Alpha and Omega

6/11/24 and 6/13/24
Nosky's Baroque Band and The Academy Players – Running the Gamut

Alpha. Tuesday, June 11 was the first of this season's Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. Aislinn Nosky was the featured violin soloist. Here's the program:

Sinfonia in D Major, Op. 6, No. 12, (1735) – Evaristo Felice Dell'Abaco (1675–1742)
Concerto Grosso in A minor Op.6. No.4, HWV 322, (1732) – George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Concerto Grosso No.1 in G major, (1740) – Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer (1692–1766)
Concerto Grosso in E flat major, Op. 7 No. 6, "il Pianto d'Arianna" (1741) – Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695–1764)
Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op. 6 No. 3 (1712 or prior) – Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)
Quintet (Sinfonia Spirituosa) in D Major, TWV 44:1 – Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Violin concerto in D major, RV 208 "il Grosso Mogul" (1720) – Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)

You may be asking why is the spacing of the works is all out of whack? I retyped them, as is, from the printed program. You may be asking what is a concerto grosso? It's a piece that pits a larger portion of the orchestra against a smaller portion, with the larger portion being grosso. Almost all of the concerti grosso had multiple movements, so I spared you (and me) from naming all of them.

The band had the usual four strings sections – violins, violas, cellos, and bass – but with added theorbo (does everyone remember what a theorbo is?) and harpsichord. A well-rounded ensemble. The concerti grosso were all played very nicely. The Vivaldi violin concerto was exceptional. Ms. Nosky was interrupted with applause at least three times, akin to what you would experience at a jazz performance. Yes, she was that good.

Omega. Midtown Concerts with Gotham Early Music Scene. Yes, Thursday, June 13 was their final concert until the series picks up again September 12, 2024. Here's the program:

La Gamme – En forme d'un petit Opéra (1723) – Marin Marais (1656–1728)

Marais is a composer whose name I know, but I can't recall ever hearing his music live before. The piece was essentially a through-composed work of many individual movements broken up into two parts. Confused yet? So was I.

Ut-Ré-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si-Ut-Si (Gravemont-Rondement)
Si (Un peu plus gay)-La-Sol-Fa-Mi-Ré-Ut

The trio was viola de gamba (pretty much a cello held above the gound by the player's legs), harpsichord, and violin. There were interesting sections where each individual instrument was highlighted, but they were few and far between. For the most part it was (for me, at least) what sounded a lot like what I had just heard for the last few minutes, without enough oomph to keep me overly interested. Am I glad I went? Definitely. Will I seek this work out again? Doubtful.

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The Orchestra Now (5/19/24)

Chloé Van Soeterstède, conductor (début)

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Trombone Concerto – Realisation; Rumination; Illumination – Dani Howard (b. 1993); Peter Moore, trombone
Symphonic Dances – Non allegro; Andante con moto (Tempo di valse); Lento assai–Allegro vivace – Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

Full disclosure—this was not a free concert. I spent a whopping $15 for a balcony seat (and the balcony was pretty much empty). I bought my ticket the day before the concert, since I'm having problems making commitments these days. That said, I'm really glad I went.

Here's the reason I went. I had never heard the Debussy live before. I danced to it in Virginia before moving to NYC. But the piece also means a lot to me for another reason. When Michael and I would go on vacation to one of our favorite Florida spots, we knew that the places we usually rented had a cassette player (remember them?). We always brought a cassette that had Faun on it. When we arrived, we'd put the cassette on, play Faun, and say, "Now we're really on vacation."

Well, The Orchestra Now did not disappoint. Their playing was ethereal, gossamer, and beautiful. I'm so glad I've now heard the composition live.

Now, on to another first. I had never heard a trombone concerto before. This was the U.S. premiere of the work, played by Peter Moore, for whom it was written, and who also had some input assisting the composer. Alas, I've misplaced my handwritten notes, but the three movements were interesting, and included some beautiful writing, some virtuoso writing, and some (for want of a better word) splazzando (pronounced splat-zon-doh) writing, for which lower brass instruments are well known. It was a tour de force played very well by both the soloist and the orchestra.

The Rachmaninoff, also in three movements, was quite an earful. Written late in his life (1940), it was much more modern than I associate with Rachmaninoff (late Romantic). The middle movement, Tempo di valse, was an almost intoxicating perpetual motion—the waltz was omnipresent, almost overpowering. The entire work was a joy to listen to, and I had a great time in the rafters of the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was also my first time hearing anything at that venue.

A lot of firsts, hearing an ensemble that I know very well.

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20th Century Romantics (5/12/24)

Langsamer Satz – Anton Webern (1883–1945)
Amy Schroeder, Katie Hyun, violins; Jordan Bak, viola; Brook Speltz, cello

Three Pieces for String Quartet, K019 – Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
No. 1; No. 2; No. 3
Siwoo Kim, Alex Fortes, violins; Yura Lee, viola; Michael Nicolas, cello

Octet in C Major, op. 7 – George Enescu (1881–1955)
Très modéré; Trés fougueux; Lentement; Mouvement de Valse bien rhythmée
All eight string players

This was my first free concert at Trinity Church Wall Street. I won't bore you with the technical ticketing problems—I made it in with time to spare. I knew the names of all three composers, but I know I had never heard Webern or Enescu in live performance before.

The Webern began slow and stately, dense and full without being oppressive at all. At times it bordered on haunting but it was also lovely. A great concert opener.

The first movement of the Stravinsky had the hard, driving rhythms often used by the composer. The second movement was a little calmer, but still rhythmic, especially in pizzicato (plucked strings) phrases. Also as usual, there were few discernible tunes to speak of. The third movement was richer and denser, and even calmer than the second of the three. There were some dissonances (harsh sounds), but they were pretty dissonances.

The four movements of the Enescu were slightly misleading as I had trouble figuring out when one left off and another started. It was a 40-minute work (and we were warned ahead of time). That said, it sailed along easily. It had a solid opening, strong and slightly dramatic, with a touch of lush sounds. It was enjoyable, with a soft, subdued ending. The second movement was brisk and bold, almost furious. Then it calmed down (a little) (and not for long), leading into (attacca—without pause) the third movement, appropriately slow and song-like, in a plaintive way (attacca) then with sort of aggressive phrases mixed in in obvious waltz time.

It was a very enjoyable concert in a very historical space (only steps away from ground zero). Oddly, I worked near there in 1993 when the first attack on the World Trade Center occurred. Small world, isn't it?

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Jane's Walks 2024 (Days 2 and 3)

May 4–5, 2024

(Day 2) Meet the Women's Rights Pioneers of Central Park (5/4, 9AM); Queer Harlem Renaissance: Exploring Queer Harlem History Using Augmented Reality (5/4, 1PM); From Walter to Walt: Cruising Whitman's Literary Seaport (5/4, 3PM).

(Day 3) Before Brooklyn Commons: MetroTech's Creation and Resulting Displacements (5/5, 11AM); LUV in PLG: Telling you about my girlfriend who lived next door (5/5, 1PM).

Hmm, the first walk on Saturday never happened. I was the only one who showed up.

The second was quite enjoyable, even though it happened at 11AM instead of 1PM (scheduling snafu). I missed out on some of the Augmented Reality portion, since they wanted us to download an app, and use it along the walk. (Not me.) Fortunately, they also had hard copy photos to show us, and the commentary made things very clear. Apparently, Harlem in the 1920s, '30s, and '40s was a hotbed of queer establishments as well as jazz and black establishments. Alas, they are all gone now, but we learned a lot about their histories—people as well as places. The walk was by two (former?) Columbia students who had created a project for school and then expanded it into a walking tour. I think this was their first Jane's Walk.

The third was also a lot of fun. The tour guide was knowledgeable (though a little hard to hear) and walked us through Manhattan's City Hall area, through parts of lower Manhattan, ending at South Street Seaport. We heard about Whitman's early years and family life in both Long Island and Brooklyn. We heard about Whitman's early years on his own in City Hall area boarding houses (probably his first forays into same sex relationships). We heard about how he essentially had to self publish his writings at first. And we ended at the Seaport, where there is a small museum devoted to Whitman. It was a nice overview of his life and work in New York. They even gave us snacks and cider at the museum.

Sunday was all-Brooklyn, all-the-time. First was MetroTech Center, which I knew of only as a subway stop. It turns out that it is a rather large business complex, developed to bring business into a centralized Brooklyn area. Of course, this meant razing buildings and, in the name of progress, displacing people. The general history of the area focused on the progress. This walk highlighted a little more of the razing and displacing. In fact, the quadrangle of modern buildings, with open space in the center, was actually a design concept to keep the public (other than the folks who worked there) out. Some of this only recently came to light. There were some landmarked areas including a former firehouse, a former building that had served as a church and as a stop on the underground railway in the slavery era, and a small series of wood frame row houses. So, I saw a lot and I learned a lot. Unfortunately, some of it was in a light drizzle, but I was a trouper.

The final walk was a hoot! The guide took us along the route of his early dates with a new girlfriend. He recounted (in reality, we did) a conversation from his first date—he handed out a script, had us pair off, and read the script. It was very funny, and worked perfectly as an icebreaker. As we walked to the next stops, there was lots of interaction between us tour guests. He recounted second and third dates, including what went right and what went not so right. He stopped for story time twice; they worked well as set pieces. He took us to the sidewalk outside of a wine bar where he had an interesting date, and he shared a bottle of wine with us. Oh, and there was a miniature music box at one point. I won't spoil the ending, but we all had a great time. (I was worried at one point when we walked down a street that had a DEAD END sign. Turns out it was a false alarm.)

Will I do Jane's Walks next May? You bet I will.

ConcertMeister

Jane's Walks 2024

Jane's Walks 2024
May 3–5, 2024

A little history. Jane's Walks are named for Jane Jacobs, who was an early urban planner. Specifically, she helped to prevent Robert Moses from destroying Washington Square Park. Read up on her.

(Day 1) Art hopping through the Upper Westside (May 3, 9AM); Urban Forest Care in Hell’s Kitchen (May 3, 11AM); The Hidden (& Not So Hidden) WWI Memorials and Monuments of Central Park (5/3, 1PM); Financial District: It Happened Here First (5/3, 3PM).

(Day 2) Meet the Women's Rights Pioneers of Central Park (May 4, 9AM), alas no one met me; Queer Harlem Renaissance: Exploring Queer Harlem History Using Augmented Reality, 5/4, 1PM; From Walter to Walt: Cruising Whitman's Literary Seaport (5/4, 3PM).

(Day 3) Before Brooklyn Commons: MetroTech's Creation and Resulting Displacements (5/5 @ 11AM); LUV in PLG: Telling you about my girlfriend who lived next door (May 5 at 1 PM).

Wow, what a weekend. The first walk met at the Hungarian Pastry Shop. IYKYK. I did not. Ask if you're interested. We walked across Amsterdam Ave. to the Children's Sculpture Garden on the grounds of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I had no idea it was there, and I've been going up there for decades. Fascinating. Check it out if you're up there. It turns out that the pastry shop is pretty well known too, just not by me. The second stop was the cathedral itself. This was pretty well known by me, but I saw a lot of things that were new to me. My last visit was probably in the 1990s. I've posted a couple of photos on FB (I'm Uncke David on FB; ask if you're interested). The third stop was supposed to be Columbia University. Nope, protests interfered.

The second walk was trees in Hell's Kitchen. Have you ever seen those planters between bike lanes and the rest of avenue traffic? If there's a tree (or other plants) there, a tree steward is taking care of them. These folks volunteer their time to make your city more healthful and more beautiful. I learned a lot from the Hell's Kitchen tree steward who led this walk, which also included a visit to a hyperlocal (word stolen from NY1 TV) park.

The WWI Memorials walk was really pretty nice. Unfortunately, one of the memorials we saw was recently vandalized. But I did learn that there is a memorial to Joyce Kilmer (author of the poem Trees) at the base of, appropriately, a tree. I also learned that Joyce was a he. Now you know, too. 

The fourth Friday walk was stellar. The leader was incredibly knowledgable, she spoke to the large group (30+) in a voice that could be he heard by all, and she was witty, too. Since a lot of what she would be discussing was buildings and occurrences that don't currently exist, she passed out 'imaginary caps' so that we could follow along. Clever lady, and it worked beautifully. Before we started, her iPad that had a lot of photos that she wanted to show us crashed. She took a vote as to whether we wanted her to go to Starbucks and upload them all over again or start the tour. We opted to start the tour. Technology is great until it isn't. Fortunately, her photos came back.

More on days two and three later.

ConcertMeister (even though it was not a concert)

The Gerda Lissner Foundation Vocal Competition Winners Concert 2023/2024 (5/2/24)

First off, I was thrilled to be in a Carnegie Hall free concert. I didn't even have to practice! That said, I'm not a huge fan of vocal competitions (or Tonys, Oscars, etc.). I understand how they work, but the inherent ranking rubs me slightly the wrong way. Off my soap box, now.

The Lissner Foundation Concert presents Lieder/Song, Opera, Operetta, and Zarzuela winners. The program also honored Metropolitan Opera star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo—and he performed. And we did, too. More on that later.

There were ten prize winners who performed, so I will not name them all. I know you good folks are great at internet searches. I will say that Midge Woolsey (formerly of WQXR) was a wonderful host and that Arlene Shrut was a fabulous accompanist/partner who played for every performer on the stage.

Tops for me was Maire Therese Carmack (Mezzo-Soprano) who sang Love Let the Wind Cry by Undine Smith Moore, "Lyubasha's Aria" from The Tsar's Bride, and "Du bist der Lenz" from Die Walkure.

Quite the show piece was "Al pensar en el dueño de mis amores" from Las Hijas del Zebedo, sung by Rosaria Armas. Have you guessed yet that this was the Zarzuela winner? Zarzuela is sort of like Spanish-language operetta.

The operetta winner "If I Were on the Stage (Kiss Me Again)" from Mlle. Modiste, by Victor Herbert, tugged at my heartstrings because I performed in the chorus of the operetta in the late 1970s here in NYC. Shelén Hughes (Soprano) did a great job.

Karoline Podolak (Soprano) did very well with "Je suis Tiania" from Mignon and slightly less than successful with "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide.

My other favorite was Yeongtaek Yang (Baritone) performing "Si può? ... Si può?" from I Pagliacci.

Anthony Roth Costanzo re-created part of his Met Opera Orpheus. In the opera, the chorus shouts/sings "No" several times. He had us rehearse it and then perform it when he performed. It was effective, but wore a little bit thin. I'm not big on audience participation.

All in all, a wonderful free concert in a wonderfully historic hall. I even changed my seat before the concert began, and the staff members were extremely helpful.

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Centennial Celebration Concert (4/28/24)

New York Mandolin Orchestra

What the what? Yes, there is a New York Mandolin Orchestra. Yes, it was founded in 1924. Yes, there was a free concert (I gave a modest donation) at the Church of the Holy Trinity, about a block and a half away from my apartment on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

For the record, a mandolin orchestra has first mandolins, second mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, and, in this case, a mandobass (I'm not making this up, you know). Additionally, two of the mandolinists played guitar in the concert, but I have no idea where or when.

There were nineteen pieces on the program so I am not listing all nineteen. My first takeaway was that a lot of the pieces sounded very similar to one another. Mandolins have a limited volume range, and there is not a lot of sostenuto (sustained writing) for mandolins. They require a lot of strumming (think frantic Vivaldi violin bowing) to imitate a sustained sound. That said, I enjoyed the concert quite a bit.

My favorites included an arrangement of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (appropriately written in 1924) and Rachmaninoff's Vocalise (I've pretty much given up on hearing the original version).

Passage Work (Catherine Hawkes) was commissioned for this performance, and the composer was in attendance. Always a great feature of a concert. It had a contemporary feel while also mixing calm and energetic. It was appropriately festive.

The final work on the program was Palladio by Karl Jenkins. You may know it better as Exsultate Jubilate. (Not one of my favorites.) Surprisingly, I liked the mandolin orchestra arrangement a lot.

Now, a few words about audience comportment. When they make an announcement about turning your phone off, please heed it. Yes, a phone went off during the concert.

Please turn your phone off during the concert. A patron in the row in front of me was so busy scrolling through photos that no applause was offered. Zero. One patron was so busy with the me-machine that it was dropped to the floor. One patron was so busy chatting with a person in the row in front that shushing was warranted. No, it was not me, but I sure was thinking about it. Yes, it was a free concert. No, that does not allow boorish behavior.

That said, explore the opportunities available to you.

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