New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks-Summer Sounds in the City

 Story and photos by Dwight Casimere

NEW YORK--There is no more sure sign of summer than the return of outdoor concerts in the parks by the New York Philharmonic. All Star Weekend began with a benefit concert for the victims of Sandy with the New York Philharmonic featuring pop diva Mariah Carey, sporting a bejeweled sling, the result of a shoulder separation suffered during a music video shoot earlier in the week. A real trouper with a "the show must go on" attitude, she delivered a polished program off her popular hits with the lush background of the Philharmonic's sumptuous arrangements.

The concert on the Great Lawn of Central Park brought the Philharmonic back on more familiar ground with a program of Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor with the orchestra's Principal Cello Carter Brey giving an emotional reading of Dvorak's challenging composition. Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Pyotr Tchaikovsky's emotionally charged masterpiece, was given a spine-tingling interpretation by Maestro Alan Gilbert's unique capability of reigning in tempos to dramatic effect, harnessing the considerable forces of the orchestra's dynamic range to realize an explosive finale. Gilbert brought out the various nuances and shadings of the multiple themes that underlie the composer's sweeping main themes. The outdoor acoustics seemed to amplify the orchestra's multiple layers of dynamics. A hush fell over the crowd as fireworks lit up the city's dramatic skyline, making for a fitting start to the blazing hot summer days and nights ahead.

A Fabulous Fourth-New York Style!

by Dwight Casimere

NEW YORK---Fourth of July 2013  was celebrated with music, fireworks and terrific food in some terrific settings. The afternoon began at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, where the New York Philharmonic presented the tenth season of Summertime Classics, with the first program featuring the New York Philharmonic and the United States Coast Guard Band in its Philharmonic debut in  Star-Spangled Celebration. Conducted by Grammy Award (r) winning British conductor and composer Bramwell Tovey, the program featured the works of American composing legends Aaron Copeland, John Philip Sousa, Leonard Bernstein and World Premiere of the Orchestral Version of the conductor's own composition, The Lincoln Tunnel Cabaret, with the Philharmonic's Principal Trombone, Joseph Alessi, as soloist.

Maestro Tovey, who is celebrating his 13th season as Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, returned to the podium as the founding conductor of this unique series. He proved to be an affable host, jokng at the incongruity of a Brit hosting a uniquely American celebration. "Actually, I was sent here by the British government to apologize for what happened in 1776," he quipped to the audience.

Aaron Copeland's Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo (1942/43), with its familiar themes, Buckaroo Holiday, the haunting Corral Nocturne, Saturday Night Waltz and the wildly spirited Hoe-Down, got the program off to a rousing start. It continued with the conductor's own composition, Thge Lincoln Tunnel Caberet for Trombone and Orchestra, written espressly for trombonist Alessi. According to Tovey, the composition was based on a fantasy interpretation of Alessi's daily commute to orchestral rehearsals in the city while navigating the hectic traffic through the fabled Lincoln Tunnel. No matter that Alessi actually navigated the George Washington Bridge for the ride end, the original scenario, with blaring car horns, stalled cars and the image of Alessi exiting his car to soothe the frazzled nerves of his fellow drivers with an impromptu trombone solo, served as a much more lively inspiration. Alessi       showcased the versatility of his instrument with flashes of brilliant playing, punctuated by flurries of difficult passages played with ease.

The next portion of the program featured Capt. Kenneth W. Megan and the U.S. Coast Guard Band in their Philharmonic debut, in a scintillating reading of Leonard Bernstein's Candide Suite, arranged for the brass band by a friend of Bernstein's,  the composer and arranger Clare Grundman, the Masque for Symphonic Wind Band, by the contemporary British composer Kenneth Hesketh, and an exploration of Sousa's time-honored marches, including Hands Across the Sea (1899), The Liberty Bell (1893) and The Stars and Stripes Forever (1896). Capt. Megan and the ensemble proved how wonderful the sound of a brass band can be, with its powerful depth and tonal color. It also displayed the vitality to Sousa's music. Although the composer wrote hundreds of marches, each of them shone with their own unique brilliance.

The program included a moving tribute to members of the Armed Forces, with veterans who were members of each of its branches standing during the playing of their respective themes as the band played the Armed Forces Medley. The combined forces of the Philharmonic and the U.S. Coast Guard Brass Band infused this medley with all the majesty it, and they deserved.

Hudson Terrace and the retractable roof of its rooftop desk proved to be the most effective place to watch the Macy's Fireworks display over the Hudson River. Preceded by a sumptuous and endless Barbecue buffet, lively zydeco music and an appearance by the Food Network's "Chopped" celebrity chef Jordan Andino, it provided a luxurious setting to climax the greatest Fourth ever!

New York Philharmonic A Dancer's Dream Gets Everyone Into The Act

Reviewed by Dwight Casimere June 28, 2013


NEW YORK--Everyone got into the act, including orchestra members, conductor and Music Director Alan Gilbert and the audience in A Dancer's Dream, presented by the New York Philharmonic June 27-29.  Set to two works by Russia's Igor Stravinsky (Le Baiser de la fee' (The Fairy's Kiss and Petrushka), and Excerpts from Neige (Snow) for Piano, Four-Hands from France's Louis Durey. The concert was the finale to the New York Philharmonic's regular subscription season.

Designed and Directed by Doug Fitch (Le Grand Macabre, The Cunning Little Vixen, both for New York Philharmonic, the all-encompassing production filled the Avery Fisher Hall stage with dancers, costumed orchestra members, puppets, miniatures and onstage "things," special lighting, video systems and technicians with hand-held video cameras. Whew! Even a costumed Maestrio Gilbert got into an act, standing down from the podium at points to become at first, a sort of mime and then a virtual Svengali, commanding both the orchestra and the audience with mock magical powers.

Principal Dancer Sara Mearns of New York City Ballet, danced the part of the heroine, playing first a child, seemingly overwhelmed by the mountainous winter wonderland that engulfed her, and then as a dancing rag doll in Petrushka, joined by Amar Ramasar, also of City Ballet, who doubled as a Puppeteer. Both were in their New York Philharmonic debut.

At times humorous, with orchestra members, Gilbert and the audience, joining in the fun, the concert also featured some spectacular elements of both classical and acrobat dance by an athletic Mearns and Ramasar combined with some neatly projected dramatic touches, particularly in the early scenes, in which she conveyed an Alice in Wonderland type of childish rapture. The scenery onstage was projected on a giant screen to give the eerie impression of an outsized character  (Mearns)  looking quizzically over the miniaturized mountainscape.

Neige gave full rein to Mearns' considerable dancing prowess, ending with her being dressed like a doll, which sequed perfectly into the final piece, Stravinsky's Petrushka.  which featured  a cacaphony of puppets, film, live and recorded video, placards and orchestra members in costume playing musical chairs while performing Stravinsky's dizzying music. It all climaxed with the audience letting out a previously orchestrated "Scream!" followed by

Maestro Gilbert exiting the auditorium with a life-sized ragdoll representation of the lead dancer. It was an oddball program that brought the audience to its feet and made them feel a part of all of the musical and theatrical high jinx!

Audiences nationwide and around the world will have an opportunity to witness this genre-bending season finale concert when it is broadcast to select movie theaters in September. Check local listings for times and tickets or visit nyphil.org.

ABT's Sylvia Showcases Dazzling Principal Dancers, Delibes' Timeless Score

Reviewed by Dwight Casimere June 24, 2013

Photo: Gillian Murphy as Sylvia-by Marty Sohl

Next production: Sleeping Beauty, now through Saturday, July 6

NEW YORK--American Ballet Theatre's Sylvia at the Metropolitan Opera House, is a stylish, steamy recreation of Frederick Ashton's brilliant production, which saw its World Premiere at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2004. It is  full-scale classic ballet in every since of the word, with enchanting music by French composer Leo Delibes, best known for his Opera Cpmiques Le Roi l' a dit (1873) and Lakme (1883), Original Designs by Robin and Christopher Ironside (Sylvia for Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1952) and Additional Designs for the Revival by Peter Farmer and Lighting by Mark Jonathan(Cindarella-Royal Ballet, Sylvia-Royal Opera House). With Principal Dancers in the persons of  svelte South Carolina  beauty  Gillian Murphy and fiery Brazilian Marcelo Gomes dancing the title roles, well, how can you miss?

The partnering between Murphy and Gomes was sublime. With her high kicks and deep back bends, Murphy was a marvel to behold. Gome's effortless lifts   seemed to defy gravity. His leaps  suspended him in air for such an interminable amount of time, that one looked for the invisible guy wires. Among the delights of the opening act were the nimble Hunt attendants with their precision moves and a motionless Daniil Simkin as the classic god Eros, who suddenly sprang to life like one of those robotic performers in front of Ripley's in Times Square. Simone Messmer and Thomas Forster, dancing Apollo and Terpsichore were the fitting accent ague to the evening. 

The colorful costumes and tightly woven ensemble dancing by the Peasants added to the sense of pageantry and sweeping drama. Orion's concubines added a fitting sultry note to the scene. Conductor David LaMarche and the orchestra made Delibe's timeless score seem vibrant and alive, as if it were composed yesterday.

The rest of the evening was full of enthusiastic dancing to Delibe's time-honored score, with Murphy giving a master class in the solo numbers that were part of the repertoire of every budding ballerina in the audience. For many,  the complex footwork and sense of total ease of movement of Murphy in the famous pizzicato solo in Act III was the real standout showpiece of the entire performance. Delibe's  familiar theme must have brought back memories to anyone who ever took ballet lessons and prompted thoughts of "why couldn't I have done it like that!?" Murphy was superb with her deep back bends, pliant torso twists and intricate footwork. She danced with a sense of freedom and abandonment that was exhilarating. Ms. Murphy was splendid!

ABT's Metropolitan Opera House season draws to a close this weekend with performances of Sleeping Beauty through Saturday, July 6. It's a rare opportunity to see one of the great ballet companies in the world, whose celestial array of international dancers is the envy of any touring ensemble. For those who relish the sheer joy of dancing and Tchaikovsky's enchanting music, watching ABT this weekend is an experience to rival Fourth of July fireworks.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is Reborn in Lincoln Center Revival

Reviewed by Dwight Casimere June 12-16 at Lincoln Center

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Company photos by Christopher Duggan and Paul  Kornik

pictured: Alvin Ailey's Revelations

Artistic Director Robert Battle address the audience onstage on Opening Night

Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster Harlem with Ailey Board Members Jufdith Byrd and David E. Monn

 

NEW YORK--There was a celebratory mood as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre held a seven- performance, five day engagement at Lincoln Center, its first in that eponymous arts center in more than a decade. The venue has particular significance, not only to Ailey fans, but to the organization's new artistic director, Robert Battle, who first laid eyes upon its grand facades and plaza as a student at the Julliard School. "I know this is our first time in Lincoln Center in a while, but C'mon!" Battle gently chided the crowd, who were perhaps overwhelmed by the grand surroundings. It wasn't long before they broke out in foot-stomping, shouts and applause as the company members pranced on stage to the Afro-centric rhythms and moves of Jamaican-born choreographer Garth Fagan's electrifying From Before, a pastiche of African polyrhythms, Caribbean dance, precision ballet and street hip hop that set the audience on its collective ear. The Ailey Company premiere is the first time this dizzying work from the Tony Award winning choreographer for The Lion King has ever been performed by a company other than Garth Fagan Dance. The fluid, acrobatic movements of the dancers was mesmerizing. At times, the repetitious movements took on an hypnotic characteristic, which, at times seemed monotonous to the untrained eye. To those familiar with the well-spring of Caribbean and African tradition from which mark Fagan's oeuvre', the repetitive nature of the dance is a  vital part of its almost ritualistic roots in Afro-Caribbean tradition and culture. The jazzy percusive score by Trinidadian Grammy winner Ralph MacDonald and colorful costumes by the choreographer himself and Original Lighting by C.T. Oakes made for a perfect eye-popping opening statement for the evening and painted a clear picture of the company's new direction and renewed vitality under Mr. Battle.  Now in his second season as Artistic Director, he has stepped from beneath the long shadows of  founder, Alvin Ailey and Artistic Director Emerita, Judith Jamison, to give the company his own unique stamp.

The kinetic energy of dancer Yannick Lebrun filled the stage in Takademe, choreographed by Mr. Battle with propulsive electronic music by Sheila Chandra. One of his first creations, Mr. Battle's Takademe combines the taut rhythms and deconstructed moves of Indian Kathank dance with the fast-paced polyrhythms of Chandra's New Age jazz score. The music is layered with vocalized symbols that at times mimic the 'click' songs of the Tsosa tribe of South Africa. Lebrun's quick, almost superhuman leaps, thrusts and acrobatic flips were almost exhaustive to behold. The sheer dynamic of his scissoring jumps, torso contractions and deep-bending stomps occurred in such rapid succession that it was difficult for the mind to assimilate them as quickly as the eye could see them. Grace, Ronald K. Brown's landmark creation for the company in 1999 was brought back in a dazzling new production that show the best of what the 'new' Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is all about. Combining West African dance idioms  with elements of Afro-Pop and modern dance, the work began with Duke Ellington's classic Come Sunday, followed by Roy Davis's Gospel hit Gabriel concluding with Fela Kuti's James  Brown-inspired Afro-Pop music. Grace promotes the very contemporary idea, through motion, that we are all somehow touched by spiritual grace and the healing power and reach of the soul as we travail through the various ups and downs of our day to day lives. Revelations, which ended every performance during the five-evening run, is a loving tribute to the company's founder, Alvin Ailey. Created by Ailey in 1960 to spotlight the illustrious dancing of the company's principal dancer and now Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, it is at once a recreation of a landmark event in the world of modern dance and a touchtone to what is  a living memorial to Mr. Ailey and his vision. Set against recordings of Traditional Black Church music, Ailey's masterpiece was intended to give the audience a glimpse into his remembrances of the Baptist Church services attended as a child in rural Texas. Infused with the soul-stirring emotions of youthful religious fervor and later superimposed with the writings of African American authors James Baldwin and Langston Hughes and even later influences of Brueghal paintings and Oriental Theatre, Revelations still has the power to inspire. An elderly woman seated next to me, accompanied by her daughter, was moved to tears, as were many others.  Youngsters, who had been brought to the performance by their parents, seemed transfixed by its power and majesty.

Other notable works from the long weekend's performances included Four Corners,a World Premiere by celebrated choreographer and Ailey favorite Ronald K. Brown and Petit Mort, a really superb example of the company's mastery of classic ballet forms and the technical prowess and almost overwhelming sensuality of Alvin Ailey's unique brand of dance technique. Petit Mort, choreographed by renowned European dance master Jiri Kylian and set against the music of Woflgang Amadeus Mozart's two most popular piano concertoes, really showcases the company's towering capabilities and showed why the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre is one of the most in-demand companies performing today. The company is celebrated globally and is designated "A vital American cultural ambassador to the world" by a 2008 U.S. Congressional resolution. This summer, the company prepares for a fall tour of Brazil and Argentina and will be conducting numerous education and performance programs at its world headquarters at the Joan Weill Center for Dance in Manhattan, the city's largest building solely dedicated to dance. The building, designed by Bibliowicz Architects, is home to The Company as well as Ailey II, which performs in the Chicago area Friday, October 25 in two   performances at Governors State University at The Center for Performing Arts in south suburban University Park, Illinois. For advance tickets and information, visit alvinailey.org or call 708-235-2222. Also this summer, The Company will operate AileyCamp, a unique program that combines dance classes with personal development workshops, creative communications classes and field trips for under-served youth aged 11-14 in cities such as Atlanta, Miami, FL, Berkeley/Oakland, California, Kansas City, KS and MO Bridgeport, CT and New York City. In addition the company will be hosting world-wide auditions at its headquarters in New York and in Bari, Italy in the Puglia region. The Ailey School continues, educating more than 5,000 students of all ages throughout the year with Arts in Education and Community Programs being simultaneously held by The Ailey Organization in classrooms and community centers, bringing dance into the lives of more than 100,000 people of diverse backgrounds around the country and around the world. This was the vision of Alvin Ailey, born January 5, 1931 in Rogers, Texas. He founded the company in 1958 with the idea of enriching  American modern dance heritage with the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience. His untimely death in 1989, did nothing to dim that vision. As evidenced at Lincoln Center, it lives on in the dancers who are the apostles to

his cultural movement and in the souls of audience members who witness his genius onstage.

Young Firebrand Conductor Marks Centenary of Stravinsky's "Firebird" at New York Philharmonic

Guest Conductor Lionel Bringuier, a seasoned pro at only 26

Reviewed by Dwight Casimere June 14, 2013

NEW YORK--Although only 26 years old Guest Conductor Lionel Bringuier acquitted himself like an old old pro during his one-week subscription concert stint as Guest Conductor with the New York Philharmonic in a challenging and scintillating program of Paul Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice,  Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2, with Greek firebrand soloist Leonidas Kavakos, Aoltan Kodaly's Dances of Galanta and, finally, Igor Stravinsky's Suite from The Firebird, now celebrating the 103rd year of its debut as a performance piece with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Paris Opera in 1910.

In his youth, violin soloist Kavakos was similarly a "wunderkind," having won the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki at the tender age of 18 in 1985, as the competition's youngest contestant and a year later as winner of the Indianapolis International Violin Competition (Kavakos studied with the great Josef Gingold at Indiana University on an Onassis Foundation Scholarship), and, in 1988, winner of the Paganini Violin Competition.

Bringuier is Chief Conductor Designate of Zurich's prestigious Tonhalle Orchestra and will join it as Music Director in the upcoming 2014/15 season. He has already distinguished himself as Resident Conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, now in his sixth and final season in that role.  Subscription concert attendees might have fond memories of his New York debut when he conducted the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra  at Avery Fisher Hall, in 2008 and his official debut with the New York Philharmonic in 2009, in which he conducted the chamber ensemble of Benjamin Britten;s "War Requiem" with Lorin Mazel at the podium.

This time, young Bringuier was firmly in the driver's seat, and a thrilling ride it was from start to finish!
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is forever emblazoned in the mind of us Baby Boomers (which comprised the greater part of the Friday afternoon matinee I attended) with the image of Mickey Mouse from the 1940 Disney film "Fantasia." Though himself diminutive in stature, Bringuier rose to the occasion, and like the "mouse that roared," propelled this time-honored work into the stratosphere with a spellbinding performance. Holding the reins in on both tempo and tone, he was able to build the sense of suspense to a fever pitch and conjured up images that were almost cinematic in their depth and scope. Seeking out inner voices and urging sprightly bursts of inspiration from the woodwinds and brass, he revealed brilliantly faceted gems of melody and tonal color lurking in the depths of the dense orchestrations.

Leonidas Kavakos is a veritable force of nature on the violin. The description may sound trite, but to witness the blurring facility of his piston-like fingering, the precise Formula One speed of his agility and  his breathtaking ability to scale to the very precipice of the musical and emotional acropolis, only to leap like a wing glider into the racing wind. At times, he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet like a Wimbledon contender about to send an ace soaring over the net. Prokofiev composed the work for the exclusive performance of the great French-Belgian violinist Robert Soetens who premiered it with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra in 1935. It could not have been more explosively performed!

Fireworks was the dominant impression of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. Put quite simply, with the exception of a flubbed entry by the tuba at the start of the all-too-crucial finale, it was an otherwise flawless performance, full drama and suspense, fiery dances and explosive crescendoes. Referring to his earlier piece in the program, Bringuier proved to be  a bit of a sorcerer in his own right.

Guest Conducctor Lionel Bringuier

Tamara Karsavina and Adolph Bolm star in  Stravinsky's " The Firebird" in the original production in 1910 at the Paris Opera

 Leonisas Kavakos in the Prokofiev Violin Concerto

Riccardo Muti, oboist Eugene Izotov in arresting Martinu Oboe Concerto

Special to Dwight The Connoisseur

Riccardo Muti is one of the most renowned conductors in the world. As Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, now in his third season, he has created programs that are repositories for the great symphony composers of the past, while providing a long-needed showcase for the works of twentieth century and contemporary composers. He has also provided opportunities to highlight the exceptional talent of the orchestra's own vast pool of musical talent, and has featured them often as soloists in subscription concerts. Such was the case of Eugene Izotov, principal oboe to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who was featured as soloist in the Oboe Concerto by Bohuslav Martinu, in its first Chicago Symphony Performances.

Following a thoughtful reading of Haydn's Symphony No. 48 (Maria Thearesa), which was a sterling example of Haydn's letter-perfect composition, rendered impeccably by Maestro Muti and the CSO, the Martinu was by contrast, a passionate, lush, almost pictoral musical landscape, with Izotov giving a rare solo glimpse of the beautiful tonal range and expressive capabilities of the oboe.

Influenced by the jazz of his era, Martinu's music is further informed by his suffering as a result of being blacklisted by the Nazis and forced to flee his adopted home of Paris in advance of the German invasion. His music drips with brooding emotion, and Izotov's oboe captured the dark moods and fleeting thoughts of longing and occasional rapture.

Scriabin's Synphony No. 3 provides a glimpse of the greatness that might have been had the composer lived beyond his all-too-brief 43 years. Best known as a pianist and composer for the piano, Alexander Scriabin courted notions of also being a great composer of symphonies. Muti payed proper homage to the genius inherent in this wide-ranging, nearly hour-long meandering through the reflected glory of Ravel, Debussy, Mahler and Brahms, all of whom Scriabin gave appropriate nods to in the course of this massive effort, which he dubbed The Divine Poem.  Time may have provided an opportunity for Scriabin to develop a distinctive orchestral voice of his own, but sadly, that was not to be. So, we are left with only this broad sketch of the genius that might have been. Muti and the orchestra gave it a thoughtful reading that emphasized its importance in the annals of musical history.            
Riccardo Muti                     

 Franz Joseph Haydn - Alexander Scriabin (below)

Mestro Muti with oboe soloist Eugene Izotov