Make Music New York (6/21/23)

It’s that time of the year again. The solstice always brings Make Music New York—free music events spread all over the city. I kept my choices Manhattan-centric this summer and, as usual, bit off a little more than I could chew. My chosen five were classical piano at 11:00am, outdoor jazz at noon, Old Father Eternity at 3:00pm, a violin duo (Miolina) at 4:00pm, and outdoor a cappella vocal at 6:45pm. Oh, I also snuck in Sousapalooza at 2:00pm-ish Are you tired yet?

Finding the first venue turned out to be a chore—Freeman Plaza at Hudson Square. Hudson Square is near the Hudson River, not near Hudson Street. Along the way I passed through Cavali Park and Duarte Square. Cavali Park had dancers going through their paces, but not quite what I was looking for. Duarte Square was also not quite what I was looking for. Aha! I found Freeman Plaza. There was a piano (covered) there. I was a few minutes early. (Hello! I'm a Mallard!) 11:00am came and went. 11:15 came and went. When I figured that the pianist was probably a no show, I just went. 

I still made it up to 63rd and Broadway in time to hear the beginning of the jazz quartet, Eric Person’s Soul Saturation. The jazz was pretty good. And there was a good-sized crowd. The tunes were announced by the saxophonist, Eric Person. The only tune that was vaguely familiar to me was Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” (actually, the rhythms were more familiar than the tune was). They took a break after forty-five minutes, and I started walking to my next venue, grabbing a cup of lentil soup along the way. It may have been the first day of summer, but it was definitely cool enough for soup.

I got to my next venue (58th Street Library) with time to spare, so I strolled over to hear a little bit of Sousapalooza. This was an amateur group of about forty musicians playing Sousa marches. I recognized the conductor from at least one other MMNY, so I felt right at home. He was announcing the pieces, but it was very hard to hear him. At any rate, most of the pieces were familiar to me. Except for one. A dirge march, written for the funeral of President Garfield. Apparently, the piece was also played many years later for Sousa’s funeral. The things you learn off the beaten track. I wasn't even planning on doing Sousapalooza. I’m glad I did.

Old Father Eternity was neither old nor a father. It also started at 3:15 instead of 3:00. Not a biggie. Neither was the crowd. Only about eight people, one of whom was the artist’s mother (whose phone went off!) and two were library employees. Old Father Eternity, a female, was a fairly modern folk guitarist and singer. Pleasant enough, and she composed at least one of the songs on the program.

A brisk walk took me to the 76th Street Library for Miolina, the violin duo. Alas, this duo playing only music from after 2003 led to much scratching and screeching. The audience was five people, including one library employee. And one audience member left. The music was very hard to take, although it was very well composed.

I Cancelled Uptown Sound, since it was already cocktail hour, and I didn’t want to kill all that time just to end up at 100 Central Park West. I think I made the right choice, for me.

All in all, a successful Make Music New York experience. I’m so glad I discovered this.

ConcertMeister

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (2023)

 ACRONYM (6/13/23)

Opening Fanfare: Times Square Brass
World premiere (2023) – Martin Kennedy

Anonymous, (Biber?/Schmelzer?), Sonata Jucunda a5 in D minor
Samuel Capricornus, (1628–1665), Sonata a8 in A minor
Francesco Cavalli, (1602–1676), Canzona a8 in C major
Andreas Kirchhoff, (fl.1700), Sonata a6 in G minor
Alessandro Scarlatti, (1660–1725), Sinfonia a4, (from Agar et Ismaele esiliati)
Clemens Thieme, (1631–1668), Sonata a8 in C major
Johann Pezel, (1639–1694), Ciacona a6 in B-flat major
Giovanni Valentini, (1582–1649), Sonata Enharmonisch a8 in G minor
Antonio Bertali, (1605–1669), Sonata a6 in D minor
Johann Philipp Krieger, (1649–1725), Sonata a4 in F major
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644–1704), Battalia a10 in D major

OK, I’m sure all of the above actually means nothing to you, including the names of the composers. So, here’s the deal. Acronym is a chamber music ensemble (strings, harpsichord, and reed organ) that plays early music on period instruments, using old-fashioned cat-gut strings. This resulted in much more re-tuning during the concert.

Don’t be put off by the Sonata a8 or the Ciacona a6 in some of the titles. It does not mean eight or six instruments, rather eight or six voices that can be played by small groups of instruments, e.g., three violins can be one voice while two cellos can be another voice.

This is the 118th iteration of the Naumburg concert series but more to the point, it is the 100th anniversary of the newly restored bandshell in Central Park. As a result, each concert this summer will open with a special fanfare. This concert featured a brass fanfare (two trumpets, two trombones, and two French horns) playing a modern, but listenable, fanfare. And it was a world premiere. How lucky am I?

As to the music on the program, it was pretty much similar from piece to piece. Some were chorale-like, some were dance-like.

Of special interest to me was Giovanni Valentini Sonata Enharmonisch a8 in G minor, since it paired parts of the composition in G minor (two flats) and G major (one sharp). It was oddly disjointed but eerily interesting, too.

The last piece on the program Battalia a10 in D major was actually a sonic picture of a battle. It was rhythmic and quick, using tapping bows on strings, while being sometimes out of tune (on purpose).

It was a great introduction to a group I had never heard before, and a great introduction to a five-concert summer series. Oh, did I mention it’s free?

Now the caveat (yes, I am becoming a curmudgeon). Because of the 100th anniversary of the bandshell, there is a special brochure that includes all five concert programs. I either need to bring the oversized brochure to the next four concerts or print out each of the rest of the four programs so that I’m not wielding an unwieldy brochure.

 ConcertMeister

Broadway at 92NY Chorus (6/11/23)

The Berlin and Porter Concert

I have been to one previous concert by this amateur choral group. They have been since rebranded with this new moniker that even the conductor stumbled over. Enough about that. The concert focused on music by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, and it was a fun afternoon.

The program (though there was one change in order that I don’t remember—hey, I’m getting older!):

There’s No Business Like Show Business – Irving Berlin (Annie Get Your Gun, 1946)
I Get a Kick Out of You – Cole Porter (Anything Goes, 1934)
Lazy – Berlin (Popular song, 1924)
So In Love – Porter (Kiss Me Kate, 1948)
Anything You Can Do – Berlin (AGYG)
Anything Goes – Porter (AG)

–Sing-Along–

You’re Just In Love – Berlin (Call Me Madam, 1950)
True Love/Always – Porter/Berlin (High Society [Film], 1956/Popular song,1925)
Blow, Gabriel, Blow – Porter (AG)

Seeing as how I’ve done two productions each of both Annie Get Your Gun and Anything Goes (oh, the stories I could tell), a lot of this music was very familiar to me, and I enjoyed all of the performances.

The sing-along, less so (not quite my thing). It was a tribute to Burt Bacharach, and included Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, (They Long To Be) Close To You, and What The World Needs Now. Pleasant, but just.

However, the concert was a lot of fun, and the participants—conductor, accompanist, vocalists—all seemed to have a great time. As did the audience.

ConcertMeister

Hay Fever (5/8/23)

A New Musical Reading (5/8/23) 

This one was weird. It was based on a 1924 Noël Coward play. Apparently, the play was not very successful, though it had multiple revivals. Even Coward said that there was not a plot there, and there were no funny lines. 

This new version showed why it was not very successful. Written by A.J. Freeman (lyrics and adaptation) and Sam Balzac and Ben Covello (music), this did not play out well. 

Coward’s dialogue was said to be sparkling, even though the characters spoke over one another at times. This does not transfer well to a musical. Characters singing over one another is a recipe for failure. That’s what happened here. 

Am I glad I saw this work in progress? Yes! This is how theater grows and how we grow, too.

ConcertMeister