The Shaman Of Estonia

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The New York Sun

In this age of apostasy, many Westerners turn their backs on religion only to find that they soon develop an increased craving for spirituality. Many in the former Eastern bloc, their religion quashed under the heel of communism, experienced a similar journey.

The Estonian composer Arvo Part quit creating new works in the late 1960s, turning instead to the study of medieval music. Out of these scholarly endeavors, he developed a style of composition that he labeled tintinnabulation, taking his cue from Poe’s poem “The Bells.” Exploring the campinilian quality of each individual note, Part fashioned an entire genre of spiritually regenerative music that took the Soviet Union and its enslaved satellites by storm. Like the Georgian composer of cosmological music Giya Kancheli and the Pole Henryk Gorecki, Part developed a reputation as a shaman, a healer through music.

Part’s now classic work, “Fratres,” for violin, string orchestra, and percussion, was the centerpiece of a particularly interesting concert by the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players on Monday afternoon at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church. Violinist Vadim Gluzman, an Israeli born in the Ukraine, spoke eloquently about the Soviet oppression of composers before fronting this affecting performance.

In “Fratres,” the soloist must intone one note from both ends of the range of his instrument, forcing him to constantly juxtapose his playing from G string to E in a furiante manner while the orchestra fleshes out the overtonal residue. The result is a quivering lamentation of rare power. The performance this day was excellent.

Overall, this recital had the convivial feel of a musicale, friends playing for friends. There is no stage, and the audience can practically reach out and touch the players. Even the spoken introductions are accomplished sans microphone. Luckily, the stable of artists who frequent this venue includes some of the most capable in New York.

The Jupiter concerts have a long and storied history, and this one featured as a special guest harpsichordist Gerald Ranck, who in 1967 was the first to perform Bach’s “Art of the Fugue” in New York. He has been appearing with the Jupiter players for at least two decades.

Mr. Ranck was scheduled to lead a performance of Bach’s “Orchestral Suite in B minor” in a chamber arrangement, which he did expertly. But he also took the opportunity to augment the original program and perform three of Domenico Scarlatti’s 555 sonatas. I was especially impressed with his realization of the famous E major – many of us will remember its espousal at the piano by Vladimir Horowitz – in which he made a serious case for his original instrument and its more brilliant timbre.

Bach’s suite also showcased flutist Barry Crawford, performing with a string quartet and a double bass, and, of course, Mr. Ranck. This was deeply invested music-making: The opening “Ouverture” was markedly serious, while the dance movements alternated between courtly and lively, the interplay of sonorities highly satisfying. There is something to be said for old-fashioned toe-tapping, much of which was going on during these proceedings.

Any serious student of Mozart or Beethoven knows the name of Franz Anton Hoffmeister, a music publisher in Vienna who aided both of these composers in their efforts to establish themselves as major artistic presences. But how many realize that he was a prolific composer who wrote more than 40 string quartets and 60 symphonies? In his day, he was compared favorably to Haydn, but, over time, he has been relegated to footnote status.

Thus it was a rare treat to hear one of Hoffmeister’s Clarinet Quartets – the No. 2 in E-flat major – in such a refreshingly playful performance. Clarinetist Vadim Lando mentioned that the group had wanted to play a different piece in the series but that the printed music was not available, rather ironically considering what. Hoffmeister did for a living. Still, this work compares quite favorably to Mozart’s “Kegelstadt Trio,” especially in the use of the upbeat, sunny side of the wind instrument’s personality. It was a joy to hear this extremely lively rendition.

One more treat for us Jupiter junkies was the announcement of next year’s schedule. The season will open with an important concert on a very solemn day. Monday, September 11 will witness two performances of the string quartet arrangement of Mozart’s Requiem Mass, prepared by his contemporary Peter Lichtenthal.


The New York Sun

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