Your weekly CLASSICAL MUSIC GUIDE
Festival Focus
Supplement to The Aspen Times
New AMFS Mobile Site! Find your events on-thego with the Aspen Music Festival and School’s new mobile site, available now on your smartphone. View events by date, read program notes and artist biographies, find maps to the AMFS’s four major venues, and keep an eye on its Twitter feed. And if you’re reaching to remember a certain musical work, you can now listen to clips of selected works no matter where you are. Find all this and more simply by visiting www. aspenmusicfestival.com on your mobile device.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Vol 25, No. 1
Aspen Music Festival Season Opens this Week as noted by Alan Fletcher, president and CEO of the AMFS. The mighty The Aspen Music Festival and School Beethoven, broadly speaking, is rec(AMFS) is renowned worldwide for ognized for leading the way into such bringing together the best rising young music, though he violated the Classimusicians and the top professionals cal sensibilities of the time enough that of our time. Together they present a people thought he had literally lost his program of depth and nuance, featur- mind and not just his hearing. ing hundreds of performances that In spite of that, the power and conrespect the fundamental artistry of nection of emotion in music took hold classical music and and never let go, and musicians, and celit has been threaded ebrate the joy and throughout classical wonder at the core music ever since. of this art form. This AMFS season Concerts begin features many great this Thursday, June Romantic works— 26, with an afterBeethoven’s Fifth noon of chamber Symphony (July 5), music at the AsBeethoven’s Ninth pen Chapel and Symphony (August an evening recital 17), Berlioz’s phanpresented by AMFS tasmagoric SymMusic Director Robphonie fantastique Asadour Santourian ert Spano and star (June 29), Strauss’s Vice President for Artistic Administration and violinist and Aspen Artistic Advisor of the AMFS glorious Alpine alumnus Robert Symphony (August McDuffie. There are up to eight events 3), to name a tiny fraction—but also a day, running through Sunday, August contemporary composers who have 17. While concerts explore a wide vari- been influenced by Romanticism and ety of classical music, many focus on place their works in the context of the this year’s theme of Romanticism. Romantic Era. One way to understand RomantiThese include composers Lowell cism in music is “art that celebrates Liebermann, whose opera The Picture emotional, physical, and spiritual ex- of Dorian Gray, based on the novel by perience” and “leads us away from Oscar Wilde, will be presented next its own internal practice and into our own feelings, moods, hopes, and fears,” See OVERVIEW, Festival Focus page 3 Tamara vallejos Festival Focus writer
[This season’s Romantic] composers are writing with accessible lyricism in their music.
alex irvin/amfs
Violinist and Aspen alumnus Robert McDuffie will open the 2014 season on June 26 at Harris Concert Hall with a recital with AMFS Music Director and pianist Robert Spano.
Alumna Returns as Guest Artist jessica cabe
Festival Focus writer
When Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) alumna Simone Porter was two years old, she used a line from Puccini’s Tosca to ask for more milk in her sippy cup. “Tosca sings, ‘Mario, Mario!’” Porter says. “And after listening to this CD of Puccini so many times, obsessively, I went into the kitchen holding a sippy cup and sang, ‘Mommy-o, mommy-o, I want more milk!’” Not long after, Porter’s parents, both professors who did not play music themselves, signed her up for violin lessons. She was three-and-a-half years old. Fourteen years later, Porter is making her AMFS debut as a guest artist, after spending seven summers in the School as a student. She will perform with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm on Friday, June 27, in the Benedict Music Tent. Porter has attended multiple summer music pro-
grams, but she says Aspen consistently offers her favorite experiences. “I’m beyond excited to be back in Aspen,” Porter said. “Aspen’s like nowhere else in the world. It was the first place that I found myself surrounded by other young people with similar passion and interest. The moment I leave to the moment I come back I spend looking forward to returning.” Porter first attended the AMFS when she was ten years old. She says her time at the School has been a major contribution to her growth as a young professional. “I discovered so much at Aspen,” Porter says. “I’ve learned so much about every aspect of music playing, from private lessons to opportunities for solo performance, or playing in orchestra beside your colleagues and beside professionals, and sharing the stage with See PORTER, Festival Focus page 3
Philip pirolo
Seventeen-year-old violinist and Aspen alumna Simone Porter will make her guest artist debut with the Aspen Chamber Symphony at 6 pm on Friday in the Benedict Music Tent.
Buy tickets now! (970) 925-9042 or www.aspenmusicfestival.com
Page 2 | Monday, June 23, 2014
Festival Focus: Your Weekly Classical Music Guide
Supplement to The Aspen Times
Artist-Faculty, Students Ready for Summer of Growth Tamara vallejos Festival Focus writer
While for audiences the 2014 Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) season doesn’t begin until Thursday, today’s annual Convocation at the Benedict Music Tent marks the official opening of the summer for the AMFS’s 628 students—and the 130 artist-faculty members who will help shape them as growing musicians. Each summer, distinguished artists from some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony, as well as top teachers from prestigious music conservatories such as the Juilliard School and the Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, arrive in Aspen to take on their roles as artist-faculty. As in past summers, they’ll spend the next eight weeks teaching thousands of individual lessons, more than 200 studio and master classes, and preparing students for more than 300 orchestral rehearsals and performances which, depending on the orchestra, they themselves participate in. The students in Aspen represent the best young talent in the world, which is a big responsibility and why the AMFS is fortunate to have an exceptional group of artist-faculty that President and CEO Alan Fletcher calls “a team of all-stars.” Even better, they’re all-stars with longevity. “There is tremendous loyalty to Aspen from the artist-faculty,”
Once they arrive in Aspen, however, these students says Fletcher. A look at the roster confirms that, with a significant number of artist-faculty teaching and per- are greeted by a team who is thrilled to see them. “Each student has his or her own path getting here,” forming in Aspen for decades. The current artist-faculty member with the distinc- says Jennifer Johnston, AMFS’s vice president and tion of the longest tenure is trombonist Per Brevig, dean of students. “I get excited about what can hapwho returns this summer for his pen here for them and how this 45th season with the AMFS, and experience will impact their fuwho also spent the better part of tures.” three decades as principal tromJohnston notes that Convocabonist for the Metropolitan Option, and the gathering of stuera. Trumpet player Ray Mase will dents and artist-faculty for the be joining for his 42nd summer, first time each summer, is her and Daniel Avshalomov and Laufavorite day of the year. After all, it’s the start to an educational exrie Carney of the American String Quartet will both be here for a perience—full of opportunities to 40th summer. More than twenty learn from and play beside some other artist-faculty returning this of the world’s best artists—that summer boast tenures of at least can have a lifelong impact on a three decades. young musician. That loyalty extends to the “Students’ musical confidence group of extraordinarily talented can develop in a variety of ways young musicians who come to over the course of the summer,” Aspen each summer to study. she says. “They may take on and Jennifer Johnston Many students return year after conquer a challenging piece, or Vice President and Dean of Students at the AMFS year—in fact, this summer marks have a meaningful interaction the ninth season in Aspen for two with a conductor, or have a pristudents—and make the trip from thirty-six states vate lesson that inspires.” and forty-three countries. The 2014 class includes But regardless of how exactly it happens, Johnston students who have traveled from as far away as Chile, continues, “the Aspen experience is transformational Yugoslavia, Indonesia, Australia, and more. for the students.”
Students’ musical confidence can develop in a variety of ways over the course of the summer. They may take on and conquer a challenging piece, or have a meaningful interaction with a conductor, or have a private lesson that inspires.
Buy tickets now: (970) 925-9042 • www.aspenmusicfestival.com
Festival Focus: Your Weekly Classical Music Guide
Supplement to The Aspen Times
Monday, June 23, 2014 | Page 3
OVERVIEW: Festival Explores Romanticism Continued from Festival Focus page 1
month by the Aspen Opera Theater Center (AOTC), as well as Christopher Theofanidis and Roberto Sierra. “These composers are writing with accessible lyricism in their music,” says Asadour Santourian, AMFS vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor. “They have very much moved away from the academic approach to writing music and toward writing music that expresses emotion. “They’re using the elements that characterize the nineteenth-century Romantic movement, but with the expanded compositional language of the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries.” According to Santourian, works by these contemporary composers will garnish the season’s overall programming, offering audiences a summer of compare-and-contrast opportunities. Also featured this summer are a rich mix of performing artists, ranging from
tender, emerging young talents to the legends of our time. Of special note are two illustrious alumni returning to Aspen after hiatuses, James Levine, longtime music director of the Metropolitan Opera (Tribute Dinner, July 21), and violinist Midori (July 20). The 2014 opera season also reflects the season theme, featuring works by two composers of the Romantic Era sandwiching Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray—recently named by the New York Times as one of the best contemporary operas. The AOTC season opens on July 10 with a production of Tchaikovsky’s classic work of Russian intensity, Eugene Onegin, then continues with Dorian Gray on July 24 and 26, and closes with Bizet’s instantly recognizable Carmen, opening on August 10. It is the first time out on Festival stages for both Onegin and Dorian Gray, and in those evenings and many others, Santourian notes that the summer is full of
Aspen Music Festival and School Box Office Hours
alex irvin/amfs
AMFS Music Director Robert Spano will open the Festival with a recital at 7 pm on Thursday, June 26 at Harris Concert Hall.
opportunities for discovery. “I wish audiences a summer of discovery and enjoyment—and perhaps even an eye-opening summer, whether that’s because of a first Onegin, or a first-time encounter with some of the chamber music we have, or an artist encounter.” For a full list of events, visit the AMFS website at www.aspenmusicfestival.com.
Volunteer Sunday! Sunday, June 29, the Aspen Music Festival and School invites all Valley nonprofit volunteers to attend a free Sunday dress rehearsal. Please sign in at the Benedict Music Tent at 9:15 am to receive a complimentary voucher for admission and intermission cookies and lemonade.
Harris Concert Hall: 9 am through the intermission of the evening concert, daily. Wheeler Opera House: 9 am–5 pm daily.
Opening Week Provides Intrigue, Variety porter: Debut The opening week continues with another highlight at 6 pm on Friday, June 27, in the Benedict Music Tent: a performance from the Aspen Planning the opening week of the Aspen Music Chamber Symphony featuring violinist and AMFS Festival and School (AMFS) is a special kind of alumna Simone Porter playing Mendelssohn’s challenge, according to Asadour Santourian, AMFS Violin Concerto in E minor. “The entire concerto is linked; there are no gaps vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor. He points out that the challenge is in in between the movements, and it’s just a journey,” Porter said. (See related story on page 1.) immediately generating and sustaining interest. At 8:30 pm on Saturday, June 28, Tony and This year, the Festival opens with a recital by two of the world’s pre-eminent musicians, AMFS Music Antonia Bennett will perform in the Benedict Director Robert Spano and violinist and AMFS Music Tent. Santourian said this sort of special alumnus Robert McDuffie. They will perform at 7 pm event is made possible by the relationships the AMFS develops with other local on Thursday, June 26, in Harris nonprofits. Concert Hall. “One of the hallmarks of The performance will feature Alan’s tenure here as CEO sonatas by Beethoven, and, has been to expand on the a special highlight for AMFS collaborative opportunities with President and CEO Alan Fletcher, the other outstanding nonprofits Philip Glass’s “The American in town,” Santourian said. “This Four Seasons,” which the AMFS is a collaboration with Jazz co-commissioned in 2010. Aspen Snowmass. We have “When we gave the U.S. many collaborations throughout premiere of it a number of years the summer. This is one of those ago, it was one of the most outstanding ones.” successful concerts I think in The first week of the Festival my whole time,” Fletcher said. wraps up at 4 pm on Sunday, “People were just screaming, Asadour Santourian June 29, at the Benedict Music they loved it so much. That’s Vice President for Artistic Administration and Artistic Advisor of the AMFS Tent with a performance from really the reason why that is the the Aspen Festival Orchestra, opening concert.” Santourian notes that, in addition, McDuffie and featuring Simon Trpčeski playing Rachmaninoff’s Spano are opening the Festival because of their Second Piano Concerto in C minor along with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. While the incredible talent and chemistry. “McDuffie and Spano have worked together orchestra’s opening performance, like all concerts previously,” Santourian said. “There’s been a great in the first week, was programmed to be particularly camaraderie in that, and I think it comes across. energizing, Santourian points out the orchestra will They’ve done some other projects here together, have even more to offer throughout the season. “Every week is different,” Santourian said. “Every and this was an opportunity to present them in yet week is something phenomenal.” another light.” jessica cabe
Continued from Festival Focus page 1
Festival Focus writer
McDuffie and Spano have worked together previously. There’s been a great camaraderie in that, and I think it comes across.
world-class artists and conductors. Every single summer at Aspen I would come out on the other side of the eight weeks certainly feeling like a different musician, but also like a different person.” Porter has taken the lessons she learned at the AMFS and pushed herself even further as a performer. She just completed her first year of college at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. “We’re very excited about her official debut,” says Asadour Santourian, the AMFS vice president for artistic administration and artistic advisor. This year, Porter will be playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, one of the most beloved violin concertos in classical music, and also one of Porter’s personal favorites. “A lot of pieces have maybe a chink in the armor, a little movement or a passage that people consider its weakness,” Porter said. “But in Mendelssohn, every movement has a purpose and is just so perfect. Every movement is an emotional experience.” Although this year marks Porter’s professional debut with the Festival, she is no stranger to high-caliber performances. She played with the Seattle Symphony when she was ten years old, and she made her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at age thirteen. Since then, she has appeared with the New York Philharmonic at a Young People’s Concert and elsewhere. Santourian has been watching Porter grow as a musician from the time she was thirteen. He still remembers the first time he heard her play. “She played a Sarasate piece for me,” Santourian said. “And I was bowled over by the fact that, alongside all the bravura that she executed, she actually was keenly interested in communicating the musical material in the piece. Since then, it’s been a wonderful journey, and it’s a wonderful magic carpet ride with her artistically. We have many exceptional students who come through every year, and it is one of the greatest pleasures of being here in the summer to hear them in their various performances. She’s been able to evolve herself into an exceptional communicator through her instrument.”
Page 4 | Monday, June 23, 2014
Festival Focus: Your Weekly Classical Music Guide
Supplement to The Aspen Times