Whirlwind Weekend (12/6–7/14)

Peter Pan (Not Live), New York Repertory Orchestra, Tree Lighting/Community Caroling

Saturday afternoon found me at the silent movies again, seeing the 1924 version of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Interesting backstory in that when Disney decided to do their Peter Pan, they locked up the rights and essentially mothballed this 1924 version for decades. It was “found” in 1971. As a result the print itself was in very-good-to-excellent condition. The plot was fairly straightforward, and included many aspects of the original 1904 play, even having one actor play both Nana and the Crocodile in animal suits. Betty Bronson was Peter Pan, with
Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook. The lighting effects for Tinkerbell were quite advanced for 1924 (and yes, we all clapped for her and brought her back from the brink of death). The swordplay between the Lost Boys and the Pirates veered slightly into slapstick apropos of the silent era. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon, and once again Ben Model’s improvisational-style score was a highlight of the afternoon. I especially liked how he included tunes of the day (for instance when Mrs. Darling was at the keyboard) and “Home, Sweet Home” toward the end. Oddly, the screenplay was very USA centric, with references to growing up to be president and the boys wanting to fight for the USA.

Changing gears for the evening found me at a New York Repertory Orchestra concert,
David Leibowitz, Music Director/Conductor, performed at the church of St. Mary the Virgin (affectionately known as “Smoky Mary’s”). On tap were:

Overture to Aroldo; Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901)
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra – I. Maestoso, II. Aria: Adagietto, III. Allegro brioso; Vernon Duke (1903–1969) with soloist Sam Magill, Cello
Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 7 – I. Allegro orgolioso, II. Andante, III. Allegro comodo – Andante sostenuto, Finale: Allegro con fuoco; Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)

First off, the acoustics in this church can be somewhat difficult as there is so much natural reverb. In fact, spoken comments at the beginning, and then again after intermission, were somewhat garbled. The balance of the orchestra, however, was quite good, with the exception of the flutes/piccolo being somewhat shrill periodically. It probably couldn’t be helped.

Verdi’s opera overture was nice as a curtain raiser—it had a very soft opening that was more gentle than mysterious, followed by a trumpet melody (played very well), leading to the full orchestra playing. The piece was a bit workmanlike but pleasant, with individual tunes (three or four) laid out pretty clearly. As I said, a pleasant opener.

The first movement of the cello concerto opened with a solo cadenza. The entire movement had a nice Romantic feel to it but with modern touches (harmonies and dissonances). It also closed with a solo cadenza. The second was pleasant and pleasantly played, yet didn’t really strike me as distinctive. The third opened with a bang-up orchestral introduction that then led to a back and forth between the soloist and the orchestra. As a piece, it was enjoyable if not overly interesting (to me).

The first movement of the Nielsen symphony had the full orchestra playing from the very beginning, with pleasing melodies and orchestration. The second was slower, and seemed like one long through-composed feeling of tension, with small resolutions here and there. The third movement rolled along nicely, pleasant again but not really saying a lot. The last movement was bright and full, and then turned slightly introspective. There were several interesting themes that I wish had been linked together better. Over all, it was a generally pleasing work and a nice orchestral concert to hear and experience.

Sunday’s event was a small-scale Christmas Tree Lighting in Carl Schurz Park, a couple of blocks away from my apartment. This year’s version once again featured Cantori, Mark Shapiro, director, singing four a cappella pieces, a countdown to the ta-da! moment, and then community caroling led by Cantori accompanied by the Orbital Brass. It was fun but cold, so I bowed out early but kept singing along as I walked back home. Well, for a bit—not all the way home. That would have made me a CrazyMeister. So, quite a jam-packed, fun, free weekend in NYC.

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