by Rebekah Phillips, CMNW staff
If you're new to our blog, you may not have noticed that in addition to our posts by guest bloggers, we've also gathered links to Protégé Project press in the right-hand column. Articles are posted in chronological order, with the most recent at the top.
Be sure to read Barry Johnson's latest blog post, "Chamber Music Northwest goes clubbing," in which he goes behind the scenes of the Protégé Project to create a detailed synopsis of the program overall. With interviews with David Shifrin, tons of background information, artists' perspectives, plus observations of the Protégés in rehearsal, coaching and performance, Barry's piece is thorough and complete, and should clear up remaining audience uncertainties about the nature of this new program.
As always, we invite you to comment on all our blog posts, and hope to see you this Sunday, 7/11, at the Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th) for the Sospiro Winds at 5. And if you missed last night's concert of Protégés alongside Jennifer Frautschi, Philip Setzer, Paul Neubauer, Anna Polonksy, Fred Sherry and other festival veterans, I recommend you RUN, not walk, to the Gerding for tonight's repeat performance! Because if you saw it, you're probably beginning to understand how "CMNW Protégé" is really just another term for "chamber music rock star."
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
CMNW's Protégé Project: one artist's experience
by Hyeyeon Park, Atria Ensemble
"Come Celebrate the Fourth of July with the Atria Ensemble!"
How wonderful it is to celebrate the Fourth of July with all the works written by American composers!
We were so excited to see our group's name written on the bulletin board outside The Woods that we even took a picture of it! How remarkable and wonderfully strange the venue and setting was: a hall which used to be a funeral house now turned into a bar. Some might have thought, “What kind of classical concert was that?!” Yet somehow the reduced space magically became a perfect fit for a beautiful nine-foot concert piano, a professional recording engineer doubling as stage crew, the best page-turner ever (thank you, Elizabeth!), and, most importantly, the numerous and passionate audience, full of anticipation. Our pre-concert worries had been gently lifted during the sound check, when the recording engineer assured us that the balance between the violin, clarinet and piano—always a tricky combination—was superb. With a sigh of relief, we realized we couldn't ask for more!
We began the concert by briefly talking about both ourselves and the first piece—you would be surprised how this little bit of communication makes us feel both closer to the audience and more at ease with the music. Romie's humorous remark was a true icebreaker: “Did you ever expect to be celebrating Independence Day with two Korean girls and a Canadian girl?" After this we let the music speak for itself: after all, music is a truly international language and, no matter where a person is from, one can always identify with the values of the American Soul, which are embedded in these American composers' masterpieces.
Libby Larsen's Slang was a perfect concert opener—its bits and pieces of Americana (wittily pastiched by the composer) range from Boogie Woogie to Hard Funk, and are a true crowd pleaser. The second piece we performed was the Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano by Paul Schoenfield, a piece commissioned by CMNW artistic director David Shifrin himself. A beautiful example of Klezmer music on classical stage, the work demanded every bit of Jewishness that we could muster. All three parts are full of individual technical difficulties, yet the greatest challenge for us was to fit them all together. We spent most of our rehearsal time on this piece to portray the free-flowing natural patterns of Jewish folk improvisational character throughout the movements—the humorous and brilliant first movement; the slow, grotesque march; the lamenting third movement; and the complex and exuberant final movement.
After the intensely programmed first half and intermission (when many of the audience members enjoyed the grilled sausage and we enjoyed an obligatory respite), we needed to cool off the heat a bit. A work conveying a meditative mood, spiced up with clashing dissonances, would be ideal to open the second half. The answer was Largo, by American music pioneer, Charles Ives. After the Ives, our trio held a brief Q&A, when we truly felt the connection and communication with the audience. William Bolcom's Afternoon Cakewalk, six movements in Ragtime, was the last piece we prepared. While performing, we saw a few audience members humming and dancing along with our music and we joined them in cheering for the Independence Day—what a great feeling!
The audience seemed to have enjoyed the performance, as many people approached us to show their appreciation and enthusiasm. What else does a musician need?
Just one last remark—Sunmi’s answer to the question posed by Ronni Lacroute, who supported the festival’s Protégé Project: How does it feel to play in a bar setting, not in the traditional concert hall? WE LOVE IT!
"Come Celebrate the Fourth of July with the Atria Ensemble!"
How wonderful it is to celebrate the Fourth of July with all the works written by American composers!
We were so excited to see our group's name written on the bulletin board outside The Woods that we even took a picture of it! How remarkable and wonderfully strange the venue and setting was: a hall which used to be a funeral house now turned into a bar. Some might have thought, “What kind of classical concert was that?!” Yet somehow the reduced space magically became a perfect fit for a beautiful nine-foot concert piano, a professional recording engineer doubling as stage crew, the best page-turner ever (thank you, Elizabeth!), and, most importantly, the numerous and passionate audience, full of anticipation. Our pre-concert worries had been gently lifted during the sound check, when the recording engineer assured us that the balance between the violin, clarinet and piano—always a tricky combination—was superb. With a sigh of relief, we realized we couldn't ask for more!
We began the concert by briefly talking about both ourselves and the first piece—you would be surprised how this little bit of communication makes us feel both closer to the audience and more at ease with the music. Romie's humorous remark was a true icebreaker: “Did you ever expect to be celebrating Independence Day with two Korean girls and a Canadian girl?" After this we let the music speak for itself: after all, music is a truly international language and, no matter where a person is from, one can always identify with the values of the American Soul, which are embedded in these American composers' masterpieces.
Libby Larsen's Slang was a perfect concert opener—its bits and pieces of Americana (wittily pastiched by the composer) range from Boogie Woogie to Hard Funk, and are a true crowd pleaser. The second piece we performed was the Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano by Paul Schoenfield, a piece commissioned by CMNW artistic director David Shifrin himself. A beautiful example of Klezmer music on classical stage, the work demanded every bit of Jewishness that we could muster. All three parts are full of individual technical difficulties, yet the greatest challenge for us was to fit them all together. We spent most of our rehearsal time on this piece to portray the free-flowing natural patterns of Jewish folk improvisational character throughout the movements—the humorous and brilliant first movement; the slow, grotesque march; the lamenting third movement; and the complex and exuberant final movement.
After the intensely programmed first half and intermission (when many of the audience members enjoyed the grilled sausage and we enjoyed an obligatory respite), we needed to cool off the heat a bit. A work conveying a meditative mood, spiced up with clashing dissonances, would be ideal to open the second half. The answer was Largo, by American music pioneer, Charles Ives. After the Ives, our trio held a brief Q&A, when we truly felt the connection and communication with the audience. William Bolcom's Afternoon Cakewalk, six movements in Ragtime, was the last piece we prepared. While performing, we saw a few audience members humming and dancing along with our music and we joined them in cheering for the Independence Day—what a great feeling!
The audience seemed to have enjoyed the performance, as many people approached us to show their appreciation and enthusiasm. What else does a musician need?
Just one last remark—Sunmi’s answer to the question posed by Ronni Lacroute, who supported the festival’s Protégé Project: How does it feel to play in a bar setting, not in the traditional concert hall? WE LOVE IT!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Mississippi Studios—I'd heard of that.
by CMNW guest blogger Madelyn Villano
Mississippi Studios—I'd heard of that. Having gone to as many shows in PDX as I could as a minor (which is not too many—but enough to familiarize myself with the scene around town), I'd heard you could catch good ones there, quality ones. How much would my experience that first Sunday differ from those other shows I'd been to, I wondered, being that the Jasper String Quartet was performing? Being the first Protégé performance of the festival? The evaluation, as it should have, started before I'd walked through the door.
It seemed a cool area to chill in, Mississippi Avenue. Local, fresh, a newer, progressive part of Portland, and one I'd been meaning to explore more of, since I'm usually confined as a music student at Reed to more South-Easterly parts of Portland. Branded a minor by a blue astronaut, my stamp granted access to the balcony. The rest (21+) got a guitar—black, electric—and, as per usual, were let in below. On the performance docket was Haydn, Weber, and Schumann. The space, tall and dreamily lit, revealed the stage, just big enough for the four members—J Freivogel (1st violin), Sae Niwa, (2nd violin), Rachel Henderson Freivogel (cello) and Sam Quintal (viola).
They started with the Haydn String Quartet No. 66 in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1 ("Lobkowitz"). The smallness of the space complimented the quartet's precise and controlled delicacies, making them crisp and potent. The fluctuations of their facial expressions were clear and matched those of their bodies and of the music. Such closeness exposed the guts of their communication: synced with mechanical precision but rendered with piercing emotional sensitivity, with the swells, growths, dissonances, and resolutions of the piece woven tightly into the performance. It all enhanced, even the most sparse and soft parts, as an amplified intimacy.
Then, a change of pace, and a more direct taking-advantage of that intimacy, with the Webern. They played the first three of the Five Movements for String Quartet, with an active demonstration of Sonata Form, and a brief introduction to 12 tone music and the applicability of old structure to newer harmonic ideas. I appreciated this education very much, as it aimed to broaden the listening capacities of CMNW's audience, who, if not immediately captured by its sound, could at least not help but be rapt by the performative elements of the piece—its rhythms are varied, difficult to predict, and exciting to watch. I could feel everyone in the room stretch their ears to listen against what J called our cultural "inundation of tonality," and seek the development and recapitulation. Important to a listener's experience is a knowledge or effort to understand how a piece was written, I firmly believe, and the efforts made to help us understand the Webern appropriately commanded such active thinking that I could feel horizons broadening around me. I loved to bask in the piece's eeriness, and to feel the sounds dart from performer to performer.
Our involvement was further punctuated by a Q & A session, revealing, among other things, when each artist began to play (from left to right, 2, 3, 4, and 6 years of age). And after a short intermission came Schumann's String Quartet in A Major, Op. 41 No. 5, rounding out the concert in lovely proportion.
In all, the experience was progressive, bringing classical music and making it accessible to Portland in a way it knows best—harmonizing, quite literally, the causal accessibility of Mississippi Studios (and soon the Woods and Someday Lounge) with classical music; pumping it deeper through the musical veins of Portland.
Mississippi Studios—I'd heard of that. Having gone to as many shows in PDX as I could as a minor (which is not too many—but enough to familiarize myself with the scene around town), I'd heard you could catch good ones there, quality ones. How much would my experience that first Sunday differ from those other shows I'd been to, I wondered, being that the Jasper String Quartet was performing? Being the first Protégé performance of the festival? The evaluation, as it should have, started before I'd walked through the door.
It seemed a cool area to chill in, Mississippi Avenue. Local, fresh, a newer, progressive part of Portland, and one I'd been meaning to explore more of, since I'm usually confined as a music student at Reed to more South-Easterly parts of Portland. Branded a minor by a blue astronaut, my stamp granted access to the balcony. The rest (21+) got a guitar—black, electric—and, as per usual, were let in below. On the performance docket was Haydn, Weber, and Schumann. The space, tall and dreamily lit, revealed the stage, just big enough for the four members—J Freivogel (1st violin), Sae Niwa, (2nd violin), Rachel Henderson Freivogel (cello) and Sam Quintal (viola).
They started with the Haydn String Quartet No. 66 in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1 ("Lobkowitz"). The smallness of the space complimented the quartet's precise and controlled delicacies, making them crisp and potent. The fluctuations of their facial expressions were clear and matched those of their bodies and of the music. Such closeness exposed the guts of their communication: synced with mechanical precision but rendered with piercing emotional sensitivity, with the swells, growths, dissonances, and resolutions of the piece woven tightly into the performance. It all enhanced, even the most sparse and soft parts, as an amplified intimacy.
Then, a change of pace, and a more direct taking-advantage of that intimacy, with the Webern. They played the first three of the Five Movements for String Quartet, with an active demonstration of Sonata Form, and a brief introduction to 12 tone music and the applicability of old structure to newer harmonic ideas. I appreciated this education very much, as it aimed to broaden the listening capacities of CMNW's audience, who, if not immediately captured by its sound, could at least not help but be rapt by the performative elements of the piece—its rhythms are varied, difficult to predict, and exciting to watch. I could feel everyone in the room stretch their ears to listen against what J called our cultural "inundation of tonality," and seek the development and recapitulation. Important to a listener's experience is a knowledge or effort to understand how a piece was written, I firmly believe, and the efforts made to help us understand the Webern appropriately commanded such active thinking that I could feel horizons broadening around me. I loved to bask in the piece's eeriness, and to feel the sounds dart from performer to performer.
Our involvement was further punctuated by a Q & A session, revealing, among other things, when each artist began to play (from left to right, 2, 3, 4, and 6 years of age). And after a short intermission came Schumann's String Quartet in A Major, Op. 41 No. 5, rounding out the concert in lovely proportion.
In all, the experience was progressive, bringing classical music and making it accessible to Portland in a way it knows best—harmonizing, quite literally, the causal accessibility of Mississippi Studios (and soon the Woods and Someday Lounge) with classical music; pumping it deeper through the musical veins of Portland.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
CMNW's first Protégé Project concert
by CMNW guest blogger Becky Anderson
I don’t believe I’ve ever had my right hand stamped to show I’m under 21 at a classical music concert, but I guess there’s a first time for everything! And the CMNW Jasper Quartet concert at Mississippi studios on Sunday was definitely a break from the strictly formal setting in which classical music is often performed. With posters of various bands lining the stairway up to the small balcony, wooden guitar cutouts hanging from the walls, and drinks available at the bar downstairs (for those of us without hand stamps), the venue was so different from the typical CMNW venues of Kaul Auditorium and Catlin Gabel that I was rather curious and honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
The Jasper quartet prepared a varied program including Haydn, Webern, and Schumann. The performance was very interactive with the audience, and all four members of the quartet were very personable and engaging when introducing themselves and talking about the music they were playing. This connection with the audience was especially evident in the Webern “Five Movements for String Quartet.” After performing one of the short movements of the piece and playing a guessing game of “name that composer” (during which one enthusiastic audience member shouted “Zappa!!”), the quartet proceeded to explain the concept of Serialism in Webern’s music (using all twelve notes of the Western music scale absolutely equally without tonal emphasis), how he used Sonata form in a particular movement the same way that Haydn used the form in the previous piece they played, and personally why they were attracted to Webern’s music. The quartet seemed encouraged (and I was excited) when most of the audience members raised their hands in response to the question, “did you enjoy the Webern more after hearing it a second time?” The audience members were encouraged by the quartet members not to think of this particular music in terms of “I like it” or “I don’t like it,” but simply to experience it as it is. Webern’s music is often (and unfortunately) considered intellectually fascinating but not terribly pleasant to listen to, so it was encouraging to see a connection being built not just between the Jasper quartet and the audience, but also between a particular kind of classical music (which is considered by many as bizarre at best) and the audience. The quartet opened the floor to a question-and-answer session before closing the first half.
The second half of the concert had more musical continuity without as much verbal interaction with the audience, as the quartet played through the entire Schumann A Major quartet without interruption between the movements. The enthusiastic applause at the end of the concert showed that audience members seemed to enjoy the performance as much as I did. I’m looking forward to the rest of the Sunday series!
I don’t believe I’ve ever had my right hand stamped to show I’m under 21 at a classical music concert, but I guess there’s a first time for everything! And the CMNW Jasper Quartet concert at Mississippi studios on Sunday was definitely a break from the strictly formal setting in which classical music is often performed. With posters of various bands lining the stairway up to the small balcony, wooden guitar cutouts hanging from the walls, and drinks available at the bar downstairs (for those of us without hand stamps), the venue was so different from the typical CMNW venues of Kaul Auditorium and Catlin Gabel that I was rather curious and honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
The Jasper quartet prepared a varied program including Haydn, Webern, and Schumann. The performance was very interactive with the audience, and all four members of the quartet were very personable and engaging when introducing themselves and talking about the music they were playing. This connection with the audience was especially evident in the Webern “Five Movements for String Quartet.” After performing one of the short movements of the piece and playing a guessing game of “name that composer” (during which one enthusiastic audience member shouted “Zappa!!”), the quartet proceeded to explain the concept of Serialism in Webern’s music (using all twelve notes of the Western music scale absolutely equally without tonal emphasis), how he used Sonata form in a particular movement the same way that Haydn used the form in the previous piece they played, and personally why they were attracted to Webern’s music. The quartet seemed encouraged (and I was excited) when most of the audience members raised their hands in response to the question, “did you enjoy the Webern more after hearing it a second time?” The audience members were encouraged by the quartet members not to think of this particular music in terms of “I like it” or “I don’t like it,” but simply to experience it as it is. Webern’s music is often (and unfortunately) considered intellectually fascinating but not terribly pleasant to listen to, so it was encouraging to see a connection being built not just between the Jasper quartet and the audience, but also between a particular kind of classical music (which is considered by many as bizarre at best) and the audience. The quartet opened the floor to a question-and-answer session before closing the first half.
The second half of the concert had more musical continuity without as much verbal interaction with the audience, as the quartet played through the entire Schumann A Major quartet without interruption between the movements. The enthusiastic applause at the end of the concert showed that audience members seemed to enjoy the performance as much as I did. I’m looking forward to the rest of the Sunday series!
Monday, June 7, 2010
June 4-5 "Clarinet Kaleidoscope" program
Upon request, the program information from David Shifrin's June 4 - 5 recitals:
MOZART "Voi che sapete," from Marriage of Figaro
MOZART Polonaise from Divertimento No. 5
MOZART Menuetto from Divertimento No. 1
MOZART "Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso," from Marriage of Figaro
David Shifrin, David Hattner, Keith Buncke
DEBUSSY Premiere Rhapsodie
GOODMAN "A Smooth One"
GOODMAN "Rachel's Dream"
KOVACS Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman!
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
[INTERMISSION]
TRAD. "Midnight on the Water"
BACH Aria from Cantata No. 156
LENNON/McCARTNEY "Hey Jude"
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
VERDI Sempre libera, from La Traviata
PUCCINI E lucevan le stelle, from Tosca
ROSSINI Una voce poco fa, from Barber of Seville
David Shifrin, David Hattner, Keith Buncke
ROSSINI Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Piano
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
ENCORE:
JOSEPH LAMB "Frog Legs Rag" (arr. William Bolcom)
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
MOZART "Voi che sapete," from Marriage of Figaro
MOZART Polonaise from Divertimento No. 5
MOZART Menuetto from Divertimento No. 1
MOZART "Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso," from Marriage of Figaro
David Shifrin, David Hattner, Keith Buncke
DEBUSSY Premiere Rhapsodie
GOODMAN "A Smooth One"
GOODMAN "Rachel's Dream"
KOVACS Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman!
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
[INTERMISSION]
TRAD. "Midnight on the Water"
BACH Aria from Cantata No. 156
LENNON/McCARTNEY "Hey Jude"
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
VERDI Sempre libera, from La Traviata
PUCCINI E lucevan le stelle, from Tosca
ROSSINI Una voce poco fa, from Barber of Seville
David Shifrin, David Hattner, Keith Buncke
ROSSINI Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Piano
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
ENCORE:
JOSEPH LAMB "Frog Legs Rag" (arr. William Bolcom)
David Shifrin, Elizabeth Harcombe
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