Category: Reviews

On Thursday, November 19, I attended the New York Philharmonic Open Rehearsal at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. This was the first time I had attended an open rehearsal or heard the New York Philharmonic play live. Upon entering, it was interesting to note how relaxed the performers appeared, most likely because it was only a rehearsal and not the real show. As everyone was taking their seats, the performers would come and go as they pleased until the conductor came out and the rehearsal was ready to begin.

The conductor, Riccardo Muti, was rather entertaining during the rehearsal. He would consistently turn to face the audience and talk to us about certain things. It was somewhat difficult to hear everything he was saying, given our seats were closer to the back, but some of the things that I was able to make out were interesting. I felt like this was a good way to keep the rehearsal relaxed, but in a good way. Of course Muti would not want his performers to feel that they do not have to work hard at all, but a little break in between would help calm down any of the performers if they did not play their part right. Muti’s drive for perfection was evident when he would stop the performance, say something to the performers, and the piece would be replayed. Clearly, Muti was not impressed with that portion of the concert, and wanted it to be perfected.

The performers played their pieces very well, which is why they are a part of the Philharmonic. I was amazed at how wonderful the music sounded, wondering how they managed to make all the various instruments work in harmony. In addition, it was interesting to see how all the performers knew exactly when to enter in the piece. Only many years of experience would allow someone to be able to perform that well.

Overall, the Open Rehearsal was a great experience. The music that was performed sounded magnificent, and considering it was a rehearsal, the final concert would most likely have been something to remember. The conductor included the audience in the rehearsal, which made the audience feel better because they were no longer idle spectators. Although this was my first open rehearsal and viewing of the New York Philharmonic, it was certainly something to remember.

This afternoon, in the spirit of Chanukah, I journeyed to the Jewish Museum on the corner of 92^nd street and 5^th avenue. Although the museum generally charges a $12 admission fee (unless you are a Macaulay student), it is free for all visitors on Saturdays.

The first floor was dedicated to a Man Ray exhibit and, consequentially, I never got to the other floors. Man Ray, born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an artist in every sense of the word. He painted, sculpted, wrote, photographed, and filmed. The exhibit included a filmed, biographical interview with Ray. “I’m a free man,” he said, referring to his ability to make whichever type of art he wanted to make whenever he felt like making it. The film was displayed last, and so I saw it after I viewed his wide variety of work. It was a touching conclusion. The other pieces included Obstruction, a dangling network of wooden coat hangers, as well as various self-portraits. Obstruction stood out because it was the only piece that was suspended from the ceiling. It cast an intricate shadow upon the white wall behind it. In fact, many of Ray’s pieces emphasized the beauty of shadows.

Perhaps Ray was symbolizing his shadowed roots; he changed his name and hid his Russian-Jewish identity throughout most of his life.  Although Ray was forced to flee from Paris during World War II, he avoided his roots and attempted to remain anonymous. At some point during his persecution, Ray began to confront his past and to symbolically work with primary colors. He painted the famous La fortune, which is now permanently displayed on the fourth floor of the Whitney Museum.

The exhibit seemed to be organized chronologically. Ray’s different “eras,” and therefore his different approaches to his background, were assembled in their own rooms. My favorite room included what I believe was work from a humorous era; he “airbrushed paintings to make them look like photographs and exposed objects on light-sensitive paper to create cameraless ‘rayographs.’” *

“Alias Man Ray: The Art of Reinvention” is a fascinating exhibit, but one that requires time and attention. I recommend it to painters, photographers, scuplters, and filmmakers alike, since all of those art forms are present. Just don’t expect to have time to look at the rest of the museum!

* Source of quote: http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/manray

The New York Philharmonic’s rehearsal on November 19th included works from a variety of excellent composers. The pieces performed included Liszt’s Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3 after Lamartine; Elgar’s In the South (Alassio), Concerto-Overture for Orchestra, Op. 50; and selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.

Franz Liszt, born in 1811, was a masterful Hungarian composer who was the first to champion the “symphonic poem,” a “large-scale but single-movement orchestral piece structured to convey a literary program.” Liszt himself coined the term in 1853 and composed 13 such pieces, Les Préludes being the third. This work, one of his most famous, was indeed a revision and expansion upon his previous work Les Quatre Éléments: La Terre, Les Aquilons, Les Flots, Les Astres. The work also loosely connects to Alphonse de Lamartine’s poem “Les Préludes,” although the order of the moods differs. In Liszt’s composition, the “sequence divides into four parts, which focus on love, war, the natural beauty of the countryside, and destiny.”

This piece stirred up a great many emotions in me and in the space of the time in which it was rehearsed by the Philharmonic, it became one of my favorite classical pieces. Throughout the course of the composition, I closed my eyes, allowing the music to envelope me in a story; the symphonic poem lived up to that title and inspired my imagination to match a plot to the music. In its entirety, my imaginary world seemed to be set in World War II era Europe, perhaps France. The first section opened with a light and airy feeling which invoked the spirit of springtime in my own interpretation. I saw the blossoming of a new infatuation, which later in the part developed into a full-blown romance. Starkly contrasting against the buoyant mood of the love section, the transition into the war section was quite effective. The beginning of this part of the sequence made me envision the lovers attempting to flee from an oncoming darkness, denoted by sinister tones in the music. As the section developed, the war motif was incredibly clear to the listener; the powerful music created images of a charging cavalry and marching forces. This section fades into a much softer section in which I saw a serene isolated landscape of rolling green hills and a small home. I pictured the woman alone, her lover having disappeared into the chaos of war, tending to her laundry with a slight wind blowing. The scene continues to emphasize the beauty of the area in which she lives. In the final section, representing destiny, the pomp and grandeur of the music formed a reunion between the lovers in my imaginary story. The triumphant feel of the music made me feel as if there could be no other end to the story.

Edward Elgar, Britain’s leading composer of the Edwardian Era, composed his In the South (Alassio) after vacationing in the south of Italy in 1904. Upon visiting the village of Andora, Elgar was inspired and filled his piece with “references to his Italian surroundings…a heroic buildup of chordal textures meant to evoke ancient Roman soldiers, and a canto popolare of the sort the shepard [a local] might sing.” For the most part, I enjoyed this piece and it was performed excellently, although the source composition did not speak to me as much as its predecessor in the program. I believe because I was so enthralled with Les Préludes, that I set myself up for disappointment for the rest of the show. However, I was rather fond of the part in Alassio when the music picks up and evoked a battle scene.

The final act of the rehearsal was selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. While I felt his music was a bit unusual at parts, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Prokofiev’s score was originally scorned by members of the Bolshoi Ballet as “undanceable.” Today, however, it is regarded as “one of the finest ballet scores of all times.” My favorite piece was the “Death of Tybalt,” because of it’s dramatic tones and dark feel. I also enjoyed “Montagues and the Capulets” and “Romeo at Juliet’s Grave.” I definitely favored the darker pieces than the lighter ones. I did think, however, that “Juliet, the Young Girl” was fitting for a youthful girl with it’s light and fast paced nature.

Overall, my main criticism is that I felt that there were too many pauses and interruptions; however, I digress because it was a rehearsal and the stops were typical and expected. I enjoyed most of Conductor Riccardo Muti’s commentary as well, although at points I could not understand him. In the end, I regretted not being able to attend the performance.

All quotes from the Playbill’s “Notes on the Program” by James M. Keller

This past week I visited Slash: Paper Under the Knife– an exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design featuring art made out of paper. The exhibit celebrates the recent boom in the use of paper in creating art and is the third exhibition in the museum’s  Materials and Process series, which “examines the renaissance of traditional handcraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design,” as the Museum website puts it. Many of the works have been done on site and specifically for the exhibit.

Immediately when you walk into the first floor of the exhibit you see a large paper tank. Upon moving closer you see stag beetles covering the outer layer of the vehicle, and when you really look closer it becomes apparent that the paper the tank is made out of is not blank paper, but rather pages out of the Jewish prayer book, the siddur. The tank (a german tank) represents German aggression during World War II and the stag beetle, which, in Middle Eastern culture, typically represents a resilient native population. The artist is Pietro Ruffo and the piece is called “Youth of the Hills” (2008).

This foreshadowed the manner in which many of the works in Slash are viewed. Many have appealing and intriguing structures, but upon looking closer at the paper, a deeper message can be found.

Such is the case with the creations of Sangeeta Sandrasegar. Her reclining and rocking chairs made out of paper are cut out in the middle to depict war scenes with guns and barbed wire. The contrast of the comfort of a rocking chair and the backrest filled with violence is not a coincidence.

However, just because it has a meaning embedded into a structure made out of paper does not make it good art. Rob Ryan’s “Can We Shall We” is two lover’s atop a hill with steps leading up to it embedded with quotations of longing such as “can we” and “shall we.” It looked like house art or art that could be found in store for $20 dollars instead of an exhibit in NYC.

Not all of the pieces have a hidden message, some are very creative designs and other’s utilize the effects of bright colors  such as Oliver Herring’s “Alex”- a lifesize sculpture of a human covered in different color patches of paper, some of which are colored photos of that part, such as a photo of a toe on the toe of the sculpture.  I particularly was impressed the way many artists utilized the layering possiblities offered by paper as opposed to paint alone. This can clearly be seen in “Paperworks” by Andreas Kocks- a giant black inkblot looking form on an upper wall of the exhibit. Certain parts of it protrude outward as a result of layering paper, and this creates a sort of 3-D effect.

I think the exhibit was definitely worth my time. It was well put together and the layout was pleasing. I was very impressed and captivated simply by what artists could do creatively with paper. Besides for its novelty, some of the works I would consider fine pieces of art, but not many. It may not be worth a special trip, but if you are in the area or just looking for something intriguing, the Slash exhibit is definitely worth giving a try.

Barge Music, located just under the Brooklyn Bridge, brings great music to the public for a not so great price. Although I myself had not had to pay for my ticket, I have looked through the listing of different concerts performed at barge music and their admission prices. Going to barge music was an incredible experience.  It is conveniently located right off the Brooklyn Promenade, which gives you a really beautiful view of the city, and is also right next to the ice cream factory, which has very delicious ice cream (especially the strawberry one because they make it with real strawberries).  Stepping onto the barge, I had found out that the barge actually does move along with the waves.  I was given a program for the night’s performance. Michael Bulychev-Okser, a Russian pianist, was performing three of  Beethoven’s Sonatas. The inside of the barge is comprised of one room with a stage and chairs facing the stage, for the audience. It was a pretty small room, it could fit maybe 100 people, but it was a lot larger than what it seemed like from the outside. Behind the stage was a window, which provided a view of Manhattan. If you looked through that window, the movement of the boat became very apparent, otherwise it was barely noticeable.

Michael Bulychev-Okser started out by playing Piano Sonata No.29 in B-Flat Major, Op.106, “Hammerklavier”. I did not so much like this choice of melody because at times it seemed like there were too many things going on at the same time. What I mean by that is each hand was playing a tune that was both powerful and completely distinct from the other, and when both are put together it is very hard to follow the music. This however, was not the performer’s fault, after all he isn’t the one that composed the melody. This piece did do one thing though. It allowed us to see just how talented the performer is, that he was able to play two completely different melodies with his hands at the same time.  Following this performance was an intermission, during which I went upstairs to admire the view of the city. Surprisingly, you could not feel the boat’s movement at all from the top. After a brief intermission, Michael Bulychev-Okser came back and performed two more pieces for us: Piano Sonata No.8 in c minor, Op.13, “Pathetique” and Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Op. 31, No.1. These last two performances were very enjoyable since there wasn’t any dissonance between the melody played by the right hand and the melody played by the left hand. The movement of the barge had at times seemed timed to the music and had only emphasized the music more. This made the performance even better.

Sadly there was only a handful of us that went to see the performance. Those of you that did not go, you missed out on a great experience and I would recommend that you at some point go to a concert at barge music.

Walking into the New York Philharmonic’s rehearsal, I suddenly had the feeling that I was at the wrong place. Why are there so many people here just for a rehearsal? After a few minutes a sitting down and listening to the performance, I realized the answer.

Featuring Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, the rehearsal also included Liszt’s Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3, and Elgar’s In the South. The music was exceptional, but the setting seemed odd. Rather than crisp suits and polished shoes, the musicians all appeared pedestrian. The audience members also appeared very informal. Rather than a formal music group, it just seemed as if a random assortment of people were picked from the street and asked to play onstage. Their music, however, separated them from the rest of us.

It is difficult to fathom encapsulating words to describe their performance: beautiful, majestic, mind-blowing. Individually, all of the performers seemed to be on task with the music. For example, the bows of all the performers for a given string section all rose and fell in synch with one another. When the sounds of each instrument came together to produce a gestalt, the true passion and emotions of each piece could truly be felt. From pianissimo to fortissimo and back again, the powerful crescendos made the music worthwhile. Having never heard any of these pieces before, I was filled with awe just listening to them.

It was also interesting to see Riccardo Muti serve as the conductor. His criticisms to the musicians themselves as well as his engaging of the audience kept everyone in the room alert and interested during the performance. My only complaint was the wooden chairs. Even with the amazing performance of the Philharmonic, it was difficult to sit on the chair comfortable for three hours. Even though it was just a rehearsal, seeing the New York Philharmonic perform was one of the best musical experiences I have ever had.

What are some of the essential elements of dance? What makes dance so unique? What makes dance an art form? Incognizant of what dance truly meant, I was given the opportunity to peek inside the world of Dante Adela for three hours.  His discussions, life story, and demonstration of dance have all greatly impacted my current understanding of the topic.

His first exercise involved everyone forming a circle and then pretending we were in a shower, with the water suddenly turning cold. As most of the students tried to show this with their bodies, they ended up laughing. Adela explained that when dancing, you can’t be afraid of looking foolish; he helped show dance’s aspect of vulnerability. With the same exercise, he was able to demonstrate how the body can communicate emotions and thoughts without verbalization. Based on Adela’s body language, by viewing the transition of the water being warm in the shower to the water suddenly turning cold, everyone in the classroom was able view the body’s distress.

Hearing about Adela’s life story was also quite fascinating. Throughout his life, he studied and learned different dance styles, from break dancing to ballet. When he talked about dancing a specific form (ballet, for example), he stated that he tries to incorporate every dance form that he has individually learned into his movements. His dancing is the net result of all of the experiences of his life. Even his martial arts background has affected his dancing.

The video of his dance performance involving the woman was also very significant. Beautifully done, the video involved a drunken man being followed by a woman in white. What was most fascinating was that although everyone in the class had seen the same video, the interpretations were all slightly different. This showed that dance is able to communicate emotions and thoughts, but the exact interpretation is completely open to the viewer. Just one visit with Dante Adela has helped truly expose me to dance. An exceptional artist, he has now made me more open to further exploring and enjoying this intricate art form.

Listening to Julliard Jazz was by far one of the liveliest experiences I have had in very long time. I have heard jazz music before but have never attended a live performance until now.

Improvisation is one of the essential elements of any jazz performance. With solos flying left and right from the ensemble, all of the improvisation pieces were superb. Just by looking at the musicians, you could easily tell that the music had truly swept them away off into another world. The music flowed through each musician and allowed them to play whatever came to mind, enabling the beautiful solos heard. With some musicians closing their eyes, tapping their feet, or snapping their fingers, they were all absorbed by the music, and the audience was brought along for the splendid ride. Each solo was unique and vibrant. Even Frank Wess, a frail, 87 year-old, had come to life when he played, especially during his solos. My favorite solos were from the pianist, who played with a strong rhythm that could easily be absorbed. Frank Wess’ solos were dazzling as well. Such emphasis is placed on these solos because they result solely from what the musician was feeling at that given moment during the performance. These improvisation solos make the performance heard at Julliard Jazz one-of-a-kind (literally).

The musicianship as a whole was also phenomenal. No mistakes were made during playing and everything seemed to be in perfect harmony. Even the song that Frank Wess had introduced to the ensemble, which was only rehearsed for two days, was phenomenal. Out of all the songs, my two favorites were “Tickle Toe,” and “Freckle Face.” Both of these songs had uplifting beats and were a pleasure to listen to. Brandon Lee, despite his young age, did a marvelous job of conducting this passionate group of musicians. The Julliard Jazz Ensemble was one of the best live groups I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Count Basie would have been proud.

On Thursday November 19^th, 2009 I was in the presence of the world-known Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. The atmosphere was one of angst to see the conductor and hear the famous orchestra. The repertoire included Franz Liszt’s Les Preludes, Symphonic Poem No.3, Edward Elgar’s In the South Overture, and the highlight of the three, Selections from Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Profokiev. The three pieces, although their composition ranged over a century, were each epitomical works of program music.

Many in the audience would have left Lincoln Center fixated with pieces from Romeo and Juliet. It without a doubt was the main feature, however Franz Liszt’s Les Preludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3 served as an incredible headway into the program music. Despite the fact that it was only a fragment of a set, the use of the orchestra to create or depict the emotions, development, and scene he wanted was amazing. The 6- minute piece was broken down into four parts -according to Liszt- which were love, war, beauty of the countryside, and destiny. Muti actually extended the piece an extra minute or so, because the original would have been five minutes. Nevertheless the music was complemented greatly by Muti’s control of the huge orchestra that made use of tone color as exactly Romantic composers did.

The piece began with merely the string the entering. The lower ones began followed by ultimately the violins. This string intro immediately incorporated the brass section with a pushing and ‘all-over’ the place melody which reached its peak with a build up in fortissimo dynamics that lead to a hard drop to a soft tutti phrase. The flutes accentuated the ‘love’ part of the poem with held graceful legato lines.  The ritornello phrase that was focused on throughout made its way back into the piece by individual instruments at a time, and even sections at a time. Dynamics built up intensely in the ‘war’ and ‘destiny’ portion as did the tone color especially with the brass. Muti’s control of the brass section in this piece was unparalleled. He was able to successfully get the most out of them without hurting them too much. The same ritornello fragment that was originally used in ‘love’ was used in the ‘war’, just much at much faster tempos and volumes. In each part of the poem one could tell how Muti followed Liszt’s notation of alternating instrumentations to create the emotions in his sequence. Experiencing the ‘beauty of the countryside’ was the most rewarding. Muti focused on this one more than the other parts and used the delicate woodwinds, and violins to elongate sound. There weren’t many climbs and the brass was hardly used. However, even the powerful brass took turn to beautifully create the ‘natural’ countryside at the conductor’s whim. It was very waltz-like. Muti’s transitions were the most extravagant. In them he explored dynamics and tone color the most. In the last part ‘destiny’ he dictated a fuller sound with the entire orchestra showing off their versatility along with strong percussive accents. Drum rolls, the tympani, and cymbals make the last part the strongest. From his legato ‘love’ piece, to his march-like climb to ‘war’, to the ‘Bambi’-like countryside, and ultimately the extravagant ‘destiny’ he was able to experiment with what Romantics did most, expressiveness and color.

The theme throughout the entire poem was never lost. Muti truly dictated the tempos beautifully as they changed from love, to war, nature, and destiny. The moods of the piece were conveyed even more successfully with the power of the brass even when it was used in lyrical rhythms. That was the most impressive technique, the fact that in one moment instruments that sounded graceful, like the strings, were played vivace to create an eerie sound and vice versa.

Overall, Muti’s casual, yet concentrated demeanor proved that he was worth the money to see. His brilliance as well that of the orchestra was superb. Both he and that ‘animal’ he controlled were in the lime-light that morning, and nothing could stop them. Not even a pink sweater.

The New York Philharmonic Orchestras rehersal was enlightening. As a novice of classical music and orchestras in general, i did not have any expectations and could not say whether i was someone who appreciated classical music or orchestras in general. That changed by the end.

My lack of knowledge was so obvious and acute that after the orchestra had finished warming up (with scales probably), i turned to my classmate and said “they don’t seem very good,” thinking that was an actual piece. However, when the first piece actually did begin i was taken aback by the deepness and complexity of the music which seemed to fill the room. I have heard scores in the background of movies, i had never heard one live, and it was different to say the least. The music had a sort of fullness and gave a certain satisfaction, particularly when the trumpets and other brass instruments were included. The conductor was not too over the top but still seemed to be doing his job from what i could tell, and some of the most interesting moments were when he would stop the music and verbally engage the musicians. I could not here what he was saying but people in the front row often laughed and he was no doubt offering his constructive criticism. It was interesting to see how a professional conductor interacts with  a professional orchestra.

Despite my appreciating for the orchestra’s uniqueness, i was not entertained by it. I have great veneration for the musicians and i understand why other people appreciate it, to me it was like a bad movie with great effects- impressive and sometimes captivating, but not something i would go to again. My interest had reached its peak in the first 5 minutes and was reduced to boredom after the first piece. The entire performance seemed entirely too long, though i cannot say for sure since i am not exactly an aficionado. Those around me who understand and like classical music seemed to have found the music very enjoyable, for a novice like myself, it was not.