I WANT MY COFFEE!

 Bernard Holcomb, Philip Cokorinos, and Christine Lyons

(photo by meche kroop)

No other company we know of does what On Site Opera does; they make a perfect match between an opera and a venue, taking us to many places we have not previously visited. Two of our favorite matchings were their production of Mozart's La Finta Giardiniera in a community garden on the Upper West Side and the production of Puccini's Il Tabarro on a vessel docked at the South Street Seaport.  Well, Dear Reader, we have added a third! Bach's Coffee Cantata taking place currently at The Lost Draft, a charming coffee shop on Broome Street. We regret to inform you that the run is sold out (as all of their productions are) so we will make an attempt to paint the picture for you.

After being welcomed into the premises, we were seated along the wall, the table in front of us set with coffee cups, cookies, and popcorn. Magically, the barista (Bernard Holcomb) became the narrator of the piece, a 45 minute comic opera written in the 1730's by J.S.Bach and (get this!), presented in a coffee house in Leipzig. And here we are three centuries later immersed in a family drama between an authoritarian father (Philip Cokorinos) who wants his rebellious daughter (Christine Lyons) to stop drinking coffee.

Papa uses all manner of manipulations and threats to convince her to give up her addiction. She only agrees if she is allowed to marry; she secretly plans to ensure that the marriage contract contains a clause that allows her to caffeinate herself to her heart's content. It is a simple story and we had no problem with its adaptation  to contemporary times.

Total immersion involved the artists going behind the counter, making and serving coffee, whilst the actual employees of the coffee shop became supernumeraries, although there was no chorus, LOL. Everything was happening in real time and three different coffees were served. We could readily imagine being in a Leipzig coffee house in the 1730's even though dress was contemporary (costuming by Beth Goldenberg) and the work was sung in English, with a very fine loose translation by Music Director Geoffrey McDonald.

We confess that Bach has never been one of our favorites. Aside from this winning piece of fluff, he never wrote an opera and we find oratorios and cantatas ponderous. However, the charming nature of this piece allowed us to recognize his compositional skills, particularly his intricate counterpoint, as it served the witty dialogue perfectly.

The singing was delightful and there were titles available by using one's cell phone but we preferred not to take our eyes off the action, directed by Sarah Meyers. The charming score was performed by a quartet of fine musicians, comprising the American Modern Ensemble-- Violinist Nikita Yermack, cellist Valeriya Sholokova, guitarist Dan Lippel, and flutist John Romero who also played the recorder. Maestro McDonald's orchestration was completely on point. 

We have only one quibble.  It was over too soon. We enjoyed the flirtation between the barista and young lady and all the hijinks of the stage direction. We wanted a second act! We wish Bach had written about the interaction after the young lady gets married!

We raise our coffee cup to toast On Site Opera and the lovely staff at The Lost Draft!  And now, we are going to make ourself a cup of coffee!

© meche kroop

BACK TO BACH

Elad Kabilio and Larisa Martinez

We have been writing about Larisa Martinez and her gorgeous soprano for a couple of years now and have enjoyed her performances in opera, song, and zarzuela.  We have also been writing about Elad Kabilio and his unique MUSIC TALKS  for some time.  The pairing of these two talents is an exciting one.  Last night's recital at Interface (an unusually comfortable venue with great acoustics and couch seating) was an extension of one we heard a year ago.

Cellist/impresario/educator Elad Kabilio presented a captivating program exactly one year ago that demonstrated the influence of J.S.Bach on the Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla. We confess to never having enjoyed or understood Bach's highly intellectual music until Mr. Kabilio, in his educator hat, demonstrated what a fugue was by utilizing his cohort of cellists.  But, just as Steven Blier has expanded our appreciation of song beyond those of the 19th c., so Mr. Kabilio has expanded our appreciation of instrumental music in similar fashion.

Bach wrote Die Kunst der Fuge just for fun; it was not commissioned.  He never specified which instruments should be employed.  In this case, the four voices were distributed among four cellos and each cellist was given different voices from time to time, so the adventure would not fall on only one pair of arms. The result is complex but accessible with voices layered upon voices.

The "Contrapunctus" XIV" in D minor was the last one he wrote and it was never finished. Performance tradition includes a chorale at the end which resolves into D major, leaving the listener satisfied.  Uncharacteristically, aside from the original theme, two new themes were included, the second of which spells out B-A-C-H (we are not sure what note H represents). Was Bach pulling our collective leg?

Piazzolla was a 20th c. composer and, having been introduced to the concept by Mr. Kabilio, it became clear how he was influenced by Bach. Mr. Kabilio and his three gifted colleagues (Grace Ho, Talya Buckbinder, and Caleb van der Swaagh) had a great time with the energetic and syncopated fugue which was followed by a slow section (Misterio).  When a short demonstration without the syncopation was played one could readily appreciate the Bach-ness of it all.

We enjoyed the traditional tango "Oblivion" which involved a lot of plucking and a compelling three note ascending motif.  But our favorite was "La vi llegar" which made us want to get up to dance the tango. The pizzicato playing was stirring to say the least.

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos was next on the program, fulfilling the promise of the program Bach in Brazil II. The early 20th c. composition Bachianas Brasileras No. 5 is ineffably lovely and we were thrilled with the opportunity to hear Ms. Martinez perform it once more, so immersed is she in this music.

The beginning aria, the Cantilena, has Portuguese lyrics but our joy is maximized in the vocalise since no words are needed to convey such deep emotion as Ms. Martinez expressed. The spirited Dansa (Martelo) is followed by humming which seems very difficult to achieve in the upper register but Ms. Martinez demonstrated how she uses the "ng" position of the tongue.

The final work on the program sent us over the moon.  Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona wrote the one-act zarzuela Maria La O in 1930. The plot is a sad one in that the mulata Maria bears the child of an aristocrat who marries within his own social class. This zarzuela was popular in Puerto Rico, where Ms. Martinez was born and her performance showed both fine technique and depth of feeling. We enjoyed Ms. Buckbinder's tremolo accompaniment.

The audience for MUSIC TALKS is growing rapidly and all the couches were occupied. The audience seems delighted by the intimacy and informality, as well as the educational aspect. If you have end-of-year donations to make, this would be a great group to consider.  Their next event will be a world-famous harpist on January 24th. What a way to celebrate our birthday!

(c) meche kroop

MUSIC TALKS

Elad Kabilio, Grace Ho, Larisa Martinez, Oded Hadar, and Caleb van der Swaagh

 

 

 

We escaped from the crowds and chaos of Cyber Monday to spend a pleasant hour with some marvelous musicians.  We learned.  We listened.  We relaxed.  We arrived stressed out and we left feeling soothed. We felt entertained as well as educated.

MUSIC TALKS has a mission: to bring music to an intimate and informal setting, to break down the barriers between musicians and audience, to expose audiences to chamber music in small doses. The experience would be a perfect one to introduce someone to the joys of classical music; it does not, however, insult the intelligence of those of us who already love music.

For example, as lovers of 19th c. vocal music and opera, there is a great deal about instrumental music we don't know and a great deal of pre-Classical music that we haven't appreciated. Without delivering an entire dissertation, cellist Elad Kabilio introduced the audience to J.S. Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge, composed toward the end of Bach's life.

We never really understood what a fugue was but Mr. Kabilio easily explained how it differs from a canon and proceeded to illustrate--the subject was played by one cello, the slight variation played by a second one (the variation for harmonic purposes), and the original subject entering the scene played by a third cello.

Apparently Bach worked out this puzzle meticulously without ever indicating for which instruments  it was intended.  To our ears, it sounded just right with four cellos!  Mathematics became music and pleased our ears as the strands were woven together into an harmonious whole.

Even more enjoyable was Bach's Aria from Pastorale in F Major which was surprisingly lyrical.

The tangos of Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz (turn of the 20th c.) and Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla (mid-20th c.), whose works we have only heard on the bandoneon, were performed as well, arranged for four cellos. In "Mocosita" there was plenty of legato bowing and staccato plucking. We felt like getting up to dance.

But the highlight of the concert was a second hearing of the"Aria" and "Dansa" from Heitor Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brasileras No. 5 sung by soprano Larisa Martinez and arranged for four cellos by Mr. Kabilio. (Villa Lobos wrote this tribute to Bach for 8 cellos.) The program was called Bach in Brazil and it was interesting to hear the echoes of Bach in Villa Lobos' composition.

We had so greatly enjoyed Ms. Martinez' performance of this work two weeks ago that we were most eager for her repeat performance. We are partial to the Cantilena sung on the open vowel "ah". No words were needed to convey the depth of feeling.

For the month of December we have decided to highlight the possibilities of supporting every small company we write about so that our readers can find something better to do with their Xmas funds than buying someone an ugly sweater.  Better to give the money to a worthwhile enterprise and make your loved ones happy with a hug!  So here is the URL...www.Music-Talks.com. Please give!

(c) meche kroop

MUSIC FOR AWHILE

Jared Angle

Bradley Brookshire

Anthony Roth Costanzo

One can always count on Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, helmed by Jessica Gould, to provide unusual and innovative programming.  The 2013-2013 season got off to a dazzling start last night featuring our favorite American counter-tenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, New York City ballet danceur noble Jared Angle and fleet-fingered harpsichordist Bradley Brookshire.

Recently transformed from "rising star" to full-blown stardom on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Costanzo exhibited all the qualities we want to hear when we listen to the Baroque repertory--tonal beauty, precision of fioritura, daring embellishments, and intense involvement with the music.  We also got a heaping portion of stage presence that tended to close the distance between us and the 17th and 18th centuries.  In the fast sections we were dazzled by the fireworks; in the slow sections we were deeply moved, as in "Aure deh per pietà" from Giulio Cesare.  The resonance of Mr. Costanzo's voice lingers in the spaces of our heads; even the eustachian tubes are atingle.

We especially enjoyed the Handel arias but when we heard him sing "Music for a while" from Purcell's Oedipus we realized that indeed all our cares had been beguiled.  Mr. Brookshire's accompaniment was flawless.

Mr. Brookshire was given the opportunity for several solos.  We heard J.S. Bach's "Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue" and three sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti.  In several places we could imagine the buzzing of bees and the flapping of hummingbird wings as Mr. Brookshire's fingers danced over the keys.

The most unusual part of the evening's programming was a duet performed by Mr. Angle and Mr. Costanzo, choreographed by Troy Schumacher and set to Vivaldi's "Qual per ignoto calle".  Mr. Angle danced in ballet slippers and Mr. Costanzo sang barefoot while being embraced and lifted by Mr. Angle.  It was a beautiful piece but we felt our attention divided.

This satisfying evening drew a standing-room-only crowd to the handsome theater of The Players Club.  No doubt the enthusiastic audience will be fighting over tickets for the remaining concerts of the season which promise to be equally innovative.

(c) meche kroop