Listening

This week’s From the Top show was taped in Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops in Boston, MA on Tuesday June 8, 2010. We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show:

Umi Garrett, 9, piano
III. Allegro Assai from Piano Concerto No. 23, in A Major, K. 488
By: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This piece has a lot of animals in it. The melody is the rabbits jumping around. In the next scene a swan comes by and says hello. Then the squirrels run and play in the treetops. And the next scene is birds singing…Then a big parade starts in the woods with a lot of animals dressed up….They have a big party with singing, playing, and dancing. They all walk to the playground and ride the very fun roller coasters. And they all live together happily ever after….I think this piece is more my type of music I want to play. Mozart is my favorite composer.

Michael Bridge, 17, bayan
Csárdás
By: Vittorio Monti

I try to play Csárdás as if I were dancing it! Although the piece is well respected in classical circles, it is actually dance music, based on a courting Hungarian dance. I envision swirling couples who are snapping their feet to the music in the faster sections, and flirtatious young men attempted to move elegantly and impress the ladies in the slower parts. This piece was the craziest speed-learn that I ever did. I first learned the piece start to finish in one eight hour setting…It is quite difficult to play correctly on bayan because the runs do not lend themselves as well to the instrument. It makes for more of a challenge!

Gabriel Cabezas, 17, cello
IV. Allegro Con Moto from Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 107
By: Dmitri Shostakovich

I think [this piece] often sounds sarcastic. Sort of detached and cold in atmosphere. It is all the hardest thing to nail. It is not all emotional, but rather about shock and awe for the audience. It is virtuosic and I try to get that across more than anything.

Michelle Lee, 17, violin
Tambourin Chinois
By: Fritz Kreisler; Arr. William David Brohn

My first impressions of the piece included its playful and charming qualities. The influence of Asian culture is evident, but not overwhelming. Kreisler was able to take Asian stylistic elements and incorporate them into a fun showpiece. The continuous energy of the piece propels me through the music, and is very dance-like (perfect for tapping to). In addition, the contrasting slow section is amusing because the violinist must try to fool the audience into believing the piece is over but then jump right back to the theme…Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois is unique compared to other pieces that I have played because it is music I can both play and tap to.

This week’s show is a rebroadcast from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but we hadn’t posted a listening guide when it first aired.  Keep reading to learn what each of the musicians think and feel about the pieces they perform.

Rhys Lloyd Talbot

Rhys Lloyd Talbot, 18, bass voice
“Honor and Arms” from Samson by Handel

When I sing this song, I try to get the song’s message of boasting and scorn for a weaker opponent across to the audience. The song’s about a giant who’s mocking Samson and saying there’s no glory in defeating someone smaller. Hands down, this is the most difficult piece in my repertoire. Consequently, I think it’s the most fun to listen to, and the most impressive song I have. It’s also a great song to sing in the shower.

Solly Burton, 17, mandolin
Czardas by Vittorio Monti

When I play this song, I feel like I am in another country in another era of time. Some songs are fun to play and listen to no matter how old.

Katherine Siochi

Katherine Siochi, 15, harp
Impromptu-Caprice by Gabriel Pierné

Impromptu Caprice by Gabriel Pierné is one of the most well-known show pieces in the harp repertoire. This piece opens with a candenza-like section, bringing to mind what the title would suggest, an improvisation in an extemporized style. My favorite part of this piece is the dramatic ending. The crescendo of arpeggios and glissandi lead to an exciting climax followed by the final four chords.

Susie Koh, 14, Aurelia Quartet, violin
III. Allegro non troppo from Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 73 by Dmitri Shostakovich

I really like this piece, and I think that it is a great piece for my group. It is fierce, fiery, and strong. My group is pretty wild, so we like to headbang to this piece. And that is sort of the character of the piece, too.

Laura Park, 15, Aurelia Quartet, violin

The funny thing about this piece is that it requires so much preparation: reminding Susie to put in her earplug, rearranging stands to accommodate fast page turns, and tucking our hair behind our ears. Of course we still have to keep in mind intonation, ensemble, and articulation among many other things, but it feels as if each one of us has that crazy, dark side in us that comes out when we play the Shostakovich together.

Arianna Smith, 15, viola

This piece requires a unique level of energy. Whenever we play we have so much fun. We were able to perform this piece in a concert with Rachel Barton Pine, and in the beginning of the first violin solo, Susie’s E-string came off of the bridge, and she had to play most of it on the A-string!

Allan Steele, 15, cello

This movement is intensely loud, dynamic, and violent. Written directly after World War II, it is fully described by the Borodin’s Quartet’s subtitle for the movement: “Forces of war unleashed.” It’s enormous fun to play, but it is so intense that nearly every time we play the movement, although only four minutes long, we’re out of breath and exhausted.

Aurelia Quartet

Here in the From the Top office, we’re still on a high from the incredible taping Tuesday night at Symphony Hall, where we teamed up with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops! What an exciting show this was. From start to finish, it featured one phenomenal performance after another. Four of the young musicians who joined us were alums, and it was amazing to see how much they’d grown as performers.

Keith Lockhart, Conductor of the Boston Pops

The show opened with nine-year-old pianist Umi Garrett. This tiny girl, clad in a party dress and bows, is nothing short of a musical dynamo. She played Mozart flawlessly and then had a very funny bit where she showed off a trick – playing “Heart and Soul” while backwards and upside down – and Keith Lockhart jumped in to harmonize!

Next up was another alum, pianist Ronald Joseph, who was on our TV show when he was 17. Ronald grew up in New Orleans, but was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and studied for a year at the Juilliard School. You can see his story here. Now a sophomore at Bard College, he and Christopher O’Riley collaborated on a two-piano piece by composer Danny Elfman, joined by the Pops.

Third up was 16-year-old Michael Bridge, who played the Russian bayan. You’ve never heard of a Russian bayan, you say? No worries. Maestro Lochart took one look at it and said, “Hey, that’s not an accordion! What is that?” Michael loved that! To explain, the bayan looks a lot like the accordion except that it has buttons instead of keys as well as a broader right hand range. Michael played Vittorio Monti’s Czardas, backed by the Boston Pops, and it was a showstopper!

Next up was one of my favorite alums – 17-year-old cellist Gabe Cabezas, who was first on our show with his quartet when he was 12, and then performed as a soloist on both our radio and TV shows. We brought him back once again for this special taping to play with the Pops. Always a great performer and an old pro at all things From the Top, I think he outdid himself this time playing Shostakovich.

Next up was 17-year-old Michelle Lee, who is not only an excellent violinist, but also an accomplished tap dancer. She played Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois backed by the Pops. In the middle of the piece, she handed her violin to Chris, did a tap dancing routine, and then grabbed her violin back to finish the piece with a flourish. The audience loved it!

The show closed with 17-year-old composer Jeremiah Klarman. When he was originally on our show at the age of 13, we introduced him as From the Top’s biggest fan. It meant so much to him to be on the show back then, and I was greatly looking forward to his return. The Boston Pops performed Jeremiah’s Symphony No.1 in C minor, and I was completely blown away! I could tell Jeremiah was too, and I was thrilled for him.

I’ve created a little flip cam montage of our music rehearsal the night before the show. The Pops weren’t there, but you can see Keith working with the kids. He was so great with them! Believe me when I say that this show was a special treat, and one not to miss when it airs the week of September 6.

The week’s From the Top broadcast was taped at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, Iowa, on February 24, 2010.  We asked our performers to tell us about the music they performed on the show:

Thomas Burrill, 14, piano
Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, I. Grave – Doppio movimento by Frederic Chopin

The 1st movement I’m performing is often viewed as a virtuoso piece, but it’s important to keep in mind that it’s leading to a funeral march, so the pianist has to preserve a dark dramatic resonance throughout the movement. The hardest part in this piece is to not exaggerate the rubato, yet keep moving forward while shaping the music.  There are sections of this music that produce a sense of longing for departed lives, yet one must move forward in the piece, as though one is fleeing inevitable death. As I play, I imagine as though I’m in a carriage hastily trying to escape death, though I realize that death is inescapable.

Jeremiah Siochi, 17, composer
Thoughts of a Wistful Heart for Harp and Violoncello by Jeremiah Siochi

The piece was specifically written for Katherine and Andrew. I took full advantage of the opportunity to work with my harpist sister – “work-shopping” sections of music and receiving valuable feedback on playability,

Katherine Siochi and Andrew Altmaier

technique, notation, etc. I actively considered my compositional choices, and attempted to open my music to more unity, contrast, and variety.  Tranquil harp chords tinged with melancholy begin the work, after which the cello picks up a lyrical yet brooding countersubject, progression from tranquility, to brooding uncertainty, to disjoined lyricism is reflected on the large-scale – a wistful longing becomes more brooding and builds to a frustrated, furious climax, where the strong emotion must break the lyrical “thoughts” into disjointed pieces. It is a journey of the heart that is passionately experienced, one that indulges in an unfulfilled past despite wisdom to move toward the future.

Meekyoung Lee, 18, flute
I. Allegro aperto from Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 314 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Meekyoung Lee

There are so many different interpretations and stylistic opinions about this piece, so there is always room for new ideas and new ways to improve, and I think that’s what makes this piece stand out. I never get bored with it because there is always something new I could do. There is an aspect of optimistic, energetic happiness as well as a more shy, timid aspect in this piece. When I perform this piece, it’s happiness, a kind of royal feel to the piece that makes me feel happy. There is no need for me to “emote,” the overall simplicity bring out the joy both to the audience and myself.

Allan Steele, 16, cello
IV. Allegro from Sonata for Violoncello & Piano in D minor, Op. 40 by Dmitri Shostakovich

I’ve always loved Shostakovich. There’s something about the mix of head-banging heavy metal classical and ironically chirpy demented clown music that’s really amazing in a kind of nasty-funny way. The raw emotion and then the sarcastic humor; what’s not to love? My teacher told me that when Rostropovich performed this, he made up a story about a guy going to the bar; it corresponds to the sections in the movement so well that even if it’s a bit silly, that’s what I think of. In the beginning the guy is sneaking out, he gets to the bar, gets in a drunken fight, and eventually sneaks back home.

Jake Mezera, 14, trombone (The Bone Rangers)
III. Veloce – Ignoblimente from Sonata for Trombones by Simon Wills

This piece is a sprint from start to finish – it can never slow down and requires a lot of energy to keep it exciting. This piece is also very difficult for high school students to play. The first trombone part is very high and is a challenge for endurance. I think the hardest thing for me to nail is the trill on a high note at the end.

Joe Krantz, 18, trombone (The Bone Rangers)
III. Veloce – Ignoblimente from Sonata for Trombones by Simon Wills

Sonata for trombones is an extremely exciting piece that requires the trombone to take on many different characters. It is crucial for us to convey the different personalities that exist within the piece. This is one of the most technically difficult pieces I have had to perform with a chamber ensemble.

The Bone Rangers (Jake Mezera, Joe Krantz, Douglas Meng, and Tanner Jackson)

Douglas Meng, 16, trombone (The Bone Rangers)
III. Veloce – Ignoblimente from Sonata for Trombones by Simon Wills

When I play this piece I think of a chase going on. In different parts of the piece it is as if this person goes to a different place to hide but ends up being chased again. I really like to play this piece because it is interesting.

Tanner Jackson, 14, trombone (The Bone Rangers)
III. Veloce – Ignoblimente from Sonata for Trombones by Simon Wills

The image that I feel is invoked by this piece is a sort of mischievous feel in the first section of the piece. The second section has a drunken feel to it, and at one point Mr. Riordan said that this sounded like a drunk solider telling a twisted war story, and as the melodic line is passed, another soldier interrupts with their own twist on it. The third section has a “rising tension, released tension, and repeat” pattern, which leads in to the fourth section, which is a recapitulation of the first section. The section of this piece I like the most is the second section, because it seems the most picturesque and diverse part.