Week in Review: Summer of Change, Op. 6

Next, we head to Vienna, where we’ll join cellist Johannes Moser in his living room (albeit, virtually). The famed soloist was scheduled to perform with the LA Phil in May, but that performance was, of course, cancelled. Despite the distance, Moser participated in the ongoing LA Phil: At Home series. Here are virtuostic excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3 in C. (Is that a book about jazz I see on Mr. Moser’s bookshelf?)

How fitting that New Jersey Symphony Orchestra violinists Bryan Hernandez-Luch and Fatima Aaziza, violist Elzbieta Weyman, and cellist Laura Andrade offer a performance of a piece by a composer who lived much of his life in Montclair, NJ. Composer and pianist George Walker (1922-2018) was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his 1996 work, Lilacs. Dr. Walker’s life was filled with many "firsts." First black instrumentalist to perform in New York’s Town Hall. First black instrumentalist to perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra (Rachmoninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto with Ormandy conducting). First black instrumentalist to be signed by a major arts management. First black recipient of a doctoral degree from Eastman School of Music. Walker’s String Quartet No. 1, second movement, was arranged for string orchestra and later titled Lyric for Strings. (This piece is one of the most frequently performed orchestral works by an American composer.)

If Gil Shaham is known as the "happiest violinist in the world" (see the review that follows), then Rachel Barton Pine might just be known as the "most family friendly violinist in the universe." Collaborations with her adorable daughter are simply a joy to watch. Now, we have one with her husband, Greg, which is equally enjoyable. Every Friday, Rachel brings us Family Fridays with RBP. In this episode, Rachel and Greg (as narrator) collaborate on Alan Rideout's musical retelling of Ferdinand the Bull. Oh, to have a little one in the house again to watch with me! But don’t miss this, regardless of your age or whether there are kids at home right now. It’s a tour de force for RBP, Greg provides perfect narration, and the story could not be more relevant. (Rachel mentions there’s at least one violinist out there who does the narration and the playing!)

David Noel Edwards of the Berkshire Edge summed up Gil Shaham perfectly: "The reason Shaham is known as the happiest violinist in the world is that he smiles onstage more than any other violinist in the world, even during the trickiest of passages. But 'smile' really isn’t the best word. Imagine the grin on a 10-year-old prodigy’s face when he steps onstage for the first time in front of a major orchestra. That is the kind of glee Gil Shaham radiates every time he performs." Instead of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mr. Shaham was scheduled to play at Tanglewood this summer, he recently offered up a live stream from Studio E at Tanglewood’s Linde Center for Music and Learning. While we don’t have access to the performance, we finally have an actual review to share. The program included works for solo violin: J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E, Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata in D, Max Raimi’s Anger Management, Scott Wheeler’s Isolation Rag, and sections of William Bolcom’s Suite No. 2.

With large-scale concerts and symphony performances almost universally on hiatus, we've put "The Week in Reviews" on hold and instead bring you this roundup of "summer of change" activities. If you’d like to share links of socially-distanced performances, teaching experiences, camps, or master classes you’ve enjoyed, please do so in the comments or e-mail me for possible inclusion in a later opus.

• Interview with Cellist Johannes Moser: Singing on a Stringed Instrument
• Violinist Tasmin Little Named Co-President of the Yehudi Menuhin School in England
• Rachel Barton Pine's 'Testament' to the Music of Bach
• Violinist.com Live Interview with Gil Shaham