The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival

This week's radio concert from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival includes Susana Phillips and Jorge Prego singing arias from three canatas by J. S. Bach, as well as an all-star team playing Ludwig Spohr's Grand Nonet in F Major.

Scroll below to listen to excerpts from Kerry Frumkin and Marc Neikrug's conversation about the program. You can also can read the text of the Bach arias, hear Tim Eddy describe his long history with the Bach Aria Group, read an e-terview with Jorge Prego, and explore other "web extras."

In other words, welcome to the home of items rescued from the "cutting room floor," and other related tangents found along the way to creating the radio programs.

Thanks for stopping by,
Louise Frank
Series Producer

Johann Sebastian Bach (aged 61) in a portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, Copy or second Version of his 1746 Canvas, private ownership of William H. Scheide, Princeton, New Jersey, USA (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750)
"Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not" from Cantata No. 21, Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (before 1714)
"So schnell ein rauschend Wasser schießt" from Cantata No. 26, Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig (1724)
"Bete aber auch dabei mitten in dem Wachen!" from Cantata No. 115, Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit (1724)

Susanna Phillips, soprano; Jorge Prego, tenor; Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; Liang Wang, oboe; Daniel Phillips, violin; Timothy Eddy, cello; Marji Danilow, bass; Kathleen McIntosh, harpsichord

"Seufzer, Tränen, Kummer, Not" from Cantata No. 21, Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis (before 1714)

This is one of the fine early examples of Bach's cantatas, and while possibly "officially" first performed on June 17, 1714 at Weimar, most scholars believe that Bach composed it the previous year. It certainly has a more widely applicable context for the church year, and even the as yet young composer recognized its special qualities. It was submitted for an application for a post in Hamburg in 1720, and used again not long after the Leipzig appointment began. This aria was originally for tenor, but later switched to soprano. As is so often the case, it is Bach's choice and usage of the obbligato solo instrument that intensifies the already powerful vocal line.

"So schnell ein rauschend Wasser schießt" from Cantata No. 26, Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig (1724)

This work clearly dates from Bach's second full year in his Leipzig employment, being first heard on November 19, 1724. The featured aria not only is another excellent example of Bach's musical illumination of the text (wouldn't he have had a ball in the mid-19th century!), but reveals a favorite device: first he creates the sonic image of a rushing torrent with scales in both the solo voice and instruments, but after the words "gone like passing summer showers," he replaces the scales with broken triads— just as he would in the "drops of my tears" aria from the St. Matthew Passion.

"Bete aber auch dabei mitten in dem Wachen!" from Cantata No. 115, Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit (1724)

Another cantata dating from 1724, this time "premiered" on November 5, "Bete aber auch..." contains some of Bach's most unusual and specific scoring. This is particularly true in the aria heard here, where a violoncello piccolo creates a uniquely dense upper texture with flute, the soprano, and continuo.

- Program notes by Greg Hettmansberger for the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Autograph of the Bach aria "Alles Mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn" (BWV 1127), discovered by Michael Maul in the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in 2005. (Thanks to www.bachhausweimar.de)

"Bach, to our delight, was a composer who actually had the job of being a composer," says Marc as they ponder the beauty of Bach's arias.

What does water actually sound like? With the aria from Bach's Cantata 26," As quickly as rushing water flies" as an example, Kerry and Marc talk about some of the musical techniques Bach used to express the texts that he had to deal with.

Cellist Tim Eddy (This lovely photo came from here.)

Tim Eddy is the long-time cellist of the Orion String Quartet and a long-time member of the Bach Aria Group. He teaches at The Juilliard School and was recently honored by the Indiana University School of Music. You can find his bio at cello.org

Tim Eddy muses on why the cello and the human voice go so well together.

Tim Eddy conveys how his acquaintance with Bach's vocal music began, and how he came to be first cello of the Bach Aria Group in New York.

Three members of the esteemed Bach Aria Group partake in the chamber orchestra for the Bach arias heard on this program: flutist Tara Helen O'Connor, violinist Daniel Phillips, and cellist Tim Eddy. (Photo: gingarts.com)

The New York Times printed a story about the Bach Aria Group back in 1982 and www.bach-cantatas.com has a nice bio of the ensemble.

Congratulations to soprano Susanna Phillips, recipient of the Fifth Annual Beverly Sills Artist Award!

LSO - Susanna Phillips sings Don Giovanni - Non Mi Dir

Opera Soprano Susanna Phillips sings Non Mi Dir from "Don Giovanni" for an intimate group. Accompanied by Yasuko Oura, this performance is a precursor to her role as Donna Anna in the Fort Worth Operas production of "Don Giovanni."

As a member of the Santa Fe Opera's 2009 Apprentice Singers, Jorge Prego was on hand when Marc Neikrug planned the concert of Bach Arias at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Here is what he had to say when series producer Louise Frank wrote to him and asked about his experience in Santa Fe last summer.

Jorge Prego (Aronne) and Andrea Concetti (Mose) in rehearsal for Chicago Opera Theater's recent production of Mose in Egitto.

A member of YAP, Chicago Opera Theater's Young Artist Program, Jorge has just finished a successful run as Aronne in Chicago Opera Theater's production of Rossini's rarely performed Mosè in Egitto. He kindly shared these photos.

An ensemble scene at the end of Act II of Chicago Opera Theater's 2010 production of Mose in Egitto. Jorge Prego sang the role of Arrone.

"Pop Up Opera!": Jorge Prego sings La Fleur Que Tu M'Avais Jetee on a train platform in Chicago

Members of Chicago Opera Theater's Young Artists program, Jorge Prego and Catalina Cuervo, participated in a series of "Pop Up Operas," such as this on in which Jorge sings the "Flower Song" from Carmen.

Alabaster relief of Louis Spohr by Gustav Kaupert. Gustav Kaupert was a German sculptor born April 4, 1819 in Kassel.

LUDWIG SPOHR (1784-1859)
Nonet in F Major, Op. 31 (1813)

• Allegro
• Scherzo: Allegro
• Adagio
• Finale: Vivace

Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; Liang Wang, oboe; Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Milan Turkovic, bassoon; Philip Myers, horn; Glenn Dicterow, violin; Teng Li, viola; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Marji Danilow, bass

For the first three years of its existence, Spohr's Nonet could only be played in the presence of Johan Tost, the man who commissioned the composition. In this conversation excerpt, Kerry and Marc discuss the unusual business deal which yielded what Marc calls a "wonderful, direct, sentimental kind of music."

Marc informs Kerry about the backgrounds of the fantastic wind players who make up the "all star cast" for this performance.

Milan shares his feelings about the importance of a good ambiance between players.

Louise asks, "What about playing winds at 7000 feet?" and Milan confides his personal solution involving arriving early to check his reeds... and eat the delicious local cuisine.

One of the pre-eminent bassoon players of our day, Milan Turkovic is also well known as a conductor. (Photo by Werner Kmetitsch)

Milan Turkovic Conducts Vivaldi E minor concerto (excerpt) - Jerusalem, 1994

Watch an interview with clarinetist Ricardo Morales.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center has some wonderful program notes for the Spohr Nonet, including an excerpt from Spohr's auto biography in which he describes how the work came to be written.

One of the many places to learn more about Louis Sphor is The Spohr Society of the United States.

A little more about some of the players...

• Susanna Phillips has a beautiful web site
• Jorge Prego participated in the Young Artist Programs of the Santa Fe Opera and the Chicago Opera Theater.
• Tara Helen O'Connor is a 2001 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, and frequent participant in many chamber organizations including the Bach Aria Group and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She also teaches at the Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York.
• Liang Wang is the Principal Oboe of the New York Philharmonic. Learn more about him on his website and theirs.
• When he's not performing or making movies, cellist Nicholas Canellakis is a member of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege faculty.
• More on Kathleen McIntosh
• Philip Myers is the Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic.