MEMETERIA by Thomas May

September 19, 2024 • 1:23 am Comments Off on New Opera by Mary D. Watkins: “Is This America?”

New Opera by Mary D. Watkins: “Is This America?”

This weekend, Mary D. Watkins‘s new opera Is This America? receives its premiere at Dorchester’s The Strand Theatre in a production presented by the activist performing arts company White Snake Projects (WSP), which was founded by Cerise Lim Jacobs. The 85-year-old Watkins has blazed the trail for other Black women composers in the field of opera.

This new, 90-minute-long, fully-staged opera celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and features performances by the Massachusetts-based Victory Players chamber orchestra alongside a small ensemble of singers; mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel (Met Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago) will create the lead role of Hamer. Haitian American queer woman Pascale Florestal stage directs. Tickets available here.

(Content Warning: Is This America? contains very strong, racially-loaded language, and references to violence.)

Is This America? brings to life one of the most turbulent periods in American history to tell the story of Hamer, the great Mississippi activist who galvanized the registration of Black voters in her home state despite overwhelming odds, including death threats, beatings, and rejections by her own constituency.

The title of the work is taken from the iconic speech that Hamer made 60 years ago before the 1964 Democratic National Convention, when she petitioned the Convention to give her newly formed political party, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), seats at the Convention and to recognize the MFDP as the legitimate representative of the people of Mississippi. A year later, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices.

Is This America? is 15 years in the making. A chamber orchestra version was workshopped by the Oakland Opera Company in 2009. The first concert version was performed by the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts in 2014. This WSP production marks the second Watkins premiere with the company; it commissioned her virtual opera I Am A Lifer, which is part of Death by Life (2021), the Company’s musical response to the death of George Floyd.

“My goal is to show the dignity and strength with which Fannie Lou Hamer and her fellow civil rights workers carried themselves in spite of the terror and dehumanizing treatment they were subjected to and to convey the great spirit of love that bound them together,” says Watkins. “Their story deserves to be told in a grand way – a way befitting the souls of the people who marched in the streets in the hot sun with such determination, singing through their fears while their opponents spat upon them, beat them, kicked them, called them vile names, terrorized their families, and imprisoned them. Is This America? is my salute to these beautiful, courageous people. I chose to tell Fannie Lou Hamer’s story as an opera because I wanted to use an art form that would capture the power and sweep of her life. I wanted to give full voice to this amazing African-American female political leader.”

Filed under: American opera, music news, new opera

September 13, 2024 • 12:02 am Comments Off on Happy 150th Birthday, Arnold Schoenberg!

Happy 150th Birthday, Arnold Schoenberg!

In Vienna’s Leopoldstadt, 150 years ago today, was born one of the 20th century’s defining figures, Arnold Schoenberg. The Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin is paying homage with an all-Schoenberg program this evening by the Boulez Ensemble, with Zubin Mehta conducting the Chamber Symphony, Op. 9, and Pierre lunaire (with Mojca Erdmann as the “reciter”) — the latter having been first performed in 1912 just a few km from the Boulez Saal.

Here’s my program essay (you can find my colleague Wolfgang Stähr’s excellent contribution in German here):

It was exactly 150 years ago, on September 13, that Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg was born in Vienna. (His birthday fell on a Sunday in 1874, though the triskaidekaphobia-stricken composer did die on Friday 13th nearly 77 years later.) Yet even from this distance in time, Schoenberg’s name continues to strike its own superstitious fear among those conditioned to reject his music even without listening to it.

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Filed under: music history, Pierre Boulez Saal, Schoenberg

September 10, 2024 • 11:48 am Comments Off on 7 Seattle Classical Music Picks for Fall 2024

7 Seattle Classical Music Picks for Fall 2024

Tazewell Thompson’s “Jubilee,” about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, will have its world premiere at Seattle Opera Oct. 12-26. (Jeffrey Henson Scales)

My picks for classical events in Seattle in the fall:

No matter how many other leisure-time options compete for our attention, there really is nothing to replace the connection that happens at a live performance. Fortunately for classical music lovers, local organizations are busting out a new season of enticing variety, from early music innovators to contemporary composers inspired by the findings of science.
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Filed under: music news, Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony

September 7, 2024 • 4:39 am Comments Off on “Last Days” by Oliver Leith

“Last Days” by Oliver Leith

For Gramophone‘s September issue, I reviewed Oliver Leith’s Last Days, based on Gus Van Sant’s 2005 film riffing on Kurt Cobain’s suicide.

‘A place where flecks of magic are chipped or hacked from mundanity – where the familiar and domestic are heightened or warped’ is how Oliver Leith sums up what he wanted to convey with Last Days, his debut opera…

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Filed under: CD review, Gramophone, new opera

September 4, 2024 • 9:00 pm 1

Xian Zhang Named Music Director of the Seattle Symphony

It’s been a long wait … But Seattle Symphony has finally secured its next music director. Xian Zhang will begin her five-year tenure at the start of the 2025-26 season, it was announced today. A fantastic choice.

This season, Zhang can be heard in two programs with SSO: Holst’s The Planets (paired with Billy Childs’s saxophone concerto Diaspora, with soloist Steven Banks) on March 27-20, 2025; and a Beethoven-Prokofiev program June 12-15, 2025 (with Hilary Hahn as the soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto).

From the press release:

The Seattle Symphony is pleased to announce Xian Zhang as its next Music Director, beginning a 5-year contract in the 2025/2026 season. Zhang is a long-term collaborator with the Symphony, debuting at Benaroya Hall in 2008. Zhang has a special relationship with Seattle; she supported the Seattle Symphony throughout the height of the pandemic as one of the first conductors to return to the stage with our orchestra. Throughout her career, Zhang has gained international acclaim, most notably in her eight seasons as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony and in her recent appearances as guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra (with which she won a Grammy in 2023), Los Angeles Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others. Zhang also holds the positions of Artistic Ambassador of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano.

Her commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts has been a hallmark of her career. She has made a point of raising the profile of music composed by women and people of color while being a trailblazer herself. Zhang is the New Jersey Symphony’s first woman Music Director and the first woman to serve as Music Director of any Italian symphony orchestra. She will now be the first to lead a major West Coast orchestra.

Zhang brings boundless energy to the stage, inspiring a powerful sound and a strong connection with both musicians and audience. Most recently, she conducted the Seattle Symphony in performances of Carl Orff’s Carmina burana and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, filling the house and impressing audiences with inspired pairings of well-known works with cutting-edge contemporary pieces. Zhang performs at Benaroya Hall twice during the 2024/2025 season as Music Director Designate. First, on March 27, 29 and 30, to conduct Holst The Planets: An HD Odyssey, also featuring saxophonist Steven Banks in a new concerto by American composer Billy Childs. Next, she conducts Hilary Hahn Plays Beethoven, on June 12, 14 and 15, featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Prokofiev’s triumphant Fifth Symphony.

“I am overjoyed to be the next Music Director of the Seattle Symphony and continue creating music with this exceptional orchestra,” said Xian Zhang, Seattle Symphony Music Director Designate. “For many years, I have been inspired by the Symphony’s incredible talent and keen desire to bring new music to the stage. Joining the Seattle Symphony now feels like coming home. From my 2008 Benaroya Hall debut to joining the orchestra in 2020 for its careful return to live performances, I have long felt a special bond with these incredible musicians. Visiting Seattle has always been a treat as well, for its beautiful landscapes, and of course, to see the clear devotion audiences have for the local arts community. As Music Director, I look forward to connecting with audiences on a deeper level, experiencing inspiring concerts together and discovering new music at Benaroya Hall, one of my all-time favorite performance halls to conduct in. Thank you to all of the wonderful people I have been able to work with at the Seattle Symphony so far — musicians, board members and administrative staff. I look forward to a wonderful future together.”

“Today we are witnessing history being made with the appointment of Xian Zhang as the Music Director of the Seattle Symphony,” said Seattle Symphony President & CEO Krishna Thiagarajan. “Her passionate musicianship is inspiring, her technique is clear and precise and the resulting performances captivate our audiences in heart and soul. Xian was among the first conductors to return to the stage with our orchestra during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has forged strong bonds here in Seattle. In fact, her concerts rank among the highest-attended performances since audiences have returned to Benaroya Hall. As Seattle has grown into an important world city and gateway to the Pacific, Xian’s diverse expertise across Asian, Oceanian, European and American orchestras and music schools — from Beijing to New York, Melbourne to Milan — makes her the perfect choice to lead the orchestra in this new era. I am excited by the possibilities and personally could not be happier to gain such a wonderful colleague for our organization. I want to thank the Seattle Symphony search committee, musicians, staff and audiences, who all played a crucial role in this process, as we welcome Xian and her family to the Pacific Northwest. What seemed like a dream a few months ago has now become a reality. Welcome, Xian Zhang!”

“Xian Zhang’s outstanding performances with the orchestra during this search process easily made her a leading choice for Music Director of our Seattle Symphony,” said Susan Detweiler, MD, Seattle Symphony Music Director Search Committee Chair and Board Member. “Our musicians immediately responded to the depth of Xian’s artistry, producing performances that thrilled both us and the audience, making the Board confident that her extensive experience and deep understanding of classical repertoire will further enhance the Symphony’s artistic development. We eagerly await her return to the Seattle Symphony’s podium in March.”

Filed under: conductors, music news, Seattle Symphony

September 3, 2024 • 12:57 pm Comments Off on Rattle, BRSO, and Mahler 6 at Lucerne Festival

Rattle, BRSO, and Mahler 6 at Lucerne Festival

One of those nights — my insta-review of Sir Simon Rattle’s return to Lucerne, this time with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, to perform Mahler’s Sixth Symphony:

Last night’s interpretation of Mahler’s Sixth by Sir Simon Rattle and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks at Lucerne Festival ranks with the great ones. Rattle has obviously put his all into his recent grapplings with a work that is loaded with special significance for him. (He chose it for their recent North American tour in spring.) This was my first time hearing Rattle conduct the Bavarians, and they’ve clearly forged a strong bond. Their sound has a wonderful darkness and even something almost raw that is burning even at the lyrical. Not a trace of sentimentality – the cowbells actually worked.

Rattle lingered over the “daydreams” embedded in the overall framework. The realization that they insubstantial pageants, fading, happens gradually and was made to underline the tragedy. The Andante (placed, importantly, second in order in Rattle’s interpretation) was especially stirring and emotionally authentic.

Rattle navigated the continual shifts in perspective in the Scherzo and in the vast, unfathomable finale with a translucent attention to detail. The twofold hammer strokes (the third left unstated) seemed a plausible continuation, through the orchestra, of the dramatic thunder-lightning storms of the night before. The final chord’s bitter fadeout was devastating, and it seemed no one wanted to acknowledge it was simply over — was almost afraid to. Immense applause, and Rattle gracefully trying to indicate that he wasn’t begrudging the audience an encore — but that it was simply impossible to continue playing after this. (Fun fact: Not until 1947 did Mahler’s Sixth have its US premiere.)

Filed under: Lucerne Festival, Mahler, review, Simon Rattle

August 31, 2024 • 3:14 pm Comments Off on Leonard Slatkin at 80

Leonard Slatkin at 80

Leonard Slatkin (photography: Cindy McTee)

Happy 80th birthday to Leonard Slatkin! I had a chance to speak with the great American maestro about his career — and ongoing projects — for this story in Gramophone‘s August issue:

His vivid curiosity is unmistakable in the variety of projects planned for this milestone birthday year. These range from publishing a pair of books and spending more time on his own composition to launching a new partnership as artistic consultant to the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Appearances on the podium are naturally also on the calendar. This autumn brings reunions with the three American orchestras indelibly shaped by Slatkin’s years at their helm (in St Louis, Washington DC and Detroit); some international conducting engagements beckon as well.

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Filed under: American music, commissions, conductors, Leonard Slatkin

August 16, 2024 • 2:17 pm Comments Off on Summer at Santa Fe Opera

Summer at Santa Fe Opera

Rachel Willis-Sørensen as he Marschallin in *Der Rosenkavalier*; photo by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera

Here’s my review essay for Musical America covering three of the productions at the 2024 Santa Fe Opera Festival:

SANTA FE, NM— “Love is terrifying,” observes the protagonist of The Righteous, the affecting new work by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith at Santa Fe Opera. A preacher elected to be governor during the 1980s, he’s referring to the early years of the AIDS crisis in this highly era-specific opera. But his observation emerged as a theme in Louisa Muller’s new production of La traviata, which bookends the company’s summer-based season running from late June to August.

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Filed under: directors, Donizetti, Mozart, review, Richard Strauss, Santa Fe Opera, singers

August 15, 2024 • 7:51 pm Comments Off on Tippett Rise Art Center’s 2024 Concert Season

Tippett Rise Art Center’s 2024 Concert Season

Tippet Rise Art Center launches its ninth concert season on Friday, August 16. Running through September 15, it offers more than 25 indoor and outdoor performances over five weekends, including free pop-up concerts and family concerts and repertoire.

The season features four world premieres and the opening of a new outdoor performance venue, the Geode, designed by Arup. To mark this occasion, two special concerts are planned, including the world premiere of Àkweks Katyes (The Eagle Flies) (2024), a Tippet Rise commission by Grammy-nominated world music composer Dawn Avery, which the cellist Arlen Hlusko will perform, and flutist Claire Chase performing alongside shamisen player Hidejiro Honjoh in the world premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Reizei for flute and shamisen (2021).

The audience at the Geode will have a unique sonic and visual experience, experiencing music as if set indoors while amidst a breathtaking backdrop of seven surrounding mountain ranges.

The August 17 concert also presents the world premiere of Paul V. Cortez’s Hyacinth Garnishes from Bouquet Suite (2024), a work written as part of his participation in a Weill Music Institute program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. On August 18, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska and pianist Kunal Lahiry make their Tippet Rise debuts with the North American premiere of composer and pianist Nahre Sol’s Apperceptive Algorithms (2022).

In addition to the world premiere of Dai Fujikura’s Reizei on August 24, Valentyn Silvestrov’s Twelve Waltzes of the Moment and One Serenade for violin and piano will be unveiled by Jennifer Frautschi and Evren Ozel on August 30 and 31. This is the eighth of ten works commissioned by Tippet Rise in 2022 from Silvestrov, Ukraine’s leading living composer.

The Wander series returns, which moves musicians and audience members among sculptures, returns on September 14. This year, the concert visits Ai Wei Wei’s Iron Tree and Patrick Dougherty’s Daydreams and Cursive Takes a Holiday. A group of wind players perform music by György Ligeti, Endre Szervánszky, Astor Piazzolla, and Samuel Barber.

Filed under: art, music festivals, music news

August 12, 2024 • 11:24 am Comments Off on “The Righteous” at Santa Fe Opera

“The Righteous” at Santa Fe Opera

Michael Mayes (David), Brenton Ryan (CM), and Greer Grimsley (Paul) in *The Righteous*; photo by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera

I reviewed Santa Fe Opera’s The Righteous for Musical America. The latest in the company’s distinguished history of commissions, The Righteous is an ambitious collaboration between composer Gregory Spears and poet-librettist Tracy K. Smith. The opera unfolds across the span of the Reagan era and features a large cast to tell the story of a charismatic Southwestern preacher who gets elected as state governor:

MusicalAmerica – At Santa Fe_ New Opera Depicts an Ugly Era & Hits Close to Home Download