Saturday afternoon found me at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts for a concert Celebrating Samuel Barber’s 105th Anniversary. Interestingly, earlier in the day I celebrated “Alice: 150 Years of Wonderland” at the Morgan Library & Museum. The Barber concert featured Maxim Anikushin, piano, carillon, and organ; Eric Silberger, violin; and Thelma Ithier-Sterling, soprano.
All of the music was composed by Samuel Barber (1910–1981), but most of the featured works were from his early years, including one that was written when he was seven years old. The first piece on the program was Souvenirs, Op. 28 (1952), a suite of six dances for solo piano. Waltz had a bright opening, and was modern but easy to listen to. Schottische was lively, and still had modern harmonies and rhythms. Pas de deux, gentler in tone and tempo, had a slightly ethereal ending. Two-step showed a bit of Latin flair and rhythm, while Hesitation-Tango gave us the full Latin treatment of a tango, but without being in-your-face aggressive. Galop was a return to bright, energetic rhythms that put me in the mind of fractured, modernist carousel music.
Much of the early piano solo music—Three Themes (1923), “Petite Berceuse”
(1923), and Essay II (1926)—gave insight into the budding mind of a young composer, but seemed a bit too repetitive in style and theme. Essay II was my favorite of this bunch, with its hints of imitating Stravinsky and Debussy. Still, it was more of a compositional character study as opposed to music for music’s sake. A pair of very simplistic childhood compositions followed. They could easily have been omitted, in my opinion.
Videos of Mr. Anikushin playing on two different carillons followed, and they were quite interesting. Who knew that you play a carillon by hitting batons. The three carillon pieces were written by Barber between 1930 and 1933. Four more videos followed after intermission, including Mr. Anikushin playing piano, organ, harpsichord and, again, carillon. The works were from 1926, 1927, and 1930 to 1933.
Live music returned with the Violin Sonata in F minor (1928), Allegro Agitato (movement III) performed by Mr. Silberger and Mr. Anikushin. It was pretty modern, for music of an 18-year-old composer—very dramatic, interesting, though not my favorite style, and included a more lyrical middle section that I liked better. That said, it was played extremely well by both performers. Messrs. Silberger and Anikushin followed this with Gypsy Dance from the opera The Rose Tree (1922), which was quite the showpiece, written at the age of 12! Parts of it were a bit cliché, so I just sat back and enjoyed it.
Of the six Early Songs performed by Ms. Ithier-Sterling, “The Daisies,” from Three Songs, Op. 2 (1927) and “The Slumber Song of the Madonna” (1925) were my favorites. Some earlier songs from 1917 and 1919 were included, possibly to show Barber’s growth in compositional techniques of Art Songs. Ms. Ithier-Sterling sang nicely, but didn’t really showcase these songs very well. The song Why Not? closed out the concert. It was a bit of a novelty song, and was quite amusing and—why not? It was from the pen and mind of a seven-year-old composer.
Sunday afternoon turned into a sort of history tour of the blues, courtesy of
The Overlook Concerts’ presenting the French Cookin’ Blues Band—Dave “Doc” French, guitar and vocals; Glen Bob Allen, drums; Margey Peters, bass; and Josh Goldberg, harmonica, guitar and vocals. Luckily it was a perfect afternoon for an outdoor concert. Ms. Peters was subbing for the quartet’s regular bass player, and she did a fine job. First things first, the amplification was just too loud. I was not the only person to pick up my plastic chair and move farther away from the speakers. The music itself was well performed, and “Doc” walked us through the history lesson part with charm and not a bit of school teacher–type stuff.
How Happy Am I (“Doc” French) was slow blues, with the harmonica featured quite prominently, in the style of delta blues. With its quicker tempo, Daytime Blues (D. French) had more of a country music feel, and included a nicely composed closing section. Without naming every name, we moved through to Chicago blues, with more of a driving rhythm and raw vocals. After adding a touch of R&B, Goldberg (“Brother G”) took over vocals from “Doc” in a nice rendition of Willie Dixon’s You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover. Marie, by Dave Alvin, and Bo Diddley, by Ellis McDaniels, roared us firmly into blues/rock before returning to a slower blues feel (with a classic walking bass line) with Old Sun Blues (D. French). The concert closed out with an instrumental version of French’s Waggin’—and there were some dogs in attendance, and their tails were a-waggin’.
There are two more Overlook Concerts (2pm on Oct. 4 and 11 at the Overlook in Riverside Park, near 116th Street) in case you’re interested. Oct. 4 is The Manhattan School of Music Brass Quintet, while the Oct. 11 is the Columbia University Bluegrass Band. Weather permitting, I’ll probably give both a try.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Open House Times Two (9/12-13/15)
No, not Open House New York, yet. Saturday found me at the Mark Morris Dance Center Open House, for a three o’clock concert. It’s a great building, with ample, clean, bright studio space and a flexible performance area on the fifth floor. In addition to the concert, there were free dance classes throughout the day, though I didn’t take any. They also had small servings of baked ziti, baby carrots (which aren’t really baby carrots, you know) and dip, and some salty chip-style snacks later on.
Oh, right, the performance. In addition to dance, they also have singing classes, and a small group of youngsters started off the program with “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” from Annie. They did a pretty darn good job, and I was tickled to hear one of my all-time favorite forced musical theater rhymes—“No one cares for you a smidge / When you’re in an or-pha-nage.” The songsters were followed by a pair of break dancing brothers who performed with lots of style and who really got the crowd going. I’m not good at guessing ages, but I’d put the older brother at about nine or ten, with the younger one at about six or seven.
The performance then moved on to two youth companies from the dance program. Student Company II performed The Vault, choreographed by Mireille Obert, which was a nice performance in the modern ballet style. It was mostly upbeat, and the eleven young ladies performed with grace and energy. Student Company I was slightly more advanced, and they performed excerpts from Words, choreographed by Mark Morris. With somber music to begin with, the piece advanced into a brighter tempo, and the twelve ladies performed with style and wit.
Oh, you want style and wit? The performance culminated with “Flowers” from The Hard Nut, also choreographed by Mr. Morris. Clara’s mother oversaw the antics of the flowers—and in this case the flowers were both male and female, all costumed alike in flowing floral dresses while on their heads they wore what looked like flower buds. Actually, they looked more like bathing caps, which was quite appropriate as some of the choreography was reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley, Esther Williams routine! Oh, and they all had on gold lame dance pants. I know this because at some point or another they all had their legs over their heads while lying on their backs. Did I mention that this was humorous? Oh yes, it was most definitely humorous. And yes, the Mark Morris Dance Group is performing The Hard Nut at Brooklyn Academy of Music this upcoming holiday season.
Sunday found me at the Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan, in Queens. Go. There. I went on a family Open House day (free), but this museum is worth the price of admission. I went because of the Open House and the free cello concert, but the museum won me over. OK, the concert. Ashley Bathgate, a Bang on a Can Music member, played Stories for Ocean Shells by Australian composer Kate Moore. The music was lovely; the treatment of it, not so much. The cello sounds were beautiful but the electronic sounds and amplification (and loops, loops, loops) did the compositions a disservice. At one point, I just left the concert proper (um, sitting on a concrete floor or a little bamboo mat) and wandered, looking at Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures while listening to essentially background music. I don't usually do background music at concerts. Noguchi’s (1904–1988) sculptures on display were created in granite, basalt, raw marble, and polished marble. Alas, the museum’s sculpture garden is under renovation—I’ll probably go back to see it in its full glory.
That said, both Open Houses were well worth spending time at, and I may seek both out again. I might even take a class or two at the Mark Morris Dance Center next year.
ConcertMeister
Oh, right, the performance. In addition to dance, they also have singing classes, and a small group of youngsters started off the program with “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” from Annie. They did a pretty darn good job, and I was tickled to hear one of my all-time favorite forced musical theater rhymes—“No one cares for you a smidge / When you’re in an or-pha-nage.” The songsters were followed by a pair of break dancing brothers who performed with lots of style and who really got the crowd going. I’m not good at guessing ages, but I’d put the older brother at about nine or ten, with the younger one at about six or seven.
The performance then moved on to two youth companies from the dance program. Student Company II performed The Vault, choreographed by Mireille Obert, which was a nice performance in the modern ballet style. It was mostly upbeat, and the eleven young ladies performed with grace and energy. Student Company I was slightly more advanced, and they performed excerpts from Words, choreographed by Mark Morris. With somber music to begin with, the piece advanced into a brighter tempo, and the twelve ladies performed with style and wit.
Oh, you want style and wit? The performance culminated with “Flowers” from The Hard Nut, also choreographed by Mr. Morris. Clara’s mother oversaw the antics of the flowers—and in this case the flowers were both male and female, all costumed alike in flowing floral dresses while on their heads they wore what looked like flower buds. Actually, they looked more like bathing caps, which was quite appropriate as some of the choreography was reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley, Esther Williams routine! Oh, and they all had on gold lame dance pants. I know this because at some point or another they all had their legs over their heads while lying on their backs. Did I mention that this was humorous? Oh yes, it was most definitely humorous. And yes, the Mark Morris Dance Group is performing The Hard Nut at Brooklyn Academy of Music this upcoming holiday season.
Sunday found me at the Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan, in Queens. Go. There. I went on a family Open House day (free), but this museum is worth the price of admission. I went because of the Open House and the free cello concert, but the museum won me over. OK, the concert. Ashley Bathgate, a Bang on a Can Music member, played Stories for Ocean Shells by Australian composer Kate Moore. The music was lovely; the treatment of it, not so much. The cello sounds were beautiful but the electronic sounds and amplification (and loops, loops, loops) did the compositions a disservice. At one point, I just left the concert proper (um, sitting on a concrete floor or a little bamboo mat) and wandered, looking at Isamu Noguchi’s sculptures while listening to essentially background music. I don't usually do background music at concerts. Noguchi’s (1904–1988) sculptures on display were created in granite, basalt, raw marble, and polished marble. Alas, the museum’s sculpture garden is under renovation—I’ll probably go back to see it in its full glory.
That said, both Open Houses were well worth spending time at, and I may seek both out again. I might even take a class or two at the Mark Morris Dance Center next year.
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
10th-Anniversary Harlem Garden Tour (8/29/15)
This was year three for me. And only year two for the full tour. The first year I attended, I joined mid-tour; last year, I did the whole she-bang—including breakfast and a Harlem cookout! Last year, I had gumbo for breakfast for the first time, so this year I had to add ratatouille to the gumbo for breakfast. (Yes, I did make a donation to this free event.)
Many of the gardens—and they are all community gardens—were repeats this year. I happened to know about the cotton and peanuts, planted in a public space, from last year. That information was not presented this year, partially due to the much larger turnout. See 10th-anniversary, above. Repeat standouts for me were the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden (W. 122nd St.), Clayton Williams Garden and PCB William B. Washington Garden (both on W. 126th St.), Linnette C. Williamson/Unity Garden (W. 128th St.) (though they had some condition issues because of a condemned building next door and the re-seeding of their Harlem Village Green space), and the always stunning and educational Success Garden/Harlem Grown space (W. 134th St.). Success Garden/Harlem Grown works in conjunction with the school across the street; the students do the gardening, and all of the produce goes home with them or is donated to the community. How cool is that?
The first stop this year was new to the tour—Chenchita's Garden, at 112th St. and Madison Ave. This is a large, beautiful spot that incorporates teaching, yarn projects, and sharing produce (for a slight fee) with the community. This place made a huge impression on me. At the end of the tour, I celebrated with rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad, and yellow rice. Oh, also along the way they provided water, and some of the individual gardens provided tea, snacks, and infused waters. Did I mention that this was free?
This year, there were two yellow school buses for patrons who needed transportation, a bicycling contingent, and a walking contingent. I was part of that one, though I didn't make the trek from W. 134th St. to W. 162nd St. and then back down to 151st St. Instead, I sought out an Ethiopian restaurant and had a 'Renaissance Wit' beer, brewed by the Harlem Brewing Co., based out of Saratoga, NY. Lest I forget, though I forgot to go there during rose season, the tour also had a stop at the Harlem Rose Garden on E. 129th St.
Ah, the gardens. I saw the following growing: collards, cabbage, thyme, basil, sage, corn, okra, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, hard squash (butternut, I think), broccoli, chard, kale, pea plants, sunflowers, marigolds, and snapdragons. As for trees, I saw (and many with fruit) apple, crabapple, peach, pear, blueberry, weeping willow, Rose of Sharon, crape myrtle, and bamboo (technically, a grass).
As for other interesting tidbits, the Success Garden/Harlem Grown also has a hydroponic greenhouse (alas, it may have to be dismantled because the plot of land it sits on has been sold). Oh, duh! Community gardens are undeveloped land that the city owns, but that citizens have reclaimed. Some operate under contracts with the city, while others are technically squatters. Also of note, the Linnette C. Williamson Garden is celebrating its 50th! year in 2015, and is presumed to be the first vest-pocket park in the nation.
I feel compelled to note that these gardens are not always open to the public. In fact, because most of them are run by volunteers, they might not even be open during the hours that are posted as "open." Still, even viewed from behind a fence, many of them are interesting and quite beautiful.
Did I mention that they fed me? Twice! Yeah, I'll check them out again next year.
ConcertMeister
Many of the gardens—and they are all community gardens—were repeats this year. I happened to know about the cotton and peanuts, planted in a public space, from last year. That information was not presented this year, partially due to the much larger turnout. See 10th-anniversary, above. Repeat standouts for me were the Joseph Daniel Wilson Memorial Garden (W. 122nd St.), Clayton Williams Garden and PCB William B. Washington Garden (both on W. 126th St.), Linnette C. Williamson/Unity Garden (W. 128th St.) (though they had some condition issues because of a condemned building next door and the re-seeding of their Harlem Village Green space), and the always stunning and educational Success Garden/Harlem Grown space (W. 134th St.). Success Garden/Harlem Grown works in conjunction with the school across the street; the students do the gardening, and all of the produce goes home with them or is donated to the community. How cool is that?
The first stop this year was new to the tour—Chenchita's Garden, at 112th St. and Madison Ave. This is a large, beautiful spot that incorporates teaching, yarn projects, and sharing produce (for a slight fee) with the community. This place made a huge impression on me. At the end of the tour, I celebrated with rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, pasta salad, and yellow rice. Oh, also along the way they provided water, and some of the individual gardens provided tea, snacks, and infused waters. Did I mention that this was free?
This year, there were two yellow school buses for patrons who needed transportation, a bicycling contingent, and a walking contingent. I was part of that one, though I didn't make the trek from W. 134th St. to W. 162nd St. and then back down to 151st St. Instead, I sought out an Ethiopian restaurant and had a 'Renaissance Wit' beer, brewed by the Harlem Brewing Co., based out of Saratoga, NY. Lest I forget, though I forgot to go there during rose season, the tour also had a stop at the Harlem Rose Garden on E. 129th St.
Ah, the gardens. I saw the following growing: collards, cabbage, thyme, basil, sage, corn, okra, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, hard squash (butternut, I think), broccoli, chard, kale, pea plants, sunflowers, marigolds, and snapdragons. As for trees, I saw (and many with fruit) apple, crabapple, peach, pear, blueberry, weeping willow, Rose of Sharon, crape myrtle, and bamboo (technically, a grass).
As for other interesting tidbits, the Success Garden/Harlem Grown also has a hydroponic greenhouse (alas, it may have to be dismantled because the plot of land it sits on has been sold). Oh, duh! Community gardens are undeveloped land that the city owns, but that citizens have reclaimed. Some operate under contracts with the city, while others are technically squatters. Also of note, the Linnette C. Williamson Garden is celebrating its 50th! year in 2015, and is presumed to be the first vest-pocket park in the nation.
I feel compelled to note that these gardens are not always open to the public. In fact, because most of them are run by volunteers, they might not even be open during the hours that are posted as "open." Still, even viewed from behind a fence, many of them are interesting and quite beautiful.
Did I mention that they fed me? Twice! Yeah, I'll check them out again next year.
ConcertMeister
Friday, August 21, 2015
Mostly Mozart Festival (8/19/15)
Wait a minute, ’Meister! That can’t have been free or low cost—and Mozart’s not even your favorite! Hold your horses, folks. Every once in a while I splurge, and this was one of those times. For my birthday, I took myself to hear Joshua Bell.
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546 (1788) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 (before 1730) – Allegro; Adagio; Allegro assai – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Chaconne, from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 (1720) – Bach
(arr. 1847, Felix Mendelssohn; arr. 2013, Julian Milone)
Symphony No. 2 in C major (1845–46) – Sostenuto assai—Allegro, ma non troppo; Scherzo: Allegro vivace; Adagio espressivo; Allegro molto vivace –
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
So, not only was it not mostly Mozart, the Mozart piece on the program even gave a nod to Bach. The fugue part was written, as a Bachian fugue, in 1783 for two pianos. The adagio was added in 1788 with the original fugue arranged for string quartet or orchestra—the string orchestra version was heard Wednesday night. The piece was dramatic and mysterious, with the fugue full of drama all the way through to the final chord.
The Bach concerto was scored for a smaller group of strings plus harpsichord. The first movement was bright and energetic, while my note for the second movement is simply, plaintive. In keeping it simple, the third movement was ebullient. Throughout the piece I was really intrigued with the incredibly smooth character of Mr. Bell’s playing. The fireworks were there, but in a smooth, concentrated way.
Okay, now on to the Chaconne. Originally written for solo violin, Mendelssohn added a piano part, to discreetly flesh out some of the harmonies. (Mendelssohn was quite a force in the resurgence of Bach’s music.) Milone created the orchestral version of that piano version. [Note: I usually don’t read reviews of concerts that I’m going to write about; however, I did read the New York Times review of Tuesday night’s performance. And I just have to steal this snippet about why
Mr. Bell used the orchestral version of Mendelssohn’s piano version instead of playing Bach’s solo version: Before beginning the piece, Mr. Bell said that for “those of you who think Bach would turn in his grave” to hear these “strange harmonies” added to his Chaconne, “the good news is that we’re playing it again tomorrow.” So, he added, “Bach will turn back over.”] The piece is multiple variations of variations, including a couple of false endings, that were all masterfully played.
A shout out here to another Bach connection with this concert. As fate would have it, my relatives Mr. and Mrs. Himelsbach (get it? Himelsbach?), were celebrating their wedding anniversary by attending this concert on the exact same night I attended, celebrating my birthday! We were able to chat before the concert, during intermission, and even on the cross-town bus back to the East Side, afterwards.
After intermission, the strings were bulked up with woodwinds and brass for the Schumann symphony. I liked the opening movement, and it was interesting to hear it followed by the bright scherzo. The adagio was highly effective in creating a slightly brooding quality, reinforced by exposed horn writing. The final movement was strong and finished off with a bang. Andrew Manze conducted the Mozart and the Schumann, while Mr. Bell was the leader for the Bach pieces.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable concert, performed magnificently. It’s the first time I’ve heard Mr. Bell live, in concert, and it was the perfect celebration for my birthday and Pat and Jim’s anniversary. Spending time with them was the icing on the cake though, alas, no cake was involved.
ConcertMeister
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K.546 (1788) – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 (before 1730) – Allegro; Adagio; Allegro assai – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Chaconne, from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 (1720) – Bach
(arr. 1847, Felix Mendelssohn; arr. 2013, Julian Milone)
Symphony No. 2 in C major (1845–46) – Sostenuto assai—Allegro, ma non troppo; Scherzo: Allegro vivace; Adagio espressivo; Allegro molto vivace –
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
So, not only was it not mostly Mozart, the Mozart piece on the program even gave a nod to Bach. The fugue part was written, as a Bachian fugue, in 1783 for two pianos. The adagio was added in 1788 with the original fugue arranged for string quartet or orchestra—the string orchestra version was heard Wednesday night. The piece was dramatic and mysterious, with the fugue full of drama all the way through to the final chord.
The Bach concerto was scored for a smaller group of strings plus harpsichord. The first movement was bright and energetic, while my note for the second movement is simply, plaintive. In keeping it simple, the third movement was ebullient. Throughout the piece I was really intrigued with the incredibly smooth character of Mr. Bell’s playing. The fireworks were there, but in a smooth, concentrated way.
Okay, now on to the Chaconne. Originally written for solo violin, Mendelssohn added a piano part, to discreetly flesh out some of the harmonies. (Mendelssohn was quite a force in the resurgence of Bach’s music.) Milone created the orchestral version of that piano version. [Note: I usually don’t read reviews of concerts that I’m going to write about; however, I did read the New York Times review of Tuesday night’s performance. And I just have to steal this snippet about why
Mr. Bell used the orchestral version of Mendelssohn’s piano version instead of playing Bach’s solo version: Before beginning the piece, Mr. Bell said that for “those of you who think Bach would turn in his grave” to hear these “strange harmonies” added to his Chaconne, “the good news is that we’re playing it again tomorrow.” So, he added, “Bach will turn back over.”] The piece is multiple variations of variations, including a couple of false endings, that were all masterfully played.
A shout out here to another Bach connection with this concert. As fate would have it, my relatives Mr. and Mrs. Himelsbach (get it? Himelsbach?), were celebrating their wedding anniversary by attending this concert on the exact same night I attended, celebrating my birthday! We were able to chat before the concert, during intermission, and even on the cross-town bus back to the East Side, afterwards.
After intermission, the strings were bulked up with woodwinds and brass for the Schumann symphony. I liked the opening movement, and it was interesting to hear it followed by the bright scherzo. The adagio was highly effective in creating a slightly brooding quality, reinforced by exposed horn writing. The final movement was strong and finished off with a bang. Andrew Manze conducted the Mozart and the Schumann, while Mr. Bell was the leader for the Bach pieces.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable concert, performed magnificently. It’s the first time I’ve heard Mr. Bell live, in concert, and it was the perfect celebration for my birthday and Pat and Jim’s anniversary. Spending time with them was the icing on the cake though, alas, no cake was involved.
ConcertMeister
Monday, August 17, 2015
The Plantation (8/16/15)
Sunday afternoon found me on Governors Island for a site-specific production of The Plantation, an adaptation of Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard, set in Reconstruction 1870s Virginia. As a concept, it worked well. I’m somewhat chagrined to admit, though, that I have zero experience with Chekov—never read him and never seen a production of any of the plays. So when I say that as a concept, it worked, this is based on my after-the-fact reading about The Cherry Orchard.
Claire Beckman adapted and directed the production, which was a staged reading with scripts in hand. In this case, it was close to being fully staged. Many of the sixteen actors involved have appeared at Brave New World Rep, in Brooklyn, where Ms. Beckman was the producing artistic director for many years (she’s also a co-founder). In a sense this was a plus, as the company on Sunday seemed to have a good rapport.
The specific site for The Plantation was the Commanding Officers House in Nolan Park on the island. With its stately white columns, slightly cramped back yard, and many-roomed interior, parts of the site-specific concept worked better than others. After what threatened to be a washout, courtesy of a rather violent ten- to fifteen-minute thunderstorm, the play got under way just slightly behind schedule.
Those stately white columns and broad front porch were just about perfect for Act I, which also made use of the narrow space just down the few steps from the porch. The transition to Act II, at the rear of the house, was a little ungainly, perhaps because the performance was pretty well attended, meaning that a lot of people had to travel. These transitions (all three of them) slowed down the action a little too much for my taste. Act III took place inside the house, and this was the least effective in terms of blocking and spacing because there were very few ways to view all of the action. I was able to move around a couple of times to see better but most audience members didn’t have that option. Act IV was in the front yard again, and gave a nice feel of the play running full circle.
The acting, costumes, and direction all came off very well. The amplified sound (body microphones) did not fare quite as well. Part of that may have been due to the weather—moisture has a way of affecting electronics, and not in a good way. Another aspect that seemed like a good idea on paper but didn’t pan out too well was the use of Fisk Jubilee Singers to transition from act to act. Traveling the distances during the transitions caused the singing to be out of synch from time to time. It’s a good concept that needs better execution.
The company hopes to continue their Indiegogo campaign in order to raise funds for fully mounted performances in the same space next summer. If they’re successful in their fundraising, I hope to see the real deal then—and, of course, fill you all in. Once again, there’s a lot of stuff out there, and I plan on continuing to search for more.
ConcertMeister (or, PlayMeister)
Claire Beckman adapted and directed the production, which was a staged reading with scripts in hand. In this case, it was close to being fully staged. Many of the sixteen actors involved have appeared at Brave New World Rep, in Brooklyn, where Ms. Beckman was the producing artistic director for many years (she’s also a co-founder). In a sense this was a plus, as the company on Sunday seemed to have a good rapport.
The specific site for The Plantation was the Commanding Officers House in Nolan Park on the island. With its stately white columns, slightly cramped back yard, and many-roomed interior, parts of the site-specific concept worked better than others. After what threatened to be a washout, courtesy of a rather violent ten- to fifteen-minute thunderstorm, the play got under way just slightly behind schedule.
Those stately white columns and broad front porch were just about perfect for Act I, which also made use of the narrow space just down the few steps from the porch. The transition to Act II, at the rear of the house, was a little ungainly, perhaps because the performance was pretty well attended, meaning that a lot of people had to travel. These transitions (all three of them) slowed down the action a little too much for my taste. Act III took place inside the house, and this was the least effective in terms of blocking and spacing because there were very few ways to view all of the action. I was able to move around a couple of times to see better but most audience members didn’t have that option. Act IV was in the front yard again, and gave a nice feel of the play running full circle.
The acting, costumes, and direction all came off very well. The amplified sound (body microphones) did not fare quite as well. Part of that may have been due to the weather—moisture has a way of affecting electronics, and not in a good way. Another aspect that seemed like a good idea on paper but didn’t pan out too well was the use of Fisk Jubilee Singers to transition from act to act. Traveling the distances during the transitions caused the singing to be out of synch from time to time. It’s a good concept that needs better execution.
The company hopes to continue their Indiegogo campaign in order to raise funds for fully mounted performances in the same space next summer. If they’re successful in their fundraising, I hope to see the real deal then—and, of course, fill you all in. Once again, there’s a lot of stuff out there, and I plan on continuing to search for more.
ConcertMeister (or, PlayMeister)
Thursday, August 13, 2015
A Weekend in the Country (Or ... Music in Central Park) (8/8 (and 9)/15)
After volunteering for Summer Streets on Saturday the 8th, I caught four silent films at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts. And after that, I stopped by to hear some of the Great Jazz on the Great Hill concert, presented by the Central Park Conservancy and the Jazzmobile, as part of the Conservancy’s 35th anniversary. The Great Hill is in upper Central Park, accessed via either West 103rd or West 106th Streets. I heard performances by the George Gee Orchestra and the Solomon Hicks Quintet. Both groups were very good, but the amplification proved too loud for me, so I didn’t stay very long. Also, the large-ish crowd was not quite my cup of tea.
Sunday, however, found me at the northern tip of Central Park—the Harlem Meer—for a performance by the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, a group that has been playing together for at least 40 years. But talk about longevity, the saxophonist recently celebrated his 100th birthday! And he can still swing with the younger guys. At various times the group consisted of guitar, electric keyboard, double bass, trumpet, tuba, trombone, saxophone, and harmonica. A female vocalist was also on hand, and some of the instrumentalists contributed vocals, as well. The band did a great job, people in the audience were urged to (and did) dance, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including me. I happened to have stumbled on a listing for performances at the Meer a couple of weeks ago, so I missed out on earlier Sunday afternoons, going back to June 21. I may skip Aug. 16 (Cuban) and Aug. 30 (African Peoples of Central America), but Aug. 23 (The Ebony Hillbillies—Bluegrass/Appalachian) and Sept. 6 (Dee Dee LeVant Gospel Ensemble) both hold a lot of appeal for me.
The performance I read about and experienced on Aug. 2 was Famoro Dioubate & Kakande, performing West African music. The driving rhythms seemed to compel some of the audience members to get up and dance. There was also a somewhat religious aspect to the quality of the music, as well, played on guitar, double bass, drum set, and an African hand drum, along with a female vocalist, and
Mr. Dioubate playing the balafon.
And that’s what interested me. During a break in the sets, I asked him about it and he told me that he would be discussing the instrument when the band started up again.
The balafon is a xylophone-like melodic percussion instrument with keys made of béné wood (though I can’t find a good description of that) strung over a fixed frame. The individual keys have a calabash gourd beneath them, graduated in size to match the keys, acting as a resonator. A small hole in each gourd is covered with a membrane (usually thin paper or thin plastic film), which gives the instrument a buzzy sound to go along with the pitch of the keys. The keys are struck with mallets that have rubber heads. The sound was really intriguing and interesting. The music itself ended up being too much sameness for me, so I didn’t stay for the entire performance. But the balafon stuck with me for quite some time. There’s a whole new/different world out there, and I’m going exploring.
ConcertMeister
Sunday, however, found me at the northern tip of Central Park—the Harlem Meer—for a performance by the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, a group that has been playing together for at least 40 years. But talk about longevity, the saxophonist recently celebrated his 100th birthday! And he can still swing with the younger guys. At various times the group consisted of guitar, electric keyboard, double bass, trumpet, tuba, trombone, saxophone, and harmonica. A female vocalist was also on hand, and some of the instrumentalists contributed vocals, as well. The band did a great job, people in the audience were urged to (and did) dance, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including me. I happened to have stumbled on a listing for performances at the Meer a couple of weeks ago, so I missed out on earlier Sunday afternoons, going back to June 21. I may skip Aug. 16 (Cuban) and Aug. 30 (African Peoples of Central America), but Aug. 23 (The Ebony Hillbillies—Bluegrass/Appalachian) and Sept. 6 (Dee Dee LeVant Gospel Ensemble) both hold a lot of appeal for me.
The performance I read about and experienced on Aug. 2 was Famoro Dioubate & Kakande, performing West African music. The driving rhythms seemed to compel some of the audience members to get up and dance. There was also a somewhat religious aspect to the quality of the music, as well, played on guitar, double bass, drum set, and an African hand drum, along with a female vocalist, and
Mr. Dioubate playing the balafon.
And that’s what interested me. During a break in the sets, I asked him about it and he told me that he would be discussing the instrument when the band started up again.
The balafon is a xylophone-like melodic percussion instrument with keys made of béné wood (though I can’t find a good description of that) strung over a fixed frame. The individual keys have a calabash gourd beneath them, graduated in size to match the keys, acting as a resonator. A small hole in each gourd is covered with a membrane (usually thin paper or thin plastic film), which gives the instrument a buzzy sound to go along with the pitch of the keys. The keys are struck with mallets that have rubber heads. The sound was really intriguing and interesting. The music itself ended up being too much sameness for me, so I didn’t stay for the entire performance. But the balafon stuck with me for quite some time. There’s a whole new/different world out there, and I’m going exploring.
ConcertMeister
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Naumburg (No. 5 of 5) (8/4/15)
Finally, a totally beautiful evening, weather-wise. And music-wise. The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts presented ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) in its Naumburg debut.
Four on the Floor (2006) – Judd Greenstein (1979–)
Battalia à 10 in D Major, C. 61 (1673) I. Sonata; II. Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor; III. Presto; IV. Der Mars; V. Presto; VI. Aria; VII. Die Schlacht; VIII. Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer – Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
“La Follia” Variations for String Orchestra – Francesco Geminiani/
Michi Wiancko (1687–1762)/(1976–)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880) I. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina: Andante non troppo – Allegro moderato – Andante non troppo; II. Waltz: Moderato; III. Elégie: Larghetto elegiac; IV. Finale: (Théma russe): Andante – Allegro con spirito – Molto meno mosso – Allegro con spirito – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
All four of the pieces on the program were for string orchestra (18 players), though the first was originally written for string quartet. The composer was in the audience and spoke briefly after the performance, quipping that maybe it should have been renamed 18 on the Floor on Tuesday night. Described as “18 players rock out,” the piece had driving rhythms, almost like an updating of the way Telemann or Vivaldi created forward energy with string writing. I also got echoes of Stravinsky’s rhythmic phrasing. That said, it was just an OK curtain raiser, as far as I was concerned.
Fortunately, the evening’s host, Naomi Lewin from WQXR, gave us a little background info on Biber’s Battalia—without it I would have had no idea what was going on in the second movement (eight different folk tunes in eight different keys and time signatures, to portray drunken soldiers). The eight movements of the piece mostly flowed with minimal breaks between them. I. Bright, crisp, including the musicians tapping their instruments and stamping on the floor; II. See eight tunes, eight keys, eight time signatures, above; III. Brief and pleasant; IV. Indeed, martial, with a piece of paper used by the double basses to imitate the sound of a snare drum; V. Dance-like and pleasant [ringing phone in the audience!]; VI. Gentle, calm song form with even phrases and a pretty tune; VII. Brusque, with more percussive playing, including plucked strings to imitate cannons; and VIII. Calmer, with sweet tunes—even slightly syrupy but not overdone. All in all, a very interesting piece, very well played.
The La Follia Variations were Ms. Wiancko’s arrangement after Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor. It had a dark, severe opening with very rich, full scoring that then expanded some of the original phrases, adding rhythmic fillips and shifting dynamics—sort of mini variations throughout. A second section had one of the violinists using what seemed to be claves (those wooden bars you played with in elementary school music class), giving a slightly Moorish or Northern African flavor to the section, heightened by a violist adding light tambourine accents. A third section tied it all together into a neat little package.
And now, the Tchaikovsky Serenade. This is one of my favorite pieces, dating back to when I danced a ballet set to the score (with some judicious cuts). I’m not an all-caps kind of guy, but during the third movement I wrote “THEY KNOW THIS WORK!” in my notes. Yeah, it was that good.
The first movement started out lush and formidable, full of heart, and then swept forward with more rich harmonies and a pickup in tempo. As a side note, it was lovely to see the sky darkening to that l’heure bleu shade while listening to this, al fresco. A return to the opening theme rounded the movement out quite nicely. Next we had that gentle waltz bubbling along with a slight touch of a Viennese pause once in a while, with the secondary theme adding a bit of Russian drama, all combined with nicely nuanced phrasing. The third movement was somber but not depressingly so. The full, deep sound of the secondary theme had a light pizzicato accompaniment. As in the waltz, each iteration of a theme had interesting touches added one by one. With a quiet theme as an introduction, the fourth movement lulls you and then really takes off. New idea upon new idea is added until the orchestra is going full throttle. After a slight pull back, it winds up again, leading to the opening theme from the first movement—ending with a brilliant use of the theme. ECCO’s first commercial recording, from 2012, includes this Serenade. I may just be on the lookout for it.
Major kudos to Christopher London on the 110th! anniversary of Naumburg Orchestral Concerts and to WQXR as a broadcast sponsor. I'm already looking forward to 2016.
ConcertMeister
Four on the Floor (2006) – Judd Greenstein (1979–)
Battalia à 10 in D Major, C. 61 (1673) I. Sonata; II. Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor; III. Presto; IV. Der Mars; V. Presto; VI. Aria; VII. Die Schlacht; VIII. Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer – Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704)
“La Follia” Variations for String Orchestra – Francesco Geminiani/
Michi Wiancko (1687–1762)/(1976–)
Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 (1880) I. Pezzo in forma di Sonatina: Andante non troppo – Allegro moderato – Andante non troppo; II. Waltz: Moderato; III. Elégie: Larghetto elegiac; IV. Finale: (Théma russe): Andante – Allegro con spirito – Molto meno mosso – Allegro con spirito – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
All four of the pieces on the program were for string orchestra (18 players), though the first was originally written for string quartet. The composer was in the audience and spoke briefly after the performance, quipping that maybe it should have been renamed 18 on the Floor on Tuesday night. Described as “18 players rock out,” the piece had driving rhythms, almost like an updating of the way Telemann or Vivaldi created forward energy with string writing. I also got echoes of Stravinsky’s rhythmic phrasing. That said, it was just an OK curtain raiser, as far as I was concerned.
Fortunately, the evening’s host, Naomi Lewin from WQXR, gave us a little background info on Biber’s Battalia—without it I would have had no idea what was going on in the second movement (eight different folk tunes in eight different keys and time signatures, to portray drunken soldiers). The eight movements of the piece mostly flowed with minimal breaks between them. I. Bright, crisp, including the musicians tapping their instruments and stamping on the floor; II. See eight tunes, eight keys, eight time signatures, above; III. Brief and pleasant; IV. Indeed, martial, with a piece of paper used by the double basses to imitate the sound of a snare drum; V. Dance-like and pleasant [ringing phone in the audience!]; VI. Gentle, calm song form with even phrases and a pretty tune; VII. Brusque, with more percussive playing, including plucked strings to imitate cannons; and VIII. Calmer, with sweet tunes—even slightly syrupy but not overdone. All in all, a very interesting piece, very well played.
The La Follia Variations were Ms. Wiancko’s arrangement after Geminiani’s Concerto Grosso No. 12 in D minor. It had a dark, severe opening with very rich, full scoring that then expanded some of the original phrases, adding rhythmic fillips and shifting dynamics—sort of mini variations throughout. A second section had one of the violinists using what seemed to be claves (those wooden bars you played with in elementary school music class), giving a slightly Moorish or Northern African flavor to the section, heightened by a violist adding light tambourine accents. A third section tied it all together into a neat little package.
And now, the Tchaikovsky Serenade. This is one of my favorite pieces, dating back to when I danced a ballet set to the score (with some judicious cuts). I’m not an all-caps kind of guy, but during the third movement I wrote “THEY KNOW THIS WORK!” in my notes. Yeah, it was that good.
The first movement started out lush and formidable, full of heart, and then swept forward with more rich harmonies and a pickup in tempo. As a side note, it was lovely to see the sky darkening to that l’heure bleu shade while listening to this, al fresco. A return to the opening theme rounded the movement out quite nicely. Next we had that gentle waltz bubbling along with a slight touch of a Viennese pause once in a while, with the secondary theme adding a bit of Russian drama, all combined with nicely nuanced phrasing. The third movement was somber but not depressingly so. The full, deep sound of the secondary theme had a light pizzicato accompaniment. As in the waltz, each iteration of a theme had interesting touches added one by one. With a quiet theme as an introduction, the fourth movement lulls you and then really takes off. New idea upon new idea is added until the orchestra is going full throttle. After a slight pull back, it winds up again, leading to the opening theme from the first movement—ending with a brilliant use of the theme. ECCO’s first commercial recording, from 2012, includes this Serenade. I may just be on the lookout for it.
Major kudos to Christopher London on the 110th! anniversary of Naumburg Orchestral Concerts and to WQXR as a broadcast sponsor. I'm already looking forward to 2016.
ConcertMeister
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)