The Classical List - From the Editor

Review: Denver Chamber Music Festival: Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello & Piano

contact@novatekno.net (Zachariah Stoughton) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 04:08:33 GMT

June 9-10, 2025 - Denver:

Monday evening marked the beginning of an interesting string of chamber music concerts part of the Denver Chamber Music Festival which runs through the end of the week at the University of Denver. Co-presented by Friends of Chamber Music and the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, the Festival started last weekend with a chamber music workshop for adult amateurs featuring festival performers as instructors.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, we had the rare opportunity to hear Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano with the pieces divided out to four cellists and two pianists. One of the challenges of presenting the entire of anything is making a cohesive program from works not originally intended to be heard together. Separating the works into two separate programs and not simply setting the works in chronological order was quite effective and worked well in this case.

Part one began with a spirited performance of the Variations for cello and piano on "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in F major, Op. 66 performed by cellist David Requiro and pianist Julio Elizalde. The significant technical demands of this work were met with no small amount of technical prowess by both performers. Slower variations aside, one almost wished for a little break in the action. While not rushed, there was certainly a breathless, pushing quality to the music making.

The second work on the program began in great contrast to the first with cellist Meta Weiss’ beautiful, singing opening to the Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 5, No. 2. Weiss seems incapable of an unpleasant sound. Together with Elizalde’s rock-solid fingerwork, we heard a cohesive, musically sensitive interpretation of a work in places overwhelmed by its own difficulty.

The two Op. 5 sonatas are interesting in their length and compositional scope when compared to the first four of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano alone composed at nearly the same time. Had the cello part been left out of the Op. 5, we would be left with two among the longest of any of his sonatas for piano and perhaps the most forward-looking of his early period. Beethoven intended himself to serve as pianist, giving us a better glimpse into his pianism than the piano sonatas dedicated to his teacher or students.

In the Cello Sonata, Op. 69 performed by Matthew Zalkind and which ended Monday’s program, Elizalde’s staggering technique paired with a solid conception of larger structure provided a sure footing for Zalkind’s confident playing. As the concluding piece, it was met warmly by an enthusiastic audience perhaps not yet ready for the evening to end.

The standout performance of this first night, however, was done by cellist Alice Yoo with pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute playing the 7 Variations on "Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen" from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte , WoO 46. The pair seemed in constant agreement on the slightest of details in the work. Jokubaviciute’s playing, while less muscular than Elizalde’s, was no less virtuosic while uniting with Yoo’s gorgeous and supple sound. Jokubaviciute’s sensitivity to the cello meant that she never overpowered Yoo, and there was never the sense that one or the other was placing their musical will above the other - an excellent example of the magic of chamber music when the performers sound as though playing one instrument.

The second evening continued with another well-matched collaboration between Meta Weiss and Ieva Jokubaviciute in the 12 Variations on a Theme from Handel's Judas Maccabaeus , WoO 45. Weiss displayed a huge variety of sounds expressing sometimes the drama and often the humor contained in this work. Jokubaviciute was again absolutely knit to the cello sound.

If one piece left the greatest impression of the two evenings, it was the Cello Sonata in F, Op. 5 No. 1 performed by Matthew Zalkind and Jokubaviciute. Zalkind’s ease with his instrument turned difficult passages not into a demonstration of his abilities but into clear articulations of Beethoven’s musical intent. This sonata in some ways resembles a concerto without an orchestra, complete with a (sort-of) cadenza. Jokubaviciute moved seamlessly between the more orchestral passages and those interacting with the cello as a soloist. This type of music making is attractive as it leaves this listener with a sense of the truth found in the music - more than the vague impressions of virtuosic note making.

The program wrapped up with the two Op. 102 cello sonatas - David Requiro and Julio Elizalde on the C major and Alice Yoo with Ieva Jokubaviciute on the D major. Another comparison can be made here to the piano (alone) sonatas of Beethoven - this time to his late period sonatas. Each one is an experiment in form, placing the narrative of human experience above the functional organization of classical tradition. Some performances of these sonatas can get a bit lost and begin to wander aimlessly. However, each on this evening was well-planned, paced moderately, and clearly engaged with Beethoven’s expressions of struggle but ultimate arrival at a serene joy; a testament to the world-class nature of these musicians.

It is a treat to hear chamber music in the summer festival format. Only in this way can one hear the same performers two nights in a row with complimentary programs - especially performers of this calibre - without having to drive out of town. The two performances remaining in the Denver Chamber Music Festival series are highly recommended. Details are available on the DCMF website .

Review: Second Tuesdays Concert Series presents Jooeun Pak, piano

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 22:35:00 GMT

March 11, 2025 - Arvada:

One of the special things about attending musical performances outside the concert hall is the opportunity to experience a certain immediacy of music making. Through mere proximity, the absence of the wall between the musician and the audience allows through a bit of the pulp of the process. While this might be undesirable in a recording or a competition, this is what is needed in most live performances - the human element through which the audience can relate to the music in deep, meaningful, and perhaps sometimes not-so-serious ways.

Tuesday evening’s performance by pianist Jooeun Pak on the Second Tuesdays Recital Series was an example of how a musician can welcome an audience to their unique creative space in closing the distance between listener and performer. In addition to being a pianist, Pak is a talented painter. On stage were approximately ten of her paintings, many depicting trees in unusual and stark color combinations. Between groups of pieces, these colors and the meaning behind each piece of art were explained. While it is not unusual to pair music and art together, this event was exeptional in how Pak tied together the specific meaning of each painting to the specific nature of each bit of music. Throughout the recital, each painting flowed seamlessly into each moment of music aided by articulate, humorous, and at times honest and vulnerable commentary.

Pak explained that the trees in the paintings represented identity or the struggle for identity. She revealed that painting became an artistic outlet for her while working through injury - a life-changing setback for any musician. A few of the trees were painted on two different canvases and divided in the middle. In one of these tree paintings, this is representing an artist who is working to be productive while holding onto the new identity of an “injured pianist” - an existence on two different planes.

The music chosen for the evening was perfect for demonstrating this duality. Starting out with the Chopin Waltz in E minor, Pak’s playing was fleet, confident and poised. Few pianists would start a program with a piece requiring as much finger dexterity as this waltz. No “warmup” needed here, and not a hint of struggle was apparent. In this case the two different dimensions of expression and struggle were far from each other.

In the Haydn Piano Sonata in C major, Pak made a point of drawing out the humor of the music. But just under the surface was a fire. We could hear Haydn expressing himself in two places just like the tree paintings: one place of humor and one of serious turmoil. Timing for a comedian is crucial to pulling off a joke. In this same way, Pak’s careful use of timing tastefully accentuated the unexpected turns and playfulness of Haydn’s music while occasionally letting out a bit of the heat just underneath.

Community of Grace is a church with surprisingly good acoustics. Carpet, upholstered pews, and sound panels found in most places of worship can deaden the sound of unamplified instruments. In the Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp minor and Berceuse, Pak’s singing tone was well complimented by this room. Particularly in softer passages, she exercised impeccable control to “float” the melody just over the accompaniment. Throughout the considerable voicing difficulties of these pieces, Pak was clear - brilliant, actually, in using the instrument and space to convey a musical intention beyond simply demonstrating that she could play the notes.

The performance of Beethoven’s Sonata in D minor revealed a deeply refined playing; not overdoing the dramatic nature of this work but bringing the listener back and forth between the intellectual and the fiery opposites which exist in this piece. Yet another tie to the paintings was revealed in both Ravel’s Jeux d’eau and L’isle joyeuse by Dubussy which ended the program. Pak demonstrated a huge variety of tone color in these pieces, once again showing the confidence and technical facility we heard at the beginning of the program.

In a world where the perception of winning, strength, and being first is held among the most desirable qualities - a sentiment very much present in the music world - there was something touching and human about Pak’s not just acceptance but embrace of struggle, doubt, and perceptions of insufficiency as expressed through words, painting, and music. It is not difficult to imagine that these very things at the nucleus of the music performed this evening - the concealed turmoil of the Haydn, the uneasy searching of the Beethoven and Chopin, or even the splashes of color in the Debussy and Ravel. These composers worked with very relatable human emotions to create their work. It was refreshing to hear a musician publicly acknowledge this, giving the audience a taste of the real nature of art.

The Second Tuesdays Concert Series continues next month with pianists Olga Dashevskaya and Natalia Sim in a four-hand recital. More information is available on their website .

Review: MAS Presents Hanzhi Wang, accordion

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 20:06:00 GMT

February 23, 2025 - Denver:

Imagine for a moment a keyboard instrument which has to breathe - like an organ but can change dynamics from a whisper to space-filling fortissimo without breaking the sound. It can sing with the clear and flexible voice of a violin - vibrato included, but it can accompany itself with the full colors of an orchestral woodwind section. Its overall sonic effect is one of an ensemble but made by one performer.

This is - perhaps surprisingly for some readers - a description of the mighty accordion.

The accordion in the United States has the unfortunate reputation for belonging only with a polka/tango band or in the popular música norteña . However, accordionist Hanzhi Wang has set about changing this stereotype as the ambassador of the accordion in the context of serious concert music. Her Sunday afternoon performance hosted by MAS Presents laid out a compelling case for a new image for this instrument as she presented a program of Bach, Scarlatti, Piazzolla, and her own compositions.

The program started with the Chorale Prelude, BWV 639 of J.S. Bach, usually heard on an organ or piano (through a transcription by Ferruccio Busoni). Immediately, the similarities between the accordion and organ were present. The three voices of this piece were each distinct, with the two upper voices delineated by careful use of varying articulation - a technique an organist would use to accomplish the same task. Wang portrayed well the gravity of this work, welcoming the audience to a state of listening in which the physical space of the room and instrument seemed much larger than they were. Following with the Chorale, Jesus bleibet meine Freude, from Bach’s Cantata BWV 147 (known in english as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”), Wang made the music sound almost idiomatic to the accordion - evidence of fantastic technique to match a mature musical taste.

This feeling continued with three keyboard sonatas by Scarlatti. The clarity of the instrument and Wang’s playing were on full display. Here the audience was treated to the combination of rhythmic steadfastness with a light, fleeting playfulness. Scarlatti explicitly asks for this in the score, but rarely is it conveyed sucessfully when performed on a piano. While it is dangerous to openly admit such conjecture, one could easily think the composer would prefer the accordion over a modern piano for any of his keyboard works - at least if it were Wang performing.

The highlight of the program was Wang’s performance of two works of her own composition. As she explained to the audience beforehand, the works evoke memories of her hometown in China. Mountain’s Song, the more expanded of the two pieces employed a fusion of different harmonic and stylistic traditions. What started out as maybe a simple traditional tune developed to include what in places sounded impressionistic and in others like perhaps Spanish or even South American dance. The work employed a full range of instrument’s color and dynamic range, making it an ideal piece to present to an audience new to the accordion.

Putting aside the fact that the performance was on accordion, Wang is a musician whose artistic vision transcends any particular instrument. It was not the novelty of the instrumentation which left the greatest impression but the clarity and conviction of musical intent; this was first-class music making by a first-class musician who just happens to play the accordion. This musical intuition combined with a confident stage presence and technique to match should place Wang high on the list of performing musicians to hear when possible. And judging by her past and upcoming collaborations and performances world-wide with composers and instrumentalists focusing on new music, Wang is poised to be double ambassador for both accordion and new music creation.

Take a look at the MAS Presents website for more interesting performances of music and instrumentation somewhat off the beaten path.

Review: The Playground Ensemble: Community Resonances

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 22:50:00 GMT

Feb 22, 2025 - Denver:

For almost all classical music concerts, communal aspects of the performance center around traditional expectations; the repertoire, atmosphere, flow of time from one piece to the next, and even how the musicians will perform are somewhat known ahead of time. This “knowing” is an important part of the shared experience of the audience. The Playground Ensemble’s Saturday evening event at the Holiday Theater was not this sort of performance. In fact, very little of it could have been anticipated - even by the performers.

The program began in the lobby with Nathan Hall’s Vessels for solo flutist (on both regular and bass flutes) and a series of singing bowls played by members of the audience with a booklet of graphic scores and simple prompts geared toward non-musicians. The music took off with flutist Sonya Yeager-Meeks guiding the way. The singing bowl, while probably not the most difficult of instruments, did prove to have a learning curve for the performers. However, the structure of the piece made room for this through leaving some of the prompts needing more confidence to the end. The sonic result was that of a gradual bringing together of disparate sounds into a state of unification as performers came to terms with their instruments while learning on the fly.
Non-performing members of the audience standing around could be seen reacting spontaneously to the music - not quite in dance, but in sympathetic movement when the bowls and flute sounds, with their similar timbres, produced undulating waves of sound because of the similar but not identical pitches.

There is nothing that could have prepared the audience for the next work on the program. We knew in advance that an unrehearsed “choir” consisting of volunteers from the audience would perform. Past experiences with this particular setup have proven to be underwhelming at best - indeterminate, chaotic, and going nowhere. This performance of Arone Dyer’s Dronechoir was far from that.

Synchronized through instructions sent through the performer’s cellphones into their ears through earpods, performers at opposite ends of the space began to sing together and in unison. Without words and working slowly through changes in harmony, the only word to describe the sound was otherworldly. It was as though the performer’s minds were controlled by some outside, ancient - or even primordial and instinctual - force. At a certain point the performers were instructed to guide the rest of the audience into the theater space. Once in the hall proper, the sonic experience was akin to the summer evening song of cicadas - a constant “drone” of hypnotic pulsations of sound. It was beautiful and surprisingly in-tune and harmonious.

Word artist Taj Ashaheed brought the audience back to earth with an impassioned performance of his When a Manila Echoes. While poetry is not music in the purist sense, his words which explored aspects of identity, injustice, justice, reconciliation, and eventually unity worked to tie together the sound experiences of the evening.

The second half of the concert consisted of two premiers.

Playground Ensemble Director Conrad Kehn’s Known Input was comparatively on the wild side consisting of sound produced by live feedback loops while Allan Kaprow’s How to Create a Happening played. The interactive element consisted of notecards circulating the room with instructions to engage with others, move to different locations in the hall, or perform certain actions. On any typical performance, the first two elements would have been enough of a “happening” by themselves. However, the discomfort of interacting through instructions on notecards was right on the theme and a great contrast to the final work on the program.

Carta de Amor by Gabriel Mininberg is a three part composition intended for performance in the resonant TANK Center for Sonic Arts - a 75-foot metal tank in Rangely, CO. Although the acoustics of being inside a giant water tank had to be artificially simulated, the Playground Ensemble’s Sarah Whitnah (violin), Sonya Yeager-Meeks (flute), Deborah Marshall (bass clarinet), and Rachel Hargroder (percussion) transported the listener to an unknown reverberant space - perhaps not quite a water tank. No participation was required here except for reflection on each of the “happenings” before landing back in our seats.

A person could dislike missing out on anticipating the familiar ebb and flow of a traditional classical music performance with their fellow audience members, but the gentle invitations throughout this evening’s performance of the Playground Ensemble to engage in unexpected and unconventional shared experience were more than a suitable substitute. This participation based format produced an even deeper sense of the “knowing” each individual brought to the event - and a challenge summarized a few of Taj Ahaheed’s words:
…hearts to our hearts……souls to our souls……let our choir sing……our voices a symphony of liberation…