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.

ConcertMeister

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.

ConcertMeister

The Waltz Project (3/13/25)

Celebrating Johann Strauss' 200th Birthday (jumping the gun a bit – Oct. 25, 1825)
Composers Write New Waltzes for CompCord Ensemble

Dennis Brandner, saxophone; Jane Getter, guitar (electric); Franz Hackl, trumpet; Max Pollak, percussion/dance/vocals; Gene Pritsker, guitar (electric)

Waltz for Five* – Eugene W. McBride; What's Waltz Got to Do with It?* – Bernhard Eder; Aisle 3* – Jane Getter; Voikoffa Deppata – Max Pollak; Waltz Up? – Gene Pritsker; The Electrified Alien Waltz* – Marina Vesic; Diss-Ease Orange – Max Pollak/Franz Hackl; Guide to a Cheater's Waltz* – Dennis Brandner; The Sacrileg(e) of Amending the Waltz* – Clemens Rofner (I added the (e); I couldn't help myself); Recognition – Dan Cooper; The Blue Danube Blues Chart* – Gene Pritsker/Johann Strauss II *premiere

This looked much better on paper than it sounded in the hall. And it's a hall that I like—the Austrian Cultural Foundation New York, situated in a pretty great building on East 52nd Street in Manhattan, NYC. It's worth doing a Google/Yahoo search.

Going in, I figured that electric guitars would be part of the mix. I just wasn't prepared for how much of the mix it would be. The strongest performer to my ear was Max Pollak, who tap danced (on a small wooden board), slapped his thighs (almost schuhplattler style—I know whereof I speak), slapped his chest, snapped his fingers, and flipped his fingers against his open mouth, and against his throat while his mouth was open. Oftentimes, he was the only way we knew we were in 3/4 waltz time.

Now on to the electric guitars. Both had their own amps. At one point or another, both amps failed. Ain't tech great?

As to the music, it was a mix of old style and new style. One piece sounded like it might be from a surreal carousel. Just a little too surreal for me. Best for me were the saxophone, the trumpets (one with a Dizzy Gillespie–style upturned bell, and one which I think was a flugelhorn), and the dancer/percussionist.

Am I glad I went? Yes, especially because of the venue. Would I do it again? Most likely not, especially because of the electric guitars. 

ConcertMeister

Assai Ad Libitum (3/6/25)

A Gotham Early Music Scene concert

Patricia Garcia Gil ~ pianoforte; Sophie Genevieve Lowe ~ violin; Ryan Lowe ~ violoncello
The Great Fear: Musical Exiles of the French Revolution

Sonatine No. 2 in E minor for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 49 – Pierre Louis Hus-Desforges (1773–1838) – Allegro Maestoso; Minuetto

Sonata for Fortepiano, Violin, and Violoncello, Op. 2, No. 3 – Hélène de Montgeroult (1764–1836)
Agitato assai; Adagio; Vivace con espressione

Keyboard Trio in F minor, Ben. 442 – Ignaz Joseph Pleyel (1757–1831)
Allegro espressivo; Tempo di minuetto

Here was the hook. All three composers were writing/performing in and around the time of the French Revolution. It was a pretty thin string for me. And if you notice the dates of the composers, they are significantly later than most GEMS concerts that I attend, not that there's anything wrong with that. That said all three were new to me, as composers. I have heard of Pleyel as a piano builder/manufacturer, but I had not heard his music (that I know of).

On to the music. The first movement of the Hus-Desforges duet was rather calm for an Allegro, though it did get a little livelier, with a nice range of dynamics. The Minuetto was appropriately dance-like, in a slightly somber way, but playful at times.

A note about the pianoforte. It's also called a fortepiano (go figure). At any rate, it's an earlier version of a piano (it has hammered thin strings) as compared to a harpsichord (with plucked thin strings). So the sound is thinner than a piano but slightly denser than a harpsichord. Have I confused you yet? Or bored you? Again, on to the music. The first movement of the de Montgeroult had a tinkly sound from the keyboard (see above) and a nice interplay between all three performers. There was a robust center section that then morphed into a quiet ending. The Adagio had a lengthy pianoforte/cello opening, then the violin joined in. There was a nice sense of calm, with a touch of urgency added, creating a fullness, and the movement ended quietly. After retuning (violin and cello), the final movement was bright, lively, and a lot of fun. Emphasis on a lot of fun.

After more retuning, the Pleyel had a fairly dramatic opening—darkly brooding. There was a contrasting bright, cheerful section that had an expansive feel, with all three instruments equally weighted. Though it was lengthy, it had some lovely phrases and some lively phrases. The second (final) movement was lilting and graceful, and there was a slightly darker, heavier section before returning to lightness. Light, but not frivolous. It had a strong ending that was warmly applauded by the audience.

ConcertMeister

ALBA Consort (2/27/25)

 A Gotham Early Music Scene concert

The Plucked Rose ~ Songs of Love and Loss 

Margo Andrea ~ mezzo-soprano & vielle; Peter Becker ~ bass-baritone; Rex Benincasa ~ percussion, tenor & psaltery; Carlo Valte ~ oud     

Trés douce dame – Guillaume de Machaut (1300–1377)
Fumeux fume – Solage (fl. late 14th c.)
Atesh Tanse – Anonymous, Balkan Sephardic (15th c.)
Havoun – Grigor Narekatsi (early 11th c., Armenia)
Cantiga de Santa Maria #10, Rosa das Rosas – Attr. Alfonso X de Castile (1221–1284)
Soy contento y vos servida – Juan del Encina (ca. 1468–1529)
Tres Morillas – Anonymous from Cancionero de Palacio, MS (16th c.)
Morikos – Anonymous, Greek Sephardic (15th c.)
Esta Rachel – Anonymous, Moroccan Sephardic

Okay, I know you're wondering about oud and psaltery, right? The oud is a stringed guitar-like/lute-like instrument with a deep belly which rests on the player's belly. The psaltery (at least this one) is a small plucked (this one by hand) stringed dulcimer.

Also, if you notice that Sephardic is mentioned several times in the 'composer' descriptions, many of the pieces had a distinctly middle-eastern flair. And those of you with eagle eyes will notice that I heard music by Guillaume de Machaut two weeks in a row. I doubt you know too many people who can say that.

I'm not going to describe all nine works, but there was an interesting mix of instruments introducing a cappella vocals (usually mezzo-soprano and bass-baritone). At some points there were fun moments that included oud, vielle (in this case a precursor to violin/viola), vocals, and percussion (hand-held drums, one of which was similar to a bongo), and other hand-helds that seemed to be early renditions of a tambourine.

While most of the pieces were on the calm, quiet side, some were definitely more energetic dance-like pieces—Atesh Tanse and Morikos.

The closer was Esta Rachel, which had a vielle solo to open, followed by oud and tambourine—mostly gentle, but with rhythmic energy, including picking up the tempo quite a bit. Twice. It featured a tenor solo followed by a bass solo, then all three vocalists in a rollicking finale.

A first for me at these concerts, the group included an encore which was also taken from Cancionero de Palacio. It was lively, featuring all three vocalists, oud, and castanets! It was fun as well as being a crowd pleaser.

ConcertMeister

Gotham Early Music Scene (2/20/25)

Hesperus – O Italia! Celebrating the Codex Faenza 

Tina Chancey ~ director, vielles, rebec & menj; Barbara Hill ~ voice & percussion; Dan Meyers ~ recorders, douçaines & percussion; Cameron Welke ~ lute 

Bel fiore dança – Anonymous
De tout flors – Guillaume de Machaut (1300–1377)
Hont’ par – Guillaume de Machaut
Non ara m’a pietà – Francesco Landini (1325/1335–1397)
Jay grant désespoir – Anonymous
De ce fol penser – Pierre de Molins (fl. 14th c.)
Ecco la primavera – Francesco Landini
Contantia – Anonymous
Benedicamus – Anonymous
Or su, vous dormés trop – Anonymous

Boy, Anonymous was a very prolific composer. I know I have sung Machaut; I may have sung Landini; I think this is the first time I've ever heard of de Molins. And I had to look up fl. again – it means flourished, i.e., flourished in the 14th century. You will most likely never need to remember that again.

On to the instruments. A rebec is a sort of scratchy violin wannabe; a vielle is an early wannabe cello; a menj is ... I don't know (and the internet has not been helpful at all). The layout of columns in the church and the very tall man who plopped down in the pew in front of me moments before the concert started meant that I could not see the vielles, rebec & menj player. The douçaine is a reed instrument (oboe-esqe) that sounded more squeaky than sweet to me.

The music was a nice mix of rebec, recorder, lute, vielle, and percussion as well as lute, douçaine, and percussion. Voice was added in several pieces. The music varied between gentle, dance-like, energetic, jaunty, etc. Ecco la primavera was scored for lute, vielle, recorder, and voice. It was very energetic and included finger cymbals! At one point, the recorder player also played a mouth harp. This piece was a major crowd pleaser.

A note on the Codex. The Faenza Codex was a collection of 14th-century pieces. Sort of a mish-mash that included 52 Italian and French secular works. Can we believe that story? Maybe. Maybe not.

The group Hesperus had been featured on the NYC classical station WQXR recently. As a result, attendance was quite a bit larger than the regular Thursday series concerts. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it might have led to the tall person who plopped down in front of me moments before the concert started.

Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. And the concerts are free.

ConcertMeister

Across a Crowded Room (2/15/25)

Final Presentations of New Musicals

Well, not exactly final. As some of you readers may know, this is a series of 20-minute musicals. The Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts throws wannabe bookwriters, composers, and lyricists (sometimes some being more than one) into a room—the Bruno Walter Auditorium—where they meet, greet, and match up, to lead to the challenge of creating a 20-minute musical. The results are ... interesting.

I saw eight this past Saturday, and they ranged from less than fun to really fun. As we all know, I'm not a reviewer, so I'll give titles and impressions.

Twenty Nickels had a good hook (the last Horn & Hardart in Philly – ask if you don't know) and the twenty minutes spanned three generations of women and two generations of loss. It was quite effective.

Big breath, please. The Most Depressing Play in the Western Canon of Dramatic Literature: A Presentation in Musical Form for Mr. Clinton's World Theatre Elective on the Topic of Censorship in the Matter of Henrik Ibsen's 1881 Play Ghosts, Written and Performed by Group 2: Craig, Jen, Billy, and Metz. The show was fun, and the four performers glommed right into teens pretending to have read Ibsen's Ghosts. Fun, but not great.

Next was Ghost/Writer. A two-hander, this was the tale of a writer (with a block) and a real ghost (or was she?) who got the writer through the block. Both the writer and the ghost were happy with the ending, as was I.

Another long title (I'm not particularly liking this trend). BILL OF FARE or: The Possibly True Reconstructed History of the Many Menus of Miss Francis E. Buttolph But You May Call Her Frank. The hook here, and it was a good one, is that we saw Francis (Frank) in three different eras. There were real song titles—Ephemera (the actual cards that replicated the menus) and What's on the Menu Today?, which needs no explanation. At one point, I wondered whether Frank was just a woman claiming to be a man in order to get in print. If the work is expanded, maybe we'll find out.

The Collector wasn't quite as effective. It dealt with a collector claiming the actual life source of a performer, while a journalist commented on it. Just a little too disjointed for me.

All About Mae was a wannabe story about a waitress-cum-singer preparing to wow Mae West at the supper club after Mae's performance of Sex (her play, not the actual act). Alas, Mae was carted off in a paddy-wagon and our songstress was left in the lurch.

Off to Love! featured Isadora Duncan being thrust into ancient Greece to choose between Eileithyia, Pheme, and Mania as goddess of the Parthenon (I'm not making this up, you know). Of course, Isadora's spiritual guide is Terpsichore. Guess who wins?

They saved (and so did I) the best for last, Check Out! has characters named Dewey, Dez, S Volume, Sci-Fi Paperback, and Toni Sexton. It all takes place in a library. In fact, it could be subtitled Library – The Musical! Dewey is an intern at the library whose goal in life is to be middle management. Dewey has never held a physical book in her life. Everyone is shocked. Dewey sings a blockbuster song—Middle, Middle Management. (This will be in NYC cabarets/piano bars very soon.) Dewey must choose a physical book. She eventually chooses Sci-Fi. He is over the moon—bad pun, I know, but that's the tone of this musical. Toni is the bad guy, writing his name in books with a Sharpie, and plastering his name all over buildings, but it doesn't really matter. The library is the good guy, and the winner.

ConcertMeister