Not me, sillies. This was the final Midday Masterpieces concert in WQXR's series for this year.
Stella Chen, violin; Andrew Hsu, piano
Bach: Chaconne from the Partita in D minor
Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D. 960
Schumann: Abendlied, arr. Joachim
Okay, for the first (unaccompanied) piece, I wrote 'sarabande?'—well. I was close. It was a chaconne. Both are relatively ancient dance forms. It was slightly sad sounding but lovely. There was an extended section without chords that then morphed into double stops and an intensity of volume and liveliness.
It was lengthy and quite impressive.
Ms. Chen played the Bach from memory but used a score for the Schubert. It had a soft opening from the piano that led to a sweet, simple violin tune that was slightly haunting, set against a rippling accompaniment. We next went to a dance section (folk song–based?) that was fun to listen to, with a few humorous passages thrown in. Then there was a little bit of everything—a piano interlude; what sounded like a three-verse song; a pizzicato variation set against a running accompaniment with lots of scales—really, lots and lots of musical ideas explored.
The Schumann was gentle and lovely. Simple and straightforward. And touching.
I look forward to the new series season in September. What a great showcase and performance venue for these talented Juilliard students. Thank you, WQXR.
ConcertMeister
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Songbook (5/21/18)
Preston Max Allen, composer/lyricist
A quick recap—Songbook is a series that features new voices for the theater, composers and lyricists who are just starting out, or have written new works, some of which have attained a modicum of success. As an audience, we are exposed to the works of new artists, ably assisted by performers, many of whom are currently appearing on Broadway, all volunteering their time for this worthy cause. At this particular performance, I heard cast members of Frozen, Wicked, and Hello, Dolly!
On to the music. The first four songs were from We Are the Tigers, described by Mr. Allen as a cheerleader murder mystery. Set to a lite rock feel, we meet the head cheerleader in one song and are introduced, in a second song, to the team mascot who really, really wants to be on the cheerleading squad. The third, Skype Tomorrow was a duet between best friends who are going to be spending some time apart—and are concerned that it won’t actually happen as expected. And the fourth has the girls actually dealing with the murder of one of their own. It was interesting though a bit convoluted.
A stand-alone song followed, Generic Princess Song, that was extremely funny. It was probably my favorite song of the evening.
Next were five songs from Never Better, a show about a woman dealing with living with cancer. There was a good mix of a group number, solos, and a duet. The songs were nice, in general, but it was hard to wrap my mind around the subject matter.
One song from The Legend of Carrie White had a character essentially recounting the story line of Carrie, as a younger and older version of her character, performed by two singers (older and younger) at the same time. It was a little too strange for me.
The evening ended with a pair of songs from Agent 355, the story of an unidentified female spy during the Revolutionary War, performed in a lite rock and then a heavier rock style. All in all, I liked the music from all of the shows well enough without being bowled over. Except for that Princess song!
Kudos, as always, to John Znidarsic, the man with the red hat, who has been at the helm of Arts and Artists of Tomorrow (Songbook’s official title) for the past 27 years. This was the last of this year’s series—the 28th season will kick off at the end of September. I plan to be there.
ConcertMeister
A quick recap—Songbook is a series that features new voices for the theater, composers and lyricists who are just starting out, or have written new works, some of which have attained a modicum of success. As an audience, we are exposed to the works of new artists, ably assisted by performers, many of whom are currently appearing on Broadway, all volunteering their time for this worthy cause. At this particular performance, I heard cast members of Frozen, Wicked, and Hello, Dolly!
On to the music. The first four songs were from We Are the Tigers, described by Mr. Allen as a cheerleader murder mystery. Set to a lite rock feel, we meet the head cheerleader in one song and are introduced, in a second song, to the team mascot who really, really wants to be on the cheerleading squad. The third, Skype Tomorrow was a duet between best friends who are going to be spending some time apart—and are concerned that it won’t actually happen as expected. And the fourth has the girls actually dealing with the murder of one of their own. It was interesting though a bit convoluted.
A stand-alone song followed, Generic Princess Song, that was extremely funny. It was probably my favorite song of the evening.
Next were five songs from Never Better, a show about a woman dealing with living with cancer. There was a good mix of a group number, solos, and a duet. The songs were nice, in general, but it was hard to wrap my mind around the subject matter.
One song from The Legend of Carrie White had a character essentially recounting the story line of Carrie, as a younger and older version of her character, performed by two singers (older and younger) at the same time. It was a little too strange for me.
The evening ended with a pair of songs from Agent 355, the story of an unidentified female spy during the Revolutionary War, performed in a lite rock and then a heavier rock style. All in all, I liked the music from all of the shows well enough without being bowled over. Except for that Princess song!
Kudos, as always, to John Znidarsic, the man with the red hat, who has been at the helm of Arts and Artists of Tomorrow (Songbook’s official title) for the past 27 years. This was the last of this year’s series—the 28th season will kick off at the end of September. I plan to be there.
ConcertMeister
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Charles Jones, piano (5/19/18)
Sonata in C Major, Op. 2 No. 3 – Allegro con brio; Adagio; Scherzo;
Allegro assai – Beethoven (1770–1827)
Scherzo in b flat minor, Op. 31 – Chopin (1810–1849)
Toccata in C Major, Op. 7 – Schumann (1810–1856)
Gaspard de la nuit – Ondine; Le Gibet; Scarbo – Ravel (1875–1937)
The opening of the Beethoven had a very familiar (to me) tune and had a varied range of dynamics. With a mix of simplicity and complexity, it was also charming. The second movement also started out with a relatively simple tune that was almost like a chorale or a hymn tune. It had a slightly mysterious quality and an interesting use of dynamics, especially in the left hand, and it definitely related to the opening theme of the first movement. The third movement was bright and charming, with a little bit of heft. It was playful, in a serious way, and had a pleasingly deceptive ending. The final movement also had a charming opening theme and then the same range of dynamics as the first movement, which it also referenced. It’s not usual that I use the word charming as often as I just did—but it is just the right word for this piece.
Chopin’s Scherzo’s opening also sounded very familiar to me and there were fireworks, indeed, in both form and style. The minor key, however, lends a bit of gravity to the mix of drama and serenity. The second section was definitely more serene. It was almost, but not quite, a lullaby. Not quite because it also had flights of fancy that were rather extensive, before a return to the original theme.
The Schumann had a brisk, bright opening with lots of forward motion, almost perpetual. At times it seemed that a song was embedded within the constant fleet finger work and, in fact, the piece ended with a songlike little flourish.
The first movement of the Ravel, Ondine, had a fairylike opening in the upper range of the keyboard before sounding more like a harp as more of the keyboard was used. There was the rapid movement of notes, but in a relatively subdued manner, once again with tunes just below the surface trying to break free. With the building up of dynamics as the full range of the keyboard came into play, a song did break forth, only to be swallowed up in a wash of sound. Le Gibet was a dirge that had an inherent beauty. Throughout, there was the insistent tolling of a single bell tone that was quite hypnotic and haunting—appropriate, since a gibbet is a post with a projecting arm, used for hanging the bodies of executed criminals as a warning. The final movement, Scarbo, was dark in tone and slightly ominous. A somewhat mad, stylized dance emerged, almost like a sorcerer casting a spell, before disappearing into the night.
Mr. Jones is a deliberate and expressive pianist. At times, his focus on being deliberate comes close to overwhelming the expressiveness. Having heard him play before, I always make it a point to attend when he returns to the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Library for the Performing Arts. I look forward to hearing him again. I just don’t know when, yet.
ConcertMeister
Allegro assai – Beethoven (1770–1827)
Scherzo in b flat minor, Op. 31 – Chopin (1810–1849)
Toccata in C Major, Op. 7 – Schumann (1810–1856)
Gaspard de la nuit – Ondine; Le Gibet; Scarbo – Ravel (1875–1937)
The opening of the Beethoven had a very familiar (to me) tune and had a varied range of dynamics. With a mix of simplicity and complexity, it was also charming. The second movement also started out with a relatively simple tune that was almost like a chorale or a hymn tune. It had a slightly mysterious quality and an interesting use of dynamics, especially in the left hand, and it definitely related to the opening theme of the first movement. The third movement was bright and charming, with a little bit of heft. It was playful, in a serious way, and had a pleasingly deceptive ending. The final movement also had a charming opening theme and then the same range of dynamics as the first movement, which it also referenced. It’s not usual that I use the word charming as often as I just did—but it is just the right word for this piece.
Chopin’s Scherzo’s opening also sounded very familiar to me and there were fireworks, indeed, in both form and style. The minor key, however, lends a bit of gravity to the mix of drama and serenity. The second section was definitely more serene. It was almost, but not quite, a lullaby. Not quite because it also had flights of fancy that were rather extensive, before a return to the original theme.
The Schumann had a brisk, bright opening with lots of forward motion, almost perpetual. At times it seemed that a song was embedded within the constant fleet finger work and, in fact, the piece ended with a songlike little flourish.
The first movement of the Ravel, Ondine, had a fairylike opening in the upper range of the keyboard before sounding more like a harp as more of the keyboard was used. There was the rapid movement of notes, but in a relatively subdued manner, once again with tunes just below the surface trying to break free. With the building up of dynamics as the full range of the keyboard came into play, a song did break forth, only to be swallowed up in a wash of sound. Le Gibet was a dirge that had an inherent beauty. Throughout, there was the insistent tolling of a single bell tone that was quite hypnotic and haunting—appropriate, since a gibbet is a post with a projecting arm, used for hanging the bodies of executed criminals as a warning. The final movement, Scarbo, was dark in tone and slightly ominous. A somewhat mad, stylized dance emerged, almost like a sorcerer casting a spell, before disappearing into the night.
Mr. Jones is a deliberate and expressive pianist. At times, his focus on being deliberate comes close to overwhelming the expressiveness. Having heard him play before, I always make it a point to attend when he returns to the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the Library for the Performing Arts. I look forward to hearing him again. I just don’t know when, yet.
ConcertMeister
Monday, June 4, 2018
The Silent Clowns Film Series (5/12/18)
This is a great series. I love seeing these comedies with an all-new, live piano score—and all for free! That said, I’m starting to see repeats. That said, that’s not a bad thing. Saturday’s films were Feed ’Em and Weep and Steamboat Bill, Jr., both from 1928. In fact, May 12, 2018 was the exact 90th anniversary of Steamboat Bill, Jr.’s premiere. How cool is that? In a neat casting two-fer, Marion ‘Peanut’ Byron was featured in both films. And she was funny in both films.
Feed ’Em and Weep had ‘Peanut’ and Anita Garvin as completely inexperienced waitresses on their first day of work at a train-side eatery. The train arrives. The customers flock in. Food is delayed. As it’s rushed out, both waitresses sail over a table, sliding into food. The boss then takes matters into his own hands—and promptly sails over the table, sliding into food.
Much mayhem ensues as people try to go in the ‘out’ swinging door and vice versa. Except the doors are not marked ‘In’ and ‘Out’—hence the mayhem. When the train conductor arrives and announces that they’ll be leaving in just a few minutes, he is promptly trampled by the folks rushing to get back to the train. All’s well that ends—well—not quite well. But it was a funny film.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. starred Buster Keaton in the title role, a back-east college kid sent off to the wilds of the Midwest to be with his father, who he hasn’t seen in years. The very first sight gag involves the white flower in his lapel to be used as an identifier. It seems that, due to a special function taking place in the town, every man getting off of the train is wearing a white flower in his lapel. Father and son are eventually reunited. The plot, as such, is that Bill Sr. is a steamboat captain on the Mississippi river. A newer steamboat has just steamed in, owned by a rich, non-seaworthy captain. His daughter (‘Peanut’ again) and Bill Jr. are sweethearts from back east, and both parents, as dueling steamboat captains, are dead set against the two young’uns getting together. There are lots of slips and pratfalls as Jr. tries to acclimate himself to life on a boat. But trouble is a-brewin’ as is a big storm. In an iconic storm image, the façade of a house falls down around Jr.—literally—the upstairs window, fortunately open, lands right where Jr. is standing. During the rest of the storm, Jr. finally proves his mettle (and sea legs) by rescuing the girl, rescuing her father, and rescuing a minister who then officiates the lovebirds’ wedding, with the approval of both fathers. Fade to black.
As always, Ben Model provided a lively, entertaining score that included the tune to Victor Dalhart’s “The Prisoner’s Song” at the same time Jr. is singing it to his father who’s in jail. Mr. Model clued us in ahead of time to be looking/listening for it and it was fun when we came upon it in the film. It’s the little gems like this that improve the silent film experience for me.
MovieMeister
Feed ’Em and Weep had ‘Peanut’ and Anita Garvin as completely inexperienced waitresses on their first day of work at a train-side eatery. The train arrives. The customers flock in. Food is delayed. As it’s rushed out, both waitresses sail over a table, sliding into food. The boss then takes matters into his own hands—and promptly sails over the table, sliding into food.
Much mayhem ensues as people try to go in the ‘out’ swinging door and vice versa. Except the doors are not marked ‘In’ and ‘Out’—hence the mayhem. When the train conductor arrives and announces that they’ll be leaving in just a few minutes, he is promptly trampled by the folks rushing to get back to the train. All’s well that ends—well—not quite well. But it was a funny film.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. starred Buster Keaton in the title role, a back-east college kid sent off to the wilds of the Midwest to be with his father, who he hasn’t seen in years. The very first sight gag involves the white flower in his lapel to be used as an identifier. It seems that, due to a special function taking place in the town, every man getting off of the train is wearing a white flower in his lapel. Father and son are eventually reunited. The plot, as such, is that Bill Sr. is a steamboat captain on the Mississippi river. A newer steamboat has just steamed in, owned by a rich, non-seaworthy captain. His daughter (‘Peanut’ again) and Bill Jr. are sweethearts from back east, and both parents, as dueling steamboat captains, are dead set against the two young’uns getting together. There are lots of slips and pratfalls as Jr. tries to acclimate himself to life on a boat. But trouble is a-brewin’ as is a big storm. In an iconic storm image, the façade of a house falls down around Jr.—literally—the upstairs window, fortunately open, lands right where Jr. is standing. During the rest of the storm, Jr. finally proves his mettle (and sea legs) by rescuing the girl, rescuing her father, and rescuing a minister who then officiates the lovebirds’ wedding, with the approval of both fathers. Fade to black.
As always, Ben Model provided a lively, entertaining score that included the tune to Victor Dalhart’s “The Prisoner’s Song” at the same time Jr. is singing it to his father who’s in jail. Mr. Model clued us in ahead of time to be looking/listening for it and it was fun when we came upon it in the film. It’s the little gems like this that improve the silent film experience for me.
MovieMeister
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Pre-ConcertMeister
This one is NYC-centric; sorry, out-of-towners. Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Free Tuesday night outdoor concerts in Central Park at the bandshell. Weather permitting. June 12 (thank you, co-worker), Ensemble LPR; June 26, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; July 10, A Far Cry; July 17, The Knights; July 31, Orchestra of St. Luke's. We're talking world-class ensembles in free performances. Will I see you there?
ConcertMeister
ConcertMeister
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