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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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