12 <strong>Seattle</strong> <strong>Gay</strong> <strong>News</strong> PRIDE ‘07 Music June 15, 2007
<strong>Seattle</strong> Symphony Orchestra: The great Glagolitic Mass of Janacek falls short no longer has that power. His upper voice appeared delicate, and he treated it very carefully, so that he was often inaudible. Mezzo Sarah Heltzel had so little to do that it was not possible to assess her work. Organist Joseph Adam (strangely uncredited in the printed program!) had a major solo (not shortened as in many performances) and made as much of it as the Watjen Organ would allow. (I prefer the more gnarly sound a big baroque organ might produce.) The Glagolitic Mass of Leos Janacek is, to these ears, one of the giant masterpieces of the 20th century. It deserves the kind of treatment it got from the <strong>Seattle</strong> Symphony a few seasons ago, which was a performance I don’t expect to be surpassed. That this week’s attempt fell quite a bit short of that level is regrettable. But the work is so intensely magnificent that any chance to hear it is to be prized. The sooner it returns to <strong>Seattle</strong>, the better! Reviewer Rod Parke can be reached at rmp62@columbia.edu. courtesy of Steiner Shots 2007 <strong>Seattle</strong> Dyke March by Rod Parke SGN A&E Writer Christina Goerke Activism on the Personal Level An evening of Gyongyosi, Husa, and Janacek doesn’t sell very well in <strong>Seattle</strong>. Even though Benaroya Hall was only about 2/3 full, the audience was very responsive to an excellent first half, even though hardly anyone had ever heard this music before. Levente Gyongyosi, born 1975, was present to receive the enthusiastic applause following a committed and rewarding reading of his 2001 composition, The Annunciation. Each of the five, very short movements held our interest with its skilled orchestration and varying textures. Clearly, conductor Schwarz and the SSO players had the many complexities well in hand, so that the audience could revel in new sounds and ideas. An expanded percussion section delivered its major contributions with aplomb. Karel Husa, born 1921, wrote his Music for Prague in 1968 in the 12-tone mode that was so popular among composers at that time. But, unlike so many of those overly academic works in serialism, this one transcended the dry intellectuality of its peers and managed to be consistently compelling of our interest. The kaleidoscopic variance of orchestral colors alone was enough to reward the listener. While both works before the intermission were well prepared and played, the glorious Glagolitic Mass of Leos Janacek appeared in parts to be the casualty of insufficient rehearsal. Balances were sometimes sloppy. The opening fanfare was a perfect example of how Maestro Schwarz can too often drain all the energy out of a great piece. It totally lacked the intense energy he gave it several seasons ago, with the all-important brass playing limply in the background. The lack of preparation in the orchestra was all the more evident standing in contrast to the excellence of everything that came from George Fiore’s <strong>Seattle</strong> Symphony Chorale. Their sound was a model of how to balance beauty with intensity. Every word of the Old Church Slavonic was clear, passionate, and beautiful. And what gorgeous choral writing we got from Janacek! Hearing those sounds from the Symphony Chorale was worth the price of admission alone. Also excellent were the contributions of soprano Christine Goerke (<strong>Seattle</strong> Opera’s most recent Norma) and bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi. Janacek requires very powerful voices to ride atop his complex writing, and these two were more than equal to the task. Gary Lakes’ tenor, however, email: dykecommunityactivists@earthlink.net website: www.home.earthlink.net/~dykecommunityactivists/id12.html June 15, 2007 PRIDE ‘07 Music <strong>Seattle</strong> <strong>Gay</strong> <strong>News</strong> 13