Finsterer, Ortiz, Matthews, Glaser, Romaneiro: Soloists, New Juilliard Ensemble, Joel Sachs, director and conductor, Alice Tully Hall, New York City, 16.11.2006 (BH)

 

 

Mary Finsterer: Nyx (1996) *

Pablo Ortiz: Heat Wave (2006) ***

David Matthews: Violin Concerto No. 2 (1998) **

David Glaser: Apparitions (2004) *

Ricardo Romaneiro: Blue Steel (2006) ***

 

 

***World premiere

**Western Hemisphere premiere

*New York premiere

 

 

New Juilliard Ensemble
Joel Sachs, Director and Conductor
Ann Miller, Violin

Emi Ferguson, Flute

Xiang-Yu Zhou, Bass Clarinet

Kyung-Eun Na, Piano

 

 

A pelting rain probably winnowed the audience a bit on this particular evening, which is too bad since those absent missed out on some of the latest archaeological finds from all over the world, ferreted out by Joel Sachs, the New Juilliard Ensemble’s director and conductor.  “Hits and misses” are part of the thrill of contemporary music – you never know whether you’re hearing the inaugural performance of a new classic, or the first reading of something that may never see the light of day again.  Tonight’s haul was a good one.

Australian composer Mary Finsterer cites the Greek goddess “born of chaos” for the title of Nyx, which from 1996 was the oldest piece on the program.  It is a sensational work, one that wastes no time getting started, as if a door were being opened onto a jubilant party already in progress.  Against an ominous timpani backdrop, Finsterer adds moaning winds and squeaky wisps on strings, all of which chugs along in relentless merriment – until it just stops.  Meanwhile, three soloists parked on the left side of the ensemble – Emi Ferguson on flute, Xiang-Yu Zhou on bass clarinet and Kyung-Eun Na on piano, all excellent – function as a sort of Greek chorus commenting on the action.  Chimes, woodblocks and glissandi combine in gloriously slippery textures that, whether chaotic or not, were beautifully imagined.

 

With Heat Wave, written for the ensemble, Buenos Aires-born Pablo Ortiz wanted to recreate the feeling of slowly entering a quiet swimming pool, of hot and cold sensations as one travels from one end to the other.  Rapidly flowing lines for winds are quickly taken up by the rest of the ensemble, which eventually subsides down a bit, but the result is a sort of gurgling perpetual motion.  Like a number of composers who have written for this group, Ortiz has given them a real workout, not as languid as his inspiration might suggest.

The first half closed with violinist Ann Miller in David Matthews’ Violin Concerto No. 2, whose inspiration comes from his travels in California and Australia.  With a rather formal structure, the journey begins and ends with the violin’s lowest note (G), but in between are several cadenzas, as well as a brief tribute to his brother, the composer Colin, but the piece as a whole is throbbingly romantic.  In the fifth and final movement the winds and the soloist, who gradually recapitulate the earlier themes, evoke Australian birdsongs.  With confident, fluid playing, Miller was the embodiment of elegance and received a huge ovation for her effort.

 

Completely different in tone was David Glaser’s Apparitions, inspired by a series by artist Linda Plotkin, whose miniatures (6” x 6”) incorporate imagery and fragments of Asian papers.  Glaser has imagined eight movements whose titles correspond to Plotkin’s collages, from the brevity of “Sun and Silver” (about 30 seconds long) to “Ocean Vision,” shimmering with some lovely oboe solos.  Stylistically Glaser and Webern would have a lot to chat about, with tiny moments flickering through the ensemble, although Mozart’s “Haffner” and “Posthorn” Serenades are also cited as influences.  Certainly the radiant reading coaxed by Dr. Sachs from his Juilliard players made one ponder the ever-fertile union of the aural and the visual.

The concert closed with an exuberant commission by 27-year-old Ricardo Romaneiro, originally from São Paulo and now working in New York City.  Blue Steel is for eighteen players, who are charged with “depicting the orchestra as machine.”  It has irresistible energy, so much so that even the slower moments seem crawling with microorganisms.  With the outstanding New Juilliard players in clanking Robocop form, Romaneiro’s metallic dream made an exuberant close.

 

 

Bruce Hodges

 

 

Illustrations from Apparitions (© 2004) commissioned by the Rare Books Collection of the Pennsylvania State University and used with the kind permission of Linda Plotkin.

 

 

For more information: www.lindaplotkin.com