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I go to a lot of concerts, don't I
Nov. 15th, 2008 08:44 pmThursday, Nov. 13: New Gallery Concert Series
I'm really glad I started going to this concert series held at the Community Music Center in the South End. They always have very interesting programming, and they pair it with a showing of work by local visual artists. This evening's artist was April Clay, who makes these incredible mixed-media collages that use found objects and drawings of birds, insects, and planst.
Red - Elena Ruehr
I've always liked Ruehr's work, and this piece for solo violin did not disappoint. Each of the four movmeents unfolded and built up from a small kernel, culminating in the lively final movement, "Boots". Ruehr brought a fullness and a richness to the material that gave this work the feel of an ensemble piece.
A Bird Came Down the Walk - Toru Takemitsu
This piece for viola and piano had velvety melodies in the former and gorgeous sonorities in the latter. There were also some great moments in the viola part involving double stops and harmonics. I just wish that Takemistu was a little more interesting overall.
"To what purpose, April...?" - Jonathan Bailey Holland
This song cycle for soprano and piano used texts of American poets, notably Whitman, Sandburg, and cummings. Each of the songs did an excellent job of bringing out the sense and feeling of the text. I particularly liked the way "Spring" started out dark and brooding and then built up to an acerbic climax. My favorite was "Grass", which was very lovely, However, I thought that the final song, a setting of cummings, lacked the degree of subtlety I think his poetry calls for. Unfortunately, I thought that the singer, Sarah Long Holland, had a voice that was too big and powerful for the performance space, and possibly even for the piece.
Autumnal - Oliver Knussen
This piece for violin and piano was heavy, dark, and taut. At times it seemed overstuffed. I really loved the use of strumming on the violin, though.
Sept Papillons for cello - Kaija Saariaho
Every time I see David Russell perform, he plays a a terrific and unusual piece that makes extensive use of extended techniques. Sept Papillons was terrific - beautiful and eerie by turns. it made fascinating use of bowing effects and harmonics.
Resin in Resonance - Michael Gandolfi
I have yet to hear a bad piece by Gandolfi. This two movement piece was wonderful. The first movement was slow and relatively quiet. The second movement really blew me away - it was energetic and animated with a beautiful mixture of poignancy and joy that I usually associate with my favorite Steve Reich pieces. I was particularly impressed with the use of percussion. The first movement just used the triangle, in a subtle way that gave polish to the sonority of the music. In the second movement, the bongos set up a groove without sounding too much like a rock beat. The second movement was paired with a nice film that used time-lapse photography to documents April Clay's process in creating one of her works. I just wish that the film had spanned the whole movement instead of just the first two thirds.
Friday, Nov. 14: BMOP
I was really tired when I went to this concert, so my impressions of each piece are a little foggy. I was so tired that I actually left before the last piece on the program, Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra. I'm not a huge fan of Schoenberg and just didn't feel I'd be able to give the piece any real attention.
Chamber Concerto VI: Mr. Jefferson - Elliott Schwartz
I find Schwartz's music to be very beautifully put together, but generally not in a style that I am personally attracted to. The first movement of this concerto was too often murky, but, happily, the second movement brought much more clarity. I particularly liked the third movement's lovely evocation of bird and insect sounds. My favorite thing about this piece was the use of quotations of and references to 18th century music. Schwartz made them work seamless with the rest of the piece.
Talus, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra - Ken Ueno
I really loved this piece. It began with a blood curdling scream from the soloist, which was a really daring way to start off. The whole piece was constructed from a palette of sound and timbre rather than from motifs and development. Ueno used lots of bowing and harmonic effects to create a very affecting piece that was initially dark and painful and then evolved into something transfigurative.
Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra - Robert Erickson
This was an attractive piece in a, early 20th centuiry tonal style (it was written in 1954). It had nice orchestration and was tightly constructed.
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra - Martin Boykan
I was really tired by this point, so my imprressions of this piece are particularly fuzzy. The first movement conveyed an expressionistic sense of dread. I found the animated middle movement more interesting.
I'm really glad I started going to this concert series held at the Community Music Center in the South End. They always have very interesting programming, and they pair it with a showing of work by local visual artists. This evening's artist was April Clay, who makes these incredible mixed-media collages that use found objects and drawings of birds, insects, and planst.
Red - Elena Ruehr
I've always liked Ruehr's work, and this piece for solo violin did not disappoint. Each of the four movmeents unfolded and built up from a small kernel, culminating in the lively final movement, "Boots". Ruehr brought a fullness and a richness to the material that gave this work the feel of an ensemble piece.
A Bird Came Down the Walk - Toru Takemitsu
This piece for viola and piano had velvety melodies in the former and gorgeous sonorities in the latter. There were also some great moments in the viola part involving double stops and harmonics. I just wish that Takemistu was a little more interesting overall.
"To what purpose, April...?" - Jonathan Bailey Holland
This song cycle for soprano and piano used texts of American poets, notably Whitman, Sandburg, and cummings. Each of the songs did an excellent job of bringing out the sense and feeling of the text. I particularly liked the way "Spring" started out dark and brooding and then built up to an acerbic climax. My favorite was "Grass", which was very lovely, However, I thought that the final song, a setting of cummings, lacked the degree of subtlety I think his poetry calls for. Unfortunately, I thought that the singer, Sarah Long Holland, had a voice that was too big and powerful for the performance space, and possibly even for the piece.
Autumnal - Oliver Knussen
This piece for violin and piano was heavy, dark, and taut. At times it seemed overstuffed. I really loved the use of strumming on the violin, though.
Sept Papillons for cello - Kaija Saariaho
Every time I see David Russell perform, he plays a a terrific and unusual piece that makes extensive use of extended techniques. Sept Papillons was terrific - beautiful and eerie by turns. it made fascinating use of bowing effects and harmonics.
Resin in Resonance - Michael Gandolfi
I have yet to hear a bad piece by Gandolfi. This two movement piece was wonderful. The first movement was slow and relatively quiet. The second movement really blew me away - it was energetic and animated with a beautiful mixture of poignancy and joy that I usually associate with my favorite Steve Reich pieces. I was particularly impressed with the use of percussion. The first movement just used the triangle, in a subtle way that gave polish to the sonority of the music. In the second movement, the bongos set up a groove without sounding too much like a rock beat. The second movement was paired with a nice film that used time-lapse photography to documents April Clay's process in creating one of her works. I just wish that the film had spanned the whole movement instead of just the first two thirds.
Friday, Nov. 14: BMOP
I was really tired when I went to this concert, so my impressions of each piece are a little foggy. I was so tired that I actually left before the last piece on the program, Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra. I'm not a huge fan of Schoenberg and just didn't feel I'd be able to give the piece any real attention.
Chamber Concerto VI: Mr. Jefferson - Elliott Schwartz
I find Schwartz's music to be very beautifully put together, but generally not in a style that I am personally attracted to. The first movement of this concerto was too often murky, but, happily, the second movement brought much more clarity. I particularly liked the third movement's lovely evocation of bird and insect sounds. My favorite thing about this piece was the use of quotations of and references to 18th century music. Schwartz made them work seamless with the rest of the piece.
Talus, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra - Ken Ueno
I really loved this piece. It began with a blood curdling scream from the soloist, which was a really daring way to start off. The whole piece was constructed from a palette of sound and timbre rather than from motifs and development. Ueno used lots of bowing and harmonic effects to create a very affecting piece that was initially dark and painful and then evolved into something transfigurative.
Fantasy for Cello and Orchestra - Robert Erickson
This was an attractive piece in a, early 20th centuiry tonal style (it was written in 1954). It had nice orchestration and was tightly constructed.
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra - Martin Boykan
I was really tired by this point, so my imprressions of this piece are particularly fuzzy. The first movement conveyed an expressionistic sense of dread. I found the animated middle movement more interesting.
