Contemporaneous – “The Two Halves” was the title of the final concert in this summer series.
Contemporaneous is an ensemble whose mission is to bring to life the music of now. Sunday’s concert listing was as follows:
Aphelia (2017) – Ian Gottlieb (b. 1990)
Vertical Fields (2014) – Emma O’Halloran (b. 1985)
The Two Halves (2014) – The Platelayers, The Great Sunstroke, The Exile, The Giant Sleeps, The Two Halves, The Azimuth – Finnegan Shanahan (b. 1992)
Aphelia was scored for piano (four hands), electric guitar, electric bass, and percussion (drum set, marimba, and spun cymbals). It was very New Age-y, with a slight Latin-esque beat, essentially a wash of sound that did not make much of an impression on me. The spun cymbals were interesting—literally cymbals from a drum set that a percussionist spun on their edges while sitting on the stage. Not in a chair, mind you, actually on the stage.
Though I may have mentioned this before, Rite of Summer is an out-of-doors performance series that takes place on Governors Island. Because of that, I found Vertical Fields to be a little out of place, being scored for only piano, violin, and cello. The music itself was not quite Philip Glass but it was darn close. It consisted of very short phrases repeated over and over, with slight variation or expansion from time to time. I understand the concept. It’s not one that I find particularly appealing.
The Two Halves was definitely the main event of the afternoon, scored for a large ensemble that included flute, clarinet, saxophone, voice, horn, trumpet, trombone, guitar, keyboard, and percussion, among others. In fact, Mr. Shanahan played violin, guitar, and keyboard and also contributed vocals. David Bloom, conductor, told us that Contemporaneous has played the piece many times and always looks forward to performing it. I found myself wondering whether Mr. Shanahan would have to be replaced by two or three musicians, if he was not able to be a part of a performance of the work. The six movements all ran together, so it was hard to tell them apart at times. I did, however, get a hint of the titles from the music I was hearing. Sometimes. The sounds were varied in terms of volume and tempo, and the whole thing chugged along in an amiable fashion. I know that I’ve commented before about broadening my horizons, but this is as broad as I think I want to go, for a while at least. I’ll most likely go back for more next summer, though.
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Sunday Afternoon Jazz (8/6/17)
Audrey Silver, vocals
Larry Corban, guitar
This was a rather pleasant way to spend an hour at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. A small (maybe forty people) audience heard a dozen-plus tunes. There was no printed program, so my notes are a bit haphazard.
Ms. Silver sang with a microphone attached to a small reverb box (it probably has a real name but I’m not going to go searching) and Mr. Corban was appropriately amped up.
The first song was called It’s a Wonderful World but it was not the one I’m used to, and I did not get the composer’s name. Mr. Corban’s tapping/slapping foot was the percussion for most of the afternoon, though not for every song. Ms. Silver’s voice was pretty in a slightly breathy, easygoing jazz way, and she did a mild scat section here and in a couple of other pieces, as well.
Gershwin’s Isn’t It a Pity? followed, with If I Had You (1928) after that. There was a bit of patter between the two performers, but only Ms. Silver had a mic, so it didn’t really work too well. I rather enjoyed Monk’s Dream, by Thelonious Monk, with its up tempo flair.
I had to research the name Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was the composer of the next tune, Meditation, which was fun, after a false start by the guitarist. Which brings up the laid back feel of the afternoon. Apparently there was no written set ahead of time, since Ms. Silver pulled sheets of music (sometimes randomly, it seemed) before briefly working out a tempo with Mr. Corban and then beginning. The whole thing was a little too laid back for my taste. Meditation had a Latin flair while Je t’embrasser, sung in French, was quieter. I found it slightly odd that the tune is known to me as Heart of my Heart. Maybe it’s just a setting of different words to that tune.
Strangely, it was about this time that I noticed patrons leaving early. I’m not sure why, but when all was said and done, about a quarter of the audience had left before the end of the program. The next song was Just a Garden in the Rain, followed by New Year’s Eve, which had a definite NYC vibe and was written by Ms. Silver. Small Day Tomorrow, written by Bob Dorough, was next. Although he’s a fine jazz composer, he’s also known for writing music for Schoolhouse Rock! Who knew? He’s also still performing at age ninety-three.
Right after I Thought about You, a cell phone went off, even though there had been an announcement from the stage to silence all devices before the program began. It was not mine. Another Gershwin tune, But Not for Me, was next. As a bit of a nod to Rosemary Clooney, Ms. Silver followed that with I’ll Be Seeing You.
An Irving Berlin song, How Deep Is the Ocean? was next, and then the afternoon ended with an up tempo version of Exactly Like You. I may check out some future programming at the Neighborhood House as a nice way to spend a brief part of a Sunday afternoon.
ConcertMeister
Larry Corban, guitar
This was a rather pleasant way to spend an hour at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. A small (maybe forty people) audience heard a dozen-plus tunes. There was no printed program, so my notes are a bit haphazard.
Ms. Silver sang with a microphone attached to a small reverb box (it probably has a real name but I’m not going to go searching) and Mr. Corban was appropriately amped up.
The first song was called It’s a Wonderful World but it was not the one I’m used to, and I did not get the composer’s name. Mr. Corban’s tapping/slapping foot was the percussion for most of the afternoon, though not for every song. Ms. Silver’s voice was pretty in a slightly breathy, easygoing jazz way, and she did a mild scat section here and in a couple of other pieces, as well.
Gershwin’s Isn’t It a Pity? followed, with If I Had You (1928) after that. There was a bit of patter between the two performers, but only Ms. Silver had a mic, so it didn’t really work too well. I rather enjoyed Monk’s Dream, by Thelonious Monk, with its up tempo flair.
I had to research the name Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was the composer of the next tune, Meditation, which was fun, after a false start by the guitarist. Which brings up the laid back feel of the afternoon. Apparently there was no written set ahead of time, since Ms. Silver pulled sheets of music (sometimes randomly, it seemed) before briefly working out a tempo with Mr. Corban and then beginning. The whole thing was a little too laid back for my taste. Meditation had a Latin flair while Je t’embrasser, sung in French, was quieter. I found it slightly odd that the tune is known to me as Heart of my Heart. Maybe it’s just a setting of different words to that tune.
Strangely, it was about this time that I noticed patrons leaving early. I’m not sure why, but when all was said and done, about a quarter of the audience had left before the end of the program. The next song was Just a Garden in the Rain, followed by New Year’s Eve, which had a definite NYC vibe and was written by Ms. Silver. Small Day Tomorrow, written by Bob Dorough, was next. Although he’s a fine jazz composer, he’s also known for writing music for Schoolhouse Rock! Who knew? He’s also still performing at age ninety-three.
Right after I Thought about You, a cell phone went off, even though there had been an announcement from the stage to silence all devices before the program began. It was not mine. Another Gershwin tune, But Not for Me, was next. As a bit of a nod to Rosemary Clooney, Ms. Silver followed that with I’ll Be Seeing You.
An Irving Berlin song, How Deep Is the Ocean? was next, and then the afternoon ended with an up tempo version of Exactly Like You. I may check out some future programming at the Neighborhood House as a nice way to spend a brief part of a Sunday afternoon.
ConcertMeister
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (8/1/17)
ECCO – East Coast Chamber Orchestra
St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29, No. 2 (1922) – I. Jig: Vivace; II. Ostinato: Presto;
III. Intermezzo: Andante con moto; IV. Finale (The Dargason): Allegro –
Gustav Holst (1874–1934)
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 (1960) –I. Largo; II. Allegro molto; III. Allegretto; IV. Largo; V. Largo – Dimitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Chorale No. 22: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (1884) – I. Praeludium (Allegro vivace); II Sarabande (Andante); III. Gavotte (Allegretto); IV. Air (Andante religioso); V. Rigaudon (Allegro con brio) – Edvard Greig (1843–1907)
Chorale No. 34: Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott – J.S. Bach
Rounds (1944) – I. Allegro molto vivace; II. Adagio; III. Allegro vigoroso –
David Diamond (1915–2005)
Another Naumburg season (the 112th!) completed. And I attended all five concerts. ECCO is a collective, with no set leader, and performs without a conductor, though usually the first violinist, who changes from piece to piece, is nominally in charge. This particular concert was all strings, all the time, and the players stood for each piece (cellists excepted).The first movement of the Holst was brisk and dance-like, very pleasant with a mix of dynamic ranges and jumpy-versus-smooth phrases. There was a rush to the end, with a slight slowdown before the very end. The second movement had running rhythmic phrases with jaunty tunes above them, yet it still had a gentle quality. The third opened with pizzicato strings plus a violin solo overlaying it. It was slow but not sad, then picked up in energy similar to the first movement jig. It had nice contrast all the way around with themes that seemed to be a mix of Slavic and Oriental/Asian. The finale was based on folk songs, including Greensleeves, and was a brisk and just plain fun mix of a rondo and theme and variations.
The Shostakovich was interesting, especially since it was played by the entire orchestra and not by a quartet. In doing a little bit of reading, I found that the work has been transcribed for string orchestra, but it wasn’t credited as such in the program. Curious, to me at least. The first movement was slow and purposely sad, veering close to being bleak. The second (they all seemed to blend together) was rhythmic, leading into a folk tune section. The third was jaunty, if subdued, reminding me of a Slavic dance. We next had a slightly mournful drone with dashes of a louder outburst and then a return to a slightly bleak feel. This led to a movement that was somber and somewhat calm—but with a hint of promise?
The Bach chorale was really just filler—a four-part song scored for orchestra. It was mostly calm to begin with and stayed that way that way through to the end. If anything, it should have been played between the first two works.
The Greig was similar to the Holst (and other Vivaldi pieces) written for girls’ schools as performance pieces. The first movement was energetic, with lovely themes that reminded me of Dvorák string writing. It not only sounded fun, it looked like ECCO was having fun playing it. The second movement was slower, gentler, straightforward, and pleasant. The third was dance-like, very formal, and structured, but in a good way. The contrasting middle section was more relaxed before returning to the rigid, formal beginning. The next movement was slower, both sedate and contemplative, tugging slightly at the heartstrings. The fifth movement was brighter in tempo, with some fun phrase endings thrown in. A contrasting section seemed like a bit of filler, echoing earlier themes before leading back to the main theme and a bang-up ending.
I hesitate to say this, but the second Bach chorale was pretty much the same as the first, with a few rhythmic/phrasing variations. At least it was centered in the second half.
The first movement of the Diamond had a modern approach—an open ‘American’ sound in a brisk tempo but with real tunes to be heard and enjoyed. Once again, the movements seemed to blend together. The second was calm and pretty but not quite compelling. It was pleasant enough. Just. A lively fugal section began the third movement, though it left me wanting something different. I’m not quite sure what. Overall, a great program by a superb orchestra under solid collective management. I hope to be around for many more Naumburg seasons.
ConcertMeister
St. Paul’s Suite, Op. 29, No. 2 (1922) – I. Jig: Vivace; II. Ostinato: Presto;
III. Intermezzo: Andante con moto; IV. Finale (The Dargason): Allegro –
Gustav Holst (1874–1934)
String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110 (1960) –I. Largo; II. Allegro molto; III. Allegretto; IV. Largo; V. Largo – Dimitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Chorale No. 22: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (1884) – I. Praeludium (Allegro vivace); II Sarabande (Andante); III. Gavotte (Allegretto); IV. Air (Andante religioso); V. Rigaudon (Allegro con brio) – Edvard Greig (1843–1907)
Chorale No. 34: Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott – J.S. Bach
Rounds (1944) – I. Allegro molto vivace; II. Adagio; III. Allegro vigoroso –
David Diamond (1915–2005)
Another Naumburg season (the 112th!) completed. And I attended all five concerts. ECCO is a collective, with no set leader, and performs without a conductor, though usually the first violinist, who changes from piece to piece, is nominally in charge. This particular concert was all strings, all the time, and the players stood for each piece (cellists excepted).The first movement of the Holst was brisk and dance-like, very pleasant with a mix of dynamic ranges and jumpy-versus-smooth phrases. There was a rush to the end, with a slight slowdown before the very end. The second movement had running rhythmic phrases with jaunty tunes above them, yet it still had a gentle quality. The third opened with pizzicato strings plus a violin solo overlaying it. It was slow but not sad, then picked up in energy similar to the first movement jig. It had nice contrast all the way around with themes that seemed to be a mix of Slavic and Oriental/Asian. The finale was based on folk songs, including Greensleeves, and was a brisk and just plain fun mix of a rondo and theme and variations.
The Shostakovich was interesting, especially since it was played by the entire orchestra and not by a quartet. In doing a little bit of reading, I found that the work has been transcribed for string orchestra, but it wasn’t credited as such in the program. Curious, to me at least. The first movement was slow and purposely sad, veering close to being bleak. The second (they all seemed to blend together) was rhythmic, leading into a folk tune section. The third was jaunty, if subdued, reminding me of a Slavic dance. We next had a slightly mournful drone with dashes of a louder outburst and then a return to a slightly bleak feel. This led to a movement that was somber and somewhat calm—but with a hint of promise?
The Bach chorale was really just filler—a four-part song scored for orchestra. It was mostly calm to begin with and stayed that way that way through to the end. If anything, it should have been played between the first two works.
The Greig was similar to the Holst (and other Vivaldi pieces) written for girls’ schools as performance pieces. The first movement was energetic, with lovely themes that reminded me of Dvorák string writing. It not only sounded fun, it looked like ECCO was having fun playing it. The second movement was slower, gentler, straightforward, and pleasant. The third was dance-like, very formal, and structured, but in a good way. The contrasting middle section was more relaxed before returning to the rigid, formal beginning. The next movement was slower, both sedate and contemplative, tugging slightly at the heartstrings. The fifth movement was brighter in tempo, with some fun phrase endings thrown in. A contrasting section seemed like a bit of filler, echoing earlier themes before leading back to the main theme and a bang-up ending.
I hesitate to say this, but the second Bach chorale was pretty much the same as the first, with a few rhythmic/phrasing variations. At least it was centered in the second half.
The first movement of the Diamond had a modern approach—an open ‘American’ sound in a brisk tempo but with real tunes to be heard and enjoyed. Once again, the movements seemed to blend together. The second was calm and pretty but not quite compelling. It was pleasant enough. Just. A lively fugal section began the third movement, though it left me wanting something different. I’m not quite sure what. Overall, a great program by a superb orchestra under solid collective management. I hope to be around for many more Naumburg seasons.
ConcertMeister
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