Katsuaki Takizawa, piano
Wisteria, Sorrowful Joy, Meadow, For You, Canon – Pachelbel, Colour of Hometown, Bon Voyage, Green Sky, Cascade ...
Yes, that ellipsis is intentional. There were four more works on the program. I did not stick around to hear them.
Katsu, as he is known, is a self-taught pianist. He taught himself piano after watching (on YouTube!) and listening to Pachelbel's Canon over and over again. It shows.
I've never been to a CD release concert before. I'll choose the next one very carefully. Wisteria began with a solo for right hand only. It was New-Age-y with an Asian flair. At one point, both hands played in octaves. This was followed by a song-like section. The end.
Sorrowful Joy had a lot of sustained pedal going on (as in the first piece) so that there was a wash of sound. Sort of Debussy-esque, without the Debussy cachet. My notes for Meadow are simply, "More of the same pleasantness." My note for For You was a single ditto mark.
His version of Canon—his aforementioned raison d'etre—was also New Age-y, with touches of jazz. Colour of Hometown's note was, "Similar." I almost left then, but if I had I would have missed the interpretive dance (uncredited) to Bon Voyage. She interpretively danced pretty well. I should have taken Bon Voyage literally.
I guess I'm just not cut out for self-taught, piano-playing CD release concerts. Who would have guessed? Hey, you pays your money (bupkes), you takes your chances.
ConcertMeister
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
German Legacy of Song, the Schumanns and Mahler (2/17/18)
Alexander Tall, baritone; Ariana Kim, violin; Matthew Odell, piano
Romance in D-flat Major, Op. 22, No. 1 – Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann – C. Schumann
Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) – Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 105 – R. Schumann
Rückert Lieder – Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
The Clara Schumann Romance was calm but with a lush presence. The violin and piano were mostly partners yet there were a few occasions where I actually felt that the violin was accompanying the piano. As a side note here, I just read (when researching some of these pieces) that there are not really eras of composition. Maybe not. My mind, however, proclaimed Romantic when I heard the aforementioned lush presence. There was a fullness and a richness of harmony and—for want of a better word—a feeling of romanticism. Call me old fashioned.
The second piece—Variations—was for solo piano and began with setting the theme almost like a chorale tune. The first movement rolled along pianistically, supporting the theme. The second (and I’m making these up as I go along—I did not explore a detailed examination of the score) was scherzo-esque, bright but not too fast. The third hearkened back to a chorale feel but with more intricate harmonies. The fourth was more subdued, though it had more fantastical filigree in the pianistic writing. The fifth was bold and forthright, with a touch of drama while the sixth had a wistful quality. The seventh had more rolling chords and filigree and controlled flights of fancy leading to a recapitulation—but the theme was all grown up now—ending with a rippling coda (a rounding out of the themes to actually round out the composition).
Dichterliebe. Gosh, I just don’t know what to say. Much has been written about this sixteen-song cycle (texts by Heinrich Heine, culled from a sixty-plus volume of poetry). So I won’t go overboard here. Mr. Tall sang very well, with crisp but not overly crisp German diction, and Mr. Odell was an incredibly supportive accompanist/partner. I can’t really speak to Mr. Tall’s overall arc of the cycle because this is the first time I’ve heard it in its entirety. Upon a first hearing, I was definitely not disappointed. I jotted down notes for each song but they would not amount to much here. Suffice it to say that I’m very glad to have heard this cycle in its entirety.
The R. Schumann violin and piano sonata started out somewhat darkly but not overly so, with nicely varied tempos and moods, though it seemed mildly plaintive at times, even in the richer, fuller sections, ending in a fireworks display of bowing and fingering. The second movement was gentler but still with a forward motion followed by a dance-like section, bouncing back and forth tempo-wise before closing with a lovely, quiet ending. The final movement was quite brisk in both piano and violin writing, ending finally with flashes of drama.
My notes and responses to the Rückert Lieder are similar to those of Dichterliebe. Clocking in at only five songs, with texts by Friedrich Rückert, my notes aren’t really helpful. The arc of Mahler’s cycle was not as grand as Schumann’s but the settings were a little more angular; lieder was growing up. Still, all five were easy enough to listen to and Mr. Tall and Mr. Odell made a great pair once again, as did Mr. Odell with Ms. Kim throughout the afternoon. This was a fine concert all the way around. Kudos to Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts for presenting such varied, well-curated programming. Check out your libraries—they’re more than just places for checking out books!
ConcertMeister
Romance in D-flat Major, Op. 22, No. 1 – Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann – C. Schumann
Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) – Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 105 – R. Schumann
Rückert Lieder – Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
The Clara Schumann Romance was calm but with a lush presence. The violin and piano were mostly partners yet there were a few occasions where I actually felt that the violin was accompanying the piano. As a side note here, I just read (when researching some of these pieces) that there are not really eras of composition. Maybe not. My mind, however, proclaimed Romantic when I heard the aforementioned lush presence. There was a fullness and a richness of harmony and—for want of a better word—a feeling of romanticism. Call me old fashioned.
The second piece—Variations—was for solo piano and began with setting the theme almost like a chorale tune. The first movement rolled along pianistically, supporting the theme. The second (and I’m making these up as I go along—I did not explore a detailed examination of the score) was scherzo-esque, bright but not too fast. The third hearkened back to a chorale feel but with more intricate harmonies. The fourth was more subdued, though it had more fantastical filigree in the pianistic writing. The fifth was bold and forthright, with a touch of drama while the sixth had a wistful quality. The seventh had more rolling chords and filigree and controlled flights of fancy leading to a recapitulation—but the theme was all grown up now—ending with a rippling coda (a rounding out of the themes to actually round out the composition).
Dichterliebe. Gosh, I just don’t know what to say. Much has been written about this sixteen-song cycle (texts by Heinrich Heine, culled from a sixty-plus volume of poetry). So I won’t go overboard here. Mr. Tall sang very well, with crisp but not overly crisp German diction, and Mr. Odell was an incredibly supportive accompanist/partner. I can’t really speak to Mr. Tall’s overall arc of the cycle because this is the first time I’ve heard it in its entirety. Upon a first hearing, I was definitely not disappointed. I jotted down notes for each song but they would not amount to much here. Suffice it to say that I’m very glad to have heard this cycle in its entirety.
The R. Schumann violin and piano sonata started out somewhat darkly but not overly so, with nicely varied tempos and moods, though it seemed mildly plaintive at times, even in the richer, fuller sections, ending in a fireworks display of bowing and fingering. The second movement was gentler but still with a forward motion followed by a dance-like section, bouncing back and forth tempo-wise before closing with a lovely, quiet ending. The final movement was quite brisk in both piano and violin writing, ending finally with flashes of drama.
My notes and responses to the Rückert Lieder are similar to those of Dichterliebe. Clocking in at only five songs, with texts by Friedrich Rückert, my notes aren’t really helpful. The arc of Mahler’s cycle was not as grand as Schumann’s but the settings were a little more angular; lieder was growing up. Still, all five were easy enough to listen to and Mr. Tall and Mr. Odell made a great pair once again, as did Mr. Odell with Ms. Kim throughout the afternoon. This was a fine concert all the way around. Kudos to Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts for presenting such varied, well-curated programming. Check out your libraries—they’re more than just places for checking out books!
ConcertMeister
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Mirror Visions Ensemble (2/3/18)
Of Beasts and Brutes
Vira Slywotzky, soprano, Scott Murphree, tenor, Mischa Bouvier, baritone, Margaret Kampmeier, piano, Richard Lalli, director
This was a program that looked better on paper than the finished product did on stage. Clocking in at twenty-plus individual pieces, not every one will be spelled out. The first half of the program consisted of Older Beasts and Older Brutes. The Beasts represented were crickets, grasshopper, ant, kingfisher, guinea hen, falcon, geese, and cuckoo. As for the Brutes, there were Brutus (as in, Et tu, Brute?), Napoleon Bonaparte, and King Pompey.
In tribute to Leonard Bernstein’s centennial (born in 1918), there was a divertissement with Take Care of This House, from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and I Can Cook, Too, from On the Town. Except that I Can Cook, Too was scrapped and replaced with a Bernstein Anniversary, for solo piano.
The second half had (quel surprise) Newer Beasts and Newer Brutes. These Beasts were the American kestrel, ringtail cat, wolf, duck, pigeon, and rooster. And the Brutes were Fussy Mummy and Auntie, and dark doves. To round out the program there were Ukrainian birds: Nightingale, skylark, linnet, and cuckoo. All told, the program was a little convoluted and slightly overcrowded.
I did like the music and a few of the ideas. Early on, there were two very different settings of the exact same text—La cigale et la fourmi (The Grasshopper and the Ant)—by André Caplet (1878–1925) and Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). The first was sung by Mr. Bouvier while the second was sung by Mr. Murphree. The concert opened, however, with a piece for solo piano, The Cricket Marries, by Béla Bartók (1888–1945), followed by a vocal trio, The Cricket, by Josquin des Prez (1450–1521). And the program was varied, with solos, duets and the occasional trio. Another trio was Et tu, Brute? by Scott Wheeler (b. 1952), which was a premiere of a commission composed for this group, with the composer in the audience. A couple of pieces toward the end of the first half were spoken texts over the music of Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) and William Walton (1902–1983) though there was some singing, too.
The second half also featured newer composers and premieres and commissions. Three from An Oman Odyssey, by Francine Trester (b. 1969), was a commission and a premiere, as was Of the Dark Doves, by Christopher Berg (b. 1949) and both composers were also in the audience. And I particularly enjoyed Three from A Nash Menagerie (The Duck, The Pigeon, The Rooster), by Richard Pearson Thomas (b. 1959), which was a commission but not a premiere. Mr. Pearson was not in attendance.
The Ukrainian Birds section featured music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1849–1893), Mikhail Glinka (1804–1857), and Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1942).
So, all in all, it was an interesting program that was nice, if slightly out of kilter from a programmatic standpoint. Still, it’s great to hear a variety of music that also includes music by living composers. The program will be reprised (though not for free) on March 12, in Greenwich Village. Once, though, was enough for me.
ConcertMeister
Vira Slywotzky, soprano, Scott Murphree, tenor, Mischa Bouvier, baritone, Margaret Kampmeier, piano, Richard Lalli, director
This was a program that looked better on paper than the finished product did on stage. Clocking in at twenty-plus individual pieces, not every one will be spelled out. The first half of the program consisted of Older Beasts and Older Brutes. The Beasts represented were crickets, grasshopper, ant, kingfisher, guinea hen, falcon, geese, and cuckoo. As for the Brutes, there were Brutus (as in, Et tu, Brute?), Napoleon Bonaparte, and King Pompey.
In tribute to Leonard Bernstein’s centennial (born in 1918), there was a divertissement with Take Care of This House, from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and I Can Cook, Too, from On the Town. Except that I Can Cook, Too was scrapped and replaced with a Bernstein Anniversary, for solo piano.
The second half had (quel surprise) Newer Beasts and Newer Brutes. These Beasts were the American kestrel, ringtail cat, wolf, duck, pigeon, and rooster. And the Brutes were Fussy Mummy and Auntie, and dark doves. To round out the program there were Ukrainian birds: Nightingale, skylark, linnet, and cuckoo. All told, the program was a little convoluted and slightly overcrowded.
I did like the music and a few of the ideas. Early on, there were two very different settings of the exact same text—La cigale et la fourmi (The Grasshopper and the Ant)—by André Caplet (1878–1925) and Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). The first was sung by Mr. Bouvier while the second was sung by Mr. Murphree. The concert opened, however, with a piece for solo piano, The Cricket Marries, by Béla Bartók (1888–1945), followed by a vocal trio, The Cricket, by Josquin des Prez (1450–1521). And the program was varied, with solos, duets and the occasional trio. Another trio was Et tu, Brute? by Scott Wheeler (b. 1952), which was a premiere of a commission composed for this group, with the composer in the audience. A couple of pieces toward the end of the first half were spoken texts over the music of Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) and William Walton (1902–1983) though there was some singing, too.
The second half also featured newer composers and premieres and commissions. Three from An Oman Odyssey, by Francine Trester (b. 1969), was a commission and a premiere, as was Of the Dark Doves, by Christopher Berg (b. 1949) and both composers were also in the audience. And I particularly enjoyed Three from A Nash Menagerie (The Duck, The Pigeon, The Rooster), by Richard Pearson Thomas (b. 1959), which was a commission but not a premiere. Mr. Pearson was not in attendance.
The Ukrainian Birds section featured music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1849–1893), Mikhail Glinka (1804–1857), and Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1942).
So, all in all, it was an interesting program that was nice, if slightly out of kilter from a programmatic standpoint. Still, it’s great to hear a variety of music that also includes music by living composers. The program will be reprised (though not for free) on March 12, in Greenwich Village. Once, though, was enough for me.
ConcertMeister
Friday, February 9, 2018
Midday Masterpieces (2/7/18)
Juilliard Vocal Arts Program
Gregory Feldman, baritone, Nicole Thomas, soprano, Dominik Belavy, baritone, Meghan Kasanders, soprano, Cameron Richardson-Eames, piano, Chris Reynolds, piano
This was an ambitious program of serenades saluting love, just in time for Valentine’s Day. As always at these live broadcast concerts, there was no printed program, so I’m cannibalizing information from WQXR’s website. I enjoyed all of the vocalists and both of the pianists. Stage management, though, was a bit awkward. Our host, whose name I don’t remember and was also not listed on the website, announced who would be performing. Each duo arrived on stage and immediately began a set of art songs. So, we didn’t know what we were hearing right off the bat.
Mr. Feldman, accompanied by Mr. Richardson-Eames, sang Love-sight, Silent Noon, Love’s Minstrels, and Heart’s Haven from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ House of Life. The first song was gentle and melodic, moving into a dramatic section, and returning to gentle. The second seemed reminiscent of a folk tune and laid out a love of nature and a love of you. The third was practically a duet of solos. The piano had a lengthy opening, then the voice sang unaccompanied. This repeated a few times, with both finally coming together every once in awhile. At this point, Mr. Feldman introduced himself and Mr. Richardson-Eames, told us what we had just heard, and then he let us know what we would be hearing next. To me, this was the awkward part that I mentioned above. The fourth song was fuller in general. His singing was fine, and his command of singing in English (not always the easiest thing to do) was really good.
As the first duo left, there was no type of announcement as to what we would hear next. And this basic format was repeated by the next three vocalists, though the break to introduce themselves did not always occur at the same point during their sets. And the pause between duos was long enough to extend the program past its customary one-hour length; as a result, some audience members left without hearing the final set.
Ms. Thomas, accompanied by Mr. Reynolds, sang Meine liebe ist grun – Johannes Brahms, Ein Traum – Edvard Grieg, Liebst du um Schönheit – Gustav Mahler, Die Nacht – Richard Strauss, and Das Veilchen – Nikolai Medtner. She also sang well, and explained that she had assembled her set based on the premise that love requires the signs of nature. She then gave us an amusing explanation of her final song—a violet was in the woods, hoping to be plucked and pinned to the breast of the shepherdess, coming along and singing. Alas, it was not to be, as she was unaware of him and she crushed him underfoot. Love doesn’t always work out the way we think it will, right?
Mr. Belavy’s set was in French, accompanied by Mr. Reynolds, and included
Le promenoir des deux amants – Claude Debussy, Offrande – Reynaldo Hahn, and Le Paon, from Histoires naturelles – Maurice Ravel. My digging yielded that Le promenoir is a cycle of three songs. My notes indicate that he only sang two of them, so I can’t give you titles. Grr. I went back to the video posted on WQXR's website and learned that he sang all three and did not sing the Hahn.
I. Aupres de cette grotte somber, II. Crois mon conseil, chere Climene,
III. Je tremble en voyant ton visage. Do you see why I'd prefer a printed program?
The first was introspective, while the second one was fuller, with a little more presence. The third was mostly calm and sedate. In explaining Le Paon, we learned that it is sung from the perspective of a peacock on his wedding day. Unfortunately, he gets stood up. Ha! Nothing for him to worry about. He’s sure he’ll get married tomorrow. This was much more lively and humorous, compared to the sedate chansons that preceded it.
Ms. Kasanders, accompanied by Mr. Richardson-Eames, presented Allerseelen and Morgen! – R. Strauss, Still wie die Nacht – Carl Bohm, and Widmung – Robert Schumann. My notes for the first song simply say 'nostalgic'. That makes sense since the setting is of a poem translated as All Souls Day. My notes for the second are 'slow and tender (Strauss?)'. And I was right. It’s probably one of his more well known songs, but I didn’t recognize it. The Bohm was strophic, as many art songs are and depicted the strength of love, as explained afterwards from the stage. The Schumann was the one song on the entire program that I knew—in fact, I learned and sang it way back in my college days as a music major. Her singing was also strong and pleasant.
I enjoyed the concert and the performers and, somewhat, the little bits of research that I did after the fact. I’ve already made my reservation for March 7. In a bit of a twist, there is now a Midday Masterpieces concert every Wednesday at WQXR. The first Wednesday of the month is live with an audience, and also streamed live on Facebook, while the others are only streamed on Facebook. The times they are a-changin’.
ConcertMeister
Gregory Feldman, baritone, Nicole Thomas, soprano, Dominik Belavy, baritone, Meghan Kasanders, soprano, Cameron Richardson-Eames, piano, Chris Reynolds, piano
This was an ambitious program of serenades saluting love, just in time for Valentine’s Day. As always at these live broadcast concerts, there was no printed program, so I’m cannibalizing information from WQXR’s website. I enjoyed all of the vocalists and both of the pianists. Stage management, though, was a bit awkward. Our host, whose name I don’t remember and was also not listed on the website, announced who would be performing. Each duo arrived on stage and immediately began a set of art songs. So, we didn’t know what we were hearing right off the bat.
Mr. Feldman, accompanied by Mr. Richardson-Eames, sang Love-sight, Silent Noon, Love’s Minstrels, and Heart’s Haven from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ House of Life. The first song was gentle and melodic, moving into a dramatic section, and returning to gentle. The second seemed reminiscent of a folk tune and laid out a love of nature and a love of you. The third was practically a duet of solos. The piano had a lengthy opening, then the voice sang unaccompanied. This repeated a few times, with both finally coming together every once in awhile. At this point, Mr. Feldman introduced himself and Mr. Richardson-Eames, told us what we had just heard, and then he let us know what we would be hearing next. To me, this was the awkward part that I mentioned above. The fourth song was fuller in general. His singing was fine, and his command of singing in English (not always the easiest thing to do) was really good.
As the first duo left, there was no type of announcement as to what we would hear next. And this basic format was repeated by the next three vocalists, though the break to introduce themselves did not always occur at the same point during their sets. And the pause between duos was long enough to extend the program past its customary one-hour length; as a result, some audience members left without hearing the final set.
Ms. Thomas, accompanied by Mr. Reynolds, sang Meine liebe ist grun – Johannes Brahms, Ein Traum – Edvard Grieg, Liebst du um Schönheit – Gustav Mahler, Die Nacht – Richard Strauss, and Das Veilchen – Nikolai Medtner. She also sang well, and explained that she had assembled her set based on the premise that love requires the signs of nature. She then gave us an amusing explanation of her final song—a violet was in the woods, hoping to be plucked and pinned to the breast of the shepherdess, coming along and singing. Alas, it was not to be, as she was unaware of him and she crushed him underfoot. Love doesn’t always work out the way we think it will, right?
Mr. Belavy’s set was in French, accompanied by Mr. Reynolds, and included
Le promenoir des deux amants – Claude Debussy, Offrande – Reynaldo Hahn, and Le Paon, from Histoires naturelles – Maurice Ravel. My digging yielded that Le promenoir is a cycle of three songs. My notes indicate that he only sang two of them, so I can’t give you titles. Grr. I went back to the video posted on WQXR's website and learned that he sang all three and did not sing the Hahn.
I. Aupres de cette grotte somber, II. Crois mon conseil, chere Climene,
III. Je tremble en voyant ton visage. Do you see why I'd prefer a printed program?
The first was introspective, while the second one was fuller, with a little more presence. The third was mostly calm and sedate. In explaining Le Paon, we learned that it is sung from the perspective of a peacock on his wedding day. Unfortunately, he gets stood up. Ha! Nothing for him to worry about. He’s sure he’ll get married tomorrow. This was much more lively and humorous, compared to the sedate chansons that preceded it.
Ms. Kasanders, accompanied by Mr. Richardson-Eames, presented Allerseelen and Morgen! – R. Strauss, Still wie die Nacht – Carl Bohm, and Widmung – Robert Schumann. My notes for the first song simply say 'nostalgic'. That makes sense since the setting is of a poem translated as All Souls Day. My notes for the second are 'slow and tender (Strauss?)'. And I was right. It’s probably one of his more well known songs, but I didn’t recognize it. The Bohm was strophic, as many art songs are and depicted the strength of love, as explained afterwards from the stage. The Schumann was the one song on the entire program that I knew—in fact, I learned and sang it way back in my college days as a music major. Her singing was also strong and pleasant.
I enjoyed the concert and the performers and, somewhat, the little bits of research that I did after the fact. I’ve already made my reservation for March 7. In a bit of a twist, there is now a Midday Masterpieces concert every Wednesday at WQXR. The first Wednesday of the month is live with an audience, and also streamed live on Facebook, while the others are only streamed on Facebook. The times they are a-changin’.
ConcertMeister
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Songbook – January 2018 (1/29/2018)
Featuring the songs of Alex Koceja, lyrics, and Michael Uselmann, music
These two guys were arbitrarily paired together at the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Things clicked and they’ve been collaborating (though not exclusively, I think) since. Monday night’s program consisted of six songs from Heist, three from The Wyndameres, one from an untitled musical, and two stand-alone songs. The featured vocalists were Jensen Clifford, Mia Gerachis,
Moira Hammel, Gwynne Richmond, and John Shapiro, with an uncredited accompanist/music director and both Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann stepping into backup vocal roles as well as (Mr. Koceja) on guitar.
Heist, which was the 90-minute thesis musical of our featured pair, had two con men planning to steal (actually swap out) a fabulous diamond necklace during the opening night performance of the 1950s show-within-a-show musical—all right, I’ll just stop there and get right to the music. One Last Job had a nice, jazzy Tin Pan Alley feel to it as performed by Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Clifford. A three-song medley from the show-within-a-show followed. Three Card Monte, sung by all five vocalists, was an up tempo description of the con and deception of the aptly named song. Don’t Bet on It had all of the hallmarks of a traditional musical theater song, in a good way. You Walked Away was the equivalent of a male torch song.
Which Is Me (we’re back into Heist, now) was a classic angst song—I’m torn between the real me and the me I want to be. Grounds for Dismissal was a bit of an in joke, as it was a list song presented by the dance captain/Equity representative of the musical Heist. All of the songs from Heist were good and showed a solid grasp of traditional musical theater writing.
The Wyndameres, set in 1929, also had a relatively convoluted plot, dealing with a linguist, Lorgnetta Wyndamere, who mysteriously disappears; one of her prize pupils, who has to sing and speak with a speech impediment; and the linguist’s family members, who are essentially hangers on and worried about funds once she goes missing. The Record Song has Lorgnetta’s brother listening to hundreds of recordings made by her and her pupil, hoping to find clues to her disappearance. There is some clever use of language throughout. Fanks to You is sung by the pupil, Elizabeth, to comfort Lorgnetta, who has just learned that she is dying (from what, I forget). It’s somewhat humorous, but it’s hard to know whether it’s OK to laugh at someone with a speech impediment. Poor Forlorn Lorgnetta is a valse triste sung, madrigal style, recalling Lorgnetta fondly while attending her funeral. As I said, complicated.
Devil Green Eyes is a confession—literally. A woman is in the confessional fantasizing about the priest’s green eyes, which is all she can see of him. Slightly awkward again, laughing about religion. Maybe it will play better within the context of the show, whenever it gets completed.
I Love You Me has a verse and then a chorus with a slight Latin rhythm and explores the real me theme again. One Death at a Time shows how progress can move slowly forward—as science progresses, the flat earth people become fewer and fewer, One Death at a Time. When the older folks were against women’s suffrage, and later black suffrage—well, there are fewer of them too, One Death at a Time. It’s an interesting concept portrayed in folk song–esque fashion.
I liked the writing and all of the performers though my socks were never knocked off. The craft is good; I just think Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann need to grow into it and find their unique voices. I think they’re headed in the right direction.
ConcertMeister
These two guys were arbitrarily paired together at the NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Things clicked and they’ve been collaborating (though not exclusively, I think) since. Monday night’s program consisted of six songs from Heist, three from The Wyndameres, one from an untitled musical, and two stand-alone songs. The featured vocalists were Jensen Clifford, Mia Gerachis,
Moira Hammel, Gwynne Richmond, and John Shapiro, with an uncredited accompanist/music director and both Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann stepping into backup vocal roles as well as (Mr. Koceja) on guitar.
Heist, which was the 90-minute thesis musical of our featured pair, had two con men planning to steal (actually swap out) a fabulous diamond necklace during the opening night performance of the 1950s show-within-a-show musical—all right, I’ll just stop there and get right to the music. One Last Job had a nice, jazzy Tin Pan Alley feel to it as performed by Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Clifford. A three-song medley from the show-within-a-show followed. Three Card Monte, sung by all five vocalists, was an up tempo description of the con and deception of the aptly named song. Don’t Bet on It had all of the hallmarks of a traditional musical theater song, in a good way. You Walked Away was the equivalent of a male torch song.
Which Is Me (we’re back into Heist, now) was a classic angst song—I’m torn between the real me and the me I want to be. Grounds for Dismissal was a bit of an in joke, as it was a list song presented by the dance captain/Equity representative of the musical Heist. All of the songs from Heist were good and showed a solid grasp of traditional musical theater writing.
The Wyndameres, set in 1929, also had a relatively convoluted plot, dealing with a linguist, Lorgnetta Wyndamere, who mysteriously disappears; one of her prize pupils, who has to sing and speak with a speech impediment; and the linguist’s family members, who are essentially hangers on and worried about funds once she goes missing. The Record Song has Lorgnetta’s brother listening to hundreds of recordings made by her and her pupil, hoping to find clues to her disappearance. There is some clever use of language throughout. Fanks to You is sung by the pupil, Elizabeth, to comfort Lorgnetta, who has just learned that she is dying (from what, I forget). It’s somewhat humorous, but it’s hard to know whether it’s OK to laugh at someone with a speech impediment. Poor Forlorn Lorgnetta is a valse triste sung, madrigal style, recalling Lorgnetta fondly while attending her funeral. As I said, complicated.
Devil Green Eyes is a confession—literally. A woman is in the confessional fantasizing about the priest’s green eyes, which is all she can see of him. Slightly awkward again, laughing about religion. Maybe it will play better within the context of the show, whenever it gets completed.
I Love You Me has a verse and then a chorus with a slight Latin rhythm and explores the real me theme again. One Death at a Time shows how progress can move slowly forward—as science progresses, the flat earth people become fewer and fewer, One Death at a Time. When the older folks were against women’s suffrage, and later black suffrage—well, there are fewer of them too, One Death at a Time. It’s an interesting concept portrayed in folk song–esque fashion.
I liked the writing and all of the performers though my socks were never knocked off. The craft is good; I just think Mr. Koceja and Mr. Uselmann need to grow into it and find their unique voices. I think they’re headed in the right direction.
ConcertMeister
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