Wait a minute, ’Meister! That can’t have been free or low cost—and Mozart’s not even your favorite! Hold your horses, folks. Every once in a while I splurge, and this was one of those times. For my birthday, I took myself to hear Joshua Bell.
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546 (1788) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 (before 1730) – Allegro; Adagio; Allegro assai – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Chaconne, from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 (1720) – Bach
(arr. 1847, Felix Mendelssohn; arr. 2013, Julian Milone)
Symphony No. 2 in C major (1845–46) – Sostenuto assai—Allegro, ma non troppo; Scherzo: Allegro vivace; Adagio espressivo; Allegro molto vivace –
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
So, not only was it not mostly Mozart, the Mozart piece on the program even gave a nod to Bach. The fugue part was written, as a Bachian fugue, in 1783 for two pianos. The adagio was added in 1788 with the original fugue arranged for string quartet or orchestra—the string orchestra version was heard Wednesday night. The piece was dramatic and mysterious, with the fugue full of drama all the way through to the final chord.
The Bach concerto was scored for a smaller group of strings plus harpsichord. The first movement was bright and energetic, while my note for the second movement is simply, plaintive. In keeping it simple, the third movement was ebullient. Throughout the piece I was really intrigued with the incredibly smooth character of Mr. Bell’s playing. The fireworks were there, but in a smooth, concentrated way.
Okay, now on to the Chaconne. Originally written for solo violin, Mendelssohn added a piano part, to discreetly flesh out some of the harmonies. (Mendelssohn was quite a force in the resurgence of Bach’s music.) Milone created the orchestral version of that piano version. [Note: I usually don’t read reviews of concerts that I’m going to write about; however, I did read the New York Times review of Tuesday night’s performance. And I just have to steal this snippet about why
Mr. Bell used the orchestral version of Mendelssohn’s piano version instead of playing Bach’s solo version: Before beginning the piece, Mr. Bell said that for “those of you who think Bach would turn in his grave” to hear these “strange harmonies” added to his Chaconne, “the good news is that we’re playing it again tomorrow.” So, he added, “Bach will turn back over.”] The piece is multiple variations of variations, including a couple of false endings, that were all masterfully played.
A shout out here to another Bach connection with this concert. As fate would have it, my relatives Mr. and Mrs. Himelsbach (get it? Himelsbach?), were celebrating their wedding anniversary by attending this concert on the exact same night I attended, celebrating my birthday! We were able to chat before the concert, during intermission, and even on the cross-town bus back to the East Side, afterwards.
After intermission, the strings were bulked up with woodwinds and brass for the Schumann symphony. I liked the opening movement, and it was interesting to hear it followed by the bright scherzo. The adagio was highly effective in creating a slightly brooding quality, reinforced by exposed horn writing. The final movement was strong and finished off with a bang. Andrew Manze conducted the Mozart and the Schumann, while Mr. Bell was the leader for the Bach pieces.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable concert, performed magnificently. It’s the first time I’ve heard Mr. Bell live, in concert, and it was the perfect celebration for my birthday and Pat and Jim’s anniversary. Spending time with them was the icing on the cake though, alas, no cake was involved.
ConcertMeister
Friday, August 21, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
The Plantation (8/16/15)
Sunday afternoon found me on Governors Island for a site-specific production of The Plantation, an adaptation of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, set in Reconstruction 1870s Virginia. As a concept, it worked well. I’m somewhat chagrined to admit, though, that I have zero experience with Chekov—never read him and never seen a production of any of the plays. So when I say that as a concept, it worked, this is based on my after-the-fact reading about The Cherry Orchard.
Claire Beckman adapted and directed the production, which was a staged reading with scripts in hand. In this case, it was close to being fully staged. Many of the sixteen actors involved have appeared at Brave New World Rep, in Brooklyn, where Ms. Beckman was the producing artistic director for many years (she’s also a co-founder). In a sense this was a plus, as the company on Sunday seemed to have a good rapport.
The specific site for The Plantation was the Commanding Officers House in Nolan Park on the island. With its stately white columns, slightly cramped back yard, and many-roomed interior, parts of the site-specific concept worked better than others. After what threatened to be a washout, courtesy of a rather violent ten- to fifteen-minute thunderstorm, the play got under way just slightly behind schedule.
Those stately white columns and broad front porch were just about perfect for Act I, which also made use of the narrow space just down the few steps from the porch. The transition to Act II, at the rear of the house, was a little ungainly, perhaps because the performance was pretty well attended, meaning that a lot of people had to travel. These transitions (all three of them) slowed down the action a little too much for my taste. Act III took place inside the house, and this was the least effective in terms of blocking and spacing because there were very few ways to view all of the action. I was able to move around a couple of times to see better but most audience members didn’t have that option. Act IV was in the front yard again, and gave a nice feel of the play running full circle.
The acting, costumes, and direction all came off very well. The amplified sound (body microphones) did not fare quite as well. Part of that may have been due to the weather—moisture has a way of affecting electronics, and not in a good way. Another aspect that seemed like a good idea on paper but didn’t pan out too well was the use of Fisk Jubilee Singers to transition from act to act. Traveling the distances during the transitions caused the singing to be out of synch from time to time. It’s a good concept that needs better execution.
The company hopes to continue their Indiegogo campaign in order to raise funds for fully mounted performances in the same space next summer. If they’re successful in their fundraising, I hope to see the real deal then—and, of course, fill you all in. Once again, there’s a lot of stuff out there, and I plan on continuing to search for more.
ConcertMeister (or, PlayMeister)
Claire Beckman adapted and directed the production, which was a staged reading with scripts in hand. In this case, it was close to being fully staged. Many of the sixteen actors involved have appeared at Brave New World Rep, in Brooklyn, where Ms. Beckman was the producing artistic director for many years (she’s also a co-founder). In a sense this was a plus, as the company on Sunday seemed to have a good rapport.
The specific site for The Plantation was the Commanding Officers House in Nolan Park on the island. With its stately white columns, slightly cramped back yard, and many-roomed interior, parts of the site-specific concept worked better than others. After what threatened to be a washout, courtesy of a rather violent ten- to fifteen-minute thunderstorm, the play got under way just slightly behind schedule.
Those stately white columns and broad front porch were just about perfect for Act I, which also made use of the narrow space just down the few steps from the porch. The transition to Act II, at the rear of the house, was a little ungainly, perhaps because the performance was pretty well attended, meaning that a lot of people had to travel. These transitions (all three of them) slowed down the action a little too much for my taste. Act III took place inside the house, and this was the least effective in terms of blocking and spacing because there were very few ways to view all of the action. I was able to move around a couple of times to see better but most audience members didn’t have that option. Act IV was in the front yard again, and gave a nice feel of the play running full circle.
The acting, costumes, and direction all came off very well. The amplified sound (body microphones) did not fare quite as well. Part of that may have been due to the weather—moisture has a way of affecting electronics, and not in a good way. Another aspect that seemed like a good idea on paper but didn’t pan out too well was the use of Fisk Jubilee Singers to transition from act to act. Traveling the distances during the transitions caused the singing to be out of synch from time to time. It’s a good concept that needs better execution.
The company hopes to continue their Indiegogo campaign in order to raise funds for fully mounted performances in the same space next summer. If they’re successful in their fundraising, I hope to see the real deal then—and, of course, fill you all in. Once again, there’s a lot of stuff out there, and I plan on continuing to search for more.
ConcertMeister (or, PlayMeister)
Thursday, August 13, 2015
A Weekend in the Country (Or ... Music in Central Park) (8/8 (and 9)/15)
After volunteering for Summer Streets on Saturday the 8th, I caught four silent films at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. And after that, I stopped by to hear some of the Great Jazz on the Great Hill concert, presented by the Central Park Conservancy and the Jazzmobile, as part of the Conservancy’s 35th anniversary. The Great Hill is in upper Central Park, accessed via either West 103rd or West 106th Streets. I heard performances by the George Gee Orchestra and the Solomon Hicks Quintet. Both groups were very good, but the amplification proved too loud for me, so I didn’t stay very long. Also, the large-ish crowd was not quite my cup of tea.
Sunday, however, found me at the northern tip of Central Park—the Harlem Meer—for a performance by the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, a group that has been playing together for at least 40 years. But talk about longevity, the saxophonist recently celebrated his 100th birthday! And he can still swing with the younger guys. At various times the group consisted of guitar, electric keyboard, double bass, trumpet, tuba, trombone, saxophone, and harmonica. A female vocalist was also on hand, and some of the instrumentalists contributed vocals, as well. The band did a great job, people in the audience were urged to (and did) dance, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including me. I happened to have stumbled on a listing for performances at the Meer a couple of weeks ago, so I missed out on earlier Sunday afternoons, going back to June 21. I may skip Aug. 16 (Cuban) and Aug. 30 (African Peoples of Central America), but Aug. 23 (The Ebony Hillbillies—Bluegrass/Appalachian) and Sept. 6 (Dee Dee LeVant Gospel Ensemble) both hold a lot of appeal for me.
The performance I read about and experienced on Aug. 2 was Famoro Dioubate & Kakande, performing West African music. The driving rhythms seemed to compel some of the audience members to get up and dance. There was also a somewhat religious aspect to the quality of the music, as well, played on guitar, double bass, drum set, and an African hand drum, along with a female vocalist, and
Mr. Dioubate playing the balafon.
And that’s what interested me. During a break in the sets, I asked him about it and he told me that he would be discussing the instrument when the band started up again.
The balafon is a xylophone-like melodic percussion instrument with keys made of béné wood (though I can’t find a good description of that) strung over a fixed frame. The individual keys have a calabash gourd beneath them, graduated in size to match the keys, acting as a resonator. A small hole in each gourd is covered with a membrane (usually thin paper or thin plastic film), which gives the instrument a buzzy sound to go along with the pitch of the keys. The keys are struck with mallets that have rubber heads. The sound was really intriguing and interesting. The music itself ended up being too much sameness for me, so I didn’t stay for the entire performance. But the balafon stuck with me for quite some time. There’s a whole new/different world out there, and I’m going exploring.
ConcertMeister
Sunday, however, found me at the northern tip of Central Park—the Harlem Meer—for a performance by the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, a group that has been playing together for at least 40 years. But talk about longevity, the saxophonist recently celebrated his 100th birthday! And he can still swing with the younger guys. At various times the group consisted of guitar, electric keyboard, double bass, trumpet, tuba, trombone, saxophone, and harmonica. A female vocalist was also on hand, and some of the instrumentalists contributed vocals, as well. The band did a great job, people in the audience were urged to (and did) dance, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including me. I happened to have stumbled on a listing for performances at the Meer a couple of weeks ago, so I missed out on earlier Sunday afternoons, going back to June 21. I may skip Aug. 16 (Cuban) and Aug. 30 (African Peoples of Central America), but Aug. 23 (The Ebony Hillbillies—Bluegrass/Appalachian) and Sept. 6 (Dee Dee LeVant Gospel Ensemble) both hold a lot of appeal for me.
The performance I read about and experienced on Aug. 2 was Famoro Dioubate & Kakande, performing West African music. The driving rhythms seemed to compel some of the audience members to get up and dance. There was also a somewhat religious aspect to the quality of the music, as well, played on guitar, double bass, drum set, and an African hand drum, along with a female vocalist, and
Mr. Dioubate playing the balafon.
And that’s what interested me. During a break in the sets, I asked him about it and he told me that he would be discussing the instrument when the band started up again.
The balafon is a xylophone-like melodic percussion instrument with keys made of béné wood (though I can’t find a good description of that) strung over a fixed frame. The individual keys have a calabash gourd beneath them, graduated in size to match the keys, acting as a resonator. A small hole in each gourd is covered with a membrane (usually thin paper or thin plastic film), which gives the instrument a buzzy sound to go along with the pitch of the keys. The keys are struck with mallets that have rubber heads. The sound was really intriguing and interesting. The music itself ended up being too much sameness for me, so I didn’t stay for the entire performance. But the balafon stuck with me for quite some time. There’s a whole new/different world out there, and I’m going exploring.
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Naumburg (No. 5 of 5) (8/4/15)
Finally, a totally beautiful evening, weather-wise. And music-wise. The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presented ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) in its Naumburg debut.
Four on the Floor (2006) – Judd Greenstein (1979–)
Battalia à 10 in D Major, C. 61 (1673) I. Sonata; II. Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor; III. Presto; IV. Der Mars; V. Presto; VI. Aria; VII. Die Schlacht; VIII. Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer – Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
“La Follia” Variations for String Orchestra – Francesco Geminiani/
Michi Wiancko (1687–1762)/(1976–)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880) I. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina: Andante non troppo – Allegro moderato – Andante non troppo; II. Waltz: Moderato; III. Elégie: Larghetto elegiac; IV. Finale: (Théma russe): Andante – Allegro con spirito – Molto meno mosso – Allegro con spirito – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
All four of the pieces on the program were for string orchestra (18 players), though the first was originally written for string quartet. The composer was in the audience and spoke briefly after the performance, quipping that maybe it should have been renamed 18 on the Floor on Tuesday night. Described as “18 players rock out,” the piece had driving rhythms, almost like an updating of the way Telemann or Vivaldi created forward energy with string writing. I also got echoes of Stravinsky’s rhythmic phrasing. That said, it was just an OK curtain raiser, as far as I was concerned.
Fortunately, the evening’s host, Naomi Lewin from WQXR, gave us a little background info on Biber’s Battalia—without it I would have had no idea what was going on in the second movement (eight different folk tunes in eight different keys and time signatures, to portray drunken soldiers). The eight movements of the piece mostly flowed with minimal breaks between them. I. Bright, crisp, including the musicians tapping their instruments and stamping on the floor; II. See eight tunes, eight keys, eight time signatures, above; III. Brief and pleasant; IV. Indeed, martial, with a piece of paper used by the double basses to imitate the sound of a snare drum; V. Dance-like and pleasant [ringing phone in the audience!]; VI. Gentle, calm song form with even phrases and a pretty tune; VII. Brusque, with more percussive playing, including plucked strings to imitate cannons; and VIII. Calmer, with sweet tunes—even slightly syrupy but not overdone. All in all, a very interesting piece, very well played.
The La Follia Variations were Ms. Wiancko’s arrangement after Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor. It had a dark, severe opening with very rich, full scoring that then expanded some of the original phrases, adding rhythmic fillips and shifting dynamics—sort of mini variations throughout. A second section had one of the violinists using what seemed to be claves (those wooden bars you played with in elementary school music class), giving a slightly Moorish or Northern African flavor to the section, heightened by a violist adding light tambourine accents. A third section tied it all together into a neat little package.
And now, the Tchaikovsky Serenade. This is one of my favorite pieces, dating back to when I danced a ballet set to the score (with some judicious cuts). I’m not an all-caps kind of guy, but during the third movement I wrote “THEY KNOW THIS WORK!” in my notes. Yeah, it was that good.
The first movement started out lush and formidable, full of heart, and then swept forward with more rich harmonies and a pickup in tempo. As a side note, it was lovely to see the sky darkening to that l’heure bleu shade while listening to this, al fresco. A return to the opening theme rounded the movement out quite nicely. Next we had that gentle waltz bubbling along with a slight touch of a Viennese pause once in a while, with the secondary theme adding a bit of Russian drama, all combined with nicely nuanced phrasing. The third movement was somber but not depressingly so. The full, deep sound of the secondary theme had a light pizzicato accompaniment. As in the waltz, each iteration of a theme had interesting touches added one by one. With a quiet theme as an introduction, the fourth movement lulls you and then really takes off. New idea upon new idea is added until the orchestra is going full throttle. After a slight pull back, it winds up again, leading to the opening theme from the first movement—ending with a brilliant use of the theme. ECCO’s first commercial recording, from 2012, includes this Serenade. I may just be on the lookout for it.
Major kudos to Christopher London on the 110th! anniversary of Naumburg Orchestral Concerts and to WQXR as a broadcast sponsor. I'm already looking forward to 2016.
ConcertMeister
Four on the Floor (2006) – Judd Greenstein (1979–)
Battalia à 10 in D Major, C. 61 (1673) I. Sonata; II. Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor; III. Presto; IV. Der Mars; V. Presto; VI. Aria; VII. Die Schlacht; VIII. Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer – Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
“La Follia” Variations for String Orchestra – Francesco Geminiani/
Michi Wiancko (1687–1762)/(1976–)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880) I. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina: Andante non troppo – Allegro moderato – Andante non troppo; II. Waltz: Moderato; III. Elégie: Larghetto elegiac; IV. Finale: (Théma russe): Andante – Allegro con spirito – Molto meno mosso – Allegro con spirito – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
All four of the pieces on the program were for string orchestra (18 players), though the first was originally written for string quartet. The composer was in the audience and spoke briefly after the performance, quipping that maybe it should have been renamed 18 on the Floor on Tuesday night. Described as “18 players rock out,” the piece had driving rhythms, almost like an updating of the way Telemann or Vivaldi created forward energy with string writing. I also got echoes of Stravinsky’s rhythmic phrasing. That said, it was just an OK curtain raiser, as far as I was concerned.
Fortunately, the evening’s host, Naomi Lewin from WQXR, gave us a little background info on Biber’s Battalia—without it I would have had no idea what was going on in the second movement (eight different folk tunes in eight different keys and time signatures, to portray drunken soldiers). The eight movements of the piece mostly flowed with minimal breaks between them. I. Bright, crisp, including the musicians tapping their instruments and stamping on the floor; II. See eight tunes, eight keys, eight time signatures, above; III. Brief and pleasant; IV. Indeed, martial, with a piece of paper used by the double basses to imitate the sound of a snare drum; V. Dance-like and pleasant [ringing phone in the audience!]; VI. Gentle, calm song form with even phrases and a pretty tune; VII. Brusque, with more percussive playing, including plucked strings to imitate cannons; and VIII. Calmer, with sweet tunes—even slightly syrupy but not overdone. All in all, a very interesting piece, very well played.
The La Follia Variations were Ms. Wiancko’s arrangement after Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor. It had a dark, severe opening with very rich, full scoring that then expanded some of the original phrases, adding rhythmic fillips and shifting dynamics—sort of mini variations throughout. A second section had one of the violinists using what seemed to be claves (those wooden bars you played with in elementary school music class), giving a slightly Moorish or Northern African flavor to the section, heightened by a violist adding light tambourine accents. A third section tied it all together into a neat little package.
And now, the Tchaikovsky Serenade. This is one of my favorite pieces, dating back to when I danced a ballet set to the score (with some judicious cuts). I’m not an all-caps kind of guy, but during the third movement I wrote “THEY KNOW THIS WORK!” in my notes. Yeah, it was that good.
The first movement started out lush and formidable, full of heart, and then swept forward with more rich harmonies and a pickup in tempo. As a side note, it was lovely to see the sky darkening to that l’heure bleu shade while listening to this, al fresco. A return to the opening theme rounded the movement out quite nicely. Next we had that gentle waltz bubbling along with a slight touch of a Viennese pause once in a while, with the secondary theme adding a bit of Russian drama, all combined with nicely nuanced phrasing. The third movement was somber but not depressingly so. The full, deep sound of the secondary theme had a light pizzicato accompaniment. As in the waltz, each iteration of a theme had interesting touches added one by one. With a quiet theme as an introduction, the fourth movement lulls you and then really takes off. New idea upon new idea is added until the orchestra is going full throttle. After a slight pull back, it winds up again, leading to the opening theme from the first movement—ending with a brilliant use of the theme. ECCO’s first commercial recording, from 2012, includes this Serenade. I may just be on the lookout for it.
Major kudos to Christopher London on the 110th! anniversary of Naumburg Orchestral Concerts and to WQXR as a broadcast sponsor. I'm already looking forward to 2016.
ConcertMeister
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