Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors" at DSE Holiday Family Concert

Concert report by Mimi Stillman

This past Sunday, December 4, Dolce Suono Ensemble gave an exciting concert featuring Gian Carlo Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was the centerpiece of our first Holiday Family Concert. We co-presented Menotti's Christmas opera with Choral Arts Philadelphia, conducted by Matthew Glandorf, and First Baptist Church, with music director and organist Alan Morrison. The program also included Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on Christmas Carols, in which DSE accompanied the chorus, and music from the Jewish tradition: two trio sonatas by the Judeo-Baroque composer Salamone Rossi and a set of Traditional Jewish Songs.

We were pleased to do the Philadelphia revival of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, a work with strong historic ties to Philadelphia, during the composer's centennial year and the 60th anniversary of the opera. First Baptist Church was the first venue where the work was performed live after the live television broadcasts, which premiered in 1951. It was also personally thrilling to be reunited with my friends and fellow Curtis alumni Alan Morrison and Matthew Glandorf, who presented the most recent Philadelphia performances in the 1990s, in which I performed as flutist.

We were delighted by the enthusiastic response from the packed house. After the concert, it was touching to hear so many people talk about their memories of seeing Amahl broadcast on TV while they were growing up, and what a profound love they have for this opera. They expressed their wish that Amahl become an annual tradition!
A hearty congratulations to the wonderful cast of Amahl:

Troy Larsen.................Amahl
Rebecca Carr..............The Mother
Siddhartha Misra.........Kaspar
Brian Ming Chu...........Melchior
Reginald Pindell...........Balthasar
Chris Hodges..............Page

Dancers: Lisa Lovelace and Gretchen Studlien-Webb
Choreographers: Lisa Lovelace and Melinda Tatum Kaiser

Choral Arts Philadelphia sounded fantastic as the Shepherds and in the Vaughan Williams, and Matthew Glandorf did a tremendous job as conductor and choral director.

Bernard Kunkel was Choral Arts Philadelphia Accompanist and Off Stage Choral Conductor. Terrific costumer Val Starr outfitted the cast.
Dolce Suono Ensemble artists in this concert:
Mimi Stillman, flute
Geoffrey Deemer and Samuel Nemec, oboes
Doris Hall-Gulati, clarinet
Michelle Rosen, bassoon
Shelley Showers, horn
Marc Rovetti and William Polk, violins
Che-Hung Chen, viola
Yumi Kendall, cello
Rob Kesselman, bass
Alan Morrison, piano (and lighting)
Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion

Here are photos from the show.

Rebecca Carr as The Mother sings duet with Troy Larsen as Amahl

The Three Kings arrive bearing gifts

Left to right: Reginald Pindell as Balthasar, Brian Ming Chu as Melchior, Siddhartha Misra as Kaspar

The ensemble

He walks!

Amahl and his Mother embrace before he leaves with the Three Kings

to present his crutch as a gift to the child

 

Curtain call

Photo credit: Ralph Rosen

Fantastic Season Opener - "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust"

We are delighted to share with you that our season opening concert "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust" was an intensely moving and memorable event. Working with fantastic guest artists Shulamit Ran, composer, and Lucy Shelton, soprano, was musically thrilling.


We are honored that Daniel Kutner, Consul-General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, attended and gave a welcome.
The outpouring of audience comments has been very gratifying.

Here are some quotes from concertgoers:
"I was totally “blown away” by the meaning and magnitude of “A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust.” The texts and music as expressed in masterful performances by Lucy Shelton and the Dolce Suono Ensemble brought the depth and horror of that time to life. No one in that audience could ever forget that memorable concert experience and the tragedy for which it stood." - N. H.

"What a wonderful and very special concert that was today. Very meaningful and emotional. The finale, Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneys was dramatic, powerful and chilling." - W. L.
"The concert was a monument. Lucy Shelton, like Dolce Suono Ensemble, makes the audience understand the music and the ideas. Dolce Suono Ensemble's varied program of Holocaust compositions blended their brand of interpretation and artistry into a meaningful and personal experience." - M. L.
"Honestly, we we overwhelmed by the emotion and passion displayed by the artists. Each artist perfectly supported the other in a most professional manner. We can not imagine a more perfect performance. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this." - H. B.

"We want to thank you very much for the wonderful performance you presented yesterday. We were thrilled with the pieces, especially the last piece that brought us right into the death camps. Shulamit Ran is a marvelous composer." - M. B.


And some photos

Soprano Lucy Shelton and Dolce Suono Ensemble at the sound check for Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneysin Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music (November 13, 2011)

Shulamit Ran, Lucy Shelton, and Mimi Stillman after the concert

Rehearsals for "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust" - November 13

Here's a peek at Dolce Suono Ensemble's rehearsal today with fabulous guest artist soprano Lucy Shelton for our concert "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust," on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00pm at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia. Lucy sounds amazing and brings utter enthusiasm to everything she touches - we are thrilled to be working with her. There was a lot of energy in the room today!

Our friend Shulamit Ran, who serves as DSE's Composer-in-Residence and Artistic Co-Curator during the 2011-2012 season, will be flying in from Rome for rehearsals and the concert. This fall, she is Fromm Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. We're honored she'll be with us for three different projects during the season, including the premiere of her commissioned work in February in Philadelphia and New York.

Our program includes music by composers who were murdered by the Nazis - Gideon Klein, Viktor Ullmann, and Ilse Weber (who were imprisoned at the Terezin concentration camp) and the Dutch composer Leo Smit; André Previn and Tzvi Avni, who were refugees from the Nazis as children; and Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneys, her settings of poetry by Nelly Sachs for voice and ensemble.
For tickets, visit http://www.dolcesuono.com/

Here we are after rehearsing Shulamit's piece.

Left to right: Paul Demers, Yumi Kendall, Mimi Stillman, Gabriel Globus-Hoenich,

and Lucy Shelton. Pianist Charles Abramovic took this picture.

Lucy and Yumi share a funny moment during rehearsal of Viktor Ullmann's Herbst Lied for voice, violin, viola, and cello.

Left to right: Noah Geller, Burchard Tang, Yumi, Lucy

Some of the percussion parts in Ran's O the Chimneys are extremely loud, especially in a small room. DSE takes cover while Gabe strikes the chimes and Yumi practices the part where the cellist is instructed to play the vibraphone.

Left to right: Paul, Charlie, Yumi, Gabe, Lucy

New CD! "Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano" - Mimi Stillman and Charles Abramovic

We are pleased to announce the release of Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano, flutist Mimi Stillman and pianist Charles Abramovic's 2-CD set on Innova Recordings.

The composers are Mason Bates, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, Richard Danielpour, Michael Djupstrom, Katherine Hoover, Daniel Kellogg, Gerald Levinson, David Ludwig, Andrew Rudin, David Bennett Thomas, and Zhou Tian.

Visit the Artist Page at Innova for more information and to purchase:


http://www.innova.mu/artist1.asp?skuID=469

Recording session photos

Hi All:
Here are some photos from our recording sessions for "Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano," which Innova records is releasing in mid-September. Pianist Charlie Abramovic and I recorded 2 CDs of music in 4 days of sessions, so it was a very taxing marathon-like experience. I love it when performances and recordings are athletically challenging! We had several of the composers assist at the recording of their pieces. Here's a photo of composer David Ludwig, Charlie, engineer George Blood, and me after we recorded David's Sonata for Flute and Piano.

And another photo of David and me, having traded hat and jacket (recording makes us punchy):

We've been joking around since we were students together at Curtis...some things never change!

Cheers,
Mimi

Odyssey CD Preview of Boyle's Sonata-Cantilena

Hello All,

As the mid-September release date approaches for our 2 CD set, "Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano" on Innova records, check out a live performance of one of the works. This is the second movement of Benjamin C.S. Boyle's Sonata-Cantilena for Flute and Piano, from the premiere performance during Dolce Suono Ensemble's Samuel Barber centennial celebrations in 2010.

Mimi Stilman, flute & Charles Abramovic, piano

New Review - Dolce Suono Trio at Laurel Hill Mansion

Dolce Suono Trio performed an all-Baroque concert at Laurel Hill Mansion in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. It was tremendously received by the capacity audience. Check out this splendid review by Tom Purdom in Broad Street Review:

http://www.broadstreetreview.com/index.php/main/article/dolce_suono_at_laurel_hill/

Mimi Stillman, flute, Priscilla Lee, cello, and Charles Abramovic, harpsichord performed sonatas by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi along with additional movements by Bach in this program entitled "Baroque Banquet."

CD Release Countdown

Dear friends,
The countdown to the release of "Odyssey: 11 American Premieres for Flute and Piano" has begun. This 2-CD recording, featuring Mimi Stillman, flute and Charles Abramovic, piano, will be released by the Innova label of the American Composers Forum in mid-September.

This comprehensive collection showcases composers with a wide range of styles, approaches, and backgrounds. They are:

Mason Bates
Benjamin C.S. Boyle
Richard Danielpour
Michael Djupstrom
Katherine Hoover
Daniel Kellogg
Gerald Levinson
David Ludwig
Andrew Rudin
David Bennett Thomas
Zhou Tian

Here is a video from the recording session of David Bennett Thomas's Whim for Solo Flute, in which he and Mimi Stillman test out the foot stomps he calls for in his piece. Mimi tries stomping with different shoes until they pick the shoe that produces the right sound.

Photos!

Dear friends,
I'll be posting some photos from our concerts, rehearsals, receptions and other events from our exciting "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60" project, starting now. Here are some shots from our concert at Glencairn Museum on May 15. Here, we're performing Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen," Schoenberg Ensemble version, with Eric Owens, bass-baritone. I'm playing piccolo in the first picture, meaning it's the opening of the second song.

Rehearsing Steven Stucky's "Aus der Jugendzeit" at Trinity Center for Urban Life, where the first concert took place. Steve is visible listening in the bottom left.

Eric Owens and me after rehearsal

More soon!
All best,
Mimi Stillman

Remembering Gustav Mahler

In memory of Gustav Mahler and the eternity of his music.

Video with live performance recording of Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen," commemorating the centennial of Mahler's death today, May 18, 2011.

Eric Owens, bass-baritone performs with Dolce Suono Ensemble on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. The program featured Schoenberg's "Sechs kleine Klavierstücke" and five world premieres reflecting on the music of Mahler and Schoenberg by composers Steven Stucky, Steven Mackey, David Ludwig, Stratis Minakakis, and Fang Man.

Dolce Suono Ensemble artists:
Mimi Stillman, flute
Gi Lee, clarinet
Juliette Kang, violin
Noah Geller, violin
Burchard Tang, viola
Yumi Kendall, cello
Rob Kesselman, bass
Charles Abramovic, piano
Gabe Globus-Hoenich, percussion
Jeremy Gill, harmonium

The Philadelphia Inquirer feature article

The Philadelphia Inquirer feature on Dolce Suono Ensemble's "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60" by David Patrick Stearns, May 10, 2011

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/david_patrick_stearns/20110510_See_how_it_grows.html

Rehearsal video

Check out our rehearsal video of Eric Owens singing Steven Mackey's "Herr Gutmann" with Dolce Suono Ensemble. The composer attended an open rehearsal yesterday at the Curtis Institute of Music, and worked with us on his piece which we're premiering on May 11 & 15.

Radio shows

Mimi Stillman is featured on WRTI's "Crossover" show with Jill Pasternak, featuring an interview and music performed by Dolce Suono Ensemble, Eric Owens, and music of commissioned composers Fang Man, David Ludwig, and Steven Stucky. Listen by internet stream.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrti/.artsmain/article/1/208/1795109/Columns/Flutist.Mimi.Stillman.on.WRTI's.%3Ci%3ECrossover%3Ci%3E/

Mimi is also featured on "Creatively Speaking" with David Patrick Stearns. She and Eric Owens discuss "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60," and the show includes sound clips from rehearsal:

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wrti/.artsmain/article/15/208/1798880/Creatively.Speaking/Dolce.Suono's.Mahler.100.Schoenberg.60.Project--A.Look.at.Philadelphia's.Society.Hill.Playhouse--Sculptor.Claes.Oldenburg/

Stratis Minakakis talks about "Nepenthe," his commissioned work

Check out this video with Stratis Minakakis. The group is looking forward to having Stratis conduct his piece at rehearsal tomorrow. See the video at youtube, or below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ZESEeh8i0&feature=channel_video_title

video interview with Steven Stucky

Steven Stucky discusses his new work, "Aus der Jugendzeit," for bass-baritone Eric Owens and Dolce Suono Ensemble. Fascinating reflections on Mahler and Schoenberg!



Mahler in His Own Words

Hello friends,
We'd like to share the letter by Gustav Mahler to his concert manager Emil Gutmann, which composer Steven Mackey set in his song for bass-baritone Eric Owens and Dolce Suono Ensemble. Mahler was a prolific and expressive writer of letters, and this one shows perhaps a less-known side of the great composer. Here is the letter in the original German, followed by the English translation made by German scholar Giles R. Hoyt, Ph.D., which Steven Mackey set in his work.

Gustav Mahler Briefe, 1879-1911, edited by Alma Maria Mahler
(Berlin: P. Zsolnay, 1924)

___________________________________________________
Dear Gutmann!
My amazement is considerable. The whole time I have been saying, I cannot do without the third rehearsal day! Now you come in order to remove this impediment—Schalk and I talk ourselves hoarse in order to explain to everyone why that must be. You arrange everything; we discuss the unavoidable necessary rehearsal plan. You send out from Munich the final list. You now indicate to me that the Singing Society is so “enthused”, that therefore the third day for rehearsal is not necessary, and that instead of this day we have enthusiasm at our disposal. Probably you want to insert a fourth rehearsal between the present three rehearsals (which will last in total about fifteen hours—and thus I have insisted on an hour pause in each rehearsal). Indeed you even want to make possible an additional rehearsal on the day of performance. You are assuming a Singing Society’s enthusiasm for art makes the dead come to life, because after these two days the people would be dead. Please, once and for all! I have the three days in question completely booked with no alteration possible, the minimum, by the way, of what is necessary. Either our agreement stays intact in all its parts, or you may take this as my irrevocable resignation. There is to be no further discussion of this in the future.

With sincerest warm regards,

Mahler

Translation by Giles R. Hoyt, Ph.D.

Composer Fang Man discusses her commissioned work "Song of Sorrow"

Check out composer Fang Man's talk about the piece we commissioned her to write for our "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60" project. Mandy selected one of the poems Gustav Mahler set in "Das Lied von der Erde" and set it in the original Chinese for Eric Owens, bass-baritone, and Dolce Suono Ensemble. We're excited to give the world premiere performances on May 11 & 15!

Interview with David Ludwig

Hi all,
See our new interview with composer David Ludwig about his commissioned piece, "Ewigkeit," to be given its world premiere as part of Dolce Suono Ensemble's "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60" project in May 2011.

We're very excited about this project!

Cheers,
Mimi

Conversation with Steven Mackey

Check out our interview with composer Steven Mackey about his commissioned work for our "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60 Project," to receive it world premiere performances on May 11 & 15, 2011. Steve's work is a song entitled "Herr Gutmann," a setting of a letter from Gustav Mahler to his concert manager Emil Gutmann. It's scored for bass-baritone, to be sung by Eric Owens, and Pierrot ensemble of flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion.

Sneak score peek!

Hello friends,

We're busy rehearsing the new works we'll be premiering at our "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60 Project" concerts on May 11 & 15. The pieces by Steven Mackey, Steven Stucky, Fang Man, David Ludwig, and Stratis Minakakis are terrific! It's quite a thrill when you hear a commissioned piece for the first time.

Here's a sneak peek at the first page of the score of Steven Stucky's "Aus der Jugendzeit," his setting of a poem by Friedrich Rückert.



We'll post a rehearsal video clip with bass-baritone Eric Owens and the ensemble later on.

Cheers,

Mimi

Hunt for the Harmonium

We're looking for a harmonium to use in our "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60 Project" for Schoenberg's ensemble version of Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" ("Songs of a Wayfarer"). This keyboard instrument is a reed organ with a sound similar to an accordion. While rarely heard today, it was in vogue in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the composers who wrote for harmonium are Rossini, Franck, Dvorak, Guilmant, and Vierne. Mahler included harmonium in his Symphony #8, and Schoenberg used the instrument in his arrangements of works by Mahler and Bruckner, to fill out some of the textures missing in the reduced instrumentation.

In our performances of Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen" on May 11 & 15, bass-baritone Eric Owens will sing with our Dolce Suono Ensemble. Jeremy Gill will be playing harmonium, so he and I have been testing out instruments that are sometimes used to replicate the sound of a harmonium. We're also tracking down the real thing. Then the trick will be moving it around to our rehearsal and concert locations!

I thought I'd share some of the instruments we've been trying. Here is Jeremy with the portative organ that lives in the basement of the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. This instrument works well for Baroque music but its range is just shy of what we need for the Mahler/Schoenberg.



Here we are at Cunningham Piano Company, where associates Milo and Tim showed us many instruments. This digital keyboard has accordion stops that sound a lot like a harmonium. This one's on the short list!

Until next time,

Mimi Stillman

"Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60 Project" countdown

Greetings to all!

We are counting down to the launch of our "Mahler 100 / Schoenberg 60 Project" with premiere performances May 11 & May 15. This is an exciting time, as we have received scores for the commissioned works by Steven Stucky and Steven Mackey, and will be receiving the scores by Fang Man, David Ludwig, and Stratis Minakakis in the next few days. Can't wait for rehearsal of the new works, when we get to experience them for the first time.

Stay tuned for sneak previews of rehearsal clips and composer interviews.

Best,
Mimi Stillman, flutist
Artistic Director, Dolce Suono Ensemble