Wreath Interpretations (12/14/22)

Okay, this is at least the second time I’ve attended/posted about this. The 40th annual exhibit at The Arsenal (Fifth Avenue/64th Street, just inside Central Park) is on display until December 30 (with holiday closings). 

This year’s display featured 30+ wreaths (sort of). Some were traditional; some were paintings implying a wreath. Some of my favorites included Bath Sponge Bubble Wreath (nylon-net scrubbies with transparent glass ornaments) and Abundance (very pretty, using acrylic yarn and various plastic snack bags fashioned into flowers). 

One wreath was created with Mardi Gras beads—it was colorful, shiny, and fun! I also liked Measure for Measure (I’m guessing it’s a reference to Shakespeare in the Park), which used wooden rulers arranged in a spherical shape. 

Christmas Beetle – Tierra Frági had knitted yarn bugs on a knitted yarn wreath, while Spotted Lantern Wreath had a striking combination of colors and patterns referencing the summer infestation of bugs here in NYC this past summer. 

Another favorite of mine was Silent Night, which used CPAP components in a clever red-and-green wreath motif. African Jewels by the Well featured handmade clay beads, etc., on an embossed copper background, while Party Animals had top-hatted collage animals inside a wreath of discarded mylar balloons found at Rockaway Beach. (I’m not making this up, you know.) 

How to Save a Life was a rather large wreath made of discarded/expired AED pads plus an AED machine. It was an oval wreath design. Next to it was a woven-straw wreath surrounding a bottle cap. Wreaths come in all shapes and sizes. 

Be Happy was a wreath of smiley faces. A smiley face in the center with sixteen smiley faces around it with a ‘thought bubble’ for each. A little too smiley for me. 

One more of my favorites was one that featured writing implements and notebooks, erasers, binder clips, index cards, etc., all placed on a bicycle wheel. In the center was a card that said, “DREAM BIG AND DARE TO FAIL.” That said it all for me.

 Oh, some (but not all) were for sale, ranging from $75.00 to $2,800. I'm happy to glimpse them for free.

Again, the exhibit is on display until December 30, though it is closed on holidays. I’m guessing Christmas, yes; not sure about Hanukkah. If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s a fun little side trip.

ConcertMeister

The Orchestra Now (12/11/22)

Schumann, Strauss & Sibelius

Good news, bad news. The concert was still free, and it was played very well. Alas, their usual cheat sheet (dates of composers, date of composition, premiere date, running time of each work, etc.) was not to be had. 

Schumann – Overture to Genoveva
Strauss (Richard) – Four Symphonic Interludes from Intermezzo
Sibelius – Symphony No. 2 

From the program notes (written by orchestra members), Schumann’s opera is not often performed. The overture, though, is in the symphonic repertoire as a concert-opener, which is how it was used here. It opened quietly and then slowly built in dynamics and power. It was pleasant to listen to but I was not overwhelmed. 

Because I had to do more digging than I usually do for the most part for these concerts, I learned that the opera Intermezzo is performed. Rarely. In fact, I don’t think it’s ever been performed at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera. The four Interludes are, however, regularly excerpted. The first three were relatively subdued, with quiet endings. The fourth had a little more oomph. The second (or third—or both) featured piano and harp, and the conductor had those players stand for a solo bow during the applause for the work. 

The Sibelius symphony was in four movements. I only know this because I read the program notes. It was not listed anywhere else in the program, which I would have expected. The first movement had a three-note motif that was fairly easy to follow in its repetitions and permutations. The second was calmer and quieter. The third, referred to as a Scherzo in the program notes, was indeed lively and fun to listen to. The fourth, Finale, had a grand, sweeping theme that was repeated several times, lifting us, indeed, to a lovely finale. 

As I said, the music (conducted by Zachary Schwartzman) was great to listen to. I just wish I had a little more basic information at my fingertips. Then again, maybe they really wanted to have me focus on the music. At any rate, I enjoyed the concert, and I look forward to The Orchestra Now’s return to Symphony Space in the spring.

ConcertMeister

Across a Crowded Room (11/19/22)

Okay, this is at least my second iteration of this event. If memory serves, this is essentially a summer writing series. The participants—composers, lyricists, book writers—are paired together randomly at the beginning of the writing seminar. Across a crowded room. The result should be a twenty-minute musical theater presentation—either a self-contained snippet, or part of a larger work—to be shown at the 11/19/22 performance I attended. 

First off, I had a blast watching nine separate snippets. Were they all hits? No. Were there any clunkers? No. This year’s chore was to adapt a work in the public domain that was also in the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. This criterion was (mostly) met. 

With nine works on display, I will not cover all of them (with myriad writers/composers/performers, etc.). 

Sing a Song of Six Pants was a riff on a Three Stooges episode, here with Mary, Mo, and Curly, all female. An all-female piece followed: It Ain’t Over ’Til the Bat Lady Sings. Trifles followed, which was slightly operatic (except for the men’s duet). Tomorrow was next, with a take on a Frances Hodgson Burnett short story/play, again with an all-female cast. The fifth work was based on a James Barrie play, The 12-Pound Look. It was one of my favorites. The sixth was also based on James Barrie—The Admirable Crichton. Is This Who We Are as Beavers? was a throwback to high school high-jinks. 

And now. A very-long-titled piece decided to throw operetta on its ear. Messrs. Christenfeld and Grunin present an operretic mistake in one act entitled "DOWN WITHTHE SCRIPT!": a musical fantasia on the most unfortunate death of  Mr. Justus Miles Forman aboard the RMS Lusitania. (I’m not making this up, you know.) This was hands-down the crowd pleaser. It had blue cloth representing the rising water—ankles. knees, waist, thorax, and finally … glub, glub. Funny stuff, with funny music. 

A ninth piece followed, but it was pretty much anti-climactic. 

All in all, I had a great time exploring new writing from new pairings of writers/composers/lyricists. This is something I will definitely seek out again.

Interestingly, there was also feedback from a panel of theater insiders. I agreed with almost every one of their comments.

ConcertMeister