BSO Violinist Lucia Lynn programmed Sunday’s performance at the Tanglewood Learning Institute. Photo provided by the artist.
Chamber Music with Formai, Beethoven and Still at Tanglewood Learning Institute
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Michael-Thomas Foumai, “Printing Kapa” and “Defending Kalo”.
Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 10 Op. 74 E flat major “Harp”. William Grant Still: “Ennanga” for harp, string quartet and piano
Over the past few years, the classical music repertoire has expanded, not only giving exposure to previously underperforming composers, but also including music emanating from and representing European-American non-mainstream cultures. A chamber music performance at Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI) on Sunday March 12th, programmed by BSO violinist Lucia Lin, provided two great examples. , inspired by the Ugandan harp. and a brand new production by Michael Thomas Formai that brings aspects of Hawaiian culture to the fore and is “inspired by indigenous knowledge.” Between them was Beethoven’s quartet number. 10 opamps. 74, Nicknamed “Harp”. (The nickname was given by the publisher, not the composer, nor was it the reason it was chosen for this program, according to Lin-san’s verbal introduction.) Modern/Contemporary His bookends.
Accomplished harpist Charles Overton is an artist to watch, having performed two works by Hoomai in duo with Ms. Lin’s violin, and later as a virtual concerto soloist in Still’s charming and virtuoso work. Did. Mr. Overton was asked to draw a vast array of colors and textures from his instruments, projecting them vividly, making them natural and dazzling. Mr. Lin’s solo performances were equally effective with Humai lyrically evoking two key elements of his Hawaiian culture.
The title ‘printed kapa’ refers to the traditional fabric made of tree bark imprinted with geometric patterns. Foumai focuses specifically on one of his patterns called ‘Ūwila, which resembles lightning. This fabric is used to make a magical skirt that, according to the composer’s program his notes, “protects against dark and negative forces.” This composition reflects the stored light or positive energy rather than the volatility and potentially destructive power of lightning. Vast melodic figures for violin and harp flow outward from the midrange, stacking thirds, providing diatonic tonality and vertical imagery that evokes the shape of a lightning bolt. Repetitions of design patterns imprinted on the fabric are reflected in various repetitions of these expansive gestures, often including vibrant variable time signatures and syncopations. All of this is done in a very lyrical mood, and for this American listener, Copeland’s “outdoor” music. The vertical dimension is dramatized by the violin’s use of very high overtones, which seem to have reached some high apex, but only go higher. These delicate violin gestures are offset by the symmetrical descent of the harp into the lower depths of the instrument.
It is worth noting that this work was jointly commissioned by the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music and Lucia Lin’s In Tandem project. Franck is at the forefront of new multicultural musical thinking, both through her own musical exemplars and her academy’s support of young composers like Mr. Foumai. We look forward to hearing further results of this important trend at the contemporary music festival in Tanglewood this summer, which she plans to co-curate.
Kapa’s dialogue “Defending Kalo” refers to the traditional farming of taro roots, a basic food source whose ecosystems are currently threatened by tourism. Foumai offers an image of rich, spongy, black (volcanic) soil (“I was…knee-deep in the cold, fudge-like mud of a taro field”). Double-stopped and harp violins provide a strong textural contrast with Kapha’s airy expanse. Here, darkness alludes to the mystical and mystical properties of taro. At its core, there is a lively dialogue of short phrases between the instruments (Pulling up taro roots?) culminates in an eloquent, almost oracle-like climax that recalls Stravinsky’s “Orpheus”, followed by the harp’s It ends on the bottom string with a glissando. In both works the instruments are used very colorfully. Musicians want to play music that has a lively and dramatic character.
Following this, the Beethoven Quartet was not as shocking as might have been expected. This lyrical piece does not hit the heavens like the contemporary Symphony No. 5 or the “Emperor Concerto”, but its scherzo has the short notes of the “No. 5”. The first movement follows the outline of a classical sonata. A slow introduction calls into question the motives of the melodies that are discussed and developed in the body of the movement. The instrumental dialogue is full of harmonic originality and a generous helping of plucked strings (perhaps justifying its nickname “harp”). Adagio is a lyrical drama, an operatic monologue with sighing figures and expressive chromatic scales. In the scherzo, contrasting bits of diabolical intensity and rhythmic legato de main emerge, transitioning somewhat disorientingly into the next theme and variation, ending with a series of increasingly ecstatic rhythmic changes. increase. Lucia Lin described the quartet’s trajectory as one oriented towards hope, a mood that extends the ambitious qualities of Foumai’s work.
The celebratory mood is picked up and further extended by “Ennanga”, billed as a suite for harp, piano and string orchestra, but here performed in a version for string quartet, better suited to the TLI space as well as , provided the brighter, more defined energy of the solo strings. The work is structurally a concerto for harp, with strings and piano substituting for the orchestra. The virtuoso’s solo part, inspired by the energetic and colorful playing of his peers, was easily and eloquently projected by Mr. Overton. The harp has traditionally been used in storytelling in traditional cultures. Also, the first movement, especially the solo in the second movement, suggests a narrative function. The tonal material of this piece is essentially pentatonic, effectively overlaid with extended harmonies of chromatic scales that land somewhere between Ravel and Jazz. This gives the music a nice mix of rustic and sophistication. I don’t know that specifically African materials are used. Familiar elements are reminiscent of spirituality, ring dancing and other African-American folk his music (the material certainly originates from Africa). The final movement, an energetic and joyful celebration, contains a distant echo of Gottschalk’s Banjo (1853) and concludes the program on a fervently optimistic tone.
With Stille’s other music emerging in recent concert programming, such as the string quartet presented at the Great Barrington last month by the Harlem String Quartet, “Enanga” showcases the composer’s wide range of stylistic and expressive influences. Shows the range with original and original idioms. He clearly deserves a place in the newly expanded canon of contemporary composers.