Love fest at the National Symphony

Seong-Jin Cho takes his seat to begin Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

The Kennedy Center was hopping Friday night with Chinese dance and music in the Opera House, tick, tick ...BOOM! at the Eisenhower Theater, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Concert Hall and plenty of ushers to smile, greet us, and answer questions like, "which way to the opera?" "The Symphony?"

At the Concert Hall, I was fortunate in my wretched seat (first tier, against the wall's perimeter) to be caddy-corner from a fellow on the row in front of me whose head bobbed up and down, like maestro Gianandrea Noseda's baton, affording me a milli-second glimpse every so often of the guest pianist Seong-Jin Cho playing Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58.

Seong-Jin Cho returns to the stage again and a standing ovation, followed by conductor Noseda/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

Before Cho finished Beethoven, the head of the man in front of me at last settled at a right angle and did not move until roused by the applause at the end which afforded me a long-awaited few moments of actual sighting of Mr. Cho whose fingers naturally were obscured from my view and hidden by the piano.

The piece thrilled the sold-out crowd, calling Mr. Cho back for five (or six? I lost count) returns to the stage where, at last, he sat down for one more time to play a bit of, was it Mozart?

It was a dreadful seat I had.

Once at Strathmore for the Baltimore Symphony, when I had one of those seats high up against the wall on the perimeter of the hall, I asked for another seat at intermission and got one! (This has worked for me every time on Broadway when two-ton Harry sits in front of you and your view is hidden. I tell you stage managers do a very good job!)

I had waited until the last minute to buy a ticket for the National Symphony and there were few tickets left. My fault.

My dreadful seat ($45.71) allowed me to see half the stage, smashed up against the wall, but, after all, we go for the sound, right? and not the visuals, but seeing is believing and sights do help!

You know the seats: The ones you spot when you look up from the orchestra level and are always thankful it's them and not you sitting up there, only able to see half the stage.

All three of the pieces on the program were huge hits and it was hard to judge which was the crowd favorite, but let me just say, they all were.

I went for the Shostakovich.

Conductor Noseda and composer-in-residence Carlos Simon at the conclusion of Simon's Wake Up!/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

Conductor Noseda and composer-in-residence Carlos Simon bow their heads to receive the audience's applause at the conclusion of Simon's Wake Up!/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

The evening began with the stirring Wake Up!, a NSO co-commission and the NSO premiere with the composer-in-residence, Carlos Simon, on hand to receive ongoing applause from the wildly enthusiastic audience. Mr. Cho followed before intermission.

Conductor Gianandrea Noseda recognizes members of the National Symphony at  the conclusion of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

But, truly, truly, I say unto you that the Washington, D.C. Symphony audience is madly in love with conductor Gianandrea Noseda who seems to sincerely enjoy the accolades thrust upon him and who wouldn't?

He was awarded with nonstop standing ovations and applause which drew him back three times to the stage after he finished Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony which the orchestra pounded out in militaristic style. (Take that, Stalin and Putin!)

Although the QR code was available for a digital-ugh-program, the ushers upstairs distributed printed programs to the welcoming crowd. (Thank you very much, ushers! Maybe I should not complain so much about upper-level seating where we can get printed - mon Dieu! - programs!)

What a night it was!

More! More! Please play and program more like last weekend!

Rock on, National Symphony!

Next up: The National Symphony Orchestra with Audra McDonald, Jan. 30 and Jan. 31, 8 p.m., Kennedy Center

The view from Tier I while standing/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024

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Marvelous 'Marvin Gaye' at the Kennedy Center

Luke James at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Derek Baker

Luke James singing Marvin Gaye and Emily King as Tammi Terrell were gettin' it on last night, singing and rockin' in the outstanding Marvin Gaye tribute at the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall, all the while tantalizing each other with "Your Precious Love" while the audience clicked their fingers in time with the music.

With a 360-degree spin while he squatted, James awed the audience with more than song. 

With sensual fast choreography of fancy dips, dives and moves, James' and King's duet got me so hot I had to remove my jacket. Indeed, their "precious love" was sent from above for the crowd! 

Joshua Henry and Michelle Williams at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Derek Baker

They were just two of the stunning stars who sang Gaye's hits for the sold-out audience who moved and grooved at the show What's Going On Now in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gaye's album of the same name.

Leading the National Symphony was the energetic principal pops conductor Steven Reineke, another crowd favorite, who performed, too, happy as those lucky enough to get seats for the sold-out show. 

He swayed and smiled all night with the other Grammy artists Joshua Henry, Cory Henry, Michelle Williams, and Bilal who all seemed honored to be on stage, part of the knockout set singing and moving with each other to Gaye's enormously enduring tunes captured on the album ranked  Number One in 2020 by Rolling Stone of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Joshua Henry and King got the night rolling with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" followed by "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with Henry's mastery of the high notes like those of a soprano.

Spectacular woodwinds at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Derek Baker

Back and forth in the first half of duets, the males took turns to sing with either Williams or King the enduring Gaye-Terrell songs like "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," "You're All I Need to Get By," and "California Soul."

The second half of the show was reserved for more serious lyrics and solos ("Inner City Blues" was one), joined by the Symphony's basses and cellos brought to stage left for the evening's title "What's Going On" which James delivered in authentic Gaye style.

Cory Henry accompanied himself on piano in "God is Love." And there was more. 

At show's end, performers salute principal pops conductor Steven Reineke at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Derek Baker

Members of the National Symphony seemed to love it all, too, smiling and pumping their feet. The bongo musician never stopped; the sax players' and flutist's seating on the front row, facing the audience, emphasized their key roles. 

Rounding out the night was a trio of backup singers who never left the stage. 

Emily King, left, with the backup singers at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Patricia Leslie

Except for Williams and James in bright tangerine and red, most of those onstage were decked in black. Or, sparkly jeans (James). And orange (Cory Henry).

Between some numbers, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the Kennedy Center's social impact director, offered commentary echoed by poets and writers like Antonio Malik, dressed in a bright yellow suit, and Sasa AAkil who came on stage and, with a soft piano background, recited works reflective of the sad times in which we live, but where there's life, there's hope for better days. 

Gaye's prescient "Mercy, Mercy Me" about the deplorable state of the environment penned 50 years ago was not to be forgotten with lyrics still ringing true today:

Woah, ah, mercy, mercy me
Ah, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north and south and east

Woah mercy, mercy me, yeah
Ah, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury

Oh Jesus, yeah, mercy, mercy me, ah
Ah, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)
Radiation underground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying

Hey, mercy, mercy me, oh
Hey, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can she stand?

Wikipedia quotes Gaye : 

In 1969 or 1970, I began to re-evaluate my whole concept of what I wanted my music to say ... I was very much affected by letters my brother was sending me from Vietnam, as well as the social situation here at home. I realized that I had to put my own fantasies behind me if I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.

What a night!  And a memory!  My only regret is my lack of a ticket for tonight's show, another sellout, to hear the songs of a hometown boy who done good.

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Gen. Colin Powell at the Kennedy Center last month

General Colin Powell at the Kennedy Center, Sept. 10, 2021/Photo by Patricia Leslie

General Colin Powell at the Kennedy Center, Sept. 10, 2021/Photo by Patricia Leslie

He was one of the special guests who welcomed the "sold-out" audience to the Kennedy Center in a concert to honor first responders of the September 11 and covid tragedies, the victims and their families. 

If General Powell were sick or ailing then, he covered his illness well. He paid respects to the evening's honorees and  spoke briefly about his upbringing in the Bronx, saying his greatest thrill was having 13 American elementary schools named after him.  That number will most assuredly grow.  

Thank you, General Powell, for your service to the United States and for your stable control and guidance during periods of national tragedy.  

Who can match him now?

See more of the September 10 evening here.

General Colin Powell at the Kennedy Center, Sept. 10, 2021/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The National Symphony Orchestra and "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band performed at the Kennedy Center, Sept. 10, 2021/Photo by Patricia Leslie

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A 'concert of remembrance' at the Kennedy Center

 

At the Kennedy Center, the conductor of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band  led the Star Spangled Banner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 

It's hard to know where to start since there were so many outstanding pieces at the Concert of Remembrance Friday night at the Kennedy Center, but any program with Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man is a certain draw.  That performance by the National Symphony Orchestra under the tutelage of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda stood no chance of anything but "marvelous," "magnificent," "outstanding," and more since that is what the night brought in remembrance of September 11, its heroes and those of covid and all the victims of whom Dr. Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health (which he called the "National Institutes of Hope") reminded us.

"The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band joined the NSO to open the evening with a thunderous Star Spangled Banner.

The conductor of "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band also led America, the Beautiful at the Kennedy Center/Photo by Patricia Leslie

General Colin Powell at the Kennedy Center's Concert of Remembrance said  having 13 elementary and middle schools named after him gives him immense pleasure/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Dr. Francis Collins from the National Institutes of Health paid tribute to the heroes and victims of September 11 and covid. The Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein introduced Dr. Collins and said the doctor has a rock band, The Affordable Rock 'n' Roll Act/Photo by Patricia Leslie

James Lee III who composed the stunning An Engraved American Mourning which premiered Friday, left the stage at the Kennedy Center before I could take a picture of him from the front. On the right is Maestro Gianandrea Noseda who introduced Mr. Lee/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard is congratulated by Maestro Gianandrea Noseda/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard is congratulated by Maestro Gianandrea Noseda/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The National Symphony Orchestra gets ready to play the Concert of Remembrance at the Kennedy Center/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Concertgoers wait for tickets in the Hall of Nations at the Kennedy Center/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Kennedy Center has hung historic programs and playbills in the shape of a big "50" from the ceilings of its Hall of Nations and Hall of States/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The mezzo-soprano, Isabel Leonard and the NSO mesmerized the house with four Leonard Bernstein selections, my favorite, Take Care of This House, from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue*, a production of which I was unaware, but the lyrics were entrancing, taking me back to last year and the sad preceding times since 2016 when "this house" was occupied by a recalcitrant.

Although I can't take West Side Story in any shape, form, or fashion anymore (too overdone), Ms. Leonard's rendition of Somewhere struck a chord in my cold heart, causing me to wonder for a few seconds about my objection. Still, I can hear Ms. Leonard. 

Other Bernstein selections were Greeting and Lonely Town.

You had to wonder who was in charge of the evening's program since some choices didn't seem to promote the night's message, likely because I was unfamiliar with Mother and Child by William Grant Still, sweet dullness that it was.

In addition to Copland and This House, my top three included James Lee III's NSO-commissioned An Engraved American Mourning which premiered Friday. Stunning in its absolute accurate portrayal of the wrenching emotions we endured that terrible day beginning with sad horns, the tension and bombastic percussion clashes, strong participation by the xylophonist followed by "sirens" and bells, to close with a harpist's strings on a rainbow of hope on a clear sky.  

The evening featured more bells, at least double the number  of any performance I have attended. It was the time.

Both orchestras joined to splendidly present This Land, God of Our Fathers, and America, the Beautiful to send us out on a high note in search of national unity. (Once Irving Berlin's God Bless America sufficiently separates itself from Kate Smith, or the PC tide rolls differently, that song may rejoin the retinue of national hymns.) 

Also on the program was a poem, Dispatches from Radar Hill by Angela Trudell Vasquez, read by Shirley Riggsbee.

* It's no wonder the title is unfamiliar: According to  Wikipedia, its reputation is chiefly as "a legendary Broadway flop." It lasted only seven shows, and sadly, was Leonard Bernstein's last Broadway score. It played briefly at the Kennedy Center in 1992.  

Take care of this house

 be always on call,

 for this house is the home of us all.

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Noseda and the National Symphony

Gianandrea Noseda from his website


The performance on Saturday night was too good to pass up when circumstances took me to the Kennedy Center for the second time that day (after the ballet) and the opportunity to hear and see the National Symphony Orchestra again. 

At 7 p.m. I found myself stationed at the box office where indeed a last-minute ticket for another performance by the NSO awaited my purchase.

The Saturday presentation was as good as Thursday's, beginning with Ottorino Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, followed by my favorite composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, whose Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini I listen to now while writing this.

Francesco Piemontesi by Marco Borggreve

Making the debut in the second part of the program was Alfredo Casella's Symphony No. 2 in C minor, marvelous in every respect with especial adoration of the forces Casella composed, resurrected by conductor Gianandrea Noseda in 2010, the piece long languishing in music archives, according to notes in the program.

For my Saturday Symphony seatmates, neither of whom I knew, I was unable to restrain my enthusiasm and tipped them to the glorious earful which was coming in the second act. 

One seatmate said Casella was unknown to him, as I imagine he was to most in the audience. 

The other seatmate I may have frightened since she, a Latina, was either scared by my gushiness or may not have spoken English, since she smiled and looked at me in astonishment, never saying a word, but what does it matter when the international language of music speaks to us all?

I know she was not deaf. 

Maestro Noseda, 55, and guest artist Francesco Piemontesi, 35, received rapturous applause from audiences both nights, and it was odd, at least to me, that the conductor changed his introductory remarks from Thursday to Saturday, but this was not church, after all, where the preacher repeats his sermon from one service to the next to the next. (Thursday night Maestro talked about the "Italian connection." Saturday night? I have forgotten. It is a shame.)

(For encores demanded by both audiences at the conclusion of Rachmaninoff, Mr. Piemontesi played Clair de Lune on Saturday and a comparatively boring (is this heresy?) Bach (!) on Thursday.)

Given my wont to "explore," at intermission I "chanced" upon what turned out to be a member of the orchestra's technical staff whom I grilled as much as time allowed.  The person said it was common for the maestro to make comments which were never the same and no one knew ahead of time what they would be or if he would even talk!  

But, smiling the whole time, the technician said Maestro was quite beloved, and "you see, don't you?  That I am here listening and not in the back, reading my book like I usually do!"  

We marveled at Mr. Noseda's strength and endurance since he holds current leadership posts in London and Israel and Italy and Zurich and Catalonia and Georgia, and we figured he must reside in an airplane. 

On Thursday night I sat in the second row (B) and lost, I think, about five pounds just watching Mr. Noseda lead, afraid his baton might go sailing, as I have seen that happen.  

But Saturday found me far back in orchestra (row EE), my view of the conductor blocked by the lid of the piano open for Rachmaninoff and Mr. Piemontesi.  Not a heavy burden to suffer.

You see what you missed!  It pays to get out.

patricialesli@gmail.com 

Second City was second rate in D.C.

The cast of Second City in Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand included Tyler Davis, Ross Taylor, Angela Alise, Chucho Perez, Katie Kershaw, and Ryan Asher/Kennedy Center and Second City

This was a comedy?  

That's the way it was billed in the Kennedy Center promotion, but "hilarious" it was not.

With a song about abortions?  

A skit on "Black Heaven"?  

Please. 

We expected comedy, since we were in "the need for a good laugh!" like the promo promised, and/or certainly politics since the Kennedy Center described Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand, "a show that focuses as much on the people as the politics."

Huh?  

Little to nada, except for the standard, tiresome Trump and Steve Bannon jokes.  (Capitol Steps was sold out.)  

The second act was all improv which didn't fare nearly as well as the first act when the cast used a crutch from the audience in the person of Colin from Arlington, 14 going on 16.

If there was a costume designer, that would have been a surprise since apparel was everyday and mundane. Not much in the way of props, other than chairs, and for lighting: lavendar and pink backdrops on patterned windows.

  
This is not to criticize the ability of the actors. Far from it.  I have been lucky enough to attend two of their performances in Chicago which leaves one marveling at the talent and how they pull it off.

   

But at this show, the improv needed improv.

As my friend, Maureen, said:  "When they have to rely on the F-bomb for every other word, you know they've reached their limit." And as for my smart friend, Catherine, whom we ran into before the show started, she left at intermission!

Not worth $67!

Fifteen minutes until Kim Jong-un's missiles reach the U.S. 
Do what you want to do now! And do it fast.  
Like, head for the exit!

Ross Taylor, center, and other cast members from Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand/Kennedy Center and Second City

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International pianists at the Kennedy Center

The hands and arms of Jinseon Lee of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017.  According to program notes, Ms. Lee played Etudes No. 3 and No. 4 by E. Wild (1915-2010)/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

Young pianists from Korea, Italy, and China were on the program last week at the Ninth Annual Washington International Piano Festival held at the Kennedy Center and the Catholic University of America. Faculty members at CUA, Nikita Fitenko and Ivo Kaitchev, founded the Festival in 2009.

Benedetta Conte of Italy at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017, playing Musica ricercata, No. 8 by Ligeti (1923-2006)/Photo by Patricia Leslie 

The Festival's goal is "to provide the best learning experience for everyone by combining an intensive educational program with an outstanding concert series presented by world-class pianists."  More than 50 teachers, pianists, and guest artists participate every year in the week-long festival which offers paying students private lessons, master classes, lectures, workshops, concerts, and receptions.

(Please pardon the poor quality of these photographs, but the Kennedy Center usher made me stand behind the ropes to take pictures, and the distance to the subjects is one reason for the unsatisfactory output.) 

 Subin Hwang of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Appassionata and I, Allegro assai by Beethoven (1770-1827)/Photo by Patricia Leslie 

 Ruiqing Liu of China at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing "Choi was chasing the moon" by J. Wang (b. 1933), the piece which matched the delicate stature of the player/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

Jialin Song of China at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 Pathetique, III. Rondo: Allegro by Beethoven/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Haeun Yim of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Preludes Op. 28/1 and 8 by Chopin (1810-1849), the best selection of the event/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Jae Hu Kim of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Arabesque No. 2 by Debussy (1862-1918) /Photo by Patricia Leslie

Jinseon Lee of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017, playing, according to the program, Etudes No. 3 and No. 4 by E. Wild (1915-2010).  It sounded like she played chords from "The Man I Love" by Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), the most appealing piece to me/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The hands and arms of Jinseon Lee of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

The hands and arms of Jinseon Lee of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

The hands and arms of Jinseon Lee of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

 Laehyung Woo of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Sonata No. 27 in E minor, Op. 90 by Beethoven and Sonata Sz. 80 by Bartok (1881-1945) which seemed the most technically difficult/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The hands and arms of Laehyung Woo of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

The arms of Laehyung Woo of Korea at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017)/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

 Yifu Xu of China at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017), playing Four Pieces from Eight Memories in Watercolor by T. Dun (b. 1957) and Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 by Chopin/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Yifu Xu of China at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017, playing Four Pieces from Eight Memories in Watercolor by T. Dun (b. 1957) and Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39 by Chopin, the most beautiful selection of the evening, at least to me/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen with its black lines

 The contestants at the Ninth Annual International Piano Festival at the Kennedy Center, July 31, 2017/Photo by Patricia Leslie of the enlargement on the large screen
with its black lines

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