Lost Innocence

Perhaps now more than ever, the world is in need of beauty.  The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Westminster Symphonic Choir will perform Dvorák’s choral masterpiece, The Spectre’s Bride, at the War Memorial in Trenton Sept. 29.

By: Daniel Shearer

"Westminster
Westminster Symphonic Choir members learn to pronounce the difficult Czech text of Dvorák’s The Spectre’s Bride for an upcoming performance with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in Trenton.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

   Perhaps
now more than ever, the world is in need of beauty. On the day after the World
Trade Center tragedy, students and faculty members at Westminster Choir College
in Princeton walk around campus in a state of shock.
   The pain is beyond description at this 450-student school, part of Rider University, yet life continues. Friends and colleagues comfort each other with hugs. Eye contact produces knowing looks and fleeting smiles. Soon, like any other day, the sound of music fills the air.
   Symphonic Choir rehearsal begins promptly at 11:30 a.m. in an odd, oval-shaped building dubbed "The Playhouse." The ensemble starts by stretching, followed by a group massage, first rubbing the shoulders of the people standing to the right, then switching places.
   Assistant conducting professor Andrew Megill leads the group through a five-minute vocal warm-up, working the singers through various consonants, scales and arpeggios.
   "Exhale," says Dr. Megill, and the group, 185 juniors, seniors and graduate students, lets out an audible sigh. With a nod and a smile, conductor Joseph Flummerfelt takes the podium. Time is short. Slightly more than two-and-a-half weeks from now, they’ll perform Antonin Dvorák’s choral masterpiece, The Spectre’s Bride, with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Sept. 29 at the War Memorial in Trenton, N.J.

"Conductor
Conductor Joseph Flummerfelt has worked with dozens of musical luminaries, among them Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and Kurt Masur.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

   The group is still in early rehearsal stages, learning to pronounce the work’s Czech text. They’ll have completed roughly 20 hours of rehearsals by the time NJSO conductor Zdenek Macal visits the college for several more hours of rehearsal.
   "I have an absolutely profound belief that everyone’s time is precious," Dr. Flummerfelt says. "It’s quite a challenge, especially because the concert comes early in the year and the piece is in Czechoslovakian. The music isn’t terribly difficult, but the text is tricky."
   Based on a Czech folk tale, the story unfolds with a woman singing about the deaths of several family members, a role to be handled in Trenton by Ukrainian soprano Oksana Krovytska. Ms. Krovytska enters her ninth consecutive season this year with the New York City Opera. She is soon visited by her lover, a tenor part sung by American singer John Aler, a veteran of performances with the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras. The ghostly groom lures his bride on a long journey, which may lead to the grave. The performance will also include Czech baritone Ivan Kusnjer, whose part, along with the choir, adds narration.
   "There is certainly a folk-like quality," Dr. Flummerfelt says. "It’s a 19th century musical language. Clearly, there are musical things that sound like Dvorák. They’re hard to describe in lay terms. I’m not even sure I could describe them in precise musical terms.
   "But it is still what we call ‘Common Practice’ harmony, the same musical language that was prevalent in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Dvorák certainly was not adventuresome like Mahler or Strauss, and he didn’t break into two musical worlds quite like Wagner did, for example."
   Widely regarded as one of the world’s finest choral conductors, Dr. Flummerfelt has worked with dozens of conducting luminaries since joining the Westminster faculty in the early ’70s, among them, Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa, Robert Shaw and Wolfgang Sawallisch. He began a long association with Leonard Bernstein in 1971, when the Westminster Symphonic Choir was asked to perform a Liszt concert with the New York Philharmonic.

"Mr.
Mr. Flummerfelt conducts a recent rehearsal of the choir in Princeton.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

   To date, the Symphonic Choir has completed more than 300 performances with the New York Philharmonic.
   "(Bernstein) was this kind of mythic figure," Dr. Flummerfelt says. "Extraordinary musician. We got along famously. We became professional, not personal, friends, and I admired him enormously. He loved the Westminster Choir. We did a lot of work with him.
   "He was just full of life. Brilliant. A mind that was just so active and alive, very warm and friendly. If the music wasn’t going well, he could get very heavy-handed, but we never had that experience with him, happily. Everybody called him ‘Lenny,’ even people who didn’t know him. Very informal. Always had a cigarette in his hand. He smoked constantly. But he lived life to the fullest."
   Westminster Choir has also cultivated a long-standing relationship with conductor Zdenek Macal and the NJSO, recording two major Dvorák works, the Requiem and Stabat Mater, with the group for Delos International. Westminster will also record Spectre’s Bride with the orchestra, scheduled for release in spring 2002.
   "All these giants I’ve worked with, every one of them brings something special," Dr. Flummerfelt says. "Macal, for example, brings something very special to this Czech music. He’s done wonderful things for the New Jersey Symphony, just extraordinary growth since he’s become music director. Since he’s Czech himself, it’s a joy to do this repertoire."

"In
In just a few more days, the choir will be ready to perform the work uninterrupted.

Staff photo by Mark Czajkowski

   Czech poses a special challenge to singers, particularly because of its emphasis on front-loaded consonants, similar to the "ja" sound in the last syllable of Dvorák.
   "We sing a lot in German, a lot in Latin, some in French," Dr. Flummerfelt says. "We start with a kind of phonetic sheet. Czech is tough because it has sounds that are simply not in our language."
   During rehearsal, Dr. Flummerfelt and his associate, Dr. Megill, work through each passage, frequently having the group "speak" through tough phrases. The routine is well-polished. Accompanied by a pianist, Dr. Flummerfelt leads the group through the music. When he detects a rough spot, he pauses and gives a quick glance to Dr. Megill, who steps forward to rehearse pronunciation. All of the musical elements — dynamics, subtle phrasing — seem to come together simultaneously.
   
AFTER AN HOUR, the choir has worked through several movements, doing each of them in meticulous stop-and-go fashion. In just a few more days, they’ll be ready to perform the work uninterrupted. After rehearsing several hours with Maestro Macal, who will conduct the actual performance, the choir will have two or three additional rehearsals with the symphony and soloists. For now, though, Dr. Flummerfelt seems satisfied.
   "Thank you for coming and working as hard as you did today," he says to the group. "For those of you who still don’t know about relatives, our heart goes out to you.
   "The world will change in many ways, but terrorists only win if people live in a state of fear. We’re somehow less innocent, yet we have always been vulnerable. America is strong. We will make it through this together."
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Westminster Symphonic Choir will perform
Dvorák’s Spectre’s Bride at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial,
Lafayette and Barrack streets, Trenton, N.J., Sept. 29, 8 p.m. Tickets cost
$14-$57. For information, call (609) 984-8400. To purchase tickets for any
NJSO performance, call (800) 255-3476; on the Web: www.tickets.com.
War Memorial on the Web: www.thewarmemorial.com.

   NJSO will also present Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, and works
by Bartók and Chopin, at the War Memorial Nov. 2, 8 p.m. Tickets
cost $14-$57. The ensemble will perform Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5 in E flat
major, and works by Milhaud and DeFalla, with pianist Konstantin Lifschitz,
Oct. 26, 8 p.m. at Richardson Auditorium, Princeton University. Tickets cost
$36-$45. Conductor Vladimir Spivakov makes his debut with the NJSO and violinist
Marvin Moon at Richardson Auditorium Nov. 23. The concert will include
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and Mozart’s Concertante in E flat major.
Tickets cost $38-$49. On the Web: www.njsymphony.com