Thursday, March 29, 2018

Songbook (3/26/18)

The Songs of Ben Rosenberry and Chip Klose

Kennedy Caughell, Trista Dollison, Zachary Prince, Natalie Weiss,
Sarah Ellis, Michael Henry, Matthew Hydzik, Mamie Parris,
Adrienne Eller (vocals); Jeff Washburn (guitar/vocals); Brandon Ellis
(bass guitar/cello/vocals); Ben Roseberry (piano/vocals); Gerard Canonico (percussion/vocals)

Hey, hey, hey, it’s Songbook time again. The interesting take here is that
Mr. Rosenberry and Mr. Klose seem to be equals in the music/lyrics writing formula. Sort of. The first three songs on the program were stand-alone songs, written ‘by Ben Roseberry and Chip Klose’. The next three were from The Fractured Years, and carried ‘by Ben Roseberry’ as the credit. We then had one song from From the Ground Up ‘by Ben Roseberry and Chip Klose’. And the last seven songs were from Picture Perfect, ‘by Ben Roseberry and Chip Klose’.

The first stand-alone was De-Evolution, billed as a soulful middle finger to 45. Maybe so, but it was tough for me to follow the lyrics, so any subtle attempts at satire didn’t do it for me. When It Does was a better mood piece, with a father commenting on, and remembering, time spent with his son—including using fishing as a metaphor for life, learning to wait, and grabbing life when you can. It was very touching, moving, and real. Wallflower was a twist on feeling pretty (pretty nervous) and then getting a chance to bloom once in a while. It was a good concept but the presentation fell a little short, for me.

Swing and a Miss, from The Fractured Years, was two folks missing out because each can’t really commit at this time—insecurity wins. Bullshit had a rock vibe (and sound and volume) that made the lyrics hard to hear and understand. There were brief, choppy phrases that I had trouble following, but the piece was a real crowd pleaser. Lucky had lyrics that were a bit lost to me, again. Maybe they read better on paper? Or benefit from multiple hearings?

From the Ground Up gave us Follow the Tide, which was pretty much telling us to have faith, it’ll all work out, sure there are problems, but the tide will bring you back in. Could be? Who knows?

Picture Perfect was the most developed of the duo’s shows. As near as I could follow, Adam is about to get married but it all falls apart. His three groomsmen determine that a road trip will save the day. So Coast to Coast was a looking-forward song, clearing out problems and gaining a new start. The solid rock feel was, once again, not my cup of tea. Out of the Frame was touted as a reworking of the original title song—Picture Perfect—but I didn’t quite see how anything out of the frame added anything to the song. They might consider reworking the reworking. But, hey, I'm no play doctor. And without seeing a full reading/
workshop, everything I say here is smoke and mirrors.

A Little Situation was the kick-ass number, as far as I was concerned.
Gerard Canonico, the percussionist, stepped out front and center, really selling this fun, funny song that made the rock feel of the musical work perfectly.

Hollywood Ending was the fiancée getting cold feet about two weeks before the wedding. We hear what brought us here but we also hear the fear about whether there really can be a Hollywood ending. Everyone’s an Expert is almost a rock patter song, recounting the back story of what leads to the collapse of a marriage or wedding. So Many Years is both parties realizing how irreconcilable the differences are—even before the wedding.

The finale, Time Stops, asks where do we go from here? Where, indeed? This piece had a weeklong intensive workshop recently, and both authors seemed buoyed by it as well as determined to learn from it. These songs were certainly the most polished of the group that we heard throughout the entire evening. I mostly liked what I heard. The choppy phrases of rock-style lyrics were not my favorite but the audience was more enamored than I was.

Will these guys make it? I don't know. There is talent there and they seem to be doing a lot of the right things. I'm grateful to be in on hearing these types of things close to, if not at, the ground floor. Or ... from the ground up. Two more Songbooks this season.

ConcertMeister

Monday, March 26, 2018

NoncertMeister (3/24/18)

What I'd hoped to see/hear:

Lenny @ 100
Millennium Chamber Orchestra presented by Alexander A. Wu
Highlights from West Side Story, Candide, plus chamber works and humorous art songs

Alas, it was not to be due to horrific traffic snafus because of the March for Our Lives, which I fully supported. I needed to get from East 89th Street and Second Avenue to West 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Being the savvy New Yorker that I am, I knew that going from west to east on 67th Street would be a no-go, due to the rally gathering at West 72nd and Central Park West (at 10am, but I knew it would still be a mess at 1pm). So I took an 86th Street crosstown bus. Bzzzt!

Nope. That bus was going to detour up Madison Avenue to 110th Street, cross to the West Side and then go down to 79th Street on Columbus Avenue. Ha! I'd outsmart them. I got off at 96th Street to take a crosstown bus there. Nuh-uh. The first two buses to come across 96th Street were the dreaded 'NOT IN SERVICE'. Followed by an equally dreaded 'NEXT BUS PLEASE'. So, hoof it it was. I walked through Central Park to take the subway down Central Park West (and no crosstown bus passed me along the way). Bzzzt!

At CPW, the subways were not running downtown. I needed to go uptown on the subway to 125th Street and then take a downtown subway. But guess what? When I did, the downtown subways were not making local stops! Yep, I had to take the subway down to 59th Street and then walk up to 65th Street. When I got to the the venue at concert time, 2:30pm, a full 90+ minutes after leaving my apartment, the auditorium was full, the doors were closed, and there was already a waiting line of people hoping to get a seat if patrons left early. So I went shopping!

I hate shopping, but I do know how to get from the venue to a place on 116th Street where I can usually get some bargains. Sure, it involves taking the #1 train uptown one stop and then changing to the #2 or #3 train at 72nd Street. I get to 72nd and, lo and behold, the #3 train is not running for the entire weekend and the #2 train ends at 96th Street. Muttering like a homeless street person, I get on a FREE SHUTTLE bus that finally takes me to 116th Street. I go to the store and ... they don't have what I went there for.

I finally just went home and transformed myself from NoncertMeister into BeerMeister. But I only had four or five. Really!

NoncertMeiser (hic! BeerMeister)

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Midday Masterpieces (3/7/18)

Bomsori Kim, violin; Chang-Yong Shin, piano

Sonata for Violin & Piano, Op. 11, No. 1Paul Hindemith
Six Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op.79: No. 1, Souvenir; No. 5, Tanz-Idylle; No. 6, BerceuseJan Sibelius
Sonata No. 2 in G major for Violin and PianoMaurice Ravel
Caprice d’apres l’etude en forme de Valse, Op. 52, No. 6Camille Saint-Saëns/Ysaÿe

The Hindemith, written when he was only twenty-two years old, opened energetically, followed by a lovely lyrical section. These alternated back and forth and included a martial section as well. The second and final movement led off with a slower, slightly more atonal section that morphed into a very pretty tune, though sticking with an atonal feel that was at times both haunting and quietly dramatic. I enjoyed it a great deal.

Ms. Kim and Mr. Shin played movements #1, #5, and #6 of the Sibelius and they played very well throughout the entire afternoon concert. It was Romantic in nature and tone (rich, lush sounds), with some very pretty song-like sections that almost veered into schmaltzy, but in a nice way. The fifth had a rippling piano accompaniment against a lightly energetic tune in the violin that expanded into a brisk section before relaxing again. The lightly rocking rhythms of the sixth put me in mind of Erik Satie—very easy and fun to listen to.

After retuning, the Ravel began with modern and angular phrases—a mix of impressionism and jazz—that moved into a tricky section with very short bowing phrases that went on for quite a while. The second movement opened with a pizzicato solo for the violin that was then joined by the piano. It also included a jazzy, off-kilter tune set against a vamp rhythm in the piano. It sort of reminded me of Gershwin. This was followed by a lot more pizzicato playing that seemed almost angry at times before concluding with a very strange ending. The third movement had a brief introduction that led into a perpetual motion section that was like a manic Flight of the Bumblebee. The relentless rhythms were quite a tour de force, though the final outcome seemed less than satisfying to me.

Eugène Ysaÿe was a virtuoso nineteenth-century violinist who also composed and arranged the works of other composers, in this case, Saint-Saëns. After several false introductions (that were really in the Caprice score—not mistakes), we got to the actual waltz theme and its variations, all in three-quarter time, with lots of virtuosic playing, fingering, and bowing. There was a brief piano interlude before reintroducing a lyrical section that I liked a lot. There were also very dramatic sections that I liked less. It was essentially an over the top piece, by design, that didn’t really do it for me. That pretty much summed up my feeling for the Polonaise that was played as an encore. Alas, I haven’t been able to suss out the composer. But I’ll keep trying. And I’ll keep attending Midday Masterpieces in the future. Thank you, WQXR.

ConcertMeister

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Songbook (2/26/18)

Lee Summers

Songbook, as some of you may know, is a program spotlighting newer and up-and-coming theater composers and lyricists. Lee Summers fits into both categories. This performance was organized very well and included three songs each from four of his musicals, either completed or in progress. The program featured six vocalists, three pianists, bass, drums, and cello, with all performers volunteering their time.

High Hopes of a Dream Believer, I’ve Got My Reasons, and The Wrong
Mr. Right
were from The Funkentime Rapture with Mr. Summers providing both music and lyrics. The first, sung by Ty Stephens, was very listenable in a lite rock/pop vein, and the second, featuring Brandi Massey, had a slight Latin beat that then transitioned into real rock. It was a high energy piece that also included backup singers. In the third, Ramona Dunlap seemed to be channeling Lady Day, with the blues—but here comes disco! It closed out by returning to the blues.

Yo’ Alice, with music and lyrics of Timothy Graphenreed and Mr. Summers, yielded Largely Lovely, a nice girl-group-harmony number sung by Virginia Woodruff, Ms. Massey, and Ms. Dunlap. Tuff to Be the Queen had
Ms. Woodruff as the Queen of R&B. Believe in You was a fine message song, heartfelt and truly sincere.

Famous Asian Girl, Spotlight, and Waters of Life were from Pangaea, with music by Janet Noh and lyrics by Mr. Summers. With Ms. Noh at the piano, the first song was up tempo and essentially jazz-like. It had a nice energy. Eric Coles portrayed Europe in the second song, with Europe trying to pull a fast one on Asia and Africa (yes, the continents) in a full-on rock rendition. Ms. Noh returned to the piano for the last piece, a nice gentle ballad.

Bayard, with music and lyrics by Mr. Summers, gave us Storm of Tears, a ballad that explored the main character’s life, Bayard Rustin, via song, and had a touch of country, especially in the cello accompaniment provided by Jacob Fjeldheim. It was a real ‘this is me’ number. Mr. Summers was the vocalist, filling in for an indisposed performer who had to bow out due to laryngitis, for all three songs from Bayard. Gay Harlem was real jazz that morphed into rock, with bass (Jarret Murray) and percussion (Baba Donn Babatunde). Ride, both the finale of Bayard and the finale of this concert, featured all of the performers in a very moving piece that had great harmonies.

Mr. Summers’s compositional style, as well as Ms. Noh’s, is solid musical theater writing. I wasn’t really blown away by any of the specific pieces but they coalesced into a very enjoyable concert, with solid writing and performances. I would love to see workshopped productions of any and all of these musicals. I plan on being back at the Library for the Performing Arts on March 26 at 6pm for the next incarnation of Songbook. And, not that I know a lot of the details, apparently these concerts are being streamed live on Twitter with Periscope (this phrase taken from the library’s website).

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Raj Bhimani, piano (2/24/18)

Preludes, Book 2 (1912–1913) – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Océanides (Etude for the Left Hand) (1986) – Thérèse Brenet (b. 1934)
Sonata in B Minor (1853) – Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

That looks like slim pickin’s doesn’t it? Don’t let looks deceive you. The Debussy was twelve individual pieces of various lengths. I’m neither going to name them (in both French and English) nor comment on each. The music of Debussy and his contemporaries is often described as impressionistic though some of them did not like that term. However, some of the washes of sound and rippling effects bring to mind the blurred colors and edges of Impressionist paintings, so the name stuck and is pretty much the accepted term. As a result, my impressions of the Preludes included words like rippling, modern harmonies, and use of extreme octaves—the same pitches played at the same time but in very high and low ranges at the same time. I also jotted down terms like pretty sounds, haunting but also edgy, and mostly soft, yet still angular.

One of my favorites was La Puerta del Vino (The Wine Gate), which was louder and more forthright, with a Latin, almost Habañera, rhythm—this movement had more structure than the first two. General Lavine – eccentric was livelier than the calmer pieces that preceded it, and was slightly jazzy with a real button at the end. After wispy and a little more energy, we came to Hommage à S. Pickwick Esq. P.P.M.P.C., which began with a riff on God Save the King/Queen paired with lots of loud block chords and other running jazzy phrases. After two more movements mingling mixes of sustained chords followed by brisk, repetitive phrases in a perpetual motion fashion, the entire oeuvre ended, after more rippling motion with pops of color and a couple of full keyboard glissandi, with a dramatic section and then a strangely subdued ending. It made me wonder whether Debussy envisioned all twelve to be played in order, in a single concert setting. I do like the fact that the final Etude is titled Feux d'Artifice (Fireworks) because Mikey and I were in France one year in mid-July, and while we couldn't see the actual quatorze Juillet celebration, we did get to see the dress rehearsal for the feux d'artifice.

Océanides was interesting in that is was not composed, as many one-handed pieces were, for war-ravaged musicians who returned sans a limb or two. It was composed more as an homage to all of those unsung soldiers who served. A lot of the harmonies were reminiscent of Debussy in that there was extensive use of the sustained pedal since one hand was doing double duty. One technique used that I had never seen before was the left arm, elbow to forearm, holding down the keys while the fingers played some upper notes. Overall, though, I enjoyed the technique more than the music itself.

The Liszt sonata was rather massive. It had a somber opening at the lower end of the keyboard, followed by an explosion of sound, and then classic, florid dramatic Liszt. A song-like section, after a lot of dark drama, led to powerful, full volume followed by a welcomed calmer section. The writing here seemed to be designed to stretch harmonic and compositional boundaries. What followed was a lovely melodic section that was actually slightly heartbreaking. Unfortunately, Mr. Bhimani seemed to have a slight memory lapse here, but he soldiered on. There was a return to drama, including fleet finger work (and lots of it) that was almost bombastic at times—I relished the quieter sections, however. All in all, the piece was too massive and jumpy for my taste. Mr. Bhimani played very well, but a couple of memory lapses (perceived or real) marred it for me, as well as the overall disjointed composition, itself.

ConcertMeister