Gotham Early Music Scene Opening Concert 2025–2026 Season (9/18/25)

Philippe Leroy, harpsichord
Music of Froberger, J.S. Bach & W.F. Bach  

Allemande faitte sur le subjet d’un chemin montaigneux la quelle se joüe à discrétion – Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667)

Partite Auff die Maÿerin
Prima Partita ~ Seconda Partita ~ Terza Partita ~ Quarta Partita ~ Sexta Partita – Crommatica ~ Courante – sopra Maÿerin ~ Double ~ Saraband – sopra Maÿerin  

Concerto nach Italiænischen Gusto [Italian Concerto], BWV 971 – J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
[Without tempo indication] ~ Andante ~ Presto 

Four Polonaises – W.F. Bach (1710–1784)
E minor – Andante – Falck 12, No. 8
C Major – Allegretto – Falck 12, No. 1
F minor – Adagio – Falck 12, No. 10
D Major – Allegretto – Falck 12, No. 3

A little about the harpsichord. I sat where I could see the keyboard, and there were two of them. He played the main keyboard and switched to the second one (slightly softer sound—different set of strings?). At one point, he must have used a coupler, a device that connects the two keyboards together, since he was playing the main keyboard, but the keys were also going down on the second one as well. It was pretty cool to see. As to the Bach boys, J.S. is Johann Sebastian (as I'm sure most of you know) while W.F. is Wilhelm Friedemann (Sebastian's second child but first son; don't ask about the rest of the children).

The first Froberger piece was gentle and slow, but a little brighter on the second keyboard, though still at a slow tempo. The word that came to mind was contemplative. The second piece was livelier, but just a bit. It was difficult to determine where the seven movements started and ended. The writing was richer and more dense, probably because the coupler was used a few times.

The J.S. Bach was very familiar to me from hearing it on the radio, where the recordings I've heard are on piano. This was my first time hearing it live and my first time hearing it on a harpsichord. The opening movement was brisk and bright, and I felt as if I was greeting an old friend. It was joyful. (There was a minor flub that I think was due to the foot pedal used to turn pages on the electronic score. Ask, if you're interested.) The second movement was slow and wistful, almost leaning toward somber. The third was back to bright, with fleet-fingered phrases—presto, indeed. Alas, another score flub resulted in him beginning the movement a second time. This was also a first for me, but it ended well.

F.W. Bach was next. The first Polonaise was slow and gentle, and it sounded to me as though there were brief hesitations built into the score, but that could be part of the artist's interpretation. The second was quick and seemed more like a dance, while the third was slow and pretty though it did go on for a while. The harpsichordist made some type of adjustment to the instrument that sounded like a way to increase the volume, making it sound almost like a small organ. The fourth Polonaise was also bright and playful. I was hard pressed to decide whether the third or fourth was my favorite; the edge went to the third.

An encore (not announced) was played. It was gentle, almost like a bookend to the first Froberger piece—contemplative. A nice way to end the concert.

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Open Stages (9/13/25)

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music

This was more of a "happening" (yes, I'm dating myself) than a concert per se. Open Stages is Brooklyn Conservatory of Music's way of bringing music to the people. This was a mini-street fair with musical performances on the stoop of a Brooklyn townhouse. There were hot dogs and hamburgers (free) with water/sodas/chips. There was a bouncy castle. There were soccer balls and skateboards. Oh, did I mention there were kids?

The MTA gave me convoluted directions, but I eventually found Rutland Road. Of course, I was early because I always build in time for getting lost. While eating my hot dog, I chit-chatted with a gal who flew in from San Diego to surprise her family because her grandchildren would be performing. Hi, Ellen!

Um, 'Meister, let's get to the concert? The afternoon started with a jazz trio—sax, electric guitar, drums—playing On the Sunny Side of the Street. After a brief equipment boo-boo, the trio played another jazzy number that I did not recognize, with a nice Latin flavor. After a third trio number, the drummer was replaced by a student drummer. I'm not good with ages, though he was probably about seven. He acquitted himself very well. A second guest drummer (nine?) replaced him and also did a great job. Then the drum teacher joined the second guest drummer for two drum duets.

Next on the program were two young cellists who are part of the Suzuki program at BCoM. I don't know a lot about the Suzuki method of string teaching, but it was interesting to see two different sized miniaturized cellos. Each cellist played two brief solos and then the two brothers played a duet. The cellists were my new friend Ellen's grandchildren.

Following that was a young lady playing the piano and singing It's a Better Place Since You Came Along. Indeed, with these programs for young music students it is a better place. And Ellen even pointed me to my beloved Q train for an easy ride home.

I got on the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music's mailing list after joining them for caroling in December 2024. There's a lot to explore out there.

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Orchestra of St. Luke's: A Sunset Celebration (9/3/25)

This was interesting. It took place in Bella Abzug Park, a place I'd never been to. The performers were from three generations: Youth Orchestra, Grad students from Mannes School of Music and Manhattan School of Music, and OSL players. I heard, in order, the grad school woodwind quintet, the OSL players brass quintet, and the youth orchestra.

The woodwind quintet consisted of flute, oboe, bassoon, French horn, and clarinet. Pay no attention to the fact that the flute is metal and so is the horn—just go with the flow. They played six pieces, but I don't know what they were. There was no running order for the event other than a QR code. I have no idea whether the QR code listed the pieces and composers. As most woodwind quintet pieces are bubbly to some extent, all six pieces were bubbly. The first piece was jolly though it also had a few subdued phrases. There was a good mix of phrases, a good mix of volumes, and a gentle ending. The second was bubbly while the third had subdued bubbling. The fourth had a calm opening and then the tempo picked up, quicker but not frantic. The fifth was in a slower, gentle tempo that was sort of a relaxed dance. The sixth opened with a brief bassoon solo, then it was quickly tutti (all five playing together), with relatively perky bubbling. I left early since the first set started at 4:00-ish, and the next group I wanted to hear started at 4:30.

Hello, brass quintet! The five here were French horn, trombone, tuba (the regular kind, not a Sousaphone), and two trumpets. The first piece sounded like a fanfare and was pretty modern. After they finished, it was announced that it was a fanfare written by Paul Dukas. My ear was pretty good. Some pieces were announced while some weren't. Next up was Puttin' on the Ritz. My notes say—pure fun! The third was a jazz tune that I didn't recognize, upbeat, with an almost ragtime feel. A Gershwin medley followed consisting of Fascinatin' Rhythm, Summertime, and I Got Rhythm. I was tempted to sing out like Merman but I restrained myself. West Side Story's Maria was next, and it opened with a horn/trombone duet, then tutti, then closed out with a lovely horn to finish. It was paired with Tonight—trumpet, horn, trombone to open, then tutti. It was fairly straightforward with a bright button ending. Not quite a medley, I Feel Pretty closed out the grouping in a bright and fun fashion. Mississippi Rag, written by William Krell, began with a short tuba solo and then they all joined in. It had a definite ragtime feel and format. Gershwin's Love Is Here to Stay was given a gentle treatment and arrangement, then going up tempo for the repeat, before returning to a gentle, jazzy ending. (Side note: I always thought the title was Our Love Is Here to Stay. Wikipedia disabused me of that. I also include this from Wikipedia as I found it interesting: "Love Is Here to Stay" was the last musical composition George Gershwin completed before his death on July 11, 1937. Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics after George's death as a tribute to his brother. Originally titled "It's Here to Stay" and then "Our Love Is Here to Stay," the song was finally published as "Love Is Here to Stay.") Tiger Rag, by anonymous? it has a bit of a checkered history, was a fairly typical rag, bright and brisk. A Dixieland one-step closed out the set, with built-in humor in the arrangement—think slide trombone with the trumpets gettin' in on the slidin'.

The youth orchestra grouping began with two movements of a Mozart string quartet (with one of the mentors playing viola). In the outdoor setting, it was a little difficult to hear. The whole group played Bruno Mars (I think) followed by the first movement of Eine kleine Nachtmusik. I packed it in after that. But the afternoon/evening was a lot of fun, and Puttin' on the Ritz was my hands-down favorite.

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