Mason: Violin Concerto and Chamber Suite Tosca Opdam, Budapest Scoring Orchestar & Péter Illényi

• Todd Mason (b. 1957): Violin Concerto:
• 1 Mason: Violin Concerto 23:14
• Chamber Suite:
• 2 Mason: Chamber Suite: I. Allegro deciso 04:59
• 3 Mason: Chamber Suite: II. Espressivo 05:47
• 4 Mason: Chamber Suite: III. Spirito 04:04
• Total Runtime 38:04

Info zu Mason: Violin Concerto and Chamber Suite

Astutely pitched as “a violin concerto for the 21st century,” Todd Mason's Violin Concerto (2022) is brought to thrilling realization by soloist Tosca Opdam and the Budapest Scoring Orchestra under Péter Illényi's direction. Complementing the work is the Los Angeles native's Chamber Suite (2020), the result an immensely satisfying release on a number of counts. First, the concerto unfolds without pause for twenty-three minutes and thus becomes for both listeners and performers an exciting and intense experience. Opdam delivers a scintillating reading that will be hard for other violinists to top, and the orchestra performs the score deeply attuned to its nuances, arc, and dynamics. Not only does the Chamber Suite, awarded the top prize in the American String Teachers Association 75th Anniversary Composition Contest in 2022, partner splendidly with the concerto, the two total thirty-eight minutes, concision in this case amplifying magnificently the strengths of each work without taxing the listener's stamina with an overlong release.

One writer placed the violin concerto in the lineage of concertos by Berg and Bartók, yet while the idea is tenable, Mason's is a more immediately accessible affair than theirs. That quality stands it in good stead of being performed widely, as it so deserves. In writing the piece, his goal was to craft a musical adventure that both celebrates virtuosity and engages for its narrative form. In moving from dynamic, technically challenging episodes to ones demanding tender expression, the concerto affords Opdam a remarkable vehicle for demonstrating the full measure of her abilities. A gong, horn glissando, and surging strings introduce the piece, setting the stage for the violinist's entrance. Opdam does so with authority, navigating a path through dense orchestral thickets and waxing rhapsodically as the agitation subsides. In these opening minutes, that aforementioned writer's claim is well-supported by the polytonal character of the music and its brooding, even cryptic aura. That quality of adventure cited by Mason also grows more conspicuous as the soloist becomes ever more expressive and inward-looking. The fluidity of the dialogue enacted between soloist and orchestra is certainly one of the work's strengths; though the former is accorded two cadenzas, Mason opts for balance and constant interaction between the forces, a choice that enhances the work's impact. Even during the cadenzas, subtle shadings of orchestra instruments emerge to maintain the connection until the to-and-fro resumes as intricately as before. Plaintive moments appear that are particularly affecting, but Opdam's playing mesmerizes throughout, whether it involves executing passages of daunting difficulty or giving voice to heartfelt lyricism. That it all takes place without interruption makes it even more compelling.

Mason's Chamber Suite, a reworking of his second string quartet, is formally structured as a three-movement work. The lustrous sound of thirty-two string players is showcased by the material, which frames an adagio-styled central section with spirited movements. Moving seamlessly from tonality to polytonality and packed with chromatic and rhythmic flourishes, the suite is a tad less dynamic than the violin concerto but very much deserving of attention nonetheless. The first movement (“Allegro deciso”) catches the attention instantly with rapid-fire flurries, folk inflections, and polytonal gestures, the combination of which might remind you of Bartók's Divertimento for String Orchestra at one moment or another. The central movement (“Espressivo”) proves absorbing, not for its fast pace, obviously, but for the emotional expressiveness of the writing and the silken, sonorous sound produced by the string players. With its apt “Spirito” marking, the lively third movement accentuates dance-like rhythms, a Bartók influence again audible, to bring the work to a breathless close.

After listening to this stellar recording, one will come away from it in no way surprised by how full the writing and performance schedules assuredly are of Mason and Opdam, respectively. Were he to compose another violin concerto, it likewise would be hard to imagine her name not topping his list of first-choice soloists. (textura.org)

"The writing for the solo instrument is both expressive and virtuosic." - Geoff Pearce, Classical Music Daily

"A superb recording that should be listened to time and again." - Maureen Buja, Interlude

"Opdam enchants with tenderness, timing and flexibility." - Maartje Stokkers, De Volkskrant

Tosca Opdam, violin
Budapest Scoring Orchestra
Péter Illényi, conductor

Recorded in January and July 2022 at Budapest Scoring Studio, Budapest, Hungary.

Tosca Opdam
Praised for her ‘ravishingly poetic playing’ (BBC Music Magazine) and “enchanting musical personality” (De Volkskrant), Dutch violinist Tosca Opdam has captivated audiences and critics alike with her luminously elegant performances and “gift for storytelling that surpasses mere virtuosity” (Schaffhausen Zeitung).

Tosca Opdam first made headlines when she won the prestigious Oskar Back Violin Competition at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, which led to numerous engagements as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, including sold-out solo recitals at the Concertgebouw and Carnegie Hall. Her performances have taken her all over Europe, the US, South America, Canada, and Asia. As a soloist, Tosca has collaborated with orchestras such as the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, and the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, and has worked with conductors such as Marc Albrecht, Annedore Neufeld, Matthew Rowe, and Clark Rundell.

Her performance at the Liberation Day Concert on the Amstel River, with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima in attendance, was broadcast live on Dutch national television. Other broadcast performances include appearances on NPO Radio 4, WQXR (New York), Podium Witteman TV (Netherlands), NDR Germany, RaiRadio3 Italy, and others. In February 2022, she released her debut album, Soundscapes (Challenge Classics), to critical acclaim. The Parool noted the album as a “journey of discovery,” praising Opdam and Ullman for playing with love and understanding. More critical acclaim followed for her recordings of the violin concerto by Robin de Raaff with the NedPho and Marc Albrecht in Diapason Magazine (France) and for the recording of the violin concerto by US composer Todd Mason, which was featured in an extensive article in The Strad and noted in Pizzicato: “Dutch soloist Tosca Opdam excels in her technical mastery of this music in a way that vividly shapes the lively and driving nature of the work.”

An avid chamber musician and recitalist, Tosca has appeared at the Grachtenfestival (Amsterdam), the Delft Chamber Music Festival, the Storioni Festival, the João Pessoa International Music Festival in Brazil, the Siletz Bay Music Festival (Oregon), and the Hong Kong Generation Next Music Festival. In 2023, Tosca Opdam founded the Syros International Music Festival in Greece, where she serves as artistic director. The festival has gained international recognition for its impressive lineup of performers as well as its groundbreaking educational program and visual art collaborations.

As an extension of her diverse interests, Ms. Opdam often designs programs that connect music to visual arts, dance, or other art forms. Collaborative performances include those with the New York City Ballet and the New York Choreographic Institute at Lincoln Center and the Dutch National Ballet. In 2020, she founded the online concert series “Miniatures inspired by visual arts and music”, combining music and visual arts in close collaboration with museums such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in Den Haag. The ‘Miniatures’ have reached an audience of over two million viewers.

Tosca earned her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. Her teachers have included Catherine Cho, Patty Kopec, and Sylvia Rosenberg. She plays a rare Matteo Goffriller violin from 1700, Italy, which is generously on loan to her by a private collector, and a Nikolai Kittel bow on loan from the NMF Foundation.

The 2024/25 season includes a solo performance at Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium with ‘Jonge Strijkers’ Netherlands, as well as a New York performance of the F. Martin violin concerto with the NYRO orchestra and recitals in the US and Europe, including at the Arte Amanti festival in Belgium and the Syros International Music Festival in Greece. An exciting upcoming music/visual arts collaboration is with artist Claudy Jongstra, with whom she will tour through the US, Asia and Europe.

Péter Illényi
was born in Budapest in 1974 and grew up in a family of musicians. His relatives include the conductor János Ferencsik. He studied conducting at the Academy of Music in Graz, Austria, where he graduated with honors. During his studies he worked with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, the Maribor Philharmonic, the Grazer Symphonisches Orchester and as an assistant with the Orchester National de France in Paris. From 2002 to 2003, he was an assistant conductor and tutor at the Reinsberg Opera Festival. From 2000 to 2006, he was a regular assistant on keyboard instruments for the RSO, Radio Symphonieorchester Wien, the Niederösterreichische Tonkünstler Orchestra, and the Wiener Kammerorchester. Between 2007-2018 he was the conductor and artistic director of the Musica Sonora Chamber Orchestra in Budapest.

Since 2004 he has been the music director of MR3-Bartók Radio, since 2010 of MTVA (Hungarian State Media), since 2017 of Antenna Hungaria, and of the Budapest Palace of Arts. From 2018 he is also the music director of the Kodály Center in Pécs.

Peter Ilényi is currently one of the busiest production and film music conductors in Hungary. Since 2013 he has been the first conductor of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, since 2014 in parallel with the Pannonia Symphony Orchestra and since 2016 of the Hungarian Studio Orchestra, since 2018 the Budapest Scoring Symphonic Orchestra and besides regularly conducts the Budapest Film Orchestra and the East Connection Orchestra. In addition to the Hungarian, American and European film industries, he makes recordings for the South American, Chinese, Indian and Asian production and film music industries. He regularly collaborates with the world’s largest record labels, including Sony Music and EMI London.

In 2015, as conductor, he co-produced a CD with world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, which was released under the auspices of Sony Classical under the title “New York Rhapsody”.

As a guest conductor, he gives concerts with many Hungarian Symphonic Ochestras. Since 2019, he has been a regular guest of the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra and the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Budapest Scoring Orchestra
with hundreds of film and TV credits, established a reputation in the film scoring industry. Our core orchestral players are exclusively employed by BS, the rest of them hail from the most prestigious Hungarian symphonic orchestras. They are all trained in modern as well as classical techniques. The orchestra has been regularly working with major film studios and composers from Hollywood and all around the world. Our musicians are eager and excited to play new compositions and to make your music shine.

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