JACK GRASSA
Dov Scheindlin, fourth from left, plays with The Orpheus Chamber Players at a Back Deck concert at The Morris Museum in Morris Township. The ensemble will play there twice this summer.
One of the best things about The Morris Museum’s outdoor, Back Deck concert series, aside from giving Northern New Jerseyans a chance to hear world-class musicians so close to home, is its summertime sunset soundtrack: the cicadas, the bird calls, the small aircraft en route to Morristown Airport.
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will propose their own idea of night music with two evening-themed programs in this year’s series. Both performances will use a small breakout of musicians called The Orpheus Chamber Players.
Concerts take place on the museum’s elevated parking deck overlooking the stately greenery of Morris Township. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs and food and enjoy top-notch music under the wide open sky and, later, the stars.
The first concert — “Nocturnal Serenade,” on July 25 — will feature a string quartet of Isabelle Ai Durrenberger and Kobi Malkin (violins); Dov Scheindlin (viola); and Madeline Fayette (cello). They will play Mozart’s famous serenade Eine Klein Nachtmusik; Debussy’s dreamy Rêverie; Turina’s lush Serenata Op. 87; Bolcom’s wistful Graceful Ghost Rag; two jazz-infused works by Wynton Marsalis (Blue Lights on the Bayou and Rampart St. Row House Rag); and Borodin’s melodious String Quartet No. 2.
The second concert — “Night Revels,” on Sept. 3 —will feature a woodwind quintet (musicians TBA) in colorful works by Milhaud, Valerie Coleman, Dvořák, Jim Parker and Paquito D’Rivera.
Violist Dov Scheindlin.
The concerts will offer rare opportunities to hear Orpheus’ musicians in intimate chamber music configurations, exploring repertoire they don’t often take up. The full orchestra has a core membership of more than 30 musicians, and 20 to 30 of them perform in a typical concert.
Founded in New York in 1972, the orchestra functions as a collective, meaning there is no leadership position of a concertmaster or conductor: the musicians communicate with each other directly, conductor-free, which creates a feeling of spontaneity, verve and thrilling abandon that is much in the spirit of chamber music.
Scheindlin, based in New York, has played with Orpheus for more than 20 years and served as artistic director and program coordinator from 2013 to 2016. He performed in the museum’s inaugural Back Deck season in 2020. Since then, Orpheus has performed in both the Back Deck series and the museum’s indoor concert series at its Bickford Theatre.
I recently spoke with Scheindlin about the series, Orpheus, his personal life and more.
Q: Tell me about your performance history with the Back Deck concert series and if there was there anything particularly memorable?
A: My first one was during the pandemic, which was one of the first concerts that I got to do at a time when we couldn’t really play together in person, so I have very fond memories of Back Deck. It’s a beautiful spot and the atmosphere is really lovely. When I first heard about playing in a parking lot, I was slightly nervous about it, but when I got there and played the concert, I can honestly say it is the nicest parking lot I’ve ever played in (laughs).
Q: The “Nocturnal Serenade” program is very accessible and audience-friendly, and covers just about everything you’d want to hear in a light outdoor summer program: Classical Viennese, Spanish Nationalism, French Impressionism, American Jazz and Russian Romantic. Tell me about the program highlights.
A: Many of the musical forms are linked to this idea of night music, so we have a serenade (Turina), a reverie (Debussy) and Mozart’s Eine Kleine, which is the German version of a serenade. And the beautiful Borodin String Quartet contains the gorgeous “Notturno” as the third movement — one of the most popular chamber works — but the wonderful thing about the piece is that the rest of it is less well known but equally beautiful.
TITILAYO AYANGADE
Violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger.
Q: What about the distinctly American voices — the two pieces by Marsalis and the Bolcom rag — which are not heard often. Were they selected to mark America’s 250th anniversary?
A: Yes. I think it is nice to feature a little American music for the American semiquincentennial. They all fit into the night music theme and complement the other pieces very well. The Bolcom rag is a very beautiful, gentle, walking-paced rag. The Blue Lights on the Bayou music is very evocative and still. There’s some magic to the venue as the sun sets and we’re playing, and I think it will be particularly appropriate and lovely.
Q: In the standard strings repertoire, oftentimes the viola doesn’t shine as bright as the violins. Does the program have any pieces that are viola-oriented or instances where the viola takes center stage?
A: I don’t know about the viola necessarily being center stage, but the program does have some scene-stealing moments that are very beautiful for the viola. We get a little solo here and there, and it’s such a different color — I like to think of it as moonlight rather than sunshine — that suddenly you pay attention and I’m hoping that it grabs the attention of the audience. I’ll do my best to shine in those moments, particularly in the Borodin and the American rags.
Q: Are any of the pieces Orpheus calling cards or evergreens?
A: No, and in fact the program is something slightly different for us because it is a chamber music concert and not a full orchestra group, so we don’t necessarily get to play these pieces very often. So for us, this kind of program might be something slightly new, but very exciting, and yet we’re all very comfortable with it because it’s music that we all love and have played in other contexts. I’d say be on the lookout for the Borodin String Quartet, which would make a lovely chamber orchestra piece as well. I think it may become one of our classics.
JIYANG CHEN
Violinist Kobi Malkin
Q: The viola is such a remarkably voiced instrument. How did you come to it, and what was it about the viola that was so attractive as opposed to the other instruments in the string family?
A: I started on the violin when I was younger, as many kids do. It takes a few years before you can make a nice sound on it (laughs) and I was almost getting there! Then as I got to know the instruments better, I became attracted to the warm, dark sound of the viola. When I was 15, I made the switch pretty much permanently and I didn’t look back.
With the violin, it is sort of the extreme of the group, with that bold and flashy character that it can bring. It’s often the melody and it’s the highest instrument. And the cello has both the bass and that soaring quality in the top register.
I found myself gravitating towards the middle — towards that sort of “onion part” of the stew that holds the group together as a harmonic interior — that communicates with all sides of the group. The viola is sort of that introspective, warm interior that is a less explored area of the string family, but also a really beautiful one. So that’s what really attracted me to the viola: the sound, the role, the position and the soulful qualities of the instrument.
Q: You have made quite a career out of it as a chamber musician, and playing with Orpheus for over 20 years. What has that been like?
A: I started playing with Orpheus in 2005, which was about a year after I came back to New York from a six-year stay in London. I come from a chamber music background and played in a lot of string quartets, so when I came back to New York I was doing all kinds of things, but one of the things that was really exciting about Orpheus was that it was playing orchestral repertoire but with that chamber music spirit that we were able to communicate directly with each other and not with an intermediary. I became a member of Orpheus six years later and since then I’ve gotten involved in all aspects. I spent three years as artistic director, which is a position that is elected from the membership. So I’ve served many roles within the organization, but my favorite is playing the viola!
Cellist Madeline Fayette.
Q: Most musicians in Orpheus have other outlets for music-making. What are the main things you do outside of Orpheus and what is that life like?
A: I play a lot of chamber music in smaller groups, and I also play in larger groups. For instance I play at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York and that’s a completely different ballgame because it is a huge organization with a lot of stuff going on onstage, so you’re a tiny bit of the equation. But I love playing the opera repertoire. It’s very different from Orpheus and also very fun. It’s a very full life and I’m very lucky that way.
We play a lot at night. (Scheindlin’s wife, violinist Katherine Fong, has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra since 2000; this is how they met.) We have two children and then we wake up early to be with them. It’s tricky to take care of their needs and to also fulfill our professional responsibilities, so it does require a certain amount of intensity!
Q: That reminds me of an interview I did with Paul Neubauer, who is also a New York-based violist married to a violinist, and his two children are pursuing careers in solo and chamber music. Do your kids play instruments?
A: Paul Neubauer was one of my teachers at Juilliard. I didn’t study with him directly, but I played for him in master classes, and he’s someone I look up to tremendously. The family is amazing. They successfully steered their children into the family business. I just played a concert with one of their daughters, Clara, in April, and she’s an incredible artist. It’s wonderful to see that talent transmitted to the next generation.
Our children appreciate music and they like to hear it, but playing it is not their thing. But you know, we’ll keep suggesting it. It’s like introducing broccoli — we’ll keep revisiting it and you never know! (laughs)
Q: Your biography said that you taught viola and chamber music at Harvard, NYU, Tanglewood and Princeton. Could you share anything particularly memorable about your time teaching in New Jersey?
A: I taught at Princeton for a couple years and it was a wonderful experience. The students play at an incredibly high level and have gone on to very successful musical careers. I loved doing it, but I stopped because going from Manhattan to Princeton would take two hours each way. It was a lot of time to commute.
I’ve played in many venues around New Jersey. I used to participate in The Montclair Orchestra, which became APEX Ensemble. We had five great years under the leadership of David Chan. We were professionals working alongside very gifted students and local amateurs, and I was principal viola. I had a great time doing that.
I think of New Jersey as a wonderful complement to Manhattan. I’ve recently begun cycling quite a lot and I love to take The George Washington Bridge and go up The Palisades; it’s just the most beautiful views, restful and relaxing, and it’s a gorgeous place to spend time. So I have very warm feelings about New Jersey for both the musical opportunities and the nature that it offers.
The Orpheus Chamber Players will perform in the Back Deck series at The Morris Museum in Morris Township, July 25 and Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Visit morrismuseum.org.
For more on The Orpheus Chamber Players and The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, visit orpheusnyc.org.
_________________________________________
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
