“Summit” Soars: Paterson’s Climate Concerto at BPO encores tonight and so worth a second hearing

THE BASICS: JoAnn Falletta conducts the Buffalo Philharmonic and soloists in a program titled “Beethoven’s Pastoral” with three nature related works: Debussy’s languid forest-inspired “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun” which opens; Beethoven’s nature-inspired “Pastoral” Symphony (No. 6 in F) which concludes, and before intermission, a contemporary work, Buffalo-born composer Robert Paterson’s Triple Concerto “Summit,” which is, per the composer “a meditation on climate change, extinction, and the tension between despair and hope” featuring the orchestra and a stunning trio of musicians, Nikki Chooi, violin, Roman Mekinulov, cello, and Eric Huebner, piano.  Reviewed here is the Friday morning “Coffee Concert” which repeats this Saturday evening, 10/25, at 7:30 pm at Kleinhans Music Hall, call (716) 885-5000 or visit bpo.org

RUNTIME:  A touch over two hours

THE PLAYERS AND THE MUSIC:  How great is this concert?  After the show, I got right on the phone, cleared my calendar, and went straight over to the box office to buy two tickets for this Saturday night’s “encore” concert.  Attending the same show twice is not a luxury I indulge in often, but this is clearly an exceptional situation.  

As I mentioned, composer Paterson (who is “back home” in Buffalo for these concerts) describes this work as a meditation on climate change, extinction, and the tension between despair and hope. He points out that each movement draws inspiration from different geographical regions and emotional landscapes.  And birds.  There are lots of birds.

I have to admit, I was predisposed to like this concert, I mean, who doesn’t like Debussy and Beethoven?  And, of all the forms of chamber music, the so-called “piano trio” (piano, violin, cello) is my favorite, and among local musicians who play those instruments, honestly, Eric Huebner, Nikki Chooi, and Roman Mekinulov are my favorites.  Slam dunk, right?

And yes, they were phenomenal, as I knew they would be, but what I didn’t expect was the power and beauty of the entire “Summit” piece by Paterson, which featured the whole orchestra behind the trio, creating new sonorities, giant paintings of sound.  Imagine if you went to the AKG Gallery and you could hear the paintings.

Now, I love movie music and am in awe of film composers because they can establish a mood in just a few seconds.  And within seconds of “Summit,” I thought of some of my favorites: Howard Shore (“Lord of the Rings”), James Horner (“Field of Dreams”), Aaron Copland (“Our Town”), and John Williams (“Jurassic Park”).  So, if Hollywood doesn’t call composer Paterson as quickly as I decided to buy tickets to come back for tonight’s performance, they’re nuts. 

Now, any music that deals with extinction will have its dramatic parts but we also heard charming moments, many of which come from the various bird songs which are imitated by the orchestra.  Pasterson told us from that stage that he spent considerable time listening to recordings of birdsongs made by the Cornell Ornithology Lab.  (Because in theaters I always turn my phone completely off, I resisted the temptation to open my “Merlin” bird-song identification app.)

All sorts of emotions come out of the music.  It really is “cinematic,” by which I mean both sweeping in terms of landscapes as well as emotionally powerful and immersive.  As a “triple concerto” (meaning that we get not just one, but three players in front of the orchestra) it’s in seven movements, alternating between sections 1,3, and 5 that are more orchestra and sections 2, 4, and 6 that are more trio.  Section 7 is both and with a nod to composer Haydn, really makes a point.  That section, sharing the title of the entire work “Summit” is very symbolic, ending with eleven bell-like chords that we read are representing the Doomsday Clock.

I had to look that up and here’s what I found: The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic timepiece created in 1947 (two years after the “Trinity Test” of the Atomic Bomb) to represent how close humanity is to global catastrophe. Midnight on the clock signifies apocalypse, whether by nuclear war, climate change, biological threats, or disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence. The time is expressed as minutes or seconds to midnight, where the closer to midnight, the greater the perceived threat. The first group of scientists, including Albert Einstein, set the clock at 7 minutes to midnight. This year, in January 2025, the clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been.  Sheesh!

Random Notes:  “Summit,” a 2022-2023 work commissioned initially by champions of new music, the Neave Trio, was premiered with JoAnn Falletta conducting in Saratoga in June, 2023.  This concert is a Buffalo Philharmonic Premiere.  To learn more, a “Musically Speaking” pre-concert talk will take place in the main hall at 6:30pm.  And for pre-concert entertainment The Muhammad School of Music Chamber Players will perform in the Mary Seaton Room at 6:45pm as part of the BPO’s Community Spotlight series.  You can explore the BPO’s new digital program by texting BPO to (716) 608-3614 or by clicking here:  audienceaccess.co/show/BPO-14995

Now I want to tell you how you can continue to enjoy some fine classical music in Buffalo, some with BPO musicians, some with more Buffalo-born guest artists.

SUNDAY Speaking of Piano Trios, this Sunday October 26 Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Violinist Loren Silvertrust returns to the “Friends of Vienna” chamber music series, joined by BPO Cellist, Amelie Fradette and Pianist, Susan Schuman for a program of piano trios which includes works by Ravel, Glière and Tchaikovsky, among others.  Friends of Vienna concerts are held at 3:00 pm (new time this season) at Unity of Buffalo, 1243 Delaware Ave.  Affordable tickets available at the door.

MONDAY Speaking of piano trios, BTPM Classical (formerly WNED Classical 94.5 fm) programs “Late Nite” weekdays from 10pm to midnight, differently depending on the day.  On Mondays, “Late Nite” is strictly chamber music, and this Monday (10/27), we’ll hear four piano trios by four women composers who broke the glass ceiling: The German Fanny Mendelssohn, Swedish composers Elfrida Andree and Amanda Maier, and Russian composer Leokadiya Kashperova.  

Speaking of trios and other chamber music, several BPO musicians “moonlight” as performers with the Buffalo Chamber Players, founded by BPO violist Janz Castelo de Armas, which opens their 19th concert season on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30 pm with four “French” works, including Madeleine Dring’s Trio for flute, oboe, and piano.  BCP concerts are held at Asbury Hall (aka “Babeville”). 

And, there’s even more chamber music with local connections, on Tuesday, November 11, at 7:30 pm, at Kleinhans Music Hall, in the Mary Seaton Room, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society presents the Jack Quartet to be joined by pianist/composer Amy Williams.  Amy Williams was born in Buffalo, New York in 1969, the daughter of Diane, now retired violist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Jan, percussionist and Professor Emeritus at the University at Buffalo. 

And, there’s even more chamber music with local connections, on Tuesday, December 2, at 7:30 pm, at Kleinhans Music Hall, in the Mary Seaton Room, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society presents the Escher Quartet to be joined by Buffalo-born flutist Carol Wincenc.

And a final note: I’m assuming that you’ve been to the BPO before, so you probably know concertmaster Nikki Chooi and Principal Cellist Roman Mekinulov, both of whom have soloed in front of the orchestra.  But, you might not be as familiar with pianist Eric Huebner, whom we are beyond lucky to have in town.  Since January 2012, Huebner has been the pianist of the New York Philharmonic (yes, those guys!).  Huebner is also Chair of the Department of Music at UB.  He often performs there in Slee Hall and if you see him in a concert listing, I strongly urge you to take advantage.