The Philadelphia Inquirer: Classical picks - Portrait of a pianist

Haochen Zhang: "Schumann, Liszt, Janácek, Brahms"

The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Peter Dobrin

Portrait of a pianist. Haochen Zhang was a pianist about whom aficionados were whispering expectant superlatives as he came through the Curtis Institute of Music. The next Yuja Wang, perhaps? Now, the 2012 Curtis graduate has released a studio album on BIS Records of some ambition: Schumann's Kinderszenen, the Liszt Ballade No. 2 in B Minor, Brahms' Three Intermezzi, and Janácek's Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, "From the Street."

Some might recall the 2011 Curtis recital when he filled in for Wang after travel problems. Zhang, who won a Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medal in 2009, was 20 at the time of that recital, and many of the characteristics he displayed then are apparent in this recording: restraint and control - until a specific moment of arrival.

The Kinderszenen are lovely, and he alternates between a gauzy dream state and great heat in the Liszt. Janácek arrives with a finely shaped sense of quiet, questioning wonder. Zhang's love for Brahms was clear at that Curtis recital. So, too, here, where he uncovers ideas well beyond those apparent from just the written note.

The Fairfield Mirror: Cameron Carpenter Changes the Concept of Classical Music

The Fairfield Mirror
By James Della Rocca

After Cameron Carpenter’s performance, the organ should no longer be considered strictly an instrument used in churches, but a beautiful instrument that everyone should experience listening to in this manner at least once in their lives, with speakers blasting walls of sound at the audience. Carpenter played at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Saturday, Jan. 28 to a crowd so large that a screen was used so that people in the back rows could see both him and his one of a kind International Touring Organ.

Carpenter played a total of nine pieces, as well as a few sections of improvisation.  Even though many of the pieces he played were not generally known, he still blew the audience away with his instrumental proficiency. So much so that they gave him a standing ovation and he came back to perform an encore before receiving another standing ovation.

Carpenter played with his entire body, mind and soul throughout his performance. He used not only his hands to play the organ’s keyboard, but also used his feet on the pedal board. In between pieces, Carpenter would stand up and speak to the audience about the history of the organ and of the pieces he would play. This knowledge helped to increase the audience’s appreciation of his playing and of the pieces themselves. Just by looking at the way he played, the audience could tell that he loved what he was doing and enjoyed every moment he spent on that bench. Sophomore Ricci Gold said, “I thought Cameron Carpenter’s performance was amazing, because his touring organ allows more people to experience organ music and classical music in a way they might not normally be able to.“

The only drawback to his performance was that Carpenter had his back to the audience the entire time. He could have improved his performance by at least turning the organ on an angle so that the audience could see more of him. With his back to the audience, only the people on the front rows could see anything he was doing without looking at the projection.

Carpenter’s performance was an extraordinary experience that should be seen by as many people as possible.  Even though potential listeners might be turned off by the idea of an organist playing for two hours, Carpenter subverts this idea in the first piece he plays. People sitting down were probably expecting somewhat bland, traditional organ music. Instead they were treated to an incredible wall of sound created by the large number of speakers surrounding the stage at every angle, an array of pieces from different periods such as the Baroque, Classical and more Modern eras, and Carpenter’s sensational playing. Carpenter took center stage and was surrounded by over half a dozen enormous speakers. Cameron Carpenter brings new life to an instrument that has been brushed aside as a relic of the past.

WTVR: Famed Concert Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers

WTVR, Virginia This Morning (Richmond, VA)

Anne Akiko Meyers is one of the world’s most celebrated American Concert violin players. Anne is in town for a special performance when VCU Arts Music Presents “Rennolds: Anne Akiko Meyers” LIVE on stage Saturday, January 28th at 8pm. The show will be held at the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall 922 Park Ave. 

KLRN Web Extra: Meet symphony guest conductor Maestro Gerard Schwarz

KLRN

David Gross, president of the San Antonio Symphony, is joined by guest conductor Maestro Gerard Schwarz to talk about his career and upcoming performances at the 2017 Mozart Festival.

Financial Times: Youth Music Culture Guangdong, Xinghai Concert Hall, Guangzhou

Financial Times
By Ken Smith

A gathering of young musicians came to life when the players left their comfort zone.

Read the full article on the Financial Times website.

Banner image photo credit: Li Lewei.

2009 Van Cliburn Winner, Haochen Zhang, To Release Debut Studio Album

In 2009 at just 19 years old, Haochen Zhang became one of the youngest pianists to win the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Now, Haochen Zhang is delighted to announce the release of his first studio album on February 10, 2017 on BIS Records. The album features works by Schumann, Liszt, Janácek, and Brahms.

Haochen reflects on his new release saying:

"This album consists of works which not only speak to me in a very intimate way, but also connect with one another at a corresponding level of intimacy: as a whole they form a unique musical narrative. Although I have always been keen to learn and perform all genres and styles, I feel irresistibly drawn to music of a reflective and introspective nature. This is perhaps in part due to the inward-looking aspect of the classical culture of my home country which has fascinated me since childhood, and also to the innate introverted side of my personality."

Works include:

Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Franz Liszt: Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S. 171
Leoš Janáček: Sonata 1.X.1905 "From the Streets"
Johannes Brahms: Drei Intermezzi, Op. 117

Available for preorder now on Amazon and iTunes!

Epoch Times: Performing Arts Anne Akiko Meyers - A Virtuoso Devoted to Unlocking the Mysteries of the Violin

Anne Akiko Meyers
Credit: Vanessa Briceño-Scherzer

Epoch Times
By Catherine Yang

American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers radiates inspiration. It’s a result of her being ever-inspired by everything around her. She strives to absorb rich experiences from the world and art around her, from food and music and paintings, from her husband and two young daughters, and weave from it all a rich tapestry in which her music exists.

“It’s like my blood has classical music running through it, all the time,” Meyers said. “I’m always, always thinking about how life relates to music and vice versa.”

Virtuosos do more than demonstrate great skill; they broaden our understanding of what can be done with the instrument. And Meyers certainly does so with the violin. 

Her love for music began before she was born. Her mother had read many books on how important music is to a baby’s brain, and so Meyers had been listening to classical music in the womb.

At age 4, she picked up a violin upside-down and took to it immediately.

“My father put it the right side up and said, ‘Actually, you hold it this way,’ and I’m to this day trying to figure out how to play it, 42 years later,” Meyers said. To try to play the violin is to commit your life to the craft, she said, to train and train to play the physically demanding instrument, and to express as much life and color as you can through it.

“I feel like I’m singing through the violin. That’s how I create music,” she said. “It’s an extension of my voice and my soul.”

The Deep Language of Classical Music

Meyers is known for the passion she brings to the music she plays, and her ability to resonate with audiences. She feels deeply and has the skill to channel it through her instrument, through the language of classical music.

“It expresses passion, joy, fear, strength, anger, love—it just can move you on so many different layers, it can bring back memories, it fortifies your brain, it also strengthens your overall human being,” she said. “It’s so powerful and so deep.”

“Classical music is a language that is so rich and so expressive. It’s just part of my DNA,” she said. Having studied the greats of classical music—Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert—Meyers realized that we all come from such a deep place. Her study of the classics got her interested in what this language of classical music can be used for today. She has become a champion of classical music, collaborating with many great contemporary composers to create new works for the violin.

After all, some of the famed composers of the past never wrote violin concertos, and it’s understandable to think we are missing out. “If I could go back in history and really tenaciously go after several composers who did not write a violin concerto, such as Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, I would do that,” she said. “I absolutely would have chased them to the earth’s end to write something for the violin literature.”

This is always on her mind when working with composers today, and she is fascinated with that creative process.

She has commissioned and premiered works by composers like Mason Bates, John Corigliano, Brad Dechter, Jennifer Higdon, Adam Schoenberg, Joseph Schwantner, Wynton Marsalis, and many others. 

“My eyes and ears are wide open for inspiration, new ideas, and innovative technique that can be applied to bringing classical music of today to broader audiences,” Meyers said. “I really always respond to music that I can be moved by and that I can really sink my heart and teeth into.”

Fantasia

Meyers enjoys project-based work, and many of her albums and programs showcase her masterful rendering of magical and dreamy works in her visceral way that sparks the senses.

This spring, Meyers is premiering a handful of works by living legends, composers hailed as mythical and mystical, at a concert at the 92Y on the Upper East Side titled “Fantasia: An Evening of Fantasy.” 

The concept begins with one of the last works written by the late composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, who passed away just this summer.

Meyers, a lifelong fan of the composer, had reached out to Rautavaara’s publisher during the spring of 2015 with the idea of a 15-minute fantasy, a free-form piece. To her delight he soon accepted, and at the end of summer she received a handwritten score. She immediately ran to the studio to play it through.

Meyers performed the piece for Rautavaara near the end of 2015 in Helsinki, and he remarked to her that “I wrote such beautiful music.”

Rautavaara composed music of a wide range of styles over his 87 years, but a recurring description of his work is “mystical.” Meyers says this fantasy for violin and orchestra is ethereal and soulful, with overtones of his Symphony No. 7, “Angel of Light.” 

At the 92Y, the venue where Meyers remembers making her New York recital debut, she will perform the world premiere of this “Fantasia” arranged for violin and piano.

She will also premiere an arrangement by Morten Lauridsen—another composer noted for his mythical, mystical works—for violin and piano. 

The American composer’s choral works are among the most performed in the country, and Meyers had wanted him to write a violin piece to no avail. But after witnessing a performance of her’s, he offered to do an arrangement of “O Magnum Mysterium” for violin and she happily agreed.

Also on the program is “Fratres” by Estonian composer Arvo Part, the most-played living composer today and another one of Meyers’s heroes. She had the opportunity to collaborate with Part to record some of his works, and, in a video interview afterwards, talked about how deeply his music resonated with her. “It’s like reading a Bible. It’s looking into a mirror and really analyzing yourself, going really deep within yourself,” she had said.

The spring program also includes the “Wreck of the Umbria” (2009) written for Meyers by Jakub Ciupinski, Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, and Ravel’s “Tzigane.”

“It’s a really fascinating look at music that’s currently being composed today, as well as going back to Beethoven and Ravel and bringing those colors back to life,” Meyers said.

Many of the same works appear on Meyers’s “Fantasia” album to be released in the spring. 

An Artist’s Palette

Meyers knew early on that she wanted to play the violin for life; that she wanted to go out and perform on the violin everywhere. And she did. At age 11, she made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the year after that soloed with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. In 1993, she was the only musician to be granted the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which is awarded to up to five musicians annually.

For over 30 years, she has kept an extensive touring schedule and continues to collaborate with artists all over the world. She is a top-selling musician in her genre. 

A great musical performance is a visceral experience, she says. Like having a great meal or finishing a great book, it leaves you thinking of things in a different way, and it can change your life. 

“Responding to and sharing the music with the audience and really delving into the music and trying to create something beautiful is what I am trying to do, what I am trying to create,” she said.

It’s all the better that Meyers is the current possessor of a miracle of a violin—a 1741 Guarneri del Gesu violin, in what she calls “triple mint condition.”

There are no sound post patches, nor cracks of any kind; it’s as if the violin just left the workbench of the master crafter of violins. 

The violin, nicknamed the Vieuxtemps, once belonged to the Belgian violinist Henri Vieuxtemps in the 19th century and has been used by Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Eugene Ysaye. It is considered one of the most magnificent violins in existence—and one of the most expensive, netting $16 million from an anonymous buyer in a sale in 2012.

Meyers was gifted the violin as a lifetime loan.

“It resonates and has a projection like none other,” she said. Meyers has played on many Stradivarius violins over the course of her career and knows intimately that the violins by these master artisans are one of a kind. “It’s like I’ve finally culminated, did a 180 after playing so many violins,” she said. 

She feels lucky for the experience, a deep sense of responsibility to safeguard the violin, and extraordinarily at peace with the powerful instrument in her hands. 

“Every violin is like a different, unique human being,” she said. “It has its own soul, its own entity.”

“Just as you are inserting your own soul and chemistry into the violin, it’s also giving you something; a palette of colors that are unique to that instrument,” Meyers said. With this violin, she has both light and dark: A deep, dark bass G string and a bell-like E string that brings us to cathedral heights. “You’re forever trying to solve a puzzle and also just create, and understand the mysteries of the violins.” 

Violin Channel Guest Blog: Cellist Julian Schwarz - ‘The Art of Playing in a Duo’

The Violin Channel recently caught up with cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Marika Bournaki – who were recently awarded 1st prize at the 2016 ‘Art of the Duo’ Boulder International Chamber Music Duo Competition.

In a VC-exclusive blog, Julian talks us through the pair’s experience at this year’s competition – and the importance of finding that special someone to share your music- making experiences with.

“Competitions can be lonely. Even in the face of elimination, when social competitors commiserate over food and drinks, there is still a sense of loneliness. When I came across a duo competition in early 2016, I was intrigued. Find that special person, that artist who turns your singular voice into something complete and compelling. Contemplate and explore together, make a perfect musical bond, and then take it on the road. Competitions can be stressful, even scary, but with a colleague you both admire and like, there is potential for some fun as well. Win or lose, you are in it together.

It was a no brainer for me, as I had already found my person, Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki. We met in Aspen in 2006 as 15-year-olds and had run into each other at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and as students at Juilliard. At the time Marika and I considered entering the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition’s “The Art of Duo”, we had already been playing recitals in the states and abroad, and had filled our time together with adventures. Driving in the Austrian countryside searching for our castle recital, picking our geoduck in the humidity of Hong Kong, recording at a victorian era academy in Nova Scotia until the wee hours of the morning, sleeping in a closed Munich airport, swimming off the coast of Mexico until minutes before a performance—these are just a few of our most cherished memories. We figured Boulder would be another opportunity for us to enjoy playing and being together, regardless of the outcome.

During the competition we wore two hats. On the one hand we were serious competitors, rehearsing as much as possible, continuing to probe our interpretations (some of pieces we had played countless times), all while trying to isolate ourselves from ‘mind-crowding’—in a competition, the darnedest things can weasel their way into a fragile headspace. Yet, on the other hand, we were also trying our best to enjoy the experience. When our work was done for the day, we would eat at the local favorites, walk pedestrian malls, play pool at the arcade, and watch our favorite hockey team over nachos at the village sports bar. We tried to enjoy every minute, because that was in our control. If we allowed ourselves the freedom to let loose, we could look back on the experience with fondness regardless of the outcome, just another adventure.

In planning our repertoire we tried to show as much variety as possible. We had only 20 minutes for the semi-final and 30 minutes for the final, which really came down to 15 and 25, as there were requirements in each round. With those precious minutes we aimed to display the breadth of our capabilities as a duo. Movements of larger works were allowed, so we picked an assortment, like tapas. In the first round we had Beethoven, Debussy, Popper, and the commissioned work by Arthur Gottschalk, and the final showcased Bach, Schumann, Bloch, Rachmaninov, and Poulenc. We were confident in our choices going into the competition, but some aforementioned ‘mind-crowding’ occurred when we consulted the program booklet. We saw complete sonatas of Franck, Grieg, Schumann, and Beethoven on other competitors’ programs. Were we too varied? Would we come across as less serious because we did not have a large scale work in its entirety? Of course it was too late to change, even though we could have made the adjustment, but we had moments of doubt.

Even with this doubt, we focused on the aspects we could control. Along with our fun times, we were in control of our performances. We play as one. We think and breathe as one. We interpret as one. This doesn’t mean we don’t have passionate disagreements, but we resolve them as one. We are very lucky to have found each other. In the competition we felt free to be ourselves, which was liberating. Often in competitions that judge “cello playing” or “piano playing”, there are musical sacrifices to be made, setting interpretations to cruise control. Often the absence of an interpretation is the best route in those circumstances. Five “6’s” are worth much more than two “10’s” and three “0’s”, if you catch my drift. But the essence of this competition was duo playing. We hoped the result would be most influenced by the level of “duo playing”, and not by a particular jury member’s opinion of our artistic voice. This was a risk, but what Marika and I do is so deeply rooted in musical opinion, that taking it away would leave us with no inspiration whatsoever.

Our gamble paid off, and we were shocked. The jury chairman Martin Beaver came out to announce the awards and gave a thoughtful, considerate speech full of both appreciation for the competitors’ efforts and a realistic explanation of the jury’s decision-making process. He said (paraphrasing) that though the jury members had heard many brilliant performances by individual players, they kept the spirit of the competition in mind, as a competition for duos. He continued that another consideration was the variety of programming; this criterion helped certain duos stand out in myriad styles, and also gave the jury a glimpse into potential future recital programming.

Tears streamed down Marika’s face. We had won while being true to ourselves, a seemingly impossible feat in this day in age, in an increasingly cookie-cutter competition environment. Though most of the time having a musical opinion can be controversial, occasionally being yourself ends up paying off. We were so humbled and thrilled to receive the first prize at the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition, and were so happy to add another adventure to our artistic lives. Always have fun, always stick to what you believe, and try to do it all with someone you love.

-Julian”

The Strad: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma launches youth music programme in China

Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) is an annual two-week training programme for young musicians in Guangzhou, China, spearheaded by Ma.

The Strad

Leading cellist Yo-Yo Ma is to launch Youth Music Culture Guangdong (YMCG) on 7 January 2017 – an annual two-week training programme for young musicians in Guangzhou, China. The new event is the brainchild of Ma, who will serve as its artistic director.

Presented by the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province and organised by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Xinghai Concert Hall, the programme will include concerts, masterclasses, workshops and cultural exchange events, culminating in a performance on 15 January by the YMCG Orchestra and Ma. Included on the faculty will be Michael Stern of the Kansas City Symphony, who will serve as conductor and music director.

Open to musicians between the ages of 18 and 35 from China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, YMCG is designed to promote ‘virtuosity and musicality, cultural awareness and personal artistic development’. All selected students will receive a full scholarship covering tuition and expenses.

‘I believe that any musician or artist should not only be technically proficient, but also be mindful of the power of their art and the need for it in the world,’ said Ma.

The Strad: Postcard from Shanghai - Competing with the Traditional

The Strad
December 2016 issue
By Pauline Harding

"All around me, bamboo-like slates rise up to a ceiling made from giant, woven strands of what looks like flax; horizontal strips of wood demarcate different floors. I could be sitting in a giant dim sum basket - but in fact it is Shanghai's Symphony Chamber Hall, where I am awaiting the first contestant in the final section of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) semi-final. And indeed, things are about to heat up, as 18 contestants prepare to perform Mozart's Third Violin Concerto, all with their own cadenzas...."

Purchase The Strad for the full article, here.