Wednesday, March 27, 2024

STREB SLAM Open Rehearsal (2/16/24)
I am woefully behind—apologies.

This was a STREB SLAM Open Rehearsal. Checking in was a bit problematic. The event was sponsored by Open House New York, and there were OHNY volunteers when I arrived. Unfortunately, they couldn't check us in as attendees; they finally resorted to writing our names down on a paper pad. Mind you, I had already gone to the library to print out my reservation with the requisite QR code, which was completely unnecessary. But on to STREB SLAM.

What is STREB? Good question. I can't find a good answer online, so I'm going make up my own. STREB seems to be a person (Elizabeth Streb) who teaches a technique incorporating dance/gymnastics/tumbling/circus performing.

The open rehearsal I attended had a crew of 12 or 13 performers bouncing on trampolines one, two, and three at a time. They would leave the trampoline and appear to splat face down on gym mats. This was a recurring theme throughout the morning. Since this was a rehearsal, the performers were in warm-up clothes (i.e., not in costumes), and they essentially did a mark through of the performance piece—talking, describing, doing a few moves—but not really doing a performance. Then they would go back and do it as though it were a performance. Seeing the juxtaposition was quite interesting. They did this pairing with two more set pieces.

They moved on, after replacing the thick mats with thinner mats, to what appeared to be more like a team gymnastic floor routine. The performers brought out props (wooden doors/walls) that some of the members crashed against before bouncing off. Sometimes the wooden partitions were manipulated to twirl so that a performer would be propelled from one side of the space to the other. Fun fact: The performers did all of the set changes themselves, since they'd figured out that they could do them in half the time than stagehands could.

The Gizmo. 
For the finale, they brought forward a metal contraption (The Gizmo) that was triangular at the bottom (but very tall) with a metal wheel that could be rotated and walked atop (carefully) or ridden/walked upon on the interior. The permutations were intriguing. At times, performers would launch themselves off The Gizmo into an aforementioned faceplant. At one point, there were two people in the inner wheel with one person on the outer wheel, and two people on the triangular base. Where to look? Who to watch? It was intriguing theater/dance.

The cool thing was that they were introducing this new program to take to a festival in Los Angeles for a week before going to a festival in Australia. Having performed in an Australian music festival many years ago, I hope they had a great time and created many wonderful memories.

ConcertMeister

Monday, February 19, 2024

A West Side Story Burlesque Show (2/10/24)

Hmm, from Baroque dance to Broadway. Sort of.

My ticket had ‘from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM (EST)’. So, I dutifully showed up at 12:15 PM and joined a short line. And waited. And waited. Long story short, this was an ‘event’ where we were let into the lobby at about 12:40 PM and were told that we could mill about (swag tables, hot dogs for sale, bar available) until they opened the house at 1:30 PM. Odd, my ticket didn’t mention any of that. Today, I finally found an online description of the event – “A West Side Story Burlesque Show, AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s (AHF) original take on the classic Broadway musical, is … [a] free, hour-long dance celebration of safer sex featur[ing] international burlesque …”

I can’t tell you who performed, because the cast list was only available via a QR code. That said, the fifteen or so dancers presented a high-energy production of a lot of the music (canned) from West Side Story. All of the dancers were great, including most of the male ensemble who were bare chested at times. There were three stately drag queens, who also strutted and danced quite well. The real gals were not too shabby either.

I have never seen a one-hour presentation with as much energy as I saw that Saturday afternoon. But I'm not sure I'd call it burlesque. Yes, there were some wink-wink moments. And some of the dance moves were suggestive/risqué. I'm just not sure that added up to burlesque.

Am I glad I went? Yes. Do I wish they had presented more info ahead of time? Definitely, yes. Would I go again? Maybe, if the schedule were announced ahead of time.

ConcertMeister

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The Grand Tour – Dances from England, France, Italy and Spain (2/8/24)

Julia Bengtsson – dance & reconstruction; Patrick Pride – dance; Paul Shipper – music direction, recorder & Baroque guitar; Dongmyung Ahn – violin; Jason Priset – Baroque guitar & theorbo

Here’s the cool low-down. The dances were Baroque dances, which I had never seen before. The steps involved fairly intricate hops, skips and twirls. Alas, I could not see many of the intricate hops and skips footwork because of the single-level seating in the venue.

There was a combination of instrumental works, and instrumentals accompanying dance works. All were very interesting. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but the composers included Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687). Oh, did I mention that this was a Gotham Early Music Scene concert? Other composers, many of whom were new to me, were André Campra (1660–1744), Theobaldi di Gatti (ca. 1650–1727), Andrea Falconieri (1585–1656), Anonymous (two pieces), Henry Desmaret (1661–1741), François Le Cocq (1685–1729), and Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713). How many did you know?

Since the focus was on dance, I’ll focus there, too. Of the eleven works on the program, there was a Marche, an Entrée, a Gigue, a Ciaccona, a Menuet, a Scaramouche, a Passacaglia, a Chacone (see Ciaconna, above), and a Folie. Do I know what they all are? I do not. Did I like them all? I did.

On to the pieces that were actually danced. The Entrée was a solo for female dancer, accompanied by recorder, theorbo, and violin. Stylized hops and skips abounded. A duet, La Bretagne, was interesting in that the female and male were dancing together, sort of. There was interaction but there was no touching or partnering. This was the case in most of the duets.

The Menuet was, oddly, a lengthy solo female dance with violin, guitar and theorbo accompaniment.

The Scaramouche was a very clever male solo danced to solo recorder that included much humor, with an emphasis on mime and exaggerated dance steps.

The Passacaglia was danced by the masked female, which strangely gave her movements more expression.

The closing work, Folie d’Espagne, was a lengthy dance duet accompanied by violin, guitar, and theorbo. The duet included pageantry and humor, and the female dancer also played the castanets. What’s not to like?

I really enjoyed the performance, and I’m lucky enough to have worked with the music director, Paul Shipper, a lifetime ago with a different early music group. It’s a small world after all.

ConcertMeister

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Across a Crowded Room (1/6/2024)

This is a New York Public Library–sponsored writing program for budding composers, lyricists, and librettists. The attendees get assigned, randomly, with each other and tasked with writing a 20-minute music theater piece (standalone, part of a larger work, or something that may bridge that gap). It’s a summer program, with the fruits of their labors presented in autumn. Alas, I missed the November 2023 presentation. But there were extras. The program leaders build in the fact that some pairs/trios will fall by the wayside. Guess what? That didn’t happen in 2023, so we were gifted with five new works in early 2024. And I’m glad.

The five works were (and I’m not making this up, you know) – that’s like saying, I vomited your dinner or the I still love you short; Polar Excess; Helen & Cassandra, Gifts of the Gods; CURSES!; and “The Bees”.

The good news is that after each presentation, a panel of two offered constructive criticism to the authors. Sometimes I agreed with the panelists, sometimes not. I tended to be a bit more critical while they tended to be more nurturing, which is only natural. These are budding writers—we don’t want to scare them away.

The first work was my least favorite, and that seemed to be the same with the panelists. Here are my notes: “The breakup of a relationship between two women. Fairly static, dramatically and musically.” The title was almost longer than the finished product.

The second (with the composer at the piano) was a political musical with much more fun music. The characters included two US Senators with opposing views of global warming/climate change. Oh, and they used to be married to each other. Here are my notes: “<Sound effects> Musical motifs included Up, Up, and Away (all five characters got a crack at the motif), and Running Away from a Polar Bear.” The composing included actual harmony while the minimal staging included a kick line. Did I mention fun?

The third was a two-hander (though the composer/pianist had minimal spoken/sung text). The opening number tried to cram too much text into too small phrases. Also (and I’ve noticed this before with composer/pianists) the piano was often too loud. I think they might like their music too much to the detriment of the overall performance. The vocal writing for Helen and Cassandra was a bit too uneven to my ear.

CURSES! had a few interesting twists and turns involving the two characters. The music was a nice mix of sad (which worked well), lovely (a song about seeds, of all things), and hope (which included a deftly done combination of harmony and unison lines).

“The Bees” was a lot of fun and also gave us lots of information about the hive mentality as well as human family relationships. It had simple but effective tunes, leading us to the conclusion that it was sweet and the honey didn’t dry up.

There were no clunkers. Here’s my minor quibble. I know that this is a writing program, but it’s also a performance program. Perhaps the folks in charge could stress to the performers that it’s very important to take a bow. That is their way of thanking us for our applause. OK, off my soap box now. I’ll be sure to keep my eyes peeled for future editions of Across a Crowded Room.

ConcertMeister

Monday, January 8, 2024

Midtown Concerts – Gotham Early Music Scene (1/4/2024)

Angelica Women’s Chamber Choir – A Battle of the Sexes: Italian Composers from 1300 to 1800

Well, that’s quite a mouth full. And Marie Caruso led twelve female vocalists (three of whom also played recorders, with one recordist also being a finger cymbalist, and one vocalist also playing the viola da gamba—I’m not making this up, you know!). The guest artist was Richard Kolb, playing the theorbo. 

Pop quiz. Raise your hand if you remember what a theorbo is. I know I’ve mentioned it two or three times in the past. Ask, if you need a reminder.

There were fifteen pieces on the program, so I’m not listing all fifteen, just as I’m not listing all twelve vocalists—we’d be here all day. Re. the Battle of the Sexes, there was no real battle. But there were female composers. Early music female composers. Let that sink in. Maddalena Casulana (ca.1540–ca.1590); Claudia Francesca Rusca (1593–1676)—but you’re not here for a history lesson, right? 

All of the music was sung beautifully. The theorbo added a bit of a continuo (accompaniment) feel, as did the recorders and viola da gamba, though they were more often used as intervals between the sung portions of some of the pieces. 

The printed program ran to eight pages because it included texts/translations for all fifteen pieces. I will also not include them all here, but I will include one. Fammi una canzonetta capriciosa. This was vocals with theorbo accompaniment. Here’s the translation: 

  Write me a capricious little song,
  such that no one, or only few,
  are able to sing it,
  and to a danceable tune.

  Don’t mind tuning or rules,
  for this is the best you can do.

  Do it as your fancy offers it,
  and embellish it by pretty runs.
 

How cool is that? Capricious, indeed! 

Some of the pieces were calm, while some were more energetic. Some were strophic—verse, verse, verse. Some were for two voices, while some were for five. This is slightly misleading because a piece for five voices and a piece for two voices merely meant the number of vocal lines. All twelve vocalists sang all of the pieces, except for when they were playing recorder or viola da gamba. In a nod to early music gender fluidity, one piece (Magi videntes stellam, by Agostino Agarazzi (1580–1642)) was written for three tenor voices. Obviously, it was sung here by sopranos and altos. And it worked just fine. 

All in all, this was a wonderful reintroduction to this enjoyable series of concerts. I look forward to the rest of winter and to the spring, as well.

ConcertMeister

Thursday, January 4, 2024

Wreath Inspirations 2023 (12/28/23)

This is an annual installation at the Arsenal (64th? and Fifth Avenue, just inside Central Park). Annual, but with new wreaths every year. I have visited in years past, then I heard about on NY1 this year, and decided it was worth another go. I’m so glad I went. 

Here’s the gist. Artists (public, private, park employees) create wreaths with a combination of chosen materials and found materials. There were thirty wreaths on display this time. Most were round—some were, er, oblong. Materials varied wildly. 

I wrote down a few titles (one of which I’ve already posted on FB). I hope to try to link photos to my blogpost, as well. 

My favorite title was: The Wurst Wreath Ever Made: You Never Sausage a Terrible Wreath. (I’m not making this up, you know!) Others were Tacky Ouroboros, Dealer’s Choice, and Insomnia: Dream. 

Tacky Ouroboros was made almost entirely of tacks, and was a snake eating its own tail. A clever wreath. Dealer’s Choice had lots and lots and lots of playing cards, in order, creating a wreath. Alas, my tablet photo skills could not do it justice. Insomnia: Dream had a main character wearing glasses surrounded by a lot (and I mean a lot!) of googly eyes. It was very effective. Actually, they all were—the four I mentioned and the other 26, too. 

Some were for sale, though most were not. The price range was $100–$6,000. What price, art? 

Will I go in 2024? Yes! Hopefully earlier. The exhibition closed today, 1/4/24.

ConcertMeister

(Alas, it looks like photos are a no-go here.)


Friday, December 29, 2023

A Tale of Two Boroughs (12/9/23 and 12/16/23)

Caroling, caroling through no snow …

Saturday, 12/9, found me at Judson Memorial Church for their annual caroling sponsored by the West Village Chorale. This has been a hit or miss event over the past few years, and this year was no different. Organization inside the church hall was done pretty well. Outside, in Washington Square Park, not so much. My group had two leaders. When we got into the park, the first question was, “What do you want to sing?” Um, you’re the leaders. You should have a plan. They also tried to join another group who didn’t seem to want us. It was awkward. That was the minus. The plus was that on one of our (very few) stops, there was a little girl singing along with us. The group leaders invited her to join us. She did, and had a great time. Another little girl was invited to join us, as well. Hopefully we made a few Christmas memories for those little ones.

Saturday, 12/16, found me in Brooklyn. A caroling group associated with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. Who knew they even existed? I didn’t, but now I do. Approximately 200(!) carolers broke up into four groups. The organizers said that turnout was so large probably because of the good weather. (No, this will not turn into a climate change rant, but …) My group was a small, four-part harmony group, though most of the singers were unison singers. Not a biggie. But when I attempted harmony, the unison singers seemed to lack confidence, so I stuck with unison for the most part. At our last stop of the afternoon, the owner of the place we were in front of brought out hot chocolate for us. A well-received bonus.

Will I try both again next year? Probably. Because I know going in that it’s hit or miss. And even if it’s a bit of a miss, I still get to go caroling in NYC again.

ConcertMeister