Make Music New York, 6/21/25

Semi-successful. I decided to try for four events. Only two worked out.

I revisited Sousapalooza and had a blast again. The all-volunteer band was great, and the conductor was also very good. The marches we heard, in order, were: El Capitan (which, per the conductor, is from a Sousa operetta titled El Capitan!); Fairest of the Fair (backstory is a Boston food court, but I didn't get the whole backstory); Hands across the Sea; High School Cadets; In Memoriam: President Garfield's Funeral March (though it was also played at Sousa's funeral); Liberty Bell; Manhattan Beach; Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (written in 1923, this was the first Sousapalooza hearing, and it had a tambourine in the percussion section); Semper Fideles; The Thunderer; The Washington Post; and—wait for it—The Stars and Stripes Forever. One of the clarinetists played a shortened clarinet. I asked him about it and he said it was an E-flat clarinet. I'd heard of them (and probably have heard one before), but this was the first time I can recall ever seeing one.

My next stop was at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. I had been there once before for an Open House New York tour. Alas, the Make Music performances were canceled by the police. I never really found out why.

Having time to kill, I took the M8 bus (my first time on this particular route) over to 511 LaGuardia Place to hear the Nevermind Orchestra. I found 505 LaGuardia but not 511. Well, it turns out that 511 is an outdoor garden. Sheesh! They could have put that in the description of the event. Oh, and my schedule had it as 3:30pm. It was really 4p–6p, and they started late. So I ended up deciding to skip my 5p–6p event. The Nevermind Orchestra is trumpet, trombone, tuba, saxophone (tenor, I think) and drums. They play Nirvana tunes. I lasted through four and was out of there.

As I said at the beginning, semi-successful. Oh well. There's always December 21, 2025 and next year on June 21.

ConcertMeister

The Knights – Naumburg Orchestral Concerts 2025 – 6/10/25

Colin & Eric Jacobsen, Artistic Directors

Concerto Grosso from L’Estro Armonico for Two Violins, Cello, and Strings in G minor, Op. 3, No. 2 (RV 578), (1711) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
1. Adagio e spiccato, 2. Allegro, 3. Larghetto, 4. Allegro
Colin Jacobsen and Nanae Iwata, violins, Alex Greenbaum, cello

Summerland: for Flute, Harp, and String Trio, (1935) – William Grant Still (1895–1978)
Alex Sopp, flute, Megan Conley, harp

Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 1038, (1732–35) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
1. Largo, 2. Vivace, 3. Adagio, 4. Presto
Colin Jacobsen, violin, Alex Sopp, flute, Eric Jacobsen, cello, Steven Beck, harpsichord

Gran Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass – Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889)
1. Allegro - Andante 2. Allegro vivace - Moderato
Agnes Marchione, clarinet, Zachary Cohen, double bass

Danses sacrée et profane, (1904) – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Megan Conley, harp

Sound of the Five (arranged for marimba and strings), (2001) – Chen Yi (b. 1953)
3. Romance of Hsiao and Ch’in, 4. Flower Drums in Dance
Joseph Gramley, marimba

Traditional, arr. Danish String Quartet (from Last Leaf)
Polska from Dorotea, Unst Boat Song, The Dromer

Alas, I ended up in Central Park without a pen. As a result, you'll be pelted with more generalizations than usual.

The four movements of the Vivaldi were a textbook example of a Concerto Grosso—a small group (three) of players versus a large (grosso) group of players. In this case, the grosso was still pretty small, but you get my drift. It was Vivaldi. It was fairly predictable. It was enjoyable. It was a great kickoff to a great season of a great concert season.

The William Grant Still work was lovely. The chamber players were tucked away in a corner of the Naumburg bandshell, but that's logistics for you. Now I'm going to be the bad guy. There is very little classical music played or broadcast written by African-American composers. I am glad The Knights took this step.

The Bach Trio Sonata was another lovely chamber work performed from the Naumburg stage. It's great to know that small works and larger works can be presented there. 

The Gran Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass was a surprise to me. I have never before heard a double bass in that high a register. I love learning new things.

Debussy and harp, what can I say? Even the profane were as lovely as the sacrée.

Believe it or not, I'd heard some of the Chen Yi music earlier this spring, at an Orchestra of St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra concert on Staten Island (yes, I do get around!). Dr. Chen was at the Staten Island concert but not at the Naumburg concert. I liked the marimba version, which was very different from what I had heard earlier. New things can be interesting.

Danish music was new to me (thank you, Greenland). The folk tunes were a lot of fun to hear. Hey, I warned you that there would be a lot of generalizations. (I have since bought four pens at Dollar Tree, so I'll keep two in my murse.)

ConcertMeister

BALAM Dance Theatre – 6/5/25

Baroque Dance Fantasies about England, France & Spain 

Dongmyung Ahn, Teresa Salomon ~ violins; Andrea Andros ~ viola; Lisa Terry ~ violoncello; Gabe Shuford ~ harpsichord; Ryan Closs ~ guitar
Yumiko Niimi, Robin Gilbert & Carlos Fittante ~ dancers    

The Olde Batchelor, Z. 607 – Henry Purcell (1659‒1695)
Overture: While the Swans Come Forward ~ “Swan Boat” Hornpipe ~ Slow Air/Sarabande ~      Hornpipe ~ Rondeau ~ Minuet ~ Bourrée ~ March ~ Jig 

Concerts Royaux No. 1 – Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632‒1687)
Prélude ~ Sarabande ~ Gigue ~ Menuet en Trio       

Harlequin Goes Bird Watching –
Chaconne des scaramouches from Trivelins et Arlequins – Lully
Gavotte & Allemande from Concerts Royaux – François Couperin (1668‒1733) 
Tambourins I & II from Les Indes Galantes – Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683‒1764) 

Première Livre de Pièces de Clavecin in D minor (Paris, 1702) – Louis Marchand (1669‒1732)
Prélude ~ Chaconne en rondeau 

La Folia (arr. Lewis Baratz of La Fiocco) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741)

This was a very balanced program. A mix of orchestral movements and pieces combined with dances accompanied by the onstage instrumentalists.

The Purcell had an instrumental overture that then led into two dancers arriving with swan heads attached at their waists. Very clever, for the “Swan Boat” Hornpipe. The other seven movements included a male dance solo, a female solo (with tambourine), a duet Minuet, and a male solo Bourée. A note on the stylized dancing. For the most part, it was courtly—genteel, small arm movements, small leg movements, only one twirling seated lift (repeated twice). There was minor use of props—a rose, a fan, a notebook, a frond of leaves, a garland of flowers, etc. Simple, yet effective.

The second work was an instrumental interlude, ostensibly allowing for costume changes for the dancers. But the music (by Lully) stood well on its own. The Prélude, Sarabande, and Gigue were scored for solo violin, guitar, harpsichord, and cello. The Sarabande (in keeping with the dance theme) was gentle, while the Gigue was livelier. The Menuet added an additional violin and was gentle, but with verve.

The next three works were pretty much taken as one group. First, a solo male masked Harlequin entertained us. The second was a masked female solo dancing as a bird. The third featured the masked Harlequin watching the masked bird through a telescope. Fanciful, it included props of flowers and a butterfly. Flights of fancy, indeed.

The Marchand composition was for harpsichord solo, allowing for additional costume changes. But the two-movement work also stood on its own very well. Calm, then livelier, then livelier still.

After retuning, and with the string players standing (except, of course, the cello), the finale was all you'd expect it to be. The guitarist seemed to disappear, but I suspect he provided drum beats and castanet sounds, while the female of the dance duet provided finger-cymbal percussion that accompanied the stylized dance movements, again including hops, arm movements, leg movements, and gentle spins.

This was an interesting change from the usual (and very good) instrumental/vocal concerts. Kudos, Gotham Early Music Scene.

ConcertMeister

The Imaginary Invalid (5/24/25)

Molière in the Park (the park being Prospect Park in Brooklyn, at the LeFrak Center)

This is the first time I've ever seen a Molière play. The seven actors (two of whom played multiple roles) did a wonderful job of presenting this French farce in an English translation. All of the speaking actors are members of Actors' Equity Association. Whether a waiver was involved, I do not know. The choreographer danced in the performance, and the composer/cellist also took part in the live performance. I wasn't overwhelmed with the dancing (hip-hop, pop-lock) but it was done well.

OK, I'm going to make this all about me for a few sentences. When I was a kid, we did plagiarized versions of folk tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel) and Disney movie musicals (Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty) at a playhouse in a park with a covered audience area. This, though, in Brooklyn, was our Playhouse in the Pines on steroids. The set, while minimal, was very effective. The lighting seemed to be effective (I attended a matinee). The audience (about 250 of us) sat in a squared off horseshoe, though all of us could see all of the action.

It was very funny, without veering into slapstick. It turns out that the Imaginary Invalid eventually learns that he really is not an invalid. There are also philosophical agents at work that change the minds of more than one character. Other characters learn to view themselves from other vantage points. Seeing an open-air theater performance was a lot of fun and also brought back a lot of memories.

The organization is called Molière in the Park, and they've been doing this for quite some while (nineteen years?). I'm glad I stumbled upon them this spring. I'll be on the lookout for other presentations of theirs. I am a lucky fellow, indeed.

ConcertMeister

Opera Essentia – The Queen’s Heart: A Distillation of Handel’s Radamisto (5/15/25)

Jeffrey Mandelbaum (Radamisto) ~ countertenor & Artistic Director; Kristin Renee Young (Zenobia) ~ soprano; Teresa Castillo (Polissena) ~ soprano; Amelia Sie ~ violin; Serafim Smigelskiy ~ violoncello; Rebecca Pechefsky ~ harpsichord; Rod Gomez ~ stage director  

 Excerpts from Radamisto (1720), HWV 12 G.F. Handel (1685‒1759)  

     Overture 
     Sommi Dei (Polissena) 
     Qual nave smarrita (Radamisto) 
     Empio, perverso cor! (Zenobia) 
     Tu vuoi ch’io parta (Polissena) 
     Deggio dunque, oh Dio, lasciarti (Zenobia) 
     Ombra cara (Radamisto) 
     Troppo sofferse (Zenobia) 
     Dolce bene di quest’alma (Radamisto)
     Quanda mai pietata sorte (Polissena) 
     Se teco vive il cor (Radamisto & Zenobia)   

Six performers, a redacted plot, three characters without much to hang their characterization on – it was still slightly successful.

Translations for the arias, and one duet, were provided, but they simply pointed us in the direction of lament, lament, quicker tempo, after the opening overture by the violin, cello and harpsichord which was rather brisk and crisp, and then back to lament.

This was essentially a love triangle with one gal (Polissena) really knowing that she was on the outs. But Zenobia didn't really believe that she was the one for Radamisto. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

By the end, Radamisto and Zenobia were together and happy. And Polissena was happy for Radamisto and Zenobia, even after all of that lamenting. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

Since this was a baroque opera, there was tuning of the cello and violin twice between two of the arias. One of the arias had just cello and harpsichord accompaniment. It was noteworthy because the violin was not included. Just an oddity I noticed.

Even with all of that going on, I enjoyed myself. The minimal staging was effective and the performers were great.

All in all, a great freebie concert (and yes, I made a small donation on the way out).

ConcertMeister

Janes Walks (II/III) – 5/3/25 and 5/4/25

I'm combining these two days because I just could not find the first walk. It was called Learning from  space station: imagining a regenerative New York City

Here was the listing: Meet at Rockefeller Park by Ping Pong table 75 Battery Place. Hmm, an internet search informed me that Rockefeller Park was part of Battery Park. I found Battery Park, but not Rockefeller Park. I'm not one of those males who is afraid to ask for directions. I asked, "Where is Rockefeller Park?" Answer, "Uptown." Well, I knew that was wrong, so I found a Battery Park employee and asked, "Where are the Ping Pong tables?" Answer, "There are no Ping Pong tables." As a last resort, I found Battery Place, but not 75 Battery Place. And Battery Place was outside of Battery Park, so I gave up.

Next was Seen But Now Heard: Visiting the "Supermuses" in Central Park
It began at the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument, and focused on Central Park sculptures and the women who were the models. The walk leader was very knowledgable and shared lots of information. Sometimes too much. The walk was scheduled from 1:00–2:30pm. It ended around 3:15pm.

The Supermuses were Audrey Munson (we saw her at Columbus Circle), Hettie Anderson (59th and Fifth, the angel with General Sherman), Doris Droscher sort of, her Pomona (also at 59th and Fifth) is being renovated, and Charlotte Cushman, the model for the angel at Bethesda Fountain, sculpted by Emma Stebbins. I urge you to do cursory searches on all four Supermuses and maybe on Emma Stebbins, as well.

Sunday took me to the Williamsburg Bridge. Oddly, I'd been there before on a Janes Walk music tour that took us to center span, where a jazz musician (saxophonist Sonny Rollins) who, without an indoor practice space, would sometimes play many hours a day. Our walk leader informed us that there were raves there sometimes. But I digress. This Walk went from Manhattan all the way to Brooklyn. The leader was, once again, very knowledgable. Info on the towers and the suspension cables was forthcoming, including comparisons to the Brooklyn Bridge, because, why not? At the time it was completed, the Williamsburg Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Having done a Brooklyn Bridge walk a year or two ago, I asked why I wasn't seeing locks attached to chain link fences along the way. The guide said he wasn't sure. Lo and behold, about two-thirds of the way across, we saw locks. If I'm remembering correctly, they began as 'locks of love' in Paris and slowly took over many bridges in many cities. They are now discouraged.

Oops, though I'd carried it with me all three days, I finally had to open my umbrella toward the end of the Williamsburg Bridge walk.

I had lots of time before my final walk, so I made my way to the Lower East Side (2nd Avenue and 7th Street) and treated myself to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. It was established in 1954, as was I, so I took that as an omen. I had a cup of wonderful mushroom barley soup and a bona fide Ukrainian beer. Viva Ukraine!

My final walk was Murder on Second Avenue. The drizzle threatened again, but we made it through the walk. The leader was very knowledgable once again. In fact, he lived through two murders on or near 2nd Avenue in the early 1980s. One happened at a local restaurant near his E 4th St apartment and one happened next door to his apartment. Not next door to his apartment building. Next door to his apartment. He called 911. And since the AIDS epidemic was at its height then, there was another type of murder going on. Brian Rose, the walk leader, has actually written an account of that era, and he read his words to us as well as adding other nuggets of information. I have sent out a request to Mr. Rose. I will not include a link here until I get his permission. But if you search on Brian Rose and Murder on Second Avenue, you'll find the whole story. Permission was granted. Murder on Second Avenue / New York - JOURNAL • BRIAN ROSE

Will I do Janes Walks again? Yep. Not as many per day as I did four or five years ago, but I like to think I may be more selective these days.

As an extra, Mr. Rose took us past Extra Pl and its adjacent empty alley (very rare in lower NYC). I hope the photos come through.

ConcertMeister

Janes Walks 2025 (I)

Friday, May 2, 2025 – Chinatown – We met at (but did not go into) the Museum of Chinese in America. Maybe another trip. The JW tour leader was very knowledgeable, if a bit hard to hear. She had a yellow MAS/Janes Walk paddle. She was short. I usurped the paddle and raised it high above my head, in order to keep our group of about twenty together. Some street signs (but not all) include Chinese characters. They would not necessarily be understandable to the Chinese people reading them, since there are so many dialects to choose from. I learned a lot, including the location of a pocket park I can go to if/when I'm on jury duty in the future.

My second Friday walk was Brooklyn Bridge Park. Also fun. Our walk leader was an employee, so she knew her stuff. The park encompasses six piers that were formerly part of the Port Authority Trans Hudson. PATH decided to abandon them, and a new group took over, raising all of the funds needed so that government sponsorship was not necessary, though the new organization and NYC Parks work very closely together. Piers 1 (north) and 6 (south) were developed first, then the construction crew worked their way into the middle over several years. One of the piers was built using a special type of styrofoam that lends a slightly hilly effect to the pier. Included on the other piers are a soccer field, beach/sand volleyball courts, and pickleball courts (formerly bocce, hey, they're keeping up with the times). There was also a playground area and a picnic/barbecue area. When I arrived at Pier 1, I noticed that the barge (of Bargemusic fame) was no longer there. The organization still exists in a building but, alas, not on a barge.

More to come.

ConcertMeister (aka WalkMeister)