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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2004)
A Musical Monument Tuesday July 6, 8 pm Gächinger Kantorei and Festival orches- tra. Bach Mass in B Minor Kirsten Blase, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Lothar Odinius, tenor; Sanford Sylvan, bass; Helmuth Rilling, conductor. (Silva). S ome informed observers consider Bach’s B Minor Mass to represent the pinnacle of Western civilization’s artistic achievement. Bach himself seems to have constructed it (using both new and earli- er music) as a kind of Platonic ideal of Baroque musical architecture. If it there- fore seems more monumental and slightly less moving than the Passions, the Mass is nevertheless a magnificent and beauti- ful temple of instruments and voices. It’s almost an overview of Bach’s composing career, and Western sacred music up to his time. Like the St Matthew Passion, this concert features both of Rilling’s choirs, and you should try to see at least one of these performances. Western music doesn’t get any greater than this. Country Comforts Thursday July 8, 8 pm Festival orchestra. Beethoven Symphony No. 6, Penderecki Agnus Dei and Flute Concerto; Lorna McGhee, flute; Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor (Silva). T his has certainly been a Beethoven biennium in Eugene, what with the Eugene Symphony’s complete cycle of the symphonies and performances of his work by the Oregon Mozart Players and others. Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony is worth hearing again. An almost impres- sionist portrait of nature, it beautifully evokes bucolic scenes and feelings — a brook, a country gathering, a storm, and a shepherd’s song. Less literal than one of its obvious predecessors, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concertos, the contemplative Sixth Symphony opened novel avenues for musical expression, but in a much gentler way than Beethoven’s other innovations. The symphony will be conducted by a 20th century musical innovator, Krzysztof Penderecki, who’s better known as one of the greatest living composers. Starting out as a radical innovator, Pendercki turned to more conservative idioms a couple of decades ago, and his flute con- certo, which will also be performed at this concert, is one of his most accessible, even playful creations, particularly the lovely duet in the pensive slow section. But it doesn’t entirely reject the compos- er’s earlier modernism, especially in its percussion textures. The concert also fea- tures a string arrangement of the “Agnus Dei” from one of Pendercki’s master- pieces, the Polish Requiem. Whether your tastes run to musical conservatism or pro- gressivism, this concert should be one of the highlights of the festival. Anglo Irish Chords Friday July 9, 8 pm Intimate Evenings. “Classical and Celtic” works by Purcell, Handel, Bax, Britten and others; Lorna McGhee, flute; Heidi Krutzen, harp; David Harding, viola (Beall). Y et another unusual program, and another welcome appearance by Lorna McGhee, along with her colleagues on viola and harp. This concert of British music jumps from Baroque masters such as Henry Purcell (represented by dance- oriented hornpipes and airs) and George Frederick Handel (admittedly a German import, but surely Britain’s most popular composer during his long sojourn there) to the early 20th century British pastoral composers Arnold Bax (his poignant, Debussy-scented Elegiac Trio, written out of the gloom of World War I and a friend’s death in the 1916 Irish uprising) and Hamilton Harty (an Irish flavored fantasy evoking Dublin street musicians) to the most acclaimed of latter-day British composers, Benjamin Britten (his “Lachrymae” based on music of John Dowland). Best of all, the show features music by two contemporary British mas- ters: Peter Maxwell Davies (a onetime radical composer just named Master of the Queen’s Music, sort of the poet lau- reate of British music, and represented here by arrangements of dances from his ballet Caroline Mathilde, which looks back to 18th century forms) and Gavin Bryars, a marvelous composer whose works are seldom if ever performed in Eugene. His 1994 “The North Shore” is a beautifully brooding piece that uses the viola’s veiled quality to evoke both abstract paintings of James Hugonin and the cool, grey North England coast — just right for Oregon. And since it’s the Bach festival, the concert throws in a work by a modern Bach — Jan Bach, a contemporary Illinois composer who contributes a piece based on a Welsh tune. aturally, this is an opinionated and limited overview, not a comprehensive assessment. For example, I’m not a great fan of Romantic music, but if you are, try Mendelssohn’s Elijah or Levin’s con- cert of Romantic piano music. And you might try to attend at least one of the Discovery series lecture-demonstration/ performances. Two of Bach’s most popu- lar cantatas (140 and 147) are among the gems there, as is Mozart’s Requiem. It’s an excellent way to learn about music from the inside, from a conductor who understands it as thoroughly as anyone alive. And those of us still fiscally chal- lenged by the Republican recession can try some of the many free events, such as choral concerts and organ recitals, sprin- kled throughout the schedule. Also, see the separate feature on the George Crumb concerts July 2 (2 pm) and July 3 (10 am and 2 pm) in presented by the Third Angle New Music Ensemble in Beall Hall. ■ N SUMMER CAMP GUIDE Outdoor/Specialized Rec. Sports/Arts/Dance/Music Swimming/Day Camps Ages 2 1/2 -17 • June 14 - Sept 3 Call 682-5312 ne Care e g Eu tive SUMMER CAMP a SWIMMING ★ FIELD TRIPS Cre CRAFTS ★ GAMES ONE-WEEK SESSIONS AGES 4-12 FULL TIME AND PART TIME 2ND CHILD AND SCHOLARSHIP RATES Adams/Meadowview DETAILS 683-7291 www.ci.eugene.or.us EMERALD ART CENTER’S Camp for Kids Hands-on art education with an emphasis on fun. Art projects centered on Art History and Multi-Cultural Art. July 12-16, 9am-3:30pm, Ages 9-12 July 26-30, 9am-3:30pm, Ages 6-8 EMERALD ART CENTER 500 Main St. • Springfield • 726-8595 BACH FEST 2004 • JUNE 25 - JULY 11 7
