(This is one of my earliest reviews for the Los Angeles Times; I was 29 years old, hired as a freelancer just a couple of months before. I remember a few things about this review — one was a bungle. I neglected to mention, because I was unaware, that Gerhard Samuel had served as an associate conductor under Zubin Mehta at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the early 70s. I received a slightly scolding note for the omission from my boss, Martin Bernheimer, a day or two later, and felt hurt by it. Another thing I remember is how darned difficult it was to write these short reviews of new music concerts. Last, I recall receiving a glowing letter in response to the review from the poet Jack Larson, who provided the texts for two of the works on the concert. Larson, most famous for playing Jimmy Olsen on the old Superman television series, later became a serious poet and librettist, and he collaborated with Virgil Thomson on the opera “Lord Byron.” Well, what do you know, in his letter, Mr. Larson equated my writing with Thomson’s criticism, and I was over the moon. –TM)
Music Review : Premiere of Samuel’s ‘Apollo and Hyacinth’
December 06, 1989|TIMOTHY MANGAN
The celebration of composer/conductor Gerhard Samuel’s 65th birthday was no retiring affair. Taking part in his own birthday tribute, Samuel conducted three of his own works, including a world premiere, for an appreciative gathering in Bing Theater at the County Museum of Art on the latest Monday Evening Concert.
On the first half, the German-born American composer led 14 members of the MEC Ensemble in the premiere of his “Apollo and Hyacinth,” a brief programmatic work in five sections that vividly captures the Greek legend.
It begins with a hymn in the upper register of the woodwinds and bells that slowly intertwines in ethereal dissonances. The music builds to an outpouring of melody, which nevertheless is delicately, airily scored. Then, isolated sustained tones float throughout the ensemble, eventually congealing into a coherent swirl, and the piece ends in mid-air with the cut-off of a rising line. It is a complex though readily accessible score, brightly colored, elegant and graceful.
