An Inside View

On August 22, my HSO colleague Hunter Thomas and I performed for a collaborative concert of the Huntsville Chamber Winds and the Chamber Chorale of the Huntsville Community Chorus held at First Baptist Church. On the program were several choral selections, led by Billy Orton, HCC Music Director. David Ragsdale, director of Bands at UAHuntsville (pictured at left) conducted wind chamber music by Strauss and Mozart. Also an accomplished saxophone player, Dave played with the HSO last October on one of Carlos Prieto’s cello concerti.

The highlight of the evening was a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin’s jazzy virtuoso vehicle, accompanied by wind ensemble. With this performance, newly appointed piano professor at UAHuntsville Sarkis Baltaian (pictured at right) introduced himself to the Huntsville concert-going public. And a warm welcome he received—before the final note died away, members of the near-capacity audience leapt spontaneously to their feet with shouts of approval.

Baltaian is a friendly teddy bear of a man, and his warmth and magnetism are evident from the moment he walks on stage. At all times, he was a master of Gershwin’s technical and stylistic challenges. Quite simply, his is the kind of playing that transcends the score. This pianist definitely has something to say. Do not miss the opportunity to hear him soon.

Yesterday, Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto led the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the the Serge and Olga Koussevitzky Memorial Concert at Tanglewood.

Carlos and the BSO collaborated with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a performance of Cello Concerto of Édouard Lalo. Ma appeared with Carlos and the HSO in 2005. The program also featured the Suite from Iberia by Albéniz and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances.

Pictured here are Yo-Yo Ma and Carlos with two-year-old Cecilia and four-year-old Ana at Tanglewood yesterday.

Did Noriko Shimura really begin her music career by mastering an instrument with a single string? Did she secretly want to master the Japanese three-stringed shamisen so she could play the five-string banjo when she moved south? What do the iambic accent patterns of Shakespeare and Southern drawl have in common—especially when pronouncing (or mispronouncing, as the case may be) Japanese words? These are other delightful bits of insight and humor mingled with expertly played notes this past Friday night as I unwound from a long week by listening to chamber music at the Church of the Nativity.

Noriko Shimura (viola and violin), Joseph Lee (bassoon), Nicki Wilson (piano), Evelyn Loehrlein (flute), Katherine Newman (harp), and Hunter Thomas (bassoon) came together to play three trio pieces, each selection composed with a different combination of instruments. These talented folks, prompted by Ms. Shimura, are among a group of local musicians adding an opportunity for us to hear varieties of chamber music. In the Huntsville-style of other chamber music events, they want to share their notes with both salon sophistication and parlor friendliness. This evening they not only shared their music but also some of their stories, jokes, and musical liner notes. Katherine Newman, for example, humorously introduced Jacques Ibert’s “Deux Interludes” for flute (Evelyn), harp (Katherine), and violin (Noriko) as “incidental” background music to a now long forgotten play—one can imagine the theater patrons in the restaurant after the final act trying desperately to remember the plot while happily humming those interesting tunes that appeared in the play from time to time as scenes were shifted. Katherine also gave us an unexpected comic moment explaining to us the difference in pronouncing Noriko’s name using the iambic Southern tradition with the accent always on the second beat (no-REE-ko) and the unaccented or equally accented beats of the Japanese language (nor-i-ko).

The C.P.E Bach trio for viola (Noriko), bassoon (Joseph), and piano (Nicki) passed the melody and harmony lines around in turn like chatty backgammon players happily rolling the dice in proper sequence. (Could perhaps a part for banjo or shimasen played in the classical style of Bella Fleck be added? Maybe a part for the four-string lute-like biwa or the shakuhachi bamboo flute? Well—ok, maybe not—but those Bach family musicians were innovators after all!).

The last trio of the evening brought bassoon (Hunter), flute (Evelyn), and viola (Noriko) together with much “allegro” as Malcolm Arnold’s piece for these three instruments was performed. Those of us in the audience who are in Joseph Lee’s beginning adult chamber group gasped a collective “wow” as we wondered if any of our fingers would ever move as fast (or as accurately) as those of Hunter, Evelyn, and Noriko. We also laughed repeatedly at Hunter’s humorous portrayal (somewhat fabricated and embellished as he remarked later) of Noriko’s early musical life in Japan. Perhaps it is true (or perhaps not) that her parents required her to master a single-stringed instrument before being allowed to graduate to the four strings of the violin and viola, though some of us thought privately afterwards that she probably wanted to play taiko drums or the six-foot long, thirteen stringed koto and the viola/violin combination seemed like a good compromise to her parents. I wondered if, in anticipation of eventually moving to the South, she has secretly gained expertise on the shamisen, the three-stringed Japanese folk instrument which looks (and sounds a bit) like the banjo.

Yes, to borrow Mozart’s familiar title, tonight’s chamber music concert was “a little night music” with friends—a great way to unwind and at the same time to be inspired. Allow me to say, in the spirit of the evening, both “thanks, y’all” and “domo arigato gozaimasu” to Noriko, Joseph, Nicki, Evelyn, Katherine, and Hunter for sharing your musical gifts and for the pleasure of your conversation and company. Thanks, also, to Reverend Doctor Elenor (Andy) Anderson and the clergy and staff of the Church of the Nativity for their hospitality and their support of chamber music programs in the city. As I left the church last night, I paused to look back from the nave toward the chancel. How many such nights of fellowship and music have been hosted in the 160 years of this church’s life, I wondered—how many reverberations of musical notes mingled with the cares, concerns, and celebrations of those present? A little night music is good for the soul.

Postlude:

Closing haiku verses to honor the chamber music on Friday night offered in the spirit of that Zen master at the Kyoto temple who stuck his head through an old TV screen frame and said in perfect English, “See, who said enlightenment couldn’t come through television?”

I:
Noriko, one string?
Church of the Nativity
Friends play, talk, laugh - more?

II:
Noriko, one string?
now violin, viola
Shamisen, Banjo?

Ok—I know—just because the verses above are approximately in the haiku syllable template of 5-7-5, it doesn’t necessarily qualify as “good” haiku. However, if you can tell that I had a wonderful time Friday evening listening to chamber music with friends at the Church of the Nativity, the seventeen syllables in each verse have served their purpose.

Last evening, Faith Presbyterian Church was filled to capacity with friends and family of Tom Mitchell, who passed away on Friday, February 22. Preceded by a one-hour visitation, the joyous service included congregational singing, readings and inspirational remembrances of Tom. The music included a prelude by brass quintet, and works for trombone quartet, performed by Prentiss Hobbs, David Loucky, Dan Drill and Harry Watters. Katherine Newman and I were honored to play flute and harp duets at the reception following.

This morning, I received a note from violist Sophia Burwell, herself a veteran HSO musician.

We’ll miss Tom. As another Alabama grad, I always checked with Tom on the progress of our favorite football team. He was so excited and honored to conduct the Million Dollar Band in the National Anthem at the Tennessee game. Tom was one of HSO mainstays through the years.

If you’d like to contribute a remembrance of Tom to this blog, please write to me directly. My address is evelyn “at” hso.org.

—Evelyn Loehrlein

The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra lost a longtime faithful musician, and the community lost a dear friend when second trombonist Tom Mitchell passed away on Friday afternoon.

A member of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra for over twenty-five years, Tom’s enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism inspired his colleagues. He constantly reminded us that being a musician is a gift—and that our orchestra is a treasure.

Visitation is on Tuesday, February 26, at 6:00 p.m., followed by funeral services at 7:00 p.m. at Faith Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Airport Road and Whitesburg Drive.

Here is the cover of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra’s 2007-2008 Program Book. This is simply a scan of a page from Carlos Miguel Prieto’s score of Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Scott Panciera, our designer, did not add color or any other markings—this is how Carlos actually marks his scores. Scott is president of Panciera Design. For a laugh, don’t miss their homepage.

Our program book is featured on their site here.

This morning, I received an email from a friend and staunch HSO supporter. He tells a humorous and rewarding story of his fifteen-year-old nephew’s brush with the unintended cruelty of teen-age peers, and how the young man identified with Carlos’s unique method of marking his scores, as shown in the 07-08 program book.

As the scene opens, the all day rehearsal of a state-wide honor band is taking a quick five minute break from intense playing this week-end. As the young musicians stretch and shuffle around music stands and say “hello,” the #1 chair French Horn player turns sweetly to the #3 clarinet chair (my nephew). Her pleasant face smiles—then suddenly grimaces and she laughs derisively and points to his score, saying, “You mark on your music???—You mark on your music???—You’re not supposed to do that!!! Hey (turning to French Horns #2 and #3)—look at this—he’s marked up his music!” Apparently, according to my nephew, this goes on for some time and at several points during the day. He reports that he said “Well, I mark up my music because that’s what helps me—you can do what you want—I do what I need to do—I mark everything.” As he recounted this story to me in great detail, he seemed more than a little hurt and angry. Probably there was an element of attraction or interest in the French horn player, probably thought of “I was doing right and here is someone who is supposed to know who is telling me I am not only wrong but stupid,” probably the teen-age hormones and sensitivity were close to the surface in a very competitive environment—probably a lot of things. “Aha,” I said, “before you decide not to mark your music—before you give up the clarinet because some cute French horn player indicated to her friends that you were a clod—allow me to share a symphony program with you”… you guessed it…when I showed him the HSO program with Carlos’s marked-up score on the front, his face completely changed. He quickly read how Carlos marks his score and I could hear him saying, “yes—me, too—tempo, dynamics. key signatures, sharps, flats, key phrases—wow—Carlos does it too!!! Hurrah!”

So, thanks to everyone at the HSO for choosing that theme for the program, and thank you, Carlos, not only for sharing your musical creativity but also for helping a fifteen-year-old musician feel not so stupid.

I’ll be posting the cover art and the explanation pages soon.

I learned early on about the planet inhabited by Ralph Vaughan Williams. While in high school I played a concert consisting of two settings of the Magnificat. The first was J. S. Bach’s and the second was by Vaughan Williams. It was my first time to hear or play either piece.

The Bach was unbuttoned jubilation, all chirp and cheer. With shining brass, scurrying strings and a full choir singing forte, you might have thought the Virgin Mary had bought a page in the New York Times as soon as Gabriel departed.

Then came the Vaughan Williams—dark, muted strings and soft winds adrift in a sea of harmonic and rhythmic ambiguity. No twittering trumpets here. No men’s voices, either, only women. The contrast could not have been more striking.

One can appreciate the energy and devotion of Bach, but for a glimpse into the startling and otherworldly experience of a young Jewish girl, the Englishman wins hands down. Vaughan Williams ushers us into in this realm again in such pieces as Five Mystical Songs, Flos Compi, Toward the Unknown Region, Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, and the Tallis Fantasia. I love this music, and I find it interesting to ponder that for all the profound spiritual intensity of these pieces, Vaughan Williams was essentially agnostic. This is especially meaningful to me as no fewer than three of Vaughan Williams’s hymn tunes will be sung at my funeral.

“The Lark Ascending” is usually not identified with the mystical side of Vaughan Williams, rather it’s a prime example of the English folk-song school. It’s this style that was also exemplified by the music of Arnold Bax, Frederick Delius, and the lamented George Butterworth, killed in the First World War. In addition to smaller pieces such as “In the Fen Country”, “Fantasia on Greensleeves”, and the “Norfolk Rhapsody”, Vaughan Williams used this style in large pieces, too, such as the Fifth Symphony—which was so unrelentingly bucolic as to cause Aaron Copland to opine that hearing it was like “staring at a cow for forty-five minutes.”

So, next weekend, I hope the fifteen minutes we spend with a serene lark will not induce a fit of boredom to rival Copland’s. For me, there are few moments in music as magical as the very opening of this piece, and I hope I succeed in drawing the audience immediately into the wonderful world created by this English master.

Up next is a very special event, the second in our Mainly Mozart series. Each season, Concertmaster Mark Reneau puts together a unique concert that features music for chamber orchestra performed in an intimate setting.

This Saturday, November 10, 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Nativity, Mark will lead performances of a Mozart divertimento and Haydn’s popular “Military Symphony.” He will be the soloist in “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This ethereal work has always been very special to Mark, and he will contribute some commentary about it to this blog soon.

Mark will have a conversation about the concert with Ginny Kennedy on 89.3 FM Public Radio, WLRH this Friday at 10:00 a.m. You’ll enjoy their great rapport, so tune in. You can also listen on line by clicking here.

Also, on Friday, in response to listener demand, WLRH will rebroadcast the HSO’s spectacular performance of Beethoven Ninth Symphony, beginning at 12:05 p.m. We are very grateful to everyone at WLRH for their incredible support of the HSO and North Alabama’s arts community!

I had lunch the other day with Loni Cleve of WHNT, and she admonished me for neglecting our blog!

On September 15, I premiered Christopher’s wonderful flute concerto. What a fabulous night that was! There was no rest for the weary though, with three more concerts coming up over the next four weeks.

We opened the Pops series on October 6 with Classical Mystery Tour, the nation’s best Beatles tribute band performing with live orchestra. I’ve never seen a symphony audience so ecstatic and rowdy. What fun!

The following Wednesday, the Prieto Quartet performed for an appreciative audience that filled the sanctuary of Nativity, and on Saturday, October 13, Carlos’s father played two concerti with the HSO on a program that included Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6.

The orchestra achieved a new level of excellence with Tchaikovsky’s intensely personal masterpiece. Carlos never ran out of things to say in rehearsal as he continued to uncover layer after layer of emotional expression. I had tears in my eyes during the fourth movement.