Not quite convinced of "Broadway's Future," but this is an incredibly worthwhile series at the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library. Once a month (in the season) a composer and/or composer/lyricist is featured. I've attended several editions and have heard some very interesting works. And the performers are (usually/always) working theater professionals who are volunteering their time.
Tonight's featured artist was Micah Young—www.micahwyoung.com. I think he's very talented. As our host for the evening said, he mixes classical composition with a Broadway/songwriting blend. He's also a composer/lyricist.
There were snippets of two theater works-in-progress, "Lady of the House" based on the Scottish play, and three songs from a tango-flavored 1920/21-era musical based on another Shakespeare adaptation. Broadway's future? Time will tell.
Most enjoyable for me were the three violin/piano Tangos (part of the second work-in-progress mentioned above) and the song cycle "The Tree Songs" sung by (and apparently collaberated on with) Broadway diva Terri Klausner. Four great songs—through-composed story arc, and very strong compositional techniques (that don't scream technique). These were rumored to be near to a recording session. I hope that happens soon.
A very strong volunteer cast; a very strong compositional technique on display; possibly Broadway's future.
ConcertMeister
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Piano Pleasures
Today's concert was a piano recital via the NYPL—pianist Daniel Beliavsky. I'd heard him before, and when I saw his name on the schedule, I knew I wanted to attend. The composers were compelling: Chopin (1810-1849); Shostakovich (1906-1975); Scriabin (1872-1915); and Rachmaninoff (1873-1943. A broad range.
The Chopin was practically a "Greatest Hits" set. Two introspective Mazurkas followed by fireworks—Fantasy-Impromptu, Op. 66 (think "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows") and a Ballade (Op. 23, No. 1). Then a Nocturne (vaguely familiar) and the Polonaise, Op. 53, "Heroic". You'd know it.
The second half was bookended with two Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87—No. 1, C Major; No. 24, d minor. The first was relatively straightforward, the last dark and insistent.
The Scriabin was two Etudes—one with a dense chordal structure; one bolder, almost effusively Chopin-esque.
The Rachmaninoff was two Preludes—one very familiar to me, with heavy block chords; one very march-like, with a nice lyrical middle section, returning to the military finale.
Mr. Beliavsky made a point of discussing Shostakovich's political riskiness (fear of being "disappeared")—these preludes and fugues, an homage to the Well-Tempered Clavier, were written between Nov. 1950 and Feb. 1951, a particularly worrisome time for Shostakovich. Fortunately for all of us, he was not "disappeared".
And fortunately for all of us, Mr. Beliavsky will continue concertizing.
The Chopin was practically a "Greatest Hits" set. Two introspective Mazurkas followed by fireworks—Fantasy-Impromptu, Op. 66 (think "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows") and a Ballade (Op. 23, No. 1). Then a Nocturne (vaguely familiar) and the Polonaise, Op. 53, "Heroic". You'd know it.
The second half was bookended with two Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87—No. 1, C Major; No. 24, d minor. The first was relatively straightforward, the last dark and insistent.
The Scriabin was two Etudes—one with a dense chordal structure; one bolder, almost effusively Chopin-esque.
The Rachmaninoff was two Preludes—one very familiar to me, with heavy block chords; one very march-like, with a nice lyrical middle section, returning to the military finale.
Mr. Beliavsky made a point of discussing Shostakovich's political riskiness (fear of being "disappeared")—these preludes and fugues, an homage to the Well-Tempered Clavier, were written between Nov. 1950 and Feb. 1951, a particularly worrisome time for Shostakovich. Fortunately for all of us, he was not "disappeared".
And fortunately for all of us, Mr. Beliavsky will continue concertizing.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Crackerjack Quartet
Well, that's a bit of a misnomer. In actuality it was the Hugo Wolf Quartet. Founded (and based?) in Vienna, they presented a well-received concert at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York—a venue I recently discovered in my Open House New York weekend. Architecturally, the building is a gem in midtown Manhattan, and the concert space is a warm, intimate (82 seats) setting.
The program:
Werden-Sein-Vergehen, quartet for strings (1905), Anton Webern
String Quartet No. 3, upwards, behind the onstreaming it mooned (2000/2001), Karlheinz Essl
String Quartet No. 4, Le temps ardent (1994), Zbigniew Bargielsky
The Webern was my favorite—I'm sure it was ground-breaking for its time, but it had the most structured concept of the three pieces, in my opinion. The two later pieces had recognizable compositional techniques on display, but I felt as though it was a quiz—and I was supposed to fill out a questionnaire at the end. Motif? check; passing sequences from one instrument to another/all? check; trills/tremolos? check; unisons giving way to microtones? check; pizzicato (some almost violent)? check; a way to round out the end of the work ... ?
Well, see, that's one of the problems. There were no clues, via program notes, as to whether there were two, three, or one through-composed movement(s) for any of the works. And when hearing a 2000/2001 work (or a 1994 one for that matter), you just don't know—is a 15-second silence part of the work (a la John Cage?) or the end of the movement/work? Slightly awkward.
Still, really excellent playing, a beautiful venue (I look forward to a violin/piano concert in early November), and a very pleasant evening. I sat in the small balcony section (16 seats). I think I'll try that again.
ConcertMeister
The program:
Werden-Sein-Vergehen, quartet for strings (1905), Anton Webern
String Quartet No. 3, upwards, behind the onstreaming it mooned (2000/2001), Karlheinz Essl
String Quartet No. 4, Le temps ardent (1994), Zbigniew Bargielsky
The Webern was my favorite—I'm sure it was ground-breaking for its time, but it had the most structured concept of the three pieces, in my opinion. The two later pieces had recognizable compositional techniques on display, but I felt as though it was a quiz—and I was supposed to fill out a questionnaire at the end. Motif? check; passing sequences from one instrument to another/all? check; trills/tremolos? check; unisons giving way to microtones? check; pizzicato (some almost violent)? check; a way to round out the end of the work ... ?
Well, see, that's one of the problems. There were no clues, via program notes, as to whether there were two, three, or one through-composed movement(s) for any of the works. And when hearing a 2000/2001 work (or a 1994 one for that matter), you just don't know—is a 15-second silence part of the work (a la John Cage?) or the end of the movement/work? Slightly awkward.
Still, really excellent playing, a beautiful venue (I look forward to a violin/piano concert in early November), and a very pleasant evening. I sat in the small balcony section (16 seats). I think I'll try that again.
ConcertMeister
Monday, October 24, 2011
Forgotten Musicals (~1948–1981)
It's rare that I give up a source/venue, but the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts deserves huge kudos for presenting renowned cabaret performer Steve Ross in a program featuring treasures from the library's music division.
It's impossible to list every Broadway show, every song title, every performer presented on Monday night. Here's a sampler. Some you'll know, some you may want to Google—I'm a Yahoo! search guy, myself.
Musicals: Tenderloin; Redhead; Foxy; Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen; The Fig Leaves Are Falling; (whew!) Skyscraper; Golden Rainbow; Maggie Flynn—the list goes on. Literally.
Composers/Librettists: Bock & Harnick; Dorothy Fields, Albert Hague; Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse; Ervin Drake; Noel Coward; Matt Dubey; Kander & Ebb—the list goes on. Literally.
So, here's the thing. Is Steve Ross the best piano player/singer/cabaret song stylist out there? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is he a force to be reckoned with? Definite yes. There were at least 17 vocalists involved, so individual props will not be forthcoming. I did, however, read all the bios, and I'll quote my favorite one: "PATRICK MONAHAN likes to sing good songs." 'Nuff said.
This was a well-thought-out program with very good planning (room for a bit of improvement) and the type of programming that adds a great deal to this crazy quilt that is New York. Not just New York of the Algonquin/Oak Room/Feinstein's, etc., but the New York where 250 people can experience an astounding performance and learning experience through the NY public library system.
Major-league congratulations.
CM
p.s. As Mr. Ross said, "We haven't even begun with Off-Broadway."
It's impossible to list every Broadway show, every song title, every performer presented on Monday night. Here's a sampler. Some you'll know, some you may want to Google—I'm a Yahoo! search guy, myself.
Musicals: Tenderloin; Redhead; Foxy; Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen; The Fig Leaves Are Falling; (whew!) Skyscraper; Golden Rainbow; Maggie Flynn—the list goes on. Literally.
Composers/Librettists: Bock & Harnick; Dorothy Fields, Albert Hague; Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse; Ervin Drake; Noel Coward; Matt Dubey; Kander & Ebb—the list goes on. Literally.
So, here's the thing. Is Steve Ross the best piano player/singer/cabaret song stylist out there? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is he a force to be reckoned with? Definite yes. There were at least 17 vocalists involved, so individual props will not be forthcoming. I did, however, read all the bios, and I'll quote my favorite one: "PATRICK MONAHAN likes to sing good songs." 'Nuff said.
This was a well-thought-out program with very good planning (room for a bit of improvement) and the type of programming that adds a great deal to this crazy quilt that is New York. Not just New York of the Algonquin/Oak Room/Feinstein's, etc., but the New York where 250 people can experience an astounding performance and learning experience through the NY public library system.
Major-league congratulations.
CM
p.s. As Mr. Ross said, "We haven't even begun with Off-Broadway."
Sunday, October 23, 2011
New Music ...
... well, new to me. This afternoon's concert (5pm) was the Open End ensemble—"Modern Works and In-the-Now Improvisations."
The program was in two parts—three pieces and two improvisations in each half.
The first half included the avant-garde: Olivier Messiaen, Charles Ives, and Elliott Carter. In my estimation, of the six pieces on the program, they rated as follows: Messiaen (Piece pour piano et quator a cordes—piano and string quartet) was #1, Ives (movement IV, from Piano Sonata no. 2) was #2, and Carter (Duettino, for violin and cello) was #5.
The second half included the nouveaux-avant-garde—Andrew Waggoner (b. 1960, one of the violinists of the group and a composer), Shulamit Ran (b. 1949, who composed a commission for the violist who played it here), and Jesse Benjamin James (b. 1978).
Mr. Waggoner's Catenary came in at #6; Ms. Ran's Perfect Storm, #4; Mr. Benjamin's 4 Bagatelles (also a commission and world premiere), #3.
All four improvisations left me a little cool; it seemed as though everyone knew where everyone else was going, i.e., rehearsed—or at least catch phrases and transition elements that everyone was aware of. But that could just be me.
Playing throughout was very good—the pianist played really well, especially in the Ives. The violist shone in the piece that she commissioned. The 4 Bagatelles (via program notes) were presented as pure fun, with musical merit, and I agree.
As with many "new" compositions, there was always the are they done? moment, because two or three seconds of silence could simply be a part of the composition. Still and all, an enjoyable concert in a venue I was familiar with (another church with vastly different acoustics from last night's). I'll be back there again during the concert season.
CM
The program was in two parts—three pieces and two improvisations in each half.
The first half included the avant-garde: Olivier Messiaen, Charles Ives, and Elliott Carter. In my estimation, of the six pieces on the program, they rated as follows: Messiaen (Piece pour piano et quator a cordes—piano and string quartet) was #1, Ives (movement IV, from Piano Sonata no. 2) was #2, and Carter (Duettino, for violin and cello) was #5.
The second half included the nouveaux-avant-garde—Andrew Waggoner (b. 1960, one of the violinists of the group and a composer), Shulamit Ran (b. 1949, who composed a commission for the violist who played it here), and Jesse Benjamin James (b. 1978).
Mr. Waggoner's Catenary came in at #6; Ms. Ran's Perfect Storm, #4; Mr. Benjamin's 4 Bagatelles (also a commission and world premiere), #3.
All four improvisations left me a little cool; it seemed as though everyone knew where everyone else was going, i.e., rehearsed—or at least catch phrases and transition elements that everyone was aware of. But that could just be me.
Playing throughout was very good—the pianist played really well, especially in the Ives. The violist shone in the piece that she commissioned. The 4 Bagatelles (via program notes) were presented as pure fun, with musical merit, and I agree.
As with many "new" compositions, there was always the are they done? moment, because two or three seconds of silence could simply be a part of the composition. Still and all, an enjoyable concert in a venue I was familiar with (another church with vastly different acoustics from last night's). I'll be back there again during the concert season.
CM
Real Double-Header
Concert-style, not baseball-style. Yesterday (10/22) saw an afternoon of "The Songs of Franz Liszt" while the evening brought an orchestral concert with Dvorak, Patterson (more on that later), and Sibelius. [Note to self—bring HTML cheat sheet home from work!]
The lieder concert, on Liszt's 200th birth anniversary!, included 17 songs sung by a soprano, a mezzo, and a tenor, with superb piano accompaniment. Of the three vocalists, I liked the soprano, tenor, and mezzo in that order. The soprano seemed most at ease. The tenor, while good, struck me as more of a technique on display. And the mezzo sort of got short shrift in the programming, though her performance of "Die drei Zigeuner" was quite effective.
Highlights included "Im Rhein im schoenen Strome" and "Die Loreley" (soprano); two (of three) Petrarch Sonnets (tenor—it was here that he created some freer singing); and "Ihr Glocken von Marling" and the aforementioned Gypsy song (mezzo).
It was nice that translations were provided. The concert ended with "O Lieb," a song/tune that most would recognize as Liebestraume #3.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shifting gears, the evening's program consisted of Othello Overture, Op. 93 (Antonin Dvorak), Concerto for Saxophone (Michael Patterson, b. 1947), and Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op 63 (Jean Sibelius).
The Dvorak was a real winner. In keeping with historical dates (see Liszt, 200, above), the Othello was given its first performance Oct. 21, 1892, in Carnegie Hall with Dvorak conducting—119 years ago, almost to the day.
Michael Patterson is a composer associated with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. This performance was the New York premiere of the piece, so I'm guessing Ohio heard it before we did. I enjoyed the three-movement work, with its jazz influences—and the soloist seemed to take the reverberating church-space sound into consideration, especially in a couple of cadenza passages.
The Sibelius takes a little bit of work to listen to. Even though I had read the program notes and was thus ready for some odd (though not abrupt) movement endings, they were still slightly ... unsettling. The four movements never quite jelled, for me. Some very nice sounds, some very nice playing, yet not quite equalling "very nice". Maybe I just need to give it another try. I mean, the program notes themselves read, "The work...bewildered the audience at its first performance [Helsinki]...[and] met with misunderstanding or outright hostility...in...Gothenburg, London, and Boston."
Yep, I owe it another listen. NY Public Library, can I check out a Sibelius CD, please?
ConcertMeister
The lieder concert, on Liszt's 200th birth anniversary!, included 17 songs sung by a soprano, a mezzo, and a tenor, with superb piano accompaniment. Of the three vocalists, I liked the soprano, tenor, and mezzo in that order. The soprano seemed most at ease. The tenor, while good, struck me as more of a technique on display. And the mezzo sort of got short shrift in the programming, though her performance of "Die drei Zigeuner" was quite effective.
Highlights included "Im Rhein im schoenen Strome" and "Die Loreley" (soprano); two (of three) Petrarch Sonnets (tenor—it was here that he created some freer singing); and "Ihr Glocken von Marling" and the aforementioned Gypsy song (mezzo).
It was nice that translations were provided. The concert ended with "O Lieb," a song/tune that most would recognize as Liebestraume #3.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shifting gears, the evening's program consisted of Othello Overture, Op. 93 (Antonin Dvorak), Concerto for Saxophone (Michael Patterson, b. 1947), and Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op 63 (Jean Sibelius).
The Dvorak was a real winner. In keeping with historical dates (see Liszt, 200, above), the Othello was given its first performance Oct. 21, 1892, in Carnegie Hall with Dvorak conducting—119 years ago, almost to the day.
Michael Patterson is a composer associated with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. This performance was the New York premiere of the piece, so I'm guessing Ohio heard it before we did. I enjoyed the three-movement work, with its jazz influences—and the soloist seemed to take the reverberating church-space sound into consideration, especially in a couple of cadenza passages.
The Sibelius takes a little bit of work to listen to. Even though I had read the program notes and was thus ready for some odd (though not abrupt) movement endings, they were still slightly ... unsettling. The four movements never quite jelled, for me. Some very nice sounds, some very nice playing, yet not quite equalling "very nice". Maybe I just need to give it another try. I mean, the program notes themselves read, "The work...bewildered the audience at its first performance [Helsinki]...[and] met with misunderstanding or outright hostility...in...Gothenburg, London, and Boston."
Yep, I owe it another listen. NY Public Library, can I check out a Sibelius CD, please?
ConcertMeister
Sunday, October 16, 2011
OHNY
10/16/11 – "Let's start at the ver-y be-gin-ning, a ver-y" ... er, rather, let's start at the end of Open House New York weekend. At St. Ann and the Holy Trinity church in Brooklyn Heights, there was an organ mini-recital that included Saint-Saens' "The Swan," Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer," J.S. Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze," and an Edward Elgar "Pomp and Circumstance" march (not the one you're thinking of). The playing was OK – but I'm somewhat prejudiced.
As for the rest of OHNY, I saw an architectural firm, the Austrian Cultural Forum (with a way cool piano storage device!), the American Irish Historical Society (floor 2 only), a 34th-floor, $3,500/mo. one-bedroom apartment with terrace (and the roof and other common areas of the double-towered residential rental building), an 1890-era midtown building with a skylight over the main reading room, and a really, really great Architectural Arts firm. I learned about Venetian plaster and the ways to create faux wood graining and other designs, all sealed with wax. And that was just Saturday!
Today was a visit to a blacksmithing forge, two artists' studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yards and the aforementioned organ recital, which followed a guided tour of the church's 1847/8 stained-glass windows.
The ConcertMeister is a tired little teddy-bear!
As for the rest of OHNY, I saw an architectural firm, the Austrian Cultural Forum (with a way cool piano storage device!), the American Irish Historical Society (floor 2 only), a 34th-floor, $3,500/mo. one-bedroom apartment with terrace (and the roof and other common areas of the double-towered residential rental building), an 1890-era midtown building with a skylight over the main reading room, and a really, really great Architectural Arts firm. I learned about Venetian plaster and the ways to create faux wood graining and other designs, all sealed with wax. And that was just Saturday!
Today was a visit to a blacksmithing forge, two artists' studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yards and the aforementioned organ recital, which followed a guided tour of the church's 1847/8 stained-glass windows.
The ConcertMeister is a tired little teddy-bear!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
A Two-Fer (Not Quite a Double-Header)
Saturday brought a program of silent films – with a spooky theme. One short and four two-reelers, all with live piano accompaniment.
Short: "Koko's Earth Control" – A Max Fleischer Inkwell animated. Very funny – and still relevant!
Two-Reelers: "Haunted Spooks" (1920), Harold Lloyd; "The Haunted House" (1921), Buster Keaton; "Shootin' Injuns" (1925), Our Gang comedy; and "Who's Afraid?" (1927), Lupino Lane.
Lupino Lane was new to me, and the November afternoon in the series features him prominently.
There were some real out-loud laughs – the piano scoring was superb. With haunted houses as an overriding theme, there was a bit of repetition in the gags and the set pieces. Still, a really fun afternoon.
Sunday was chamber music – The Con Brio Ensemble. Four selections from Max Bruch, Eight Pieces, Op. 83. The players were violin, viola and piano. Very nice playing, especially the unison/octaves from the string players.
The next two pieces added 'cello to the mix – a three-movement Quartet in A minor, Op. 67 by Joaquin Turina (a Spanish composer, 1882–1949, new to me); and a four-movement Brahms Quartet in G minor, Op. 25.
Lest I sound like a broken record, the playing was of uniformly high quality. Minor quibbles were a bit of spotty ensemble playing (a few hiccups), some rough unisons/octaves when all four players were going at it, and a few patchy sounding exposed 'cello lines. But those were EXTREMELY minor.
The players received a well-deserved lengthy ovation.
CM
Short: "Koko's Earth Control" – A Max Fleischer Inkwell animated. Very funny – and still relevant!
Two-Reelers: "Haunted Spooks" (1920), Harold Lloyd; "The Haunted House" (1921), Buster Keaton; "Shootin' Injuns" (1925), Our Gang comedy; and "Who's Afraid?" (1927), Lupino Lane.
Lupino Lane was new to me, and the November afternoon in the series features him prominently.
There were some real out-loud laughs – the piano scoring was superb. With haunted houses as an overriding theme, there was a bit of repetition in the gags and the set pieces. Still, a really fun afternoon.
Sunday was chamber music – The Con Brio Ensemble. Four selections from Max Bruch, Eight Pieces, Op. 83. The players were violin, viola and piano. Very nice playing, especially the unison/octaves from the string players.
The next two pieces added 'cello to the mix – a three-movement Quartet in A minor, Op. 67 by Joaquin Turina (a Spanish composer, 1882–1949, new to me); and a four-movement Brahms Quartet in G minor, Op. 25.
Lest I sound like a broken record, the playing was of uniformly high quality. Minor quibbles were a bit of spotty ensemble playing (a few hiccups), some rough unisons/octaves when all four players were going at it, and a few patchy sounding exposed 'cello lines. But those were EXTREMELY minor.
The players received a well-deserved lengthy ovation.
CM
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Quite Enough with Calvin Trillin
Okay, this was not technically a concert. It was a talk at a book signing at a venue I'd never been to before – the Tenement Museum. The entire endeavor looks quite interesting and Mr. Trillin was a very engaging speaker. He writes, in addition to books, columns and poems for The Nation.
Hmmm, poems – set to music – equals songs. So while there was no instrumental music, there was the music of poetry and the music of language. I'm including it in ConcertMeister. Besides, it's not every evening you get to hear a published poet rhyme regalia with genitalia when speaking of a political candidate! And don't get him started on tranquilizer darts for hummingbirds and slapping their little cheeks to revive them.
I did not purchase a book or get an autograph, but I got one heck of a learning expeience and lots of laughs. That's an A+ in my book.
CM
p.s. This was a freebie. Fortunately I got there early, as the venue was fairly small. Though anyone who really knows me knows that I'll be early, rather than late.
Hmmm, poems – set to music – equals songs. So while there was no instrumental music, there was the music of poetry and the music of language. I'm including it in ConcertMeister. Besides, it's not every evening you get to hear a published poet rhyme regalia with genitalia when speaking of a political candidate! And don't get him started on tranquilizer darts for hummingbirds and slapping their little cheeks to revive them.
I did not purchase a book or get an autograph, but I got one heck of a learning expeience and lots of laughs. That's an A+ in my book.
CM
p.s. This was a freebie. Fortunately I got there early, as the venue was fairly small. Though anyone who really knows me knows that I'll be early, rather than late.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, 10/1/2011
Hello, all.
I'm the ConcertMeister. I like to find free (or very inexpensive) concerts in NYC. Periodically I'll check in -- not with a review, per se, but with a chronicle and a few observances.
On Saturday, I attended a piano concert -- Amber Liao. The program was varied, including Faure (I'll get an HTML cheat sheet later), Schubert, Handel, and Scriabin. Surprisingly, the Handel was my favorite. I guess I liked the clean order that was easy to follow and just made the most sense to me.
The playing (all from memory) was very fine with, what appeared to my non-pianistic ears, just a few minor slips. All in all, a great freebie concert in NYC. This one was in Manhattan -- but I'll keep you posted on the other boroughs as best I can.
CM
I'm the ConcertMeister. I like to find free (or very inexpensive) concerts in NYC. Periodically I'll check in -- not with a review, per se, but with a chronicle and a few observances.
On Saturday, I attended a piano concert -- Amber Liao. The program was varied, including Faure (I'll get an HTML cheat sheet later), Schubert, Handel, and Scriabin. Surprisingly, the Handel was my favorite. I guess I liked the clean order that was easy to follow and just made the most sense to me.
The playing (all from memory) was very fine with, what appeared to my non-pianistic ears, just a few minor slips. All in all, a great freebie concert in NYC. This one was in Manhattan -- but I'll keep you posted on the other boroughs as best I can.
CM
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