Gotham Early Music Scene (2/5/26)

Brooklyn Baroque
La Dédicataire: Music Written for Women

Melanie Williams ~ flute   Serafim Smigelskiy ~ violoncello   Rebecca Pechefsky ~ harpsichord

Sonata in D Major for Harpsichord & Flute, Op. 16, no. 5 – Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782)
Allegro con Spirito; Rondo: Allegretto

Sonata in G Major for Flute & Continuo, Op. 9, no. 7 – Jean-Marie Leclair (1697–1764)
Andante; Allegro ma non troppo; Aria: Affettuoso; Allegro moderato

Sonata in C minor, K.11 – Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
Sonata in F minor, K.184 

Trio in D Major for Flute, Cello, and Continuo – Christoph Schraffrath (1700–1763)
Allegro; Adagio; Allegro

The first movement of the first work was bright and brisk. The harpsichord part had rapid fingering, the flute not so much. While most of the flute part was in its upper register, there were also some lovely low tones. The second movement had a solo harpsichord opening and then the flute joined in. It was very similar to the first movement, though the harpsichord had more solo time here. 

The first movement of the second sonata was gentle and very pleasant for all three players. The second was brisker and fuller, especially as far as volume was concerned, and had a playful use of pauses. The third was calmer but not somber in the least. It included a perkier middle section which then returned to calm, while the fourth was fuller again, bright and jaunty—not quite off to the races, but it seemed as though it wanted to be. 

The third and fourth pieces were single-movement harpsicord solo sonatas. The first was mostly bright, though there were a few contrasting sections. The second was similar and, oddly, somehow F minor sounded a little brighter than C minor. These were only two of Scarlatti’s 555(!) keyboard sonatas. 

The trio that closed out the program was by the only composer who was new to me. He fit right in with the others. After retuning (the cello) the first movement had a cello/harpsichord opening, the flute joined the fun, each of them got a moment to shine, and the movement was fleet without being too fleet. The second movement also had a cello/harpsichord opening and then the flute joined in again. While the tempo was slower, it was not maudlin or mournful at all. The brisker third movement was—wait for it—cello/harpsichord followed by the flute. It was fuller, almost as if the composer was out to prove something in order to finish the work: “Hey, Ma, look what I can do!” 

A note about the harpsichord—it’s on loan from Ms. Pechefsky and has been used in several other GEMS concerts that I’ve attended. It was nice to put a face to the name. 

ConcertMeister

Gotham Early Music Scene (1/15/26)

Ben Katz & Friends
Hymn of Apollo 

Ben Katz ~ harpsichord    Dani Zanuttini ~ theorbo   Amanda Beranek ~ harp   
Jackie Hager & Nathan Francisco ~ violoncello

Sarabande de la Reyne – Jacques Champion de Chambonnières (ca. 1601‒1672)
Entrée d’Apollon – Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632‒1687)  

Sonata X for Violoncello and Continuo in C Major – Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (1667‒1727)  

Sonata di basso solo – Gregorio Strozzi (1615‒1687)  

Suite of partimenti (improvisations on figured bass) – Bernardo Pasquini (1637‒1707)  

Capriccio detto hermafrodito – Bellerofonte Castaldi (1580‒1649)
Canzona prima from Quarto libro d’intavolatura per il chitarone – Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (ca. 1580‒1651)  

Sonata VIII for Violoncello and Continuo in A minor – Giuseppe Maria Jacchini  

Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 – J.S. Bach (1685‒1750)
Sonata Nona, Op. 8, No. 9 – Biagio Marini (1594‒1663) 

Interestingly, and oddly, there was only bio material for Ben Katz in the program notes, and not the other four friends. I liked the layout of the performance—two works to begin, three separate works, a pairing of the Capriccio and the Canzona, the separate Sonata VIII, and the paired Contrapunctus and Sonata Nona. This gave us, the audience, an idea of when applause was appropriate (although applause is always appropriate).

Also interestingly, most of these composers were new to me. A little more info before I get to the music. In most of these early-music concerts, harp equals a hand-held small harp. Nope, this one was full sized. And do we all remember the theorbo—a lute on steroids?

The first work opened with harpsichord and harp and was gentle in both tempo and texture. It became fuller when the theorbo entered but retained its gentle quality. The second work for the trio was fuller still and more dramatic. It was also relatively gentle, adding more energetic rhythms. These two were taken as one group in the printed program, and the audience waited until the end of the second piece before applauding. This is nice programming as far as I’m concerned. 

After mild tuning, because the violoncellos were being added, the piece opened with a cello solo (slow), then the harp joined in, then there was a brisk section, with a contrasting slower section that included all five performers. There was a good mix of tempo changes in the sections—not exactly separate movements—that followed. 

The fourth work was a harpsichord/theorbo duet that was fairly gentle and subdued. Contemplative came to mind, though there was a hint of jaunty at the end.  

The fifth was a harpsichord solo that was pleasant, if a bit lengthy. 

The sixth had harpsichord and theorbo at the beginning, with one cello added to the mix. To my ear, it was rather tame for a capriccio. The seventh piece (part of one grouping) had all three players, though the theorbo was featured and then the cello was featured. Once again, this piece was gentle but it held my interest. 

The eighth had all five players and was slow to begin, before a much faster section when the second of the cellos was added. This was followed with a very full, brisk section that led to a bang-up finish. 

The ninth was a bit of a conundrum. It was simple (as in not complicated), but also not necessarily easy. The next section was expanded though not necessarily expansive. A conundrum, indeed. The last work on the program included all five players, was brisk, followed by a nice mix of tempos and contrasting sections and phrases that still did not rise to the level of actual movements.

All said, this was a really nice program that promoted all five players, though each got a moment to shine. And it was also nice to see a full-sized harp on the stage. 

ConcertMeister

Happy New Year (1/8/26)

Gotham Early Music Scene
Quodlibet Winds
Encore! A Musical Second Chance 

Kelsey Burnham ~ flute; Elise Bonhivert ~ clarinet; Aaron Goler ~ bassoon

Trio No. 2 in C Major – Georg Fuchs (1752‒1821)
Allegro
Rondo Allegro  

Trio No. 3 in D minor – André-Frédéric Eler (1764‒1821)
Adagio – Allegro non troppo
Tempo di Menuetto  

Trio in D minor, Op. 32 – Kaspar Kummer (1795‒1870)
Allegro
Andante grazioso
Rondo – Allegro

New year, new series of concerts, new composers to me.

This was an interesting concept. It took string trios from the Classical period, grew them slightly (datewise), and brought them to the cusp of Romanticism. Were there cut and dried changes? No. It was more like era morphing, if that is a real thing.

The first movement of the first work was bright and bubbly. This combination of instruments does bright and bully pretty darn well. I think the clarinet might have been a period instrument, since it was light brown, not the black that I’m used to seeing. The movement opened with a unison three-note phrase, which was used several times to introduce subsequent sections. The second movement was slightly more subdued—but only slightly. The clarinet had a moment to shine, and then it was the bassoon’s turn. It seemed pretty straightforward, and that made sense since it was the earliest of the three pieces. 

After lots of housekeeping (the bassoonist fiddled with his reeds, the clarinetist ran a cleaning cloth through her instrument a couple of times, and the flutist tinkered with and tweaked her instrument), we were on to the second work. The first movement opened with a unison phrase (actually octaves), and it was slower and a little bit spare, compared to the first work. It got quicker, but just, and was serious without being somber. Still, there was some fancy fingering going on which led to an interesting ending. The second movement was more cheerful even though it was in a minor key. It was nice, and just as I was thinking it was running a little bit long, it ended. 

After more housekeeping, the first movement of the third work had a brief, unison opening again. It was a fairly calm Allegro, though fancy fingering was also featured. It seemed to be a brighter D minor than the previous piece. In terms of leading us to the Romantic, the movements were getting a little longer and a little more sophisticated. The clarinet was featured at the opening of the second movement—a combination of a sedate graceful followed by a graceful that was quicker. Oops, I spoke too soon as this movement was very brief. The third movement was a moderate Allegro with some increased intricacies followed by a relaxed second section though fancy fingering figured in, as well. 

All in all, while I originally thought that the pieces would be too similar when I looked at the program, the journey from Classical to Romantic disabused me of that notion. A good way to start off a new year of concertgoing. 

ConcertMeister

Fun at the Library (1/2/26)

The New York Public Library is so much more than just books. If you go to nypl.org and click on the events tab, you can find performances, concerts, lectures, coloring for adults, movies ... 

While nypl.org has listings for Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, they don’t include the other two boroughs. Hey, I don’t make the rules, I just let you know about them. Anyhoo, this post is about movies. 

I attended a Friday afternoon showing of Almost Famous (2000). I enjoyed it a lot. The story was good, the cast was good, and the afternoon was fun. Attendance was light (about ten people) but that might have been partially due to the weather (cold but not frigid). Here’s one of the odd things about seeing a movie with a small audience. There were a couple of things in the film that were pretty darn funny. Alas, there was very little audible laughter. I like to think there was at least some inward chuckling going on. Without spoiling the plot too much, it was about a wannabe writer trying to get a story written and printed in Rolling Stone. As a result, the music (rock ’n’ roll) was not quite to my taste, though it made for quite a few interesting scenes—backstage hijinks, lots of booze, beer and dope, and one almost overdose. Oh, and the protagonist was younger than everyone thought he was, which contributed to the arc of the story as well as to some of the humor. Yeah, there was slight intrigue, fledgling romance scenes, and a deflowering (not actually shown on screen). 

This was at the 53rd Street Library (Manhattan between Fifth and Sixth Avenues). It’s a weekly series, and upcoming movies (none of which I’ve seen) include Zoolander, Memento, The Prestige, and Pan’s Labyrinth. I’m sure I won’t attend them all, but I may see one or two. 

All of this is to say that there’s a lot out there for free and for fun. Some (not all) library branches also have jigsaw puzzles in partial stages of completion. Anyone (even non-library-cardholders) can join in the fun. My point is—go exploring. And have a happy new year! 

ConcertMeister

Make Music New York

 Make Music New York Times Two (12/20/25 and 12/21/25)

I suppose I should go in order. Saturday, 12/20 was the 51st Annual Carol Walk hosted and led by members of the West Village Chorale. I've been to most of them. I'm kidding—I've only been participating for the last seven years or so. This year's was the best organized one I've been to. I was in Group 6 (I'm usually in Group 2 or 3), after having gotten turned around in the Village again—hey, I've only lived here 49 years! Anyhoo, our two song leaders were great, balancing crowd favorites with chorister requests. We had several youngsters in our group, so Frosty the Snowman came up right away. Alas, so did All I Want for Christmas Is You, of which most people, including the requestees and me, only knew a few lines. But we soldiered on through Carol of the Bells, Ding Dong Merrily, Jingle Bells, etc. In a contemplative moment, I'll Be Home for Christmas (a request) was followed by White Christmas, because our song leader insisted they must be sung together. Not a bad decision. I bowed out a little early, since it was getting cold and I knew how to get back to the subway! An afternoon well spent.

Make Music New York sponsors two Make Music days—duh! the summer solstice and the winter solstice. Today's had fewer choices than the summer solstice, but I scoped out three—Sound Walk, on the High Line, MichelleKStudio, in Greeley Square, and Bell by Bell, at Astor Place. Sound Walk ended up not happening because the tech that was supposed to link everyone together did not work. Ain't technology grand? I was shunted a block away to hear amateur harmonica players. I lasted about ten minutes. I figured, hey, I'm here, I'll walk the High Line anyway. Nope. Far too cold and windy. 

Greeley Square worked out better, with three (plus one, a young student, maybe six years old) pianists playing an electronic keyboard in an outdoor setting. Not ideal, but better than harmonicas! Even though no program was announced, I recognized The Girl with the Flaxen Hair and Claire de Lune. Possibly Liebestraume, as well. Plus there were some Christmas songs included.

Bell by Bell is a happening that I have done before. We, the audience, are the music makers. Anybody who wants to can pick up a bell. There are differently colored bells. The leaders have differently colored flags. When a flag is raised that matches the color of your bell, you ring it wildly. The tunes are not recognizable, but everybody gets to play along and be a part of making music. And that is what the day is all about.

Will I try it again? We shall see.

ConcertMeister

Wreath Interpretations (through Jan. 2, 2026)

The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park 
Fifth Avenue at 64th Street, Third Floor
Monday–Friday, 9a–5p 

These are literally wreaths but not necessarily your run-of-the mill holiday wreaths. This year’s show (I’ve been to several in the past) had a whopping 30 wreaths on display. Some are for sale, ranging from $75 to $1,500. Two were priced Upon Request and one was priced Negotiable. Most, though, were $500 or lower. My photo skills are getting a little better, so I’ll try to post some on Facebook. My handle there is Uncke David (don’t ask). 

I think my favorite was Appaloosa, a horsy-Western-style wreath that included natural grasses and rope. Another interesting one was I’m at a Loss for Words, whose description materials include paper, acrylic, metal, banned books and elbow grease. Most of the wreaths were circular, a couple were ovals, and one was shaped like Staten Island, The Forgotten Borough’s Unforgettable Wreath. (I’m not making this up, you know.) 

Another whimsical one was A Wee Bit of Joy, made from cardboard and plastic inserts from animal waste pick up bags (collected over a year’s time), cardboard toilet paper roll. Clever, indeed. Others that caught my eye and I deemed worthy of photographing were Baroque for the Holidays, Triskelion Star, “Sliding” Through Time (made of a recycled Kodak slide carousel, and images of OMNY and MetroCards), Shellter (Shell-ter) (razor clam shells, acrylic paint, glue and wire), and Gingerbread Baking Co. 

It sounds like a lot, but it only took about forty-five minutes (partially because I had to reshoot a couple of photos). In a way, it’s unfortunate that there are no weekend hours, but if you have time on a weekday, it’s time well spent. And it’s a nice way to do the holidays in a slightly offbeat way. 

ConcertMeister

A Tale of Two Choral Ensembles (11/10/25) and (11/16/25)

Oratorio Society of New York – 11/10/25
Saint Andrew Music Society – Chorale and Orchestra – 11/16/25

A friend of mine is a member of the Theater Development Fund and had two $5 TDF vouchers for the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall. Of course I wanted to join her. We heard Fern Hill (1961, arr. 1999), written by John Corigliano and Mass in C Minor, K. 427 (1782–1783) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. One of the composers was in the house. Do you want to hazard a guess? 

The Corigliano was fairly modern in terms of harmonies. It is a setting of Dylan Thomas’ poem of the same name. As always, understanding the text of choral settings is a little difficult, especially if you’re hearing them for the first time, which I was. Fortunately, the text was included in the Carnegie Hall Playbill, as was the text of the Mass, with which I was much more familiar. I’m not great with estimating numbers, but the Oratorio Society chorus was about 200 strong. An octet of soloists from within the group acquitted themselves quite well, as did the entire group. I glanced through the names, but none caught my eye. Not so when I glanced through the orchestra names. Lo and behold, I knew the organist, Andrew Henderson. 

There was also a quartet of soloists for the Mass who also acquitted themselves quite well. The Bass-Baritone had precious little to do, but he did it with aplomb. A day or so after the concert, I emailed Mr. Henderson, who answered with a note about his upcoming concert, and asked if I would be interested in a comp ticket. Yes, indeedy. 

The Saint Andrew concert consisted of Vesperae Solenelles de Confessore, K. 339 (1780) by the aforementioned W.A. Mozart and Saint Nicolas Op. 42 (1948) by Benjamin Britten – Introduction; The Birth of Nicolas; Nicolas Devotes Himself to God; He Journeys to Palestine; Nicolas Comes to Myra and Is Chosen Bishop; Nicolas from Prison; Nicolas and the Pickled Boys; His Piety and Marvellous Works; The Death of Nicolas. I enjoyed the Mozart, but I was taken aback by the Britten. First off, there was a third vocal ensemble—the New York City Children’s Chorus – Mary Huff, Artistic Director. Soloists in the work included Saint Nicolas (tenor), The Boy Nicolas (treble), and Three Pickled Boys (trebles). Logistically, the performance was a tour-de-force. Soloists entered from stage right and sang in front of the conductor, who was in front of the orchestra, which was in front of the Chorale vocalists. Confused yet? The Boy Nicolas was the first soloist followed by Saint Nicolas and then the Three Pickled Boys who made their way down from the gallery, where the youthful choristers were seated, and then entered down the center aisle of the sanctuary for their brief shining moments, before exiting to the stage right area and somehow making their way back to the gallery. In a somewhat more modern take, the New York City Children’s Chorus treats trebles equally*—in fact, two of The Pickled Boys were female. The work is essentially a cantata in two parts with a hymn for the choirs and the congregation at the end of the first half and a concluding hymn for the choirs and the congregation to end the work. This was my first time hearing the work and I was mightily impressed. I would love to hear it again sometime. The tenor solo part was written for Peter Pears, which makes perfect sense; Mr. Molomot was well up to the task.

All in all, a great week of listening for me.

ConcertMeister

*My first paid choir gig was as an alto in a choir of Men and Boys. Many choirs maintain that distinction, but female trebles are making inroads.