2010 Winter Arts Preview: A Classic(al) Beauty
A piano legend, a genre-bending electric violinist and an Aesop's fable lead a strong winter slate of classical offerings
by Russell Johnston
As the holidays fade out of sight in the rearview mirror, it's that special time of the year when the retail economy embarks on its traditional winter nosedive, consumers reel from credit card statements and advertisers run for the hills. But there's no post-holiday lull in classical music, which follows a rhythm much like the academic world. Herewith are a few highlights from the Nashville classical scene's second semester, if you will, a varied and intriguing calendar to keep your passions burning in the chilly winter air.
The legendary Leon Fleisher, an 81-year-old pianist, conductor and teacher whose compelling story was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated 2006 documentary Two Hands, makes several appearances at the Blair School of Music in February. A child prodigy, Fleisher made his public debut at age 8, and at 16 performed with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Monteux, who called the young virtuoso "the pianistic find of the century." After a string of highly regarded recordings in the 1950s and '60s, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand due to focal dystonia, a neurological condition. Despite obvious limitations on his repertoire, Fleisher continued to perform as a one-handed pianist until the mid-1990s, when experimental therapies enabled his return to two-handed playing.
Fleisher's Feb. 6 recital will include both solos and duets with his wife, Katherine Jacobson Fleisher. He will also conduct and perform a Mozart concerto with the Vanderbilt Orchestra on Feb. 7, and join the Blair String Quartet for an open rehearsal of Brahms' Piano Quintet on Feb. 9. All performances are at Ingram Hall. (On Jan. 17 at 4 p.m., as a prelude to Fleisher's visit, Blair will screen Two Hands at Turner Recital Hall. Visit www.vanderbilt.edu/Blair/calevents for more details on all of the events.)
On Feb. 11 at Turner Recital Hall, the always eclectic Alias Chamber Ensemble continues its Emerging Voices series, which highlights the work of women composers past and present, with a varied program spanning four centuries. Two pieces feature baroque instruments: the 1690 motet Cari Musici by Benedictine nun Bianca Maria Meda, and Belinda Reynolds' 2006 work Envision, scored for baroque string quartet. California-based composer/performer Deborah Kavasch joins the group to sing The Fox and the Grapes, one of her several Aesop's Fables settings for voice and instruments. Male composers are not unrepresented, though, as string quartets from Anton Arensky and Peter Schickele round out the program. Arensky was a friend of Tchaikovsky and taught harmony to such distinguished students as Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. His 1895 quartet uses two cellos instead of two violins, making it an apt choice for Alias' cellist-rich roster. Though Schickele is widely known for his character P.D.Q. Bach, his 1983 American Dreams is not comedic work but a lyrical and folk-inspired piece somewhat in the manner of Schickele's mentor Roy Harris. All proceeds benefit local charities.
It's tough to choose just one Nashville Symphony concert to highlight this winter — we'll hear works ranging from Bach's B-Minor Mass to recent music by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, and the slate of distinguished guest conductors includes Sir Neville Marriner. But if you're looking to expand your horizons, the March 18-20 program at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, titled "Brahms and 'Big Sur' " and featuring Nashville-based electric violinist Tracy Silverman, offers some unfamiliar sounds alongside meat and potatoes from the standard repertoire. Silverman has an impressive and varied résumé: The former first violinist for the Turtle String Quartet has worked with artists ranging from Linda Ronstadt and Big and Rich to Daniel Bernard Roumain and Zakir Hussain. Composer John Adams tailored his Kerouac-inspired The Dharma at Big Sur to Silverman's unique technique, using electronics and the violin's flexible intonation as well as custom-tuned harps and pianos to explore expressive possibilities "between" the standard 12 tones of Western music. The work's dedication to composers Lou Harrison and Terry Riley reflects Adams' roots in minimalism and his interest in non-Western musical traditions. Guest conductor Carlos Kalmar will also lead "Four Dances" from Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera's 1941 ballet Estancia, and Brahms' reliable but always fresh Symphony No. 3.
Other highlights:
• Jan. 21-23: Nashville Symphony with guest conductor Krzysztof Penderecki at the Schermerhorn
Acclaimed Polish composer Penderecki leads two of his own works and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6. (Look for more details in next week's issue.)
• Jan. 24, 4 p.m.: Violinist Christian Teal with pianist Jennifer McGuire at Turner Recital Hall
Music of Beethoven, Bartók and Saint-Saëns, and the premiere of a work by Blair faculty member Joshua McGuire.
• Jan. 29, 8 p.m.: Soprano Amy Jarman and Baritone Jonathan Retzlaff at Ingram Hall
Highlights from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, fully costumed and staged.
• Feb. 9, 5:30 p.m.: Music City Baroque at the Schermerhorn
Conversation and music from Nashville's "authentic instrument" Baroque ensemble in an informal early evening performance with intimate onstage seating.
• Feb. 19, 8 p.m.: Blair Commissions Series, soprano Susan Botti with The Blakemore Trio
World premiere of Botti's Gates of Silence, commissioned by the Blair School of Music. Pre-concert discussion at 7:15.
• March 4-6: Nashville Symphony with Chorus and guest conductor Helmuth Rilling at the Schermerhorn
Bach's monumental Mass in B-Minor.
Comments (0)