It’s less than a week away from Christmas, and we are seeing a number of musical organizations bringing a close to the year 2011 in their own way. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is marking the end of 2011 along with the Mahler centennial and a new work by composer James Matheson. Esa-Pekka Salonen stood at the podium last Thursday night for the world premiere of Matheson’s Violin Concerto, which CSO co-commissioned alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Scored for large orchestra, Matheson’s 25-minute concerto is cast in the traditional three movements. The opening movement, titled “Caprice,” begins with fast and repetitive Bachian figurations for the soloist. Despite the lightish title, the predominant mood is tense and driven, the restless solo part fitfully contrasted with a lean, austere Sibelius-like lyricism, and punctuated by whipcrack outbursts from the massed orchestra.
As the title suggests, the second movement “Chaconne” is even more indebted to Bach with ruminative variations for the soloist set against a backing line of hushed first violins. The concluding section (“Dance”) breaks in without a pause, ramping up the tempo with accelerating solo virtuosity, the orchestra taking on a syncopated, jazz-like quality on its way to a bravura coda.
Matheson’s concerto has a certain bluff, unpretentious quality to it, but I found the new work lacking in both craft and an individual voice. The extended opening movement lurches from one rhetorical episode to the next without any discernible flow or coherent unfolding argument. The slow movement is the most attractive section but is soon over and the hard-charging finale feels pasted on, sound and fury signifying not so much.
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Meanwhile, another nearby performing organization, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, is already looking towards 2012. They are scheduled to perform a concert entitled “Baroque And Classical Gems” in January with CSO’s Katinka Kleijn.
The Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stephen Alltop will present the third subscription program of the season, a mid-winter offering of baroque and classical pieces featuring Chicago Symphony Orchestra cellist Katinka Kleijn.
Although relatively unknown, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra is a great ensemble which I have had the pleasure of hearing before. And, they are a perfect representation of how smaller-scale, local orchestras are pressing forward in tough economic times and making music work for them and their communities.
See the original article for information on performance times and locations
While symphony orchestras celebrate the winter holiday season with feature concerts and themed performances, one young musician has a very special musical undertaking of her own. Five-year old violinist and performer Leia Zhu will perform of series of candlelit Christmas concerts around her home region in England.
Five-year-old Leia made her public debut in front of a big audience at the North East Last Night of the Proms concert at Newcastle City Hall in October.
Needless to say, her seemingly nerveless performance stole the show.
Now the youngster, from Whickham, Gateshead, is on this year’s Candlelit Christmas Concert Tour which takes in concerts in Carlisle, Hexham, Newcastle and Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Leia, who is a remarkably accomplished musician for her age, is unlikely to be fazed by the audience in any venue she performs at. On the other hand, she is guaranteed to generate warm applause.
Learn more about the “pint-sized” violin maestro!
You can also see Leia Zhu in action in this BBC clip from earlier in the year:
Finally, today the Guardian is live streaming the Aurora orchestra’s performance of Mozart’s Requiem, featuring the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, from Kings Place in London. Ovation Press will be Tweeting about the event with the hashtag #guardianmozart today at 2:30pm CST (8:30pm GMT).
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