Organ Concert (1/25/15)

Dr. Andrew E. Henderson presented a very well played concert at Temple Emanu-El on Sunday afternoon.

Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 65, Allegro moderato e serioso; Adagio; Andante, Recitativo; Allegro assai vivace – Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Psalm Prelude, Set 1, No. 1, Op. 32 (1916) – Herbert Howells (1892–1983)
Rosh Hashanah (from Funf Fest-Praeludien, Op. 37 – Louis Lewandowski (1821/3–1894)
Shavat Vayinafash (1968) – Herman Berlinski (1910–2001)
The Burning Bush (1956) – BerlinskiFrom Ten Hebrew Folk Songs & Folk Dances, Op. 22;
A Song and Dance of the Feast, A Love Song, A Chasidic Religious Song, A Lullaby, A Merry Wedding Dance – Lazare Saminsky (1882–1959) (arr. Andrew Henderson)
From Symphonie No. 1, Op. 14; Final – Louis Vierne (1870–1937)

The first movement of the Sonata opened with a very full sound, without being overly aggressive. It made nice use of an echo effect from the pipes at the rear of the sanctuary, and afforded a workout on the pedal board. As an aside, the organ there has four keyboards (manuals) for the hands and a pedal board for the feet. The second movement had a slower and gentle opening, and the entire movement was sweet but in just the right way. The third had alternating quiet melodies against interruptions of chordal writing. It was nice to be able to see (on a broadcast screen—the organ console itself was out of sight) how the juxtapositions were achieved by moving to different manuals, back and forth. There was a segue right into the fourth movement, which was vibrant, with rapid finger work and a full organ sound.

The Howells was contemplative, with subdued harmonies that were both lush and romantic. Via various solo lines, the piece built in intensity and volume before receding back to the quietude of the opening. Rosh Hashanah, by Lewandowski, started with block chords as an introduction, leading to a contrasting melodic section, then back to full organ. The program notes said that the work was based on a well-known festival motif, but it was not familiar to me.

As he did in the previous concert I heard at Emanu-El, Dr. Henderson included works by composers who have a connection to the temple, and that included both Berlinski and Saminsky. The first Berlinski piece began with a solo line in the far upper range of the keyboard. The chords and solo lines that followed explored many of the varied stops on the organ. It was modern sounding without going overboard, and was very much a ‘mood’ piece. The Burning Bush was also modern sounding but darker and denser. It nicely conveyed a sense of drama—almost leading to chaos. It made strong use of a repetitive rhythm, though not in what would be considered the minimalist style.

The five brief Saminsky works were arrangements of movements from a piano suite. My notes include (i) sweet, with dance-like rhythmic themes; (ii) slightly mournful while still being very pretty; (iii) a bright and brassy theme followed by a folk/dance tune then alternating back to the first theme; (iv) gentle and sweet, as befits a lullaby; and (v) full sound with celebratory dance themes.

The Vierne Final is a piece that is well known to me; I’ve been a page turner for it many times in the distant past. It is one of those pieces that accurately describe the phrase ‘pull out all the stops.’ It’s a fun romp to watch and hear—I would never want to play it! And from memory, at that! It's opening theme is passed from keyboard to keyboard, including the pedal, then edited, expanded, expounded upon, broken up, put back together again (see ‘pull out all the stops’ above), and then brought back again for a rousing close. A great finish to a great concert—one that I truly enjoyed.

ConcertMeister

Saturday Was a Bust (1/24/15)

The program: From Al Andalus to the Americas: An Odyssey of Spanish Songs

It looked good on paper. Alas, everything that could go wrong did. I will not name names. The program opened with Taqsim (improvisation), a solo played on the Nay (or Ney, depending on your Persian translation, a sort of bamboo flute). It started out OK. I thought to myself, this is setting the tone for the concert. Then it went on. And on. And on. Oh, a cell phone went off during the piece.

Next was "Lamma bada yatathanna" Mouwashah, sung by a soprano who was either under the weather, or just had patchy vocal production and a lack of breath control. Maybe it was an "affect" for early music (Anon., pre-15th cent. Spain) -- if so, it didn't work for me.

Next the soprano and the oud (a stringed instrument, tuned onstage) player went with "Ay trista vida corporal" from El Misteri d'Eix (Anon. 14-15th cent., Valencia), which was lengthy and pretty poorly sung.

During these, two more cell phones went off, two parents had to physically remove their loud toddlers, and one tablet/iPhone/me-machine was used to take a photo or recording (all of which -- well not the toddlers -- are prohibited).

After a lengthy, poorly stage-managed change, the soprano performed with a guitarist (who also tuned onstage). Mudejar (sorry, I'm not wasting my time on diacriticals) Song -- "Paseabase el rey moro" (Anon., early 16th cent.) -- was as unattractive as the previous offerings. While the next interminable stage-managed long change took place, I left.

There was a nine-movement song cycle, three more pieces, and two more three-movement works in the first half alone! Not for me.

ConcertMeister

Latin American Music for Cello and Piano (1/3/2015)

Brinton Averil Smith (cello) and Evelyn Chen (piano) performed a very interesting concert to start off the new year at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts on a somewhat dreary Saturday afternoon.

Estrellita (1912) – Manuel Ponce (1882–1948) (arr. Jascha Heiftetz) (1920s)
Seguida Española; Vieja Castilla, Murciana, Asturiana, Andaluza – Joaquin Nin (1879–1949)
Sonata, Op. 21; Allegro Agitato, Romanza, Molto Allegro – Henrique Oswald (1852–1931)
O canto do cisne negro (1916) – Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959)
Ponteio e Dança – M. Camargo Guarnieri (1907–1993)
Elegia (1995) – Raimundo Penaforte
Graciela y Buenos Aires – José Bragato (b. 1915)
Pampeana No. 2, Op. 21 (1950) – Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983)
Tango (Por Una Cabeza) – Carlos Gardel (1890–1935) (arr. John Williams)

Estrellita is a charming tune that was laid out nicely, at one point passing from the cello to the piano and back. This arrangement was made by Mr. Heifetz when he realized he had no Mexican music on his Mexico City debut concert. Estrellita was being played by a café band while he was dining—he jotted the tune down on a napkin and created the arrangement that very afternoon. Do an internet search on it; I’m pretty sure you’ll recognize the tune. It was a nice light way to start the program.

The first movement of the Spanish Suite was a traditional sounding tune, mostly sweet and gentle. (I learned later from the program notes that the entire suite was based on traditional popular songs.) After the phones stopped ringing (really, concertgoers? really?), the second movement had a brighter tempo and rhythm with a dance-like quality. The third movement was slower, explored the lower range of the cello, and had a dirge-like feel in the accompaniment, though not depressing. The last movement was a highly rhythmic perpetual motion waltz.

The opening theme of the Sonata was brisk and energetic followed by a gentler second theme that was more singing in tone. It alternated back and forth between brisk and gentler, using lots of themes. The second movement was very songlike, with lush tunes and accompaniment. Once again, there were lots of themes bundled together, some of which seemed a little predictable. Not really such a bad thing for a Romance. The last movement had lots of themes again. Not exactly disjointed, but not exactly of a whole, in my opinion.

After the intermission, the Black Swan began with Debussy-like arpeggios supporting a slightly mournful cello tune. (And doesn’t the cello do mournful quite well?) It was a little on the light side for my taste. That said, the playing by both artists was extremely good during the entire concert, lest it sound as though I’m quibbling too much.

The Guarnieri was a pair of pieces, both of them a mix of traditional and modern. The, second, dance portion was more energetic, with hints of Latin jazz. Elegia had a solo piano opening, then a solo cello portion, together featured as an introduction—the elegy itself was sweet, like a slow dance form. Always a bonus for me, the composer was in the house and took a bow.

Graciela moved us into tango territory. After a solo piano intro, a cello/piano tango followed in a mournful mode, even when the piano rhythms picked up the tempo, leading to what seemed to be a cello cadenza. After a jazz-style up beat tango the piece moved back to a more relaxed section. Pampeana had a brief intro that led to driving rhythms in both the piano and the cello. By way of much more modern harmonies and a melody for the cello, the piece had a fairly segmented approach, with some segments working better than others.

Tango (Por Una Cabeza) had an intro, and then laid out the tune followed by a more expanded section for the piano and cello, shifting back and forth and finally pulling out all the stops. There was a bit of sameness to the second half of the program because the basics of cello and piano literature had been so thoroughly covered. Could one or two of the shorter pieces have been dropped? Perhaps. But they were all enjoyable, and it was a good kickoff for my new year of places to go and things to see.

ConcertMeister

Wreath Interpretations

Happy 2015, everyone! Who knew that the 'Meister would have such staying power? This is a bridge between 2014 and 2015; I saw this art exhibit on Dec. 30 and it runs through Jan. 7. One caveat – it is only on view Monday through Friday, 9a–5p. That said, this was the 32nd Annual Exhibit. How did I not know this?

On display are 56 interpretations of wreaths, and they vary wildly. I started taking notes with what turned out to be my favorite – "I Know I Left Them Right Here on the Table: Keyleptomania." Yep, a group of three ever-larger circles, all made of metal keys. Brilliant.

Other favorites included a wreath made of items from a Community Garden (and some of you may know how much I enjoy those), "Wise Wreath," made out of Smarties candies and a few wrappers, a bugs & butterflies wreath (I'm not making this up, you know!), one made of acrylic nails, one from umbrella parts, and one made from recycled Christmas cards ("Christmas Past Wishes"). Most interesting, though not my favorite, was the wreath made of a toilet seat and a three-ply toilet tissue bow. See "I'm not making this up, you know" above. Some of them are for sale, and part of the profits benefit NYC Parks' programs.

All in all, an amusing viewing experience that can take as little as 30 minutes or as long as you'd like. For New Yorkers, this is on view at The Arsenal – 64th Street and Fifth Avenue, just inside Central Park.

I look forward to all that 2015 has to offer, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

ConcertMeister

’Tis the Season, Parts IV and V (12/20/14)

New season repeats of the PhilHallmonics and Christmas Caroling in Greenwich Village. The good news is that I had a lot of fun again. The bad news is that I wanted the PhilHallmonics to be better than it was. First, the cast, who all did a good to great to serviceable job: Karen Arlington, Lynette Baiocco, Linda Moshier, John DiBartolo, Elizabeth Saunders, Lenore Fuerstman, Becca Yure, Dolly Ellen Friedman, Ross Hewitt, Conor McGee, Mandy Brown, Tara Palsha, Bruce Rebold, and Phil Hall as music director and arranger (including special material). Ms. Moshier’s solos were not included, so I’m guessing she was under the weather (this ain’t the Met or Broadway—no announcements/covers/
standbys/understudies). This was a bit of a problem, as it put the brunt of  the “story” line on
Ms. Arlington, who performed like the trouper that she is.

The inclusion of four guys into the mix looked good on paper, but it detracted from my enjoyment of these productions as “the Ladies” strutting their stuff. The guys were OK, but just. On to the show.

Ms. Arlington started strong with Hostess with the Mostes’, with a touch of bawdy, and updated, lyrics. The Ladies delivered the goods with Christmas in New York, which included sweet tunes with real harmonies sung well by the female octet. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree slipped in a nice bridge from Jingle Bell Rock—nicely done! Obviously, I won’t comment on all 25 to 30 songs on the program.

You’re All I Want for Christmas included the verse ahead of the chorus; I believe it’s the first time I’ve ever heard it. Ms. Saunders had good microphone technique. Which brings me to one of my problems with the afternoon. While the movement of props and furniture was handled pretty well, the same cannot be said of the sound system. Body (hair) microphones fought with handheld mics and standing mics, including ‘pops’ and ‘squeals’. It detracted from the enjoyment.

Ms. Feurstman did a bang-up job of The Twelve Days After Christmas. Google it if you’d like some laughs. When She Loved Me was a poignant take on growing up, as the soloist sang and there was a dance interpretation of a doll being left behind. It could have been cloying, but Sharon Halley’s staging set just the right tone, as it did throughout the entire afternoon.

Mandy Brown’s performance of They Don’t Let You In The Opera (If You’re A Country Star) was a tour de force. It was funny and incredibly well performed. Favorite lyrics included, “It’s like Opry with an ‘A’,” and (to her child, who was born in the house of the Met), “If they say, ‘no’ don’t be upset—it just means ‘not yet.’” Powerful stuff beautifully performed.

The finale of Maxim’s and The Night They Invented Champagne was OK but didn’t create the bang I wanted. I’ve seen at least three or four PhilHallmonics holiday programs. This one didn’t thrill me, though I enjoyed it a great deal And, yes, Merry Christmas Darling brought tears to my eyes (and probably will forever—“I’ve just one wish on this Christmas Eve—I wish I were with you”). Not for me, unfortunately.

Now for the upbeat! Christmas caroling in the Village was fun, if cold. This was the fortieth iteration! How could I have not known this? This was my third attendance. When we arrived, we got a group # and a lyrics sheet. I was in Group 3. (See perky young ladies, below.) Here’s the thing—your group leader makes all the difference in the world. This year’s, for me, were a perky pair of young ladies. They walked fast. I walk fast. The rest of the group had to catch up. The leaders didn’t get it. They should have. Still, the singing (mostly unison) was fun. I added some harmony. Last year I jingled my keys during Jingle Bells. This year, I brought a real ‘Thelma Bell’* plus a foam red nose for Rudolph. The ‘Thelma Bell’ also worked well for Silver Bells. When we returned from our shift, they were just sending out Group 12! I had already turned in my lyrics booklet (de rigeur, so they’ll be set for next year). I just glommed onto Group 12. Appropriately, their first song was The Twelve Days of Christmas. Can you sing, ‘Five Golden Rings’ really loud and long? We could. After I had joined Group 12, I was out-Rudolphed! There was a young fellow with a blinking red nose! But we played nice and shared. I then sheared off of Group 12 and made my way home to leftovers for dinner. Whew! Loads of Christmas fun!

ConcertMeister
*Info upon request.

’Tis the Season, Part III (12/15/14)

The Nutcracker and I

Billed as ‘A New Holiday Musical Comedy’ (on the handout that included cast bios and the list of musical numbers) and ‘A NEW Madcap Holiday Musical Comedy Spoof’ (on the cover of the generic handout at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts), The Nutcracker and I is an amusing take on the Nutcracker story, updated to the present time and given the comedy touches of Gerard Alessandrini, he of Forbidden Broadway notoriety.

The piece was conceived and created by Mr. Alessandrini and Peter Brash, with nifty musical direction here by Richard Danley, who played the bulk of Tchaikovsky’s ballet score (arranged) on the piano. The winning cast included Benjamin Barham-Wiese, Haley Carlucci, Amy Griffin, Herndon Lackey, Charles Osborne, and Joseph Spitali, with most of them doubling (or more) roles.

The slightly convoluted story was used as a vehicle for Mr. Alessandrini’s lyrics set to Tchaikovsky’s score. That was a plus and a minus; while they were witty (and sometimes downright funny, as was the book) there were lots of lyrics. Lots and lots of lyrics that often flew by at a rapid pace. There were many references to “that certain ballet” that was infrequently named. Song titles included Song of the Sugar Rush Fairy, The Nuttiest Nutcracker, Is There a Ball Tonight?, March of the Toy Police, The Nutcracker Rocks, and (to me, the most enjoyable sequence) NYC Multi-Culture Tour Medley: Navidad in Spanish Harlem, Hindu Cabbie’s Christmas, A Little Little Italy, and A Jewish Chinese Christmas.

Though the semi-staged performance was presented without an intermission, the first act takes place in Pawchusett, a New England mill town, while the second act takes place in Snow Globe City, a version of NYC inside a snow globe. Partially because of the rapid-fire patter of patter songs and dialogue, I took very few notes. In general, the first act was a bit of a slow go, mostly because the first act’s ballet music is less familiar to me. Perhaps die-hard Nutcracker aficionados had a different result. The divertissements of the second act came off better.

March of the Toy Police was a crackerjack patter song. Another patter song was The Department Store Trepak, reminiscent of a Danny Kaye routine. In the poking-fun-at-everyone-under-the-sun department, we had a Hispanic-accented bodega owner (Navidad), an Indian-accented cab driver (Hindu Cabbie’s Christmas), an Italian-accented pizza boy (... Little Italy), and the always-popular Jewish/Yiddish-accented Chinese restaurant diner on Christmas day (A Jewish Chinese Christmas). The Nutcracker Rocks showed us another side of the uptight toy, busting out some James Brown and Chubby Checker moves while referring to himself as “the cracker Nutcracker.” A couple of quips included, “In a magic snow globe, Christmas tree bulbs never burn out,” and, in a poke to the muscle-bound jock who says, “I’m a snowboarder!” the retort was, “I’m bored already.”

One lyric that did stick in my head was from Is There a Ball Tonight? set to the tune of The Waltz of the Flowers: “Waltzes by Tchaikovsky (la-la-la-la-la), Not Steve Sondhiem-offsky (la-la-la-la-la).”

This was more of a reading than a full-out production but that was OK, and even provided some self-effacing humor from the performers. It was, at times, slightly awkward since all of the performers were using standing microphones, so they and their script/score had to move from music stand to music stand. I got a good overall sense of the piece, while wishing I could have grasped more of the ‘in’ jokes. The piece premiered in 2011, so I guess it’s been knocking around for a while. Will it become a holiday classic? Time will tell.

ConcertMeister

’Tis the Season, Parts I and II (12/12–13/14)

Friday night found me at a concert by the New Amsterdam Singers, Clara Longstreth, Music Director. This was not a freebie, but I was gifted a ticket as an early Christmas present (thank you, Uncle Mark!) The venue was totally new to me, even though it’s a church in my neighborhood. The mostly amateur singers (my best guess) turned in an impressive performance of a variety of music.
 

Jubilate Deo; Giovanni Gabrieli (1557–1612)
And the Song Am I; Abbie Betinis (b. 1980)
Quatre Petite prières de St. François d’Assise; Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
Sing with the Spirit, from The Garment of Praise; Randall Thompson (1899–1984)
Singet dem Herr nein neues Lied; J.S. Bach (1685–1750)
 – Intermission. –
O Lieber Gott; Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)
Irish Lullaby for the Christ Child; Gaelic, arr. Steven Sametz (b. 1954)
Nova, nova, ave fit ex Eva; Williametta Spencer (b. 1932)
Seven Joys of Christmas; Kirke Mechem (b. 1925)
Jubilemus deo salutori nostro; Jaako Mäntylärvi (b. 1963)
Christmas Cantata; Quem vidistis pastores, O magnum mysterium, Gloria in excelsis Deo; Daniel Pinkham (1923–2006)

Do NOT expect in-depth commentary on every piece. In addition to the choir, there was an organist (playing a small, portable organ), a harpist, and a brass quintet—a mixed presentation throughout the evening.

The choir sang very well throughout (and there was a smaller chamber choir that performed a few pieces). Soloists were drawn from the choir, and all of them performed well, too. Jubilate Deo was a good opener, exploiting the back and forth of contrapuntal (one group against the other) choir and brass. The brass almost overshadowed, but that’s the norm in these situations—brass sound travels really well; voices (even a group, and this was 60 to 70) not so much. But balances were generally good all evening.

Additional highlights of the first half included the New York premiere of And the Song Am I, mostly a cappella with the brass quintet as commentary/accompaniment, a good choral blend, brief but effective. I liked the Poulenc (for men’s voices), with its French Romantic/Neo-Classical harmonies, as well as being prayer-like without being wishy-washy, plus the full sound of the final movement, even though it was not my favorite. Sing with the Spirit (also the title of the concert) was brief, with a truly American sensibility, though still just as effective as the Poulenc. The Bach, as a finale to the first half, fell a bit short to my ears. The textures were a little bit dense, though the solo quartet (centrally located within the choir) did a fine job.

On to Act II—The Irish Lullaby, for women’s voices and harp, was pleasant and well performed. I particularly liked Nova, nova, since I was familiar with the text, and I enjoyed the re-setting of it. That was my reaction to the Seven Joys, as well, since it included updated re-settings of
Din don! Merrily on high; Joseph dearest, Joseph mine; Patapan; and Fum, fum, fum! The inclusion of a Japanese traditional song/carol was an added bonus. The Pinkham Cantata seemed very familiar to me, especially movements two and three. I suspect it’s because I’ve sung them at one point or another, but they’re not familiar enough that they would have been multiple performances. Thank you, Uncle Mark; and thank you New Amsterdam Singers.

Saturday found me at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts’ Holiday Songbook. Songbook is a series that features new and up and coming Broadway/theater composers and lyricists. Holiday Songbook takes that a step further by creating new holiday songs, in this case mostly composed for this concert. This year’s version had eleven songs; I enjoyed each, on some level.

Evicted for Christmas had a bit of a country/rock feel and a touch of humor. The title sort of says it all—a New Yorker ends up {gasp} having to move back in with his parents. The First Time was upbeat, in terms of lyrics, and really positive without being sappy.

One Lucky Guy was a very funny presentation of the eternal Christian/Jewish dichotomy of a family holiday. The Streets was a ‘what-if’ song about a person in search of the ideal Christmas. It was a little bit static and a little bit sad, but a little bit of sadness at this time of year is also OK—it happens, and we have to work through it. Just Ain’t Christmas was an unabashedly black comment on the perceived white Christmas. It was a Motown soul duet summed up by, “I don’t get along with you most of the time, but … it Just Ain’t Christmas … without you here.” Here was a lovely ‘you complete me’ duet.

Holiday Zombie took us in a totally new direction—it had humor (and choreography!) and was written by a deaf composer. Yep, you heard me right. Jay Alan Zimmerman progressively lost his hearing beginning (or from) 2004 yet he continues to write theater music, including this very funny piece.

A Christmas Pageant. Oh my, where to start? It’s not your normal Christmas pageant, with kids in bathrobes portraying Mary, Joseph, the Magi, et al. Oh no, this is your host, Dick Blizzard (backed up by two comely chorines), presenting Santa, Frosty, Jesus, Christmas Tree (with flashing lights for the ‘talent’ competition), and Billy Zimmerman, all competing in A Christmas Pageant. When Billy, a child of wonder, is declared the winner, he turns the tables by declaring that we are all the winners, “So celebrate us all!”

Twas the Night Before Christmas was a very effective contemporary pop setting of the traditional text. A Child’s Dream will Light the Way proved to be a great ‘11 o’clock’ number, powerfully performed by Tony Award–winner Lillias White (even with a slight lyrics flub). Celebrate Christmas (With Me) was a pop romp with piano, a (single) maraca, sleigh bells, kazoo, guitar, one of those air-powered-keyboard-thingies, and a mini-glockenspiel. Does that say Christmas or what? It did to me!

ConcertMeister