Rite of Summer Music Festival (8/20/22)

The Westerlies – Riley Mulherkar, Trumpet; Chloe Rowlands, Trumpet; Andy Clausen, Trombone; Willem de Koch, Trombone 

Andy Clausen: Robert Henry; Duke Ellington: Echoes of Harlem; Duke Ellington: Where’s the Music; Charles Ives: In The Mornin’; William Walker: Louisiana; Woody Guthrie: Two Good Men; John Prine: Way Back Then; Judie Sill: The Kiss; (Traditional, Arr. Golden Gate Quartet): Do Unto Others; (Traditional, Arr. Sam Amidon): Saro

Since there is a major scarcity of music for two trumpets and two trombones, a lot of the pieces were either arrangements of existing music or written specifically for the Westerlies. It made for a varied, interesting, and enjoyable concert. 

The first work was composed by one of the quartet members, Andy Clausen. It was jazzy but with a modern vibe. A second section was very modern but with a jazzy vibe. At one point I thought I heard a child crying. It was a trumpet. It seems the piece was written with Andy’s two-year-old nephew in mind, and the players were urged to improvise on a two-year-old’s reaction. It really worked well. The second piece had a stately opening, laying out the tune nicely, at times sounding like a chorale that gets sassy every once in a while. 

A pair of Duke Ellington pieces followed. Echoes of Harlem was definitely Harlem-tinged jazz with a trumpet soaring and almost wailing. Where’s the Music was in a slower tempo, chorale like and a bit bluesy. It was a nice change of pace. The Woody Guthrie was not a tune that I recognized, though I did get a sense of the folk era. 

Way Back Then was arranged for the Westerlies as a tribute to John Prine (a composer whose name I did not know) who died during the pandemic. It also had a bit of that folk era feel, and was mostly laid back and mellow. Indeed, a lovely tribute. The next piece, Louisiana, was based on shape note singing, a term I'm only vaguely familiar with. It was to be played in a walking tempo, but the group said they would (and did) play it more like a New York walking tempo. It was lively and upbeat, rather simplistic by nature, yet also enjoyable. 

The Kiss, by Judie Sill, began rather moodily, then went into a slightly more energetic and fuller section, before returning to moody. My notes for the piece that followed included that it was brisk, featuring trumpets—a jazzy spiritual? The happy birthday tune even made an appearance. After it was done, it was announced as Do Unto Others, a gospel tune. My guess of a jazzy spiritual was pretty darn close. 

The concert ended with an arrangement of Saro, an Old English folk ballad. It opened with a serene trumpet duet, staying serene even when all four players were in the mix. A middle section added some verve and drive before the piece wound down and faded out. 

This year’s Rite of Summer Music Festival concludes on Sept. 10, with a concert at 1pm, to be repeated at 3pm. It’s a lot of fun hearing music in an outdoor setting like Governors Island.

ConcertMeister

NYC Summer Streets 2022 (I) – 8/6/22

Today was the first of three NYC Summer Streets events—the next two are Saturday, Aug. 13 and Saturday, Aug. 20, 7a–1p, both days.  

So, what’s new this year? The route. It goes from the Brooklyn Bridge (various streets in lower Manhattan then permanently on Park Avenue) all the way up to 110th Street. Runners can run, cyclists can cycle, dog walkers can walk, skateboarders can—well, you get it. What else is new? Two more rest stops, at 81st and Park and 109th and Park, in addition to Foley Square, Astor Place, Rose Hill (26th/27th Sts.), and 51st St. 

I volunteered today from 7a–11a, and will volunteer again next week. Today I was at the 51st Street rest stop. The tasks were slightly disorganized at the beginning, e.g., we attached signage to small marquee tents. Then we took the signage down and moved it to a different spot on the marquees. Then, apparently, they needed everyone to sign in, so I went to the various marquees with a sign-up sheet. Then I was asked if I had gotten the Brand Ambassadors to sign in. Um, nobody ever explained what a Brand Ambassador was, but once I figured it out, all was right with the world. 

Fifty-first Street had bead stringing, Ojo de Dios weaving, temporary tattoos, watercolors for beginners, marching band hat making, plants of NYC, and a performance stage (a violinist, doing music minus one, aka karaoke for instrument—classical and light pop/theater/movie tunes; a jazz trio—guitar, trumpet, and drums; Music With A Message—a youth group performing NYC-centric tunes; and Sirens of Gotham, a close-harmony SATB a cappella group—think Barbershop + Sweet Adelines). For the most part, the music was pretty OK. MWAM was the most popular. As a result, at times four lanes of uptown Park Avenue were reduced to two. One of our missions was to try to keep the roadway clear for the runners, cyclists, etc. It was not easy, but we managed as best we could. 

I’m going to try to volunteer at the 81st Street rest stop next week (a much easier commute!). 

After my volunteer shift, I walked the route from 51st Street to 92nd Street. All in all, a pretty good day, not too hot, no accidents that I saw, and a lot of people having a lot of fun. Fingers crossed for good weather for the next two Saturdays. I will not be volunteering on Aug. 20, since that’s a concert day for Rite of Summer on Governors Island. 

VolunteerMeister

https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/route/event-map.shtml

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (8/2/22)

 East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO)

Sonata di Chiesa, (1992) – Adolphus Hailstork, (1941–)
1. Exaltation; 2. O Great Mystery; 3. Adoration; 4. Jubilation; 5. O Lamb of God; 6. Grant Us Thy Peace; 7. Exaltation

Peruvian Renaissance Suite – Maureen Nelson, arr.
1. “La Moresca” by Pedro Guerrero (b. 1520, Spain); 2. “Mille Regretz” by Josquin des Prez (1450–1521, France); 3. “Follia: A Chacua” by Anonymous (Peru)

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810, ‘Death and the Maiden’, (1824) – Franz Schubert
1. Allegro; 2. Andante con moto; 3. Scherzo Allegro molto; 4. Presto

ECCO is a group that uses an ‘everyperson’ approach. Each member can be a leader at some point; each member has an equal voice. It is, indeed a chamber orchestra – here, there were seven violins, three violas, three cellos, and one bass. On another note, I was happy to hear that Mr. Hailstork is on the faculty of Old Dominion University, my alma mater. This was the final concert of the 117th season of the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts. No, I have not attended every one of the 117 years. 

The first piece was listed as seven movements but they were not laid out well enough for me to make sense of them, so I'll just go with stream of consciousness reactions. The opening was fairly rich and full, bright and upbeat. A more modern section followed that was calmer and softer. Next was a more up-tempo, pleasant section and then one that was slow and stately, in a subdued fashion. The sixth, which I believe was Grant Us Thy Peace, was appropriately peaceful. The entire piece wandered a bit and was a little hard to follow but relatively easy on the ears, ending with a reprise of the earlier richer, fuller sound. 

The first piece of the Suite that was next was rhythmic and dance like, with one of the cellists adding percussion with a sort of tambourine stick that added a touch of fun. The second piece was slower and, in a sense, somber. But also very pleasant. The third opened with insistent, but not harsh, rhythms. A section followed that was more like a dance—jaunty came to mind. And it was lots of fun. 

The Schubert was interesting, since the string quartet was embellished by adding a bass part courtesy of Gustav Mahler. With four violins, three violas, three cellos, and the aforementioned bass, a string quartet was turned into a piece for chamber orchestra. The first movement had a brief dramatic opening, then a quiet section, rhythmic exposition next, and a series of pleasant themes, even though they seemed slightly subdued due to the minor key setting. Interestingly, there were a couple of phrases that turned out to be false endings; then the actual ending was dramatic yet subdued. The second movement had a hauntingly beautiful opening that set the tone for the entire movement, though it included a bubbly middle section, inspiring hopefulness and yearning. A rather solid section followed before ending with a mix of strength and quietude. The third movement was lively yet solid, with touches of drama, then a lovely lyrical section. It finished with a fuller sound and a little more drama. The final movement was brisk but not frivolous, full but with seriousness. Even in its lighter sections, seriousness prevailed.

Minor quibbles, though. Both the online program and the hard copy program listed the first composer as Adolph Adolphus Hailstork. The printed program had a wrong title for the first song in the Peruvian Suite; it was correct in the online program. The WQXR host was Eliott Forrest (correct online) and not Jeff Spurgeon (hard copy program). As I said, minor. Will they keep me from returning next season? Definitely not!

ConcertMeister

PROTESTRA (7/28/22)

 Music in Action
A concert against gun violence 

A worthy cause. This was a benefit concert with a portion of the ticket proceeds donated to Save Our Streets and Everytown for Gun Safety. I was comped but I did make a modest donation. Now, to the music. 

dis[armed] – Yaz Lancaster, featuring Tamika Gorski and Tyler Hefferon, percussion
Soul of Remembrance – Mary D. Watkins
Kindertotenlieder – Gustav Mahler, featuring Alice Chung, mezzo-soprano

All of these works were new hearings for me. The first was for vibraphone and metallophone, with a foot-pedal drum involved, as well as paper to be crinkled. It began with audio clips of text, re guns, violence, protection, and the Second Amendment. There were also electronic squeaks and squawks, though I'm not sure how much any of those added. The percussionists played rhythmic and angular sounds. At one point, the metallophone was repositioned. It didn't seem to affect the sound at all. In addition to mallets, the players also used their bare fingertips directly on the bars of their instruments. Each also used a bow (cello/bass?) along the edge of the bars. I have actually seen and heard this technique before. Additionally, the metallophone player used a mallet on the bowed bars of the vibraphone at one point, to further distort the sound. All in all, an interesting sounding piece. 

As announced from the stage, Soul of Remembrance was one movement of a larger work. During the playing of it, there was a video display of school and mass shootings dating from Columbine in 1999 up to the present day. While effectively making its point, it was a bit heavy handed. The music itself was slow, with bowed violins and violas, and plucked strings from the basses. When the entire orchestra (brasses and woodwinds) joined in, the music was serene yet deeply rich, somewhat sad but not sorrowful, and effective. 

The Mahler is a five-song cycle with texts on the deaths of children. Though not specifically gun related, it was a good candidate to pair with the two earlier pieces. The text of all five songs was displayed visually, in both German and English, which was quite helpful. The first had an introduction from the woodwinds before the mezzo joined in. It was heartfelt, if a touch sad, with vocal lines that were clear and unadorned. The verse of text was repeated, adding drama in both the orchestral sound and the vocal lines. The next song had a somber orchestral introduction and, once again, a straightforward layout of the text in the vocal lines. A more dramatic section followed before ending with sadness that was tinged with hope. In the third song, the tone of the orchestra and the mezzo brought out the intensity of feelings of loss, while the text and tone of the music in the fourth song captured the yearning for what can never be again. The final song in the cycle had a very dramatic orchestral opening, and the text and vocal lines got right to the heart of raw rage and pain. A calmer section followed that was still incredibly sad. It ended with a section proving that even a quiet rage is also effective. 

Throughout the evening, all of the performers were quite good, with special kudos to the percussionists and the vocal soloist. Food for thought on the political/social aspects of the concert, and food for the ears on the musical aspect.

ConcertMeister

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (7/26/22)

 The Knights and Lara St. John, violin

Keeping On – World Premiere

Nigunim (Violin Concerto No. 2), (2017), Lara St. John, violin – Avner Dorman, (1975–) – New York City Premiere
(i) Adagio Religioso; (ii) Scherzo; (iii) Adagio; (iv) Presto

Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op.56, “Scottish”, (1829 to 42) – Felix Mendelssohn, (1809–47)
(i) Andante con moto; (ii) Vivace non troppo; (iii) Adagio; (iv) Allegro vivacissimo

Keeping On, written for this chamber orchestra, was a riff on the opening theme of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony—bum-bum-bum-bum-bum! The piece was fairly modern sounding but pretty much tonal. There was an expanded section, still riffing on the aforementioned theme, that reminded me of a film score with a very American feel. At one point, I’m fairly sure that I heard a celesta—a keyboard instrument that sounds, well, heavenly. We went back to variations on the riff, and then two of the orchestra members (Alex Sopp, flute, and Christina Courtin, violin) provided minimal vocals with a folk-song vibe. That led to a rather abrupt ending. A nice enough piece as a curtain raiser. 

The next piece was the winner of the 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music. The first movement had a very brief solo by the violinist before being joined by the orchestra. This format was repeated two more times. A section followed that was somber, then very full, orchestrally, with an interesting mix of solo violin and orchestra. The next movement was slightly raucous, but in a restrained way, with a lot of fast, fancy finger work from the violinist in a perpetual motion style that led to a clever ending. The third movement had mysterious opening sounds that were a little disjointed, still they hung in there together. It was eerie yet pretty. There was a tuneful solo violin ‘song’ in the middle section that included touches of drama. This led directly (attacca) into the fourth movement with driving rhythms, approaching perpetual motion again. It was interesting and almost compelling. I wanted more interesting and, toward the end, we did get more of that. Quite enjoyable. There was an unannounced encore for solo violin, solo cello, and solo double bass. My notes say—Hungarian? Gypsy?—we may never know. 

Mendelssohn’s third symphony was written when he was twenty years old. Let that sink in. The opening movement was sedate but full, then the violins take us on a little journey. Again, I was really enjoying the fullness/richness of the sound. There was a dramatic increase of volume and tempo that was then balanced by relaxation before closing out with a reprise of the sedate opening. The second movement was bright and cheerful with a bit of mystery of its own. But the bubbling energy won out, including a charming ending. The third movement had a solid opening, bordering on majestic—subdued majestic—then not so subdued after all. It was a bit lengthy but it held my interest. The fourth movement was off to the races! with some restraint, though it was boisterous in its own way. (In fact, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever come across the word vivacissimo.) A calmer section followed, even though it too had chugging rhythms. A buildup in volume, tempered by a relatively quiet section, brought us back to a full orchestra section and a rousing finish. A great way to end a great concert. 

Knock wood, we’ve been four for four in terms of music and weather for Naumburg’s season. One more on Tues., August 2—keep your fingers crossed.

ConcertMeister

Rite of Summer Music Festival (7/16/22)

Curtis Stewart, violin

I wanted to like this better than I did. Mr. Stewart plays a fine violin. It was paired, however, with recorded text, recorded violin (and other instruments?) all of which were electronically modified (reverb, etc.).

The first two pieces were taken from his Grammy-nominated pandemic recording, Of Power. First was Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely. It was a nice layout of the tune with some jazz embellishments. Interesting, but a little went a long way. The second piece was Lift Every Voice and Sing, aka the Black National Anthem. The tune was broken up more than in the previous piece, and the harmonies added a feeling of angst, which made a strong piece even stronger. The addition of spoken text was fairly effective.

The next pieces were from an upcoming project—Of Love. OK, I rarely do this. The project is definitely a labor of love, as Mr. Stewart was the caregiver for his mother, who died recently. As a result, all of the pieces that followed were pretty much colored by that, and were, by and large, very similar in style and effectiveness.

The mix of live violin with recorded text, recorded violin, and live/recorded text with live/recorded violin/vocals made it somewhat difficult to follow. The pieces were very personal and very powerful. The writing was fine. The playing was fine. For me, the result was a little lacking.

I’m glad I heard what I did, and I’m glad that such an accomplished musician is using this platform to get his message across.

The Rite of Summer Music Festival takes place on Governors Island. There are two more concerts scheduled (I missed the first; this was the second). The next two are August 20 (The Westerlies) and Sept. 10 (Sybarite5). There are two of each, one at 1pm and one at 3pm. It’s a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and there are usually art exhibits to take in around the island, as well. Free in NYC works for me!

Minor quibble, there was no printed program. (One could, of course, scan the QR code. That would not include me.) I also was unable to find the program listed on RoS’ website. As I said, minor quibble. 

ConcertMeister

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts – A Far Cry – Circle of Life (7/12/22)

Béla Bartók (1881–1945), & others, Lullabies for Children, Sz. 42 (1908–9, rev. 1943)
Bartók, For Children, Sz. 42; I. Andante grazioso; II. Vivace; Arrorró, Traditional Lullaby (Berber / Canary Islands / Latin America); Bartók, For Children, Sz. 42; IV. Allegro Robusto; III. Moderato Sostenuto; “My Darling Isabelle,” by Emily Irons; Bartók, For Children, Sz. 42; V. Allegretto; VI. Kánon: Vivace risoluto; Nen nen korori, Traditional Japanese (Edo region); Bartók, For Children, Sz. 42; VIII. Allegro giocoso
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh (1947–), Shyshtar: Metamorphoses for String Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135 (1826)
III. Lento assai, cantante e tranquillo
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22
Moderato; Tempo di Valse; Scherzo: Vivace; Larghetto; Finale: Allegro vivace
Karl Doty (1985–), Castles

A few words of introduction/explanation. A Far Cry is a Boston-based, conductor-free cooperative performance group. All of the members are equal, and contribute ideas about repertoire, programming, leadership for individual pieces—I guess you get my drift. Tuesday evening’s Central Park concert featured 18 string players, all of whom stood at their music stands (except for the three cellists). On to the music.

The lullabies were ten very short pieces. It was sometimes difficult to discern the different movements, but I think I nailed it. My descriptions will also be short. The first was folk-like, in a 4/4 meter. The second had a rumbling of background string sounds against a solo violin, all in a slow triple meter, then a gentle 4/4, while the third had a Latin flair. The fourth was livelier; the fifth was gentle. The sixth opened with a viola solo that was then supported by the entire group. The seventh was richer and fuller, though still gentle, and segued into the eighth which was livelier again. The ninth had low strings, then a high violin added. It was gentle, with an Asian flair, and nice pizzicato (plucked strings) playing—a little lengthier, but that’s not a bad thing in a work with so many short movements. The final Bartok movement was jolly without being raucous—it’s a lullabye after all—and ended with a nice little flourish.

The second work on the program was modern sounding, and opened with a solo cello phrase. Then the entire ensemble (a slightly smaller force than in the first work) joined in. I got a sense of wandering or a winding path. A rhythmic section followed, reminding me a bit of a film score. It included rhythmic vocal sounds added (think, “Mambo!” in the West Side Story symphonic dances), then a more serene section. Overall, the piece was pleasant but it didn’t really move me.

The Beethoven was a single movement of a string quartet, arranged for this group. It had a soft, slow opening that morphed into a pretty tune—lovely and a bit haunting. As a standalone, it was interesting. It made me wonder how well it actually fits into the string quartet as a whole.

I’m a big fan of the Dvorak serenade. The first movement was sweet and lilting, almost-but-not-quite sad—hope was there, too. A fuller, richer section followed, then ending softly. The second was a waltz from the get-go, and very pretty it was. Jaunty, with strong chords, in minor, that ended the first section. A calmer second section followed, sort of contemplative, then a classic return to the opening section, ending with strong chords in major this time. The third movement was lively, bright, and fun, with a nice slower section that followed, sweet but without being cloying. Then the tempo picked up again becoming downright jolly. After a slight lull, there was a flourish to finish the movement. The fourth was slow, bordering on sad, but with that underlying hope we’d heard in the first movement. The tempo quickened just a bit, then back to subdued. The fifth movement. Oh, my. Bright and fun with lots of forward movement. Did I mention fun? After a return to some themes from the first movement, embellished, it was off to the races for a fine finish.

Castles gave me the feeling of a folk song. Sort of a contemporary folk song, with an Irish/Scottish lilt. The score called for the instrumentalists to add some choral “ah”s that were interesting. It was a nice enough piece with some charm, and a pleasant enough way to end a fun concert.

This was the third of five Naumburg concerts for the summer season. I plan on being at the next two.

ConcetMeister