Sunday, August 8, 2021

Summer Streets 2021 — Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (8/7/21)

I started my Summer Streets walk at the Brooklyn Bridge (the Manhattan side).

OK, I got caught up in this rather silly, but fun, circus. They bill themselves as the Flatbed Follies, since all of the acts take place on three flatbed trailers (we never saw the tractor part).

There was silliness from clowns (including a somewhat lengthy bit about building a sandwich, with a ‘special’ ingredient—pepper!). A rhythmic trope of “Pepper, pepper pep-PER” was repeated four times. Think conga line. The entire four-time trope was repeated four times. Did I mention that this was geared toward kids? Of course, all that pepper led to a great big Ah-Choo! that dismantled the entire sandwich.

There were also jugglers, a contortionist, a rhythmic gymnast ? (I’m watching too much Olympics on TV), a plate spinner (in a throwback to the Ed Sullivan show), a chair strongman artist, and a wire walker/dancer. Silly? Yes. Fun? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I mention rubber chickens? Did I mention it was free?

That was at Foley Square. I then walked the route up Lafayette Avenue to 14th Street (where I dropped off my composting), and then up Park Avenue to Grand Central. Seeing it up close is a real treat. I continued up to 65th Street. The event ran to 72nd Street, but I ran out of time, and there’s not too much to see up there.

Did I enjoy it? Yes! Will I do it again next Saturday? Doubtful. Do I recommend it to my NYC peeps for 8/14 (7a–1p)? Definitely!

ConcertMeister

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (8/3/21)

ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) – ShaiWosner, piano

W.A. Mozart (1756–91) – Piano Concerto No.14 in E-flat major, K449 (1784) – (i) Allegro vivace, (ii) Andantino, (iii) Allegro ma non troppo
Hanna Benn (1988–) – Where Springs Not Fail (2016)
Osvaldo Golijov (1960–) – Last Round (1996) –
W.A. Mozart (1756–91) – Piano Concerto No.12 in A major, K.414 (1782) – (i) Allegro,
(ii) Andante (iii) Rondeau. Allegretto

The first movement of the Mozart had a nice heft at the opening, for a chamber orchestra (six violins, three violas, three cellos, and one double bass), though there was also a gentle feel. After the strings in the opening, we had solo piano (this will be a recurring scene), followed by back and forth string accompaniment. There was a touch of drama before a solo piano cadenza, leading to a bright ending. The second movement was slower and gentle (strings, then piano joining), pretty without being cloying, though a bit long. Of course, the moment I wrote that in my notes, the movement came to an end. The third movement was brighter (strings, then piano). It had a real chamber music feel before a perky section that led to a fun finish.

Ms. Benn’s work, inspired by a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, had a very calm opening, with a sort of shimmery feel. It was modern without being harsh, with a nice contemplative feel. Though it wandered a bit, it felt to me like brief episodes that were linked together.

Last Round was based on a short story, and it was the composer’s reactions to the illness and death of the great Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. With a definite tango feel, it was energetic while being modern but accessible. At one point, the tempo increased to almost frenetic but was then dialed back down. Still, it couldn’t stay serene for too long. Then there was an extended slow section, sounding mournful, that eventually faded away to nothing.

The first movement of the second Mozart piano concerto had a lilting opening for the strings before getting a little fuller; then, as usual, the piano joined the party. This was the more tinkly Mozart style than the previous concerto, though there was some solidity in the strings from time to time. There was also a more extensive piano solo/cadenza toward the end of the movement than in the previous concerto. The second movement had a lovely opening from the strings followed by a sedate solo piano entry [this was probably my favorite movement of the six Mozart movements]. The final movement was jaunty, with a return to tinkly, in a pretty way, followed by a few dark hints of drama.

Here’s a brief note about the cadenzas I mentioned. I certainly didn’t have a score in front of me, but my understanding is that Mozart wrote a piano solo at the end of the movement that allowed some flexibility for the soloist to improvise and add to (in an appropriate manner) before returning to an obvious aural cue for the orchestra to rejoin, in order to finish the movement. How much improvising Mr. Wosner did, I do not know. But his returns with the orchestra were seamless and easy to understand.

Full disclosure: I am not a huge Mozart fan. I enjoyed this concert more than I thought I would, possibly because it was a lighter chamber orchestra feel. I sometimes feel bashed over the head with Mozart played by huge ensembles. Some of the evening’s tinkly stuff grated slightly, but not nearly as much as I expected.

There was a solo piano encore (not announced) which sounded slightly Slavic to me. Maybe a Tchaikovsky piano morsel? It would have been nice to know.

ConcertMeister