Make Music New York, 6/21/25

Semi-successful. I decided to try for four events. Only two worked out.

I revisited Sousapalooza and had a blast again. The all-volunteer band was great, and the conductor was also very good. The marches we heard, in order, were: El Capitan (which, per the conductor, is from a Sousa operetta titled El Capitan!); Fairest of the Fair (backstory is a Boston food court, but I didn't get the whole backstory); Hands across the Sea; High School Cadets; In Memoriam: President Garfield's Funeral March (though it was also played at Sousa's funeral); Liberty Bell; Manhattan Beach; Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (written in 1923, this was the first Sousapalooza hearing, and it had a tambourine in the percussion section); Semper Fideles; The Thunderer; The Washington Post; and—wait for it—The Stars and Stripes Forever. One of the clarinetists played a shortened clarinet. I asked him about it and he said it was an E-flat clarinet. I'd heard of them (and probably have heard one before), but this was the first time I can recall ever seeing one.

My next stop was at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space. I had been there once before for an Open House New York tour. Alas, the Make Music performances were canceled by the police. I never really found out why.

Having time to kill, I took the M8 bus (my first time on this particular route) over to 511 LaGuardia Place to hear the Nevermind Orchestra. I found 505 LaGuardia but not 511. Well, it turns out that 511 is an outdoor garden. Sheesh! They could have put that in the description of the event. Oh, and my schedule had it as 3:30pm. It was really 4p–6p, and they started late. So I ended up deciding to skip my 5p–6p event. The Nevermind Orchestra is trumpet, trombone, tuba, saxophone (tenor, I think) and drums. They play Nirvana tunes. I lasted through four and was out of there.

As I said at the beginning, semi-successful. Oh well. There's always December 21, 2025 and next year on June 21.

ConcertMeister

The Knights – Naumburg Orchestral Concerts 2025 – 6/10/25

Colin & Eric Jacobsen, Artistic Directors

Concerto Grosso from L’Estro Armonico for Two Violins, Cello, and Strings in G minor, Op. 3, No. 2 (RV 578), (1711) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
1. Adagio e spiccato, 2. Allegro, 3. Larghetto, 4. Allegro
Colin Jacobsen and Nanae Iwata, violins, Alex Greenbaum, cello

Summerland: for Flute, Harp, and String Trio, (1935) – William Grant Still (1895–1978)
Alex Sopp, flute, Megan Conley, harp

Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 1038, (1732–35) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
1. Largo, 2. Vivace, 3. Adagio, 4. Presto
Colin Jacobsen, violin, Alex Sopp, flute, Eric Jacobsen, cello, Steven Beck, harpsichord

Gran Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass – Giovanni Bottesini (1821–1889)
1. Allegro - Andante 2. Allegro vivace - Moderato
Agnes Marchione, clarinet, Zachary Cohen, double bass

Danses sacrée et profane, (1904) – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Megan Conley, harp

Sound of the Five (arranged for marimba and strings), (2001) – Chen Yi (b. 1953)
3. Romance of Hsiao and Ch’in, 4. Flower Drums in Dance
Joseph Gramley, marimba

Traditional, arr. Danish String Quartet (from Last Leaf)
Polska from Dorotea, Unst Boat Song, The Dromer

Alas, I ended up in Central Park without a pen. As a result, you'll be pelted with more generalizations than usual.

The four movements of the Vivaldi were a textbook example of a Concerto Grosso—a small group (three) of players versus a large (grosso) group of players. In this case, the grosso was still pretty small, but you get my drift. It was Vivaldi. It was fairly predictable. It was enjoyable. It was a great kickoff to a great season of a great concert season.

The William Grant Still work was lovely. The chamber players were tucked away in a corner of the Naumburg bandshell, but that's logistics for you. Now I'm going to be the bad guy. There is very little classical music played or broadcast written by African-American composers. I am glad The Knights took this step.

The Bach Trio Sonata was another lovely chamber work performed from the Naumburg stage. It's great to know that small works and larger works can be presented there. 

The Gran Duo for Clarinet and Double Bass was a surprise to me. I have never before heard a double bass in that high a register. I love learning new things.

Debussy and harp, what can I say? Even the profane were as lovely as the sacrée.

Believe it or not, I'd heard some of the Chen Yi music earlier this spring, at an Orchestra of St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra concert on Staten Island (yes, I do get around!). Dr. Chen was at the Staten Island concert but not at the Naumburg concert. I liked the marimba version, which was very different from what I had heard earlier. New things can be interesting.

Danish music was new to me (thank you, Greenland). The folk tunes were a lot of fun to hear. Hey, I warned you that there would be a lot of generalizations. (I have since bought four pens at Dollar Tree, so I'll keep two in my murse.)

ConcertMeister

BALAM Dance Theatre – 6/5/25

Baroque Dance Fantasies about England, France & Spain 

Dongmyung Ahn, Teresa Salomon ~ violins; Andrea Andros ~ viola; Lisa Terry ~ violoncello; Gabe Shuford ~ harpsichord; Ryan Closs ~ guitar
Yumiko Niimi, Robin Gilbert & Carlos Fittante ~ dancers    

The Olde Batchelor, Z. 607 – Henry Purcell (1659‒1695)
Overture: While the Swans Come Forward ~ “Swan Boat” Hornpipe ~ Slow Air/Sarabande ~      Hornpipe ~ Rondeau ~ Minuet ~ Bourrée ~ March ~ Jig 

Concerts Royaux No. 1 – Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632‒1687)
Prélude ~ Sarabande ~ Gigue ~ Menuet en Trio       

Harlequin Goes Bird Watching –
Chaconne des scaramouches from Trivelins et Arlequins – Lully
Gavotte & Allemande from Concerts Royaux – François Couperin (1668‒1733) 
Tambourins I & II from Les Indes Galantes – Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683‒1764) 

Première Livre de Pièces de Clavecin in D minor (Paris, 1702) – Louis Marchand (1669‒1732)
Prélude ~ Chaconne en rondeau 

La Folia (arr. Lewis Baratz of La Fiocco) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741)

This was a very balanced program. A mix of orchestral movements and pieces combined with dances accompanied by the onstage instrumentalists.

The Purcell had an instrumental overture that then led into two dancers arriving with swan heads attached at their waists. Very clever, for the “Swan Boat” Hornpipe. The other seven movements included a male dance solo, a female solo (with tambourine), a duet Minuet, and a male solo Bourée. A note on the stylized dancing. For the most part, it was courtly—genteel, small arm movements, small leg movements, only one twirling seated lift (repeated twice). There was minor use of props—a rose, a fan, a notebook, a frond of leaves, a garland of flowers, etc. Simple, yet effective.

The second work was an instrumental interlude, ostensibly allowing for costume changes for the dancers. But the music (by Lully) stood well on its own. The Prélude, Sarabande, and Gigue were scored for solo violin, guitar, harpsichord, and cello. The Sarabande (in keeping with the dance theme) was gentle, while the Gigue was livelier. The Menuet added an additional violin and was gentle, but with verve.

The next three works were pretty much taken as one group. First, a solo male masked Harlequin entertained us. The second was a masked female solo dancing as a bird. The third featured the masked Harlequin watching the masked bird through a telescope. Fanciful, it included props of flowers and a butterfly. Flights of fancy, indeed.

The Marchand composition was for harpsichord solo, allowing for additional costume changes. But the two-movement work also stood on its own very well. Calm, then livelier, then livelier still.

After retuning, and with the string players standing (except, of course, the cello), the finale was all you'd expect it to be. The guitarist seemed to disappear, but I suspect he provided drum beats and castanet sounds, while the female of the dance duet provided finger-cymbal percussion that accompanied the stylized dance movements, again including hops, arm movements, leg movements, and gentle spins.

This was an interesting change from the usual (and very good) instrumental/vocal concerts. Kudos, Gotham Early Music Scene.

ConcertMeister

The Imaginary Invalid (5/24/25)

Molière in the Park (the park being Prospect Park in Brooklyn, at the LeFrak Center)

This is the first time I've ever seen a Molière play. The seven actors (two of whom played multiple roles) did a wonderful job of presenting this French farce in an English translation. All of the speaking actors are members of Actors' Equity Association. Whether a waiver was involved, I do not know. The choreographer danced in the performance, and the composer/cellist also took part in the live performance. I wasn't overwhelmed with the dancing (hip-hop, pop-lock) but it was done well.

OK, I'm going to make this all about me for a few sentences. When I was a kid, we did plagiarized versions of folk tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel) and Disney movie musicals (Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty) at a playhouse in a park with a covered audience area. This, though, in Brooklyn, was our Playhouse in the Pines on steroids. The set, while minimal, was very effective. The lighting seemed to be effective (I attended a matinee). The audience (about 250 of us) sat in a squared off horseshoe, though all of us could see all of the action.

It was very funny, without veering into slapstick. It turns out that the Imaginary Invalid eventually learns that he really is not an invalid. There are also philosophical agents at work that change the minds of more than one character. Other characters learn to view themselves from other vantage points. Seeing an open-air theater performance was a lot of fun and also brought back a lot of memories.

The organization is called Molière in the Park, and they've been doing this for quite some while (nineteen years?). I'm glad I stumbled upon them this spring. I'll be on the lookout for other presentations of theirs. I am a lucky fellow, indeed.

ConcertMeister

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.

ConcertMeister

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.

ConcertMeister

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.

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

Treasures of the High Baroque (2/6/25)

Gotham Early Music Scene
Jörg-Michael Schwarz ~ violin; Dongsok Shin ~ harpsichord 

Sonata per il Violino e Cembalo in G Major, BWV 1021 – J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
Adagio; Vivace; Largo; Presto

Sonata per il Violino e Cembalo in F Major, BWV 1022 – J.S. Bach
[Largo]; Allegro e presto; Adagio; Presto

Sonata in G minor del Signore Bach, BWV 1020 (formerly attributed to J.S. Bach) – C.P.E. Bach (1714–1788)
Allegro; Adagio; Allegro

Sonata No. 6 in G Major, BWV 1019 (ca. 1720) – J.S. Bach
Allegro; Largo; Cembalo solo Allegro; Adagio; Allegro

It was a wonderful concert. Both players are masters of their instruments. As you can see, all four works were very similar, so I'm going into teacher mode. Some of you may want to skip this part. Adagio = slowly (though not always somber). Vivace = brisk. Largo = slowly but maybe a little different from Adagio. Presto is more brisk than Vivace.

[Largo] has already been addressed, but I have no idea why the brackets were included in the second work on the program. Allegro e presto seems to be a hybrid Vivace. 

So far, the first two works were four movements each. It's a sort of a standard—until it isn't. The third work was three movements, which is also perfectly acceptable as sonata form.

So, of course, the fourth work had five movements. Is anyone confused yet? Suffice it to say that there were interesting situations where the harpsichord had a brief introduction before being joined by the violin. There were many instances where the two were equal partners. There was the cembalo (and as far as I can find, cembalo and harpsichord are interchangeable) solo movement in the fourth sonata. So, as much as the four works were alike, they were also slightly different. To me, that's a good thing.

Of note, the violin retuned to the harpsichord between each work, but not between individual movements. Hmm, the things that make me go hmm. Also of note (see the BWV listings above), I learned that BWV stands for Bach Werke Verzeichnis, Leipzig 1950; i.e., Complete Works of J.S. Bach. Which is probably why the C.P.E. Bach piece has a BWV number, since it was originally attributed to J.S.

Did I mention that the music was wonderful? And that the crowd was very appreciative? I'll be back (no, I am not going there) for more GEMS concerts.

ConcertMeister

Passiones Animae ~ Parisian Sensibilities (1/23/25)

This concert was under the auspices of Gotham Early Music Scene.

Ela Kodzas, violin; Nuria Canales Rubio, flute; Ryan Cheng, violin & viola da gamba; Allen Maracle, violoncello; Nathan Mondry, harpsichord

Suite en trio No. 1 in G minor, from Livre de Simphonies, Op. 1 ~ Louis-Antoine Dornel (1680–1765) [six movements]

Sonata 4 in D minor from Sonates pour un flute traversière par accords ~ Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689–1755) [four movements]

Sonata No. 2 in D minor from Livre 3: Sonates pour le violoncelle ~ Jean Baptiste Barrière (1707–1747) [four movements]

Paris Quartet No. 4 in B minor from Nouveaux Quatuors ~ G.P. Telemann (1681–1767) [six movements]

Obviously, I'm not going to name every movement of every work—in fact, sometimes they sort of blended into one another. One caught my eye, however. The last movement of the Telemann – Meneuet – flipped with the fourth – Vite. I could only find Menuet as a spelling. But I digress.

The first work was for flute, violin, cello, and harpsichord. A note, here, the harpsichord was omnipresent, as continuo, though it was featured more fully a few times. Continuo sort of means always there, as a base for the work.

The second was for violin and flute. OK, I'll get these out of the way from the get go. All of the movements for all of the works included lively, calm, brisk but not frantic, dance-like in a genteel way, brighter, and fun, etc.

One of the works included viola da gamba and cello. As a result, all of the movements had a bit more heft, because of the presence of lower strings. But the flute was also there, to brighten things up.

The Telemann managed to skip the George/Georg quandary. By flipping the fourth and sixth movements, the ensemble ended up on a bright note. I imagine this type of thing also occurred regularly in the 1700s.

Three of the four composers were new to me, which is fairly rare. But I'm always happy to learn.

ConcertMeister

The Baltimore Consort (1/9/25)

The Food of Love: Songs, Dances & Fancies for Shakespeare

Mary Anne Ballard ~ treble & bass viols; Mark Cudek ~ cittern; Larry Lipkis ~ bass viol, recorder, crumhorn & gemshorn; Ronn McFarlane ~ lute; Mindy Rosenfeld ~ flutes, fifes, bagpipes & crumhorn; Danielle Svonanvec ~ soprano

Happy New Year from the Gotham Early Music Scene concerts. They had one on January 2 that I did not attend—better late than never, eh?

With sixteen pieces (most composed in the very late 1500s) on the program, you're only getting highlights. Nine plays were represented: As You Like It (two pieces); Twelfth Night (three); Romeo and Juliet (two); Henry IV, Part II & A Winter's Tale (two); The Tempest (three); Merry Wives of Windsor & Othello (two); and Midsummer Night's Dream (two). Quite a full plate.

Are some instruments new to you? Me, too. The cittern is a plucked string instrument with a flat back;  therefore it's a little sturdier and easier to construct and transport than the rounded-back lute. The viols are precursors to cellos. Fifes and bagpipes are fairly self-explanatory. Your assignment is to seek out the gemshorn and the crumhorns. Class dismissed.

On to the music. This well-curated program flowed beautifully. Instrumental pieces segued very nicely into the vocal pieces associated with them. Even with the array of instruments, most of the pieces were mild to gentle, though there were some livelier dance-like works. Some were pieces that might have been a part of the aforementioned plays, while others were lyrics that Shakespeare himself wrote. Those included It Was a Lover and His Lass, O Mistresse Mine, Where the Bee Sucks (composed by Robert Johnson), Full Fathom Five (also R. Johnson), and Willow Song.

Others that might have been included, perhaps as incidental music, were Greensleeves, and two broadside ballads – slightly longer works – Complain My Lute, and The Carman's Whistle. The soprano acquitted herself quite well throughout but outdid herself in the final work on the program – The Mad, Merry Pranks of Robin Goodfellow. She had changed from her earlier pretty dress into a pair of trousers, a shirt, and a hooded cape. She used props (a drape) and humor (a withering glare at the bagpiper) to very good comic effect. Robin Goodfellow is also known as Puck, so you can see why humor was involved.

Preceding the final work was Fairie Rownde, from Pavanes, Galliards, and Alamains (1599) (composed by Antony Holborn). It was lively and playful, as fairies should be!

Happy new year, indeed, from many years ago.

ConcertMeister