Although Levine will miss some high profile performances, such as the first performance of Tosca with The Met, the operation comes at a time when Mr. Levine had already canceled performances due to extreme back pain. According to his doctors, having the surgery will prevent further damage and hopefully allow him to return to his assorted posts quickly and with renewed vigor. Source: NY Times Music.

NEW YORK, NY — Associate Principal Bassist of the New York Philharmonic Jon Deak came forward, applauding, to shake the hands of musicians led by conductor Thomas Carlo Bo after they completed a performance his composition Lad, a Dog (Part II: The Visitor). The work is a one movement piece, performed by two narrators, violin, clarinet, and piano. Originally, the work featured only the three instrumentalists. They were to narrate the text themselves as per directions in the score. Furthermore, it was chamber music—no conductor required. This performance, however, definitely benefited from both the narrators and the conductor. While I never witnessed the chamber music version, I do think the additions improved the effectiveness of the piece.

Both the music and the text narrate each other equally throughout the work. The text is from a children’s story written in the early 20th century. Lad, a dog, is caught off guard by a surprise visitor during the night. The text describes the event from the perspectives of Lad himself, the visitor, and the narrators. Of course, the trio of instruments do a wonderful job bringing the narration to life. They illustrate and liven the story with striking melodies constantly interrupted by the playful puppy Lad, and occasionally by the surreptitiously lurking visitor. Deak’s command of the orchestration kept the texture perfect throughout the piece, and the melodic material was not interrupted either too frequently or too little. It was an enjoyable, emotive programmatic piece that would capture adult audiences through the precision of the score, and younger audiences with the story of Lad, a dog.

The second work on the program was a single-act opera by Carmela Sinco. Also led by Bo, the work featured tenor, soprano, and bass, who together depicted a story “inspired by a folk legend from the Philippines.” It was the premier run of the opera, and though contemporary, Sinco’s tonalities suggested a melodic approach influenced perhaps by the same folk traditions that inspired the opera itself. The setting is described as “a time and place when spirits and humans can cross paths,” which outlines the premise for the entire work. Sag-In, a spirit, falls hopelessly in love with Raya, a human. And so their struggle to love each other unwinds throughout the opera. The arias cycle between the three characters Sag-In, Raya, and Bathala—the leader of the spirit world—culminating in a duet and trio in the final scene. Chromaticism and long lines evoke the struggle of two forbidden partners, and ultimately gift the piece with originality and a separation from what could have been another bland love story.

Lorin Maazel’s final performances with the New York Philharmonic span the nights of June 24 – June 27. The program is Mahler’s Symphony No. 8—the Symphony of a Thousand. The June 24 and 26 performances are already sold out, so if you’re debating whether to attend, don’t wait too long. Find the event homepage here.

New York, NY — Hilary Hahn played an elegant yet cerebral set of works by Ysaye, Ives, Brahms, and Bartok at Town Hall in New York City on Sunday June 14, 2009. The concert was part of the Free For All at Town Hall concert series; a free concert series sponsored by various patrons and organized by Twin Lions, Inc.
 
Ms. Hahn opened with the Ysaye Solo Sonata No. 4—the fourth in a set of six sonatas composed by the Belgian composer Eugene Ysaye. Modeled after the famed six sonatas and partitas written by J.S. Bach, the Ysaye sonatas maximize the versatility of the violin itself, and tax the ability of the performer in both technique and musicianship.
 
Hahn demonstrated her command over her instrument by delivering a compelling and technically commendable performance. Wielding her signature clear tone, Hahn treated every note with tenderness—from its beginning to its end. In fact, the one time an incoming landing appeared it might bounce, she placed the bow with the same precision that graced the whole performance.

By pairing her technique with the sensitivity and intelligence that she brought to her interpretation of the work, Hahn both impressed and touched New York. Though a free concert series will inevitably attract fans, connoisseurs, casual concertgoers, and babies alike, Hahn presented an emotional and effective performance that, regrettably, was her only New York performance this season.
 
Accompanied by pianist Valentina Lisitsa, Hahn followed Ysaye 4 with Charles Ives’s Sonata No. 4. The program contained three of Ives’s four sonatas—numbers 1, 2, and 4. While Ives’s tonalities may have deviated from what many audience members might be used to, Hahn and Lisitsa did well to accentuate the playful and relatively simple nature of Ives’s melodies. Lisitsa found her way around the keyboard impressively considering the unfair distribution of technical difficulty among the Ives sonatas. Though in no way does the “simplicity” of the violin part detract from Hahn’s performance. To bring recognizable sonority to Ives requires significant consideration—something Hahn and Lisitsa have undeniably attended to.
 
And so the performance continued with similar trends—Hahn’s technical clarity served her again in Ysaye’s sixth sonata, as well as the Brahms Hungarian Dances. The Joachim transcriptions proved no challenge for Hahn, or at least appeared so, as she powered through dance after dance, interrupted only by the timid applause after each dance—as if the audience were either unsure if they were to applaud, or perhaps couldn’t help themselves out of delight in Hilary’s performance.
 
Hahn topped off the program with Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances—a staple of violin literature, and admittedly fun to play. Again, her knowledge of Bartok and his infatuation with folk tunes brought a fresh, cunning, and edgy atmosphere to Hahn’s interpretation of the work. And despite a two hour long recital, the audience demanded a final gesture. And so, Ms. Hahn did her best to not only win, but hold the hearts of New Yorkers with the Cantabile by Paganini.