Opera Essentia – The Queen’s Heart: A Distillation of Handel’s Radamisto (5/15/25)

Jeffrey Mandelbaum (Radamisto) ~ countertenor & Artistic Director; Kristin Renee Young (Zenobia) ~ soprano; Teresa Castillo (Polissena) ~ soprano; Amelia Sie ~ violin; Serafim Smigelskiy ~ violoncello; Rebecca Pechefsky ~ harpsichord; Rod Gomez ~ stage director  

 Excerpts from Radamisto (1720), HWV 12 G.F. Handel (1685‒1759)  

     Overture 
     Sommi Dei (Polissena) 
     Qual nave smarrita (Radamisto) 
     Empio, perverso cor! (Zenobia) 
     Tu vuoi ch’io parta (Polissena) 
     Deggio dunque, oh Dio, lasciarti (Zenobia) 
     Ombra cara (Radamisto) 
     Troppo sofferse (Zenobia) 
     Dolce bene di quest’alma (Radamisto)
     Quanda mai pietata sorte (Polissena) 
     Se teco vive il cor (Radamisto & Zenobia)   

Six performers, a redacted plot, three characters without much to hang their characterization on – it was still slightly successful.

Translations for the arias, and one duet, were provided, but they simply pointed us in the direction of lament, lament, quicker tempo, after the opening overture by the violin, cello and harpsichord which was rather brisk and crisp, and then back to lament.

This was essentially a love triangle with one gal (Polissena) really knowing that she was on the outs. But Zenobia didn't really believe that she was the one for Radamisto. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

By the end, Radamisto and Zenobia were together and happy. And Polissena was happy for Radamisto and Zenobia, even after all of that lamenting. (Did I mention that this was an opera?)

Since this was a baroque opera, there was tuning of the cello and violin twice between two of the arias. One of the arias had just cello and harpsichord accompaniment. It was noteworthy because the violin was not included. Just an oddity I noticed.

Even with all of that going on, I enjoyed myself. The minimal staging was effective and the performers were great.

All in all, a great freebie concert (and yes, I made a small donation on the way out).

ConcertMeister

Janes Walks (II/III) – 5/3/25 and 5/4/25

I'm combining these two days because I just could not find the first walk. It was called Learning from  space station: imagining a regenerative New York City

Here was the listing: Meet at Rockefeller Park by Ping Pong table 75 Battery Place. Hmm, an internet search informed me that Rockefeller Park was part of Battery Park. I found Battery Park, but not Rockefeller Park. I'm not one of those males who is afraid to ask for directions. I asked, "Where is Rockefeller Park?" Answer, "Uptown." Well, I knew that was wrong, so I found a Battery Park employee and asked, "Where are the Ping Pong tables?" Answer, "There are no Ping Pong tables." As a last resort, I found Battery Place, but not 75 Battery Place. And Battery Place was outside of Battery Park, so I gave up.

Next was Seen But Now Heard: Visiting the "Supermuses" in Central Park
It began at the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument, and focused on Central Park sculptures and the women who were the models. The walk leader was very knowledgable and shared lots of information. Sometimes too much. The walk was scheduled from 1:00–2:30pm. It ended around 3:15pm.

The Supermuses were Audrey Munson (we saw her at Columbus Circle), Hettie Anderson (59th and Fifth, the angel with General Sherman), Doris Droscher sort of, her Pomona (also at 59th and Fifth) is being renovated, and Charlotte Cushman, the model for the angel at Bethesda Fountain, sculpted by Emma Stebbins. I urge you to do cursory searches on all four Supermuses and maybe on Emma Stebbins, as well.

Sunday took me to the Williamsburg Bridge. Oddly, I'd been there before on a Janes Walk music tour that took us to center span, where a jazz musician (saxophonist Sonny Rollins) who, without an indoor practice space, would sometimes play many hours a day. Our walk leader informed us that there were raves there sometimes. But I digress. This Walk went from Manhattan all the way to Brooklyn. The leader was, once again, very knowledgable. Info on the towers and the suspension cables was forthcoming, including comparisons to the Brooklyn Bridge, because, why not? At the time it was completed, the Williamsburg Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Having done a Brooklyn Bridge walk a year or two ago, I asked why I wasn't seeing locks attached to chain link fences along the way. The guide said he wasn't sure. Lo and behold, about two-thirds of the way across, we saw locks. If I'm remembering correctly, they began as 'locks of love' in Paris and slowly took over many bridges in many cities. They are now discouraged.

Oops, though I'd carried it with me all three days, I finally had to open my umbrella toward the end of the Williamsburg Bridge walk.

I had lots of time before my final walk, so I made my way to the Lower East Side (2nd Avenue and 7th Street) and treated myself to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. It was established in 1954, as was I, so I took that as an omen. I had a cup of wonderful mushroom barley soup and a bona fide Ukrainian beer. Viva Ukraine!

My final walk was Murder on Second Avenue. The drizzle threatened again, but we made it through the walk. The leader was very knowledgable once again. In fact, he lived through two murders on or near 2nd Avenue in the early 1980s. One happened at a local restaurant near his E 4th St apartment and one happened next door to his apartment. Not next door to his apartment building. Next door to his apartment. He called 911. And since the AIDS epidemic was at its height then, there was another type of murder going on. Brian Rose, the walk leader, has actually written an account of that era, and he read his words to us as well as adding other nuggets of information. I have sent out a request to Mr. Rose. I will not include a link here until I get his permission. But if you search on Brian Rose and Murder on Second Avenue, you'll find the whole story. Permission was granted. Murder on Second Avenue / New York - JOURNAL • BRIAN ROSE

Will I do Janes Walks again? Yep. Not as many per day as I did four or five years ago, but I like to think I may be more selective these days.

As an extra, Mr. Rose took us past Extra Pl and its adjacent empty alley (very rare in lower NYC). I hope the photos come through.

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Janes Walks 2025 (I)

Friday, May 2, 2025 – Chinatown – We met at (but did not go into) the Museum of Chinese in America. Maybe another trip. The JW tour leader was very knowledgeable, if a bit hard to hear. She had a yellow MAS/Janes Walk paddle. She was short. I usurped the paddle and raised it high above my head, in order to keep our group of about twenty together. Some street signs (but not all) include Chinese characters. They would not necessarily be understandable to the Chinese people reading them, since there are so many dialects to choose from. I learned a lot, including the location of a pocket park I can go to if/when I'm on jury duty in the future.

My second Friday walk was Brooklyn Bridge Park. Also fun. Our walk leader was an employee, so she knew her stuff. The park encompasses six piers that were formerly part of the Port Authority Trans Hudson. PATH decided to abandon them, and a new group took over, raising all of the funds needed so that government sponsorship was not necessary, though the new organization and NYC Parks work very closely together. Piers 1 (north) and 6 (south) were developed first, then the construction crew worked their way into the middle over several years. One of the piers was built using a special type of styrofoam that lends a slightly hilly effect to the pier. Included on the other piers are a soccer field, beach/sand volleyball courts, and pickleball courts (formerly bocce, hey, they're keeping up with the times). There was also a playground area and a picnic/barbecue area. When I arrived at Pier 1, I noticed that the barge (of Bargemusic fame) was no longer there. The organization still exists in a building but, alas, not on a barge.

More to come.

ConcertMeister (aka WalkMeister)

The Chivalrous Crickets – The Company Dressed in Green (4/24/25)

Rebecca Scout Nelson ~ fiddle; Spiff Wiegand ~ percussion; Paul Holmes Morton ~ guitar, theorbo, banjo & octave mandolin; Ben Matus ~ voice, pipes, musette, tenor whistle & dulcian; Fiona Gillespie ~ voice, Irish whistle & bodhran

This was another Gotham Early Music Scene concert. Eleven works were printed in the program, so you're not getting a full list of titles, especially since some were combinations of two works. There were traditional English works, trad. Bedfordshire (UK), trad. Celtic, trad. Irish ... I think you get the drift. All were loosely linked to the traditions of May Day. Along the way, we got one USA composition adapted from Sacred Harp Bremen (a shape-note tune), and two from The Dancing Master (1651), as well as one from Turlogh O'Carolan (1670–1738) titled—wait for it—Carolan's Cap.

Now that that's out of the way, I think the Crickets used boilerplate bios, since I never saw a theorbo, a banjo, a tenor whistle, nor an octave mandolin. I needed to look up dulcian and musette. Apparently, the percussionist played a musette (a type of accordion), as well as a second type of guitar—I guess they can be considered percussion? The dulcian is a type of large-ish, double-reed woodwind instrument (a precursor to the bassoon). Oh, and a bodhran is an Irish frame drum. Class dismissed.

On to the music, which was a combination of vocal works (solo and with everyone joining in singing every once in a while) and instrumental works. The tunes, especially the ones listed as traditional, were essentially folk tunes gussied up as concert pieces. Nice, but very similar—there's only so much gussying up you can do to folk tunes. Most were up tempo dance-style pieces with a few maudlin pieces added in for contrast.

Miss Gillespie did the bulk of the singing though, as I said, all five sang at one point or another. The pipes were used twice and were a cute mini-version of full-on skirl-o-the-pipes bagpipes. It was a fun and well-received concert. 

Will I go again? Possibly not. There was a lot of sameness there.

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All in the Family (4/3/25)

A Gotham Early Music Scene Concert
Caroline Nicolas ~ viola da gamba, Jeffrey Grossman ~ harpsichord

Works by J.S Bach and C.P.E. Bach—all in the family. But as they say in the infomercials: wait, there's more! Here's the program.

Allegro WKO 2056 – Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787)
Sonata for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord in D Major, BWV 1028 – J.S. Bach (1685–1750) – Adagio; Allegro; Andante; Allegro
Sonata in C Major for Viola da gamba and Basso Continuo*, Wq 136 – C.P.E. Bach (1714–1788) – Andante; Allegretto; Arioso
Toccata in G Major, BuxWV 164 – Dieterich Buxtehude (1637–1707)
Sonata for Viola da gamba and Harpsichord in G minor, BWV 1029 – J.S. Bach – Vivace; Adagio; Allegro

So, as we see, it wasn't really all in the family. C.P.E. Bach was one of papa's (many) children. The other two composers were close to the family in that they were composing around the same time.

The first work, Abel's Allegro for solo viola da gamba, was fairly calm, tempo-wise, for an Allegro (to my ears) and blended into (attacca, no pause) the appropriately slow first movement of the first J.S. Bach piece where the viola da gamba seemed to be in somber mode, as was the harpsichord. The second movement was bright and pleasant, with a nice viola da gamba/harpsichord interplay. The third movement was slower and soothing—the longest movement we'd heard so far. The fourth movement was fun and jolly, almost at a frantic pace from time to time.

N.B. There was tuning before the third work. N.B. Playing on period instruments requires additional tuning. Ask, if you're interested.

C.P.E. Bach's Andante (first movement) was fairly quick and cheerful for an Andante. The second movement was playful, but not too much, and lengthy (like father like son?) and had a clever ending. The final movement had interesting phrases, with pauses for breath built in—very song-like—hmm, Arioso.

The retuning here made sense, and I called it ahead of time (see attacca). Buxtehude's toccata was for solo harpsichord, a first for me; I'm only familiar with his organ works. There was an intro, a second section, and a busier third section that then calmed down for the ending—attacca—the first movement of the final J.S. Bach piece. It was brisk but thoughtful, as in not really rushed, though the harpsichord writing was brisker than for the viola da gamba, and there was a nice unison section that led into the second movement that was slow, lovely and song-like with a poignancy that I enjoyed. The final movement was bright, with a quick tempo (yet solid) and not restrained at all, just well contained. A great way to end the concert.

ConcertMeister

*Turn away if you're squeamish. Period instruments, specifically violins, violas, and cellos use gut strings. Yes, made from the guts of animals. As a result, they don't retain tuning the way that metal strings do. Please don't hate me; I'm merely the messenger.

Orchestra of St. Luke's NYC Five Borough Tour (3/23/25)

The Music of Chen Yi

Alex Fortes, violin; Katie Hyun, violin; Liuh-Wen Ting, viola; Daire Fitzgerald, cello; Chen Tao, xiao and dizi; Liu Li, guquin (<-- more on those later); and Jeffrey Zeigler, cello

Sprout – Chen Yi – St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble (a string quartet)
Secluded Organ – Tang Dynasty – 618–907 AD – Liu Li (guqin)

And that's where the printed program went out the window.

This was the first of a free NYC Five Borough Tour concert. I attended the Snug Harbor Staten Island concert, a first for me, though I have been to Staten Island for other events. The concert was under the auspices of the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, a subset of the St. Luke's Orchestra. The tour was part of Carnegie Hall's Citywide Concerts—free music throughout NYC.

The printed program turned out to be not exactly what we heard. 

Chinese Folk Songs – Zhou Long (a contemporary composer and the husband of Chen Yi) – was an amalgamation of settings of five Chinese folk songs. For the first, Lan Hua Hua, Chen Tao played the tune on a xiao, a Chinese vertical bamboo flute, similar to a recorder. Of course, the tunings and scales are different to our western ears. The tune was then followed by Zhou Long's arrangement/treatment scored for string quartet. The same type of treatment followed for Zhou Long's Driving the Mule Team, Jasmine Flower, Horseherd's Mountain Song, and Leaving Home, which had sadness built into the tune that captured the mood very well. It was more wistful than mournful. All of the Zhou Long arrangements had the tune played beforehand, which was very helpful.

Here's my one quibble. When Liu Li played the guqin (a seven-stringed plucked instrument), I never got a chance to see it, since she was on the far right (stage right) part of the stage. It would have been very helpful to have shown the audience, from the center of the stage, the guqin, the xiao, and the dizi (a transverse bamboo flute).

The final work, Chen Li's Sound of the Five, with the string quartet and an added solo cello, was four movements that were very similar to the works that preceded them.

It was very interesting to be exposed to different instruments, scales, and tunings. I just wish they had been presented better. But it was a free concert, so beggars can't be choosers.

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Snapshots – Twelfth Night Performs (3/15/25)

Rachell Ellen Wong, violin; Lydia Becker, violin; Rosemary Nelis, viola; Clara Abel, cello; Coleman Itzkoff; cello

From the printed program – Inspired by Shakespeare's play of the same name, the ensemble strives to invoke a spirit of boundless revelry, celebration, and community in their programming. And they did. The full group is eleven performers (from the photo on the cover of the program I was given). These five were perfectly fine.

La musica notturna delle strade di Madrid, G. 324 – Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805)I. Le campane de l'Ave Maria; II. Il tamburo dei Soldati; III. Minuetto dei Ciechi; IV. Il Rosario; V. Passa Calle; VI. Il tamburo; VII. Ritirata

Mad Lover – John Eccles

Holborne Suite (selected works by Anthony Holborne)

Baroque Suite (selected works by John Dowland and J.S.Bach)

"Fandango" from string quintet in G Major, G. 448 – Luigi Boccherini

Shine you no more – arranged by the Danish String Quartet

This early-music group plays instruments that use (close your eyes if you're squeamish) gut strings (yes, from animals), since that is what would have been used in the times that these works were written and originally performed. [I'm only the messenger.] As a result, there was a lot of retuning, so I won't mention every instance. On to the music.

After hearing offstage plucked strings from the cello (imitating bells), the five players entered the stage, with the cellos strummed like guitars (accompanied by whistling), signaling the march of the soldiers. The Minuetto was a combination of plucked and bowed strings, including sections that were fuller and louder, while the Rosario was appropriately calm. The Passa Calle was lively and fun. Similar to the second movement, the sixth and seventh movements had the performers exiting stage right, continuing to play, and then entering from stage left. A true Ritirata. And a very clever way to begin a concert.

The second work on the program was announced from the stage, as it was not in the printed program. And, as noted from the stage, these five just sort of decided to perform works that they really like. It worked for me. There was a cello duet to open, then violin added, then all five (tutti). It seemed like a canon (repetitive) that was gently rocking, though were volume changes as well. 

Also announced from the stage, Holborne Suite was a combo of favorite unrelated Holborne (the composer) movements. The Cradle was gentle—almost a lullaby—lovely but with a touch of a rhythmic dance. The New Year's Gift was lively and joyful. Definitely dance-like. The Fairy Round was rollicking at times. Paradise had a somber opening and was calm and soothing. The Night Watch/Muy Linda was a combination of a vibrant dance tune combined with a second fun dance tune. Once again, clever programming.

The Baroque Suite turned out to be Lachrimae (Dowland) and a Bach organ piece (arranged by Emi Ferguson, a name known to me only because I listen to WQXR so much). The first was somber, appropriately mournful, and beautiful, and it segued into the Bach, which was also slow, but more hopeful than mournful.

"Fandango" had a mix of bowing and plucking the strings—after a slow, long, intro, there was a really brisk section imitating dance steps, including castanets! used as percussion, clapped against thighs by one of the cellists, not flamenco-dancer-style (though I wouldn't put it past this group). This work had classic Spanish rhythms and was tons of fun.

Apparently, Shine you no more included a Dowland quote. The quintet played it for us before we heard the entire piece. Alas, I could not hear it in the finished product, which had a brisk opening, and interesting tunes and rhythms. Indeed, it was interesting, but I would not have ended a really fun concert with this work.

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