Pierrot Throughout the World (9/22/14)

At the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, this diverse program was performed
with only tenuous connections to Pierrot. The last work on the program was
Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 (1912) of Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951). This was preceded by L’après-midi d’un Schoenberg (2012) by Richard Brooks (b. 1942) with libretto by Nancy Bogen (b. 1932) (World Premiere). And the concert opened with Danzón No. 2 (1994) by Arturo Márquez (b. 1950), (arr. by
Bobby Lapinski (b. 1989)). Whew! I think I’m done with diacriticals and parentheses. The entire concert was conducted by Dr. Arturo Ortega.

The tenuous connection is the “Pierrot” Consort—four singers, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano—essentially the forces for the Brooks work. And most of the performers of the Brooks work have connections to the University of North Texas College of Music. The only connection I made with the Márquez is that Mr. Lapinski was the clarinetist in the “Pierrot” Consort. Clear as mud? Now, on to the music.

Danzón had a light tango feel, starting with piano and clarinet, then adding violin and cello, and then the flute. With all instruments playing, there was a full sound that picked up in tempo and volume. At one point the flutist doubled on piccolo, adding to the intensity. I was reminded of the tangos of Astor Piazzolla.

L’après-midi d’un Schoenberg had an interesting concept in that it took four photographs of Schoenberg and others (wife, child, two students, two unknown females) and superimposed a “what-if” scenario. The photos were presumably taken by Schoenberg’s brother, so we now have a cast of eight. As a result, our four singers represented two people each, one with props (hats, lorgnette, hair bow) and one without. An interesting concept that eventually fell a bit flat. The mix of English and German texts was OK, and the material was presented in a way that made it relatively understandable. The singing was uniformly good throughout. Overall, an OK work that I would probably not seek out again.

The same can pretty much be said for Pierrot Lunaire, a Sprechstimme song cycle of three sets of seven songs each. The singer/actress here used a more fluid (i.e., less jagged) interpretation of moving from pitch to pitch, which I found to be an improvement over other interpretations of the style that I’ve heard. I wasn’t overly impressed, but neither did I feel like sprinting from the room. Once again, I’m glad I went. I wouldn’t seek these out again, and will look more closely at ACFNY offerings before committing to attend. Hey, you can teach old ’Meisters new tricks.

ConcertMeister

Off the Beaten Track (9/20/14; 9/21/14)

Two distinctly different events. On Saturday, I attended an open house at the newly completed Resnick Education Wing at Carnegie Hall. I got an email invitation, probably because I’m on their mailing list from the free Neighborhood Concerts that I often attend. I didn’t explore much in the way of rehearsal rooms and digital studios, etc., but I did attend a master class in the 10th floor Weill Music Room and I also explored the Weill Terrace off of the 9th floor meeting rooms.

This was the first master class I’d ever attended, and I found it to be quite enjoyable. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe filled in for Marilyn Horne, who had to withdraw due to minor health complications. The two students were Michelle Bradley, soprano, and Christopher Yoon, tenor, both ably supported by pianist Brent Funderburk.

So, ’Meister, what the heck is a master class? The artist sings a selection, in this case, one opera aria each, and afterwards the facilitator makes suggestions about how to improve the interpretation/technique, usually focusing on a few ideas and repeating them within the context of specific phrases, leading to an overall improvement of the entire aria (which is not sung again in its entirety). Ms. Bradley sang Morrò, ma prima in grazia, from Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. Her performance was quite good and very enjoyable. Ms. Blythe’s comments went to improving the legato of phrases, and creating specificity within phrasing and diction. It was quite amazing how those brief comments made a world of difference in sound and interpretation.

Mr. Yoon sang Che gelida manina, from Puccini’s La bohème. After his performance, Ms. Blythe focused on text and also on variations of dynamics. At one point she had him speak the text of one of the phrases. She then stressed that singers should always speak the texts aloud, not just in their heads, as part of the learning process, because it assists in the flow and expression of the text once it’s put back into the context of melody. These are only broad strokes of what went on through the class, but they’re pretty good examples of how a master class is run.

Early on, Ms. Blythe said that if the singer likes what he or she hears from her as part of the class, they should be sure to embrace it—but she also said that the opposite is true. If you don’t like what you’re hearing, feel free to toss it aside. Throughout each 20-minute session, both singers seemed to agree with everything that Ms. Blythe suggested. My best guess is that they’ll keep 85–90% of her suggestions.

On Sunday, I trekked out to Astoria, Queens for New York on Location, an all-day street fair and celebration. There were opportunities to walk through various trailers and trucks such as you often see when movies or TV shows are being filmed. A “star” trailer had everything from a kitchen to a shower, to a bed—really the equivalent of a motor home. There were also displays of weather setups, including a rain shower and soap blown by a huge fan to simulate snow.

I didn’t visit all of them, but there were hair ’n’ makeup trailers as well as others for props, cameras, wardrobe, electrics, etc. I saw stunt men falling two stories, demonstrations of street fighting, and food trucks that are used for catering for casts and crews.

Of most interest for me was free admission to the Museum of the Moving Image. There were historical exhibits of the genesis of filmmaking—stereopticons through cameras on dollies to cameras attached to actors. Also of note were the life masks of actors that are then doctored for makeup and hair effects. Musical scores were covered as well as costume designs and execution. There were two special exhibits on view, one dealing with hand-drawn animation and the other on the career of Chuck Jones (he of Bugs/Daffy/Elmer/Road Runner fame). Several short films were on view; I made a point to see the Academy Award–winning The Dot and the Line.

All in all, a nifty way to spend parts of two afternoons in NYC, for free.

ConcertMeister 
p.s. A reader asked whether New York on Location was a one-time deal. As far as I know, yes—but if it's an annual event, I'll try to keep her (and all of you) posted.

Subway Series 2014 (9/13/2014)

This was my second experience with the Subway Series—five concerts by a St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, one in each borough of New York. Last year’s was an outdoor affair, Bryant Park, for me, while this year’s takes place in five different public libraries. Brooklyn’s was yesterday (9/14), with the other three boroughs in the near future (Bronx, 9/18; Staten Island, 9/20; and Queens, 9/21). I’m guessing that the program is the same for all five.

Here’s what I heard: A woodwind quintet—Elizabeth Mann, flute; Roni Gal-ed, oboe;
Jon Manasse, clarinet; Cynde Iverson, bassoon; and Eric Reed, horn. Here's what they played: Scherzo – Eugène Bozza (1905–1991); Six Bagatelles – György Ligeti (1923–2006); Pastorale – Amy Beach (1867–1944); Summer Music for Wind Quintet, Op. 31 –
Samuel Barber (1910–1981); and Aires Tropicales – Paquito D’Rivera (b. 1948).

A woodwind quintet (and I still have a “huh?” moment when I see a French horn in there) is most of the time going to produce bubbly, lighthearted sounds, and these compositions were no exception. The Bozza was a delightful, brief opener, with my notes reading Mendelssohn/Debussy meets “Flight of the Bumblebee.” In fact, Mr. Manasse also likened it to “Bumblebee” in the brief remarks he made from the stage.

Ligeti, once again as we learned from onstage remarks, said that he channeled Bartok and Stravinsky for his bagatelles in his use of dissonance. And the pieces were actually banned by the Hungarian government because of the dissonance! The first movement had a jaunty opening, with the flutist switching to piccolo, here. The second movement, Rubato – Lamentoso, truly captured the sense of a lament. Kudos to the horn player (all five played well throughout). As promised, there were some very harsh dissonances. The third movement had the flute playing a more sustained tune over bubbly bassoon and clarinet writing, with the tune then passed back and forth between all, finishing with a gentle ending. The fourth opened with a blast of dissonance followed by a very brisk dance (to my ears), a muted horn sounding buzzy, and a brief blast to finish. The fifth had a Zen feeling to start, with rhythmic phrases but not in a minimalist way; tensions were built and then resolved. The final movement led us back to the sounds from the very beginning.

Pastorale was gentle, rocking, very pleasant, and sweet though not overly so. Though she was listed as Amy Beach here, when her music was published and played in her lifetime, she was almost always Mrs. H.H.A. Beach, in deference to her husband.

Barber’s Suite, composed in 1955, had a gentle opening, leading to a nice oboe tune taking the lead. The piece built a bit in intensity into a not quite overpowering perpetual motion section. Then there was a return to a lovely oboe sound over sustained horn writing, with support from the others. There were some dissonances, but not nearly as abrasive as the Ligeti.

Aires Tropicales was a suite of dance movements and my notes include: energetic with touches of jazz, ostinatos (horn and bassoon, at various times), some bending of pitches, a Habañera that was a trio (oboe, bassoon, clarinet), a humorous feel for a Latin-beat waltz, a spherical feel for the fifth movement with a touch of the blues, a sixth movement that featured an alto flute (the oboist also doubled on the English horn in this work), and a very lively Contradanza to finish that I likened to “Tiko-Tiko” plus a touch of ragtime, and even foot stomping from all five players. Altogether, a delightful piece, and a very well played concert over all. I’m tempted to check out the Staten Island concert just for the heck of it—and because I so rarely make the trip over there. I’ll keep you posted.

ConcertMeister

And All That Jazz (9/9/14)

At the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, I heard their first concert of the season:
Jörg Leichtfried Project. It was a delightful jazz performance with Jörg Leichtfried (piano), Lukas Gabric (saxophone), Christopher Nolte (double bass), and Peter Traunmüller (drums). Seeing as the selections played were announced from the stage, you won’t be getting any composition titles; you’ll have to make do with my overall reactions to the performances.

The first piece was composed by Mr. Leichtfried, and I found it to be in a classic jazz style, tuneful, and slightly overwhelming, in terms of volume, for the size of the hall. Still, very enjoyable. A Duke Ellington piece followed which showcased the piano a little more, though there was still good ensemble playing. Classic jazz again, with a throw to the sax, followed by a bass solo. The audience was appreciative and applauded the individuals, per classic jazz audience behavior.

The next piece was more up tempo, though not frantic. (I’m not a huge fan of somewhat overbearing frantic jazz.) The next piece was edging that way. It was a showcase for the sax, and finished with a fillip and a bit of humor. I’ll take a moment here to comment on the fine musicianship of the four players. They all played very well—their techniques were really strong, but I only realized it after the fact, which is just as it should be. Strong technique without showing it off. I was also impressed with the compact quality of the piano playing of Mr. Leichtfried, who is a very tall man. But his playing was compact and controlled, even when the musical themes were rangier.

A composition written for a Roman Polanski film followed. (Composer, Philippe Sarde, perhaps?) It was bluesy, interesting, and featured a saxophone cadenza. The final piece reminded me a little of caravan-style jazz—a feeling of “traveling” music—quite fitting as a way of playing out the set. After prolonged applause, the quartet performed an encore, which was another piece composed by Mr. Leichtfried.

Many of the concerts I attend at ACFNY are edgier (sometimes, in fact, almost too edgy for me), but this one fit the bill exactly. Even though some of this jazz was obviously new, I had overall feeling that these four guys have old jazz souls, while playing classic jazz with a contemporary sensibility. This was a treat.

ConcertMeister

Grand Band (9/7/14)

The final concert of the Rite of Summer series on Governors Island was music played by
six pianists. Usually there are six grand pianos on the stage—we heard six electronic keyboards, so the grandiosity was somewhat diminished. Still, the performers played
well, enthusiastically, and interestingly. The performers: Vicky Chow, David Friend,
Paul Kerekes, Blair McMillen, Lisa Moore, and Isabelle O’Connell.

The program, titled “A Bigger Picture”:
Ode to La Bruja, Hanon, Czerny, Van Cliburn and little gold stars...(or, To Everyone Who Made My Life Miserable, Thank You (2014)* – Michael Gordon (b. 1956)
Wither (2014)* – Paul Kerekes (b. 1988)
Six Pianos (1973) – Steve Reich (b. 1936)
A Road You Can Go On (Variations On A Theme From Mario Kart (2014)** – Ben Wallace (b. 1989)

*New York premiere; **World premiere

Mr. Gordon spoke and gave a bit of background on his composition, referring back to his piano lessons as a child. Of course, he called his teacher a witch (bruja), and Hanon and Czerny led to no end of fingering exercises, and Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky competition a couple of years after Mr. Gordon was born; therefore, his mother was convinced that piano studies were de rigeur plans for her son. In fact, the piece sounded like a piano lesson run amok, though it had a good range of dynamics, tempos, and virtuosity. At times, it was almost like a train barreling through. After a while, though, it seemed slightly hypnotic in a not-so-interesting way; indeed it ended up seeming like a one-trick pony.

One of the aims of Mr. Kerekes’ piece was the decay of sound and using that to pass the musical sounds from player to player. That was mostly lost here, due to the electronic keyboards and the (necessary) amplification involved in an outdoor setting. It was, in general, a play on a variety of rhythms in choppy little phrases, of the avant-garde/minimalist genre. There was a contrasting sustained section that I found fairly appealing, and then the piece sort of just ended.

The Reich was truly minimalist, with repetitive phrases repeated over and over and over. Then a new riff entered into the mix, over and over and over. If there was an overall arc to the piece, I wasn’t able to discern it. One little kid got up and ran in place very, very quickly—that sort of says it all. (And I heard another little kid say, “Hey, mom, let’s get the hell outta here!”)

The final piece was a bit more varied, including harmonica-like keyboards, a xylophone, rattles, and other hand-held percussion instruments. Based loosely on some of the themes from the Super Mario video game, it had a ’70s and ’80s vibe, with a hint of bossa nove and other Latin music styles. It was playful and interesting, if a little bit too long.

So, I’m glad I heard six pianos—I hope to hear the real McCoy someday instead of six electronic keyboards. Still and all, a free hearing of Grand Band was well worth the trip to Governors Island on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Kudos to Rite of Summer. I hope to hear more of their programming next year.

ConcertMeister

A Lot Grows in Harlem (8/30/14)

Truly. Saturday was the Ninth Annual Harlem Green Garden Tour, a visit to 18 community gardens from West 118th Street through West 162nd Street (though I skipped that stop). Last year, I joined the tour about midway through; this year, I was there from the very beginning. I figured I’d do the early portion and maybe skip the afternoon, since I’d seen most of those gardens before. I ended up staying all day, from 10:00am until about 4:30pm. The volunteers/hosts even fed us at the beginning and end! 

At the first stop, the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden, there was a modest breakfast: frittatas, French toast, juices/coffee/water, yogurt, fresh fruit, pastries, and even gumbo. Yes indeed, ’Meister had homemade gumbo for breakfast. The garden itself boasted a beehive, mulberry and fig trees, and a pond. All of these gardens are reclaimed land—empty lots tended to by volunteers working in conjunction with a couple of different city agencies. The second stop was just a short walk away. 

Willie, the host at Our Little Green Acre, was quite a character. He was happy to explain what was growing in the garden, including apple and peach trees, with fruit on them, and okra. I don’t think I’d ever seen okra growing before. He also took a small group out to a nearby statue (separate from the garden, proper) to show us cotton and peanuts that he planted. The cotton has big round balls just waiting to open. I plan on going back in late September or early October to see the fully opened blossoms.

One of the gardens had 46 individual plots—volunteers are able to work their own plots (I think there may be a fee involved) and grow whatever they want, be it flowers, veggies, etc. A Girl Scout troop makes sure to plant sunflowers in the community space there every year. One of the gardens on West 128th Street was relatively small, but just down the street a bit was an interlinked group of three separate garden spaces that they control. A volunteer there said that anyone was welcome to just sit a spell any time that the gardens were open—quiet time only, though. One caveat, if you’re going visiting to some of these community gardens not during a tour, it’s sometimes hit or miss in finding the lots actually unlocked.

 

I got a chance to speak with one of the volunteers at the Harlem Rose Garden. She stated, and rightly so, that the tour does not show off the garden to its best advantage, as most of the roses had already been and gone. But the pathways and trees are pleasant, and there’s a pond with koi in it. Note to self: Be sure to visit the Rose Garden earlier in the season next summer.

I always like seeing the Success Garden/Harlem Grown site, with its well-laid-out plots and tons and tons of tomatoes, peppers, collards, kale, etc. The plots there are used as teaching exhibits for the charter school across the street, and the produce goes home with the students—a win-win situation, in my book. 

The gardens in the West 140s and 150s were a little bit more sedate; one is actually part of the city parks system. And then at the last stop they fed us again, with burgers, hot dogs, chicken, corn, pasta salad, and sodas. Did I mention that the tour and food were free?!? I did make a modest donation, as I think the tour is such a cool thing. I was a tired little ’Meister Saturday evening, but it was worth it!

ConcertMeister 

p.s. The program booklet included a list of 29 more West and Central Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood community gardens and 37 in East Harlem. I’ll have to explore as summer winds down and eases into fall.