United States World Orchestra Week (WOW!) – A Celebration of International Youth Orchestras: Carnegie Hall, New York, 1 & 6.8.2024. (ES-S)
The development of talented musicians through participation in youth orchestras has been a core part of Carnegie Hall’s mission for many years. Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) brings together talented young musicians from across the country to form three ensembles. The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) comprises musicians aged 16-19. NYO2 engages orchestral players aged 14-17, with a particular focus on ‘attracting talented students from groups underserved by and underrepresented in the classical orchestral field’. NYO Jazz is specifically designed to ‘showcase the legacy and bright future of American jazz’. Following a thorough audition process, the musicians accepted into these free programs train together for several weeks under the guidance of distinguished musical personalities, perform in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and then go on tour.
This summer, the organization has further augmented its involvement by organizing a weeklong festival entitled ‘World Orchestra Week (WOW!), A Celebration of International Youth Orchestras’. In addition to the groups from the United States, the festival is hosting five other ensembles from different corners of the globe: the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela, the Africa United Youth Orchestra, the Beijing Youth Orchestra, the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Afghan Youth Orchestra.
The inaugural performance featured NYO2 instrumentalists under the baton of Teddy Abrams, Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year. Abrams, who has been the music director of the Louisville Orchestra for the past decade, has brought national attention to the Kentucky group. Most of the ensemble members emerged on stage not from the aisles but by nonchalantly climbing the steps from Stern Auditorium’s parterre. The teenagers, dressed in black t-shirts, red sweatpants and sneakers, chattered their way to the orchestra chairs like a group of high school students visiting the premises on a tour bus, unsure of why they were there. As soon as the still boyish-looking Teddy Abrams, also wearing sneakers, made his presence felt on the podium, the atmosphere changed radically. Everyone became serious as the first unison, five-measure-long call for attention from Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story materialized from nothingness.
It is difficult to imagine a more suitable symphonic piece for an enthusiastic group of extroverted young interpreters. The performance was infused with crowd-pleasing energy, thanks to its dancing rhythms, vibrant colors, ‘mambo’ shouts and finger snapping. Abrams masterfully controlled the entire performance, capturing the dual nature of Leonard Bernstein’s compositional style, anchored by sophisticated harmonies and complex orchestration in the European tradition while simultaneously evoking the spirited essence of New York City streets.
Bernstein’s West Side Story shares a thematic connection with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture and a rhythmically innovative one with Stravinsky’s The Firebird, the two works played after the interval. Predictably, the NYO2 members excelled in the dramatic, action-oriented aspects of Tchaikovsky’s score, particularly in a spirited execution of the sword fight where they dispatched the frantic sixteenth notes with panache. However, they were less successful in conveying the lyrical, tender character of other moments, such as the sense of fate underlying the chorale-like depiction of Friar Laurence and the anxiety in the duets between the protagonists.
Witnessing the cohesiveness these young musicians achieved in less than two weeks of rehearsals, thanks to Abrams’s expert guidance, was particularly impressive, especially in tackling the complex 1919 The Firebird Suite. Beyond the balanced interplay between sections, the quality of the many individual contributions woven throughout the score also stood out. The ensemble’s precise handling of the irregular and complex rhythms, masterfully creating and releasing tension, infused The Firebird with a palpable sense of wonder, perfectly capturing the fairy tale essence.
The evening’s world premiere, KINSFOLKNEM, is described by its young composer, Jasmine Barnes, as ‘a celebration of an extended Black family gathering’. In three movements – ‘The Sunday Dinner’, ‘The Repast’ and ‘The Reunion’ – Barnes’s new piece focused on a group of four wind players: flutist Demarre McGill, oboist Titus Underwood, clarinetist Anthony McGill and bassoonist Andrew Brady. She gave each soloist the chance to showcase his mettle and exquisite technique, with ‘discussions’ anchored in gospel and jazz-like idioms featuring prominently. However, the composer provided less elaborate interactions between the soloists and the orchestra. While the three other pieces on the program showcased the orchestra’s capabilities, the ensemble was often relegated here to producing harmonious waves in the background.
Founded by the late Claudio Abbado, the European Union Youth Orchestra comprises musicians aged 16 to 26. The members of the ensemble have toured extensively together, and many prestigious orchestras include EUYO alumni among their ranks. On Tuesday night, the ensemble was conducted by Iván Fischer, one of the most esteemed maestros active today and a renowned Mahlerian. Consequently, their performance of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 was anticipated as one of the highlights of the ‘WOW! Festival’. While it was unreasonable to expect the young musicians to anticipate every nuance of the conductor’s intentions as the seasoned members of Fischer’s Budapest Festival Orchestra might, their performance was eagerly awaited.
Expectations were only partially fulfilled. In the first movement, the brass players appeared tentative, and the cellists lacked conviction. Fischer’s focus on details sometimes overshadowed the overarching musical structure. Later, in an attempt to emphasize the contrast between the Scherzo and the Trio, Fischer introduced some ritardandos in the latter that seemed exaggerated. However, the performance became more engaging as it progressed. Right before the return of the ‘Frère Jacques’ theme in the third movement, the dialogue between strings and winds was beautifully personalized. The finale was glorious, featuring tension in the assertive segments and suavity in the lyrical ones. The coordination between the sections of the large orchestra, which included ten double basses placed in the back row, was nearly ideal.
The evening’s opening salvo was Anna Clyne’s ‘Masquerade’, a five-minute eruption of intricate, festive and glissando-filled string lines. Composed in 2013 and receiving its Carnegie Hall première on this occasion, ‘Masquerade’ evokes the imagery of eighteenth-century promenade concerts and includes reflections of Old English merry songs. The performance was an exercise in coordination and passed con brio by the young musicians.
The concertante piece was a true rarity: Ernst von Dohnányi’s Variations on a Nursery Tune. It begins with an elaborate orchestral prelude, leading to the surprising presentation of the theme: ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, also known as ‘Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman’, the title used by Mozart for his K.265 piano variations. Composed in 1914, the score, anchored in tradition, is not only full of wit but also rich in lyricism – qualities that Fischer and his dedicated instrumentalists brought to the forefront with clarity. He paid special attention to rendering Dohnányi’s colorful textures and varied mood swings.
The soloist was the talented young British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, whose poise, immaculate technique and delicacy were evident both in her solo moments and in her numerous interactions with the orchestra.
Normally, the final bars of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 are so overwhelming that an encore seems inconceivable. However, this was a special performance by a special group. As the conductor departed, the instrumentalists, standing and even dancing, wholeheartedly engaged in ‘Amparito Roca’, a several-minute-long ‘pasodoble’ composed in 1925 by Jaime Teixidor Dalmau. It was difficult to assess where the enthusiasm was greater: on the stage or among the audience!
By organizing this festival with young musicians performing for young audiences, Carnegie Hall has made a commendable effort to enhance the quality of musical education in New York. The effort is especially praiseworthy given the current circumstances at Lincoln Center, where classical music’s contribution to both the regular season and summer programs has been drastically diminished, presumably under the pretext of its ‘elitist’ character and the need to accommodate performances for a broader audience. It is to be hoped that the festival will continue in the coming years and that other major cities and organizations will recognize the value of such an initiative.
Edward Sava-Segal
1.8.2024 – Various: Demarre McGill (flute), Titus Underwood (oboe), Anthony McGill (clarinet), Andrew Brady (bassoon), NYO2 / Teddy Abrams (conductor).
Bernstein – Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Jasmine Barnes – KINSFOLKNEM
Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Stravinsky –The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
6.8.24 – Various: Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano), European Union Youth Orchestra / Iván Fischer (conductor).
Anna Clyne – ‘Masquerade’
Ernst von Dohnányi – Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op.25
Mahler – Symphony No.1