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The Friends of Chamber Music presented an impressive program on Saturday night while honoring various milestones of the performers and composers involved (Chanticleer, the Shanghai String Quartet, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Chen Yi's home institution, the UMKC Conservatory of Music all celebrate distinguished anniversaries this year).  The program was packed with stimulating pieces that required much of the listener and that proved great works of art present many questions while offering valuable dividends. Certainly the challenges proved worthwhile to the sold-out crowd, whose members were divided: some came for the highly acclaimed performers comprising Chanticleer and the Shanghai String Quartet, while others attended for their chance to hear live Chen Yi's new piece, From the Path of Beauty. All left satisfied on both fronts, and in fact the full house was granted even more: the partnership between The Friends of Chamber Music and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art was also on display, as prints from the Nelson's Chinese collection (referenced in Chen's work) were on display.

The Folly event was part of a world premier tour of From the Path of Beauty (it is on its way to Beijing in May). Before the music began, the audience was treated to generous commentary from the composer, as Chen divulged details of her compositional language and of her musical interests. From the Path crosses disciplines, linking China's rich visual and literary arts legacy and its dynastic history with illustrative musical materials. 

The seven movements boast a logical sequence, but the narrative flow is only gradually revealed. The chant-like material in the first movement, for voices alone, featured the pure sound for which Chanticleer is known, as the twelve men handled the tight intervals that yielded an almost sound-mass quality. The controlled sustain at cadences was impressive (and the tuning remarkable), and it is difficult to imagine a tighter, more "collective" ensemble. 

The second movement for strings provided a contrast in medium and in character with more rhythmic passages countering the static nature of the first movement. Precision and balance met rhythmic momentum, and out of a dense musical fabric came fragmented but lyrical and memorable melodies. The third movement brought strings and voices together and proved that each movement, even with varying artistic anchors, truly complemented the next. Here, Chanticleer shone through an admirable mastery of the challeng

ing vocal techniques (including glissando and nonsensical syllables). This movement was one of the most atmospheric, with string harmonics providing a mysterious partner to the voices. Throughout, Chen's expertise as a string player is obvious, as she demanded complicated and novel techniques from the players. 

The fourth movement is billed as an "instrumental realization" of two poems, and the graceful passing of melody among the instruments sounded like a sophisticated conversation. The fifth movement was one of two rambunctious episodes, exploiting more widely spaced sonorities. The sixth movement was sweetly melodic and almost familiar; the rich cello melody (perhaps representative of the traditional Chinese string instrument the qin) blended with voices in a wash of sound, then a spontaneous, dance-like flurry came as a surprise. The final movement, the most metric of all, brought fast passagework and an energetic flair to replicate a village band made up of folk instruments. 

The Chanticleer singers know this new work well, which allowed them to be intelligently engaged with one another. They worked fluidly through the choral movements, secure at each turn. These twelve men are capable experts (they are full-time, salaried singers, a curious thing to the semi-professional or amateur choral singer), and nothing but professionalism and superb musicality were exhibited. The only thing lacking in Saturday's performance was a bit more emphasis on the bass resonance of Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor and Eric Alatorre, since at times they seemed outnumbered by the higher voices. (The ensemble's history and singers' biographies are available on their website, and no choral enthusiast should miss the "About Us" link posted there, as Chanitcleer's background is a fantastic and inspiring story.  www.chanticleer.org)

From the Path of Beauty is dense, dissonant, and long (about 40 minutes), and no doubt, a second chance to hear it will benefit all.  The piece requires patience and focus, but if the music and the imagery are allowed to evolve in tandem, the value of the complete work is realized.  The singers' and players' commitment was obvious and commendable, but the real treat is sensing the discipline and dedication of the composer in creating such a masterful work. Chen Yi is someone of whom Kansas City should be very proud. She represents the local academic and cultural community with enthusiasm and charm. Her music obviously comes from a place deeply introspective, and her musical accomplishments speak for themselves.

To follow was a selection of songs by Gyorgy Ligeti, and it is a rare treat to hear Ligeti's music performed so deftly. Pápainé featured Michael McNeil's striking soprano as he rendered his solo in a transparent timbre and with an extraordinary range. McNeil produces a stunning clarity of tone. Cortez Mitchell's alto/countertenor voice rang true as well. The set of four songs in Ligeti's Idegen Földön was the opportunity to revel in Chanticleer's ensemble sound. The programming of Ligeti's work alongside Chen's is interesting: both composers lived the reality of artistic suppression (Ligeti's music was often criticized as "non-conformist" and his dissonance deemed "subversive"); the composers' analogous experiences yielded vastly different but complementary results, making for smart programming.
Like the rest of the program the Ravel String Quartet in F Major was atmospheric and reliant on visual imagery. Ravel's music is known for transparency of form and of melodic structure, and the composer creates distinct pivot points and moments of climax in the musical sequence. The second movement's colorful pizzicato was fiery and energetic (and the clarity of the ABA form satisfying for listeners), while the sweetly lyrical third movement boasted plenty of repetitive melody to engage the ear. The aggressive and compact finale was effective. Throughout, the Shanghai Quartet was light on its feet, crisp and sure. They were also patient with a seemingly unsophisticated (or just overly enthusiastic?) audience which clearly knows what it likes and clapped between movements, rather breaking the mood. 

There was so much to take in during this two and a half-hour event and perhaps too many "impact" pieces on one bill. The thirty-minute intermission dampened enthusiasm, serving as a reminder that a well-paced evening is critical to overall effect. Nonetheless, even with a late start (no doubt the consequence of a gracious Folly staff trying to get the full house to its correct seats), the performance was not to be missed. 
 

REVIEW:
The Friends of Chamber Music
Chanticleer with the Shanghai String Quartet 
Saturday, January 17 at 8 p.m.  
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
www. chambermusic.org

Chen-Yi

By Sarah Tyrrell

Opera, Vocal and Classical Contributor

Since 2004, Dr. Sarah Tyrrell has been part of the Musicology faculty at the UMKC Conservatory of Music. In 2003, she completed doctoral work at the University of Kansas and also holds degrees in music history and voice performance from the New England Conservatory of Music and Kansas State University. At UMKC, Sarah teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in music history and world music, as well as graduate seminars on American and Latin American musics. Sarah has presented her research locally and nationally (her research specialty is the art music of Brazil) and actively guest lectures about town on Brazilian popular subjects such as samba and bossa nova. Her articles and reviews have appeared in Musical Quarterly, Latin American Research Review, and Latin American Perspectives.

Sarah is also active in the Kansas City choral music scene: she is the Artistic Director of the Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City and also sings soprano with the group. This 60-voice ensemble presents four concerts each year and recently completed a performance tour of Brazil.