The Voice and Musicianship of Harpo Marx

Cover of the album being discussed (from its Amazon.com Web page)

Harpo Speaks! The Riverside Symphony Concert is the “only official voice recording” of Harpo Marx. Unless I am mistaken, every Marx Brothers movie included an episode in which Harpo gave a solo harp performance; and the closest he ever came to verbal communication amounted to honking a bicycle horn. The concert recorded on this album took place six months prior to his death in 1964.

The vocal side of his performance was the narration for Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 67, “Peter and the Wolf,” given the subtitle “A Symphonic Tale for Children.” I have lost count of the number of narrators that have contributed to recordings of this composition; but I know that my own first encounter was with Basil Rathbone, who knew just the right way to endow each episode of the story with the right disposition. Nevertheless, since Harpo expressed himself only through mime and music in all of those Marx Brothers movies, this concert album is definitely “one for the books!” He also collaborated with his brother Groucho for their own unique account of the narration.

The program began with a performance of the “Toy Symphony,” which was originally attributed to Joseph Haydn but, according to more recent musicological research, was probably composed by Haydn’s younger brother, Michael. This was followed by a few popular and traditional songs (concluding with Stephen Foster), after which Harpo added one of his own compositions, “Guardian Angels.” Taken as a whole, the album is an engaging one, providing a welcome opportunity to appreciate Harpo’s musicianship.

I get the impression these days that the Marx Brothers are not as appreciated as they were during the second half of the last century. Personally, for the better part of my life, I could not get enough of them! Since I did not even know about Harpo’s Riverside concert when it took place, I have enjoyed making up for lost time in listening to this new album.

Shenson Spotlight Disappoints Again

Violinist Njioma Grevious (photograph by Jiyang Chen, courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony)

Apparently, Nathan Amaral’s violin recital this past April was the only satisfying performance in the Shenson Spotlight Series this season, presented by the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Symphony Hall. Readers may recall that the significant adjective that I applied to the January and February performances was “dim.” Most of last night’s violin recital by Njioma Grevious settled back into that same spirit, but at least there was one moment when things picked up a bit. This was “Levee Dance,” the second in a set of short character pieces collected by Clarence Cameron White for his Opus 27. It would not surprise me to learn that she came to know this music through the recording Jascha Heifetz made for RCA Victor, since that is the only source I know for the composition!

The program was structured around three “classical pillars.” It began with the Grave movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1003 sonata for unaccompanied violin in A minor and concluded with Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 94a violin sonata in D major, originally composed for flute. The “middle pillar” was Johannes Brahms, with the Scherzo movement he contributed to the “F-A-E Sonata.” Sadly, none of these made a lasting impression, as was the case with the most recent work on the program, “Within the drifting contours of the land…,” composed by Electra Perivolaris explicitly for Grevious.

Ultimately, the only really satisfying offering came in the middle of the program. This was the “Theme and Variations” that Olivier Messiaen composed in 1932. He wrote this for the violinist Claire Delbos around the time that he married her! Grevious knew exactly how the deliver the theme in such a way that an attentive listener could appreciate its transformation into the following five variations. That attentiveness surfaced only one more time, which was in the Scherzo movement of the Prokofiev sonata.

Grevious’ accompanist at the piano was Andrew Goodridge, making his first appearance in Davies Symphony Hall. He is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. If he enjoyed his trip to San Francisco, it might be nice to see more of him in more conducive circumstances.

Duo Gazzana’s Eastern European Album

 Cover of the album being discussed (from its Amazon.com Web page)

The latest ECM New Series album of performances by Duo Gazzana will be released this coming Friday. Most of the music consists of two multi-movement compositions by Sergei Prokofiev: his first sonata for violin and piano (Opus 80 in F minor) and the Opus 35a collection, Five Melodies. Each of these is followed by a more recent work. Arvo Pärt’s “Spiegel im Spiegel” provides the “punctuation mark” for the sonata, and the album concludes with Alfred Schnittke’s “Gratulationsrondo.” Unless I am mistaken, my last encounter with the former took place almost exactly two years ago, at the beginning of April of 2024, when Yo-Yo Ma included “Spiegel im Spiegel” in his recital in Davies Symphony Hall. The Schnittke selection, on the other hand, was probably a “first contact” experience.

Having now had enough opportunities to listen to Duo Gazzana ECM albums, I always tend to be interested in what they will do next. While my enthusiasm Prokofiev is usually muted, I tend to look forward to opportunities to listen to previously unknown music. In this case I was particularly drawn to the rhetorical diversity across the four movements of the Opus 80 sonata. I am hoping that I shall have an opportunity to listen to this music in recital in the not-too-distant future.

Where Schnittke is concerned, I am always looking forward to his tongue-in-cheek rhetoric. The title of his selection suggests music that was composed for the interest of teachers more than students! He wrote this piece in the year after he had composed the tongue-in-cheek Suite in the Old Style. That rhetoric can also be found in “Gratulationsrondo;” but the edges are not quite as sharp! It is a bit long to make for an engaging encore selection, but it definitely has the makings of a definitive punctuation mark.

Winds Rule in SFS Chamber Music Program

Yuhsin Galaxy Su with her clarinet (from her Meet the Musicians Web page)

With the exception of the first offering on the program, this afternoon’s chamber music performance in Davies Symphony Hall was devoted to wind instruments with a bias in favor of the clarinet family. Yuhsin Galaxy Su played clarinet in two quintets, both composed in the first half of the twentieth century. The earlier of these was the second work on the program, Carl Nielsen’s “Serenata in vano,” for which she was joined by bassoonist Joshua Elmore, Jesse Clevenger on horn, cellist Anne Richardson, and Daniel G. Smith on bass. This was followed by another quintet, Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 39 in G minor, with the other four performers being James Button on oboe, violinist Florin Parvulescu, Katarzyna Bryla on viola, and bassist Bowen Ha. Su also performed in a trio of basset horns, joined by Matthew Griffith and Jerome Simas in a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K.Anh. 229 divertimento in the key of B-flat major. The program began with a string quartet arrangement of two of the movements from Harry T. Burleigh’s Plantation Melodies Old and New. The quartet members were violinists Kelly Leon-Pearce and John Chisholm, Gina Cooper on viola, and cellist Barbara Bogatin.

As usual, the program was as engaging as it was diverse. The Burleigh arrangement was particularly noticeable in allowing each of the four quartet players to contribute to the theme. In the second of the two movements of An Ante-Bellum Sermon, that theme was “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho,” bringing a new perspective on a familiar spiritual. Particularly engaging, however, was Su’s capacity to address the eighteenth century with as much spirit as the twentieth. Clearly, she could fit into the ensemble of three basset horns as comfortably as a wind quintet.

That said, I found it particularly satisfying that the program concluded with the basset horn trio. Each of the four works on the program took its own unique approach to instrumental sonorities; but, even though it was the earliest work on the program, the Mozart divertimento came across as a real eyebrow-raiser! It made me appreciate that the SFS musicians knew better than to stick with the usual string quartet and wind quintet combinations. Clearly, this series is as adventurous in exploring sonorities as it is in presenting a diverse perspective of chamber music instrumentation.

Yuja Wang Directs Mahler Chamber Orchestra

2022 photograph of Yuja Wang (photography by Norbert Kniat, courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony)

Last night saw the return of Yuja Wang to Davies Symphony Hall. Her many past appearances have presented dynamite performances of an impressively diverse repertoire. Last night she served as Director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, leading from the keyboard for two works: Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 16 (second) piano concerto in the first half and Alexander Tsfasman’s “Suite for Piano and Orchestra (Jazz Suite)” in the second. Between these “bookends” was a performance of Prokofiev’s Opus 25 (“Classical”) symphony in D major, conducted by Concertmaster Matthew Truscott.

Sadly, too much of this evening was too heavy-handed. Even Truscott’s approach to the Opus 25 symphony, which abounds with lighthearted rhetoric, never quite caught the upbeat spirit of this early composition. For her part, Wang approached the keyboard for the Opus 16 concerto as if she were applying a sledge hammer. Mind you, the roaring rhetoric in the ensemble for the first movement of the concerto probably served as an invitation for Wang to find her own ways of roaring.

As might be expected, there were a generous number of encores. Wang began with one of the solo piano pieces from Glass’ Glassworks album. She then moved on to unannounced Chopin with rhetoric that was far too aggressive. Finally, she was joined by percussion and bass accompaniment for selections of Latin music.

Sadly, none of the evening’s selections were particularly memorable.

Joshua Bell Returns to SFS Great Performers

Violinist Joshua Bell (from the Web page for last night’s recital)

Last night violinist Joshua Bell returned to San Francisco as the recitalist in the latest event in the Great Performers Series presented by the San Francisco Symphony. He was accompanied at the piano by Shai Wosner for a program of four violin sonatas, two each from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The composers for the first half of the program were Franz Schubert and Edvard Grieg, and those in the second half were Sergei Prokofiev and Maurice Ravel.

The program got off to an uneven start in which Bell and Wosner seem to have had different approaches to Schubert. Schubert has had a significant role in Wosner’s repertoire, and he has released several Onyx Classics albums of that composer’s piano music. On the other hand, I am not sure that I have had an opportunity to listen to Bell play Schubert previously. Last night I could see why, since Bell never seemed to find the right way to fit himself into Wosner’s account of the D. 574 violin sonata in A major.

Things got better when Bell advanced to the other end of the nineteenth century. He was much more in his element with movements having tempo adjectives such as “appassionato,” “espressivo,” and “animato.” Nevertheless, he overplayed his hand even when Wosner tried to establish a more disciplined frame of reference. On the other hand, Bell consistently found the right approaches to expressiveness in the Prokofiev and Ravel sonatas, and his chemistry with Wosner could not have been better. The evening concluded with an encore performance of “Mélodie,” the last of the three movements in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’us lieu cher (memory of a dear place). In many ways, the brevity of the Tchaikovsky movement came across as more expressive than any of the multi-movement sonatas, making for a “less is better” evening.

Davies Hosts Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival

Once again, the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO), led by Radu Paponiu, hosted the annual Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival in Davies Symphony Hall. They shared the stage with four other Bay Area ensembles:

1. Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra with Music Director Jim Stopher
2. Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra with Music Director Jaco Wong
3. Young People’s Symphony Orchestra with Music Director David Ramadanoff
4. California Youth Symphony with Music Director Leo Eylar

Newscaster Wendy Tokuda served as Master of Ceremonies.

Marin began the program with the overture to Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Nabucco. This could not have been a better opening, putting the full ensemble to good use. Stopher conducted without a score, keeping his full attention focused on all of the performers.

Wong took a smooth segue from Gabriela Lena Frank (the “Pinkillo Serrano” movement from Apu: Tone Poem for Orchestra) to Sergei Prokofiev, his Opus 100 (fifth) symphony in B-flat major. The latter was limited to its last (Allegro giocoso) movement. This involved a fair amount of cello work, which came across as weak. This may have been just as well since there were major problems with the overall balance of the ensemble. Far more confident was the SFSYO approach to Johannes Brahms’ Opus 80, his “Academic Festival” overture with an “encore” of Martin Schmeling’s orchestration of the fifth of the Brahms “Hungarian Dance” compositions.

Antonín Dvořák’s summer residence, where he composed his Opus 88 (photographer not identified, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

The second half of the program began with David Ramadanoff leading the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra in the first movement of Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 88 (eighth) symphony in G major. Sadly, the conductor did not appear to be particularly connected to his score, but the ensemble seemed quite capable of maintaining the necessary inertia. More problematic was Leo Eylar’s approach to Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which never seemed to find the right balance across the composer’s engaging instrumental diversity. The program then concluded with an “all hands on deck” performance of the final movement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 93 (tenth) symphony in E minor.

Since I made my move to the Bay Area, I have tried to keep up with this annual gathering of youth orchestras. I like to think of them as forecasting what to expect in future concert performances. As can be seen from the above account, this year’s forecast was a mixed one. On the other hand, forecasts can only be speculative; so all I can do is wait to see if I ever encounter any of yesterday afternoon’s performers in the future!

Canellakis Links Dvořák, Prokofiev, and Sibelius

I look forward to Karina Canellakis’ visits to the podium of the San Francisco Symphony because she always seems to find imaginative approaches to preparing her programs. Her last visit in April of last year offered a coupling of Richard Strauss with Maurice Ravel, not the sort of “balancing act” one tends to expect! This week the second half of her program consisted entirely of Jean Sibelius’ Opus 22, a composition of four “Legends,” each based on one of the epic poems collected in the Kalevala, a collection of tales from Finnish, Karelian and Ingrian folklore and mythology. The first half began with Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 66, given the title “Scherzo capriccioso.” This “overture” was followed by the concerto selection, Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 26 (third) piano concerto in C major with Alexandre Kantorow as soloist.

Conductor Serge Koussevitzky, during his tenure as conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (from Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright restrictions)

Opus 26 tends to be the most affable of the five Prokofiev piano concertos, which is not to say it shies away from bold strokes. It was completed after his move to the United States and was championed by Serge Koussevitzky, then conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. There are no end of technical demands on the soloist, and Kantorow rose to the challenges of all of them. Prokofiev was clearly as interested in the diversity of instrumental sonorities as he was in the technical keyboard challenges, and Canellakis could not have done a better job in giving all of those sonorities their due. Having established the full scope of his technical capabilities, Kantorow then selected, as his encore, Franz Liszt’s transcription of “Isoldes Liebestod,” the final scene of Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. This probably went down well with those (like myself) that had enjoyed the performance of Parsifal at the San Francisco Opera!

For those acquainted with Dvořák’s music, Opus 66 was probably familiar. Canellakis gave it a vigorous account, giving the evening an energetic start. This was an excellent example of the composer’s capacity for instrumentation at its richest. Canellakis knew how to balance the full breadth of those sonorities every step of the way. Unless I am mistaken, this was my first contact with the music in a concert setting; and there was much more to hear than could be delivered by any recording!

The second half of the program was devoted to Jean Sibelius’ Opus 22 Lemminkäinen Suite, known more accurately as Four Legends from the Kalevala. Lemminkäinen is the heroic character of the Kalevala, a collection of Finnish folklore, myths, and epic poetry. The most familiar of the “legends” is the second movement, “The Swan of Tuonela.” This piece is the envy of English horn players, and Russ de Luna could not have given it a better account, even if the mythic context is a somewhat morbid one. Sadly, this is the only one of the four movements that says its piece in just the right duration of time. The others tend to overstay their welcome. Whether or not this is also the case for the texts that inspired the music will be left as an exercise for the reader!

Poesis Quartet Coming to Noe Music

Poesis Quartet members Max Ball, Drew Dansby, Sarah Ma, and Jasper de Boor (from the ensemble’s Web site)

Next month will see the third program to be presented this season by Noe Music. The performance will be by the Poesis Quartet, whose members are violinists Sarah Ma and Max Ball, Jasper de Boor on viola, and cellist Drew Dansby. The ensemble is currently the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. At the same time they are also studying under the Arie Quartet.

The oldest selection on the program will be Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 92 (second) string quartet in F major; and the most recent will be the result of a new commission by Kevin Lau. The program will also include “Pisachi,” composed by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, inspired by his Chickasaw heritage. The remaining work on the program will be Sky Macklay’s “Many Many Cadences,” which promises to be a witty reflection on past classical conventions.

This performance will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 9. All tickets for reserved seating have been sold. First-come-first-serve general admission tickets are available for $45 with a $15 rate for students. They may be purchased through a Web page on the Noe Music Web site. For those that do not already know, the performance will take place in the Noe Valley Ministry, which is located at 1021 Sanchez Street, just north of 24th Street. Sanchez is two blocks to the west of the trolley stop at 24th and Church Street.

Friction Quartet to Conclude Season Next Week

One week from tomorrow will see the final program of the season to be presented by the Friction Quartet. The program, entitled Folklore, will be curated by Otis Harriel, one of the ensemble’s two violinists. As most readers probably know by now, the other members of this group are the other violinist, Kevin Rogers, Mitso Floor on viola, and cellist Doug Machiz.

The selections on the program were inspired by a variety of sources of folk music. The most “traditional” of the composers will be Sergei Prokofiev, whose second string quartet draws upon indigenous music from the Kabardino-Balkaria republic, currently a federal subject of the Russian Federation. Sarang Kim’s “Two Hearts,” composed on a Friction commission, explores the domain of traditional Korean fiddle music, while the “source” in Jessie Montgomery’s “Source Code” is the rich repertoire of American spirituals. Finally, Floor will put aside his viola to play melodica for Yevgeniy Sharlat’s “RIPEFG.”

The sanctuary of the Noe Valley Ministry, where the Friction Quartet will perform

Once again, this program will begin at 7:30 p.m. one week from tomorrow (Friday), May 23, in the Noe Valley Ministry at 1021 Sanchez Street, just south of 23rd Street; and a Web page has been created for purchasing tickets.

SFS 2025–26: Great Performers Series

The reason for the above scare quotes is that, traditionally, performances in the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) Great Performers Series are limited to a single evening, usually on a weekend so as not to conflict with SFS performances in the Orchestral Series. However, in the coming season there will be one “outlier” that will be given three performances on the weekend before Thanksgiving. As was reported a little over a month ago, the program will begin with the second nonet scored for string orchestra by Olli Mustonen, led by violinist Alexi Kenney. After that, the repertoire will take “a great leap backward.”

Kenney will continue to lead, but he will also be one of the three soloists in Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1050 “Brandenburg” concerto in D major, joined by flutist Yubeen Kim with Jonathan Dimmock at the harpsichord. This will be given three performances at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22. This will be preceded by Kenney’s instrumental arrangement of one of Barbara Strozzi’s earliest madrigals and followed by the much more familiar Four Seasons cycle of concertos by Antonio Vivaldi.

George Balanchine’s choreography for “The Four Temperaments” performed by the Kansas City Ballet (photograph by Steve Wilson, courtesy of KCBalletMedia, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

There will be one other orchestral performance in the Series, taking place on Sunday, April 26. The Mahler Chamber Orchestra will present a program of music by Paul Hindemith flanked on either side by Sergei Prokofiev, beginning with his first (“Classical”) symphony and concluding with his second piano concerto. Yuja Wang will be both soloist and director, with Matthew Truscott leading from the concertmaster’s chair when necessary. The Hindemith selection will be “The Four Temperaments,” originally conceived for choreographer Léonide Massine but ultimately completed on a commission for George Balanchine, who created the dance for the Ballet Society, which premiered it in 1946.

February 8 will see a rather unique duo recital. Violinist Nicola Benedetti will be accompanied on guitar by Plínio Fernandes. There will also be a violin recital by Itzhak Perlman on November 4, followed on November 16 by cello recitalist Gautier Capuçon. The two solo piano recitalists will be Marc-André Hamelin on October 19 and Yefim Bronfman on February 8.

David Oistrakh on Warner: Mostly Eastern Europe

As I gradually work my way to the conclusion in writing about the Warner Remastered Edition box set collection of recordings of performances by Russian violinist David Oistrakh, I shall now focus on the “national” CDs, most of which involve music from Eastern Europe with a single Italy & Spain CD serving as an “outlier.” I find this latter CD to be particularly interesting, since the “Italy” portion covers the transition from the seventeenth century to the eighteenth, with composers Giovanni Battista Vitali, Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Tartini, and Pietro Antonio Locatelli, while “Spain” runs from the end to the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth. The contrast between these two countries could not be stronger, but curator Bruno Monsaingeon seems to have decided that they would make good “bedfellows.” (Those that have been following my articles for this collection will probably already know about my “issues” with Monsaingeon.)

Three of the CDs in this collection involve Russian composers, with Sergei Prokofiev receiving the most attention. Nevertheless, I was a bit disappointed that he was represented by only the first (opus 19 in D major) of his two violin concertos. All the other Prokofiev selections were arrangements by Grigoriy Mikhailovich Fichtenholz (five episodes from the Cinderella ballet), Vadim Borisovsky (pieces from the Romeo and Juliet ballet), and Jascha Heifetz (the march from the opera The Love for Three Oranges). The only other familiar concerto represented is Alexander Glazunov’s Opus 82 in A minor, and the only other major composition is Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Opus 35 symphonic suite Scheherazade, in which the violin serves as the “voice” of Scheherazade telling her stories. However, there are two decidedly less familiar concertante offerings from the twentieth century by Otar Taktakishvili and Nikolai Rakov, neither of which make for much of a lasting impression.

Composer Bohuslav Martinů working on his second symphony (probably) in 1942 (photographer unknown, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Czech Republic license)

There is also a “Czechoslovakia” CD, which is, for the most part, a grab-bag of excerpts. Nevertheless, I was glad to see that an entire sonata by Bohuslav Martinů (his third, H. 303)  was included. His catalog of chamber music is particularly generous, and I find it more than a little unfortunately that Oistrakh did not give him more attention. The remaining CD is an “Eastern Europe” grab-bag. It includes arrangements of selections from Johannes Brahms’ WoO 1 Hungarian Dances collection by both Joseph Joachim and Fritz Kreisler. Unless I am mistaken, the most recent composition on this CD that is the “Moldavian Rhapsody” by Mieczysław Weinberg, the third of the four orchestral works collected in his Opus 47. However, Oistrakh’s performance is given piano accompaniment by Frida Bauer.

When I wrote my last article about this collection a little less than a week ago, I accused one of the CDs as having a “hodgepodge of encore pieces.” This Eastern European collection struck me as even more than a hodgepodge, even if it included five full-length concertos, one of which (the first concerto in E minor by Nikolai Rakov) definitely provided a journey of discovery. Fortunately, only one CD remains to complete the entire journey; and it should not be long before I provide my account of it!

Salonen and SFS in Top Form for Stravinsky

Last night San Francisco Symphony (SFS) Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen returned to Davies Symphony Hall with a performance that left many of us feeling sorry that this would be his final season as the ensemble’s leader. The second half of the program was devoted entirely to Igor Stravinsky’s score for the ballet “The Rite of Spring” (“Le Sacre du printemps”), which, according to my records, he had previously performed almost exactly three years ago. I have been hooked on this music since my secondary school days when it was one of my earliest score purchases. The fact is, however, that there is so much in that score that even the most attentive listener can come back after many past encounters and still find new discoveries.

As was the case during Salonen’s last performance, my eyes were guided by not only memories of previous listening experiences but also his different approaches to leading the full ensemble through the plethora of notes (and comments) that Stravinsky had injected into his score. Since I now know “what happens next” almost entirely by heart, I was free to guide my attention to factors such as how Salonen managed the many erratic rhythms or figuring out which instrumentalists provided some of the most outlandish sonorities. Once again, the performance of this music left me overwhelmed and exhilarated.

Pianist Daniil Trifonov (photograph by Dario Acosta, courtesy of SFS)

This was particularly significant since the first half was so disappointing that I actually toyed with leaving at the intermission! The concerto soloist was Daniil Trifonov performing Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 16 (second) piano concerto in G minor. I first encountered this concerto rather late in life with several different pianists taking variety of different approaches. Ironically, one of those approaches took me to Trifonov’s Silver Age album, on which he performed the concerto with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev; and the two of them were worth of the epithet “dynamic duo!”

Sadly, that did not apply to Trifonov’s encounter with Salonen last night. It did not take long for the impression to form that Trifonov was using his fingers as sledge hammers. Mind you, Prokofiev was not shy about aggressive rhetoric; but Trifonov cranked that aggression up to eleven! Fortunately, Salonen’s command of the instrumentation provided the attentive listener with at least some compensation for last night’s “keyboard massacre.”

Even more disappointing, however, was the opening selection, “Strange Beasts” by Xavier Muzik. The composer was commissioned by the Emerging Black Composers Project, as well as SFS; and this was its world premiere performance. The music was performed against projections of photographs by the composer of his native Los Angeles (some of which were deliberately displayed upside down). Sadly, there was more of substance to engage the eyes than there was for the ears. The music muddled its way around for about a quarter of an hour, but it felt like forever.

Fortunately (to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart), we’ll always have Stravinsky!

Familiar Faces at Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Photograph by George Nelidoff of composer Florence Price (circa 1940, Wikipedia page from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

Once again my wife and I enjoyed dinner at home while watching the latest “free live HD webcast” presented by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). The program was of particular interest due to the two visitors for the occasion. The concerto soloist was violinist Randall Goosby, and the guest conductor was Christian Reif. During his tenure with the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), Reif served as conductor of the SFS Youth Orchestra. Goosby was one of the four SFS Spotlight Series concerts in the spring of 2022, accompanied at the piano by Zhu Wang. He then made his debut as an SFS soloist the following September, performing Florence Price’s D minor (second) violin concerto.

That concerto began yesterday’s DSO concert. I must confess that, because I encounter this music so seldom, it had pretty much vanished from memory. Nevertheless, the listening experience was as stimulating as it had been in the past. Goosby was also bold enough to include his encore explicitly in the program. This was his orchestral arrangement of “Adoration,” which Price had originally composed for organ and which Goosby had recorded in the setting for violin and piano on his Roots album.

This “Price pairing” was coupled with a performance of “Fantastica,” the title of Jimmy López’ fifth symphony. Reif introduced this music, explaining that it was inspired by Michael Ende’s fantasy novel The Neverending Story (Die unendliche Geschichte in the original German). This was a major literary undertaking, which eventually found its way to a television series. As might be guessed, that made for far too much content than could be carried by a single symphony. While López’ capacity for rich instrumentation was engaging, it was difficult to sustain attention across his multi-movement structure.

The intermission was followed by a pair of Russian selections. The first selection was “The Enchanted Lake” by Anatoly Lyadov, given the subtitle “fairy tale scene.” The Wikipedia page for this music includes the following quote from French musicologist André Lischke:

The whole bewitching effect is due to the texture of the instrumentation, to the harmonic metamorphoses, and to the figurations which translate the quivering of the water (divided strings) and the sparkling of the stars which are reflected there (flute, celesta), harp).

It would be fair to say that the music has more to do with scenery than with any fairy tale narrative. However, the duration usually runs for less than ten minutes, sufficient time to enjoy the composer’s diversity of sonorities without tiring of them.

“The Enchanted Lake” was followed by Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 131, his final (seventh) symphony, composed in the key of C-sharp minor. This provided a perfect opportunity to appreciate the DSO resources in their entirety. Reif managed that entire scope with a steady and confident hand. His chemistry with the musicians could not have been better. This work may not have presented Prokofiev at his finest, but Reif knew how to deliver it a manner that would sustain attention from beginning to end.

David Oistrakh’s Rarities on Warner

Readers may recall that last week I began my venture into the 31 CDs classified as Premières, Rarities & Live Performances in the Warner Remastered Edition box set collection of recordings of performances by Russian violinist David Oistrakh. This began with an examination of the two CDs identified as Early Recordings. I am now in a position to discuss those albums associated with the “Rarities” category.

The most unique of these is the complete recording of a recital that Oistrakh performed in Moscow on February 16, 1960. He was accompanied by Vladimir Yampolsky; and the “heart” of the program consisted of three sonatas, each from a different century. Oistrakh began with Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1019 duo sonata in G major. He then leap-frogged into the late Romantic period with the last of Johannes Brahms’ three violin sonatas, Opus 108 in D minor. Late Brahms was followed by the Opus 1 of Karen Khachaturian (nephew of Aram), a three-movement sonata without a key specification.

Presumably, the rest of the album involved the encore selections, of which there were five, most of which were probably unfamiliar to much of the audience. Oistrakh began with the prelude-fugue coupling that constituted a solo violin partita by Alfred Mendelssohn. This was followed by the Opus 7 “Ciaccona” by Giovanni Battista Vitali, composed in 1682 for two violins and continuo violone and arranged for violin and piano by Léopold Charlier. This was followed by Oistrakh’s own arrangement of the sixth of the nine piano arrangements by Franz Liszt of “valses-caprices” by Franz Schubert. The encores were concluded with two works by twentieth-century composers: Sergei Prokofiev (his “Melody,” Opus 35b, Number 3) and Maurice Ravel (the familiar “Tzigane”).

Sergei Taneyev (from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

Two of the CDs are identified as “Sonata Rarities.” They live up to that title through the composers they represent (in order of appearance): Nikolai Medtner, Mieczysław Weinberg, Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, Sergei Taneyev, Zara Levina, and Wilhelm Stenhammar. There is also a “Bravura” album, which is framed by Niccolò Paganini at the beginning (with five of his Opus 1 caprices, beginning and concluding with arrangements by Fritz Kreisler and Leopold Auer, respectively) and Pablo de Sarasate’s Opus 25 (“Carmen Concert Fantasy”) at the end.

Finally, there is an album classified as “Vignettes.” This consists of 21 tracks, all of which are shorter than ten minutes in duration. Nine of the tracks are premiere releases. They are framed by arrangements by Carl Flesch of arias by George Frideric Handel at the beginning and the “Mazurka-oberek” by Alexander Glazunov on the final track.

Personally, I can attest to the “Rarities” classification. Yes, there were many familiar encounters (which the reader will easily recognize above). However, my mind is still trying to “digest” the abundance of “first contacts” I experienced while listening to the six CDs in this category!

David Oistrakh on Warner: Twentieth Century

In his Warner Remastered Edition box set, David Oistrakh’s attention to the twentieth century was about as modest as his late Romantic recordings. Readers may recall that this earlier category focused primarily on Johannes Brahms with two recordings each of two of his compositions. The good news about the twentieth-century repertoire is that there are no overlaps across the eight CDs.

Croatian conductor Lovro von Matačić (photographer unknown, from Wikimedia Commons, made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)

As might be guessed, the composer to receive the most attention is Sergei Prokofiev, accounting for three of those CDs. He is represented by both of his violin concertos, Opus 19 in D major and Opus 63 in G minor, as well as his Opus 94bis (second) sonata in D major. Both of the concertos were recorded in London, the first with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lovro von Matačić and the second with the Philharmonia Orchestra led by Alceo Galliera. Both of these are solid accounts, even if the conductors are not familiar to current listeners. The pianist for the sonata was Oistrakh’s usual accompanist, Vladimir Yampolsky. The CD of the first concerto begins with Max Bruch’s Opus 26 (first) concerto in G minor, making for a decidedly engaging compare-and-contrast experience.

The collection also affords a “Khachaturian family encounter.” Oistrakh’s account of Aram Khachaturian’s violin concerto in D minor was recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the composer’s baton. More interesting is that the composer’s nephew Karen is included in this selection with a recording of his Opus 1 violin sonata (again with Yampolsky). There are two Russian composers of note, the earlier of which is Sergei Taneyev, whose Opus 28 Suite de concert is performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Nikolai Malko. More familiar is Dmitri Shostakovich, with his Opus 99 (first) concerto in A minor, performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra led by Maxim Shostakovich.

Aside from Bruch, the only departure from the Russian repertoire is Jean Sibelius. Oistrakh performs his Opus 47 concerto in D minor with the Stockholm Festival Orchestra conducted by Sixten Ehrling. This is music that very much has a voice of its own. One might even say it deliberately resists Russian efforts to influence Finnish life. Oistrakh gives the concerto a solid account, but it would be fair to say that I have encountered more passionate interpretations from violinists more sympathetic to Finland than they were to Russia!

SFS: Gaffigan Returns to Podium with Ray Chen

1944 portrait of Samuel Barber (photographed by Carl Van Vechten, from Wikimedia Commons, available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID van.5a51697)

The second half of the current San Francisco Symphony (SFS) season got under way last night in Davies Symphony Hall with guest conductor James Gaffigan on the podium. He has spent the better part of this century with SFS, beginning with his debut in December of 2006. He then went on to serve as Associate Conductor between 2006 and 2009. His last appearance was in May of 2021, when he concluded his program with Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” originally composed as the second movement of his Opus 11 string quartet.

For his latest appearance, he prepared a “standard” overture-concerto-symphony, using the concerto to provide another Barber selection. This was the Opus 14 violin concerto, composed in 1940. The soloist was Ray Chen, another returning artist. Chen made his debut in January of 2011 and performed as a Shenson Young Artists soloist in a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Opus 77 violin concerto in D major with returning visiting conductor Juraj Valčuha in May of 2018. Barber is, of course, a far cry from Brahms; and I can remember from my student days during the last half of the last century that he quickly fell from grace as trends tended (somewhat ironically) towards both atonality and the pre-Baroque repertoire. Even so, there were soulful qualities in Barber’s concerto that almost seemed to reflect back on Brahms, somewhat to the consternation of those more occupied with “the shock of the new.”

Neither Chen nor Gaffigan had any qualms about letting those soulful qualities run their course. Barber may well have been a friend of every instrument in a full orchestral ensemble, evoking a dazzling spectrum of sonic colors that reinforced the violin solo work, rather than overwhelming it. Yes, there are shadows of Hollywood film scores in many of the textures; but Barber’s expressiveness gave them depth, rather than trivialization. As a result, last night’s account emerged as a thoroughly engaging journey from start to finish (a finish, which, as might be expected, went out with a bang).

That bang then resonated into Chen’s encore selection. This was “Obsession,” the title that Eugène Ysaÿe gave to the first movement in the second of the six solo violin sonatas of his Opus 27. Anyone listening to this movement in the Sixties would have described it as Johann Sebastian Bach on a bad acid trip. Indeed, when the composer added the “Dies irae” sequence to the mix, one could begin to appreciate how the composer was poking fun of those two “obsessions” with music history. Chen gave this short piece a dynamite account, and the audience loved it.

The intermission was followed by the symphony offering: Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 100 (fifth) in B-flat major. This is probably his best-known “mature” symphony, the other popular one being the “classical” first in D major. This was composed in 1944 and was clearly influenced by World War II. There is an intense drive in the tempo for the two fast movements: Allegro marcato and Allegro giocoso. While I appreciate that these were the composer’s reflections on wartime conditions, I must confess that my own reactions have tended towards the prankish. Each movement chugs forward with the full force of a locomotive, and it is hard for me to resist thinking of the train charging towards its encounter with Anna Karenina!

The “overture” for the program was Missy Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres),” composed in 2014. I have to confess that I found it a bit difficult to listen to this piece without  reflecting on the P. D. Q. Bach “classic” “Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds & Percussion” (S. 1000). Unfortunately, Mazzoli does not have Peter Schickele’s sense of humor; and, if her intention was to be serious, the result came across as little more than pretentious. If this music was not particularly engaging (or even sweet), it was at least (to the listener’s advantage) short.

SFS: Concert Music for the Holiday Spirit

Next month is when the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) goes “all in” for the “holiday spirit.” While there are any number of holidays being celebrated by different faiths and communities during the month of December, the prevailing theme in Davies Symphony Hall tends towards Christmas, beginning with the decor in the lobby! While there are any number “popular” offerings that will be taking place in Davies Symphony Hall between December 2 and December 21, there are two concert offerings that make an annual appearance.

The first of these is the annual SFS performance of George Frideric Handel’s HWV 56 oratorio, better known by its title, Messiah. As usual, Jenny Wong will lead the SFS Chorus; but all the vocal soloists will be making Orchestra Series Debut performances. They will be Amanda Forsythe (soprano), John Holiday (countertenor), Aaron Sheehan (tenor), and Douglas Williams (baritone). The conductor will be Stephen Stubbs, who will also be making his debut.

Messiah will be given two performances, both beginning at 7:30 p.m., on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7. Ticket prices range from $30 to $199. The hyperlinks attached to the above dates may be used for online purchase. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-864-6000 or by visiting the Box Office in Davies Symphony Hall, whose entrance is on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu (from the event page for next month’s SFS Youth Orchestra performance)

The other major concert offering for the season will be the annual performance by the SFS Youth Orchestra of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf.” This will be an “ecumenical” program, which will include the traditional Hanukkah song “Mis Zeh Hidik” (behold the lights) in an arrangement by Jeff Tyzik; and the program will conclude with a “sing-along” of traditional Christmas carols. There will also be selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker, which will be framed by two secular offerings, the seventh piece in Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 72 Slavonic Dances collection, and Johann Strauss II’s Opus 324, the polka given the title “Unter Donner und Blitz” (thunder and lightning). The conductor will be Wattis Foundation Music Director Radu Paponiu.

For this program, which will be given only one performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, ticket prices will range from $15 to $199; and a Web page is again available for online purchase.

San Francisco Philharmonic to “Go Russian”

Poster for the concert being discussed (from its Groupmuse Web page)

Thanks to Groupmuse, I can continue to keep up with plans of the San Francisco Philharmonic, led by its Founder and Music Director Jessica Bejarano. They have prepared an all-Russian program for the end of this month with an emphasis on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose works will conclude each half of the program. Neither of the works is encountered in concert performance very often. The more familiar will be the final selection, the Entr’acte music that begins the second act of the Sleeping Beauty ballet. The selection to conclude the first half will be the Opus 18 “Symphonic Fantasia,” given the title “The Tempest.” This is the least known of the orchestral works inspired by the plays of William Shakespeare.

Each half of the program will be introduced by a different Russian composer. The program will begin with the “Festive Overture,” Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 96. The intermission will be followed by Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 19, his first violin concerto, composed in the key of D major. This was first conducted by Serge Koussevitzky at the Paris Opera on October 18, 1923. The violin soloist will be Cordula Merks, who is Concertmaster for the San Francisco Ballet.

As was the case last season, tickets for this performance are on sale for $17, and they may be purchased through the Groupmuse Web page for this event. “Supermusers” will be able to purchase tickets for $12. The performance will take place in Herbst Theatre, whose entrance is on the ground floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 28. Ticket sales through Groupmuse will close at 3 PM on Thursday, September 26. Seating will be general admission (first come first served). Tickets may be collected on Saturday afternoon prior to the performance at the Box Office in the lobby.

SFS Opening Gala to Feature Lang Lang

SFS Opening Night pianist Lang Lang (photograph by Xin Qiu, courtesy of San Francisco Symphony)

Having accounted yesterday for the “head start” San Francisco Symphony (SFS) concert that will precede the Opening Night Gala, this site can now turn to the specifics for the Gala itself. The featured soloist will be pianist Lang Lang in a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Opus 22 (second) piano concerto in G minor. He will return in the second half of the program for more Saint-Saëns, this time the familiar suite entitled The Carnival of the Animals. This music was composed for a chamber ensemble performing with two pianists. In that latter capacity, the featured pianist will be joined by Gina Alice, who happens to be his wife. The program will begin with selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct.

As usual, because this is the Opening Night Gala, there will be additional celebratory events. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a pre-concert VIP reception in the lobby of Davies Symphony Hall with sparkling wine and light bites, after which the concert will begin at 7 p.m. Following the performance, there will be the annual Celebratory Gala Dinner in the Zellerbach Recital Hall. A single Web page has been created with full information about the options (including price levels) for attending this event.

The entire affair will take place on Wednesday, September 25. For those attending only the concert, tickets are available only in the Orchestra and Boxes ($375), Terraces ($199–$299), 1st Tier ($299), and 2nd Tier ($249). They may be purchased through the ticketing Web page for this event. Individual tickets for the Gala Dinner range between $2500 and $10,000. Tickets may also be purchased for parties of ten. All further information can be found on a single Web page, which also indicates how much of the expense is tax-deductible. (Those visiting this Web page should be advised that viewing the different options will require a generous amount of scrolling!)