I’d had grand plans for a production of Sredni at my summer recital, and when this couldn't come to pass — most of the orchestra musicians were busy with festivals — I unfortunately didn’t invest much energy in promoting the scaled-down event that took place on August 27 in the Conservatory’s Recital Hall. Unfortunate because this wasn’t just (as I’d imagined) a sort of run-through for upcoming October recital, but an intimate sort of event that radiated with the good will of both the performers and the audience. After the somewhat spooky debut of the Vorsetzer piece, Contraption No. 1 (which launched without warning on a darkened stage), Justin Houchin gave a passionate rendition of the Guitar Suite, a work which he developed with me as part of the SFCM Guitar Project. Then there was a vocal-piano version of Sredni Vashtar, with Sara Couden singing the role for the first time. Kevin Korth was at the piano, and while I’d had but one coaching session with the pair, they clearly picked up on every humorous or rhetorical flourish in the score and brought the piece to life through a dramatic engagement with the material and an exquisite sense of timing.The concert ended with the Concerto for Piano and Percussion; SFCM-alumnus Keisuke Nakagoshi was the soloist. Recalling some of Keisuke’s Facebook posts regarding his love for Bill Evans' playing, I knew he’d be well-suited for this work, which blends a modern jazz vocabulary with a kind of parody of early 20th century modernist styles. Keisuke pulled through with flying colors — he owned the music and added much to it in his performance, including a lengthy improvised cadenza. The SFCM percussion ensemble, which premiered this work in December 2010, brought it back with renewed force and accuracy.
Once again, I’d like to thank all the musicians who participated as well as the warmly-encouraging audience.
