Classical Music Forum

Tim Page is the chief classical music critic for The Washington Post and the author or editor of a dozen books, including "Dawn Powell: A Biography," "The Glenn Gould Reader," "The Unknown Sigrid Undset," "William Kapell: A Documentary Life History of the American Pianist" and "Tim Page on Music." He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1997 for his writings about music for the Washington Post.

He has also worked as an artistic adviser (the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra), a radio host (WNYC-FM in New York), a record producer (BMG Catalyst) and, in his younger days, a rock musician and cocktail pianist. A graduate of Columbia University, he lives in Baltimore with his wife, Julieta Stack.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Tim Page: Good afternoon -- and it is a beautiful, cool, overripe late autumn afternoon in Baltimore.

I've been listening to an old recording of "Eugene Onegin" (the one from Stalinist Russia that was recently issued on Naxos) and it suits the day perfectly. The ballroom scene is so extraordinary -- festive pomp and deepest melancholy, heightened to an almost unbearable intensity. And yet the two moods complement, rather than negate, each other.

I'm glad I lived long enough to approach a mature understanding of Tchaikovsky. I loved him as a child, of course -- what child doesn't? -- but then, throughout adolescence (which lasted at least two decades with me) I was somewhat repelled by his blazing emotionalism. I will confess that some of his music still seems a little overblown (that madly effusive production he makes of a simple descending scale in the "Pas de deux" from the "Nutcracker," for example) and I still prefer the first three symphonies, all in all, to the last three. But those melodies! And, as Matthew Arnold might have put it, he lets the "eternal note of sadness in."

Let's see what is on the collective mind today.

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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: I've been of two minds about your review of the "Trovatore" at the Washington Opera. I saw the show and didn't think much of it myself. But was it necessary to be so harsh?

Do you have a vendetta against the Washington Opera?

Tim Page: I'll take this one and the next one together.

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Cincinnati, OH: Tim,

I know this may sound a little strange, but thank you for your review of 'Il trovatore' a couple of weeks ago. As someone who loves the art of music, nothing annoys me more than going to a concert hearing a substandard performance and then reading a review about how perfect the performance was, as though we went to two different concerts. I hope that you will comment on when and how the reviewer became a PR tool of the orchestra and gave up his role as actually reviewing the performance.

Keep up the good work. Thanks.

Tim Page: I'm going to put up one more letter before I address these questions and comments.

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washingtonpost.com: 'Il Trovatore,' Done In By The Advil Chorus By Tim Page, Washington Post Staff Writer, Monday, October 25, 2004

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Washington, D.C.: Tim,
I -loved- your review of Il Trovatore. I get sick and tired of reviewers who are afraid to say anything negative (and yes, there are those on your staff at the Post) so it's like a breath of fresh air to find someone who says something to the effect of: this didn't meet the standards we expect from a company of the caliber of the Washington Opera. Please don't let the naysayers get you down, and continue to speak your mind and voice negative opinions when appropriate!;

Tim Page: I had a feeling my review of "Trovatore" would come up today! It's certainly one of the harshest reviews I've ever written -- and I was called on the carpet in no uncertain terms by a reader in Saturday's paper.

Still, even two weeks after the fact, I feel no regret for the review. I certainly have no vendetta against the Washington Opera -- I raved about its production of "Billy Budd" a couple of months back. But this show struck me as so appallingly bad, on almost every musical and dramatic level, that I felt impelled to denounce it as fiercely as I could.

Why? Out of fairness to Verdi, who should never be mauled that way. Out of concern for the first-time opera-goer, who might think that this was representative of the art and turn off to it forever. And, finally, out of the sense that somebody really had to say something about the standards to which the Washington National Opera sank with this production, probably its worst ever -- and at a top ticket price of $290.

Look, if this had been the "Little Opera Company Down The Street" playing in a church basement, I never would have been so harsh. But the name "Washington National Opera" should stand for something.

To my surprise, my mail has been about 90 percent favorable, and I've heard from several people inside the opera company who think I probably did the company a favor. If my job has any legitimate purpose at all, blowing the whistle on coddled amateurism is something I am not only entitled but required to do.

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Foxboro, Mass: Dear Tim,

Love yr columns. Even purchased yr book of reviews for a christmas present.

Elliott Carter is big in boston this week, even a harvard seminar on his work yesterday. How can one enter this music and appreciate it?

thanks, patrick lyons

Tim Page: Thanks very much for the nice words. I'm grateful that you purchased my book -- probably doubled my Massachusetts royalties!

Elliott Carter is one of those composers who mean a great deal to listeners to whom he means anything at all. I did a long piece on him back in 1998 -- maybe we can link to it? I think his tenacity is extraordinary -- he wrote his first opera in his 90s! -- and his music always sounds both personal and specific. It is rather agitated, gnarly stuff and I confess that I find the work of some other high modernists (Milton Babbitt, for example, or the late Ralph Shapey) more congenial to my own tastes.

For somewhat mysterious reasons, Carter has always had a passionate following in Great Britain. James Levine, who just took over the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is also a Carter admirer and has indicated that he will be playing his music a lot. Those who love Carter's work find in it a rare combination of energy and multiplicity -- for them, he is one of the great American composers.

The usual advice for a novice would be to start at the beginning, and to grow along with Carter. But Carter's early works are actually pretty awful -- bombastic, industrious Americana without the tunes. I might try starting with mid-period works like the Strinq Quartet No. 1 or the Cello Sonata, which are complex but not especially daunting. Or you can just jump in -- try something like the Brass Quintet or the String Quartet No. 3, which are wildly aggressive and full of a manic electricity. I happen to like these pieces -- they offer a wild, bracing ride -- but others find them a massive turn-off.

Like him or not, he's a very serious composer and he was terrifically influential, especially in the third quarter of the 20th century.

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Piano music lover: Hi Tim,
Saw an interesting piece in today's New York Times about a promising young pianist named William Kapell, who died in a plane crash in 1953. It seems a long undiscovered collection of music appears to have surfaced. I've never heard of this guy before. Who was he? Is there much of his work available these days?
Thanks.

Tim Page: I'll take this one with the next question, as they both touch on Kapell.

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washingtonpost.com: AMERICAN COMPOSERS: Elliott Carter A Modernist Master's Energy of Invention By Tim Page, Washington Post Staff Writer, August 9, 1998.

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Chicago, IL: Did you read the article in today's Times about the discovery of some recordings that William Kapell made in Australia? What did you think of his playing?
Thanks

Tim Page: Kapell (1922-1953) was probably the finest "home-grown" pianist America ever produced. He made his name in tempestuous warhorses (Liszt, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff) and became a star in his early 20s. Those early recordings are fine -- boiling over with passion and intelligence -- but he grew more and more interesting as time went by, and he devoted more and more of his time to Bach, Schubert, Mozart and Chopin. By the time he was killed -- in a freakish plane crash just as he was about to touch down in San Francisco -- he was playing more and more beautifully, and distinguishing himself in some of the greatest literature ever written for the piano.

From what I understand, these are late performances, taken off the air during his 1953 tour of Australia. It is likely that they represent the very peak of his artistry. I can't wait to hear them!

In 1987, an Australian performance of the Chopin "Funeral March" Sonata was issued for the first time, and was immediately chosen one of the best recordings of the year, even though it dated back more than 30 years. If what I read in the Times article is correct, this new discovery includes a full three hours of never-before-published Kapell performances, from that last summer of his life.

I may add that I am hardly an unbiased reporter on this particular matter. I published a book in 1992 called "William Kapell: A Documentary Life History of the Great American Pianist." I was shocked to see that Amazon.com wants more than $500 for a second-hand copy of the book! It is, as they say, a rarity!

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Potomac, MD: I have friends in the National Symphony Orchestra and I am hearing strong rumors that Leonard Slatkin is leaving when his contract expires in 2006. What can you tell us?

Tim Page: I've heard the rumors, too -- but I can't tell you anything more than that, and rumors in the music world are notoriously unreliable.

Where would Slatkin go? Who would the NSO bring in? The fact is, he's done a lot of good for the orchestra and I think the NSO board would probably want to look long and hard before breaking up the team. And I can't think of any other orchestra that would be so suited to Slatkin's particular talents as the NSO is.

But who knows? Slatkin's contract runs through 2006 and it has traditionally been renewed late in the game. We'll have to wait and see.

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Arlington, VA: Count me as among those who support your calling-it-as-you see it. I have great respect for Mr. Domingo as a performer (as I know you do), but I think it's long overdue time for some serious examination of his artistic leadership (or lack thereof) both at Washington Opera and in Los Angeles.

Tim Page: Thanks very much for your good words.

The Washington National Opera announced its new season this afternoon; I will post, without comment, their press release:

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November 10, Washington, D.C. - Plácido Domingo, General Director of the Washington National Opera, today announced repertory, singers, conductors, directors, and designers for the company's upcoming 50th Anniversary Season. The golden anniversary season, which runs September 17, 2005 through June 3, 2006 at the Kennedy Center Opera House, will feature seven productions: Verdi's I vespri siciliani, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Wagner's Das Rheingold, Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Mozart's La clemenza di Tito, Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, plus a special celebratory operatic "triple-bill." This season highlight "triple-bill" stars Plácido Domingo, singing five performances of three fully-staged operatic acts: Act II of Giordano's Fedora, Act IV of Verdi's Otello, and a surprise act from another operatic masterpiece. The Washington National Opera will also commemorate this landmark year with a 50th Anniversary Gala Concert on March 19, 2006.
The 50th anniversary season marks the beginning of the company's first Ring Cycle to be directed by acclaimed international director Francesca Zambello and conducted by the company's music director Heinz Fricke. This season also features the company premiere of Gershwin's American classic, Porgy and Bess, also to be staged by Ms. Zambello. In total, the company will mount three new productions, including four company premieres.

At the company's annual press conference on November 10 at the National Press Club, Mr. Domingo commented, "This is a very special time for the Washington National Opera—next season we will be celebrating the company's founding 50 years ago. I'm very excited about the season, it very much reflects the company's adventurous past and the sophisticated audience that has developed here.

"Aside from a star-studded 50th Anniversary Gala—about which we will provide more details later—our season opener will be Verdi's infrequently performed I vespri siciliani. This opera is rarely performed due to the caliber of singers it demands in the four leading roles. I think we have overcome the difficulty by assembling a stellar international cast with soprano Maria Guleghina as Elena, tenor Franco Farina as Arrigo, baritone Lado Ataneli as Monforte, and bass Vitalij Kowaljow as Procida. Paolo Miccichè—remembered here for his Aida and Norma—will direct and design and I'm excited to conduct this fabulous score. There will be seven performances of this opera between September 17 and October 4.

"We might call our second production of the season an experiment—namely three individual acts from three different operas. The idea came to me because I have sung this kind of a fully staged presentation with various companies all over the world, always as a Special Gala. Since next season is a Gala season—celebrating a half century—I thought that offering this kind of Gala program not once but five times would be most appropriate for our festivities. I can tell you that I will sing Act IV of Verdi's Otello with Barbara Frittoli as my Desdemona, and Act II of Giordano's Fedora. As to my other co-stars and what other operatic act I will sing, let it remain a surprise for a short time longer. The performances will occur between September 24 and October 9.

"Our next presentation is one of the great American stage works, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, representing the Washington National Opera's mission to perform and promote American works. The work has become an admired ambassador of American music drama at most of the important European opera houses. The fact that its music has become part of our cultural heritage and is beloved by millions around the world only attests to its greatness. This new production will be staged by Francesca Zambello and conduced by Wayne Marshall. Among the leads are Indira Mahajan as Bess, Angela Simpson as Serena, and Gordon Hawkins as Porgy. There will be ten performances from October 29 through November 19.

"We are very proud to announce that we are beginning our first Ring Cycle which will be directed and conceived by Francesca Zambello. It will be conducted by our music director Heinz Fricke, who will be celebrating an important personal landmark in 2006—his 60th anniversary as a conductor. This team of a great conductor and a great director will produce Das Rheingold for seven performances between March 25 and April 14. The designer will be Michael Yeargan. We hope to have completed the entire Ring Cycle before the end of this decade—and thus have put Washington on the international Ring Festival scene. The cast will feature Elizabeth Bishop as Fricka, Detlef Roth as Donner, Robin Leggate as Loge, Gordon Hawkins as Alberich, Gary Rideout as Mime, and John Marcus Bindel as Fasolt.

"Overlapping with this Wagner opera will be the most lovable of Italian comic operas, Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore with seven performances between April 1 and 17. It will be conducted by Emmanuel Villaume and directed by Stephen Lawless. Soprano Elizabeth Futral is the feisty Adina and tenor Paul Groves is Nemorino, the man pining with love to see "Una furtiva lagrima." Marc Barrard is Sergeant Belcore.

"For our next production we turn to a Mozart rarity—La clemenza di Tito. I say rarity advisedly, because with this opera Mozart returned to the format of opera seria after he had revolutionized opera with the three da Ponte operas, Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, and Così fan tutte. Tito is Mozart's next-to-last opera, coming just before The Magic Flute; and it is an obvious proof that his inspirational genius could work simultaneously in totally different styles. To my mind, this is unparalleled in the history of opera. To interpret the Roman Emperor Titus we have tenor Michael Schade, with Tatiana Pavlovskaya as Vitellia, Marina Domashenko singing the trouser-role of Sesto, Hoo-Ryoung Hwang as Servilia, and Jossie Perez as Annio, another trouser-role. The conductor will be our music director, Maestro Fricke, and the director is Michael Hampe—for a production first seen in Santiago, Chile. There are seven performances between May 6 and 27.

"We finish our season in champagne spirits with Rossini's bubbling comedy L'italiana in Algeri. To bring this bravura music to its fullest glory we have assembled a dream cast—Olga Borodina in the mezzo-coloratura title role and Juan Diego Flórez in the high flying tenor-coloratura role of Lindoro. As Mustafa, the Pasha with the big harem, we have the dashing Ildar Abdrazakov (who happens to be Ms. Borodina's real-life husband). The exciting soprano Lyubov Petrova is Elvira. The opera will be conducted by Riccardo Frizza. There are seven performances between May 13 and 30."

Ticket Information
For subscription information for the 2005-06 season please contact Audience Services at 202.295.2400 or toll-free at 800.US.OPERA, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For groups of ten or more, call 202.295.2445. Renewal packages for the
2005-06 season will be mailed shortly to Washington National Opera subscribers and tickets will go on sale in December. All programs, artists, and dates are subject to change.

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Tim again. Well, I'm interested in most of it. Let's see how the season goes.

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(also) Capitol Hill: I thought maybe you and Philip Kennicott (sp?) had written ghost reviews for one another these past two weeks--yours was unusually harsh, his unusually gentle . . .

Tim Page: Yes, Philip really enjoyed the zarzuela the other night -- quite possibly more than I would have. I was grateful to him for stepping in. While I'm at it, let me thank another Washington Post critic emeritus, Joseph McLellan, for all the times he's come in at the last minute to write up reviews with his customary love and discernment.

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Takoma Park, MD: Hmm. I'm salivating over the new Kapell, too.

Along those lines, what do you think of Jacob Lateiner?

Tim Page: I used to share a classroom with Jacob at the Juilliard School -- I came in to teach my class just as he was quitting for the day. I liked him enormously, and have much enjoyed the recordings he made (even the ones on Westminster that he grew to simply hate) but I never had the pleasure of hearing him play in concert.

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Cleveland, Ohio: There was a review here last week of a recording by Leonard Slatkin of William Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and Experience. Has the work been done in DC and have you heard this recording yet? What do you know about the piece? The article here was quite flattering to everyone involved.

Tim Page: The piece has taken on the status of legend in the 20-some years since it was first performed. I have a copy sitting here and I keep planning to play it and I will certainly get around to it soon. I'm told it is brilliantly, defiantly eclectic -- a real showpiece on every level -- and that even listeners who are not usually in sympathy with Bolcom admire it enormously. John Rockwell, for example, thinks it Bolcom's masterpiece.

That said, the prospect of taking on such a massive work in the middle of the concert season has me a little daunted.

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Chapel Hill, NC: The International Piano Archives, the original publisher of your excellent book on William Kapell, still lists it for $25.00 on their webpage. Go to:

http://www.lib.umd.edu/PAL/publications.html#BOOKS

Tim Page: I didn't know it was still in print! I wonder if there are actually copies available or whether this is one of those web links that just perpetuates itself eternally.

In any case, I fear this will be the softcover edition of the book, which is dramatically inferior to the hardcover edition, of which only about 300 were released to the public. Still, it will give you some idea of what we tried to do.

Thanks for the nice words about the book. I'm still proud of it -- something I don't often say about my own work.

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Hilary and Angela: My grandmother loves opera, but only has some scratchy records, those old big ones. Sometimes she listens to opera on the radio. My sister and I have saved up enough to buy her a CD player for her birthday. She talks about the Marriage of Figaro a lot. Will you please recommend a good recording we can get for her?

Tim Page: What a wonderful gift you will be giving your grandmother: there's nothing like "Figaro."

I like the old Karl Bohm recording with Hermann Prey, Gundula Janowitz, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Edith Mathis. There's an exciting new performance by Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi and John Eliot Gardiner did both a CD and a DVD performance for Archiv. "Figaro" has been served remarkably well by the recording companies.

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Oklahoma City, OK: Questions and comments on your forum tend to focus on the major orchestras, soloists and conductors. That's natural, since the Post is an east coast paper, but I'd be interested on your take on the health of the many good regional orchestras out in the hinterlands. Some are in trouble, some are thriving. Fore example, here in Oklahoma the Tulsa Philharmonic has gone belly-up while the Oklahoma City orchestra is doing fine. Guest artists last season included Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma, and this week we host Andre Watts. Any input on where the best regional orchestras are and the role they play in American music?

Tim Page: This is a tough one to answer, so I'm going to bunt. I simply don't hear enough regional orchestras to say anything authoritative. The Post allocates its travel money sparingly, and mostly for politics and world matters.

I DO remember a conversation with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg once, when she gave me what seemed a magnificent rundown of all the different regional groups around the country -- from Pasadena to Winston-Salem -- complete with smart and funny estimations of their worth. We have a lot of good musicians in this country.

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Arlington, VA: Carl Tanner's fine Manrico Monday night in WNO's current production of Trovatore got me to thinking about how it seems that it is increasingly rare to hear young American singers in principal roles with American opera companies, especially at WNO. Also, sometimes the covers are better than the principals, but if a substitute is needed they'll fly in someone rather than letting the covers onstage. What are your views?

Tim Page: I'm truly sorry I'm not going to hear Carl Tanner -- all the reports have been excellent. But Grace Jean will tell us all about the cast changes in the pages of the Post.

I must say that very little could drag me back to that production -- although a gifted young American tenor as Manrico might just do the trick.

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Tim Page: Well, that brings today's chat to an end. I'll look forward to speaking with you again in another two weeks. Maybe by then I will have digested the Washington Opera's schedule and I can find something authoritative to say about the 2005-2006 season.

Or maybe not. Maybe we'll just have to wait and see what happens. In any event, there ought to be some lively nights ahead of us.

We'll be back in two weeks.

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