Yesterday, I sat down and had a chat with Maestro David Hattner, conductor of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Their Winter Concert is to take place at the Arlene Schnitzer Auditorium on Saturday evening of this week. I attended an orchestral rehearsal last week. That made me think of a number of questions I wanted to put to David and which I thought may interest you. Here is my recollection of our discussion (I do make notes but do not use a recorder.)

When you heard Portland Youth Philharmonic for the first time, what did you feel you could bring out in them and what unrealised potential did you see?

I first conducted them in my audition for the position of resident conductor of the orchestra. I could immediately see that they had spirit, talent and were playing within a system that obviously works. These were all the right basic ingredients I knew I would need to be successful and for them to be successful. A part of my function (as it is for all conductors) was to mix those ingredients to taste. They had recently had four guest conductors and that is asking a great deal of any orchestra. Any conductor wants to put his own stamp on his orchestra and to infuse it with his own musical personality. Indeed, on some level any teacher wants the pupil to play like he or she does. I realized that to do that I would need to empahasise the basics: rhythm, line and intonation and that if I could do that other necessary aspects would almost automatically follow. So far I believe that approach is working.

If you could be a fly on the wall of the Schnitz after a PYP concert, what would you like to hear members of the audience say about your orchestra?

I would want them to come out of a concert saying that it was meaningful and that it moved them. I would want them to say “I have never heard that piece before but now I want to hear it again!” or “I know that piece but I have never heard it in quite that way and it pleased me." I would hope that people would be impressed by the maturity these young people display in their work - particularly having regard to the fact that the average age of the students in the orchestra is a little under 16 years old! A part of that maturity is reflected in the self-discipline they exhibit in performance and in rehearsal. This has been a part of the orchestra's culture from the very beginning.

Shostakovitch's Symphony Number 5, which is the marquee work in this Saturday's concert, is a very difficult work to perform. What factors inform your programming decisions?

One of the important factors is that in each concert there must be something in which everyone can play. We have instruments as disparate as harp, percussion, tuba - he whole orchestral range - and we can't just ignore any of them entirely.

I reserve our hardest piece of the year - the biggest mountain the students are going to have to climb - for our Winter Concert because this is the concert for which we have the most time for preparation. That is not to say that we don't perform challenging pieces in our other concerts (the Prokofiev piece in our last concert, for instance), but they would probably not be of the length of, say, the Shostakovitch. It is interesting, I think, that this orchestra has played Shostakovitch's Symphony Number 5 once per decade for the last fifty years. It is 51 years since it was played by them for the first time - at which time the symphony had been written only about 20 years before! So, this orchestra has a history with this piece.

In this concert we are also playing a work by an alumnus of PYP, Kenji Bunch (picture above). Kenji was once upon a time in the back row of the orchestra's viola section. Over time he became the principal viola player, before moving on and studying at Julliard. Now he is back as a composer to hear the orchestra play his piece For Our Children's Children. His days as a viola player are not over, though, and he will be joining his old section in the performance of the Shostakovitch.

For Our Children's Children begins with a clarinet solo. You were yourself a professional clarinet player in New York for some years. Are you tempted to play that part yourself?

No. I think it will be better for everyone if I stay on the podium!

This concert includes a performance of Saint-Saens' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for violin and orchestra. The soloist will be your concert master Natally Okhovat. Please tell me something about her.

Natally had the opportunity to play this work at this concert as a result of winning our annual concerto competition. She truly earned this chance, and I believe she won by being the best-prepared artist in the competition. Last year, Natally was the leader of our second violin section, a section of the orchestra which excelled, in no small measure due to her leadership. This year she is our concert master and is bringing the same skills of leadership to that section and they, too, are showing exceptional improvement. When she has the section to herself to rehearse, she has a way of being firm while being gentle* and sets a great example in her state of preparedness. She also holds people accountable for their efforts and results and the upshot is that when the section comes back to me they are stronger for her input and discipline.

The Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is a hard piece for a young player, isn't it?

Yes, it is. But, it is what I would call 'wide open' in that it is susceptible of many interpretations. As a soloist, Natally has a musical point of view of this piece and her playing displays refinement and sophistication. It is going to be great!

I take it that her abilities stretch beyond the rehearsal room.

Natally is remarkable as a musician, scholar and leader. She tells me that she wants to pursue a career as a surgeon. Currently she is a junior but I have no doubt that if that is what she finally decides to do, then she will do it.

Maestro, beyond this immediate concert, what do you wish for this orchestra?

My greatest wish for the Portland Youth Philharmonic is that one day I will be able to turn around on the podium, look out at the audience and see a full house. There are so many people in Portland who attend orchestral concerts but have never heard the PYP. I am quite sure that if they were to hear us once they would want to come again.

I have no doubt about that either, David. I hope it happens soon. Best of luck to you and your orchestra on Saturday! I am very much looking forward to being there.

Thank you, Operaman!

This concert will take place at 7:30pm on Saturday 13th March and tickets may - AND SHOULD IMMEDIATELY - be purchased here: http://www.portlandyouthphil.org/

*I have noticed that this is a hallmark of Mestro Hattner's approach to his students, too, but he was somewhat modestly dismissive of it when I mentioned that to him.

Philip Langridge (1939 - 2010)

It is with some sadness that I have to mention that passing of English tenor Philip Langridge, who died from cancer last week, aged 70. He was seen in performance as recently as January of this year, when he performed the role of the witch in the Met's production of Humperdink's Hansel and Gretel. While he made a name for himself in operatic roles by composers as diverse as Mozart and Stravinsky, it is his singing of English composers for which I will best remember him. His performances in the operas of Britten were marvels to behold. Opera News had a splendid article about him and you can read it here. The announcement in the Daily Telegraph of his death is here. In addition to his operatic performances, Langridge was a consummate singer of oratorio, and many say that his performances of Handels' Messiah are unequaled.

Here he is singing Comfort Ye and Ev'ry Valley from that work.

He will be missed. His picture appears at the head of this post.

"Whether the angels play only Bach praising God, I am not quite sure. I am sure, however, that en famille they play Mozart!"
(Karl Barth 1886 - 1968)

Das Rheingold Baywatch

Tonight I went to the final performance of Opera Theater Oregon's latest production and had just the best time! I am delighted to report that not only was the Clinton Street Theater almost totally full but, that some of Portland's brightest and best were in attendance. Our very own Chris Mattaliano was there with Director of Music Administration for Portland Opera, Clare Burovac, and they were both clearly entering into the spirit of the evening. Stephen Marc Beaudoin was there and in great form. He is currently involve with the Electric Light Opera Company. We agreed that he and I should meet over a glass of wine very soon so he can tell me all about this organisation. With Stephen involved, much fun is pretty well guaranteed. I'll tell you all about it after he and I have chatted. Angela Niederloh, who was such a hit in our recent production of Così fan Tutte, was there and was, of course, her usual shy and retiring self - not!

This show was a huge success for Opera Theater Oregon and I cannot tell you how proud I am to be associated with the organisation. Particular plaudits are due to Artistic Director, Katie Taylor, who brought this delicious idea to fruition and to Erica Melton, for somehow managing to distill Wagner's opera to a reasonable length and to score it for orchestra and rock band.

News from the right coast

I know that quite a few of you travel to New York where you attend opera at the Met and lots more of you attend the high-def screenings of Met operas on a Saturday morning or listen to the weekly radio broadcasts. You may all wish to bookmark this page which provides details of the Met's 2010/2011 season.

A number of the productions are of particular interest to me. The first thing that struck me is that after 24 years they are finally getting around to mounting a production of John Adams's Nixon in China. The direction will be by Peter Sellars who was responsible for the original production (and much else by Adams). This is Sellars' directorial debut at the Met. I am wondering whether the role of Nixon has yet been cast. I know I can hardly be thought of as objective in this regard, but I cannot imagine why the Met would look any further than our old friend Robert Orth. Bob has become the definitive Nixon - the hunched shoulders, raised chin and other body mannerisms just perfectly calculated to fall short of parody, and an ability somehow to make this a sympathetic role.

A present? For me? Really?

This was a busy musical weekend in Portland. I have now lived here for about five years but am sometimes still astounded by the rich variety and high quality of the musical life in this city. It seems like it never stops. We are so lucky.

I attended the PSU Symphony Orchestra's concert at Kaul Auditorium, Reed College, yesterday afternoon. As I sauntered around the lobby I spotted conductor Ken Selden approaching me, his hand stretched out in greeting. "I have a present for you today!" he said, gleefully. "As we had some flexibility in the programming and I knew you would be here, I have included some Elgar for you!" Is this a sweet man, or what? The center-piece of the concert was a performance of Concierto de Aranjuez with Cuban guitarist Manuel Barrueco. I happen to know this work extremely well and am very fond of it, so my over-riding feeling when attending a live performance of it is usually along the lines "Please don't mess up one of my favourite pieces!" Yesterday I had no such concerns. Maestro Barrueco is a consummate artist and his performance thrilled me. Yes, actually thrilled me. I could have wished for larger orchestral forces but the playing was crisp and had all the right feel to it. The frighteningly exposed cor anglais solo in the second movement was played with aplomb. I chatted with Maestro Barrueco during the intermission and was immediately struck by what a warm and charming man he is (that's us in the picture). I hope he comes back to Portland very soon. Oh, the Elgar piece? The Serenade in E minor. Played beautifully.

Bravo, PSU Symphony and two thumbs up and my thanks to Maestro Selden.

This is a busy weekend for Operaman. Today at 3pm I shall be at PSU to attend a rehearsal by the PSU Symphony Orchestra under Ken Seldon in preparation for their 'Soundscapes' concert at Kaull Auditorium, Reed College, on Sunday afternoon. The programme includes a performance of the famous guitar Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo. The guitar soloist is Manuel Barrueco. Tickets for this concert, I am told, will be available at the door. This sounds like a splendid way to spend a couple of hours on Sunday and I am looking forward to it. On Saturday I will be at Hagg Lake at not-quite crack of dawn to watch Holly run a 25 k trail race. It's usually a mud race but with the weather having been dry and sunny the course should be somewhat easier to traverse. On Saturday afternoon at 3pm I shall be found at Sherman Clay in Southwest Portland for a violin/piano recital being given by Susan Chan and Madeleine Mitchell. This will include works by Mozart, Brahms and Bridge. This is a freebie! Let's go!

Back in October I wrote about the gentleman who owns the grocery store near to my apartment, and how I found out that he is an opera fan and that he is married to a lady named Thaïs, after the Massanet opera of that name. The blog post about them is here. Well, last week, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and it seemed to me that the occasion provided the perfect excuse for me to invite them to Portland Opera as my guests. Yes, I know it may seem that Così fan tutte is not quite the message of congratulations one might wish to give a couple on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, but I thought that, after having been together so long, with all of the ups and downs marriage brings over that time, that they would be able to laugh at an opera that accuses women of being fickle and doesn't exactly show men in the kindest of lights, either. So, on Saturday evening, Wendel and Thaïs Pilger joined me at the Keller Auditorium for the opera's closing night. They had dressed to the nines and turned up bang on time and looking maaahvellous!

Metropolitan Opera

There was something I should have mentioned about last Saturday's performance of Simon Boccanegra that I omitted. Most importantly, the role of Gabriele Adorno was sung by tenor Marcello Giordani, a singer who is having a tremendous career, not just at the Met but worldwide, and seems to be getting better and better. Why does that have anything to do with us? Because, gentle readers, Giordani made his US debut with our very own Portland Opera in 1988, playing the role of Nadir in Bizet's Pêcheurs de Perles. Didn't he do well? He obviously just needed something only Portland could give him.

News has issued from the Met that Peter Gelb has hired his predecesor, Joseph Volpe, (seen above with Beverley 'Bubbles' Sills), to undertake, on behalf of the Met Opera management, the negotiations with unions and other employees over fresh contracts. For a number of reasons this was not a ho-hum announcement. I could explain to you why that is the case, but Zach Woolfe has written a splendid article about it in The New York Observer, and I encourage you to read it. This is important stuff and Woolfe gives us some tremendous insights into the machinations at our premier opera house. I suspect Volpe is the perfect man for this job. He began life at the Met as a carpenter and worked his way up to being the boss of the whole shebang. Now, there's a guy who knows how to get along with people.

Nixon in China. Orth in Portland.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had been to the Stars of Così concert where, among others, Robert Orth had performed. What I did not tell you was that on that very day I had purchased a copy of the new, concert version of Nixon in China, starring Bob Orth and Tracy Dahl, both of whom appeared in Portland Opera's production a few seasons ago, and both of whom will be reprising their roles in the upcoming Vancouver Opera production. I asked Bob to sign the insert to the CD package and that is what you can see right here. "To Operaman!" Incidentally, while on the subject of Vancouver Opera's production I should mention that they have just begun an excellent on-line study guide for Nixon in China which will last for a total of four weeks. It is free of course. I have signed up for a couple of reasons: I think I would like to learn more about this opera which, while I enjoyed it when I saw it here, I believe would improve with a more detailed understanding. Also, I just love Vancouver Opera! Their web-site and all of their communications and community stuff (Twitter, etc.) is first class. And who can resist their manga strips? I'll be reviewing the album and the study guide within the next week or two.

Super Bowl XLIV