Fast becoming friends, Jonathan Biss and the PSO

How do artists such as pianist Yefim Bronfman and violinist Gil Shaham become long-term friends of the Pittsburgh Symphony? One outstanding concert after another, that's how.

And that’s what pianist Jonathan Biss has been doing at Heinz Hall over the past few seasons, and this one finds him returning again to play Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22 at 8 p.m. Friday -Saturday (Oct. 31 and Nov. 1) and 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 2) under the direction of Marek Janowski.

One never knows what a concert will bring, but if his appearance is anything like the most recent, it will be a wonderful mix of vivacious tone and phrasing. There's just a jump in his step that many pianists miss, especially in Mozart.

I have been listening to him play Mozart's Concerto No. 22 on his new recording on EMI and it has so many brilliant touches, such as his playing of the primary theme of the first movement. It is elegant, but active -- especially in the left hand.  We will have to see if he can bring that approach again this weekend at Heinz Hall. Of course, the other aspect of becoming a friend of patrons is opening up to them, and Biss is still rather shy on stage. But that may come. For now, we will be content with another great performance.

Manfred Honeck & PSO's debut recording

UPDATE: Here is the review of the disc that ran today:

I just got the Pittsburgh Symphony's first recording with new music director and I am loving it. One immediate caveat, however: it's a audiophile label import from Japan and the single disc is $30. And that's a massive discount over what it costs on the Internet. That is a lot of money for one disc, but it sure sounds like it is worth that much when I am listening to it. More on that when my review runs in Friday's paper and online.

The list:

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Fletcher: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Verdi: "La forza del Destino" Overture

Michael Rusinek (clarinet)
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Manfred Honeck (conductor)

Where in the world is Lorin Maazel?

In the Persian Gulf!

Qatar to be exact. The former Pittsburgh Symphony maestro and Pittsburgh native conducted the first concert of the newly formed Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra today (meaning it already happened there Oct. 30). The program was a mix of two well-known Western works -- Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 and Maurice Ravel’s "Bolero" -- and the world premiere of "Arabian Concerto," by Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife. The royal family of Qatar, including Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani attended.

No doubt Maazel was paid well for his appearance, but he deserves it. Bringing Western classical music to the area is no easy sell, although the orchestra is a part of a greater initiative to increase the cultural offerings in the peninsula (Qatar is located in the box in the map).

"The development of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra is aimed at encouraging greater appreciation of classical music in the region and inspiring the reemergence of orchestral Arabian music," said a presser on the concert. Just another example of classical music's boom outside of the the West. Good luck to them as they develop this project.

Hao Jiang Tian's wild ride down a 'Roaring River'

If my feature article on Chinese-born bass Hao Jiang Tian on Sunday piqued your interest you might want to read his memoirs. I found it fascinating -- an quick read full of suspense. It also does a great job of moving back and forth in time as he tells his story, which is probably more of a complement to his collaborator Lois Morris. But form aside, the content is so compelling, how this man was able to overcome such astounding obstacles and make it in the ultra-competitive field of opera at such a high level. Obviously he has a tremendous natural talent, but hard work and a little luck helped.

I am curious, how many people remember hearing him sing Timur in Puccini's "Turandot" at Pittsburgh Opera in in 1994? I was not hear yet and I would love to know if he made an impression. Although nearly 40, he was still just beginning his career back then.

And don't forget: Marianne Cornetti is sponsoring Tian's talk/lecture/book signing at 3 p.m. this Sunday, Nov. 2, in the Pittsburgh Opera building in the Strip District. It's free; call 412-281-3480 for more info.

Worth a second ascent: Strauss' Alpine Symphony and my hike

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is performing Strauss' "An Alpine Symphony" this weekend and I thought I would share my column on the symphony from 2001, the last time the PSO performed it. 2001 seems a long time from now, especially as I had done the hike in the summer before 9/11. But the piece still reads well enough, so I present to you my mimicking of Strauss' hike that he immortalized in the symphony:

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/20011125onarts1125fnp6.asp

Since then I have hiked the Rockies, Alps and yes Appalachians many times (I can't get enough of summer alpine hiking!), but that hike up Sultan will stick in my head forever. Here's hoping that hearing the performance this week will spur you to recall a great hike of your own.

A SUPER-numerary

Supernumeraries are the folk who serve as extras in operas. Usually it is a fun (but time consuming) thing to do, and a great way to get close to the action. I have to pass on this story about a super in the recent Pittsburgh Opera production of "Samson & Dalila."

Alan Cope was a super in the first Act, one of the Hebrew elders. Well, opening night I went to the Tallis Scholars concert at Calvary Episcopal while our Robert Croan reviewed "Samson" (I saw it Tuesday) and I was talking to Cope after the show. He is on the board of the Renaissance & Baroque Society, which presented the concert, and I wanted to hear what he thought of the choir (I thought it was fab). During the course of the conversation he told me he was in the opera. "At the opera?" I said, already puzzled since he had been at Calvary. "No, in it." To which I had a very confused look on my face.

Turns out Cope's role was only needed in the first Act (the opera started an hour earlier than the Tallis concert), and when that finished, he tossed his outfit to the rack, bolted out the stage door and flew up to Shadyside. He arrived just in time to hear a few pieces by Tallis in the first half and all of the second.

That is impressive! A true music lover. Bravo.

UPDATE: Pittsburgh Opera: High Priest of Dagon under the weather

Baritone Kim Josephson has withdrawn from the Pittsburgh Opera's "Samson & Dalila" due to illness, the company just reported. He sang the High Priest of Dagon, and taking that role for the final shows Oct. 24 and Oct. 26 at the Benedum Center now will be bass-baritone Mark S. Doss (right). He sang Amonasro in the Pitt Opera production of "Aida" last spring.

Now, if you remember, that "Aida" was the production that had numerous cancellations in it, both by the tenor leading to conductor Antony Walker singing from the stage, and by Stephanie Blythe. She is now singing Dalila, so here's hoping the bug doesn't get to her again!

UPDATE: A late development has Doss singing the role of the High Priest of Dagon from the pit and Kim Josephson mimicing the singing from the stage. This happens from time to time in opera companies, most recently at Pittsburgh Opera with Jane Eaglen in "Fidelio." Just give in to the illusion and enjoy!

Earbuds: Biting the hand that feeds you (music)

iPods and MP3 players are such a double-edged sword for me. I love that music is everywhere, and a big enough part of people's lives that it's the first thing many think about setting up when they leave home or work. But the flip side is how the players and particularly earbud speakers are hurting hearing.

A report by the European Union last week said what any knows who has sat near someone with blaring earphones, that loud music on iPods could cause hearing loss. An AP story on it said that "that between 2.5 million and 10 million Europeans could suffer hearing loss from listening to MP3 players at unsafe volumes — over 89 decibels — for more an hour daily for at least five years.

It's especially a problem when young people are jacking up the volume of music already with intense frequencies.

In the AP report, EU spokeswoman Helen Kearns said, "It's damage that may come back and haunt you later in life," and said she will try to get MP3 players held to a limit of 100 decibels. The article also said that "Apple was forced to pull its iPod player from store shelves in France and upgrade software on the device to limit sound to 100 decibels."

You know it's bad when the listening to music gets lumped in with rules designed to limit noise at construction sites and factories!

But two American groups have joined together to increase awareness of decreasing volume: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the Parents' Choice Foundation  have created a national coalition of musicians, "to promote safe usage of personal audio technology." It's called Listen To Your Buds - and Protect Kids' Hearing.

Who knows how effective it will be, but it is good to see it, especially since "More than half of high school students in the United States  report at least one symptom of hearing loss, according to a 2006 poll commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association."

The ASHA is offering a few steps to protecting hearing: 

1. Keep the volume down. A good guide is half volume.

2. Limit listening time. Give your hearing "quiet breaks."

3. Upgrade your earbuds, which sit inside the ear, and frequently come with the purchase of a portable music player, to earphones that fit outside the ear and block out unwanted sound (also known as "noise canceling" earphones). You can also upgrade to earphones that fit snugly into the ear canal and do the same thing.

Unfortunately, it's an issue that runs up against coolness, which means some teens and twenty-somethings will hurt there ears just because its is what everyone else is doing. But it's really just common sense, and I hope more people will turn their machine down. I hate to think of people not being able to hear music down the road (or other subtle sounds of life, for that matter).

Finally: There is a difference between loving volume and loving music. If you really love music, you'll want to hang on to those eardrums...if I can year your music sitting next to you, it's too loud for you.

Slatkin versus the storm at the Aspen Music Festival

OK, I finished this, and I hope you re-read it from the beginning.

On the occasion of Leonard Slatkin's first concerts as principal guest conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony last weekend, I thought I would share a story involving an unusual concert he conducted two years ago.

I was in Aspen, Co., in the summer of 2006 for a panel on music criticism on a weekend that Slatkin happened to be conducting. On the afternoon of July 30, we filed in to the main music tent (literally past Alan Fletcher, who runs the festival now and is so hands-on he stood by the main ticket entrance) to hear him lead the Aspen Festival Orchestra (a student and faculty ensemble).

On the program was a raucous percussion-heavy piece by Christopher Rouse called "Gorgon" and a Mozart double piano concerto performed by the young pianists, Peng Peng and Conrad Tao. After intermission, Slatkin returned for a Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 I will never forget...

Just before Slatkin took the podium, a powerful gust of wind flew through the tent (which is a permanent structure and very sturdy). We had heard that a storm was on the way, but looking out, you could see some seriously mean-looking clouds advancing on us. But Slatkin started the Fifth as if nothing were amiss.

His was an intriguing reading of the work, taking the first theme of the opening movement very deliberately, as if to draw out the composer's pain. But soon, still in the exposition, raindrops began to fall. Then came a sheet of rain as the transition arrived, and a thunderclap just before the second theme. I may be embellishing this slightly -- it was a while ago and my notes are only so good -- but I actually wrote in my tablet that it was as if nature was joining in, enhancing the "stormy" program of the symphony.

Well, that didn't last for long. With another ear-splitting thunderclap in the recapitulation, the sky just opened. Big raindrops and small hail cascaded from miles above us onto the tent roof. Soon the sound became so deafening that you couldn't talk to someone next to you, and certainly you could not hear orchestra. It was as if you were watching them on TV with the mute button hit -- and someone shaking a can of marbles right next to your head. Eventually, Slatkin just put his hands down, and after a few more minutes in which the noise increased, he just sat down on the edge of the stage, resigned to defeat.

"There was no point [continuing]," Slatkin told me a year later. "This was just so unrelenting. Usually a mountain storm is 10-15 minutes and it is gone, not this one."

Some locals told me it was the worst storm they had ever had during a concert. Eventually, Slatkin just got a microphone and announced that when the rain died down, the orchestra would resume the symphony, but only the last movement. The storm was still going when he began, and I swear there was another thunderclap during the return of the Fate theme. The orchestra, which is quite good with some of the best principal players in the country -- including Pittsburgh Symphony musicians Gretchen Van Hoesen (harp) and Jim Gorton (oboe) -- sitting next to student prodigies, finished in grand form, determined not to be drowned out at the end.

After Slatkin took his bow and exited, another curious thing happened. While the loud hail had passed, it was still raining rather hard and no one was in a hurry to leave. As we were just milling about, John Zirbel, the horn player who was to have played the big solo in the second movement, decided he had done too much work preparing it to not be heard. He started to play his part from the beginning, and before you knew it, a crowd had formed around him on stage in admiration. I made it up there in time to hear the bulk of it -- it was stunning to hear the solo played so close.

When we talked later, Slatkin expressed concern that the students didn't get to show off what they had been doing in rehearsal. I understand his perspective, but for me this was a special occasion. I still call it the best performance of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 I never heard, and the whole affair was a experience I will never forget. 

FREE music (or nearly so): the Carnegie Library sale

Fans of pop music in all its variety have countless places to find used discs, but go in to a used CD shop in Pittsburgh and you'll likely find only the most pathetic collection of classical. A beat-up Three Tenors here, a Beethoven Six there, maybe someone's stash of John Williams guitar albums. But not much to peak the interest. But once a year, the scale tips back into our favor with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Music, Scores, Books & CDs sale. It is coming again: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 1 and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 2 on the second floor of the main branch in Oakland -- in the music wing. It is run by the Friends of the Music Library.

I have it on good authority that CDs will be very cheap, and I know that there are good discs there. I have donated a few and there are apparently several other donations of big collections. There's always something off the wall in sales like this, so even if you have a lot of classical music, you may want to check it out. But certainly, this is a great opportunity for most to get good classical music or to listen to music that is new to you without liquidating your wallet.

For more info, call 412-622-3105.

And if there is a used CD shop out there with a good used classical selection, e-mail me and I will give it some props. What I have seen just is not pretty.