One type of concert that I especially enjoy is the type that drives me to want to learn more. Such was the case in a concert given by soprano Lucy Shelton and a a cadre of musicians at the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America. Like her mentor and teacher Jan DeGaetani, Shelton has dispelled the notion that performers of contemporary art music need to be specialists. Although she has made a name for herself as a fearless interpreter of some of the most challenging contemporary music she also performs the standard repertoire to critical acclaim. This evening focused mainly on more recent music with special attention to works by Elliott Carter, who is now 102 and still actively composing!
The hall in which the concert took place is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the folding chairs were quite uncomfortable, a fact that added to the challenge of the performers! No one likes seeing people squirm in their seats.
For the first segment of the program, two lovely and beautifully performed 17th century arias by Domenico Gabrielli (apparently not related to the Venetian Gabriellis). The very prominent cello part in both arias puzzled me a bit until I read that Gabrielli was a virtuoso cellist! Stealing the spotlight from the singer would not have bothered him (and hopefully not the singer either). The two bel canto arias framed two strikingly different short sets by Harrison Birtwistle and Morton Feldman.The Birtwistle set (Three Settings of Lorine Niedecker) did give special prominence to the cello. The Feldman set (four songs to e.e. cummings) sensitively followed and accentuated the often pointillistic and (at times) phonemic quality of the the poetry. It was as if Ms. Shelton was moving the listener from a very familiar world musically and poetically, to something less familiar, to something quite unfamiliar to most, and finally back to the familiar.
Elliott Carter's Poems of Louis Zukofsky, composed in 2009 when the composer was 100 (!), revealed again sensitivity to the texts. Carter is a highly intellectual composer with a strong interest in literature and poetry. Louis Zukofsky, father of famed violinist Paul Zukfosky, was a modernist poet whose poems always have an underlying message that even if the poetry itself is in an idiom that paves new paths. A single clarinet creates an interesting if often spare accompaniment to the voice. The vocal line embraces clarity and directness of declamation. While each setting seemed sensitively in tune with the particular style of its text (each poem was quite different), the next to final song of the set seemed to have the most musical elaboration and obvious contrast. The final poem, with its reference to rain and hail, elicits the most vigorous accompaniment,
I don't think I had heard the name of Warren Benson, composer of the next extended song (Mourning for the Queen of Sundays) but it was quite something. An extended introduction for two cellos establishes a character of mournful lyricism punctuated by passages of dramatic intensity. The setting very effectively projects the underlying sentiments of the words without ever overwhelming them. The final verse concludes with an extended epilogue in which the singer mainly hums or vocalises in partnership with the cellos. Hearing this work made me want to hear more works by this composer.
The Italian composer Luigi Dallapiccola is often credited with teaching Schoenberg's 12-tone language to speak Italian. Two short songs (Due Liriche di Anacreonte) for piano, clarinet and voice demonstrate this quite effectively. A very lyrical and sustained first song ("I wish to sing of languorous Eros") is balanced by a more intense and passionate second song ("Eros, like a wood cutter felled me with an axe").
It was then time for one more set by Carter, Tempo e Tempi, with texts by varied Italian poets (sung in Italian). Each song in the cycle, with texts by three different poets employs a large chamber ensemble and requires a conductor. Carter's music is not always the easiest to appreciate. He is a brilliant man who is often attracted to hard-to-grasp material. After a period of writing accessible neoclassical works, many with considerable charm and even power, he struck off on his own to compose works of less immediate appeal (in many cases) but works that reflect his internal desire, the triumph of substance over style. It has been said that he commented that he no longer cared about performers or listeners. He was going to compose what he wanted to compose. My interpretation of this viewpoint is that he felt that he had been for too long compromising his music to bring a measure of acclaim to himself and his music. He decided that if he composed music that he truly believed in, performers and listeners would accept it or not but that he would have said what he wanted to say. It has turned out that many performers have embraced what he has had to say and have presented it to audiences with total preparation and commitment. Many listeners have also embraced his music. He has in essence been true to himself and in no way, in my opinion, condescending of others.
I am hoping I can attend at least one of the two remaining concerts in this series. This performance took place on February 2nd at the Italian Academy of Columbia University.
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