A “First Contact” Encounter with Paul Chihara

Quynh Nguyen performing Paul Chihara’s “Concerto-Fantasy” (photograph by Benjamin Ealovega, courtesy of Crossover Media)

Yesterday afternoon I discovered that, after a long hiatus, the “B2B” site provided by Naxos of America, which provides downloads for writers like myself, was back “on the air” after a long hiatus, presumably for a software upgrade. My first return to the site involved an album that Naxos had released this past July as part of its American Classics series of recordings. The composer featured on this album was Paul Chihara, whom I had known by name for quite some time without ever having an opportunity to listen to his music.

My guess is that I first became aware of him when he became the first composer-in-residence for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. (He also held a similar position with San Francisco Ballet.) However, since 2015, he has been an Artist Faculty in Film Music member at New York University. Nevertheless, the new album is presented as an account of his “Complete Piano Works” (a rather dicey title for a living and active composer). The album begins with his “Concerto-Fantasy” for piano and orchestra in a series of four uninterrupted movements, which was completed in 2021. This was also the year in which he completed a set of four “Reveries” based on themes by Ludwig van Beethoven; so I would not be surprised if further solo piano works are composed in the future!

Chihara seems to flourish in the rhetoric of brevity. This is most evident in the fourteen pieces identified as “Bagatelles,” all worthy of the overall invocation of “Haiku” in the subtitle. He completed his collection in 2010 but revised it in the following year. The pianist for all of the music on this album is Quynh Nguyen. At the conclusion of the album, she is joined by another pianist, Rieko Aizawa, for a performance of the one four-hand selection, “Ami,” which was completed in 2008. For the concerto the London Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Stephen Barlow.

For the most part I found listening to be a journey of discovery worth taking. I am not sure that there was much by way of profundity, but Chihara definitely has a well-refined capacity for wit. Combined with his respect for brevity, I would say that he has definitely found a “sweet spot” for attracting and maintaining listener attention. I am not sure when I shall revisit this album, but I would definitely consider an opportunity to listen to his music in a concert or recital performance.