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