Robert D. Thomas/Class Act

OVERNIGHT REVIEW: Battle, Bassett shine in "Underground Railroad" recital

By Robert D. Thomas

Music Critic, Southern California News Group

Kathleen Battle (shown in a previous recital) came to Cal State Northridge’s Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts for a thought-provoking and triumphant recital entitled “Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey.” Photo credit: timesfreepress.com

Even as she nears her 70th birthday in August, Kathleen Battle remains an enigma in music circles. She began her career singing in oratorios with dozens of orchestras (most notably her “hometown” Cincinnati Symphony), expanded into opera, and subsequently was infamously fired from the Metropolitan Opera in 1994 during rehearsals for The Daughter of the Regiment for "unprofessional actions … [that] were profoundly detrimental to the artistic collaboration among all the cast members,"

Along the way she captured five Grammys and numerous other awards and honors. Following her dismissal by the Met, Battle abandoned performing in opera and concentrated instead on recitals and recordings.

Among other things, she sang the world premiere of Honey and Rue, a song cycle with music by Oscar and Grammy-winner composer André Previn with lyrics by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, which was commissioned for Battle by Carnegie Hall for the hall’s 100th anniversary.

Now she has returned to her roots by crafting programs of spirituals, finally returning to the Met stage in November 2016 to sing a program entitled “Underground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey” before a sold-out house. She later reprised the program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

It was that program she brought to the The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (aka the Valley Performing Arts Center) on the campus of Cal State Northridge last night. The very long evening proved to be a stimulating, thought-provoking, well-crafted program that included Battle, the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, pianist Joel A. Martin and — most notably — actress Angela Basset reading from the works of Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Robert Hayden and Dr. Charles Blockson.

The evening’s length was due to logistics — there was a little less than two hours of music and readings, about normal for a recital. However, the doors to the hall didn’t open until 7:40 and, given that many of those in attendance had not been in The Soraya before, it took more than 40 minutes to get the very large crowd seated. The recital began just after 8:30, more than 30 minutes after the announced start time, and ended at 11 p.m. (at least, that's when I left).

Through all her ups and downs Battle has always possessed one of the great, limpid, lyrical soprano voices of our generation and it was on full display throughout her portions of the evening — when Battle was center stage for her 14 numbers there was no doubt who was in the spotlight. Most notable were Go Down, Moses, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Fix Me Jesus, Balm In Gilead, and especially her first encore, an a cappella rendition of Were You There? In those numbers it was as if she had turned back the clock.

However, she was smart enough to give several solo turns to the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers (led by its interim artistic director, Dr. Diane White-Clayton) and to Martin, whose Gospel-laden piano work proved to be riveting throughout the evening. Battle seemed to revel in the work of her colleagues, encouraging applause and beaming as she listened. There were very few “diva” signs last night; she even limited her wardrobe to a simple black gown with a magenta cape.

Bassett’s narration (along with short parts read by choir members) told the story of the Underground Railroad and how those struggles apply today. The audience responded with growing enthusiasm throughout the readings and by the end of the recital, even those with little knowledge of the Underground Railroad had a good sense of this historic moment. That alone made the evening worthwhile.

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(c) Copyright 2018, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

NEWS: El Sistema founder dies at age 78

By Robert D. Thomas

Music Critic, Southern California News Group

José Antonio Abreu, founder of Venezuela’s landmark music education system called “El Sistema” has died at the age of 78. He reportedly had been ill for several years.

Abreu began “El Sistema” in 1975 and, although he had some detractors over the decades (partly due to the system’s support from Venezuela’s dictators) “El Sistema” educated hundreds of thousands of mostly poor children from throughout the country. Variations of the program have been established around the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA).

“El Sistema’s” flagship has been its orchestra now known as the Simón Bolivár Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, who also leads the L.A. Phil. Another graduate is Rafael Payare, who has just been named incoming music director of the San Diego Symphony.

"My heart is overwhelmed," said Dudamel as quoted in the Los Angeles Times. "The music and arts have lost one of its brightest figures. Maestro José Antonio Abreu taught us that art is a universal right and that inspiration and beauty irreversibly transform the soul of a child…. I am who I am today [because of him] and I owe it to Maestro Abreu's generosity, humanity and vision. I feel an immense privilege to have shared a life next to someone of his dimension."

The Los Angeles Times story is HERE.

The New York Times story is HERE.

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(c) Copyright 2018, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

COLUMN: Kathleen Battle headlines a very busy fortnight

By ROBERT D. THOMAS

Music Critic, Southern California News Group

This column was first published in print editions of the Southern California News Group papers.

This coming week is Holy Week in the Christian calendar and next Friday is both Good Friday for Christians and Passover for Jews. It’s also a time for music.

Soprano Kathleen Battle appears March 29 at The Soraya (aka Valley Performing Arts Center) on the Cal State Northridge campus with what has become one of her signature recitals: “Underground Railroad — A Spiritual Journey.” Pianist Joel Martin will accompany the concert, which will also feature the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers.

The program, which will be narrated by actress Angela Basset, offers a chance to hear one of the world’s great sopranos singing spirituals and other songs inspired by the journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad, the 19th-century network of safe houses that allowed African-Americans to escape from slavery.

This is a must-see recital. Information: www.valleyperformingartscenter.org

Michael Tilson Thomas returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall on March 27 when he leads his San Francisco Symphony in a program that bracket’s Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and Berg’s Violin Concerto, with Gil Shaham as soloist in the concerto.

Thomas has announced his retirement from the SFS music director post at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 season, which will be his 25^th. From 1981-1985 he was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s principal guest conductor but was bypassed for music director in favor of Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Information: www.laphil.com

Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel returns to the LAPO podium on April 5, 6, 7 and 8 for performances of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erd, one of the last symphonic works that Mahler composed.

The Phil’s artist-collaborator, Yuval Sharon, will stage the work in conjunction with the Chilean theatre company Teatrocinema (Sunday’s performance is just the music). The vocal soloists will be tenor Russell Thomas and mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford.

Information: www.laphil.com

The Angeles Chorale’s second concert of its 43^rd season, “Music for the Child in All of Us,” will take place on April 7 at the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena and April 8 at Northridge United Methodist Church.

Artistic Director John Sutton will lead his ensemble and promises “an interactive, fun and fresh musical experience.” David Prather will host and the program will feature choreography by ArtistsPlus Productions.

Information: www.angeleschorale.org

 

Chad Smith, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s chief operating officer, has been tapped to become music director of the Ojai Music Festival beginning with the 2020 season. He replaces Thomas W. Morris, who is retiring after a 16-year tenure at the adventurous, four-day festival in the bucolic Santa Barbara County town.

 Smith’s initial three-year contract will coincide with the festival’s 75^th anniversary. He will join Matthias Pintscher, who was previously named Ojai’s music director in 2020 and Mitsuko Uchida, who will assume the same post in 2021. Smith is planning on retaining his LAPO duties in addition to taking on the Ojai responsibilities.

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Robert D. Thomas is a freelance music writer. Send him an email at [email protected]. More of his reviews can be found HERE.

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(c) Copyright 2018, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

REVIEW: Pasadena Symphony shines at Ambassador Auditorium

By Robert D. Thomas

Music Critic, Southern California News Group

Andrew van Oeyen performed as soloist with the Pasadena Symphony Saturday at Ambassador Auditorium. Photo credit: Kay Kochenderfer.

 

Music directors of orchestra, choirs, etc. love to build their programs around themes but Saturday’s Pasadena Symphony concert was unique because PSO Music Director David Lockington interwove two themes into the three pieces on the program at Ambassador Auditorium.

Of course it wasn’t necessary that you knew of this thematic duality to enjoy the concert. The masterful performances by Lockington, the orchestra and piano soloist Andrew van Oeyen were enough for any patron in the nearly sold-out house.

The theme of hidden meanings appeared in the first piece, Scherzo Crypto by American composer Alexander Miller, and in the final, far-more-familiar work, Sir Edward Elgar’s <EM>Enigma Variations.</EM> The Elgar title also alluded to the program’s other theme, variations, which also dominated the middle piece, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

One thing unusual about the program was how the orchestra was seated. It’s not unusual to have the cellos in the middle of the ensemble, which promotes a deep, rich bass sound that was appropriate for all three pieces. However, rather than split the violins as is usual, Lockington placed the violas on the right side of the orchestra, which added to the deep tonal luster, particularly in the Elgar.

Scherzo Crypto is a five-minute bundle of energy. The composer is assistant oboist for the Grand Rapids Symphony (Lockington’s former band) and he composed this overture-like work in 2014 on a commission from the San Antonio Symphony.

Embedded within the piece was a cryptogram about a musical instrument that, it turns out, is a viola. Lockington and the orchestra delivered the piece in a spritely manner and, in a nice touch, Lockington used a light to the right of the orchestra to let patrons know when the cryptogram was appearing.

The program’s centerpiece, figuratively and literally, was the Rachmaninoff and, for a change, the highlight was the orchestra rather than the soloist. Van Oeyen was no slouch — which isn’t a big surprise. He made his professional debut at age 16 with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, won the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award in 1999 and also took First Prize in the Leni Fe Bland Foundation National Piano Competition in 2001.

Now, 22 years later, he is an assured, polished presence at the keyboard, offering crisp yet delicate fingering throughout the Rachmaninoff with excellent degrees of dynamic shadings throughout. His rendition of the 14th variation was even more striking than the famous 18th but overall there was much to enjoy in his work.

However, what was really notable was the accompaniment by Lockington and the orchestra. In his five years leading the PSO, Lockington has taken an ensemble that was already quite good and elevated it into one where excellence is the byword.

That was certainly true in the Rachmaninoff and at the beginning of the Elgar, although — whether through orchestral fatigue or pedestrian composition — things tended to flag a bit toward the end. Lockington’s tempos were calm and majestic throughout, particularly in the famed Nimrod section.

HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVERS:

• Just as Lockington was poised to give the downbeat to the Elgar, a cell phone went off in the auditorium. Lockington turned around, pantomimed answering the phone, reset the orchestra and the audience, and moved on smoothly. Other conductors have handled similar situations worse.
• The final concerts in the orchestra’s 90th season are on May 5 when Lockington leads Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 <EM>(Eroica)</EM> and the Violin Concerto, with Angelo Xiang Yu as soloist. Information: <a href="http://pasadenasymphony-pops.org/concert/beethoven-symphony-no-3/">www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org</a>
• The 2018 Pops summer season begins June 23 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, as Principal Pops Conductor Michael Feinstein leads tributes to Gershwin and Sondheim. <Information: <a href="http://pasadenasymphony-pops.org/concert/thats-entertainment-gershwin-to-sondheim/">www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org</a>

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(c) Copyright 2018, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.