BEASTS AND BRUTES

Margaret Kampmeier, Scott Murphree, Mischa Bouvier, and Vira Slywotzky

A recital of songs can be very serious and deeply moving, providing a catharsis for sorrow and the pain of human existence.  Other times, a recital can be just plain fun.  Last night's recital by Mirror Visions Ensemble at The Sheen Center had a theme that leaned toward fun. Most of the songs were about the animal kingdom but others were about humans who behave worse than animals.

The three singers of Mirror Visions Ensemble are all gifted with the ability to bring a song to vivid life. Of course, the standard requirements for vocal music are necessary but once once knows a singer well (and we know these three very well), one takes for granted their vocal skills--tonality, phrasing, linguistic ability, etc.--and focuses on their ability to get a song across.  And that is why MVE  always draws a substantial audience. We know a good thing when we hear it!

After an instrumental introduction in which pianist Margaret Kampmeier treated us to "The Cricket Marries" by Béla Bartók (the cricket is definitely NOT Bluebeard!) all three singers joined forces for Josquin des Prez' "El grillo" in high Renaissance polyphony. We have no idea why this Belgian composer set a Spanish text but it was definitely one of the highlights of the evening. We don't get to hear much music like this and probably wouldn't want to hear an entire evening of it! It did make a great hors d'oeuvre for the rest of the evening.

Tenor Scott Murphree gave a deliciously ironic slant to Camille Saint-Saëns who wrote "La cigale et la fourmi" four centuries later.  True to the mission of MVE--that of offering different settings of the same text--baritone Mischa Bouvier performed the same text, which was given a dramatically different slant by André Caplet.

Maurice Ravel's delicate "Le martin-pêcheur" was sung by Mr. Murphree in true Gallic style, hushed as if not to disturb the Kingfisher perched on the poet's fishing rod. Ravel's "La pintade" is a musical portrait of a very disagreeable female (perhaps a critic, LOL) and all three singers participated in bringing her to annoying life.

We don't get to hear much Hungarian but Kodály's songs "Youth is Like a Falcon" and "My Geese, My Geese" fell pleasantly on the ear since the text married well with the music. In the former, Ms. Slywotzky's voice was accompanied by some lovely rippling piano figures. In the second, Mr. Murphree sang of a woman who wants her geese to return, perhaps without her husband. We liked the way the singer showed her change of heart at the end.

Joaquin Rodrigo's "Canción del cucú" was beautifully arranged for three voices by Richard Lalli, Guest Artistic Director. The text appears to have been written by Rodrigo's wife.

"Son nata a lagrimar", the duet between Sesto and Cornelia from Händel's Giulio Cesare was performed by Mr. Murphree and Mr. Bouvier; it was so gorgeous that we have been listening to recordings of it all night. The "beast" in this case was Cleopatra's brother Ptolemy (Tolomeo) who beheaded Pompey -- Sesto's father and Cornelia's husband.  The two join in heartfelt grief.

Mr. Bouvier gave a dramatic reading of excerpts from "Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte" which was accompanied by Schoenberg's piano, a piece with which we are unfamiliar. Ms. Slyvotzky gave a highly dramatic and effective reading of Pompey's speech from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra which was followed by Edith Sitwell's strange text set by William Walton.  

The set ended with a premiere of Scott Wheeler's "Et tu Brute Fanfare" in which all three singers took part, an MVE commission.

We have less to say about the second half of the program.  We adore Ogden Nash's text for its wit but Richard Pearson Thomas' music detracted from the pleasure one gets from reading or reciting these little gems, which never ever asked to be set to music! This too was commissioned by MVE.

Francine Trester was inspired by Sheridan Oman's animal engravings to write a commissioned work which premiered last night but did not affect us one way or another.

The next section was meant to say something about 20th c. tyrants Stalin, Franco, and Hitler. We did enjoy Shostakovich's "Fussy Mummy and Auntie" although we didn't grasp the connection with Stalin. Christopher Berg set Garcia Lorca's "Casida de las palomas oscuras" but we didn't understand what the text had to do with Franco.  

Similarly for Garcia Lorca's own compositions which were strangely sung with alternating verses. From Canciones Populares, we are familiar with "Las morillas de Jaén" and "Anda, Jaleo", but we failed to understand the connection. If you, dear reader, have insight into this connection, feel free to share in the comments section.

We also puzzled over Hanns Eisler's selections from Hollywooder Liederbuch. Interesting but in what manner were they commenting on Hitler?  We cannot say.

What we can say is that Tchaikovsky wrote some lovely songs! Ms. Slyvotzky sang of "The Nightingale", with avian support from Ms. Kampmeier and the trio sang of "The Cuckoo". Mikhail Glinka was sneaked in between with "The Skylark", sung by Mr. Murphree.

As encore we heard  Jean Wiéner's "Le Léopard", a setting of text by Robert Desnos, translated by Mr. Lalli, and performed by all three artists.  What fun!

(c) meche kroop

MIRROR VISIONS ENSEMBLE--25 YEARS AND GOING STRONG

Alan Darling, Scott Murphree, Justine Aronson, and Jesse Blumberg

What's a writer to do when some of her favorite singers are performing a type of music she does not appreciate? What this writer does is to go, to listen, and to hope to find a composer whose music in the unappreciated genre might strike her fancy, thereby expanding her horizons.  And that was exactly what happened when we heard songs by Alexander Liebermann.

Last night at the Sheen Center, Mirror Visions Ensemble celebrated their 25th Anniversary and their quartet of fine singers, comprising soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, baritone Jesse Blumberg, and baritone Mischa Bouvier, were joined by guest artist Justine Aronson, whom we hardly ever get to hear. With a group of singers like this, we were sure to hear some music we'd like in this mostly modern program.  And we did!

The opening song "Invitation to Love" was  Aaron Grad's highly original setting of a text by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the son of emancipated slaves who was the first Afro-American poet to achieve international recognition and distinction. He wrote over a century ago and lived only 33 years. The text used by Mr. Grad rhymed and scanned, providing fertile material for Mr. Grad's unusual writing in which soprano, tenor, and baritone were given tuneful melodies, interesting harmonies, and overlapping voices. So few composers know how to choose text and how to make good use of the English language. We can honestly say that we were delighted by this work which won MVE's Young Composers Competition.

What MVE is best known for is presenting a text that was set by more than one composer. We can think of so many such works that inspired composers of the 19th c. (our favorite period). We always love Brahm's peaceful "Feldeinsamkeit" and thought Mr. Blumberg captured the tranquil mood of Hermann Allmers' text, especially the melismatic singing on the word "umwoben" (woven). We never knew that Charles Ives set the same text and it was also quite lovely, as sung by Mr. Murphree.

Both Paul Hindemith and Benjamin Britten set Thomas Moore's text  "How Sweet the Answer Echo Makes".  Ms. Slywotzky sang the Britten beautifully and Mr. Bouvier did justice to the Hindemith.

The other mirror image on the program comprised two settings of a Paul Verlaine text--"L'echelonnement des haies". Mr. Bouvier sang the setting by Debussy and Ms. Slywotzky performed the setting by Poldowska, a female composer whose style seemed very much influenced by that of Debussy. Poldowska was the pen name of a musically gifted woman who led an entirely too colorful life to be described here. Margaret Kampmeier's piano and both singers conveyed the gentle lilting music. Clearly, Verlaine's evocative text dictated the music.

And that is what we find unenjoyable about contemporary setting of English poetry.  The poetry sounds more like prose! We miss the lilt.  We miss the melody.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to a commission given to Tom Cipullo entitled A Visit with Emily. This was an elaborate work in many parts, mostly consisting of settings of Emily Dickinson's letters to T. W. Higginson and his letters about Ms. Dickinson to his wife. No doubt this is an "important" work but our pleasure came more from the singers than the songs. 

Ms. Aronson has the most exciting timbre in her voice and a vibrato that strikes our ears just right. The opening song quotes Ms. Dickinson's description of her definition of poetry as that which makes her whole body cold and makes her feel as if the top of her head were taken off.  We cannot say that we have ever felt that way from poetry! But music we like will give us goosebumps!

One of the more interesting parts of this cycle was Mr. Blumberg, Mr. Murphree, and Ms. Aronson singing three different poems about fame simultaneously in "Quodlibet I". Another part that we liked had the three of them singing a "Catch" which was brief and pithy--"Women talk: men are silent: that is why I dread women." The humor came from the fact that the men had all the lines with Ms. Aronson making wry faces. The English language lends itself well to humor!

"Passacaglia" was a pithy duet with elaborate variations poking fun at the hypocrisy of people saying they will come again some time.  (Kind of like "Why don't we have lunch some time?" in modern parlance.)

We also found something to appreciate in #17 and #18 when Mr. Blumberg and Mr. Murphree sang simultaneous arias about Wonder, Suspense, and Forgetting.

(c) meche kroop

THE UNBEARABLE WARMTH OF ICICLES HANGING BY THE WALL

Grant Wenaus, Mischa Bouvier, Scott Murphree, and Vira Slywotzky

We credit Steven Blier and the New York Festival of Song for expanding our appreciation of art song beyond those of the 19th c. sung in German.  We credit Mirror Visions Ensemble for further opening our ears to new experiences. MVE has been around for a quarter century, exploring the connections between music and text with their original thematic programs, designed to appeal to a wide audience.  One gets to hear songs both old and new, familiar and novel. Often one gets to hear the same text as set by different composers--always a fascinating excursion.

The weather outside was frightful, as they say, but inside the cozy theater of the Sheen Center, we were gifted with glorious music, interpreted by soprano Vira Slywotzky, tenor Scott Murphree, and baritone Mischa Bouvier, accompanied by collaborative pianist Grant Wenaus. Since Christmas involves the exchange of gifts, one could say that the devoted audience showered the artists with eqivalent applause and cheers.  It was a win-win evening.

The theme of the evening came from the Bard himself--specifically from Love's Labours Lost-- "When Icicles Hang by the Wall". Roger Quilter gave the verses a straightforward and lively setting (sung by Mr. Murphree and Mr. Bouvier), whereas Richard Lalli's setting, for which Ms. Slywotzky joined in, was made interesting by overlapping voices which produced some interesting effects.

Later in the program, we heard two more settings, one by E.J. Moeran sung by Ms. Slywotzky and another one by Christopher Berg (who was present in the audience for the premiere of this work) with complex a capella singing by all three artists generating a lot of complexity. By this time we thought we'd heard enough about "greasy Joan"!

The rest of the program offered a great variety of languages from German to French to Norwegian to Swedish to Ukrainian to Spanish and to Latin. Various moods were struck from playful to sacred. But of all of these, there were a few that stick in our ear and our memory.

In 1915, Claude Debussy wrote his own text and set it--an anti-war message if ever we heard one.  Entitled "Noel des enfants qui n'ont plus de maisons"--the outcry of French children against the Germans; they beg Father Christmas not to visit German homes. This song reminds us of how children all over the world are deprived of their homes and their parents and their feeling of safety by political aggression and misguided "religious" crusades. The French children of the song express compassion for the children of Poland and Belgium and Serbia as well.  The song is a masterpiece and was beautifully performed by Mr. Murphree.

At the other end of the emotional spectrum was "Twelve Days to Christmas" from She Loves Me by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, performed in true ensemble fashion by all three singers. Just as the Debussy brought tears to our eyes, this delightful ditty brought laughter to our lips by contrasting the well organized early shopper with the frazzled last minute shopper.  Now how much fun was that!

The third song that caught our ear was Mykola Leontovych's "Shchedryk" with its insistent motif, sung in perfect Ukrainian (so said our Ukrainian companion) by Ms.Slywotzky and the two gentlemen.  Ms. Slywotzky's dramatic skills layered onto her powerful voice added to the pleasures of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Coplillas de Belen".

A true curiosity and a highly interesting one is "The Huron Carol", written by St. Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit priest who spent a large part of his life in Quebec trying to convert the Huron to Catholicism. He learned the language and added to mankind's knowledge of this tribe but failed to win many converts.  This song was written in 1642 and became Canada's first Christmas song. It fascinated us because the composer attempted to make the text relevant to the Huron. Baby Jesus is wrapped in a rabbit skin and is visited by chiefs instead of the Three Wise Men; the gifts are pelts of fox and beaver, instead of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We enjoyed Mr. Bouvier's performance of "Nun wandre, Maria" in which Hugo Wolf's gorgeous writing for piano was given an excellent performance by Mr. Wenaus.  The piano part of Benjamin Britten's "Hodie Christus natus est" was most compelling.

Heinrich Heine's text was translated into Norwegian and set by Edvard Grieg with haunting intervals of fifths-- beautifully sung by Mr. Bouvier-- and also set by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov  as "The Fir and the Palm" and sung in English by Ms. Slywotzky who stunningly captured the operatic vocal line

One final curiosity captured our attention--"Six White Boomers", a song about Santa's Australian run written by Rolf Harris and John D. Brown.

With such a varied program, there was something for everyone; no one left this recital disappointed!

(c) meche kroop

A VERY SPECIAL PROGRAM FROM MIRROR VISIONS ENSEMBLE

Grant Wenaus, Jesse Blumberg, Scott Murphree, and Vira Slywotzky

Mirror Visions Ensemble is celebrating their 25th Anniversary Season with performances and master classes both in the USA and in Paris. How lucky we feel to have spent an evening with them last night at the Sheen Center, a most suitable venue for a song recital.

And what a recital it was!  The theme was Flights of Fantasy; dreams and imagination were celebrated in protean manifestations. The artistry was incomparable.

The first group of songs dealt with ancient gods; our favorite from this group was Ture Rangström's "Semele" with text by August Strindberg--both early 20th c. artists. Soprano Vira Slywotzky is a truly exceptional singer of great versatility. She used her ample instrument and perfectly calibrated dramatic skills to get across the vindictiveness of the goddess Hera towards the overreaching Semele of the title. Our knowledge of the Swedish language is minimal but it sounded just fine to us.

The next set of songs dealt with Lorelei, the mythical siren who lures men to their destruction.  Always a compelling storyteller and adventuresome linguist, Ms. Slywotzky tackled Zdenêk Fibich's  Czech setting of Heinrich Heine's chilling tale which we had previously heard only in German.

We were on more familiar territory when baritone Jesse Blumberg gave an astonishing account of Robert Schumann's "Waldesgespräch". What astonished us was not just his mellifluous voice but the varied colorations he gave to the seductive horseman and the vengeful Lorelei.  We couldn't help thinking of a certain entitled presidential candidate and hoping he might meet a similar fate.

Ms. Slyvotzky returned with all her cabaret flair to perform the version put forth by the brothers Gershwin. Oh, she was treacherous!  Oh, she was lecherous!  And how cleverly the Gershwins made use of the special qualities of the English language.

MVE has commissioned eighty works over the years, and last night we heard the latest--Scales and Tales by Gilda Lyons whose contemporary take was original and more than usually listenable. Mythological creatures were introduced in texts, one dating from nearly three millenia ago, with the most recent from the mid 18th c.

The strings of the piano were plucked and pounded by pianist Grant Wenaus, producing some of the strangest sounds we have heard coming from that instrument. All three singers took part.  Our favorite was "Unicorn" in which all three singers overlapped lines or sang in unison with strange harmonies and occasional equine snuffling and snorting!

The next segment dealt with birds--the swan and the stork. Mr. Blumberg performed Maurice Ravel's "Le Cygne" and brought out all the gentleness of the Jules Renard text, painting an evocative aural picture for us to visualize. His fine French added to the Gallic flavor and Mr. Wenau's rippling piano lent an aural assist.

The following song, Hugo Wolf's  "Storchenbotschaft" showed off tenor Scott Murphree's artistry. Eduard Mörike's text tells a delightful story of a shepherd learning about the arrival of twins by virtue of a visit from a pair of storks. Mr. Murphree's German was impeccable and his storytelling captured all the humor. We loved Wolf's piano writing here; Mr. Wenau was brilliant.

Even better was Mr. Murphree's performance of Joseph Kosma's 20th c. comic masterpiece "Deux escargot s'en vont à l'enterrement" with text by Jacques Prévert. We don't usually think of tenors having a sense of humor but he sure does. What a charming performance of a charming story!

Ms. Slywotzky and Mr. Wenau almost outdid one another in a gorgeous performance of Debussy's "La flûte de Pan". When we speak of imagination, we must give ample credit to the poetry of Pierre Louÿs! And Ms. Slywotzky's French was perfect. What a versatile artist she is!

There were other delights on the program but let us skip to the 20th c. dragon-ish ending in which all the artists took part.  Lee Hoiby's setting of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" might have been called "Jabberwacky"!  All three singers joined to exhibit mock terror at this ferocious beast.

Wolseley Charles' "The Green-Eyed Dragon" never fails to delight and we enjoyed the singers' taking turns from one verse to the next. These artists are superb in solos but together they are formidable.

The Artistic Director for MVE is Tobé Malawista. The company has achieved great success in developing an audience for art song with their innovative programming.

(c) meche kroop