Rachel Barton Pine: Testament (Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin)

Any serious violinist is going to be well-acquainted with the unaccompanied works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Several violinists have taken on these seminal, almost mystical works, in recordings. Rachel Barton Pine brings not only the artistic sensitivity and talent to these six pieces, but also great credentials: She’s the only American Gold Medalist of the J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig. Pine’s meticulous details (bowing, articulation, etc.) will appear in a major new book about the sonatas and partitas by Carl Fischer. Her newest CD, “Testament” (Avie Records) displays Pine’s deep knowledge of the score, and her ability to express her own personality through the music.

Ms. Pine has made a lifelong study of Bach’s manuscript and, for context, the great composer’s contemporaries who wrote music for unaccompanied violin. Until Brahms’ friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim, made the case for these 6 suites to be played publicly, they were thought of as “didactic exercises”, as Rachel explains in my recorded conversation. We also talk about her recent visit to Portland (via the Friends of Chamber Music), and her live appearance on our own Thursdays @ Three

As well as Rachel’s love of so many other styles, including Scottish fiddle and heavy metal (Rachel cites a recent London study that showed that classical music listeners and heavy metal fans have much in common: deep knowledge of their respective genre, and great passion for the music. A “testament” which Ms. Pine will readily proclaim.

Testament: Complete Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin by J. S. Bach
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Hélène Grimaud’s new CD, Water. An elemental expression.

Pianist Hélène Grimaud, known almost equally for her environmental concerns as her tremendous musical talent, brings both areas of interest together in her new CD, Water (Deutsche Grammophon), the result of a collaboration with composer and producer, Nitin Sawney. Ms. Grimaud, who founded the Wolf Conservation Center in New York in 1996, hopes that people think about the earth’s precious resource, which in many parts of the world is extremely difficult to obtain for millions of people. In my conversation with the French pianist, Ms. Grimaud tells me that her starting point, however, was purely musical: Why have so many composers been drawn to water as a source of inspiration? Water has the power to both give – and take – life, if one considers that it can be as ethereal as mist or clouds, to rivers and oceans. Grimaud says she had to work hard to pare dozens of favorite pieces down to a manageable program that touches on many aspects of water in music.

The “transitions” created by Sawney, who is well-known around the world for his ability to collaborate with musicians of many different genres, bridge the realm of classical music to the present day, and the world of this art form to the rhythms of the earth (and water). I enjoyed the transitions, as they create this sense of calm and, at the same time, progression through the hour of piano music. Hélène Grimaud’s choice of pieces come from French composers (particularly inspired by water, it seems), such as Debussy, Ravel and Fauré; to 20^th century greats such as Toru Takemitsu, Leoš Janáček, and Isaac Albéniz. My favorite discovery, thanks to Grimaud, is Luciano Berio’s “Wasserklavier” (Water Piano), which sets the perfect tone for the music to follow. The CD concludes with Debussy’s powerful prelude, La Cathédrale engloutie (The Engulfed Cathedral), inspired by a legend of a cathedral that, once a year, emerges from the depths of the ocean, to appear only briefly, before submerging again. Keep that image in your mind as you listen to Ms. Grimaud’s performance. Water, like music, can exist for only a moment before disappearing, and so both must be treasured.

Hélène Grimaud – Water
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The Cello Suites According to Anna Magdalena, and Matt Haimovitz

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Matt Haimovitz, the American cellist who garnered a lot of attention fifteen years ago, when he performed in “unusual” venues, including brew pubs and rock clubs. This was ground-breaking stuff back then; now it seems less surprising to see a cadre of bass-instrument players strike bow to string, as people sip nitro coffee or micro-distilled beers. Now Matt is starting a new revolution: returning to the score regarded as closest to Bach’s now-lost manuscript: the copy by his second wife, Anna Magdalena Bach. Matt also picks up the five-string violoncello piccolo for the Sixth Suite, the instrument for which that suite was intended.

You’ll hear how the instruments sound, as well as Matt’s fresh interpretation of them, in my conversation with the cellist.

Anthony De Mare: Re-Imagining Sondheim

Anthony De Mare has been on a journey of discovery and affirmation. For the past several years, the pianist has been celebrating the extraordinary music of what he calls “one of our greatest American composers”, Stephen Sondheim. And he’s taking dozens of today’s top composers along with him on this journey. Fittingly, as Sondheim draws from the worlds of classical and jazz to perfectly express what I call the “psychology” of his characters, De Mare has found composers who acknowledge that Sondheim has been a big influence on their own lives, and bring something of themselves in “re-imagining” Sondheim for the piano.

De Mare (pronounced “deh MAR”), who’s already been in Portland (2011, with Portland Piano International), has received interpretations of Sondheim’s songs from the likes of Steve Reich and William Bolcom, to Wynton Marsalis (from the world of jazz and classical, really), to film composer Thomas Newman, and younger talents from indie and pop genres (Ethan Iverson, Duncan Sheik). De Mare wanted them to not deconstruct the pieces – although Iverson does, to some extent, with Send in the Clowns – but to either expand on them, or to emphasize some aspect of the musical material. I greatly enjoyed the treatment that Duncan Sheik, Thomas Newman and Mark-Anthony Turnage gave to the songs of “Sweeney Todd”, which helped to whet my appetite for Portland Opera’s production next summer.

Sondheim can be heard, through the interpretations of these 36 composers, to be the genius that he is. Click on the link to enjoy my conversation, with musical examples, of Anthony De Mare sharing his passion for the music of Stephen Sondheim, on this new ECM release.

Liaisons: Re-imagining Sondheim From The Piano – Anthony De Mare
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Anne Akiko Meyers “Serenades” with passion

American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers recently visited us at All Classical Portland, as part of her performance with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade (After Plato’s “Symposium”). Just before her arrival, Anne and I spoke by phone about “Serenade: The Love Album” (Released on the Entertainment One label), which features that very work by Bernstein, and an “exploration of love in all its dimensions”, to borrow her words. It’s a disc that certainly expresses love in all its many forms from beginning to end, and does it well.

Bernstein’s Serenade is inspired by Plato’s Symposium, effectively the description of a big “party” between Plato and philosophers who came before him; an imaginary bacchanal that probes deep questions about the nature of love. Bernstein’s piece is for violin and orchestra, but is not a concerto: it’s an expression of what the composer found in the writings of Plato.

Following this exuberant and, as Ms. Meyers’ admits, very challenging work (challenging to perform, not to listen to), the violinist plays eleven gorgeous melodies from stage and screen, all arranged by contemporary composers who put their mark on the pieces, but retained the original intent of the songs. “When You Wish Upon A Star”, originally from Disney’s “Pinocchio”, is one of the highlights of this sequence for me. Meyers plays the piece with sentiment, but not in an overly sentimental way (if that makes sense!). In my conversation with Anne, you’ll hear this melody, and as you listen to All Classical Portland, you’ll encounter more of these deftly-crafted arrangements.

Anne was a great joy to talk to, and I hope that we have the opportunity to have her back in Portland in the near future.

Anne Akiko Meyers: Serenade – The Love Album

Yundi returns to Chopin, and Poland

Yundi, who at 18 was the youngest winner of the Chopin International Competition, is renowned for his interpretation of the great, Polish-born Romantic composer. Chopin’s music has continued to figure in Yundi’s recitals in recent years, but after his first few CDs, the Chinese pianist moved on to other corners of the repertoire, recording Prokofiev, Liszt, Beethoven and the like.

Now, with “Yundi Chopin: Preludes” (on Deutsche Grammophon), Yundi’s back to where he started, at least with the composer. At 33, and with 15 years between his big win and now, Yundi has refined his interpretation. I’ve always enjoyed Yundi’s Chopin performances, for his sensitive and nuanced approach. Now it seems even more so. I’ve heard plenty of recordings of the 24 Preludes of Opus 28 (and there are two more, by the way) where the main effect is stressing dynamic contrasts. Yundi’s utilizes that effect, but not for shock value or to test your sound system’s limits. The contrasts are tied to an emotional journey that Chopin takes us on.

This is late-period Chopin, when he had escaped the damp climate of Paris for what he hoped would be drier air for his tuberculosis, on Mallorca. Unfortunately, the weather was crummy there, too, and did him no good. Except, happily for us, in these marvelously-varied preludes. I think you’ll enjoy how Yundi revisits the composer’s past, as well as his own, in the pianist’s life-long relationship with this most sensitive of Romantic composers. Yundi and I had a great and insightful conversation about this recording, his return to Poland (now to be a judge in the Chopin competition, alongside Martha Argerich and Garrick Ohlsson), and plans for the future. It’s good to hear Yundi back with his old friend.

Yundi: Chopin Preludes
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Creating a “Catalyst” for music old and new

The Catalyst Quartet makes its debut with the Goldberg Variations of Bach. The variations, which began as a harpsichord piece, have been transcribed for innumerable instruments in recent years (accordion, anyone?), as well as two fine versions for string trio. This version is the first for quartet, and the arrangement was done not by an individual outside the group, but was a collaborative process by Catalyst’s four members. Two of them, violinist Karla Donehew-Perez, and cellist Karlos Rodriguez, joined me in conversation about Bach, his gorgeous set of variations, Glenn Gould’s influence – and his string quartet – and what it means to be a creative artist in classical music in this day and age. Along the way, you’ll hear music by Bach and Gould, in this recording that shows that it truly takes four individuals to create a cohesive voice.

Catalyst Quartet: Bach/Gould Project
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Stephen Hough: Pianist and Composer

In May, when British pianist Stephen Hough was in town to perform with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and Carlos Kalmar, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind stopping by All Classical to tell me about three fantastic new CDs that the Hyperion label released this summer. Stephen was more than happy to do so, despite the many distractions of Portland (Cacao Chocolates, Powell’s bookstores), and shared his wonderful insight into the intimate piano miniatures of Grieg known as “Lyric Pieces”, of which Stephen recorded his favorites.

The second CD we talk about pairs Mr. Hough with his longtime friend and musical collaborator, cellist Steven Isserlis. On this particular disc they recorded Grieg’s one-and-only cello sonata (a nice follow-up to the Lyric Pieces), and Mendelssohn’s D Major sonata. But Stephen is also an accomplished composer of many types of music, and tells the story of how he wrote a cello sonata for a left-hand pianist who ultimately refused to play Hough’s piece (find out in the audio blog).

Thirdly, Mr. Hough has recorded a gorgeous choral work called “Missa Mirabilis”, and so named for good reason, as Hough had a car accident before he’d completed the work. Happily, the pianist survived along with the sketches. You’ll hear a portion of his mass in the course of my conversation with Stephen. A dramatic story that precedes what turns out to be a lyrical, haunting and inventively-orchestrated new piece. I eagerly await more from Stephen Hough, but with these three new CDs, there’s plenty to keep us all satisfied for some time.

Grieg Lyric Pieces

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Cello Sonatas by Grieg, Mendelssohn and Stephen Hough

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Stephen Hough’s Missa Mirabilis (with choral works by Vaughan Williams)

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Meet the Musicians: Academy of St Martin in the Fields

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s most acclaimed and actively recording chamber orchestras. It is also one of the most played ensembles heard on All Classical Portland.

Based in London, England, the ensemble was formed in 1958 by Sir Neville Marriner who was recently named to the Order of the Companions of Honour list by Queen Elizabeth II this past June.

The Order recognizes those who have made substantial achievements in the arts, music, science, politics, literature and religion.

Marriner, a violinist and past member of the London Symphony Orchestra, began conducting in 1969 – the same year he became the Music Director of the renowned Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. According to the Academy’s website, no other orchestra and conductor has recorded more together than Marriner and the Academy.

The Academy also has a touring chamber ensemble composed of principal players from each instrument in the orchestra. The ensemble has released more than 30 CDs.

Since 2011, virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell has been the Academy’s Music Director – the only person to hold that position since the orchestra’s inception.

Bell began playing the violin at age 4 and is considered one the era’s most celebrated and talented violinists. He has recorded more than 40 CDs since his first recording on the Decca label when he was 18, according to the Academy’s website.

Bell is also a senior lecturer at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. A fervent supporter of music education, Bell works with Education Through Music to help provide children and teens in inner city areas of America with access to instruments.

Bell, Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields can often be heard on the airwaves of All Classical Portland with their impressively vibrant and varied list of recordings.

Bell will play with the Oregon Symphony February 20-22, 2016, with a program including music by Wagner, Sibelius’s Symphony No. 6 and Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

The Academy’s most recent recording with Bell is an all Bach CD from 2014 on the Sony Classical label featuring Bach’s first and second violin concertos, chaconne, air, gavotte en rondeau.

A pianist channels Billie Holiday

Pianist Lara Downes, a Steinway & Sons artist, has made a number of recordings for the piano company’s label in recent years with some intriguing concepts behind them. “Exiles’ Cafe”, for example, highlighted European composers who had to leave their homelands, and in so doing, changed the landscape of music in their adopted country. Ms. Downes’ latest is inspired by a singer whose unique style certainly changed the landscape of jazz forever after: Billie Holiday. Downes grew up listening to Holiday and other performers of jazz and classical, and has found that, at this stage in her career, Holiday is one that has influenced her own approach to piano interpretation.

Her new CD is not a note-for-note transcription of Holiday’s phrasing and vocalizations, but the work of arranger and pianist Jed Distler, who collaborated with Downes on these songs. There is as much of Lara Downes as there is Billie Holiday in these wonderful performances.

A Billie Holiday Songbook / Lara Downes
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