May 31, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Brahms, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and Hill church concert
by MICHAEL CARUSO

Soloist Valerie Amiss stars in a stunning performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Academy of Music from June 1 to 9. (Photo by Paul Kolnick)

Chestnut Hiller Ignat Solzhenitsyn brought the 2006-07 season of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia to a close with a Sunday afternoon concert, May 20, in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. The Choral Arts Society’s Chamber Chorus joined Solzhenitsyn and the orchestra for two works in the first half; then conductor and orchestra performed the Serenade No. 1 in D major by Brahms.

Prior to intermission, the audience heard the little known “Begrabnisgesang” (Funeral Hymn) and the far better known “Schicksalslied” (Song of Destiny). Though both scores are relatively short in length, they soar in spirit and throb with emotion in ways that Brahms’ purely instrumental works rarely do. Whereas Brahms’ monumental command over structure is the paramount characteristic of his symphonies, serenades and chamber music — with both heart and soul following the lead of intellect — his choral music and songs, so passionately tied to the words, reverse the ratio. Even though they’re composed with formal expertise, those works intended for choirs convey and even reveal the emotional romantic that is somewhat hidden beneath Brahms’ classical surface.

As though the music, itself, inspired an interpretive transformation, Solzhenitsyn’s normally bracing intellect and profound seriousness were beautifully tempered Sunday afternoon. He marshaled the accompanying winds in the “Begrabnisgesang” and the full ensemble in the “Schicksalslied” in warm, lyrical support of the choir, allowing the music to breathe with sumptuous rubato and glowing timbres.

The Chamber Chorus sang as two distinct choirs. While the altos, basses and especially the tenors offered a full-throated, resonant tone, the sopranos sounded shrill, as though they were inappropriately and unstylistically imitating the sound of the boy trebles of a cathedral choir.

WOMEN’S CHOIR TO PERFORM SATURDAY: The Anna Crusis Women’s Choir, which has many members from Northwest Philadelphia, will be performing its 32nd Annual Spring concert, In the Cradle of Our Land, on Saturday, June 2, 7 p.m., at St. Luke and the Epiphany Church, 330 S. 13th St. The choir will be expressing concerns for global environmental issues through music. Tickets may be purchased by calling 215-864-5991. Tickets in advance, $15; at the door, $20.

After intermission, however, Solzhenitsyn returned to his element in the Serenade No. 1 in D major. In words spoken directly to the audience, the young maestro expressed the deepest admiration and profoundest respect for Brahms’ music, in general, and this score, in particular.

Solzhenitsyn caught the lyrical drama of the opening Allegro molto, posing harmonic progressions and contrapuntal textures one against the other to heighten the feeling of carefully structured climaxes and resolutions carrying the listener along a narrative journey of emotional revelation.

It was an altogether impressive finale to an altogether splendid season.

‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’

The Pennsylvania Ballet will bring its 2006-07 season to a close with one of the most beloved ballets in the repertoire. The company will present Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty in the Academy of Music June 1-9, with matinee and evening performances.

The Sleeping Beauty forms one-third of the “Big Three” of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular scores for full-length ballet. The other two are the archetypically romantic Swan Lake and the Christmas-time favorite The Nutcracker. They offer a late 19th century counterpart to the three great modern works of the early 20th century by another Russian master, Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring.

“It’s been 10 years since we first danced Sleeping Beauty,” explained Erdenheim’s Roy Kaiser, the Pennsylvania Ballet’s artistic director for the past 12 years. “And we’ve only danced it one other time since then, five years ago.

BOYCHOIR FRIDAY IN MT. AIRY: The Keystone State Boychoir (KSB), under the direction of music director Joseph P. Fitzmartin and associate music director Steven M. Fisher, sings a diverse repertoire — from the classical to the contemporary — including world-music, jazz and Broadway, often with movement that adds a visual element to the angelic boychoir sound. Boys between the ages of 7 and 17 may audition now. Rehearsal home is the First Presbyterian Church of Germantown, 35 W. Chelten Ave. They will be performing Friday, June 1, 6:30 p.m., at the Chapel of the Lutheran Seminary, 7301 Germantown Ave. For more information, call 215-849-1762 or visit www.paboychoir.org.

“Why bring it back?” he asked rhetorically. “Initially, because I like it! But beyond that, it’s one of those full-length ballets that a classical ballet company must do. Of course, we do a lot more than just classical ballet here at Pennsylvania Ballet, but everything we do derives from the traditions of classical ballet. Sleeping Beauty is a ‘must’ for a company like ours.

“It’s also a great audience draw because it’s one of the ‘big three’ ballets by Tchaikovsky, and I think the most traditional of the three. Our production of The Nutcracker is Balanchine’s choreography, not the original, and we’ve done a modern take on Swan Lake. Sleeping Beauty offers a traditional approach in its style of movement and gesture, the very basics of classical ballet. And its ‘look’ is traditional, too, grand and opulent.

“Typically, a production of Sleeping Beauty can call for as many as 80 dancers. Well, we have 40. That can make a company look like it’s straining to perform Sleeping Beauty. Janek’s version is do-able for a smaller company like ours, casting some of the dancers in two or three roles but spacing them out from one movement to another without sacrificing the integrity of the work. The result is that the ballet doesn’t look too big for the company.”

The Pennsylvania Ballet will perform The Sleeping Beauty in the Academy of Music June 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m., June 3 and 9 at 2 p.m.. and June 2 at noon. Call 215-893-1999 or 215-555-7000, #1218, or visit www.paballet.org for tickets.

ST. MARTIN’S CONCERT

The Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will host a free concert Friday, June 1, at 8 p.m. The church’s organist and choir director, Ken Lovett, will conduct a program featuring Brahms’ “Neue Liebeslieder,” in the version accompanied by piano four-hand, as well as 16th century Renaissance motets, arrangements of American folksongs, and newly composed works for choir.

The church is located at St. Martin’s Lane and Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill. Call 215-247-7466 or visit www.StMartinEC.org.