Festival Focus July 22, 2019

FESTIVALFOCUS YOUR WEEKLY CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE

SUPPLEMENT TO THE ASPEN TIMES

MONDAY, JULY 22, 2019

VOL 30, NO. 5

Barnatan, Weilerstein play Barber Concertos

Also this week...

South Pacific: In Concert

JESSICA CABE Festival Focus Writer

Tonight at 7:30 pm at the Benedict Music Tent The AMFS and Theatre Aspen present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific in a concert presentation of the hit musical’s beloved score.

Featuring opera and Broadway stars Christy Altomare and Nathan Gunn, don’t miss this enchanted evening!

American String Quartet in Recital Wednesday, July 24, at 8:30 pm at Harris Concert Hall The celebrated American String Quartet play Dvořák’s beloved “American” String Quartet, Vivian Fung’s new String Quartet No. 4 - “Insects and Machines,” and Franck’s Piano Quintet, joined by artist-faculty member Anton Nel.

“The word I use for Barber’s concertos is ‘poetic,’ having a very sweet nostalgic mood,” says AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher.

This year’s season theme at the Aspen Music Festival and School is “Being American,” and one of classical music’s most beloved American composers, Samuel Barber, is on full display this week with programs featuring both his Piano Concerto and his Cello Concerto.

For audience members, these Barber works may be some of the most gorgeous pieces they’ll hear all season.

“All of the Barber concertos are a different idea about American music,” says Fletcher.

“Barber was a very traditional kind of composer, and really wanted his music to be situated within a tradition. He’s the opposite of the American Mavericks, who wanted to be as far outside of tradition as possible. Therefore, it’s an important part of our season to have some of Barber’s really great works.”

First up, pianist Inon Barnatan will perform Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm this Friday, July 26. Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will tackle Barber’s Cello Concerto with the Aspen Festival Orchestra at 4 pm this Sunday, July 28. Both performances are in the Benedict Music Tent.

“Eye-opening” and “earth-shaking” were phrases used to describe Barnatan’s performance of Barber’s Piano Concerto with the

Pianist Inon Barnatan (July 26) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (July 28) both perform virtuosic Barber concertos this week. Also, the two join violinist Philippe Quint and percussionist Colin Currie for a recital on July 25.

Cincinnati Symphony last spring. The piece overflows with passion and energy, and the third movement even boasts some elements of jazz.

“This is probably the most under-celebrated piece of the 20th century,” says Barnatan of the Piano Concerto. “I think it’s one of the greatest pieces of music of Barber’s era.”

Barnatan says the work is played little, possi-

bly because it’s incredibly difficult and virtuosic for both the piano and the orchestra, with complicated rhythms and powerful, impactful melodies. But as difficult as the piece is to play, it is easy for the audience to listen to; the music is gorgeous and poetic, and Barnatan is the perfect fit to play such a work, as Fletcher See Barber, Festival Focus page 3

Bernstein’s iconic West Side Story Suite JESSICA CABE Festival Focus Writer

Bernstein’s score from West Side Story quickly became an American classic. The July 26 performance of West Side Story Symphony Dances surveys some of his most memorable melodies.

There are few works in the Broadway canon so beloved, so timeless, and so American as West Side Story. There is at least one tune in the show that everyone will recognize—all infectious enough to hum for days.

At 6 pm on Friday, July 26, the Aspen Chamber Symphony will perform Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances in the Benedict Music Tent.

Also on the program are Arturo Marquez’s Danzón No. 2 and Barber’s Piano Concerto, performed by renowned pianist and Aspen regular Inon Barnatan.

Programming West Side Story Symphonic Dances and Barber on one night illuminates the Aspen Music Festival and School’s (AMFS) season theme, “Being American.” There could be no celebration of American music without Bernstein, and no more lasting piece than West Side Story, notes AMFS President and CEO Alan Fletcher.

“Any survey of music in America will have to confront one of the greatest of all American musicians, and that’s Leonard Bernstein,” says Fletcher. “It was definitely going to happen that we were going to have some of his major works. Also, we wanted to have not

only South Pacific as a representation of Broadway, and A Little Night Music as a Broadway show, but I think West Side Story is one of the greatest blendings of Broadway and classical. It just seemed like an irresistible choice.”

West Side Story debuted on Broadway in September 1957, and it has been affecting audiences ever since. It tells a Romeo and Juliet-inspired story set in 1950s New York City, with rival gangs at the center of a forbidden romance The Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang, and the Jets, a white gang, get in the midSee Bernstein, Festival Focus page 3

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MONDAY, JULY 22, 2019

FESTIVALFOCUS | YOUR WEEKLY CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE

Supplement to The Aspen Times

Four world-class soloists join forces for adventurous recital JESSICA CABE Festival Focus Writer

join Currie.

“This is Shostakovich’s most enigmatic and

On Thursday, July 25, four Aspen favorites will come

haunting work, in which he looks back on his

together on one intimate stage for an unusual program

own life, but also many other composers’

exploring transformations and transfiguration. Violinist

works,” Barnatan says. In the piece, Shosta-

Philippe Quint, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, pianist Inon Barna-

kovich quotes his own music, as well as that

tan, and percussionist Colin Currie will perform works by

of Rossini, Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and

Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Rolf Wallin at 8 pm in Harris

more. “A good transcription doesn’t just

Concert Hall.

place the music on a different instrument, but

“It’s really an unusual program, and they’re all four among the greatest virtuosos on their individual instruments,”

it finds the essence of the music, and that’s what this transcription does.”

says Alan Fletcher, president and CEO of the Aspen Music

Barnatan said the four musicians came to-

Festival and School (AMFS). “I think it’s going to be a really

gether over a mutual respect and admiration

wonderful combination.”

for one another.

The program begins with Beethoven’s “Ghost” Piano

“Alisa and I have been playing together for

Trio, a piece completed while the composer was working

many years,” he says. “This project started

on an opera based on Macbeth, followed by Rolf Wallin’s

with us wanting to do a trio program. Then

Realismos Mágicos. This work for solo marimba is inspired

the idea of doing this Shostakovich arrange-

by the poetic titles of eleven short stories by Gabriel Gar-

ment came up—Alisa was the one who knew about it, and

cia Marquez.

she suggested it. I then suggested doing a program around

the best qualities that one could want from a festival—the

transformations and transfigurations.”

incredible music making, the energy that comes from the

The second half of the program is a transcription of

Percussionist Colin Currie joins Philippe Quint violin, Inon Barnatan piano, and Alisa Weilerstein cello for a recital in Harris Concert Hall on July 25.

“Aspen is magical,” Barnatan says. “It’s a combination of

Shostakovich’s 15th Symphony, written for violin, cello, pi-

They have toured Europe and the United States with this

young musicians, and, of course, this magical and bewitch-

ano, and three percussionists. On this piece, AMFS artist-

concept, and Barnatan says they are all excited to return to

ing place that it’s all in. It’s this combination that is very dif-

faculty members Jonathan Haas and Douglas Howard will

take the Aspen audience on this journey.

ficult to beat.”

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FESTIVALFOCUS | YOUR WEEKLY CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE

MONDAY, JULY 22, 2019 3

BARBER: star performers, Mahler’s Seventh Symphony Continued from Festival Focus page 1 tell you she is an incredibly convincing advocate of this notes.

“Inon is one of our favorite performers,” Fletcher says. “I work,” says Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for think this piece is a really great fit for Inon, who’s sort of a artistic administration and artistic advisor. “She raises the question as to why we don’t poet on the piano.” hear it more often. She realAlso on the program are ly is a champion of his work.”

Arturo Márquez’s Danzón “[Barber’s Piano Concerto] is Closing out the program No. 2 and Bernstein’s West probably the most under-celebrated is Mahler’s Seventh SymSide Story Symphonic phony, a brilliant, moody Dances, ensuring a passionpiece of the 20th century. I think it’s work that breaks in the final ate, energetic evening. one of the greatest pieces of music of movement into one of the Weilerstein, an AMFS most jubilant, life-affirming alumna and Festival favorite, Barber’s era.” finales of the repertoire. is one of the most acclaimed Barnatan and Weilerstein cellists the world over for Inon Barnatan are close friends—who, in her expressive, authoritative Pianist fact, will play a recital with playing of a wide range of violinist Philippe Quint and music. Her stage presence percussionist Colin Currie will only elevate an already on Thursday, July 25—so it is apt that they are both pergorgeous piece.

“I have heard Alisa play the Barber Concerto, and I will forming Barber this season. This week, perhaps more than

ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL BOX OFFICE HOURS

G. SCHIRMER ARCHIVES

American composer Samuel Barber wrote a concerto each for violin, piano, and cello. The AMFS presents all three of these works throughout the season with violinist Stefan Jackiw earlier in the summer (July 12), and pianist Inon Barnatan (July 26) and cellist Alisa Weilerstein (July 28) later this week.

any other in the Festival season, proves that music can be distinctly American not in spite of its diversity of sound, but precisely because of it.

Harris Concert Hall: 9 am through the intermission of the evening concert, daily.

Wheeler Opera House: 12 pm–5 pm M–F, 9 am–5 pm Saturdays, one hour prior to operas.

Jeremy Denk plays ‘intellectual’ program ALEXANDRIA EVENSEN Festival Focus Writer

The pool of professional classical musicians in the world is small. For those who also wear the labels of author, blogger, and intellectual historian, like pianist Jeremy Denk, the pool is even smaller. In fact, he may be the only one in it.

The acclaimed pianist will take a breather from his hefty touring schedule to return to the stage of Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) on July 27 at 8 pm. He will perform Bach’s English Suite No. 2 in A minor, Ligeti’s Études: Book I, Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1, “The Dance in the Village Inn,” Berg’s Piano Sonata, op. 1, and Schumann’s Pianist Jeremy Denk presents a recital of Bach, Ligeti, Liszt, Schumann, and Fantasy in C major, op. 17. more on July 27 in Harris Concert Hall.

Since his last performance at Asadministration and artistic advisor, touts Denk’s surpen, the former wunderkind has been busy. Last year Denk embarked on a recital tour of the prising style and complexity. No two performances U.S. which culminated in his return to Carnegie Hall. are exactly the same, he points out, which make him a Additionally, Denk is completing his Random House joy to watch each year.

“It’s a typical ‘Jeremy’ program, which is to say it’s memoir Every Good Boy Does Fine. He also released a always the unexpected,” Santourian says. “At first new double album set entitled c.1300–c.2000, which glance, there may not be a connection [between covers an astounding 700 years of music history.

Winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant and the Av- pieces] but knowing him, we will get many moments ery Fisher Prize, Denk is considered one of America’s of understanding as to why he has put together some foremost musical minds. Even with his dramatic up- of these works.”

Denk’s rounded brand of intellectualism is rare, tick in popularity in recent years, Denk has been a even among brilliant colleagues, Santourian says. Evkeystone to Aspen. His wide repertoire and stage ery piece has a connection, but people have to atpresence make for a breathtaking and exceptionally tend the concert to solve the puzzle. entertaining performance, says AMFS President and “We have many kinds of performers. We have the CEO Alan Fletcher. virtuoso type who are the fastest fingers in the West, “Jeremy Denk is an Aspen favorite, combining comand then we have the intellectual type who can make plete mastery of the piano with an intellectual approach that has won him a MacArthur Fellowship,” poetry out of four simple lines,” he says. “The intellectual exercise appeals to him, and he puts his abilities says Fletcher.

Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for artistic at the service of what he wants to accomplish.”

BERNSTEIN: Broadway song, melody, dance, jazz Continued from Festival Focus page 1 dle of a budding romance between a former Jet, Tony, and Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader.

West Side Story changed American theater forever, with its incisive commentary on ethnic tension, plus its memorable dance scenes. Even those who haven’t seen the musical all the way through likely think of its signature jazzy fingersnaps at the mere mention of its name.

“It’s all gushing out of it—the gift of song, the gift of melody, the rhythms of the dances,” says Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor. “It’s just terrific music, and it transcends time.”

West Side Story Symphonic Dances includes “Mambo,” “Cha-cha,” and audience favorites “Somewhere” and “Maria.” While the piece does not include all the songs from the musical, the entire story is represented from beginning to end. The work begins with a Prologue illustrating the growing rivalry between the Sharks and Jets. Other sections tell the story of Tony and Maria meeting for the first time and falling in love, the two gangs coming together for a battle, and the sobering finale.

“The piece comes from Bernstein’s height of ability to write for the Broadway medium,” Santourian says. “Bernstein was, of course, trained as a classical musician. The transfer of the dances into a symphonic setting was made rather easily because the dances are symphonic in their nature.

Audiences continue to love the melodic appeal, as well as just the material: the love story of Romeo and Juliet, successfully reinterpreted to mid-twentieth century.”

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear the most energetic of this beloved music performed live on the Tent stage, in a true celebration of “Being American.”