Ojai Festival

I went to Ojai over the weekend to catch the last concert of the modern
music festival. It consisted of Robert Schumann Quartet in E flat for
Piano and Strings, Op. 44 and Magnus Lindberg's "Kraft" for orchestra
and ensemble.

The program seemed highly unsatisfying to this listener . From the
opening thin sounding string quartet to the final tutti chords all I
could think about was how much more sound one violin could make playing
blue grass.

The string quartet amplified the piano's 12 ET clearly. I couldn't
shake the feeling that the 12 ET string intonation was a cop out for
lack of rehersal time. I didn't feel any of the passion when a sound
jells.

There was a lot of gesturing. Olli Mustonen the pianist threw his head
and arms at the cadences. The first violinist also bobbed up and down
which was reassuring from my position on the lawn. I have a feeling it
might have sounded better from where they were.

Perhaps I didn't understand what this piece was doing hogging the first
half of the concert with a whole symphony orchestra sitting in the
wings. But then, after the orchestra came on stage after intermission,
things didn't really improve (sonically).

Kraft occupied the second half of the concert and consisted of a lot of
percussion sounds mixed with electronics and an orchestra imitating
percussion and electronic sounds. A lot of ponticello, brass
glissandos, bass drum rolls, short tutti bursts, bassoon growling etc.
In other words, very little pitch. And no pitch for pitch sake.

The strong point of the piece was its masterful form The program notes
call Linberg's compositional technique "cinematic" which was apt. It's
use of silence helped because there is always so much ambient noise to
appreciate at an outdoor concert. Members of the wind and brass
sections of the orchestra and percussionists of the Toimii ensemble
moved into the audience seemed responsive to the environment and the
moment. The conducting by Esa-Pekka Salonen and playing by both the
Toimii ensemble and the LA Phil were virtuosic.

The LA Times review by Mark Swed glowed on and on about the concert, the
music and the festival. I'm glad I went just to see for myself the
straights modern music is in. Paul Griffith look out.

RT