Navona, 2025

9/10

The pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico and violinist Jacques Israelievitch pays tribute to Israelievitch 10 years after his death with these works that were finished just months before he passed away.

“Violin Sonata No. 28 in E-Flat Major, K. 380” leads with the dancing keys and fluid strings interacting with tremendous playfulness and technical prowess, and it isn’t long until “Violin Sonata No. 35 in A Major, K. 526” showcases a harmonic energy and frisky progressions from Quilico and Israelievitch that emits much charm.

Arriving near the middle, the pretty intimacy of “Violin Sonata No. 27 in G Major, K. 379” radiates timelessness and sophistication, while “Violin Sonata No. 18 in G Major, K. 301” tugs on the heartstrings via the animated keys and stirring strings.

Moving closer to the end, “Violin Sonata No. 12 in G Major, K. 27” allows for each player’s inimitable talents to shine via the meticulous but accessible album highlight, and “Violin Sonata No. 1 in C Major, K. 6” exits with mesmerizing and melodic gestures.

Israelievitch was dealing with late stage cancer during these recordings, and the strength he needed to finish the project is both admirable and exceptional and serves as a profound action of the human spirit.

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It’s quite unusual for a graduate recital to offer a world premiere performance, let alone two!

Ann commented that she was very thankful for her talented friends on stage with her and the incredible composers Alice Ho and David Jaeger, for collaborating with her on two new works for clarinet and piano.

Ann said she is, “Inspired and eager to play more of their works.”

Alice Ho commented “We are happy composers—our works were performed beautifully, with heart and conviction! Thank you, Ann, and your wonderful pianist, Sonya Sim!”

Artists in Conversation was an event produced on June 9th in collaboration with Canadian Music Center and Piano Lunaire.

Brazilian/American pianist Sergio Gallo was heard in conversation with Piano Lunaire’s artistic director, pianist/composer Adam Sherkin, Brazilian composer/curator Maria-Eduarda Mendes Martins and moderator David Jaeger C.M., composer, producer and broadcaster.

The panelists presented selected solo music at the piano in a celebration and reflection of both Canadian and Brazilian keyboard lineage over the past 75 years. They spoke about artistic trends in piano music from both countries.

David Jaeger moderated and introduced his own music for keyboard. Jaeger, who recently finished a series of solo piano pieces responding to Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, was pleased when Gallo gave a brilliant performance of Jaeger’s Song Without Words no. 5 – I Can’t Help It. In fact, this was the World Premiere of the work, which also references the poetry of Scottish author David Cameron. 

The Artists in Conversation event was a stimulating evening, filled with music and ideas shared between composers, pianists and music lovers alike. It was a fresh format, and it served to welcome Sergio Gallo to his first appearance as a soloist in Toronto.

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Fast ein Jahrzehnt nach dem Tod von Jacques Israelievitch, der als jüngster stellvertretender Konzertmeister in Chicago damals von George Solti ins Orchester geholt wurde und später u. a. 20 Jahre als Konzertmeister des Toronto Symphony Orchestra agierte, wird hier von ihm mit seiner Klavierpartnerin Christina Petrowska Quilico die Sammlung der Sonaten für Klavier und Violine zzgl. der beiden Variationszyklen von Mozart vorgelegt.

Auch wenn die Aufnahme nicht neu ist, was man ihr technisch nicht anhört, so zeigt sich doch das Duo mit sehr frischem Spiel, das durch Elan und bewegende Intensität die Werke adelt. Der vermittelte Eindruck ist der von elegant zupackenden Musikern, die ihre Begeisterung für diese Stücke jedem zeigen möchten. Das gelingt vorzüglich. Dabei gehen sie von fließenden und natürlichen Bewegungsabläufen aus und setzten Akzente und markante Punkte nur dezent deutlich, so dass die Lebendigkeit der Musik erzeugt und gewahrt wird, aber nicht gekünstelt erklingt.

Ein erster partieller Höreindruck hatte eine gewisse Rauheit in der technischen Umsetzung angedeutet. Das mag daran liegen, dass Israelievitch die letzten Aufnahmen schon mit Krebs im Endstadium nur unter großen Schmerzen aufnehmen konnte. Das wurde aber über die längere Strecke glücklicherweise nicht bestätigt. Umso schöner ist es, dieses Tondokument, dem man die Belastung nicht anhört, eines auf dem nordamerikanischen Kontinent zu seiner Zeit angesehenen Musikers zu hören.

Mit dieser Übersicht wird gleichzeitig auch die Entwicklung im Kompositionsprozess von Mozart verdeutlicht, der schon dem Titel nach Klaviersonaten mit begleitender Violine schrieb, in den späten Beiträgen aber dem Streichinstrument immer größere und wichtigere Anteile hin zu einem wirklichen Duo zuschrieb.

Almost a decade after the death of Jacques Israelievitch, who as the youngest assistant concertmaster in Chicago was brought into the orchestra by George Solti at the time and later served as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 20 years, among others, he and his piano partner Christina Petrowska Quilico present the collection of sonatas for piano and violin plus the two variation cycles by Mozart.

Even if the recording is not new, which you can’t hear from a technical point of view, the duo’s playing is very fresh, with verve and moving intensity. The impression conveyed is of elegantly gripping musicians who want to show their enthusiasm for these pieces. They succeed in doing so excellently. In doing so, they proceed from flowing and natural movement sequences and only subtly emphasize accents and prominent points only discreetly, so that the liveliness of the music is created and preserved, but does not sound artificial.

A first partial listening impression had indicated a certain roughness in the technical realization. This may be due to the fact that Israelievitch was only able to make the last recordings with cancer in its final stages under great pain. Fortunately, this was not confirmed over the longer distance. It is therefore all the more wonderful to hear this sound document, in which the strain is not audible, from a musician who was highly regarded on the North American continent in his day.

This overview also illustrates the development of Mozart’s compositional process. He wrote piano sonatas with an accompanying violin from the title onwards, but in his later works attributed ever greater and more important parts to the string instrument in the direction of a true duo.

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Recorded on June 19, 2024 at Toronto’s Imagine Sound Studios and with producer David Jaeger overseeing the session, the sixty-five-minute recording isn’t presented chronologically as it begins with the fifth in the series and ends with the first, which is considerably longer than the others at twenty-four minutes. It’s interesting that it’s sequenced last, however, when many of its themes re-emerge as foundations for the other parts of the suite, and interesting too is the fact that each part has a different tonal centre, beginning with C for the first, D for the second, and leading up to B for the seventh.

True to the spirit of minimalism, looping patterns effectively evoke the fluid flow of water. Yet while the parts share that aspect, each registers as a distinct statement when variations in tempo, dynamics, and tone are utilized; as Horvat states, “After all, some rivers are long, some are short, some have rapids, and some have calm water.” As Heraclitus famously stated, it’s ever-changing (other Pre-Socratic philosophers noted the flux of reality too), yet at the same time consistent rhythm patterns emerge. However seamlessly More Rivers aligns itself to the minimalism genre, it’s no Glass or Reich imitation; in fact, aside from its looping structures and pulsation, the material sidesteps such simple categorizing when its melodic, textural, and tonal reach is so rich. Even so, the gestures of minimalism pair naturally with the work’s concept when the experience of being immersed in water can induce a meditative, even consciousness-altering state akin to the general effect of classical minimalism.

Each part ebbs and flows in its own way and in accordance with its own nature. Sunlight patterns seem to glint off the water’s lilting surface as the suite gets underway with “More Rivers 5,” upper notes sparkling incandescently as lower accents establish counterpoint. The music’s motion grows relaxing as one surrenders to its push and pull; testifying to its mercurial nature, a coda shifts the presentation into a higher velocity and alters the patterns between the hands. Hypnotic too is the subsequent “More Rivers 4” for the pairing of its triplet-and single note combinations above and its spidery pattern-making below. “More Rivers 3” separates itself from the opening parts in deploying patterns that flutter like butterflies and nimbly dance; similar to the first part, a dramatic change occurs midway through when animation gives way to lyrical languor, even if the energized attack quickly reinstates itself every time it happens.

“More Rivers 2” chimes sweetly, though a strain of plaintive melancholy infuses it with brooding; it’s also long enough at twelve minutes to accommodate gradual transformations, with the music sweeping in density and volume here and pivoting to oceanic clusters there. The shorter sixth and seventh parts let one catch one’s breath before the odyssey that is “More Rivers 1” arrives. Carrying a “for Ann” dedication, the movement is a long-form rhapsody that advances through a series of modulations and contrasts in dynamics, the material unfolding in a tender hush at one moment and resounding grandly at another. A heartfelt quality permeates this expressive performance that conveys the pianist’s depth of feeling for Southam and Horvat’s sincere affection for his late colleague. With the music slowing and growing ever more gentle, the closing minutes of the performance are particularly exquisite.About Southam’s Rivers, Petrowska Quilico states, “There’s a fluid and unpredictable counterpoint to the music, reflecting the rushing cascades, luxuriant eddies, and meditative stillness in the music, which alternates between large kinetic strokes and delicately detailed duets.” After listening to More Rivers, one could be convinced that the pianist was speaking about Horvat’s creation. As a conduit for his music, Petrowska Quilico shows herself to be as adroit an interpreter as she was for Southam when the performances on More Rivers feel very much as if his sensibility is speaking through her. Let’s not forget that there’s an environmental dimension to the project too, with both composer and interpreter keenly aware of the impact of climate change on the planet’s oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers. That’s certainly one of the things worth reflecting upon as the album’s beguiling music floods the listening space.

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While the 12 Nocturnes may be the centrepiece of the recording, particularly the tenth which lends the album its name, and the other nocturnes are spectacular as well. For example, the enormously uplifting second, A Blessing, the sixth, Forget the Day and the ninth Lament for the People of Ukraine, are all especially impactful. With Jaeger’s nocturnes we are treated to the composer’s sublime grasp of the form, and enthralled by Petrowska Quilico’s performance.

Her treatment of the other pieces is absolutely scintillating too. Tom Takemitsu’ s Les Yeux Clos is other-worldly-ethereal, and Henryk Görecki’s Intermezzo is longlimbed and beautiful. Meanwhile Gorecki’ s superb, crepuscular Lullaby is evocative (as an angular contrafact) of Mozart’s Twelve Variations on Ah vous dirai-je, Maman, albeit darker in colour.

Jaeger also gets high marks as session producer of this recording.

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David Jaeger: Chamber Works for Viola, Carol Gimbel, viola; Marina Poplavskaya, mezzo-soprano; Cullan Bryant, piano (Navona)

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David Jaeger: Chamber Music for Viola
Navona Records

2023 is shaping up to be quite the year for Canadian composer David Jaeger. Consider: in March Elizabeth Reid issued a superb collection of his viola music on Redshift Records, and now another set of chamber pieces for the instrument has appeared on Navona. Adding to the abundance, Duo Cavatine’s just-released Nuages couples a Jaeger work with sonatas for cello and piano by Francis Poulenc and Alfred Schnittke. Even if the Wisconsin born-and-raised Jaeger (b. 1947) hadn’t established himself as a composer, his place in Canadian music history would be secure for two other accomplishments, as a founding member of the pioneering Canadian Electronic Ensemble (CEE) and as the radio music producer for CBC’s contemporary music program Two New Hours, which ran from 1978 to 2007. Testifying to the contributions he’s made, Jaeger was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2018.

Chamber Music for Viola is a fitting complement to Reid’s release in featuring works for solo viola and pieces for viola and piano; enhancing the appeal of the Navona release is its closing setting, which adds a mezzo-soprano to the instrumental pair. Many of the works’ movements are so concise, they could be deemed miniatures, yet that in no way argues against them. Reflecting the broad scope of his interests (inspiration often comes from poetry and the visual arts), ample ground is explored in a recording that flatters both composer and performers.

If he seems particularly drawn to writing for the viola, it might have something to do with the fact that as a boy he found his mother’s instrument hidden in the closet (she’d put it aside once her six children began appearing) and thereafter became drawn to its expressive sound. His output currently boasts eighteen viola compositions, and there’s no reason to think won’t be more. NYC-based violist Carol Gimbel, who met Jaeger in Toronto in 2009, is the primary voice on the recording, with her duo partner, the superb pianist Cullan Bryant, accompanying her on three of the five works. Metropolitan Opera star Marina Poplavskaya joins them on Three Songs, the work significant also for using poems by Gimbel as the texts. Captivated by the musical quality of her poetry, Jaeger persuaded her to let him set some of it to music, Three Songs the memorable result. Ever responsive to the words, Poplavskaya brings the material to life with thoughtfully calibrated emotional shadings and vocal inflections, be it the mischievous devilry of “The Teeny Tiny” or the chromatic sinuousness of “The Mystical Man” (which could be mistaken for a song by one of the composers associated with the Second Viennese School).

Commissioned by Gimbel and Bryant, Jaeger’s Sonata no. 2 for viola and piano was composed in 2022 and draws melodically from art songs set to poems by the Scottish writer David Cameron. As in the pieces that follow, the sonata’s four movements are marked by extreme contrasts in style and tone. Also like the other four, the work finds Jaeger operating within traditional musical idioms but refracting them through his idiosyncratic sensibility. Initially steeped in darkness and foreboding, the opening movement “With a certain abandon” eventually wrests itself free of its demons to emerge into spiritually replenishing air. Whereas “Quasi scherzo” and “Vivo” are spirited and playful, “Penseroso” is intensely introspective. Contrast is even more pronounced in the subsequent Diptych for viola and piano, the “Lament” dolorous, “Defiance” militant and proud.

A Gimbel poem also served as an inspiration of sorts for White Moon Legend for solo viola as the emotional tone of its closing verse helped Jaeger shape the material and develop its melodic character. In the recording’s first of two unaccompanied performances, Gimbel commands attention as she advances methodically through probing episodes of yearning and mystery. The second, Six Miniatures on Poems by David Cameron, illuminates material by the Scottish poet, each setting distilling into evocative musical form his verses. “Evening” and “For Winter” exude affection for the coldest of seasons, “Conjuring” heartfelt longing, and “Gifts” a lyrical quality in its arcing viola figures.

The Jaeger work on the Duo Cavatine release, Constable’s Clouds, is also unaccompanied, though this one’s performed by cellist Noémie Raymond-Friset (the piece appears on Reid’s Conjuring as Constable and the Spirit of the Clouds in an arrangement for viola and electronic soundtrack). As mentioned, it’s one of three works performed by the Montreal-based Duo Cavatine, which couples her with pianist Michel-Alexandre Broekaert. Nuages arrives eleven years after they met as students at the University of Montréal and saw their shared passion for chamber music blossom into a formal collaboration. The two named their partnership after the slow movement from Poulenc’s Sonata for cello and piano, FP 143, one of their favourite pieces, the first they learned together, and the opening work on the recording. Jaeger’s also credited as producer of the release, which was recorded at CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto during August 2019 and joins CellOpéra, a recording featuring adaptations of opera arias for cello and piano, in their nascent discography.

First sketched in 1940 and finally completed eight years later, Poulenc’s sonata might seem conservative when compared to the seismically disruptive material Stravinsky and Schoenberg created earlier, but there’s no denying its charm. The melodic allure of the work’s opening allegro is strong, and the duo illuminates the French composer’s elegant material with an impassioned treatment. The impish middle section is beguiling, though much the same could be said about the movement’s romantic sections too. There’s also no denying the poetic beauty of the dignified “Cavatine,” which receives an eloquent reading. Effervescent by comparison is the nimble “Ballabile”; the “Finale,” on the other hand, concludes the work on a high with dramatic flourishes, enticing melodic gestures, and virtuosic interplay.

Inspired by the series of Cloud Studies paintings produced by John Constable, Constable’s Clouds provides an effective stop-gap between the multi-movement works. Much as drifting clouds present limitless variations of shape and texture, so too does the musical content in the Jaeger work. Raymond-Friset, who delivered the premiere of the work in Toronto, gives it a powerful run-through marked by extreme contrasts in dynamics, technique, and expression—moving between bowing and plucking, the performance is lyrical and delicate one moment, biting and aggressive the next. Schnittke departs from conventional sonata form in opening his sonata—premiered in 1979 by pianist Vasily Lobanov and the work’s dedicatee, cellist Natalia Gutman—with a sombre “Largo” and following it with a furiously executed central movement the duo calls “cataclysmic and vengeful” but which could also be deemed seething and macabre. Without pause, a second “Largo” takes over, this longer meditation the more elegiac, mournful, and haunting of the two. The technical challenges posed by the work are considerable—the central movement especially—but the musical partners acquit themselves admirably. Nuages is so satisfying a listen, it makes one eager to hear CellOpéra to see what Raymond-Friset and Broekaert have done with material by Wagner, Puccini, Bellini, Gershwin, and others.

August 2023

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