New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-23)

82 new york | december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020

year in culture / the critics

1.

Dialogues des Carmélites

With Isabel Leonard as the

snowy-souled Blanche and

Karita Mattila as the raging

prioress, the return of Poulenc’s

(almost) all-nun opera would

have been pretty transcendent

even without any additional

virtues. But Yannick Nézet-

Séguin’s presence on the podium

made it downright celestial.

2.

Fire in My Mouth

With a composer’s gifts and

a historian’s soul, Julia Wolfe

has hammered the story of

the American worker into

musical shape. She has written

choral elegies to Appalachian

steel drivers, Pennsylvania

coal miners, and, in her latest

multimedia blockbuster, the

toiling immigrant seamstresses

who died in the Triangle

Shirtwaist Factory fire. An

intensely expressive monument

to loss, labor, and political rage,

Fire in My Mouth received an

incandescent world premiere

from the New York Philharmonic

(which later released a non-

multimedia recording).

in a free happy-hour concert

at Lincoln Center’s Rubenstein

Atrium, the Attacca Quartet

formed a bond with a quietly

original composer who surely

has an opera somewhere on her

to-do list. Shaw, who won the

Pulitzer Prize in 20 13, writes

music that feels fresh but displays

a command of old-fashioned

virtues, among them a finely

calibrated ear for how harmony

can simultaneously flow and

support a musical structure,

like an amalgam of water and

steel. She also displays a love of

language and a keen sense of how

specific voices work, including

her own surprising soprano.

6.

Akhnaten

Philip Glass’s 36-year-old

opera finally floated into the

Met on a cloud of blissed-out

anticipation. Part of that was

owed to countertenor Anthony

Roth Costanzo, who is as gifted a

showman and marketer as he is a

singer. Glassians knew what not to

expect: arias, action, relationships,

conflict, or even a comprehensible

libretto. Instead, director Phelim

McDermott turned the honeyed

THE TEN BEST

CLASSICAL

PERFORMANCES

OF THE YEAR

By justin davidson

3.

Thomas Adès’s Piano

Concerto

When the British composer shows

up at your doorstep carrying a big

toolbox and promising to fix up a

creaky old genre, know that he’ll

leave it a bit like the DeLorean

time machine: dazzling, weirdly

familiar, and irresistibly warped.

The seemingly 20-fingered pianist

Kirill Gerstein premiered Adès’s

new concerto at Carnegie Hall with

the Boston Symphony Orchestra—

an evening of pleasurable delirium.

4.

Porgy and Bess

Every staging of the Gershwins’

1935 opera feels as if it’s

assembling an argument out of

old grief and current trends. The

Met’s new production places

the story squarely in the past,

but the cast—Eric Owens and

Angel Blue, to spotlight just

two members of a standout

troupe—testify to the current

opera world’s deep reservoir

of African-American talent.

5.

Caroline Shaw and the

Attacca Quartet

On the 2019 album Orange and

score into an interpretive juggling

act, a pageant of costumes and

crowns, and an argument for

transcendent superficiality.

7.

Der Ring des Nibelungen

In Wagner’s epic of greed, family

loyalty, and betrayal, Brünnhilde

is the disappointing daughter, the

warrior paralyzed by an eon of

solitary confinement. But when

Christine Goerke sang the role

in the Met’s latest Ring cycle,

the character’s downfall was the

singer’s triumph. It’s a punishing

part, full of hollering and heroics

as well as stretches of intimate

regret. Those of us lucky enough

to hear Goerke in her prime will

treasure the memory until we

become insufferably nostalgic.

8.

The Black Clown

Davóne Tines, a bass-baritone

with the dark and glossy timbre of

a bass clarinet, is the sort of singer

who ex cites old-guard audiences

and young composers at the same

time. Tines spent nearly a decade

co-creating (with composer

Michael Schachter) and singing

in The Black Clown, a stage work

of uncertain genre based on the

poetry of Langston Hughes, which

galvanized this past summer’s

Mostly Mozart Festival. It was

a drawn-out sizzle reel, proving

Tines is equally comfortable

singing a gospel melody, some

sweaty blues, or a Baroque aria.

9.

Giuseppe Verdi,

Requiem

For his first American appearance,

the Greek-Russian conductor

Teodor Currentzis brought his

own orchestra and chorus from

Siberia, because what Western

ensemble would tolerate his

nano-managerial style, which

specifies the duration of every

staccato? The result was a

performance so manically

controlled, so suffused with high-

precision uplift and catharsis, it

was hard to believe it was real.

10.

Vienna Philharmonic

The conductor Michael Tilson

Thomas has spent much of his

career dismantling the orchestral

world’s conventions and the rest

of it building them back up. He

re turned to Carnegie Hall at

the head of one of the world’s

most traditional ensembles

to play Mahler’s Ninth, the

last completed symphony of

a composer whose radicalism

long ago went mainstream.

Spacious, glimmering, and

grand, the performance

demonstrated how satisfying it

can be when the re volutionary

and the re vanchist merge. PHOTOGRAPHS: KAREN ALMOND/MET OPERA (AKHNATEN); MAGGIE HALL (BLACK CLOWN); KEN HOWARD/MET OPERA (PORGY AND BESS AND DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES)

ADVANCED FORM

TRANSMITTED

________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC

2619CR_YIC_section_lay [Print]_36372551.indd 82 12/17/19 2:33 PM

82 newyork| december23,2019–january5, 2020

year in culture / the critics

1. DialoguesdesCarmélites
   WithIsabelLeonardasthe
   snowy-souledBlancheand
   KaritaMattilaastheraging
   prioress,thereturnofPoulenc’s
   (almost)all-nunopera would
   havebeenprettytranscendent
   evenwithoutany additional
   virtues.ButYannickNézet-
   Séguin’spresenceonthepodium
   madeit downrightcelestial.


2. 
   

   FireinMyMouth
   Witha composer’s giftsand
   a historian’s soul,JuliaWolfe
   hashammeredthestoryof
   theAmericanworkerinto
   musicalshape.Shehaswritten
   choralelegiestoAppalachian
   steeldrivers,Pennsylvania
   coalminers,and,inherlatest
   multimediablockbuster, the
   toilingimmigrantseamstresses
   whodiedintheTriangle
   ShirtwaistFactoryfire.An
   intenselyexpressivemonument
   toloss,labor,andpoliticalrage,
   Fire inMy Mouthreceivedan
   incandescentworldpremiere
   fromtheNew YorkPhilharmonic
   (whichlaterreleaseda non-
   multimediarecording).

   
   

ina freehappy-hourconcert

atLincolnCenter’s Rubenstein

Atrium,theAttaccaQuartet

formeda bondwitha quietly

originalcomposerwhosurely

hasanoperasomewhereonher

to-dolist.Shaw,whowonthe

PulitzerPrizein 20 13,writes

musicthatfeelsfreshbutdisplays

a commandofold-fashioned

virtues,amongthema finely

calibratedearforhowharmony

cansimultaneouslyflowand

supporta musicalstructure,

likeanamalgamofwaterand

steel.Shealsodisplaysa loveof

languageanda keensenseofhow

specificvoiceswork,including

herownsurprisingsoprano.

6.

Akhnaten

PhilipGlass’s36-year-old

operafinallyfloatedintothe

Met ona cloudofblissed-out

anticipation.Partofthat was

owedtocountertenorAnthony

RothCostanzo,whois asgifteda

showmanandmarketerasheis a

singer. Glassiansknew whatnotto

expect: arias,action,relationships,

conflict, orevena comprehensible

libretto.Instead,directorPhelim

McDermott turnedthehoneyed

THE TEN BEST

CLASSICAL

PERFORMANCES

OF THE YEAR

Byjustindavidson

3.

ThomasAdès’sPiano

Concerto

WhentheBritishcomposershows

upatyourdoorstepcarryinga big

toolboxandpromisingtofix upa

creaky oldgenre,knowthat he’ll

leaveit a bitlike theDeLorean

timemachine:dazzling,weirdly

familiar,andirresistiblywarped.

Theseemingly20-fingeredpianist

KirillGersteinpremieredAdès’s

newconcertoat CarnegieHallwith

theBostonSymphony Orchestra—

aneveningofpleasurabledelirium.

4.

PorgyandBess

EverystagingoftheGershwins’

1935 operafeelsasif it’s

assemblinganargumentoutof

oldgriefandcurrenttrends.The

Met’snew productionplaces

thestory squarelyinthepast,

butthecast—EricOwensand

AngelBlue,tospotlightjust

twomembersofa standout

trou tify t

oper ’s de

ofAfrican-Americantalent.

5.

CarolineShawandthe

AttaccaQuartet

Onthe 2019 albumOrangeand

score into an interpretive juggling

act, a pageant of costumes and

crowns, and an argument for

transcendent superficiality.

7.

Der Ring des Nibelungen

In Wagner’s epic of greed, family

loyalty, and betrayal, Brünnhilde

is the disappointing daughter, the

warrior paralyzed by an eon of

solitary confinement. But when

Christine Goerke sang the role

in the Met’s latest Ring cycle,

the character’s downfall was the

singer’s triumph. It’s a punishing

part, full of hollering and heroics

as well as stretches of intimate

regret. Those of us lucky enough

to hear Goerke in her prime will

treasurethememory untilwe

becomeinsufferablynostalgic.

8.

TheBlackClown

DavóneTines,a bass-baritone

withthedarkandglossytimbreof

a bassclarinet,is thesort ofsinger

whoex citesold-guard audiences

andyoungcomposersatthesame

time.Tinesspentnearlya decade

co-creating(withcomposer

MichaelSchachter)andsinging

inTheBlackClown,a stagework

ofuncertaingenrebasedonthe

poetry ofLangstonHughes,which

galvanizedthispast summer’s

MostlyMozartFestival.It was

a drawn-outsizzlereel,proving

Tinesis equallycomfortable

singinga gospelmelody, some

sweaty blues,ora Baroquearia.

9.

GiuseppeVerdi,

Requiem

ForhisfirstAmericanappearance,

theGreek-Russianconductor

TeodorCurrentzisbroughthis

ownorchestraandchorusfrom

Siberia,becausewhatWestern

ensemblewouldtoleratehis

nano-managerialstyle,which

specifiesthedurationofevery

staccato?Theresultwasa

performancesomanically

controlled,sosuffusedwithhigh-

precisionuplift andcatharsis,it

washardtobelieveit wasreal.

10.

ViennaPhilharmonic

TheconductorMichaelTilson

Thomashasspentmuchofhis

careerdismantlingtheorchestral

world’s conventionsandtherest

ofit buildingthembackup.He

re turnedtoCarnegieHallat

theheadofoneoftheworld’s

mosttraditionalensembles

toplayMahler’sNinth,the

lastcompletedsymphony of

a composerwhoseradicalism

longagowentmainstream.

Spacious,glimmering,and

grand,theperformance

demonstratedhowsatisfyingit

canbewhenthere volutionary

andthere vanchistmerge. PHOTOGRAPHS: KAREN ALMOND/MET OPERA (AKHNATEN); MAGGIE HALL (BLACK CLOWN); KEN HOWARD/MET OPERA (PORGY AND BESS AND DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES)