Woo-hoo! I made it to all five concerts this summer, the last of which was with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), in a well-played eclectic program.
La Oración del Torero, “The Bullfighter’s Prayer” (1925) –
Joaquín Turina (1882–1949)
Selection of Madrigals – Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
String Theory (written for ECCO) (2015) – Pierre Jalbert (1967–)
Five Folk Melodies (1952) – Witold Lutoslawski (1913–1994)
Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22 (1875) – I. Moderato;
II. Menuetto: Allegro con moto; III. Scherzo: Vivace; IV. Larghetto; V. Finale: Allegro vivace – Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) [not b. 1983, as printed in the program!]
The Turina, new to me, was originally composed for four lutes and was a mood piece with a touch of Spanish flair. Not quite conductor free, it was led by a female leader in the first violin position. The leaders changed throughout the program. It was pleasant, if lacking the feeling of a solid arc, and it ended very quietly. Almost to the point that you weren’t really sure the piece was over.
A different female led the Monteverdi Madrigals. I liked the structure and dance-like rhythms of the first one, the more lyrical, chorale feel of the second, and after a layered introduction, the sprightly and solid feel of the third. One doesn’t usually hear that much Monteverdi, and I’m glad we did.
After retuning, there was a male leader for the Jalbert. It began (Partials) with a modern feel, including swoops and harmonics (different microtones played on individual strings), and had a mix of pizzicato and rhythmic, driving sections. The second movement (Timeless) was much more static, with some very pretty, if dissonant, sounds, plus a couple of dramatic, almost angry-sounding sections. And the third (Rhythmus) certainly lived up to its name, with the orchestra sometimes providing a pulsing feel, and sometimes with fingers flying over the strings. Overall, the work was fairly successful but I don’t think I’ll be searching out another hearing any time soon.
In the Lutoslawski, led by a female, the small individual melodies seemed to be more influenced by folk elements as opposed to actually being folk melodies. Each section was a little gem that included some richness in the middle.
The Dvořák is one of my most favorite pieces and it was a joy to hear it again. Led by a male (possibly the same as from the Jalbert), the opening was gentle and melodic, with a great fullness, compositionally, incorporating tunes that build complete movements. It was light and graceful, but still had its own heft. With nice segues between movements, the second was dance-like but without being too light. The first and second movements had very similar endings. The third was light and bright, with a contrasting middle section and then a great build to the end. The fourth was very lyrical, without being sappy—with each movement Dvořák builds on the opening to expand the movement, and this one closed with a quiet grandeur. The fifth was, well, just a romp. And why not?
All in all a most satisfying ending to a summer (or any) concert series. I’m already looking forward to Naumburg’s 112th season!
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
Theater Odds ’n’ Ends (8/1/16)
7/16/16, 7/20/16, 7/24/16, 7/30/16
One was not a freebie. More on that later. On July 16, I attended a series of one acts/playlets at Equity Library Theater (my first visit there, though I auditioned for many productions there in the past). There were four linked short plays with a Staten Island ferry theme. The link was a bit iffy and the four plays were uneven, at best. In an odd twist, some of the plays had an offstage reader providing stage settings and stage directions. Best Title Award goes to Nass-Holes, a treatise on the faking of the 1969 moon landing. Best Presentation Award goes to Worthless, a powerful piece for five actors which was the most fully fleshed out performance. Very strong; very moving.
July 20 was a matinée splurge of Something Rotten. Big, splashy Broadway musical with fun, sophomoric humor, and energy, energy, energy! What’s not to like? [Note to self: Avoid matinées with young kids. I’m glad they’re experiencing Broadway; I don’t need to hear the squealing.]
Next was a one-woman show directed by a former co-worker, Ron Bashford. Presented at the Stella Adler Center for New Works in Movement and Dance Theater (MAD), this was a new venue to me. Seven Devils and a French Nun – A True Story. Very enjoyable, though it’s hard to figure out whether/when it’s OK to laugh at a nun. Still, this nun rang bells, imitated priests, and a played a bunch of other nuns. Carine Montbertrand, a co-creator, was the one woman in this one-woman show and did a bang-up job.
Last, but not least, was the Instant Shakespeare Company reading of As You Like It. It’s worth listing all of the performers, some of whom are Actors’ Equity Association members (though the program omits the apostrophe, a bugaboo of mine). Charles Osborne, David Wetter, Clinton Powell, Kelsie Jepsen, Nathanael Taylor, Laura Iris Hill, Abby Wilde, Drew Bolander, Elliot Nesterman, and Paul Battiato. These folks (who were the bulk of the audience, as well) all did a fabulous job. Mr. Bolander showed a very expressive singing voice in his two songs. There were probably only five or six non-actor audience members, myself included.
This semi-staged reading (book in hand) was very, very funny. Mini-pratfalls, cross-gender double casting, funny rendition of the text. I was surprised by the audience members who had the text in front of them. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the performers as opposed to watching the script and the performers. I know very little about this company, but they seem to be really interested in performing the works of the Bard. New York peeps, you might want to check out the rest of their season. http://shakespeareinc.com/instant-shakespeare-company.html Enjoy!
ConcertMeister
One was not a freebie. More on that later. On July 16, I attended a series of one acts/playlets at Equity Library Theater (my first visit there, though I auditioned for many productions there in the past). There were four linked short plays with a Staten Island ferry theme. The link was a bit iffy and the four plays were uneven, at best. In an odd twist, some of the plays had an offstage reader providing stage settings and stage directions. Best Title Award goes to Nass-Holes, a treatise on the faking of the 1969 moon landing. Best Presentation Award goes to Worthless, a powerful piece for five actors which was the most fully fleshed out performance. Very strong; very moving.
July 20 was a matinée splurge of Something Rotten. Big, splashy Broadway musical with fun, sophomoric humor, and energy, energy, energy! What’s not to like? [Note to self: Avoid matinées with young kids. I’m glad they’re experiencing Broadway; I don’t need to hear the squealing.]
Next was a one-woman show directed by a former co-worker, Ron Bashford. Presented at the Stella Adler Center for New Works in Movement and Dance Theater (MAD), this was a new venue to me. Seven Devils and a French Nun – A True Story. Very enjoyable, though it’s hard to figure out whether/when it’s OK to laugh at a nun. Still, this nun rang bells, imitated priests, and a played a bunch of other nuns. Carine Montbertrand, a co-creator, was the one woman in this one-woman show and did a bang-up job.
Last, but not least, was the Instant Shakespeare Company reading of As You Like It. It’s worth listing all of the performers, some of whom are Actors’ Equity Association members (though the program omits the apostrophe, a bugaboo of mine). Charles Osborne, David Wetter, Clinton Powell, Kelsie Jepsen, Nathanael Taylor, Laura Iris Hill, Abby Wilde, Drew Bolander, Elliot Nesterman, and Paul Battiato. These folks (who were the bulk of the audience, as well) all did a fabulous job. Mr. Bolander showed a very expressive singing voice in his two songs. There were probably only five or six non-actor audience members, myself included.
This semi-staged reading (book in hand) was very, very funny. Mini-pratfalls, cross-gender double casting, funny rendition of the text. I was surprised by the audience members who had the text in front of them. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the performers as opposed to watching the script and the performers. I know very little about this company, but they seem to be really interested in performing the works of the Bard. New York peeps, you might want to check out the rest of their season. http://shakespeareinc.com/instant-shakespeare-company.html Enjoy!
ConcertMeister
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