The cozy chic town of Los Olivos is a place to wine, dine, lodge and attend the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series, now in its 43rd season. Artistic Director Robert Cassidy will show off his pianistic skills during the upcoming four remaining concerts of the 2023-2024 season that began last month with acclaimed Quartet Integra, the Colburn School’s Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence.
Cassidy is also Director of Piano Chamber Music at Santa Barbara Strings and an interesting all in the family musical twist adds his wife Ana Papakhian who is Executive Director of Santa Barbara-based Camerata Pacifica. The catch phrase Schubertiade has often been associated with events in Vienna, the namesake composer’s hometown but Cassidy has created two concerts with that are quintessentially associated with Schubert’s early and late output in Die Winterreise song cycle, D. 911, the so-called Trout Quintet, D. 667 and Piano Trio no. 1, D. 898.
The concert on November 19 will feature Die Winterreise, with Cassidy and baritone Ben Lowe, a graduate of UCLA who is making an impact as soloist and operatic singer in the United States and Europe. The cycle consists of 24 songs to poems by Wilhelm Müller and reads like a tale of unrequited love in which the jilted guy becomes a sad and disillusioned wanderer. Schubert wrote the work and the first piano trio during the last year of his life but Die Winterreise seems a dark and melancholy affirmation of his own health problems as well as a mainstay of art song repertoire.
Cassidy and Lowe recorded Die Winterreise on a private label two years ago and Cassidy remarks that their performance on November 19 will represent a live debut of the work. He describes the importance of this song cycle. “Schubert is the greatest lied composer of all time, and this cycle may be his most significant output of the genre. Setting the texts of poet Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827) to such extraordinary music is nothing short of miraculous. The journey seems timeless over the 24 songs and covers the complete gamut of human hope and despair.” The cycle’s last song conjures up a myriad of speculation about its somewhat funky, mysterious and even Bob Dylan like hue, as suggested by tenor Ian Bostridge. Cassidy says, “For it to end so profoundly with Der Leiermann, or The Hurdy-Gurdy Man is absolutely emotionally shattering to both the performers and the audience. Schubert definitely was penning his autobiography with this composition. He is the organ grinder.”
Die Winterreise takes about 60 minutes to perform without a break and Cassidy reflects on the challenges and perks for pianist, singer and audience. “To ensure a successful collaborative performance of any piece of music, the performer’s preparation time must be significant both together and separately. Now that we’ve had two years since the recording, our interpretation of the work has grown and deepened. The challenge with performing such a long work is staying in the zone and making sure that everyone in the audience is there with you from the first note until the last. This way the artistic impact is most effective. That is the perk.” A pre-concert Winterreise dinner in the Santa Ynez Valley should also make the upcoming performance even more delectable.
The February 18 concert will continue the Schubertiade theme with Cassidy and chamber music luminaries Kristin Lee, violin, Karen Dreyfus, viola, Ani Aznavoorian, cello and Nico Abondolo, double bass in Schubert’s piano trio No. 1 and the Trout Quintet with its variations on Schubert’s song Die Forelle, the trout. Cassidy remarks, “These two pieces are undoubtedly huge favorites in the chamber music repertoire. I thought the half-step relationship from B-flat major, the trio, to A-major, the quintet an interesting combination. The juxtaposition of the very serious song cycle on program one with the joyous exuberance of the instrumental pieces on program two will provide a very satisfying Schubertiade for the series this season. I hope the audience can come to both concerts.”
The two remaining concerts will feature English horn and oboe virtuoso Roger Roe with pianist R. Kent Cook on May 22 and countertenor John Holiday with pianist Kevin Miller on April 2, with both programs to be announced. Holiday is considered among the finest countertenors to grace the stage of venues such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Kennedy Center. His eclectic repertoire includes Baroque, composers of our time, gospel and jazz. His recent appointment to the vocal faculty of University of Maryland School of Music adds a touch of class to a stellar career. Holiday continues the countertenor craze with critical acclaim for a vocal quality that combines an amazing display of high-pitched timbre with technical finesse. Cassidy comments, “Countertenors have definitely come into their own and John is an artist to watch and listen to with great interest and admiration. I think the audience will go wild when they hear his gorgeous voice. It’s something to behold. John’s range and versatility are incredible. We don’t know the program yet but it’s definitely one concert not to miss.”
If possible, drop in on all the innovative programs offered by Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series.