and vocalist, Iqua Corson, voiced an influence on the mayor’s intention to establish the institution. Did. She brought vivid intonation to some melancholy melodic lines explaining the historical lack of space for children in the neighborhood to “sing, dance and play roles”. rice field. And in subsequent suites, during the explosive, up-tempo second-to-last movement, “Resilience,” she was Scat’s ingenious solo, a fiery artistic expression made possible by the school. Guided the sensation. It wasn’t a supperclub-style scat either, but it was an ingenious form of solo, ending with some darts phrases that won one of the night’s biggest applause. It dates back to the 1980s release and reminds us of a long and fruitful collaboration between couples. “victory!” When “No reservation.. “
The interdisciplinary nature of the school, and the nature of the AACM itself, came to a fun focus during the Third Movement (“Our Beautiful Children”) thanks to the contributions of the students. Two dancers, Kendal McDowell and General Henry, provided a smooth accompaniment to the funk-influenced rhythms of percussionist Pheeroan akraf and bassist Luke Stewart.
All soloists had a chance to shine throughout the work. However, Adegoke Steve Colson’s piano, played in the second half of the suite, exceeded this generally high standard. It’s dense and avant-garde, and it’s just as fun to sing. This solo aspect of his art was rarely heard in the recording — Like “Tones for” (2015) — So I was looking forward to hearing him like this in the suite.
The music of Corson, now 72, based in Montclair, NJ, is not as well known as his AACM contemporaries like Henry Threadgill. But there is still time to give him more broadcasts in New York. “Sweet Harlem” was the result of the climax of his time as an artist staying at Harlem’s school. Given his educational tendencies, Carnegie could probably ask him to do chamber music work for a group of young professionals, Ensemble Connect.And the resurrection His large-scale work “… Like a cultural recollection …” dedicated to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. may also fit in Carnegie’s Zankel Hall space.
So far, this weekend’s performance has fully reminded us of our long contribution to veteran music and Snyder’s new career. The back-to-back relationship of their premiere on the calendar was also a reminder of the city’s overall cultural richness. Even if there are relatively few concert halls that are flexible enough to combine these complementary art communities under a single roof, wise concert attendees will be at the venue in New York, regardless of the season. You can plan your own course.