Jewish Music Festival: Ariel Quartet soars in Auerbach and Golijov

The Ariel Quartet with clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky on Tuesday at the Skirball Museum in Clifton.

Maybe you’ve seen brief mentions of the Jewish Music Festival, with musical performances, lectures and sometimes art exhibitions taking place throughout the area. The festival is brand new, and organized by Aik Khai Pung, associate professor at CCM, where he is music director of the CCM Concert Orchestra. I noticed in an online listing that the Ariel String Quartet was playing last night at Hebrew Union College, and by luck, I was able to go.

The concert, which was co-presented by concert:nova and the Cincinnati Cultural Exchange, was held in Mayerson Auditorium in the Skirball Museum on the HUC campus. Curator Abby Schwartz provided commentary about the art by Jewish artists that surrounded us, and the paintings’ relationships to the music.

The musical artists for this program were sensational. The Ariel Quartet, quartet-in-residence at CCM, opened with Lera Auerbach’s “Frozen Dreams” and “Cetera Desunt” for string quartet. Both works were a revelation. “Frozen Dreams” was haunting and deeply personal. Auerbach’s music is simply astonishing; it is both searing and lyrical. In “Cetera Desunt” Auerbach took her cue from Shostakovich, and the listener could detect the repeating motive signifying Shostakovich’s signature. The superb performers — violinists Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, Jan Grüning, viola, and Amit-Even-Tov, cello — soared through this treacherous score with exciting precision and passion. In the frenzied passages, they dug into their strings with bows flying. I plan to try to hear more of Auerbach’s music.

Vinnitsky was serenaded with “happy birthday” after the performance.

They joined with clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky for Osvaldo Golijov’s “The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind.” It is named for a blind, mystical rabbi who lived centuries ago, but is also a tribute to Golijov’s great-grandfather. This piece blends liturgical prayers in its outer movements with raucous Klezmer music. There could not have been a better champion for both styles than Vinnitsky, who wailed and almost danced in his seat as he performed Golijov’s riveting music, using three different clarinets.

Read the program notes for this program here.

Vinnitsky joined CCM’s clarinet faculty about two years ago. He and the Ariel Quartet will perform the Brahms Clarinet Quintet on March 26 at CCM, 7:30 p.m. in Werner Recital Hall. It’s not-to-be missed!

The Jewish Foundation is sponsor of the inaugural festival, a total of nine concerts and events. Other participants have included the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, composer Anna Vinnitsky, saxophonist Rick VanMatre and others.

Several more events are coming up:

A month of great music at CCM, mostly free

Dror Biran and friends delivered a ravishing reading of the Schuman Piano Quartet on Sunday.

I admit I haven’t been to many concerts lately at CCM, so I decided to check the February calendar. What a wonderful wealth of music is in store this month! Off the bat, I jumped in the car and ran down to hear piano faculty member Dror Biran and friends for a lovely 90 minutes or so of some of my favorite music, Feb. 4.

Biran anchored the FREE concert with the Schumann Piano Quartet, joined by three members of the CSO,  Gabe Napoli, viola; Charles Morey, violin; and Dan Culnan, cello. The other selection was Rachmaninoff’s Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos. This was a reading that was lush and romantic, but also bold, even muscular at times. At the other Steinway was another wonderful pianist, Timothy Lovelace, a CCM graduate, who holds the chair in collaborative piano and coaching at the University of Minnesota.

Dror Biran, CCM piano faculty member, and Timothy Lovelace, faculty member at University of Minnesota, were duo pianists.

Some concerts are ticketed, but much of it is free. You won’t be sorry! Here’s a link to the offerings by month — ccm.uc.edu/onstage.

See some of my suggestions coming soon, below.

Tonight: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6
• Faculty Artist Series •
Kurt Sassmannshaus, violin
Featuring faculty artists Jan Grüning, viola; and Dror Biran, piano
Sassmannshaus performs the beautiful G-major violin and viola duo by W.A. Mozart with Grüning. He also performs two violin and piano masterworks with CCM pianist Dror Biran: Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata and the Debussy Sonata.
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall. FREE.

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13
•CCM String Quartet-in-Residence Series•
CETERA DESUNT: THE REST IS MISSING
Ariel Quartet
Featuring guest artist Lera Auerbach, piano; and Rafael DeStella, double bass
A renaissance artist for modern times, Lera Auerbach is a widely recognized conductor, pianist and composer. She is also an award-winning poet and an exhibited visual artist. This performance features Auerbach’s String Quartet No. 10, “Frozen Dreams” and String Quartet No. 3, “Cetera Desunt.” Auerbach and DeStella will also join the Ariel Quartet on piano for Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet.
Estimated run time: 90 minutes
Location: Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
Tickets: $29.50 adult, $15 student, $19.75 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.

8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15
8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17
• Undergraduate Opera Series •
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Amy Johnson, stage director
Brett Scott, music director and conductor
Cory Battey, assistant conductor
Kenneth Shaw, producer and set designer

Location: Cohen Family Studio Theater
Tickets: $15 adult, $15 student, $15 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.

Looking back on a month of music

‘Tis the season for lots of music. I hope you are all taking advantage of the wealth of holiday concerts and shows happening right now. Here are a few of my picks.

Between the CSO, which has had some amazing concerts lately, I also try to take in other shows. (Look for Cincinnati’s arts news and reviews — FREE to read on the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Arts Front.)

As I look back over the year, here are a few thoughts about four other excellent shows I’ve recently seen:

Cello/piano duo makes radiant Cincinnati debut

Julian Schwarz and Marika Bournaki. photo by Gayna Bassin

The married duo of cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki performed an excellent program for Matinee Musicale on Sunday, Oct. 29 in Memorial Hall. Schwarz is now one of my favorite cellists. He communicated with a big, warm tone and a romantic vibrato in Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, a work originally scored for French horn. He smiled as he played the phrases of Brahms’ Sonata No. 1 in E Minor — and notably, he performed his entire program from memory. (Schwarz performs on  Neapolitan cello by Gennaro Gagliano of 1743.)

But mainly, it was a joy to hear both of these virtuoso performers. Bournaki has previously appeared on the Xavier Piano Series, and is also a stunning collaborator. There was seamless communication between the two.

David Klingshirn, founder of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, dies at 84

David Klingshirn, board member Trish Bryan, right, and Nina Perlove, former Hall of Fame Executive Director, presenting Philip Glass his medallion during a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert in 2014. Photo provided.

David Allan Klingshirn was one of Cincinnati’s biggest boosters, who loved the city and its arts. He was the founder of the Cincinnati-based American Classical Music Hall of Fame, which has recognized 165 individuals and institutions across the nation. Anxious to shine a light on classical music, which he believed received less recognition than sports, Mr. Klingshirn was fond of saying, “Cincinnati has major-league sports and major-league classical music.”

Mr. Klingshirn died at his home in Cincinnati on June 20. He was 84.

“David was a visionary who loved classical music and its ability to touch our souls and enrich our lives,” Gary Ingle, president of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors and CEO of the Music Teachers National Association. “He was a passionate advocate for classical music and guided the Hall of Fame tirelessly for these 27 years. The death of our founder is a deeply felt loss for all of us. Our hearts are heavy but filled with gratitude for David and the great legacy he leaves. His legacy will live on through the work we will continue to do together to advance the mission and goals of this very special organization.”

The Cincinnati businessman was the owner of Tischbein Pharmacies for 30 years. In 2004, he was ordained a Deacon for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and served at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral and St. Margaret’s Hall.

A month of music in Cincinnati

This is always a busy time of year for Cincinnati’s classical music organizations. I’ve heard some extraordinary concerts between covering the concerts of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (you can find CSO, May Festival, Cincinnati Opera and other reviews here).

Here are a few of my impressions of some other shows, including the debut of a new piano quartet, a stunning piano duo recital and a world premiere at concert:nova:

Linton Chamber Music series, April 24: Besides the piano trio literature, piano quartets are among my favorite genres. So I couldn’t wait to hear the debut of a new ensemble at the Linton Music Series, the Espressivo! Piano Quartet.

Its anchors are the indefatigable Jaime Laredo (violin) and Sharon Robinson (cello), who also serve as co-artistic directors. Rounding out the quartet are pianist Anna Polonsky and violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, both superb artists.

In the wake the death of the esteemed pianist Joseph Kalichstein, who died in March 2022 at age 76, Laredo and Robinson did not want to revisit the piano trio literature that they shared for decades with their extraordinary pianist, “Yossi.” I’m so glad that they have decided to explore the quartets. The “Encore” concert I heard at Congregation Beth Adam was deeply rewarding.

Piano legend Menahem Pressler dies at 99

Menahem Pressler: “Many people would now would take it easy, have a home in Florida – I don’t need any of those things. I need my Schubert, I need my Beethoven, I need my Brahms, I need my Bach. I need those to be sustained.” Photo provided by Indiana University

Menahem Pressler, the distinguished pianist and founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, died today, May 6, in London. He was 99.

The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced the death of the distinguished professor of music in piano and Dean Charles H. Webb Chair in Music.  He joined the Jacobs School of Music faculty in 1955 and received the Indiana University Medal in 2013.

“Mr. Pressler was a brilliant pianist, an extraordinary teacher, and gentle soul who has left an indelible mark on generations of pianists around the globe,” IU Jacobs School of Music dean Abra Bush said in a statement. “He believed that his ‘performance informed his practice, and his practice informed his performance,’ and he loved nothing more than practicing! His loss is an enormous loss for us all, but his presence will continue to be felt through his students, past and present, for decades to come.”

Since the trio’s debut at the Berkshire Music Festival in 1955, there were multiple constellations of players over nearly 55 years. But Mr. Pressler remained the anchor, and its heart and soul. After the Beaux Arts Trio’s final, emotional performance in 2008 (with violinist Daniel Hope, cellist Antonio Meneses), Mr. Pressler continued to captivate audiences throughout the world, performing solo and chamber music recitals to great critical acclaim while maintaining a dedicated teaching career.

Mr. Pressler performed many times in Cincinnati over his remarkable 70-plus-year career. In 1962, the original Beaux Arts Trio with violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse, performed for Matinee Musicale, the first of five performances for that organization alone.

Memorable afternoons at the Linton Music Series

Anthony McGill performing “Principal Brothers” No. 3 by James Lee III

The Linton Music Series presented two inspiring concerts this month in memory of founding artistic director Dick Waller. I want to share some terrific photos taken by Tina Gutierrez for Linton, along with a few thoughts about the programs.

Yesterday, Linton welcomed back an old friend, clarinetist Anthony McGill. The principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic started his career as a 21-year-old associate clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. McGill spoke a bit about Dick Waller, former CSO principal clarinetist, who “showed him the ropes” and shared many dinners with him.

McGill opened the program with a wonderful work by his friend, James Lee III, “Principal Brothers” No. 3. Each of Lee’s “Principal Brothers” series is dedicated to a symphony music who is Black and a principal player. No. 1 is a flute solo for Anthony’s brother, Demarre McGill, principal flute of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra; No. 2 is for Titus Underwood, principal oboe of the Nashville Symphony; and No. 4 is for Bryan Young, principal bassoon of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. Lee’s three-movement piece for Anthony McGill was a ideal vehicle for the clarinetist’s beauty of line and expressive phrasing.

The remainder of the program consisted of two of the great clarinet quintets in music: Mozart’s Quintet in A Major, K. 581, and Brahms Quintet in B Minor. McGill was joined by Linton co-artistic directors Jaime Laredo, violinist, and Sharon Robinson, cellist, as well as violinist James Thompson and violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt.

In memoriam: Dick Waller

Dick Waller with Peter Wiley at a 40th anniversary concert of the Linton Music Series

Cincinnati has lost a musician who contributed much to the cultural life of our city. Richard “Dick” Waller passed away yesterday. His daughter, Margy Waller, said that he died while listening to a recording of Dvorak’s “Romance” in F Minor. It was days after celebrating his 93rd birthday with cake and Graeter’s Ice Cream.

“I’m grateful. And told him many times over the past few days that he has an incredible legacy of music, art, and community, and a beautiful family,” she said. “He showed us how to see the miracles, to be thankful and optimistic, and always to see the best in everything and everyone. That’s a high bar—and he inspires us to aim for it.”

Waller, former principal clarinetist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was the founder of the Linton Music Series. From its start in 1978, his mantra was “music making among friends.” It began with a small chamber music concert of “friends” in the historic church, First Unitarian Church on Linton Street in Avondale, and continued to grow. The gem of a sanctuary, with stained glass windows, turned out to have wonderful acoustics.

That first concert evolved into a second. Then Mr. Waller had an epiphany. World-renowned soloists appeared each week with the Cincinnati Symphony, where he worked. Why not ask the orchestra’s then-general manager, Judith Arron, whether the artists could stay in town for an extra day to play chamber music? Arron agreed.

His first artists in the new arrangement were concert pianist Andre-Michel Schub and Peter Wiley, then principal cellist of the CSO.

“In the old days, there was a pay phone at Music Hall and during intermission, I’d run to the pay phone to make calls about Linton,” he told me a few years ago.

It was a formula that continues with the CSO to this day. Mr. Waller paid his soloists little — but was a wonderful host and they loved coming to Cincinnati. There are legendary stories of dinners at the Maisonette, followed by poker games.

Born in Philadelphia in 1929, Mr. Waller grew up in Long Beach, CA, and attended the Marlboro Music Festival and the Juilliard School. However, his Juilliard education was cut short when his brother joined the armed forces and Mr. Waller had to return home to California to run his brother’s business. In the 1950s, the clarinetist became concertmaster of the United States Navy Band, a stint he said he undertook in order to avoid the draft.

During that time, a job opening was posted for the clarinet section of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and he decided to apply. Then-music director Max Rudolf  hired him on the spot. He served as co-principal clarinet starting in 1960. From 1961 until his retirement in 1994, he was the orchestra’s principal clarinetist.

During his later years, Mr. Waller took up painting, and had a gallery downtown.

Many of you will have stories to tell. Here’s mine:  When I was classical music critic for the Cincinnati Enquirer, Mr. Waller would do anything to get an article in the newspaper about his beloved Linton Series. He called me frequently. I told him that I needed to discuss it with my editor. But he beat me to it. He called my editor and serenaded her on his clarinet over the phone. I believe he got that story…

Mr. Waller’s family and Linton Music Series leaders are planning a celebration of his contributions and community to take place next year.

 

 

 

 

Cho-Liang Lin concert tomorrow is canceled

I’ve just gotten word that tomorrow night’s concert, Saturday at CCM, “Cho-Liang Lin returns to Cincinnati,” with the violinist and various other artists, is canceled due to Covid. As soon as I get an update, I’ll post it here.