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.