Brooklyn Wind Symphony (3/14/26)

Saxophone Spring Showcase 

Danse Macabre – Camille Saint Saëns, arr. Dannel Espinoza 
Comets – Jun Nagao 
The Planets, Op. 32: Jupiter – Gustav Holst, arr. Jared Waters 
Give Me Hunger – Stacy Garrop 
Serenade No. 2 Op. 44 – Antonin Dvorak, arr. Frederick R. Heyburn 

I. Moderato quasi marcia; II. Minuetto; III. Andante con moto; IV. Finale 

First, the players. Eleven saxophonists – three soprano, three alto, two tenor, two baritone, one bass. The first piece was played by all eleven. All the pieces except the second included all eleven, making an interesting, imposing sound. This was a fun piece with the melody tossed around to the different ranges of the saxophones. There was also the same melody slightly altered in a middle section before returning to the original and ending the piece. 

The second was a quartet. If memory serves, it was soprano, two altos, and a tenor. The music was relatively modern but still fairly melodic, though it was also a little harsh at times. 

The Holst was very familiar to me and probably would be to you, too. It was nicely jolly (its subtitle is the Bringer of Jollity). It also had tricky rhythms that were executed very well. 

The fourth work was originally written for the all-male vocal group Chanticleer. As a vocal piece, it had text from a Carl Sandburg poem that dealt with angst tempered with joy and tenderness, and the poem was read onstage before we got into the saxophone version. It was modern—a few more dissonances than the Nagao, above. A tender section followed that began very sweetly while still including the dissonances. Parts of the chordal section (I could easily envision this part being sung) were quite pretty, bordering on the majestic. 

The Serenade was also familiar to me; it’s nice greeting old friends again. The first movement was solid and straightforward with a gentle second section. Then it built in volume and intensity before returning to the opening march but ending quietly. The second had a pleasant dance-like feel that then turned into a more energetic dance. It was rather long, but it held my interest just fine. The third movement had pretty themes and was lovely to listen to. It started out with nice rhythms and tunes—quite soothing even though the sound was full. The intensity was upped before being drawn back just a bit, ending quietly. The final movement had an energetic opening, then became pretty rollicking before calming down. This was followed by a return to the opening theme of the movement and building to a bang-up ending. 

It took a little getting used to the idea of a saxophone ensemble, but if you ever get the chance to hear one, grab on to it! 

ConcertMeister

The Orchestra Now (3/8/26)

William Tell Overture – Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)

Faust Ballet Music – Charles Gounod (1818–1893)
The Nubian Women; Adagio; Antique Dance; Cleopatra Variations; The Trojan Women; Mirror Variations; Dance of Phryné

Symphony in D Minor – César Franck (1822–1890)
Lento–Allegro non troppo; Allegretto; Allegro non troppo

(N.B. Fewer observations than usual because the house was so dark that I couldn't scribble notes. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Also, it's rare to hear a live, full orchestra concert for free in NYC. I'm a lucky fellow.)

This was a first for me, hearing the William Tell Overture live. There are several distinct sections to the overture, but almost everyone is familiar with the last one. I was surprised, in a sense, that I was so much more aware of the different sections. And I think that’s because I’m used to hearing engineered recordings—no real breaks, no hearing pages being turned, no chairs/feet scraping, etc. So, while the work seemed a bit choppy to me, I guess hearing the real deal is worth it, giving me a little more insight to both the music and my listening habits. 

The Gounod Faust Ballet Music was also familiar to me, though I’m not sure I’ve heard all seven sections at one time. It was fittingly Romantic (of that compositional era) and brought to mind swirling movements and pretty stage pictures. The seven sections worked well for me, whereas the Rossini didn’t quite flow as a through composed piece. It was lovely all around. 

The Franck symphony was also very enjoyable with broad grand themes and a sense of urgency at times. 

And we were treated to an encore (the first time I’ve heard this orchestra play one)—Dance of the Hours, from La Giocanda by Amilcare Ponchielli. Believe me, you’d recognize it. Probably as “Hello, Muddah, hello Faddah!”  

ConcertMeister

Gotham Early Music Scene (2/26/26)

Lazzuli Baroque – New York Début
Viaggio d’Amore 

Luce Burrell ~ lute & theorbo; Rocky Duval ~ mezzo-soprano; Roseline Lambert ~ soprano; Caroline Nicolas ~ viola da gamba   

Hope 
Io son pur vezzosetta – Claudio Monteverdi (1567−1643) 
Soccorretemi per pietà – Giovanni Felice Sances (1600−1679)  

Infatuation
Godere e tacere – Barbara Strozzi (1619−1677)
Non è di gentil core – Claudio Monteverdi (1567−1643)  

Fighting 
Mentita – Barbara Strozzi (1619−1677)
Dialogo in Partenza – Strozzi   

Breakup
Che si può fare – Strozzi
La vita solitaria – Nicolò Fontei (?−1647)
Ohimè dovè il mio ben – Claudio Monteverdi (1567−1643)  

Happy ending 
Bella mia questo core ~ Amante – Felice Giovanni Stefani (17th century) 
Su su prendi la cetra o pastore – Sigismondo D’India (1582−1629)  

The first work was a vocal duet accompanied by viola da gamba and theorbo. (Do we all remember the theorbo—the lute on steroids?) The piece was fairly lively, with a slower section followed by back to jolly. The second was similar if a little more subdued. There were lots of runs up and down and quite a few melismas—one syllable sung to many, many notes. The piece ended with a slower section. 

The third work was, once again, very similar, which was a bit of a problem. I found myself not quite figuring out where one song ended and the next began, though I did manage to figure out where the fourth started. I lost track of the fifth song altogether. 

The sixth had a short theorbo solo that led into a lament performed by all four.  The seventh was for soprano accompanied by the gamba and theorbo, with the gamba featured quite prominently. 

Beginning with the eighth piece, the lute replaced the theorbo. Oddly, it seemed to have more of a presence than the larger instrument. This work was also a bit of a lament that was both sadder and more subdued. The ninth had a few dissonances that brought to mind some of the music of Carlo Gesualdo, a composer who stretched the ideas of harmony a little. And it captured the sadness quite well. 

The tenth had a lute opening that was a bright beginning to the “Happy ending” section of the program. It featured the mezzo along with the lute and gamba. A repeated rhythm from the lute added, and in fact caused, the drive of the piece. 

The final work brought back the theorbo, and it continued the rhythm driving the vocal duet. The gamba didn’t enter until after the extended opening and then it was time for it to shine. There was a nice build in volume and tempo to bring it to its conclusion. 

I liked the way the program was laid out—on paper. The execution did not quite work as planned, though. At first, I thought that the audience would hold applause until the end of each of the five sections, but that didn’t happen. As a result, each section did not seem to achieve its goal in the arc that looked so nice on paper. And I think that also contributed to not quite knowing where one song/section ended and the next began. Just a minor quibble, though. It was a nice program and exposed me to four composers I’d never heard of—Sances, Fontei, Stefani and D’India. I’m glad I went.

ConcertMeister