Classical,
Spinning tales on catgut strings
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is enjoying a season of celebration as they mark their 30th anniversary with a world tour and a Carnegie Hall Debut on Friday. As one of the first professional ensembles specializing in Early Music, their legacy is an illustrious one with over 76 critically acclaimed albums.
The gracious director and violinist, Jeanne Lamon, brought to the stage a well-rounded ensemble of veteran players and young talent. Men and women are equally represented on all instruments creating a balanced yin/yang effect of masculine and feminine energy.
The ensemble performs on instruments true to the Baroque period. Lamon does an excellent job of explaining the difference in terms of historic accuracy. The catgut strings, tapered bows, smaller bodies and lighter wood and sound board, in addition to other details, create instruments that emit a softer, lighter sound. There is an intimacy about the timbre. Although the dynamic range isn't as broad with the Baroque violins, there is a lace-like purity that is just as satisfying.
All of the players stand except the cellos and the harpsichordist. This modification is ingenious as it allows freedom of movement and expression. So many of the pieces written in the Baroque period were made for dancing, the Gigues, Hornpipes, Minuets, all composed with movement in mind. By standing, the instrumentalists rock and sway expressively with their bowing, leaning into the weight of the phrase. They push forward, lift their chins, tilt their heads, bend and shift, up and down and the result is mesmerizing. They connect with each other visually, occasionally letting a little smile escape. Like calligraphy, the phrases are drawn in tapered lines with curvy ornaments. The orchestra was as visually interesting as they are pleasing to listen to.
The program consisted of the Veracini Ouverture in G minor, a sample of dances from Purcell's Suite from the Fairy Queen, The Bach concerto for two violins, the Locatelli Concerto grosso op. 1 and Handel's Suite from Water Music, complete with horns. The program allowed each section to shine.
During the Bach Concerto for Two Violins, Lamon was joined by the young Aisslinn Nosky sporting a shock of short, bright red hair. Lamon relates a funny story about touring a remote island in near Vancouver and the pleasure of hearing an army of Suzuki violinists between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Little Aisslinn was playing in the front row.
A beautiful familial dynamic existed between them as they played the Bach concerto in a way I had never heard it interpreted before. The Largo movement was particularly expressive as the first phrase rose in angst to be consoled by the wise echo from Lamon. It was a conversation that made complete sense and resonated.
Other standouts included the oboes functioning like vocal soloists with their plaintive alto texture. The bassoon gave the ensemble buoyancy and bounce working in tandem with the cellos, bass and harpsichord to anchor the ensemble.
Tafelmusik isn't just a fine orchestra of excellent talent and experience. They use their gifts to tell stories through the music of the past. They play with wit and understanding which makes the experience of hearing them multidimensional.
Sunday night's performance will be rebroadcast on KPR fm 91.5 and although one won't be able to see them in action, their gorgeous sounds will still satisfy. Check out the schedule. www.kansaspublicradio.org/index.php
REVIEW
Lied Center of KU
Tafelmusik Baroque Ochestra
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lied Center
Lawrence, KS
www.lied.ku.edu
Theatre ,
The puppets are coming! The puppets are coming!
Fillmore Chapel at the Unity Temple on the Plaza is like the inside of a strawberry cupcake. It's pale pink and petite with intricate wood cutouts and an oak leaf frieze molding that decorates the walls. The old-fashioned theater seats are even upholstered with pink velvet and when filled with happy children of all ages, is a perfect venue for a puppet show.
Puppetry is an ancient art form and children all over the world have enjoyed the retelling of folk tales and stories for centuries. Paul Mesner and his band of merry puppeteers imaginatively recreate stories ancient and modern in an authentic way letting the audience experience what a puppet show should be.
In the African and Caribbean folk tales, of Anansi Returns, the naughty spider is up to his old tricks. This time he's trying to collect all of the knowledge in the jungle and crash a feast. It is only when he tries to catch fish with turtle that he gets his due.
The puppets in this production are soft and fuzzy and reminiscent of the friendly creatures of Sesame Street. They are accessible, lovable and very funny. A nearly constant chorus of giggles could be heard throughout the performance. Although the Paul Mesner puppets cater to kids, adults enjoy the deeper meaning behind the puns and jokes making the stories appealing to everyone.
The action was accompanied by master percussionist, Patrick Alonzo Conway, on a variety of authentic African instruments like the thumb piano and the talking drum. Anansi the spider had an especially playful theme that followed him on and offstage. Patrick Conway's credits include work with the NewEar Ensemble, Mambo DeLeon Orchestra, The People's Liberation Big Band and the Balinese Music and Dance troupe Gamelan Genta Kasturi to name a few.
Puppeteers Mike Horner and Gabby Baculi expertly voiced and acted the numerous characters and gave each one a distinctive personality. The co-ordination necessary to operate the different props and staging was impressive. Some of the characters ran across the stage at warp speed, some danced and one was in two places at once.
After the performance the audience was invited to come up to the stage for an informal Q & A.
In addition to the six month theater season at the Unity Temple on the Plaza, the Paul Mesner Puppets offer two touring companies, residencies, and workshops. They also host birthday parties. Half day puppet camps are offered in the summer and special events accompany certain performances during the season.
In February, author Susan Meddaugh, will be the special guest for the world premiere performance of her bestselling children's book, and PBS TV series, Martha Speaks. Martha is a talking dog who never fails to amaze her friends and family. There will be a reception afterward and copies of the book will be available for purchase and autographs.
If you haven't taken your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, friends or grown-ups to see The Paul Mesner puppets, there is still time. A purer entertainment escape would be hard to find. And don't forget to pop downstairs to Eden Alley: a great, healthy, family friendly restaurant.
REVIEW
Paul Mesner Puppets
Anansi Returns
Runs through February 8, 2009
Unity on the Plaza,
707 W. 47th Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.paulmesnerpuppets.org
Film,
FILM REVIEW: Rourke rams his way to an Oscar nomination in "The Wrestler"
I admit it. When I was a growing up during the 1980s I watched professional wrestling, and despite all of the pyrotechnics and laser light shows they currently use, it is still a theater of the absurd. However, there is nothing absurd about the dark side of the profession, which is portrayed with gritty realism in director Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.
Twenty years after his wrestling glory days, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) is still performing but not at venues like Madison Square Garden. With a body that is little more than a battered piece of meat, Randy gets in his van and travels to VFW halls and high school gymnasiums to capture a glimmer of what was like to once be a household name.
When he is not getting himself beaten up, Randy has to settle for working any hours he can get as a grocery store employee in New Jersey. For entertainment, he goes to a seedy strip club at night where a dancer named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) smiles and dances for him while he relates tales like some retired Roman gladiator.
After a heart attack nearly takes his life, Randy decides to retire and tries to get Cassidy to see him as more than just another customer. He also reaches out to his estranged daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood).
Initially, everything goes so well that Randy begins to feel for the first time what it is like to have a fulfilling life that does not include wrestling. Unfortunately, like a Greek tragedy of old, our hero "The Ram" cannot fit in anywhere except the squared circle.
In the 1980s, Rourke made his mark as a movie star with roles in Diner and A Prayer for the Dying, but a disastrous attempt at boxing and flawed plastic surgeries, among other things, led him into cinematic obscurity, with the exception of recent roles in Man on Fire and Sin City.
Like Sylvester Stallone's Rocky character, Rourke has come storming back with an unforgettable performance that has earned him a Golden Globe win as best actor and an Oscar nomination in the same category. Even the Kansas City Film Critics Circle voted him as the best actor of 2008 for the sheer honesty of emotion he pours forth in every mannerism and every bit of dialogue Rourke delivers during the course of the film.
I would be remiss if I did not mention Tomei's Oscar-nominated performance as a lost single mother who has been stripping for so long that she has forgotten what it is like to not be a piece of meat that desperate men throw money at.
Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Pi) may not earn any fans among the professional wrestling community. Regardless, Aronofsky's provoking, sometimes unsettling film often has a documentary feel to it as we literally follow Randy during the course of his every day life.
We bear witness to the dark side of what's been called "sports entertainment" as wrestlers do whatever it takes, including any kind of drug you can imagine, to keep going as long as they possibly can. This comes with a tremendous price because not only does their family life suffer, but their life spans are greatly shortened by the constant punishment they endure. It's hard not to walk away from The Wrestler with a sense of both pity and respect for professional wrestlers.
With a moving Golden Globe-winning song titled The Wrestler at the end by Bruce Springsteen, this is a film that you would be absurd not to miss.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, The Wrestler receives an A-.
The Wrestler is rated R and has a running time of 109 minutes.
NOW SHOWING
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Film,
FILM REVIEW: It would be a sin to miss "Doubt"
Still cramming to get in as many Academy Award-nominated films in before Sunday, February 22nd? If for some odd reason up to this point you have missed Doubt, which has five Oscar nominations to its credit, then mark it down as the next one on your must-see list.
Set in a gloomy, fall/winter setting, Doubt takes us back to 1964, a time when the nation was still wounded from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The place is St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx where a young Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) preaches to his congregation that during a crisis of faith there is doubt but faith is stronger.
It is during Father Flynn's opening sermon that we see who the school disciplinarian is - Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep). While Father Flynn is open to fresh ideas in order breathe new life into St. Nicholas, like allowing a secular song in the Christmas pageant, Sister Beauvier will hear none of it as she comes from an old tradition of not sparing the rod.
Early on, Sister Beauvier has a gnawing suspicion of Father Flynn, but it's not until the happily innocent Sister James (Amy Adams, Enchanted) tells her about his suspicious interaction with the school's lone black male student that she begins to take action to force him out.
While Sister Beauvier's subsequent meeting with the student's mother (Viola Davis, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) is saddening and her confrontation with Father Flynn is emotionally charged, we are left to form our own doubts as to whether or not he is lying.
Substantively, Doubt reminds us that decades before the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal exploded onto the front pages in 2002, many priests who were guilty of such heinous crimes were simply moved from one parish to another and their crimes were swept under the rug. While John Patrick Shanley's film may have struck a nerve with some who did not want further embarrassment for the church, it's a matter that should not be forgotten lest we be damned to repeat it.
Artistically, Doubt, written and directed by playwright Shanley (Joe Versus the Volcano), is a reminder that cinema can be a great art form. Something that can satisfy the mind and soul. While there is nothing wrong with current films like Confessions of a Shopaholic and Friday the 13th, they contribute as much to the art form as my dog does.
Doubt is one of those rare films where a special Oscar should be given to the entire cast. What more can be said about Streep, who has been nominated 15 times and won twice - in 1980 for best supporting actress in Kramer vs. Kramer and in 1983 for best actress in Sophie's Choice? She remains a true master of her craft and is in my book the greatest actress living today.
Streep completely dissolves into Sister Beauvier and gives her a stern, unflinching quality while maintaining a streak of vulnerability and decency that gives her character likability.
Hoffman, nominated for best supporting actor, proves again how versatile he has become as an actor. If you don't believe me, watch his turn as the open-minded yet suspicious acting priest and then go rent Mission Impossible III and Capote.
Without a doubt in my mind, it would be a sin if you fail to see this spectacular drama. At the very least you should be smacked on the back of your hand with a ruler and made to do your multiplication tables ten times.
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Doubt receives an A.
Doubt is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 104 minutes.
Now Showing
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf
Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Classical,
Benjamin Bagby’s Beowulf
The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf has experienced an amazing cultural renaissance in the past decade. Nobel Prize-winning Irish author Seamus Heaney's new translation in 1999 captured worldwide interest, and four general release film versions of the tale appeared in its wake.* In 2007, two other cinematic adaptations were added to the interpretive mix,Beowulf: Prince of the Geats, an all-volunteer film project, and the SciFi Channel'sGrendel.
Alongside these modern reincarnations comes a vision of how the poem may have been performed a millennium ago. On Saturday evening, February 28, at 8 p.m. in Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, noted medieval music practitioner Benjamin Bagby will tell the tell of Beowulf and Grendel, accompanying himself on a reconstructed 7th century harp. Presented by The Friends of Chamber Music as part of its Early Music Series, Beowulf will be performed in Anglo-Saxon with English supertitles. Those who have seen this elsewhere have described it as "captivating" and "unforgettable."
Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxon epic dating from sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries, was most likely part of an oral tradition before it was written down and codified. Bards, the singing poets of medieval Europe, may well have performed the story to their own musical accompaniment. Bagby, in his version, follows the bardic practice and has created his own music based on the inherent properties of medieval epic song. Just as one can learn an older literary language, so has Bagby acquired fluency in the musical language of the 11th century. His familiarity with the intricacies of the era's distinctive measured meter, from the smallest discernable units to the overarching shape of an entire work, serves as the foundation for his interpretation. Above a virtually imperceptible underlying metrical scaffolding, Bagby employs various types of vocal utterances to bring the tale to life. Audience members will encounter plain and heightened speech, sung melodies, and numerous other vocal sounds, including whispers, moans, barks, shouts, and even screams. The "singer of tales" takes on all the dramatic roles in the story, including that of narrator, and, as a single performer, offers a musical-theatrical monologue that engulfs and engages the audience.
Bagby also includes an element of improvisation in his telling of the tale, just as singing storytellers would have done in the Middle Ages. While the set pieces, the main parts of the epic, remain largely unchanged from performance to performance, the material that separates them is continually modified. An element of freshness is thus always present.
Benjamin Bagby is one of the premier figures in medieval music circles. Known as both a scholar and a performer, he co-founded the group Sequentia, one of the leading medieval ensembles, in 1974. Currently based in Paris, he is on the faculty of the Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV, where he teaches in the master's program for medieval music performance practice. Bagby will offer a "question and answer" session after the performance.
The Friends of Chamber Music
Beowulf by Benjamin Bagby
Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
13th and Broadway, Downtown Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
* These include 1) Beowulf (1999) directed by Graham Baker, who set the story in a "Mad Max"-type universe, and starring Christopher Lambert; 2) The 13th Warrior (1999), directed by John McTiernan and based on Michael Criton's The Eaters of the Dead; 3) Beowulf and Grendel (2005), directed by Sturla Gunnarssson, filmed in Iceland, and starring Gerard Butler; and 4) Beowulf (2007), a computer animated version directed by Robert Zemeckis with a script by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman that features Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother.
Classical,
Czech Symphony Orchestra
As the jailer in Bedrich Smetana’s opera Dalibor proclaims, “What Czech does not love music?” The Czech lands have produced some of the most important musical figures in the history of European music. From opera composer Christoph Willibald Gluck, virtuoso violinist Johann Stamitz, and scores of keyboard composers in the 18th century to 21st century performers such as mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena, the Czech musical heritage is extensive. Czechs also embrace foreign musicians and their works; after all, Mozart’s operas Don Giovanni and La clemenza di Tito both had their premieres in the Czech capital.
The Czech Symphony Orchestra, which will perform at Johnson County Community College’s Carlsen Center at 7 p.m. on Sunday, February 15, is part of this long tradition of Czech music-making. Their program includes two works by Czech composers -- Bohuslav Martinu’s Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani H. 271 and Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, as well as Felix Mendelssohn’s immortal Violin Concerto. While Martinu’s work may not be generally known, it is an extremely compelling artistic response to events in Europe on the eve of World War II. Dvořák ’s New World Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto are among the most popular works in the classical repertory, and with good reason.
Founded in 1954, the Czech Symphony Orchestra, also known as the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra of Ostrava, has its roots in the Czech Radio Orchestra. It quickly became one of the foremost orchestras in the country and remains especially well known for its performances of music by Czech composers, including Dvořák and Martinu. The ensemble began touring internationally in 1958, and many distinguished soloists, both Czech and non-Czech, have appeared with the orchestra. This tradition of notable soloists continues, for Finnish pianist Paavali Jumppanen and American violinist Jennifer Frautschi, two major stars in the current classical firmament, will both appear with the orchestra on February 15. The Czech Symphony Orchestra’s highly esteemed conductor, Theodore Kuchar, is principal conductor of both this orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, which had its first performance in 1845, is a masterwork of the genre. Its three movements are played without pause, and the concerto is filled with the lyricism, playfulness, and sparkle associated with Mendelssohn (consider his music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream). But because of its hallmark transparency, it also poses tremendous challenges for performers—everything is exposed, nothing can be hidden. The concerto is raft with surprises, and Mendelssohn lets his audience know this from the very beginning. Whereas most concertos of the era began with a lengthy orchestral introduction, Mendelssohn offers only a couple of measures of orchestral murmuring before the violinist enters. I’m reminded of a story where a violinist was asked to play the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on a moment’s notice with no rehearsal, and was shocked when, at the concert, the orchestra was playing the opening of the Mendelssohn. The violinist realized what was happening and, after literally a few seconds, entered with Mendelssohn’s soaring opening theme.
Antonin Dvořák is one of the defining voices in Czech music. A protégé of Bedrich Smetana, Dvořák straddled the emerging chasm of being a “universal” and a “national” composer. He wrote in standard Viennese genres, such as symphony, string quartet, concerto, and piano trio, but infused his work with a distinctive Czech voice that most often was based on Czech dance rhythms. He spent three years in New York City (1892-95), where he directed and taught at the National Conservatory. Among his students were notable African American musicians such as the singer Harry T. Burleigh and the violinist Will Marion Cook.
Dvořák was fascinated with American culture, especially the music of African Americans and the entire Indianist movement. These influences are readily apparent in the From the New World Symphony. The symphony, written while Dvořák was in New York, had its first performance by the New York Philharmonic in December 1893. Several of the themes, most notably the English horn solo in the slow movement, have been connected to the African American spiritual tradition. The words “Goin’ Home” were later added to the tune, strengthening the tie between Dvořák ’s symphony and African American music. But it is the Native American elements that are perhaps even more intriguing.
As Dvořák scholar Michael Beckerman has demonstrated, Dvořák was planning a large-scale work based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Hiawatha. While the piece itself never emerged, a great deal of the music made its way into the From the New World Symphony. Hence, the work could be interpreted as a musical depiction of the story of Hiawatha. (Think here the sort of thing that Walt Disney did in Fantasia.)
While Dvořák remains one of the most significant Czech composers in the years surrounding the turn of the 20th century, Martinu is regarded as one of the leading Czech-born composers of the early 20th century. His music, though, is not rooted in the lush romanticism of Dvořák , but rather exhibits more modernist traits in terms of harsh harmonic dissonances, relentless rhythmic dynamism, and extreme emotional pathos. These traits are readily evident in the highly original Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Tympani from 1940. Written shortly after the Munich Pact, in which Martini’s homeland was ceded to Hitler, the Double Concerto emerged as Martinu’s statement against the war that was quickly engulfing Europe. The two orchestras, piano soloist, and tympanist sometimes play together, sharing musical musical, while at other times they appear in direct opposition to one another. The Double Concerto is rarely performed, and with its stereophonic antiphonal effects, is something best experienced live.
The Czech Symphony Orchestra’s concert promises to be one of February’s outstanding musical events. The program offers listeners a rare opportunity to hear a riveting piece by Martinu, revel in the lyricism of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and experience the music of one of Czech’s most illustrious musicians, Dvořák , played by an orchestra from his homeland.
PREVIEW:
Carlsen Center at JCCC
Czech Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m.
Carlsen Center
12345 College, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445
or online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=3232&pid=6237479&schedule=list
Classical,
Super star - super sonics
Over 300 people were present to hear Jan Kraybill's 10th Annual Super Bowl Sunday organ recital at the Community of Christ Auditorium on February 1st. Dr. Kraybill is a superb organist technically and musically; her programming extraordinarily imaginative. This year, she played music requested by the audience who heard her 2008 recital, noting in her verbal program notes that she had three single-spaced, typewritten pages of requests.
She began her recital with the number one requested work, Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. She made the work a fresh and exciting experience by playing with considerable propulsion and by making use of the organ's many divisions in antiphony. Marcel Dupre's Prelude and Fugue in G Minor was the work requested by many organists; especially impressive was the pedal work, including perfectly executed four voice chords. Dr. Kraybill noted that the work was played in 1959 on the dedicatory recital of the Auditorium organ. As with all that she did, her playing was effortless. The Auditorium had a variety of television cameras around the room, so that it was possible to watch the playing of the feet, the manual work from overhead, and, especially, head shots of Dr. Kraybill showing her having a grand time!
The work that best captured my attention was Paul Halley's Outer Hebrides, an improvisatory work built on traditional tunes from the islands off the west coast of Scotland. The work begins on the softest organ stops, builds to an immense sonic climax, and returns to the quiet. The crescendo and decrescendo were seamlessly realized.
Other works included the KU Jayhawk fight song, requested by her brother-in-law; a setting by William Bolcom of the most requested hymn tune, Amazing Grace.
Dr. Kraybill's own arrangement of music from "High School Musical"; and Edwin H. Lemare's transcription of the William Tell Overture. Throughout the recital the audience was treated to the full range of colors available on the four manual Aeolian-Skinner organ. As an encore, Dr. Kraybill played the Solemn Melody by Sir Henry Walford Davies, dedicating the performance to the memory of G. Donald Harrison, one-time president of the Aeolian-Skinner organ company; Mr. Harrison designed the Auditorium organ but died long before the project was completed.
Dr. Kraybill noted that November 6th is the 50th anniversary of the opening recital. It is her intention to re-enact that recital, which was played by Catharine Crozier; and it is her hope that the attendance will be the same as that recital in 1959 - 7,000 people! So, mark your calendars now for Jan Kraybill's recital on Friday November 6th.
REVIEW:
10th Annual Super Bowl Sunday Organ Recital
with Dr. Jan Kraybill
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Community of Christ Auditorium
Independence, MO
Classical,
Sandi Patty and KC Symphony bring a bit of broadway to Kansas City
On Friday night, the Kansas City Symphony was in top form, easily meeting their now expected high level of musicianship, and their featured guest vocal soloist, Christian music recording star Sandi Patty, did not disappoint. Sandi Patty has been active professionally for thirty years, earning multiple Grammy and Billboard Music awards as well as selling over 11 million albums. In this weekend's performance, which was presented at the very spacious Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Sandi and the Kansas City Symphony, led by Assistant Conductor Steven Jarvi, presented an eclectic evening of hits and classic songs from Broadway musicals.
This performance, titled Sandi Patty's Broadway!, was conceived by Sandi and first performed last year with her hometown symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Kansas City music lovers were the recipient of the program's first performance outside of Indiana. The night opened with the title song from The Sound of Music, featuring an uncredited young female singer who held her own well with Sandi. The program was highlighted by Sandi's take-off on a famous Liza Minelli number about her name called Sandi with an "I", a medley of songs originally written for male singers (most notably Bring Him Home from Les Miserables), and a wonderfully scored instrumental medley of music from The Producers, which featured a great tuba solo from Steven Seward. The most moving song of the entire performance was a lovely rendition of Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music.
The evening proved to be a true family affair for Sandi. She brought her husband, Don, out to sing the duet All I Ask Of You from the Phantom of the Opera, providing a nice moment of genuine emotional connection. One of Sandi's daughters was a member of an octet of backing singers that were lovingly dubbed the "Sandi Patty Broadway Singers". All of these musicians, as a sort of extended family, traveled with Sandi from Indiana to perform. They proved to be quite capable backing singers and excelled all evening, except for some rhythmic imprecision from the ladies during a West Side Story montage. In addition, Sandi's oldest daughter, Anna, was on hand serving as her tour manager.
Sandi Patty's career began with her singing backup for Bill Gaither. She gained national recognition when her version of The National Anthem was broadcast during the 1986 ABC Statue of Liberty rededication. As a singer, Sandi possesses a singular instrument. Her vocal range is astounding. She still has all the high notes any soprano would ever want, but she also has an exceedingly warm and full lower range. During the concert Sandi exhibited all the technique of a classically trained vocalist. Her breath control was exemplary, and her stage presence was elegant and professional. Perhaps the most impressive aspect to Patty's performance was her ability to color her voice to embody the characters that originally sang these songs. The audience was treated to guest appearances by Maria (Julie Andrews) from The Sound of Music, Adelaide from Guys and Dolls, and Annie Oakley (Ethel Merman) from Annie Get Your Gun. The young female vocalist rejoined Sandi on stage at the end of the concert to sing the timeless song Never Never Land from Peter Pan. The concert then ended with the rousing You'll Never Walk Alone from Carousel.
In a short discussion with Sandi after the concert, she had nothing but the warmest compliments for Maestro Jarvi and the musicians of the Kansas City Symphony. Sandi has performed with orchestras all across the country, and she said that our hometown Symphony was gracious and wonderful to work with both as an organization and as individual musicians.
The Kansas City Symphony's last concert in their 2008-2009 Pops series is a concert titled A Celtic Celebration and will feature the traditional Irish band Cherish the Ladies. That concert will be performed on Friday, March 6 at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood.
REVIEW
Kansas City Symphony Pops Series
Sandi Patty's Broadway!
Friday, January 30, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Church of the Resurrection
www.kcsymphony.org
Film,
FILM REVIEW: Remembrances of revolutions past
Steven Soderbergh’s four-hundred-and-seventeen-minute film, Che, is actually two films—for some viewers it might be one too many films, but then I suppose there are people who think one can eat too much chocolate cake. Appetites must be fed.
An experiment in form, Che is unlike the usual film biography: less achievement-oriented like Gandhi or Milk and more a director’s vision like the two Capote films, Infamous and Capote. Oddly, for a movie about such an incendiary individual as Che Guevera, the opposition (and the support) surrounding the film has been mostly muted; since its initial screening at Cannes last May the picture has been received rather flatly. I can see why. It is not a strict linear history. Che, Part One begins in the early 1950's in Cuba with Batista’s announcement of his overthrow of the government, and in Mexico City with Che meeting Castro to discuss the overthrow of Batista, and ends with the guerrillas’ victory, in January, 1959—but Soderbergh abruptly ends the movie one hundred and eighty-eight miles from Havana, thus denying the audience any sense of the victory march.
Part Two opens with Che surreptitiously entering Bolivia, in 1967, where he attempts to use guerrilla-style tactics to reprise the Cuban model of socialism. (He was eventually captured and executed by the Bolivian army, with help from a Cuban CIA operative.) Yet neither is Che a dramatization of Che’s life in the typical Hollywood genius/freak style of A Beautiful Mind. We do not learn much about him; we are left with a greater sense of the asthma that wore him down than of his intellectual self-education, or what Castro thought of him for leaving Cuba to carry on the ideals of la revolución. The picture pitches back and forth, from country to country and from time-frame to time-frame. The iconic eponymous title is all that is straightforward about the movie.
Soderbergh, in turning away from the traditional film biography, poses several questions that reach beyond Guevera. Che is as much a movie about a revolutionary in film as it is about a revolutionary in politics; if the picture is more fascinating for its aesthetic contradictions in Soderbergh’s career than for its portrait of Che that is not entirely a contradiction in itself. By now, Che’s afterlife has lasted longer than his life—he died at thirty-nine—so any interpretation about him is available, somewhat like a novel that enters into the public domain after its copyright expires. The movie, written by Peter Buchman and Benjamin Van Der Veen, represents Che as a revolutionary model, but less like the HBO John Adams mini-series that shows the man behind the leader than a film like Lawrence of Arabia, where David Lean focuses on Lawrence as a self-styled freedom fighter without delving into his past or his personal side.
Che, played to perfection by Benicio Del Toro, at times appears to be the director’s alter ego, though never as extravagantly as Lean made Peter O’Toole’s sun-burnished Lawrence. Del Toro’s Che dresses in his trademark olive-green fatigues and beret, and he rarely raises his voice, which gives his portrayal a touch of Jesus. But Soderbergh and the writers give Del Toro no grandstanding scene, no Oscar moment; rather, his performance is all of a piece: low-keyed, cool, watchful. The audience is left to extrapolate his strengths and weaknesses, which is where some critics have, I think, felt amiss. The real Che, like Lenin, oversaw many executions and there are a couple shown here, but not in high fashion—does that mean Soderbergh feels the violence is permissible, or that its absence onscreen keeps Che clean? Well, if one knows Guevera was no boy scout, the acknowledgement of his swift decisions is evident but not weighted extra. Soderbergh keeps his camera rolling.
The two halves of the movie reflect a revolutionary’s life; at times, Che affects a documentary air. Scenes of him discussing troop movements, parsing guerrilla conduct, helping the peasants (Che trained as a doctor), all come and go without much directorial interference. When the Bolivian government and Che’s ragtag guerrilla army are targeting each other in Part Two, the way in which both sides seek to manipulate the peasants for food and for information is depicted dryly. It is also another way for Soderbergh to create an ambiguous interpretation; if he wished to crown Che, he would not show the revolutionary in any kind of bad light. Che’s determinism underplays everything else about him without making excuses for his ruthlessness.
Soderbergh is at his most expressive at the very end, after Che’s capture when he is trussed and left dirty and weather-beaten in a shed; as he begins to woo a young guard into freeing him we see how charismatic Che truly was. In an earlier scene, after he has met some young recruits in the middle of nowhere and a lieutenant tells them, “You’ve just shaken hands with Che Guevera,” one young man says, “Can I shake his hand again?” At the end, the young guard is equally susceptible to Che’s myth, but breaks away and tells the other guard he will have to stand watch. Soderbergh inverts the usual film-bio defeat-to-victory progression, which, again, says more about his viewpoint as a filmmaker than anything about Che’s methods as a revolutionary. He scotches the victory lap most films end on (like the endless candlelight vigil in Milk). There are no end-titles bringing us up to date about Che’s legacy, the way biographical films do; indeed, Soderbergh omits the real ending—Che’s hands were cut off and his corpse buried anonymously, so there would be no grave to create a pilgrimage for his followers—thus the full dramatic curve is stopped short. All we see of Che is what Soderbergh sees in his camera.
Directors have often fallen under the sway of politics: there is something romantic about the larger-than-life character that changes the world. Eisenstein’s two-part Ivan the Terrible, Andrzej Wajda’s Danton, Bertolucci’s five-hour 1900 and his Chinese epic The Last Emperor, Abel Gance’s split-screen Napoléon and Lean’s swashbuckling Middle Eastern drama all try to match the director’s vision to the leader’s luminous spirit. (Kubrick’s unfulfilled dream to make a film about Napoleon says more about him than about the French Emperor.) Audiences come away from these personal epics with a sense of heightened drama, though not necessarily all the facts, as if emotion is enough. (Sometimes, it is, as in John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln, where Henry Fonda makes Lincoln human.) Soderbergh never sets up his film as any sort of authorized Life, which makes Che, despite its running time, a compact epic. It might not be the movie we expect about Che, but it is the kind of unexpected movie from Soderbergh that we hope for. After all, we need a revolution in the movies, too.
Che, Part One and Part Two
opens at the Tivoli Cinemas,
Westport Square, on February 27.
There will be a ten-minute intermission between films.
For tickets and showtimes, 913-383-7756 or online at www.tivolikc.com.
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Classical,
VID: What Makes it Rob? Part I
PART 1
Local media maven Laurie Arbore interviews composer, commentator, author and NPR star Rob Kapilow about "What Makes it Great?"
Rob and Laurie converse about his long-lasting engagement in Kansas City with The Friends of Chamber Music, discoveries, his new book and his own compositions.
From an interview in December 2008.
This weekend Kapilow will return to the metropolis for the 15th year of "What Makes it Great?" with guest artists, the Zemlinsky String Quartet.
Video by Mike Strong
Editing by Nathan Granner
The Friends of Chamber Music
Zemlinsky Quartet
Dvorák String Quartet No. 12 in F. Major, Op. 96 "The American.
Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m.
Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ
205 W. 65th Street, Kansas City, MO 64113
Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 pm
Paradise Park 1021 NE Colbern Rd Lee's Summit, MO 64086
For tickets or information call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Coming in January...
Gilles Vonsattel
Chopin Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47 and Chopin Ballade No. 4 in F-Minor Op. 52
Saturday, Jan. 16 at11 am
Goppert Theater at Avila University
11901 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 64145
Sunday, Jan. 17 at 2 pm
Atkins Auditorium Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak Street Kansas City, MO 64111
Classical, Jazz,
Wu Man and Friends Rock
It sounds like the start of a really bad joke, but Wu Man and her friends James Makubuya and Lee Knight presented a mind blowing concert that ultimately left audiences feeling good about the prospect of world peace.
Wu Man plays the Chinese lute or pipa (pronounced pee-pah) with the intensity of a rock star. Where many traditional pipa players strive to serve the traditional voice of the instrument, Wu Man fearlessly tests its limits. Joined by Ugandan string player James Makubuya and Appalachian folk musician Lee Knight the three friends represent the wonderful cultural connections that occur when curious musicians meet and mix.
The Pipa is a tear drop shaped wooden lute with four strings and raised frets than span the length of the instrument. It is help upright on the players lap and plucked or strummed in any variety of ways. Wu Man is not only a pipa virtuoso from the Pudong School of playing, but she knows how to make the pipa relevant to the music of today by collaborating with this century's brightest composers. She has worked with Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, and UMKC composer in residence, Chen Yi, to name a few. Her biography is impressive but she is down to earth and maintains a humble and gracious stage presence.
Wu Man and Friends is a cozy tour. At the Lied Center, Thursday night the relaxed vibe and obvious enjoyment the group took in playing with each other made the audience feel like we were invited to hang out on the back porch for an intimate jam. The program was flexible and changed. The first half featured Makubuya and the second half, Knight. Folk music concerts can make even the most cavernous stages seems like intimate coffee houses and this performance was no exception.
Wu Man opened the concert with a solo piece of classical pipa repertoire called Flute and Drum Music at Sunset. Written in 1875 in the "civil" style of pipa music her interpretation sounded very modern to my Western ears. The piece is showy and uses a flutter roll finger picking style. She slowly bends the strings to alter the pitches, reveling in the multitude of "notes between the notes". There is a Jimi Hendricks-like virtuosity about her as she closes her eyes and shakes her head from side to side. She looks like she is singing the angular pentatonic melody in her head. Then, in an instant, the piece becomes staccato and linear, painting a completely different picture. The form moves back and forth like a conversation.
Her tool box of finger picking techniques is loaded. She plucks, flicks, rolls, strums, dampens bar chords, pulls, adds vibrato and trills, scratches, slides and even pops like a funk bassist. American rock guitarists could learn a thing or two from her. The only things she didn't do were bow it or play it with her teeth, maybe next time.
James Makubuya joined her from off stage, shuffling, singing a traditional African song while bowing his one stringed endingidi. A Ugandan, ethnomusicologist, Makubuya tells the audience the highly entertaining folk stories and legends about the instruments and they way they look. In addition to the edingidi he also played the endongo (8-string bowl lyre) and adungu (9-string bow harp) with Wu Man showing that instruments made in different parts of the world can speak the same language.
Lee Knight is full of down home humor. "If it's a dead animal, we can make an instrument out of it." said Knight, with a smile, as he asked the audience to save their road kill. For this performance he played his fretless five-string banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, Cherokee flute and mouth bow. It was refreshing to hear our familiar folk music tradition juxtaposed against the Chinese and African cultures. The Cherokee flute blended particularly well with the pipa, both deriving their special sounds from five note scales.
Both Makubuya and Knight chose to share songs that centered on a young girls desire to choose her own spouse instead of succumbing to an arranged marriage. These songs highlighted how similar our traditions, with regard to marriage, were and how far these young heroines would go to be with their true loves.
On instruments made from the same, earthly raw materials, Wu Man and her friends proved that for thousands of years, people have been making music that highlights the beauty and uniqueness of their individual cultures and the similarity of their human experience.
Note:
Prior to the Wu Man and Friends performance, the KC Chinese Music Ensemble held a demonstration lecture and a Chinese Music Workshop for music educators in the area. The outreach was sponsored by the KU Center for East Asian Studies, the Lied Center and the Spencer Art Museum. After each performance they graciously answer questions and share their instruments with curious audience members. If an opportunity to hear these fantastic local musicians arises, don't let it pass you by.
REVIEW:
Lied Center at KU
Wu Man and Friends
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Lied Center of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Theatre ,
Bringing it all back home
Thornton Wilder, a contemporary of Faulkner and Hemingway, a minister's grandson, onetime prep-school teacher, Yale graduate, peripatetic world traveler, thrice-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, silent homosexual, fictional conjuror of both Julius Caesar and Dolly Levi (who would become famous in the musical adaptation Hello, Dolly!), fluent in several foreign languages and literatures, wrote at a time when writing mattered. Armed with nothing more convincing than the writer's customary grab bag of fiction, drama, and journalism, Wilder turned the daily detritus into cosmic questions about faith, history, America, individualism, home and hometowns. His oeuvre fits in between Sherwood Anderson's small-town citizenry and Sinclair Lewis's stink-eye view of humanity, as much as it does between American literature's tradition of didacticism going back to Emerson and European-applied modernism. He is not the writer one supposes, if all one knows is his 1938 play, Our Town, which opened on January 30 in a bold new production at the Coterie Theatre, directed by Jeff Church. Wilder was, well, wilder than his positioning as a between-world-wars serious thinker would suggest, though there was much to face decade after tumultuous decade throughout his fifty year career. A realist as well as a fabulist, Wilder was something of a sorcerer's apprentice.
On paper, Our Town appears to mix Hawthorne's romances with Andrew Wyeth's pictorial realism: ghosts align with vivid impressions of people and places from the past. Yet its famous device of doing away with conventional stagecraft, making do with a ladder, chairs and tables moved on and off the stage-in the Coterie's production, doing without a stage at all, really, placing the actors inside a circle of theatergoers-and employing a Stage Manager who speaks directly to the audience, propels the play beyond the confines of characters onstage and the illusion of the curtain. Reading, say, Beckett or O'Neill is a vastly different experience from seeing their work performed; the absurdity and the ferocity of the performances register the real transformations. So it is with Thornton Wilder's plays: the plots are often not what they appear to be, and it is up to the actors and the crew to upend expectations. Church's commitment to the original production, down to its two intermissions between the three acts, works impressively. Each act is central to the other two; in giving the audience breathing room to digest what it has seen (and to contemplate what is to come, since the Stage Manager foretells the audience what each act is titled and when it takes place) Church builds anticipation, like that of a Greek tragedy.
The play's conceit-to make a story in a small northeastern town called Grover's Corners, in the early years of the 20th century, in which a young couple fall in love, marry, and the new wife subsequently dies in childbirth, reverberate with the measure of epic dimensions of Greek tragedy-when, played right, comes across gradually, like night falling. The Stage Manager role, variously portrayed by Paul Newman, Spalding Gray, even Sinclair Lewis, is handled confidently at the Coterie by Walter Coppage. Versatile (he recently played Bob Cratchit in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre's A Christmas Carol) and gifted with the stentorian tone of James Earl Jones, Coppage's Stage Manager weaves in and out of the audience with a wink and a nod at humanity's passing follies. "Nice town, isn't it?" he pronounces early on: he knows the entire story we are about to see, and hits the right note between irony and elegy.
Wilder, presumably because of the international impact of Our Town, is judged to be a writer of Americana; in truth, only a few of his plays and novels deal with America, and even then not strictly in the vein of realist fiction and drama as practiced by Sinclair Lewis, Arthur Miller, and latterly by John Updike, whose own sense of human quiddity (especially in the fictional milieu substituting for his childhood town of Shillington, Pennsylvania, re-imagined in his Rabbit novels) can be traced back to Wilder's imprint. So if the first act of Our Town sets up daily life in Grover's Corners, introducing the main characters such as young George Gibbs (Todd Carlton Lanker), the budding son of a doctor's family, and his neighbor Emily Webb (Ashlee LaPine), the introduction of passing characters, like the newspaper boy, Joe Crowell, Jr. (Brock Lorenzen), portend the mysteries-to-come: the Stage Manager, almost as an afterthought, tells the audience how Joe will die in the World War One. We have barely met him, but that is Wilder's point. None of us know what the day will bring, but sorrow is at the top of the list.
The play's success continues to come from both its expected and unexpectedness. Only a year separates the first two acts, and if the portents of doom are laid out initially, they are dramatized yet made more human in Act Two, when George and Emily's wedding takes place. The director uses lighting and the actors' marks to keep the audience looking and turning for the action; life is being lived faster. The almost slapstick pace recalls an Ionescu comedy. The young lovers' fears are a metaphor for leaving home; and home here represents life-"he that's not busy bein' born is busy dyin'," as Dylan sings. Wilder cuts between the past and the present effortlessly (with few props there is no burden for scene changes) to fill in his characters' lives; it shakes up the audience accustomed to a linear narrative, and fulfills the play's aim to intertwine life and death, happiness and sadness, futility and faith.
The mastery of the play's concept arrives finally with the last act, set in the town cemetery, as the dead-neatly composed by Church with a half of dozen actors sitting on chairs facing one direction, staring forward even when someone speaks-appear the most lifelike to the audience. After seemingly to start from real life, when, really, with the sketched-out stage directions and invisible props and the Stage Manager's commentary, the opening is fairly abstract, by the end when Emily has joined other Grover's Corners dead souls, the solidness of their dialogue and the force of the tragedy's inexorability overwhelm what on paper appears abstract. The gradual ratcheting up of Emily's posthumous self-awareness, particularly her fear that she has missed out on life, has the chill of a Bergman film. Her request to travel back to an early birthday is, like Scrooge led backward by the Ghost of Christmas Past, all the more painful because she knows she can change nothing. The scene between Ms. LaPine and Shelley Wyche, as Mrs. Webb, who talks endearing nonsense to her daughter (but not the real daughter, who is now dead), reverberates all the more poignantly. The actors never overreach the playwright's sentiment, even when some of the lines ring like proverbs. Dead is dead, and yet-it is that "and yet" which distinguishes Wilder's vision. What if one is most alive when one does not know it? Wilder never settled on a definitive belief about life or religious issues; it bothered him but it also made him into an artist.
Looking back at a drama of plain folks touched with the magnificence of fallen angels, the audience is left with an emptiness yet equally with an epiphany that life is, indeed, like a play done without props. Improvising and wishing and hoping for the best are what get us through our last acts.
REVIEW:
The Coterie Theatre
Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Directed by Jeff Church
Runs January 27 - February 20, 2009
Call or visit the website for performance times.
The Coterie Theatre at Crown Center, Grand and Pershing, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online at www.coterietheatre.org
Theatre ,
The not-so-satanic verses
Mary Zimmerman is one of a congeries of avant-garde directors-among them, Robert Wilson, Peter Brook, Pina Bausch, Peter Sellars, the late André Gregory, and Elizabeth LeCompte of the Wooster Group-for whom theatre is a form and a forum where anything can happen. Spectacle is their watchword; not the Saturday-afternoon spectacle engineered by Julie Taymor (or for that matter, a faux avant-gardist like Franco Zeffirelli, whose La Bohème surges with elephants onstage and smoking chimneys)-it is closer to the spectacle of the mind. While these freethinking, free-form directors turn the stage into an Alice-in-Wonderland mise-en-scène, their purpose is lit from behind. Their use of pantomime theatre, of the old arts of commedia dell'arte combined with the latest technology in lighting and stagecraft, all register as a means to an end. What that end may be can be mysterious-after fifty-five years, one word, "Godot," still proves elusive-but an article of avant-garde faith is that all good things come to those who wait.
The multi-layered felicities and perplexities of Zimmerman's adaptation of The Arabian Nights, which opened on February 6, at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, are many: in and among the bawdy tales, the circular path in which the stories-within-a-story recur, and the mélange of performing tricks-actors playing animals; passengers on a boat moving down a river acted out by a group of actors walking slowly across the tops of low tables constantly being picked up behind them and set down before them-the director presents a view of life set thousands of years past but as up-to-date as an air-raid siren. Arabian, American: take your pick. In Mary Zimmerman's scenario, the scams, scandals, and scantily-clad may look and sound foreign or ancient. But storytelling is theatre at its essence, whether it is Scheherezade spinning stories before a king with a dagger to save her life or a Treasury official before the House Financial Services Committee, where Barney Frank can be as sharp as a knife.
The legendary explorer and translator Sir Richard Burton was the first to translate The Arabian Nights into English with an emphasis on the fuller erotic aspects, in 1885 (he titled it The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, later re-titled The Arabian Nights upon Andrew Lang's abridgement in 1890). The stories have been in existence in some form since the early 800s. They have influenced authors as diverse as Poe, Borges, Dickens, Calvino, and Salman Rushdie; been turned into movies by Disney and Pasolini (yet in another, Catherine Zeta-Jones played Scheherezade as a, I believe the term is, hottie); and served as inspiration for a symphonic suite by Rimsky-Korsakov and several heavy metal bands' albums. Here, Zimmerman casts aside the familiar stories to weave a fuller tale, with the morals buried in the slapstick urges but not unfamiliar to anyone who has ever read a newspaper or heard a family story about someone in a kind of coin toss for his life.
Her previous success, Metamorphoses, revolved around an actual pool of water onstage; for this production (it was first produced in 1992), the set is minimal: lamps on wires which rise and drop on cue, a scattering of rugs, music played onstage by the actors (the lovely music comes from instruments such as the drum-like djembe and tabla and the pear-shaped, six-string oud). With music accompanying the actors, they leap onstage to uncover and unfurl the carpets-that image of a rolled-up carpet will return at the play's end with a melancholy twist. We learn of King Shahyar (a rugged Ryan Artzberger) and his jealous discovery about his beloved, which sets off his nightly routine of a new bride at night, a new corpse by morning. Scheherezade (Sofia Jean Gomez), in an attempt to save not only her life but her younger sister Dunyazade (Stacey Yen), who would be next, begins telling the King one story after another, each lasting until daylight reveals her father outside holding her shroud (for her would-be execution).
In a sense, for the Rep's The Arabian Nights, the actors themselves serve as the stage; they create set after imaginary set with their dialogue and their physical interactions. One highlight involves a tale of a disputed bag in which two actors must describe the contents therein to a judge; the Rep's playbill notes the "contents in 'the wonderful bag' are improvised each performance by different actors chosen at random"; at the press night performance I attended, the magical inventories led to greater and greater audience laughter.
Yet for all of Zimmerman's flashes of fancy and comedy, a serious theme emerges: not of the one book, The Arabian Nights, but of another, the Koran. For the various tales are not merely a night's entertainment but specific parables about daily conduct, each of which has a place in the Koran.
Indeed, the play's highlight is centrally about the contents of the Koran, set forth in the tale of 'Sympathy the Learned' (played powerfully by Alana Arenas), a young woman who matches wits with a king's advisors and takes each scholar's rich-looking robe. (One scaredy-cat simply hands her his garment without even trying to compete.) Sympathy's interrupted monologue continues for ten minutes or so; she relates the number of words in the Koran, even the number of letters, and the answers she gives to various philosophical and mathematical inquiries self-evidently refer to its universal understanding of events large, small, and invisible (at least, to the studious reader). As with the Bible and its orthodox adherents who cringe at even the slightest deviation of interpretation or devaluation, so there are Islamic followers who resent any hint of the blasphemous. Rushdie's deliberate twitting of Mohammed and his wives in The Satanic Verses was well within satirical boundaries-if to satirize is to declare one's individuality within any system-just as Mary Zimmerman's knowledge-gathering version is catnip to anyone who is open-minded about the intellectual impulse.
Avant-garde theatre of the kind sympathetically satirized by Charlie Kaufman in his movie Synechdoche, New York is presently more theory than fact (or act). The inquisitive audience that once fed and nurtured modernism has foundered, finding more companionship entertaining itself with YouTube videos and constant Twittering. Who needs to wait for Godot when you can instant message Mindy? At the same time, it takes some daring to use the Koran as a theatrical trope, even for the sake of goodness. But it makes sense: the Koran is a reflection of the world as we know it; avant-garde theatre is about the world as we do not know it. The original The Arabian Nights was made into the musical Kismet; for a work of intricate scholarship such as the Koran, a different work of art is necessary-art that seeks to convey the author's intent but not to convert the audience. Not without a fight, anyway. That makes not only for good theatre but good thinking.
REVIEW:
The Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Arabian Nights
Runs through February 22, 2009
Visit the website for performance times
Spencer Theatre
4949 Cherry Street, KCMO
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Theatre ,
Fun and games at the "Spelling Bee"
The audience burst out into laughter and applause. The young man had just spelled an impossible word correctly. He was an audience member who had been called onstage for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He was supposed to have been eliminated.
He was one of four audience members who had been chosen, based on a survey, to join the other spellers. This added unpredictability allowed the performers to improvise. And the audience loved it.
Once again, they called him up to the microphone, and gave him an impossible word to spell. The moderators were laughing. He misspelled the word and was sent off the stage with a chorus of "goodbyes" and a juice box. The crowd cheered.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was presented by the Lied Center in Lawrence last Thursday night. The touring production was directed and choreographed by Darren Katz and the musical supervisor/director was Michael Borth. Before it was a touring production, it was an award-winning Broadway hit. If you visit www.lied.ku.edu/08-09/events/spelling-bee.shtml you can watch a short clip of their performance at the Tony Awards.
The first thing I should mention about this production is the story. The show was conceived by Rebecca Feldman, written by Rachel Sheinkin, with music and lyrics created by William Finn. Sheinkin's story is unique in that each character gets their moment to shine. I was unable to predict who would win (unusual for "contest" plays), and was constantly surprised by the elimination of a character. The spelling word definitions and sentences were hilarious. The characters' reactions were even better. Finn's music finds the delicate mix between tender and humorous. The songs were enjoyable, but I wasn't humming the tunes when I left the theatre. I think the book made the production a hit.
Darren Katz choreographed the show beautifully. The dance numbers used a number of surprising combinations, designed to entertain, not just to show off. Memorable dances include William's"Magic Foot" dance and Marcy's "I Speak Six Languages".
William Barfee, played by Christian Busath, was the chubby science geek. He would spell a word with the help of his magic foot, and declare, "I know." when it was correct. Busath had the comic timing and physical prowess of Chris Farley. Not only comic relief, the story allowed William to make friends, and hug his "mom" (a random audience member) when he succeeded.
Olive, a nice little girl in pink overalls, was waiting for her dad to show up. Played by Brittany Ross, a woman with a lovely voice and some very nice acting skills, it nearly broke my heart when she sang the "I Love You" song to her parents, who were both absent from the "Bee."
Ryan Goodale, a versatile performer, played Leaf Coneybear and several bit parts. Leaf discovers during the course of the play that he is smart, despite what his siblings tell him. Goodale's performance indicated that Leaf had some kind of learning disability.
Yvonne Same played the overachieving Marcy Park, who has a breakdown mid-show. Same was the only actor who actually looked like a child. A very talented individual, she got a chance to showcase in "I Speak Six Languages" where she twirled batons, karate chopped tables and played the piano, all while singing and dancing. I was impressed.
The ensemble cast rounded out by equally talented performers. Nikki Switzer was Rona Lisa Peretti, the moderator with a beautiful voice. Joanna Krupnick was Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, a (difficult to understand) lisping little girl with a competitive streak. Anthony Lopez was Douglas Pauch, the vice principal who delivered the hilarious spelling words with all the dryness of a spelling bee moderator. Mitch Mahoney, a paroled convict doing community service, was delightfully played by Don Juan Seward, II. Nigel Jamaal Clark played Chip Tolentino, a boyscout and former winner of the "Bee."
Beowulf Boritt's scene design was bright and colorful and suggested a school gym. The costumes were designed by Jennifer Caprio. They were colorful and hinted at the spellers personalities, making each kid memorable and distinctive. Lights, Charlie Morrison, were realistic during the scenes. During songs, the lights set the mood in very extreme and creative ways.
Bottom line, this show was very funny. I laughed quite a bit, and I let the theatre with a case of the giggles. It was well deserving of the awards it has received. I recommend seeing it if you get a chance. Or perhaps one of our local theatres could produce it...? Hmm.
REVIEW:
Lied Center of KU
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lied Center, KU Campus, Lawrence KS
www.lied.ku.edu
Classical,
Wish you were there
The Jupiter String Quartet played The Friends of Chamber Music's International Chamber Music Series last Friday night, February 20 in a program of Mendelssohn, Adés and Beethoven.
Before I begin with the review, I have to take a few words to excoriate the cultured music loving citizens of Kansas City. This wonderful concert was woefully under attended. The Jupiter Quartet is one of a handful of young quartets on the brink of major stardom having already won the 2007 Cleveland Quartet Award, several major competitions and to cap it all off, they just won the Avery Fisher Career Grant. People-it doesn't get much better than this for a quartet. Furthermore, they performed a great program. Shame on all the absent chamber music lovers for not being there.
Since the program began with a work by Felix Mendelssohn, I thought I'd share briefly what is happening in Mendelssohn scholarship today. It seems that approximately one third of the works by Mendelssohn have never been published and have lain in libraries and storerooms of publishers since his death in 1847. Stephen Somary has formed the Mendelssohn Project to get many of these works published and performed. Mr. Somary has the theory that despite Mendelssohn's huge popularity at his death, his descent into the ranks of second rate composers (except for a relative handful of works) has been due to anti Semitism started by Richard Wagner and continuing through the Nazi era. In 1936 with the Nazi total suppression of all works by Mendelssohn, his supporters sent huge amounts of his unpublished works and letters abroad for safekeeping and they were scattered all over the world during WWII. According to Mr. Somary, there are unpublished operas, symphonies, concertos and choral works, all awaiting revival.
While Mr. Somary has begun having concerts devoted to the unknown music of Mendelssohn, particularly his smaller chamber and vocal works, he has also included works by Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny, who may be the greatest 19th century composer who is relatively unknown to the public (as with many talented women composers, marriage and motherhood and the mores of the time greatly lessened her opportunities to compose and be performed). I could easily write an entire article on this subject but for more information on the Mendelssohn Project, I would direct you to their fascinating website, www.themendelssohnproject.org . I would also make mention that there seems to be a resurgence in the Mendelssohn Quartets recently with the Emerson and the Pacifica Quartets both releasing complete sets of them.
So, it was with great pleasure that I chose to review this concert for the opportunity to hear Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 13 in a live performance.
The Jupiter String Quartet managed to balance soulful passion with high energy and rhythmic precision. The Mendelssohn quartet (written when he was 18), often reminded me of a middle Beethoven quartet until suddenly, (for example in the third movement) Mendelssohn would break from the Beethoven mold and become quintessentially Mendelssohn's voice. The third movement was one of Mendelssohn's patented scherzo movements reminiscent of the overture to the Midsummer Night's Dream or the scherzo from his Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20. The Jupiter gave a beautifully balanced account of a work too rarely heard.
The second work, Arcadiana, Op. 12, composed by a young Thomas Adés, is basically a seven movement string quartet. The movements are each titled and, according to the excellent program notes, "evokes an image associated with ideas of the idyll, vanishing, vanished, or imaginary". What I heard was a young composer showcasing all the string instrument parlor tricks he could imagine. As far as I am concerned, a collection of string special effects doesn't make for a coherent or enjoyable piece of music no matter the programmatic allusions given to each movement. It's like a child shouting "Watch me do my special trick". A lot more emphasis on musical values and less emphasis on special effects would have been most welcome. I would instead have liked the time spent on another rarely heard Mendelssohn quartet. On the other hand, I spoke to a fellow concert-goer at intermission, Evan, aged 10, who pronounced the work, "Awesome!" So what do I know?! Maybe it's a generational thing.
The highlight was the middle of the great Rasumovsky Quartets by Beethoven, specifically the String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2. It is in this work, in the third movement, that Beethoven uses the Russian tune made famous in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. This was a great performance of a great work. I have several recordings of this work at home. Some are more leisurely and glowingly romantic. Some are more hard-edged. The Jupiter Quartet managed to be both at just the right times. From the sweet sounds of the first violin down to the highly assertive cellist, the Quartet was focused on delivering an intense account of the work without sacrificing any of its beauty. They received lusty "Bravos!" and a well-deserved standing ovation at the conclusion.
REVIEW:
The Friends of Chamber Music
Jupiter String Quartet
Friday, February 20, 2009
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
www.chambermusic.org
Classical,
Academy of St. Martin the Fields and Julia Fischer, violin
If you are a classical music lover you have surely heard of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. When KXTR was still an FM radio station in Kansas City, it sometimes seemed that you couldn't go an hour without hearing one of their 500 recordings. For the uninitiated, the Academy is a chamber orchestra founded 50 years ago by Sir Neville Marriner. And for 50 years it has maintained a standard of excellence for chamber orchestras that only recently has been equaled by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Its repertoire ranges from the Baroque era to 20th century works. While it is most often heard as a string chamber orchestra, it does augment its strings occasionally with a complement of winds for larger works.
On Saturday night, Kansas City was treated to the strings only version (with a harpsichord in the Bach concerti). It was led from the first violin chair by Julia Fischer in the Britten and Walton works and Ms. Fischer was the soloist and director for the Bach concerti.
The size of the Academy on Saturday night was 21 strings; and the sound, rich, thick, yet transparent. I could always hear the inner voices despite its lush sound. Along with precision attacks, and balanced sound, even without a conductor, it is easy to see why the Academy is so popular and its reputation well deserved. Although Ms. Fischer was the director in the Britten and Walton, she did her directing from the chair of the first violinist. This is such a finely tuned ensemble that they are able to play without a conductor standing in front of them and must instead rely on physical and visual cues from the first violinist and other first chairs.
I particular enjoyed the Britten Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge. While I didn't find the theme itself to be particularly memorable, the young Benjamin Britten managed to give us 10 extremely varied variations on the theme showcasing a variety of moods and styles. From two marches (one a military and one a funeral), to a waltz, to a Baroque dance, to a medieval chant and more, I was delighted with each new variation that Britten gave us.
I was less thrilled with the Walton Sonata for Strings, but this was not due to the performance. This work was originally a string quartet and was revised and arranged for string orchestra late in Walton's career. While at times, a string quartet comprised of the first chair players were the only players, most of the time the full ensemble was employed. While the piece was well played, I would probably prefer to hear it as a string quartet. I am a big chamber music fan and rarely like it when works originally written for a small group are re-arranged for larger forces. I think a lot is lost in the bulking up process.
To end the first half and begin the second half of the program, Julia Fischer was the soloist in the two Bach concerti for solo violin, Concerto for Violin No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041 and Concerto for Violin No. 2 in E major, BWV 1042 respectively. These works are justifiably considered masterpieces of the violin literature and were the highlights of the evening for me.
The two current hot trends in Baroque performance are to use as many recreations of the original instruments as possible (and sometimes even using gut for strings instead of steel) and bowing and playing the work as closely as possible to what current scholarship believes to have been the original performance practices of the Baroque period. Some of this thinking has even extended into Romantic era works. While this can sometimes lead to very refreshing and exciting performances in the right hands, sometimes it just sounds bizarre to me.
The Academy and Ms. Fischer used modern strings and employed some bowing techniques believed to be from the Baroque era. However, unlike the frenetic performances I have sometimes heard from other ensembles, everything on Saturday night from the overall sound to the tempi was moderately chosen. This allowed the music to breathe and the soloist to show herself off to her best advantage. Ms. Fischer performed with a sure technique and a sweet pure tone. There was some particularly lovely phrasing in the slow movements. But mostly, this was about Bach and not Ms. Fischer. The Academy and Ms. Fischer let the music speak for itself and it spoke very nicely indeed.
The encore was a brief but delightful last movement from the Mozart Divertimento in F major, K. 138.
I look forward to hearing Ms. Fischer again when she returns in recital to Kansas City on Saturday April 25 at the Folly sponsored by the Harriman-Jewell series in a program of Mozart, Prokofiev, Beethoven and Martinu.
REVIEW:
Harriman-Jewell Series
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Julia Fischer, violin
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
www.harriman_jewell.org
Classical,
Czech Symphony Orchestra conducted by Theodore Kuchar
Even though it was the evening after Valentine's Day, the Carlsen Center could not have presented a nicer post-Valentine's treat for its audience. The Czech Symphony Orchestra led by Theodore Kuchar while not as famous and renowned as Czech Philharmonic, is certainly a very fine orchestra.
The program opened with the Double Concerto by Bohuslav Martinů. I confess I have never heard this work before this evening, nor could I locate a recording in time to familiarize myself with the work. I can tell you that upon first hearing it is an unrelentingly grim and foreboding work. It was written in 1940 as the Nazis marched on Paris - his home for the past 17 years . One year later he would immigrate to the United States where he taught at the Mannes College of Music for many years.
Martinů seems to come to the edge of the abyss, peer over it and stay there. My concert companion thought she heard bits of Rachmaninoff and Gershwin (which I did not). I was more reminded of some of Bernard Herrmann's movie scores. Whomever was right or wrong, the work was filled with propulsive rhythms and harsh dissonances. While I was glad to have heard it once, it isn't likely I will go out and buy a CD of the piece. My only critique of the performance was that I would have liked the two string orchestras placed farther apart so that the contrapuntal (back and forth) aspects of the score could be more apparent from where I was sitting in the back.
The second work was the ever popular Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. This is one of a handful of violin concertos on any music lover's list of favorite violin concertos. From its soaring opening theme to its gorgeous slow song-like movement to the effervescent finale, there's not a dull moment in this concerto. The soloist, Jennifer Frautschi, last heard in Kansas City with the Kansas City Symphony two years ago playing the Saint Saens' Third Concerto, is a fine violinist. In a very familiar piece like this, the soloist can play it relatively straightforward or bring some of her own personality to the party. In the first movement, Frautschi was trying to emphasize certain musical aspects of the score that she felt were important. At times, I wished for a more straightforward approach, but I do think soloists are entitled to leeway in their interpretation. Her heart-on-the-sleeve interpretation in the first movement was exactly why we go hear live concerts instead of just listening to the same recording at home. Certainly the conductor was attentive to her every tempo fluctuation. My only complaint was I thought her sound was on the small side which I will attribute to the acoustics at Carlsen Center since she was obviously digging into the strings. I found the second movement to be meltingly tender with some beautiful woodwind and reed playing from the orchestra. The last movement was straight forward, cleanly executed and all froth and bubbles-just how it should be. The audience gave her a nice standing ovation.
The last work on the program was Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, From the New World. Commissioned by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, it was composed during his three-year visit to the United States from 1892-1895. Dvořák was in America to act as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York and spent the summer of 1893 not far from here in the Czech community of Spillville, Iowa.
With any major late romantic work, the conductor can over romanticize and sentimentalize it or he can let the music speak for itself. The conductor, Theodore Kuchar, obviously thinks the music itself is sufficiently romantic and doesn't require any personal help from him to make it sound like a great symphony. His interpretation reminded me of the classic Fritz Reiner recording with the Chicago Symphony. I liked the dramatic opening followed by the quick tempo of the main part of the first movement. I liked how he brought out the inner voices and counter melodies that Dvořák' clearly wanted heard.
Throughout the symphony, the reeds and woodwinds were particularly fine (with a gorgeous solo by the English horn in the second movement) but I wasn't as thrilled with some of the entrances, grainy textures and flubs of the brass. The symphony had approximately 65 musicians on stage and some more strings would have been nice, but I am certain the economics of transporting a major orchestra required having a few less than normal.
The third movement was almost like one of Dvořák''s Slavonic Dances and is what many of us think of when we think of how a typical Dvořák' piece sounds. The thrilling last movement capped off a very well played New World Symphony and the audience gave the performers its second standing ovation of the evening.
REVIEW:
Carlsen Center at JCCC
Czech Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Theodore Kuchar
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Carlsen Center at JCCC
www.jccc.net/carlsencenter
Classical,
Cupid’s arrow hits and misses at Fine Arts Chorale concert
The Fine Arts Chorale, in its 36th season, boasts some of Kansas City's finest singers, yet in recent years they have struggled to find an identify in the area's rich stable of vocal ensembles. Their recent trend of innovative programming and more aggressive marketing ventures has helped to erase this shortcoming. The group's concerts this past weekend, titled "The Birds and the Bees" was a rousing success for the Chorale, as they enjoyed record attendance.
The concert's repertoire was a wonderful selection of songs that centered on the many aspects of love. The first set contained some of the most famous choral settings of romantic poetry: Mendelssohn's Die Nachtigall and two excerpts from Brahms'Liebeslieder Walzer. The Mendelssohn provided a lovely start to the concert. The piece was well-tuned but a little restrained. Ending the set was Healey Willan's I Beheld Her, Beautiful as a Dove. After a tentative start the ensemble recovered nicely and achieved some lovely soft dynamic singing.
The Fine Arts Chorale's most daring bit of programming was the vaunted Les Chansons des Roses by modern composer Morten Lauridsen. A song cycle in five parts, the "rose cycle" presents great challenge as well as rewards to choral ensembles, and it has been a world-wide favorite since its publication in 1993. Throughout the cycle, the chorale struggled with a cohesive approach to the language (all in French, with poetry by Rilke). This lack of cohesion caused the fourth movement, "La Rose Compléte", to drop noticeably in pitch. As this movement moved via attacca to the last movement, the set's most popular song "Dirait-on", the ensemble landed in the wrong key as the piano began playing. Even with these difficulties, the romance of Rilke's poetry and Lauridsen's eclectic musical imagery proved to be an effective bit of programming.
After three nice but relatively forgettable solo offerings from Chorale members, the ensemble sang a rich and jazzy setting of Robert Burns' classic poem Oh, My Luve's Like a Red, Red Rose. From a performance perspective, this proved to be the best selection of the first half.
As the second half of the concert began, the audience was treated to a nice change of pace as the Chorale welcomed two guest performers. First was Madregalia, a madrigal group comprised of students from Johnson County Community College. Madregalia presented three songs from the late Renaissance, singing with nice clarity and intonation.
Stealing the show was guest solo vocalist Ida Nicolosi. Ms. Nicolosi, clad in a fire-engine red dress, sizzled in an eclectic set of arias, art songs, and popular tunes. Every time Nicolosi sings, she does not disappoint. Here, accompanied at the piano by Village Presbyterian Church Director of Music Mark Ball, Ida showcased a range of vocal technique that any soprano would envy. From Puccini's Quando m'en Vo (La Bohéme) to Gershwin's Our Love is Here To Stay to Mahler and even Stephen Foster, Nicolosi had the audience eating out of her hand the entire time.
The Fine Arts Chorale returned to the stage for one last set and ending song. The men of the ensemble showed lovely blend and warmth on a setting of Love Is Here to Stay by Walter Pelz. Elizabeth Alexander's To Make a Prairie, written to evocative poetry by Emily Dickinson, successfully pitted musical imagery of expansive spaces with stark colors. The performance of Mark Johnson's setting of the traditional Irish song Oh Danny Boy left this reviewer longing for a more traditional rendition of the folk classic.
Throughout the entire performance, the ensemble sang of love and romance but largely lacked visible passion. It wasn't until the last song of the entire performance that the group finally came out of its shell. In David Blackwell's arrangement of the classic Cole Porter song Let's Do It, the Fine Arts Chorale came alive, showing pure enthusiasm in their faces.
Artistic Director Dr. Terri Teal should be commended for the concert's programming. An evening of choral music focused on romance can easily become cliché and obtuse. The Fine Arts Chorale showed flashes of greatness at this weekend's concert and largely succeeded in giving their gracious audience a look at the many kinds of love.
The group's season ending concert, titled The Green Concert (featuring music that evokes the beauty of the earth and its resources), will be presented on May 1 at 8:00pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lawrence, KS and May 2 at 7:30pm at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in downtown Kansas City.
REVIEW
Fine Arts Chorale
"The Birds and the Bees"
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009 (Reviewed)
www.fineartschoralekc.org
Classical,
The Spencer Consort: Flute music of the French Baroque
The Spencer Consort has been the early music ensemble-in-residence at the Spencer Museum of Art for nearly twelve years. The group, comprised of professors, professionals and sometimes students collaborates to present themed concerts using historic reproduction instruments. The effect is an authentic interpretation of a particular time in musical history. The reverberant central court at the museum with its' marble floor and high ceiling provides a lovely acoustic to complement their performances.
Set before an elaborate Baroque gate to the European gallery, the ensemble re-created a program Sunday afternoon that centered on flute music of the French Baroque. Although not all of the composers represented were French, their style was similar enough to warrant inclusion. Pieces by Marin Marais, Georg Philipp Telemann, the little known Theodorus Schwartzkopff and Jacques Martin Hotteterre and Pierre Danican Philidor, both from famous woodwind families, were enjoyed by a devoted audience.
Consort cellist, Dr. Paul Laird is a professor of musicology at KU. He did an excellent job of providing useful background information about the composers, their families and the times within which they lived. Playing the Baroque cello for this concert he skillfully supported the flautists with care. His wife, Joy Laird and Flute professor emeritus, John Boulton played Baroque flutes and the woody warmth of their tone blended perfectly with the Baroque cello and the harpsichord, played by Dr. Elizabeth Egbert Berghout. ThePieces en trio: Suite in B-flat Major by Marais, resonated with purity throughout the formal space.
The Baroque flute is made from a cylindrical piece of boxwood with holes instead of keys. It is played, like a modern flute, held parallel to the floor. Keeping the instrument in tune over the course of an hour is a feat requiring stamina and technique. Both Mrs. Laird and Mr. Boulton masterfully managed to create glorious sonorities and thoughtful ornamentation throughout the performance. The Canonic Sonata No. 2 in D Major for two flutes by Telemann was particularly impressive as they played without accompaniment; one phrase chasing the other in direct imitation.
Harpsichordist, Elizabeth Egbert Berghout, might have had the most challenging role to play in the ensemble. Usually seated behind a grand organ or the even grander Carillon that sits atop Mt. Oread, the tiny harpsichord keyboard was something of an adjustment. Her sensitivity to the instrument and the improvisational needs of the basso continuo attested to her flexibility and skill.
The University of Kansas has an extensive collection of reproduction historical instruments including multiple recorders, sackbuts, crumhorns, natural horns and viola da gambas to name a few. Depending on the concert theme, the Spencer Consort will include whatever instrumentation is necessary.
The next early music concert will be presented by the KU Instrumental Collegium directed by Dr. Laird on Sunday February 22nd at Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall on the KU campus at 7:30pm and keep your eyes open for the next musical incarnation of the Spencer Consort.
REVIEW:
Spencer Museum of Art
The Spencer Consort
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Spencer Art Museum Central Court Gallery, Lawrence, KS
Image:
Theodore Rombouts Belgium, 1597-1637
The Musicians, c. 1616-1625
Oil on canvas. 200 x 121.3 cm.
Spencer Art Museum purchase, 1950.0068
Classical,
Cockman, KC Wind Symphony rise to new heights
The Kansas City Wind Symphony is one of several local concert wind ensembles, but in the past year they have cemented themselves as one of the city's leaders in the genre. Made up of some of the region's best professional and semi-professional musicians, the Kansas City Wind Symphony (underwritten by the music ministry at Village Presbyterian Church) rose to a new level of artistic accomplishment with their concert, A Night of Romance, this past weekend.
The program began with Excalibur by Jeremy Schwinger. This work by the young composer was a short one-movement tone poem that evoked the heroism of the famous story of the sword of young king Arthur. The brass section, with huge sweeping melodic lines, was featured. Associate conductor Pat Setser provided able direction. Trumpeter Brian Freeman then provided a lovely solo trumpet as the ensemble performed a well-transcribed version of "Un Bei Di" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. This aria is one of Puccini's best, as (in the opera) Cio-cio-san imagines a glimpse of her American lover's ship returning to rekindle their love. Continuing the romantic theme, principal conductor Dr. Phil Posey led Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. Subtitled by the composer as an overture-fantasy, Romeo and Juliet was Tchaikovsky's personal lament over the loss of a love as a young man. The result is one of the composer's most famous works, especially the oft-quoted love theme.
The last piece of the first half was the Kansas City premiere of Concert Piece for Solo Winds and Marimba by local composer and trumpeter William Funk. Funk, a faculty member at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS, made use of the literary form of a sonnet as the basis for the composition. The sonnet, a 14-line poem with a strict three-stanza form, was musically explored by Funk with an instrumentation of 14 players (all soloists in their own regard) playing themes/sections that were 14 measures in length. The work succeeded in providing lovely interplay of instrumental color combinations, but the increasing complexity of the work made the form a little hard to follow.
The tour-de-force of the evening was saved for the second half of the concert. Pianist Dr. James D. Cockman, III joined the KC Wind Symphony to perform Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto in C Minor (op. 18.) Written in a standard 3-movement concerto form, the 2nd Concerto is generally regarded as the most popular of Rachmaninov's three piano concertos. In this new transcription for symphonic band by Jeremy Schwinger, James Cockman proved his status as a truly world-class concert pianist. Cockman performed with immense musicality and razor-sharp virtuosity. Helping cement the performance as one to remember was Cockman's instrument, a gorgeous Bösendorfer piano on loan from UMKC's conservatory of music. The piano, a recently rebuilt model 290 Imperial, contains 97 keys instead of the standard 88 keys, giving the performer eight full octaves of pianistic power and majesty. The enormous piano lid was removed for the performance, which was a necessity for the sight-lines of the instrumentalists behind the piano. This proved to be the only down side to the performance. The ensemble at times overshadowed the piano's color and texture.
Cockman performed last season with the KC Wind Symphony when they traveled to Carnegie Hall in New York City. He appeared as piano soloist in Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Winds. He is a recent grand prize winner of the Naftzger Young Artists Competition in Wichita and has twice won first place in the Music Teachers National Association state (Missouri) and regional divisions. He has degrees from William Jewell College (BS), Central Missouri State (MA), and the University of Kansas (DMA).
With Dr. Cockman at the piano and Dr. Posey on the podium, the Kansas City Wind Symphony made the leap from an above average community band to one of the region's ensembles to watch (and listen to). Their concerts this year have been extremely well-attended, thanks in large part to the fact that their performances are given to the public free of charge through the support of Village Presbyterian Church. There are many great new and innovative scores in the symphonic band repertoire, and one can only hope that the Kansas City Wind Symphony capitalizes on this artistic achievement and continues to grow and bless our region with great music in the years to come.
The Kansas City Wind Symphony's season ending performances will be presented on March 27 at 7:30pm at Southminster Presbyterian Church and March 29 at 7:00pm at Village Presbyterian Church. Village's organist Stephan Casurella will be featured, as the ensemble will perform the ever popular Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony in C Major.
REVIEW
Kansas City Wind Symphony
Sunday, February 15, 2009
www.kcwindsymphony.org
Classical,
Danielle de Niese, soprano, with Cameron Stowe
The Harriman-Jewell Series brought Danielle de Niese to the Kansas City stage last Wednesday evening at the Folly Theater. In what was her American recital debut, de Niese demonstrated that she is at once a dramatist and a bit of a diva (no harm there, of course, especially when describing a soprano).
The program was a sequence of thoughtfully chosen pieces that allowed de Niese to exercise all of the carefully honed expressive devices in her arsenal, from dynamic vocals to effusive facial expressions and sweeping gestures. The audience was treated right away to de Niese's opera singer persona as she opened the concert (fifteen minutes late) with two numbers from Handel's Semele, and with all of the talent and the personality that have contributed to her outstanding success in opera houses around the world. Each song to follow (including the encore) was narrative or intensely emotive, and each was a chance to develop another character (something de Niese does most convincingly) right before the audience's eyes; those dramatic capabilities are certainly a significant part of her connection with audiences, so that there was definitely something for everyone.
The programmed songs (all accompanied by Cameron Stowe) showcased de Niese's agility, endurance, and charm, and it was a dynamic and well paced presentation. In the Handel arias that opened the program, de Niese deftly executed runs, not cheating a single note. Her focused tone was impressive, and the intelligent dynamic contrasts provided welcome variety to the repetitive Handel. De Niese was just coy enough to bring these two numbers to life on their own (that is, detached from their operatic setting), and listeners responded, enjoying the effective story telling. The middle section of "Myself I Shall Adore" proved the dramatic depth of this exciting soprano, and the vocal acrobats required seemed to not tire her remarkable voice.
It was a treat to hear excerpts from Grieg's Haugtussa and a good opportunity for de Niese to confirm a wide range and a surprisingly rich lower register. A highlight was "Blabaer-Li" ("Blueberry Hill"), which required the soprano to act her way from hostile to naively seductive. Her diction was superb throughout. In "Elsk" ("Love"), however, de Niese pushed some sustained notes a bit too far, causing a rough release here and there. In "Ved Gjaetle-Bekken" ("By Gjaetle Brook"), Grieg is at his most pictorial, and here de Niese allowed the musical imagery to dominate (which meant Stowe could really exploit Grieg's writing that so effectively imitates swirling waters). The balance between soloist and accompanist was brilliant, as the character and the brook compared journeys via a de Niese/Stowe dialogue that was related in an echo pattern which only gradually reached a climax.
Wolf's "Verborgenheit" ("Seclusion") is like an old friend to most sopranos, and de Niese's thicker quality here was welcome. She aptly brought out Wolf's signature melancholy by nursing the static recitation-like lines and rich chromaticism. It was in "Gesegnet, sei, durch den die Welt enstund" ("Blessed Be He Through Whom the World Arose") that listeners were perhaps more taken with Cameron Stowe's contribution. His expertise showed (he is a specialist in the study and performance of song recital repertoire) in his attentiveness to de Niese and in his ability to subtly deliver every nuance the piano part could add.
The Poulenc songs were a lovely start to the second half of the program. De Niese seemed to revel in the French, experimenting with voice placement (at times bringing a more biting, forward sound then contrasting that with a more rounded, warmer timbre), which resulted in interesting plays on resonance. At certain moments, one may have thought they were listening to a different singer (although the signature dramatic antics were still in play). The Barber selections to follow proved again that Stowe is worth his weight in gold, as he exhibited the utmost patience with de Niese's dramatic delays and a special affinity for atmospheric expressive devices written into the piano part. In "Nuvoletta," de Niese truly revealed the depth of her imagination. Finishing the recital with the Bizet set was smart, and de Niese was still fresh: "Tarantelle" was really a culminating moment in diction, expression, agility, and range.
Danielle de Niese is unabashedly demonstrative, so much so that in certain instances, her actions and facial expressions were overwhelming and distracting; she was often so fussy that the song took a backseat. Perhaps she is yet a bit undisciplined, or instead, maybe she is simply eager to pull out all the stops to do more to translate the song texts for listeners. To be fair, de Niese's performance methods are a result of the intensity with which she delivers a song, so one is hard pressed to fault it too much. Listeners clearly appreciate the impassioned performance and enjoy those "human" moments when a singer seems to get lost in the moment, even if it is at the temporary expense of polish and poise.
REVIEW
Harriman-Jewell Series
Danielle de Niese, soprano, with Cameron Stowe, piano
Wednesday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The Folly Theater
Classical,
Peter & the Wolf
The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra's Family Concert Series presented the legendaryPeter and the Wolf February 7th and 8th in two venues, at the Lyric on Saturday morning and the Carlsen Center at JCCC on Sunday evening. Both performances were packed as families from both sides of the state line enjoyed the well-loved Russian tale.
Prior to the concerts, children could participate in the Orchestra's famous instrument "petting zoo". The percussion, strings, woodwinds and brass were all represented by patient young helpers who assisted as the children eagerly tapped the snare drum, touched the bassoon, slid the trombone slide and scrubbed the strings of the cello in a multi sensory musical experience.
Assistant conductor, Steven Jarvi, took the podium, and the fanfare began. The Festive Overture, Op. 96 by Shostakovich was a wonderful opener and good preparation for the Prokofiev. Children were impressed by the power of the full orchestra and the piece included many musical contradictions, loud/soft, staccato/legato, high/low, fast/slow, that kids could hook into right away.
Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazde Op. 35 Largo e maesto was more challenging for the children. The slow tempo made my concert mate sleepy while others nearby got a little restless. Hearing music in a hall filled with children is interesting as one can almost feel a constant buzz of energy.
The final "warm-up" piece was one of the all time favorites of music teachers everywhere,In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg.
Then along came Peter.
In this stop motion animated adaptation by Susie Templeton, Peter is a sulky modern-day Russian boy living in poverty with his grandfather in a shack outside of a large metropolitan city. He isn't allowed to go out into the beautiful woods behind his house because his grandfather is overprotective. Through his own desire to "fly", he relates to the crow, which in this production has a broken wing, and follows the skinny duck, who meets a shocking end. It isn't all melancholy. There is humor and charm as grandfather's fat cat tries unsuccessfully to eat the little lame bird attached to a blue helium balloon. The new version has some surprising twists which makes the production fresh and interesting. Peter ultimately conquers his fear in a beautiful expression of humanity. As is the fashion these days in children's art, macabre forces downplay the sentimentality.
And then there is the music. When the KC Symphony strings begin 'Peter's theme' after the opening scene unfolds in stark silence, the entire tone of the production softened and the audience could collectively remember their own introduction to the piece in elementary school. This is still the story of a brave child defeating fear but with a gritty cinema verite edge.
There is no narrator explaining the themes and the orchestration has been subtly adapted to synch more closely with the action of the film, but it all works beautifully and the Symphony sounds fantastic.
After the performance the sponsors offered circus boxes filled with LaMars donut bits and fresh Shatto milk samples. Kid-friendly concerts beat common cartoons any Saturday morning.
Check out the Peter and the Wolf site at this link for downloads, trailers and information about how the movie was made. www.breakthrufilms.co.uk/uk/films/peter_and_the_wolf/downloads. Then make sure you don't miss the next Family Concert on Sunday, April 26th at 2 pm all about How the Gimquat Found Her Song.
REVIEW
Kansas City Symphony Family Concert Series
Peter and the Wolf
Saturday, February 7, 2009 at the Lyric Theatre
Sunday, February 8 , 2009 at the Carlsen Center at JCCC
www.kcsymphony.org
Classical,
Re-interpreting Venice: Interpreti Veneziani
The name Interpreti Veneziani conjures images of ornate Baroque chambers, ancient instruments and the mystery of Venice. Their website is a feast for the eye as well as the ear, introducing the world to their venue at the San Vidal Church in Venice where paintings by the master El Greco adorn the walls. Even the liner notes in the program promise that "although it is difficult to reproduce the Venetian atmosphere and Vivaldi's music in concert halls, Interpreti Veneziani manages to do the impossible- the ensemble unfolds the silence of the lagoon and the romanticism of the City wherever it goes."
The program performed at the Lied Center in Lawrence last Friday night was a mixture of work by Baroque composers, Archangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi with Romantic pieces written by Spanish composers Manuel De Falla and Pablo De Sarasate, and Austrian-born Fritz Kreisler, one of the most famous violinists of his time, who attributed his own works to famous deceased Italian composers.
Taking the stage in their casual black button downs and black slacks, they looked more like a pack of waiters than a highly skilled ensemble of virtuosos. The program describes the ensemble as playing on original instruments, but the violins were identical and modern, making one think of an assembly line and although this resulted in a unified blend, there was no color between the instruments or distinction between the soloists for an audience member closing their eyes to know where one player had stopped an another had begun. This may be desirable for some listeners but the effect was one dimensional. Even the harpsichord was new.
Watching the Baroque pieces was highly entertaining and reminiscent of a KU basketball game where one player takes the theme and passes it to another player. The all-male ensemble interpreted the pieces athletically. They played the allegro sections presto and scrubbed their strings so furiously more than one bow began to shed. Unfortunately taking the tempos as fast as they did meant pitch accuracy suffered and the soloists sounded sloppy. Intonation issues could have been overlooked had they been using original instruments.
Ripping through the Corelli Concert Grosso (yes, they call it the Concert Grosso, not the Concerto Grosso) Op. 6 No. 4 at breakneck speed, Interpreti Veneziani, was determined to impress the audience with their virtuosic technique. The musicians even jumped to their feet after the final flourish, anticipating the applause.
Whether they were congratulating themselves on a job well done or signaling to our small town Midwestern audience that it was time to clap, wasn't clear. The surprise ending didn't garner the wild undulation they might have been expecting, it was-after all, the first piece on the program - and it did leave more than one audience member mildly confused.
The most beautiful moments came during the pianissimo, largo and andante sections of the works. Soloist, Sebatiano Maria Vianello achingly rendered the andante section of the Vivaldi concert for violin, string and harpsichord Op.8, No. 5 "La Tempesta di Mare," He teased the ornaments and stretched the suspensions pulling every pit of Baroque beauty out of the phrases.
Ironically, it was the non-Venitian composers that the group seemed to relish. The exciting Dance from "La Vida Breve" by De Falla absolutely jumped. The Kreisler piece "Preludio and Allegro" relied on a theme based on the circle of fifths which is a very popular progression so it couldn't go wrong, and the final piece by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate, "Zingaresca" for violin and string, was full of comical phrasing and clever bowing delighting the audience with gypsy reveries even if the soloist had to adjust his tuning peg mid fermata to account for his miserable intonation in the first few phrases.
Interpreti Venezia seemed like it did a better job of interpreting Spain, but it offered listeners virtuosic fireworks and a modern take on Vivaldi. While no one knows for sure why Midwestern audiences are so quick to give standing ovations, the effort the ensemble made to travel so far should be recognized and rewarded. Too bad they left their good instruments at home.
REVIEW:
Lied Center of KU
Interpreti Veneziani
Friday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center, University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
www.lied.ku.edu
Classical,
Formosa String Quartet
The Formosa String Quartet, a young and impressive set of musicians, three of whom are Taiwanese, performed a concert of 19th Century Czech and 21st Century Chinese-American music at White Recital Hall on January 31.
The Quartet opened the program with a 2007 composition by 46-year-old Shi-Hui Chen, entitled the Mei Hua string quartet (meaning "Plum Blossoms"), written for this group of players.
The composer seemingly tried to get every unusual sound possible from two violins, a viola and a cello, calling upon the players to vigorously pluck the strings, swoop the notes, bounce their bows, perform rapid staccato and engage in almost every other kind of challenging technique.
The first movement was aggressive, each player taking his turn with difficult virtuosic music, the performers seeming to be almost in competition with one another rather than playing in sympathy. The second movement, a scherzo, revealed a more typical kind of composition, with the players often performing in unison. The third movement opened with an impressive violin solo, soon joined by the cello for a duet, against the plucking accompaniment of the other players. The languid sounds of the movement led to a gradual ending as the piece faded away.
Unlike the music of some other contemporary Chinese-American composers which sounds more Chinese than American, Chen's composition showed no apparently Eastern influences or chord patterns. It certainly tested the technical skills of the ensemble, however, which the Formosa Quartet mastered with apparent ease.
The remainder of the program was devoted to two fine works by the 19th Century Czech masters Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak.
In the autobiographical Smetana work, the Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, titled From my Life, the cello excelled in rich low tones with the violins and viola each expressing Smetana's very Eastern European melodies beautifully. The second movement, a lively polka, was the most impressive of the Quartet's reading, but the rich and romantic largo of the third movement was also moving, as was the spirited vivace at the end.
For the second half of the program the quartet was joined by violist Scott Lee of the UMKC Conservatory faculty for the Dvorak String Quintet in E-flat Major, a product of the composer's American visit in the 1890's. Dvorak wrote the piece while relaxing among his fellow Bohemians in the Czech colony of Spillville, Iowa, where he spent the happiest times of his American sojourn. This so-called "American" quartet betrays little of American influence, however, instead featuring much of the rich Romantic European writing for which Dvorak was so famous.
A central theme moved throughout the piece, played by various solo instruments and in combination of others. The second movement allegro was spirited and moving, but Dvorak may have been at his best in the rich slow melodies of the larghetto with its constantly changing major/minor keys and moods. The finale showed the quartet diving into the allegro with great gusto. The piece ended with bows flying in the most American-sounding music of the composition.
The Formosa Quartet showed itself to have a great sensitivity to both their modern compatriot and the older Czech masters, and certainly possesses more than enough technical virtuosity to go around. A standing ovation was the group's reward.
REVIEW:
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Formosa String Quartet
Saturday, January 31at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall,
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
www.conservatory.umkc.edu
Classical,
newEar, new theatre, new music
NewEar Contemporary Ensemble performed last Monday, February 16 at MidAmerica Nazarene University with a truncated version of Crossing Acoustic Spaces, Concert 3 in their season series called Crossings which explores the acoustic setting of musical performance and features pieces of music that make special uses of acoustics. The new and impressive Mabee Performing Arts Hall within Bell Cultural Events Center is a state-of-the-art facility only a little over a year old, and was designed for its acoustic environment with the latest in audio and multimedia capabilities. It's a beautiful and wonderful sounding space and was the perfect venue for this concert.
This performance was designed for the students of MNU, but was open (and free) to the public as well. This was an excellent opportunity to see and hear great new music and discuss the works with the players and even the composers. During the performance, the musicians invited questions from the audience and the evening nearly developed into a discussion between the performers and the students.
The first piece of music was Crossroads Songs by Evan Chambers for flute, alto saxophone, piano and percussion. It's good to hear chamber music with saxophone because that instrument still rarely crosses the street from the jazz club to the concert hall – if it is not marched away in a parade.
The piece was melodic and emotional. And as mentioned in an earlier review of newEar, (newEar's Kansas City Connections, I remarked that contemporary music in the 21st century seems to be moving in a more melodic and emotional direction than it did in much of the late 20th century. Crossroads Songs fits that forecast perfectly. The focus is on the melody and the emotional content. The first movement, “Nightwaking/Distant Past,” is about chaos vs. restraint and the second movement, “Simple Song/Hymn,” about consolation and rest. There was an expression of tension and release—emotion. In the first movement the melody became a crescendo that reached towards piercing high overtones on the alto saxophone against fluctuating rhythms in the marimba each time it started, developed and restarted in a progression of upward lifting strains, reaching to escape. The second movement was a resolution to the tension of the first--a simple hymn with a strong beautiful melody.
Chambers' aim was to combine multiple ethnic influences and the result sounds almost improvised even though the score is sharply orchestrated. In classical music of the 20th century, ethnic themes were almost always treated individually. This mixing of variables led to an emotional swirl of motific interplay.
The middle piece was Inconspicuous Impulses for piano and electronics by Kansas City composer Christopher Biggs. "Electronics" is the best word to describe an aspect of contemporary music and refers to digital accompaniment that is played (and performed by a computer) during a performance with another acoustic instrument. Biggs sampled sounds and manipulated them with a computer, and then arranged them to fit together in performance with a live pianist. The piano score included cues by the electronics for the pianist to follow—to keep in sync with the computer.
Another Kansas City based composer, James Mobberley, composed a breakthrough piece for piano and "electronic tape" in 1987, Caution to the Winds. For this piece Mobberley made an analog tape of manipulated piano sounds that played along with a live pianist. In the just over 20 years since then, computers and digital technology have grown enormously and Biggs is able to manipulate the samples he uses in Inconspicuous Impulses in far more complex ways. The young history of music for instrument and electronics began like Mobberley's work with a live instrument and an accompanying tape made from sounds produced usually by the same instrument, but performing phrases a person could not. Biggs' electronics feature sounds from more than just the accompanying instrument, and can be manipulated in much more complex ways. With the current technology, more sophisticated timbral nuances can be explored. Biggs says the piano "becomes larger than itself." This use of more complex manipulations and, in particular, from more diverse sources, is comparable to the use of multiple ethnic influences in Crossroads Songs as similar features of contemporary music.
The final piece was Ever Present by Alvin Lucier for flute, alto saxophone and piano with electronics. The electronics used here are specifically "slow sweep pure wave oscillators."
The oscillators produce two pure sign wave tones that slowly move up and down in pitch, moving in opposite directions to a certain point and then continuing downward together until resting on the final pitches. These oscillators also pan left to right in stereo on the house sound system. As the pure waves oscillate they produce a phenomenon called "beating" or "beats."
Beats occur because at least two sign waves of different frequency (and pitch) are heard by the ear at once. The combination is perceived as a wobbling sound; there are fluctuations in the amplitude (volume) of the sounds caused by the sound waves as they reverberate and bump into each other. The speed of the wobbling varies too depending on how great the difference in frequency. Lucier uses this phenomenon to produce consonant or dissonant harmonies between the oscillators and the acoustic instruments.
Ever Present sounded wonderful in the Bell Center as a concert piece, but this piece could stand alone and be performed (anywhere there is electricity, that is) as an installation piece. Listening to this work is an event that encompasses the whole space of the theater. Sounds can be heard ‘crossing’ from left to right and right to left. At some points it even sounded as though the sound was pushing out into the audience before recoiling.
For both of these last two works, I wanted to ask why microphones were not used on the acoustic instruments. George Crumb has pieces for "electric piano;" a term he used to refer to a piano that had a microphone inside the lid over the soundboard. Crumb was trying to intensify the sound of the piano, especially in works for prepared piano. NewEar could apply this to the piano so it can hold its own against the electronic sounds coming over the theater sound system. The same could be done for the flute and the saxophone as well. This would also allow for more stereo panning in the Lucier piece. Moreover, this technique would also encourage more 'interaction' between the computer and the electrified acoustic instruments.
These three works provided a good sampling of some trends in contemporary music, the move toward melody and emotion in Crossroads Songs, and the use of electronics in Inconspicuous Impulses and Ever Present. Both of these trends in contemporary music will continue to figure in new compositions as we move further into the new millennium. Crossing Acoustic Spaces exposed a sense of unruliness and curiosity in contemporary music. There is a reaction to, or progression from the constructive qualities of 20th century music, and use of electronics takes the sound experience to other levels and explores sounds with a wider imagination.
REVIEW:
newEar Contemporary Ensemble
Feb. 16, 2009, 4pm. (Free)
Mabee Performing Arts Hall of Bell Cultural Events Center,
MidAmerican Nazarene University,
www.newear.org.
Dance,
Firebird Captures the imagination of KC audiences
The ballet community turned out in force for the latest performance of the Kansas City Ballet to see the immortal Firebird. The performance created much excitement in the dance community and that was reflected in the high attendance for the show.
The Firebird is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky and was choreographed by Michel Fokine. The ballet is based on Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird of the same name that is both a blessing and a curse to its captor. This particular version was choreographed by relative newcomer, Yuri Possokhov, who tried to breathe new life into the traditional folk tale from his native Russia. It was conducted by the KC Ballet’s music director, Ramona Pansegrau, who is a strong supporter of the ballet and whose affection for the dance was apparent in her work.
The work was the crowning piece for a program that included a great deal of variety, ranging from classical ballet (Apollo), to contemporary Modern Dance en pointe (As Time Goes By, and End of Time), to reworked traditional pieces (the Firebird). Each piece had a completely different style of dance, demonstrating the terpsichorean range of the company under William Whitener's direction.
The performance opened with Balanchine's Apollo, with Christopher Barksdale in the title role. It was nice to see Barksdale in a central role again. He has good presence on stage and can be very expressive with physical movement, even in parts which do not tap his particular strengths. All of the dancers executed their parts with mastery, but occasionally there seemed to be moments that the female dancers seem out of sync with each other. These moments, however, were few and minor, and did not detract from the enjoyment of the entire production. Balanchine choreography is still beautiful to watch, when done well, but has a slower pace compared to some of the more contemporary ballets, which puts more pressure on dancers to create a sense of presence on stage in order to keep the audience's attention. This piece was well-executed and well-received by the audience.
The next work, As Time Goes By, was a complete contrast in theme and style, as the dancers ran and spun across the stage dressed in shades of brown and earthy tones, not unlike dancing, tumbling leaves carried by the wind on a warm autumn twilight. This lyrical work was choreographed by Twyla Tharp (which featured William Whitener in the original production) and is typical of her off-beat, contemporary style. This particular work is unique among the Tharp repertoire because the female dancers perform en pointe, instead of performing barefoot. Set to the music of Haydn's Symphony No. 45, Farewell, this complicated ensemble piece was enthusiastically performed by the company, but was not as enthusiastically received by the audience, possibly because it was so different from the style of the other pieces featured on the program. Twyla Tharp's choreography tends to be very "busy" with "too much going on" for some audiences, which was reflected by similar comments by audience members during intermission.
Next on the program was another temporal title, End of Time, choreographed by Ben Stevenson and set to the music Sergai Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata in F, 3rd Movement, performed beautifully by Ramona Pansegrau on piano and Mark Gibb (principal cello of the Kansas City Symphony) as soloist. This intimate and sensual pas de deux explores the romantic relationship between "omega" man and woman, the last couple on earth. Fluidly performed by Angelina Sansone and Juan Pablo Trujillo, this duet was well-received by the audience. 
Last on the program was the Firebird, dramatically performed by Kimberly Cowen in the title role. Additional cast members included Luke Luzicka as the hunter, Ivan, Nadia Iozzo as the Princess, and Michael Eaton as Kaschei, who all did very well in their parts. Clever staging and simple, but pleasing set design made the production suggestive of a storybook come to life. The dramatic use of dance in portraying this simple tale of magic and romance speaks to the power of dance to convey a story, and speaks to the use of narrative themes in dance for general audiences. Beautifully performed by the cast and orchestra, the Firebird was a big hit with the audience, calling for two curtain calls and a standing ovation. With popularity and reception of works like the Firebird and Carmen, one wonders what the Kansas City Ballet will do next and how it will be able to top itself in the future. Given William Whitener's creativity, they will, no doubt, find a way to do so.
Photos: Steve Wilson, Kansas City Ballet publicity
REVIEW:
Kansas City Ballet
Firebird
February 19 – 22, 2009
(Saturday, February 21 Matinee reviewed)
Lyric Theatre
13th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
kcballet.org
City Classics,
Classical Column for February 23 - March 1
Kansas City Symphony
A Hero's Life
Friday, February 17 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
10th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Sunday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m.
Carlsen Center at JCCC
College and Quivira, Overland Park, KS
Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) is one of the most frankly autobiographical, and also one of the most obviously self-celebratory, orchestra pieces in all of the repertory.
Strauss was one of the bright young upstarts of German music in the 1890's, and was often lambasted by critics for his overly adventurous scores. Audiences, however, loved his music, and he reveled in triumph as he thumbed his nose at the critical establishment. By the time he composed Ein Heldenleben in 1898 he had won the "battle" with the critics, and felt it time to tell the whole story in musical terms.
In Heldenleben, Strauss depicts his Hero (clearly himself) with a swagger and élan that is anything but subtle. Most critics thought it all together too filled with conceit. There is little doubt, however, that the brilliance of the score, like that of Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique a couple of generations earlier (performed earlier this year by the Symphony) justifies the composer's self confidence.
Unlike some purely abstract instrumental music, Ein Heldenleben is unquestionably a piece of "program" music with a definite story in mind. It begins with a series of repetitions of the main theme, which depicts the Hero's magnificence and confident ability. Eventually the sound of trumpets (imagine banners flying in the breeze) sends the Hero off to his adventures, where he quickly vanquishes his squeaky, snarling opponents, as depicted in the orchestra (some say, the music critics of his day who deplored Strauss' too-modernistic style).
Then he courts a capricious lady (depicted by a solo violin), but returns to the battle when interrupted by wheezing, whining foes. In the ensuing onslaught of "battle" music Strauss unleashes the full power of the orchestra, and amazingly the ferociously "fought" contest does not overshadow the continuing strains of the love music from the romantic episode just before.
Eventually conquering his enemies, the Hero returns to the peace of his home life, comforted by his beloved and also by the strains of, interestingly, previous Strauss tone poems.
In the final section of Heldenleben keen musical ears will detect strains from such previous Strauss scores as Death and Transfiguration, Don Quixote, Till Eulenspiegel and others. These are the compositions which scorched the ears of the music critics when first composed, and Strauss is rubbing it in, as it were, noting his triumph over adversity in the world of classical composition.
The piece ends with the Hero basking in the glory of his conquests, and you will hear a recapitulation of the famous "sunrise" music from Strauss' earlier tone poem Solche Sprach Zarathustra (think of the 2001: A Space Odyssey musical theme).
Also on this program are Robert Schumann's Manfred overture, and two pieces featuring one of today's rising young stars of the brass section, Alison Balsom, the trumpet concertos of Haydn and Tomasi. Balsom, a native of Great Britain, has been making waves in recent years with her spectacular performances on the trumpet, and these concertos are sure to be among the highlights of the Symphony's season.
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
The Friends of Chamber Music
Beowulf by Benjamin Bagby
Saturday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
13th and Broadway, Downtown Kansas City, MO
The Anglo-Saxon epic poem known as Beowulf, first discovered from an 11th-century manuscript, has been the subject of many artistic inspirations over the years, including an opera that premiered in Los Angeles last year under the name of Grendel, the monster featured in the story.
In this performance, the British performer Benjamin Bagby will perform a retelling of the story in song and with a six-string harp. Bagby is a specialist in medieval music, having been co-founder of the medieval music ensemble Sequentia in 1974. Bagby now performs widely in Europe and America both with the ensemble and in individual performances, as here. He teaches on the music faculty of the Sorbonne University in Paris, instructing students on medieval performance practice.
Among Bagby's recording projects have been a reconstruction of the medieval Icelandic epic Edda and Last Songs of a Rheinland Harper, which explores Latin and German song in the period at the end of the first millennium.
Bagby has been working on his retelling of Beowulf for about ten years, starting with a smaller version and graduating to longer and more complicated performances. As his performance practice has grown, Bagby says that "I feel I have finally made the ancient language my own and have begun to fully inhabit the role of the bard performing within an oral tradition."
Beowulf is part of The Friends of Chamber Music's Early Music Series. For a preview of the performance, you can see Bagby in excerpts from Beowulf on YouTube.
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Conservatory Wind Ensemble and Conservatory Concert Choir
Saturday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
The Conservatory Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir split the program for this concert, but combine forces on Howard Hanson's timely "Song of Democracy" and Charles Ives' rowdy "Circus Band." The program for the Concert Choir includes Basler's "Alleluia" from Songs of Faith, Handel's "Oh Lord, in Thee Have I Trusted" from the Dettingen Te Deum, Dickau's "If Music be the Food of Love," and Rardin's "My Spirit is Uncaged." The Wind Ensemble will be performing the "Fugue à la Gigue" by Johann Sebastian Bach, as arranged by Gustav Holst, and ; Wood's "Mannin Veen."
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.conservatory.umkc.edu
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
St. Paul by Mendelssohn
Sunday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Village Presbyterian Church
6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas
No tickets required, but donations will be accepted
The UMKC Conservatory's ensemble known as the Conservatory Singers will join with members of the Conservatory Wind Ensemble and the Village Church Choir and Village Orchestra for the performance of Mendelssohn's oratorio St. Paul. This ambitious project should result in a rewarding afternoon enjoying one of the masterworks of the oratorio repertoire, and you sure can't beat the price.
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Master Class with Carol Vaness
Thursday, February 26 at 3:30 p.m.
Grant Hall
5227 Holmes, Kansas City, Missouri
No tickets required
This won't be a performance by operatic soprano Carol Vaness, but an opportunity to hear her work with talented students from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance in a master class setting. For those of an operatic bent, with a couple of free hours that afternoon, it should be an interesting experience watching one of the finest sopranos of recent decades work on molding young voices.
City Classics,
Classical Column February 16 - 22
Harriman-Jewell Series
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Julia Fischer, violinist
Saturday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, one of the best known small chamber orchestras in the world, has appeared on the Harriman-Jewell Series here four times previously. Lucky we are, here in Kansas City, to have heard such an outstanding group so often. In this appearance, the Academy, led by Sir Neville Marriner, will be joined by the brilliant young violinist Julia Fischer in a performance which will include Bach's Violin Concerti Nos. 1 and 2, Walton's Sonata for Strings, and Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.
Formed from a group of leading London musicians and working without a conductor, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959, nearly a half century ago. Almost from the first it made recordings which put on display a "precision, care, consummate musicianship and more sense of style than all other chamber orchestras in Europe put together," according to one reviewer (Denis Stevens).
Demand for the Academy, particularly in the recording studio, soon began to grow as did the size of the orchestra and the repertoire it performed. Eventually Sir Neville Marriner was forced to put down his violin and take up the conductor's baton, but the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductorless ensemble remains an Academy hallmark.
Julia Fischer, just 25 years old, has just released a CD recording of Bach violin concerti with the Academy which is already the best-selling debut download on iTunes (yes, they keep track of such things now). This concert is part of the U.S. tour of the Academy and Ms. Fischer to promote the new album, and the concert will include selections from the album, of course. Do you think maybe they might have the CD for sale in the Folly Theatre lobby during intermission?
It should be a great evening at the Folly!
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online at www.harriman-jewell.org
The Friends of Chamber Music
Jupiter String Quartet
Friday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
The young Jupiter String Quartet, formed in 2001, were educated together at the New England Conservatory of Music, and currently are based in Boston. The Quartet has been pulling in awards galore over the past several years. They won the 2005 Young Concert Artists International auditions and now hold YCA's Helen F. Whitaker Chamber Music Chair. In January 2007, the Quartet won the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America, a prize which honors and promotes a rising young string quartets. That year they began a three-year residency with Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society Two. Then, in April 2008, the Jupiter String Quartet received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.
In addition to performing at such venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, the Quartet has performed at several major music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, the Caramoor International Music Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, the Honest Brook Festival, the Skaneateles Festival, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival.
On the Friends of Chamber Music program, the Quartet will perform the Mendelssohn Quartet in A minor, Op. 13, Thomas Adès' Arcadiana, Op. 12, and Beethoven's Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2.
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org
Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri at Kansas City
Mozart's Cosi fan tutte
Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m
Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m
Saturday, Febraury 21 at 7:30 p.m
Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall, 4949 Cherry, Kansas City, Missouri
The UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance produces two operas each year, and this year the Spring opera is Mozart's classic Cosi fan tutte, perfect for young voices. The unlikely story, about two men who pretend to leave for the wars, then return in disguise to woo each other's lovers, is supposedly based upon a real life event from Mozart's day (as retold by his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte), but for over a hundred years was viewed as too frivolous for the great master's talent. When performed at all, it was usually heavily edited or the story was changed. Believe it or not, the Metropolitan Opera did not even premiere the opera until 1922, just a few years after Mozart's death in 1792 (okay, we'll give the Met a break...it wasn't founded until 1883. But still, 39 years to get around to one of Mozart's greatest works?).
Since that time, however, Cosi has become recognized as a great masterpiece despite the somewhat hard-to-believe story line, and contains many delightful arias and ensembles for the key quartet of players. It also has one of opera's most hilarious roles for the fifth "main" character, the servant girl Despina, who clearly has a better handle on the whole situation than anyone else in the picture.
As always the Conservatory will feature a couple of different casts, but the opera should be fun, and a great opportunity to see the young voices at the Conservatory on stage and performing in a bit of classic repertoire.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.conservatory.umkc.edu
For readers of KCMetropolis and fiona's list:
2-for-1 tickets for phone and walk-up orders only if you mention fiona's list
Purchase tickets at the Box Office or phone 816-235-6222 AND MENTION fiona's list
Wu Man and Friends
Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center
19th and Iowa Streets, Lawrence, KS
This performance offers an interesting opportunity to sample the music of China, as the Lied Center brings in Chinese pipa player Wu Man, who will perform selections from her 2005 album, Wu Man and Friends. She "pays homage to the plucked instrument and explores the dichotomy of the familiar and the foreign with musicians from Uganda and the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States."
The pipa is a lute-like instrument with a history of more than 2,000 years, and she also performs other plucked instruments from across the world to find the similarities and the differences between styles, traditions and locations. In this performance she will be joined by James Makubuya playing the sharp tonality of the Ugandan endongo and adungu, and Lee Knight playing the twang of the North American banjo. So if you are in for a cross-cultural experience, this concert sounds like just the ticket.
A pre-performance lecture by experts from the Kansas City Chinese Music Ensemble will take place an hour before the concert in the Seymour Gallery on the second level of the Lied Center, for those who are interested.
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu
Lied Center, University of Kansas
Musica Sacra
Vivaldi's Gloria, Porpora Kyrie, Grieg Ave Maria
Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Francis Xavier Church
52nd and Troost, Kansas City, MO
Dr. Timothy McDonald's Musica Sacra group performs some of the most challenging and interesting repertory to be heard in the Kansas City area, and this concert should be no exception. The Vivaldi Gloria on the program is not the familiar, often-performed one, but the "other" Gloria, RV 639 and 588. The group will also perform Nicola Porpora's Kyrie, which should be an interesting piece - Porpora was a most celebrated composer in his day, and was the teacher of the great Franz Joseph Haydn. He must have known a thing or two. Also on the program are the much later, Romantic compositions of Edward Grieg, the Ave Maris Stella, and Anton Bruckner's Virga Jesse.
By the way, those of you who can't stand Bruckner's long and somewhat overblown symphonies may be surprised by his ability to write ravishingly beautiful works for choirs - I discovered some of his masses a few years ago by picking up a CD from the sale bin at some store or other, and it has become one of my favorite discs.
Those attending the concert should try to make it a little early, around 6:15 p.m., for Timothy McDonald's entertaining "Live Program Notes" lecture. McDonald, one of Kansas City's most engaging classic music personalities and writers, always has interesting things to say.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.rockhurst.edu/services/musicasacra/index.asp
Kansas City Civic Orchestra
Rossini and Beethoven with Eric Stromberg
Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.
The Folly Theater
12th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Free Admission
Conductor Christopher Kelts brings the Civic Orchestra to the Folly Theater this Sunday for a performance of Rossini's rarely played Concerto for Bassoon with guest soloist Eric Stromberg, and also the Beethoven Symphony No. 5.
Stomberg, who is Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Kansas, maintains an active teaching and performing schedule at the Interlochen Arts Academy and City Music Cleveland as well as at KU. For ten years he was a member of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.
Lawrence Chamber Orchestra
Annual Baroque by Candlelight Concert
Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Trinity Lutheran Church
1245 New Hampshire Street, Lawrence, KS
The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra's "signature concert" each year is this Baroque by Candlelight tradition, this year featuring works by C.P.E. Bach and William Boyce. The concert will also offer the opportunity to hear two works seldom heard live, Handel's elegant Harp Concerto, and the virtuoso cantata Su le sponde del Tebro by Alessandro Scarlatti.
The concert will feature appearances by guest artists Tabitha Reist Steiner, harp, Jodi Frisbie, soprano, and Keith Benjamin, trumpet.
We are told that a lavish wine and dessert reception will follow the performance.
For tickets call 785-691-7824 or online at www.lawrencechamberorchestra.org
City Classics,
Classical Column for February 2 - 8
Harriman-Jewell Series
Danielle de Niese
American Recital Debut
Wednesday, February 4 at 8 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central Downtown Kansas City, MO
We wrote about this recital last week, but it's worth a last-minute reminder. Danielle de Niese is a sensational young 27-year-old singer of Handel and other Baroque operatic roles, and she makes her American recital debut with the Harriman-Jewell series on Wednesday.
If you saw the Metropolitan Opera simulcast of Orfeo et Euridice on Saturday, January 24, she was the lovely young lady playing Euridice.
This is absolutely one of the must-not-miss recital events of this year. The Harriman-Jewell series has pulled off another coup in obtaining her services for her debut recital, all at bargain prices, and we will be privileged to hear her sing!
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online at www.harriman-jewell.org
newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
Crossing Acoustic Spaces
Friday, February 6 at 8:00 p.m.
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
45th and Warwick, Kansas City, MO
The newEar contemporary music ensemble continues it 16th season with its third concert of the year, featuring Alvin Lucier's Ever Present, which the group calls "an astonishingly beautiful work for alto sax, flute, piano and electronics."
Lucier's music is notable for its exploration of acoustic phenomena, says newEar, and it "draws the listener into a state of heightened awareness, contemplating minute sonic detail."
The program also includes Anna Clyne's Choke for baritone sax and electronics, plus recent works by Shawn Crouch, Evan Chambers. Also featured is Christopher Biggs' Inconspicuous Impulses for piano and electronic sounds.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.newear.org
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Conservatory Orchestra with Tenor Vinson Cole
Friday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
Internationally renowned tenor Vinson Cole, a Kansas City native who is the Kauffman artist in residence at the Conservatory this year, will join the full Conservatory orchestra and sing a variety of French opera arias for this program. French music is a specialty of Cole, so this should be an evening to remember.
The announced program includes two arias from Iphigenie en Tauride by the French composer Willibald von Gluck, an aria from Hector Berlioz' La damnation de Faust, an aria from Carmen by Georges Bizet, and the famous tenor aria from La juive by Fromental Halévy.
In addition, the orchestra will perform the overture to Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.conservatory.umkc.edu
Park University
Saturday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
Park University
8700 N.W. River Park Drive, Parkville, MO
Park University has not provided any detail about this concert, but the members of the Park Piano Trio, who are pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch, violinist Ben Sayevich and cellist Martin Storey, are musicians of great distinction, so this should be an enjoyable concert.
Free admission. For more information visit www.park.edu
Kansas City Symphony
Peter and the Wolf
Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m.
Lyric Theatre,
10th and Central Streets, Dowtown Kansas City, MO
Sunday, February 8 at 2 p.m.
Carslen Center at JCCC
College and Quivira, Overland Park, KS
The Kansas City Symphony shows and animated film and performs the orchestral score for the children's' classic Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev this weekend. These are daytime performances geared towards families.
The Sunday performance is close to a sellout and tickets are no longer available online; by the time this article appears the Saturday performance may be a sellout as well. It's best to call the box office for ticket availability rather than try online ordering.
Prokofiev's classic is a perfect introduction to the orchestral music for the younger set, and has been so since its first performances in 1936.
The Symphony will hold an "instrument petting zoo" one hour before each performance.
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
Lied Center at KU
Tafelmusik
Sunday, February 8, 7:30 p.m.
Lied Center, University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is a Canadian-based period instrument ensemble now celebrating its 20th anniversary. The group, which has won awards and plaudits around the world for its outstanding performances of Baroque music, comes to the Lied Center in Lawrence with a program featuring the "Water Music" suite by Handel, but also a variety of other Baroque masterworks, including a suite from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell, the Concerto grosso in D major of Antonio Loatelli, the Ouverture No. 6 in G minor by Francesco Veracini, and a Concerto for Two Violins by Johann Sebastian Bach.
The orchestra performs more than 50 concerts every year around the world and features 17 talented performers, each of whom is a specialist in historic performance practice. This concert offers a great opportunity for fans of early music to hear some of the masters of that era performed as they would have heard their music themselves, by one of today's leading specialist ensembles.
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu
Youth Symphony of Kansas City
Open House
Sunday, February 8, 1 to 5 p.m.
John Knox Village Pavilion
400 N.W. Murray Road, Lee's Summit,MO
It's not exactly a "performance," but you can hear the budding musicians of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City at an afternoon-long open house on Sunday. The event starts with the young Academy Orchestra and advances to the full Symphony Orchestra, which is featured at 4 p.m.
Free admission. For more information visit www.youthsymphonykc.org
Fountain City Brass Band
Heroes and Legends
Wednesday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Bell Center, Mid-America Nazarene University
2030 East College Way, Olathe, Kansas
This concert features music from the Superman movies, the Harry Potter movies, the movie Braveheart, and other music of "heroes and legends," not necessarily from movies.
The Fountain City Brass Band won the grand championship trophy at the United States Brass Band championship last November, continuing its tradition of excellence. The Fountain City Brass Band plays a series of concerts each year at Mid-America Nazarene University, and this concert is the second of four concerts this year.
For tickets call 913-971-3636 or online at www.mnu.edu/events/bellcenter
City Pipes,
Great music for you to hear this evening
The first event of the restored and renovated E. and G.G. Hook organ at the Rainbow Mennonite Church took place on Sunday the 8th of this month. The church was filled to overflowing and heard the organ in many guises: as solo instrument, with choirs and brass.
The first official organ recital is this evening (Monday the 16th) at 7:30. Bruce Stevens, a regular recitalist at conventions of the Organ Historical Society, has selected remarkable music for this remarkable organ. His program: Three Tone Pieces by Neils Gade (one-time conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra); Prelude and Fugue in G Major by Felix Mendelssohn (Gade's predecessor at the Gewandhaus); Adagio and Allegro, K. 594, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Prelude and Fugue in E Flat Major "St Anne" by Johann Sebastian Bach; Partita on "Jesu, meine Freude" by Johann Gottfried Walther; Three Preludes for Organs, founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes, by Ralph Vaughan Williams; and Sonata No. 3 in G Major, opus 88, by Josef Rheinberger. The author has played a good many of the pieces and knows what delights they are.
The church is located at 1444 Southwest Boulevard; the recital is free.
City Voices,
Vocal Column for February 16 - March 1
The last two weeks of February are typically a slow time for choral/vocal events (in the wake of Valentine's Day and in preparation for the Lenten season), but we are blessed to have several fantastic choices for concerts in the coming weeks. Listed below are some of the highlights. Consult KCMetropolis.org's full performance arts calendar for a complete listing of all upcoming concerts.
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD (encore)
Lucia di Lammermoor
by G. Donizetti
Featuring Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón, and Mariusz Kwiecien
Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00pm
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD is continuing their successful run of live broadcasts this year. The Met will transmit a total of eleven live and ten encore events this season from September to May. Don't miss the excitement of experiencing the Met on the big screen. Anna Netrebko stars in the title role of Donizetti's fragile heroine. Tenor Rolando Villazón stars as Lucia's lover, Edgardo. Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien is her tyrannical brother. This hit production is staged as a Victorian ghost story. Several movie theaters in town are showing this event.
For ticket information, visit www.fathomevents.com
Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri at Kansas City
Mozart's Cosi fan tutte
Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m
Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m
Saturday, Febraury 21 at 7:30 p.m
Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.
White Recital Hall, 4949 Cherry, Kansas City, Missouri
Above all other fantastic contributions to various styles of music repertoire, Mozart's operas remain some of his most popular and historically important pieces. Così Fan Tutte is an opera buffa with libretto by da Ponte (who also supplied the librettos for Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. The story tells of two soldiers who place a bet with their friend, Don Alfonso, that their fiancées would remain faithful to them. Alfonso tests the ladies by disguising the soldiers as Albanians that woo the other's lover. Through mistaken identity, love is tested...will the fiancées stay loyal?
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.conservatory.umkc.edu
For readers of KCMetropolis and fiona's list:
2-for-1 tickets for phone and walk-up orders only if you mention fiona's list
Purchase tickets at the Box Office or phone 816-235-6222 AND MENTION fiona's list
Musica Sacra
Vivaldi's Gloria, Porpora Kyrie, Grieg Ave Maria
Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Francis Xavier Church
52nd and Troost, Kansas City, MO
Musica Sacra is Rockhurst's ensemble in residence. They will be presenting music from the Italian Baroque, featuring composers Antonio Vivaldi and Nicola Porpora.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or online at www.rockhurst.edu/services/musicasacra/index.asp
Musica Vocale Chamber Ensemble
Choral Concert
Sunday, February 22 at 3 p.m.
St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church
75th and Main, Kansas City, MO
This new choral ensemble in Kansas City is led by one of the area's longest standing and most respected conductors, Dr. Arnold Epley. The chorus is presenting three Mendelssohn works: Heilig, Psalm 2 - Warum Toben die Heiden, and Psalm 43 - Richte Mich, Gott. These performances celebrate 2009 being the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn's birth. Also on the concert is music by Vaughan Williams, Bach, Schumann, Lotti, and the jazz-based Psalm Konzert by Zimmerman.
For more information, visit www.musicavocale.org.
Tickets are available at the door.
Village Presbyterian Church
St. Paul (Paulus)
by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by the UMKC Conservatory Singers with the Village Choir and Orchestra
Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m.
Village Presbyterian Church
67th and Mission, Prairie Village, KS
Paulus is one of Mendelssohn's most wonderful and underappreciated works. This oratorio, which tells the story of the Apostle Paul/Saul, uses Biblical texts largely from Acts and Romans. Dr. Ryan Board, visiting assistant professor of choral music at UMKC, will lead the performance. The work, originally written in German, will be sung in English.
Free admission. Visit www.villagepres.org for more information.
City Voices,
Vocal Column February 2 - 15
The choral and vocal scene in KC starts to heat up in February. There are world famous vocal soloists and great local choirs. Enjoy!
The Harriman-Jewell Series
Danielle de Niese, soprano,
in her American Recital Debut
Wednesday, February 4 at 7:30 p.m.
The Folly Theater,
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
The New York Times has said that Danielle de Niese, an Australian-born singer who grew up in Los Angeles, has "a voice seductive enough to woo gods as well as mortals." She debuted with the Metropolitan Opera when she was just 19 years old. Now age 29, Danielle is currently singing the role of Euridice in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Met.
Her Kansas City program will feature an eclectic mix of music from composers Handel, Grieg, Wolf, Poulenc, Barber, and Bizet. De Niese will also lead a free vocal master class on Thursday, February 5 at 6:30pm on the William Jewell College Campus at the Pillsbury Music Building's recital hall.
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online at www.harriman-jewell.org
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD (Encore)
Orfeo ed Euridice
by C. Gluck
Featuring Stephanie Blythe and Danielle de Niese
Wednesday, February 4 at 7 p.m.
See fiona's list for locations
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD is continuing their successful run of live broadcasts this year. The Met will transmit a total of eleven live and ten encore events this season from September to May. Don't miss the excitement of experiencing the Met on the big screen. This broadcast is of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This production is choreographed by Mark Morris with costumes by Isaac Mizrahi. Stephanie Blythe stars in the title role, and the alluring Danielle de Niese plays Orfeo's adored wife Euridice, who inspires the hero to face the underworld for her sake. Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine is conducting the performance. Several movie theaters in town are showing this event.
For ticket information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
The UMKC Conservatory of Music
The Conservatory Orchestra, featuring tenor Vinson Cole
Friday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m.
White Hall, UMKC Campus
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, MO
This lovely program of French opera arias includes Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream, music by Gluck, Berlioz, Bizet, Halévy, and Rachmaninoff. Kauffman Artist in Residence, tenor Vinson Cole, will be featured along with the always wonderful UMKC Conservatory Orchestra.
For tickets call 816-235-6222 or visit www.conservatory.umkc.edu.
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD
Lucia di Lammermoor
by G. Donizetti
Featuring Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón, and Mariusz Kwiecien
Saturday, February 7 at noon
See fiona's list for locations
The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD is continuing their successful run of live broadcasts this year. The Met will transmit a total of eleven live and ten encore events this season from September to May. Don't miss the excitement of experiencing the Met on the big screen. Anna Netrebko stars in the title role of Donizetti's fragile heroine. Tenor Rolando Villazón stars as Lucia's lover, Edgardo. Baritone Mariusz Kwiecien is her tyrannical brother. This hit production is staged as a Victorian ghost story.
For ticket information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
The William Baker Choral Foundation
Winterfest 2009featuring the William Baker Festival Singers and area choirs
Sunday, February 8 at 2 p.m.
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
13th & Broadway, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Don't miss this exciting annual event, sponsored by the Choral Foundation. The William Baker Festival Singers headline this festival-format concert, which will also feature Allegro Con Moto, the Northland Community Choir, and the choirs of Colonial United Church of Christ and Countryside Christian Church. The exciting mass choir finale will be the Credo from Robert Ray's Gospel Mass.
For tickets call 913-403-9223 or visit www.festivalsingers.org
The Kansas City Symphony
Valentine's Weekend
Friday, February 13 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 14 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central in Downtown Kansas City, MO
The Kansas City Symphony will be conducted by guest conductor Nicholas McGegan and joined by the Kansas City Symphony Chorus, soprano Dominique Labelle, soprano Mary Wilson, and tenor Thomas Cooley for a program of wonderful music by Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Featured compositions are Beethoven's Leonore (the original name for Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio) and Mendelssohn's Symphony-Cantata Lobgesang ("Hymn of Praise").
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org
The Fine Arts Chorale
The Birds and the Bees
Saturday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral's Founders Hall
13th & Broadway in Downtown Kansas City, MO
Sunday, February 15 at 2:00pm
Community of Christ
Mission Road, 7842 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS
Artistic director Terri Teal and the Fine Arts Chorale will present a whimsical and romantic interpretation for adults of the "birds and the bees" talk that they have with their children to help them begin to understand the nature of attraction and love.
For tickets, call 816-235-6222 or online at www.fineartschoralekc.org
Dance Around the City,
Dance Column for February 9 - March 8
Broadway Across America presents
Cirque Dreams, Jungle Fantasy
Runs February 24 - March 2
The Music Hall
301 W 13th St., Downtown Kansas City, MO
In the tradition of the Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Productions brings the European-style circus spectacular to Kansas City audiences.
A visual delight, this year's tour presents a jungle theme in sets, costumes, and characters, featuring stylized clowns, mind-boggling contortionists, breath-taking aerial work, high-tech stagecraft, and a host of other-worldly animal characters. The show combines tradition of the circus with Las Vegas-style special effects, which offers a visual spectacle for family entertainment that is suitable for all ages.
For tickets call 1-800-366-0583 or online at BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com
Carlson Center presents
RubberBanDance Group
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Dance Residency
Thursday-Friday, Feb. 26-27
Carlsen Center,
12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS
A relatively young company, this innovative dance group from Canada was founded in 2002 by Victor Quijada, and features world-class dancers in unusual choreography that explores humanity and human relationships through dance. The choreography is very gritty and contemporary, borrowing moves from Hip-Hop and Breakdance, mixed with a Martial Art motif. The name "Rubberband" refers to Quijada's nickname in Los Angeles, which describes his elastic body style in dance. Dressing his dancers in popular street-garb, Quijada presents explosively physical story-telling that reflects the reality of our times. The group will offer a Q&A session after the performance. A Dance Residency is also available for aspiring dance students to take.
For tickets call: 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance presents
UMKC Senior Dance Recitals
Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO
In preparation for their professional careers, graduating senior dance students must present work to fulfill their requirements for graduation. These performance requirements must include original works by the students, as well as a choreographed ensemble piece, and a solo. These recitals become the proof of their mastery of the dance. The Senior Dance Recitals are always fresh and exciting to see, for they showcase new talent at the beginning of their careers, before they join professional dance companies across the USA.
Free Admission. For information call 816-235-2799
or online at www.conservatory.umkc.edu/calendarofevents.aspx
Dance Around the City,
Dance Column for January 26 - February 8
Carlsen Center at JCCC
National Acrobats of China
"The China Blossom"
Friday, January 30 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 31 at 8 p.m.
Carlsen Center at JCCC,
12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS
The National Acrobats of China are a breath-taking, colorful troupe of artists that combine ancient traditions with the technology of a Las Vegas show. Graduates of the highly-esteemed Fu Hsing Academy, their artistic folk art skills range from music, martial arts, dancers, contortionists, athletes, and magicians. The 35 members of the troupe are considered the foremost acrobatic troupe in China and present their traditional arts in a fresh, exciting, and colorful way. The show is a thrilling spectacular suitable for the entire family.
For tickets call 913-469-4445
or online at www.jccc.net/home/depts.php/001440/site/Chronological_Listing/
City in Motion
Modern Night at the Folly
Saturday, February 7 at 8 p.m.
Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th Street, KCMO
To see the latest in original, contemporary works of regional choreographers in full theatrical production, this is the concert to attend for those interested in the contemporary dance scene. The annual event is produced by City in Motion, but features new works performed by several talented KC area dance companies. The works represent a wide variety of genres and styles of Modern Dance, but are always colorful, innovative, and entertaining.
For tickets call 816-474-4444 or online at www.follytheater.com
For information about the company, call 816-561-2882 or online at www.CityInMotion.org
Photo Credit: Mike Strong, KCDance.com
Kansas City Ballet
Winter Performance
"The Firebird"
Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 21 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 22 at 2 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
11th and Central Streets, Downtown Kansas City, MO
The Kansas City Ballet continues its 51st season with its Winter Performance. This performance features Igor Stravinsky's haunting piece, the Firebird, as well as a premiere of Ben Stevenson's End of Time, and George Balanchine's Apollo. All three of these works will be new to most Kansas City audiences, and well worth the price of admission. The performance will also include an encore production of Twyla Tharp's very popular piece, As Time Goes By.
The tentative program will open with Balanchine's Apollo. Choreographed in 1928 to Stravinsky's "Apollon Musagete", this work is based on Greek mythology and is choreographed in "neo-classical" style. The story revolves around Apollo, the god of music, who is visited by three muses. The choreography initiated a reinvention of tradition, became Balanchine's first public success, and eventually, a seminal Balanchine work.
Next on the program is Twyla Tharp's As Time Goes By, set to the music of Haydn, which was orginally created for the Joffery Ballet in 1973 (performed 1979). It was the first time that Tharp had created work for a company other than her own, and was her first piece created for dancers en pointe. William Whitner, artistic director for the Kansas City Ballet, is intimately familiar with the choreopgraphy of Tharp, since he was a member of her dance company and one of her star performers. Tharp's choreography is know for its innovative, quirky, improvisational style that is a mixture of classical ballet, barefoot Modern and American vernacular dance set to popular music.
Continuing the temporal motif is End of Time, a passionate pas de deux created by British choreographer, Ben Stevenson, set to Rachmaninoff. Created in 1984, this piece portrays a couple at the end of our existence on earth.
Last on the program is the immortal Firebird, created by a relatively young Russian choreographer, Yuri Possokhov, and set to Stravinsky's powerful score (the reduced 1945 Firebird Suite version).
Based on a Russian folk tale, this version of the ballet was created in 2004, but like its 1910 Diaghilev original production, the designer, Yuri Zhukov, and Possokhov worked closely together to create a look remniscent of the Russian folk tale illustrations from the early 1900s. It is a charming tale of a handsome prince hunting a beautiful glittering, golden bird. He succeeds in capturing her, but decides to set her free. Enamored of the prince, she gives him a magic feather, with which to summon her.
The tale evolves into a classic love triangle between the prince, his princess, and the Firebird, portrayed in an imaginative, colorful, contemporary ballet style. This particular piece is creating some excitement in the Kansas City dance community and will prove to be one of the "must-see" events of the season.
For tickets call 816-931-2232 or online at www.kcballet.org
Local Arts News,
Kansas City Symphony announces 2009-10 classical season
An amazing collection of guest artists will join Music Director Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony for the 2009-10 season, including Emmanuel Pahud and Vladimir Feltsman. The season opens with Yefim Bronfman performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2.
Highlights of the season include Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, Ravel's Bolero, and the Symphony Chorus will join the orchestra for two performances. Dazzling soloists will perform Dorman's Piano Concerto - a KCS commissioned world premier - plus Barber and Prokofiev's Violin concerti, and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Michael Stern, entering his fifth season as Music Director, will also introduce to Kansas City the world premiere of Lombardi's Flute Concerto and the American premiere of Weisenberg's Reflections.
"This is a wonderful and important time to be part of the Kansas City Symphony family of subscribers. The Symphony continues to collaborate with some of the greatest guest artists of our time, and we have designed a compelling Classical Series for 2009-10," notes Executive Director Frank Byrne.
Season tickets for the 2009-10 series range from $546 to as little as $88. All Classical Series subscription packages come with substantial savings over the price of single tickets. The full-series Masterworks package remains the best value with savings equivalent to four free concerts! For more information or to buy season tickets, call 816.471.0400 Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm, or visit www.kcsymphony.org.
For a complete 2009-10 schedule, visit: /www.kcsymphony.org/BuyTickets/subscribe_classical.jsp
Local Arts News,
Harriman-Jewell announces 45th-anniversary season
The Harriman-Jewell Series, Kansas City's powerhouse performing arts presenter, unveils the events of its 45th-anniversary season to be held at the Folly Theater (12th and Central Sts.) in downtown Kansas City, Mo. The new season begins on September 15, with global-star pianist Lang Lang and closes on May 1, 2010, with the beloved story ballet Coppelia danced by Moscow Festival Ballet. The Series continues its long held tradition of bringing the best performers of the world to Kansas City: Iconic cellist Yo-Yo Ma makes his eighth appearance on the Series on March 18, 2010.
The Harriman-Jewell Series offers three free concerts, the most ever scheduled in one season: American tenor Lawrence Brownlee will sing on October 3, 2009; Russian pianist Boris Giltburg will play on December, 10, 2009; and violinist Rachel Lee will perform on February 13, 2010. In an effort to make artistry more accessible, the "new artists for new audiences" Discovery concerts are free to the public. The National Endowment for the Arts has provided funding for the 2009 Discovery concerts.
Of the 16 performances next season, several are Kansas City debuts including a joint recital by tenor Michael Schade and baritone Russell Braun. In a rare theatre presentation, What You Will, Olivier and Tony award-winning actor Roger Rees will guide the audience through an "historical and hysterical" accounting of William Shakespeare's plays. Also appearing for the first time in Kansas City is the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company. The rich Ukrainian cultural heritage will unfold on stage in a dazzling display of colorful costumes and virtuosic dance. Another Kansas City first will be a holiday concert played by the early-music ensemble Parthenia, which will be joined by the accomplished soprano Julianne Baird.
Returning Series favorites other than Yo-Yo Ma are 23-year-old violinist Stefan Jackiw who makes his third appearance on September 26, 2009; opera's sensational soprano Deborah Voigt who sings her second Series recital on October 30, 2009; Parsons Dance making its 11th Series appearance (November 13, 2009) in a program that features the lead vocalists and music of the East Village Opera Company; the Russian National Orchestra returns on Friday, February 26, 2010; and the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra plays an all-Tchaikovsky program for its second Series appearance on March 6, 2010.
Special Engagement
Yo-Yo Ma, cellist in recital; Thursday, March 18, 2010, at the Folly Theater.
Great Masters: The Ingram Events
Lang Lang, pianist in recital; Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Stefan Jackiw, violinist in recital; Saturday, September 26, 2009
Deborah Voigt, soprano in recital; Friday, October 30, 2009
Roger Rees in What You Will; Saturday, November 21, 2009
Marc-André Hamelin, pianist in recital; Friday, February 19, 2010
Michael Schade and Russell Braun, tenor and baritone in joint recital; Saturday, April 10, 2010
Great Music and Dance
Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company; Friday, October 9, 2009
Parsons Dance with lead vocalists and music of East Village Opera Company;
Friday, November 13, 2009
Parthenia, early music ensemble with soprano Julianne Baird; Saturday, December 19, 2009
Russian National Orchestra; Friday, February 26, 2010
Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra; Saturday, March 6, 2010
Moscow Festival Ballet in Coppelia; Sat May 1, 2010
Free "Discovery" concerts
ALL THREE EVENTS are free to the public and will be held at the Folly Theater.
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor in recital; Saturday, October 3, 2009
Boris Giltburg, pianist in recital; Thursday, December 10, 2009
Rachel Lee, violinist in recital; Saturday, February 13, 2010
Subscription packages are on sale now; single-event tickets will be available for purchase beginning on August 10.
Visit harriman-jewell.org or call 816-415-5025 (toll-free at 888-528-5521) for more information.
Local Arts News,
Kansas City Ballet presents 2009-2010 season of dynamic dance
Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener today announced the 52nd season featuring its continued legacy of unparalleled variety, presenting classical geniuses as well as internationally recognized contemporary artists in a series guaranteed to entertain and inspire audiences. The Fall and Spring Performances will feature the Kansas City Symphony and The Nutcracker will feature the Kansas City Ballet Orchestra - both will be led by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau.
"True to our mission, the Kansas City Ballet's season offers classical ballets, dramatic works, and pieces that celebrate popular culture. Opening performances will include the company debut of Frescoes (from The Little Humpbacked Horse)," says Whitener. "I'm pleased that we are forging a relationship with Elena Kunikova, a distinguished stager and former ballerina from the Maly Ballet in Russia, who will be staging the ballet. An original work is being created for KCB by Jessica Lang, a bright new talent in the dance world whose ballets grace the repertories of many American dance companies. And later in the season, Balanchine's charming ballet Who Cares? enters our repertory and will accompany a diverse blend of favorite works from the past by José Limón, Todd Bolender, Bruce Marks, Robert Hill, Val Caniparoli and myself."
Fall Program
October 15-18, 2009 at the Lyric Theatre
Featuring the Kansas City Symphony
Frescoes (From The Little Humpbacked Horse)
Choreographed by: A. Saint-Léon
Music by: Cesare Pugni
World Premiere
Choreographed by: Jessica Lang
Carmen
Choreographed by: William Whitener
Music by: Rodion Shchedrin after Georges Bizet
The Nutcracker
December 16-27, 2009 | Music Hall
Featuring the Kansas City Ballet Orchestra
Choreographed by: Todd Bolender
Music by: Peter I. Tchaikovsky
Winter Program
February 25-28, 2010 | Lyric Theatre
Piano Concerto #2
Choreographed by: Robert Hill
Music by: Lowell Liebermann
The Moor's Pavane
Choreographed by: José Limón
Music by: Henry Purcell
Lambarena
Choreographed by: Val Caniparoli
Music by: Bach and traditional African rhythms
Spring Program
May 6-9, 2010 | Lyric Theatre
Featuring the Kansas City Symphony
Donizetti Pas de Deux
Choreographed by: Todd Bolender
Music by: Gaetano Donizetti
Lark Ascending
Choreographed by: Bruce Marks
Music by: Ralph Vaughn Williams
Who Cares?
Choreographed by: George Balanchine
Music by: George and Ira Gershwin
For ticket information, please call Kansas City Ballet ticket box office at 816.931.2232 or visit our website at www.kcballet.org.
Local Arts News,
JCCC announces 2009-10 performing arts season
Charles Rogers, artistic director of the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College, has announced the 2009-2010 season - a season of historic and cutting-edge performances, celebrity names and diverse cultures.
Approaching its 20th year in the 2010-11 season, Johnson County Community College initiates a new brand, referring to its schedule of world-class performing artists as "The Performing Arts Series" as a way to distinguish professional from academic performances, also offered in the Carlsen Center. The Performing Arts Series is an umbrella term for the ever-popular and long-established Dance, Classics, Center Stage and Family series and Special Events.
Highlights of the season include a re-creation of Martha Graham's 1958 Clytemnestra, a fourth appearance by the Paul Taylor Dance Company, and soprano Dame Emma Kirkby, one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. On the lighter side, the season lists Guthrie Family Rides Again, including Arlo and his extended family, and Groovaloo, Superstars of Dance gold medalists.
For nearly 20 years, the Performing Arts Center at JCCC has consistently offered quality programming with a variety of classical artists, Broadway musicals, comedy, bluegrass, dance, symphony orchestras, family shows and headliners. True to tradition, another exceptional season unfolds.
The season is listed chronologically and then by series. Shows begin at 8 p.m. in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center unless otherwise noted.
L.A. Theatre Works, radio plays War of the Worlds and Lost World - Oct. 2 & 3, 2009
Tommy Emmanuel, Australian acoustical guitarist - Oct. 9, 2009
The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion - Oct. 10, 2009
Rasta Thomas' Bad Boys of Dance - Oct. 16 & 17, 2009
Angelina Ballerina's Big Audition, English National Ballet Company - Oct. 23 & 24, 2009
Emma Kirkby, soprano - Oct. 30, 2009, off-site location
Paul Taylor Dance Company - Nov. 13-14, 2009
Shaolin Warriors, The King Fu Masters of China - Nov. 20-21, 2009
Sigmund Romberg Orchestra & Soloists, A Viennese Christmas - Dec. 5, 2009
Cantus, a male chamber choir, All Is Calm - Dec. 11, 2009
Thank You Gregory, a tribute to Gregory Hines - Jan. 16, 2010
Philharmonia of the Nations with pianist Jon Nakamatsu - Feb. 13, 2010
Band of the Irish Guards and Royal Regiment of Scotland - Feb. 19-20, 2010
Porgy and Bess, a 75th anniversary production - Feb. 27 & 28, 2010
Groovaloo, hip-hop and freestyle dance à la Chorus Line - Mar. 5-6, 2010
Martha Graham Dance Company, a re-creation of Clytemnestra (1958) - Mar. 13, 2010
Guthrie Family Rides Again, Arlo and his extended family - Mar. 27, 2010
The 5 Browns, American piano quintet of brothers and sisters - Apr. 9 & 10, 2010
Palestrina Choir - Irish Boys and Men Choir from Dublin - Apr. 16, 2010
Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble - Apr. 24, 2010
Brentano String Quartet - May 1, 2010
Programs, dates and times are subject to change. A Family Series and more special events will be announced later this spring.
Renewal subscriptions go on sale beginning March 9, new subscriptions on sale April 27 and single tickets on sale June 9.
Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 913-469-4445 or visit www.jccc.edu/TheSeries for more information.
City Stage,
Theatre Column for February 16 - March 1
Matt Leonard (Bender), Matthew Schmidli (Andrew), Chioma Anyanwu (Claire), Alex Saxon (Brian), Patricia Rusconi (Allison) and Tim Ahlenius (Mr. Vernon/Carl) become The Breakfast Club every Monday nigh
NOW RUNNING...
Coterie Theatre at Night
The Breakfast Club
Directed by Ron McGee
Running Now with an open ended run every Monday night
Westport Coffeehouse, 4010 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
A resurrection of the defining 1980's "Brat Pack" movie is being played out on stage as Ron McGee directs The Breakfast Club. More then a cult classic, this play - adapted from the original 1985 film - takes us on a retro-journey of five teenage strangers forced to live out a Saturday detention. Souls are revealed, love sparks, and reality sets in as this play not only reminds us of how times in America once were but how everything stays the same in this culturally relevant production. It should be noted that this production is not suited for those under 16 or 17 years of age.
One More Thing: Stay after the play and hangout with the cast on stage, drink coffee, and listen to 80's music.
Another Thing: Visit www.youtube.com/user/anthonyalexanderpro to watch interviews of the cast and learn about their research of the characters they are portraying.
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online www.coterietheatre.org
American Heartland Theatre
Murder By the Book
By Duncan Greenwood and Robert King
A Kansas City Premiere
Runs January 9 through February 22
Crown Center - 3rd Level
2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO
Witty barbs exchanged between master thriller writer, Selwyn, and his estranged wife, Imogen, turn fatal...or do they? When the writer is found dead by his loyal secretary and the amateur detective neighbor insists on solving the crime, the twists and turns begin. Crisp and funny, this light-hearted and inventive thriller unfolds with a series of deadly games.
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com.
Coterie Theatre
Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Runs January 27 through February 20
Crown Center (lower level), Grand & Pershing
Continuing their 30th anniversary, The Coterie plunges forward with their season by presenting the full length version of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning play Our Town. A timeless classic about a girl's time in Grover's Corners, the audience will come away with asking if they are aware of life while living it; one of the plays many themes. Originally performed at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey on January 22, 1932, Our Town was Wilder's attempt to steer theatre away from the inadequate and evasive style he felt it had become. By making the actors mime their props and performing on a set made up of only tables, chairs and ladders, he forced the audience to see the play's theme without distraction of the spectacle theatre tended to produce. Another first was having the role of Stage Manager, completely aware of his relationship to the audience and the actors on stage, break the ever present fourth-wall that theatre was known for using. (The fourth-wall is the idea that the audience is looking in on the lives of other people as if looking through a wall.) Tied to a curriculum focusing on communication, arts, literature, social studies, psychology and philosophy, this play is suitable for an elementary age child and adults alike.
For tickets call 816-474-6552 or online www.coterietheatre.org
Unicorn Theatre
The Velvet Rut
By James Still
Runs January 30 through February 22
3828 Main Street
Having appeared in Unicorn Theatre's 2007-2008 In-Progress New Play Reading Series, James Still's The Velvet Rut moves onto the main stage in its first metropolis performance at the Unicorn. A high school teacher who loves his students, adores his wife, and is passionate about his poetry, goes on a soul searching camping trip after he meets Virgil, a seemingly mysterious young man. What they both discover are the tools they will need to survive. This two actor play stars veteran Kansas City actor Jim Korinke and Unicorn newcomer Matthew Jayson Weiss with direction from Joseph Price. Still, a native of Kansas, also has two other plays premiering at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. and Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis, IN.
One more thing: Talk-back performances will be on February 3, 8 & 10 to discuss the play with the cast and director. On February 5th at 6:30 the Unicorn host Play Before the Play Party, visit their website for more details.
For tickets call 816.531.7529 or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Arabian Nights
Written and directed by Mary Zimmerman
Runs January 30 through February 22 - Extended to March 1
Spencer Theatre
James C. Olsen Performing Arts Center
4949 Cherry Street, on UMKC campus, Kansas City, MO
Mary Zimmerman, creator of the Broadway and Kansas City phenomenal hitMetamorphoses, reprises her genius in Kansas City Repertory Theatre's newest production: The Arabian Nights.
A carefully weaved series of stories surrounding princess Scheherezade's attempt to save her own life by telling the king magical stories filled with love, valor, and heroism, this play reveals the profound passion and mystery of the country now known as Iraq.
Zimmerman, with her uncanny staging, lively sets and theatrical story telling, highlights why she is the recipient of the 1998 MacArthur "Genius" Grant, the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director, and ten Joseph Jefferson Awards, including ones for best production and best direction. "If you want theatre at its most unpretentiously poetic, most fetchingly stylish, as humane as it is elegant," said New York Magazine, "I commend to you The Arabian Nights. [It] sails as smoothly and magically as the caliph's boat on the moonlit waves of the Tigris"
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
Theatre for Young America (TYA)
Africa's Daughters
Runs February 3 through February 21
Union Station's City Stage
30 West Pershing Road
Appropriate for children in 2nd grade and beyond, this play celebrates the struggles and triumphs of the African-American people. Understanding that African-American heritage is celebrated throughout the year, TYA brings forth this production during the month where we are reminded of the importance of being a melting-pot nation and how it has benefited us as a community of people.
"A young girl named Makeda takes an amazing journey through four millennia of African and African-American history, seen through the eyes of women ranging from the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba to modern playwright Lorraine Hansberry. In between ancient times and modern times Makeda joins the struggles and shares the triumphs of this historical pageant, and the experience changes her forever." This play has ties in curriculum areas of drama, biography, African and African-American history, U.S. history, Civil War studies, women's studies, civil rights, and the Underground Railroad.
For tickets call 816.460.2020 or online at www.unionstation.org
No birds about it: Heidi Van reprises her success along with another creation at La Esquina with The Coppelia Project: A Clown Ballet in Three Acts.
The New Theatre Restaurant
Hats! The Musical
Book & Lyrics By Marcia Milgrom & Tony Dodge
Runs February 4 through April 12
9229 Foster, Overland Park, KS.
It is often said that 30 is the new 20, 40 is the new 30, and 50 is the new 40, but regardless of your age, the number of your years is still measured by the actual years you've been alive. Hats! The Musical is New Theatre's newest production to rise from the floors and celebrates life once you hit the big FIVE - ZERO.
Written by Grammy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning songwriters, and inspired by the Red Hat Society, this fun filled, laugh till you tinkle show will make anyone who is, knows or plans to be 50 roll on the floor in hysterics. Chicago Tribune said "This fast paced, funny musical revue flat out makes you feel great! It beats the support hose off the musical MENOPAUSE!" Joyce Dewit (Three's Company fame) stars as a woman who is "49.9999" years old and edging on the brink of 50. Dreading this unavoidable turn of events a group of women help her discover that with friends, fierce attitude and ferocious vigor anyone can surpass anything. This musical is for any woman of every age and the men who love them.
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW or online at www.newtheatre.com
Urban Culture Project
The Coppelia Project: A Clown Ballet in Three Acts
Created and directed by Heidi Van
Runs February 6 through February 23
La Esquina
1000 West 25th Street, in the Crossroads, Kansas City, MO
From the Urban Culture Project: "Urban Culture Project is thrilled to present The Coppelia Project... This original production, created and directed by Heidi Van, was originally presented at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, where it debuted to rave reviews in the summer of 2008. It returns, in a new incarnation adapted specifically for La Esquina, including a site-specific video installation by Kansas City visual artist Susan White."
If you are looking for something, new, fresh and innovative then this production is worth seeing. A story about a doll-maker's desire to make the perfect doll, Coppelia explores how our flaws can be our strength for freedom. Van's insight, staging, and theatrical sense captivated audiences this summer and will undoubtedly do the same this time around.
One More Thing: The production kicks off with a First Friday event on February 6 from 7pm - 10pm featuring performance previews and a live performance from BOOM, an experimental ensemble group.
Another Thing: A new original work conceived by Heidi Van will also be performed on February 13, 20, 21 and 22.
Tickets available at the door; for more information visit Urban Culture Project atwww.urbancultureproject.org
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre (MET)
No Way to Treat a Lady
Book, Lyrics & Music by Douglas J. Cohen
Runs February 12 through March 1
METspace,
3614 Main St., Kansas City, MO
Mass murder may not be what you would consider to be a bowl full of laughs and an evening of hilarity, but when you mix together four comedy actors playing multiple characters, a murderer with the panache for disguise, and a Jewish cop who chases him, you come up with MET's newest production.
First a best-selling novel by William Goldman turned into a film in 1968 starring Rod Steiger and George Segal. Then in 1996 this book-turned-film played Off-Broadway as a musical written by Douglas Cohen, and this Damn Yankees-meets-Sweeney Todd story never looked back. Involving a down and out actor trying to win approval for his recently deceased Broadway diva mother, and the detective eager to solve an unsolvable case, move out of his own mother's house and into a relationship with a woman, Cohen weaves an entertaining, dark web full of strong song and impeccable narrative.
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at www.metkc.org
The Barn Players
Side Show
Music by Henry Krieger
Book & Lyrics by Bill Russell
Runs February 13 through March 1
6219 Martway; Misison, KS
Based on the lives of conjoined twins Violet and Daisey Hilton, Side Show follows the lives of these two sisters who journey from England to America. Making their way through the vaudeville circuit and on to Hollywood for an appearance in the 1932 movie "Freaks," this musical is tragic and funny and told almost entirely in song. Having opened on Broadway on October 16, 1997, and despite much critical acclaim, the show only lasted for 91 performances at the Richard Rogers Theatre, closing on January 4. 1998. It was nominated for four Tony Awards and was the first time two actress had been nominated for the same award as a team - Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner for Best Actress in a Musical. If they would have won, both would have received the award. The Barn Players, showing how they are more than a community theatre, once again showcases challenging works to inspire their audiences and will undoubtedly do the same with this production.
For tickets call 913-432-9100 or online at www.thebarnplayers.org
COMING SOON...
Theatre for Young America (TYA)
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
A co-production with Avila University
Opens March 8
Union Station's City Stage
30 West Pershing Road
In conjunction with Avila University, Sprint Foundation and Union Station, TYA will be performing I Never Saw Another Butterfly. This production runs simultaneously with the current exhibit A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul and The Jewish People, now at Union Station and open to the public through March 27. "This play is based on the writings of children who passed through the Terezin concentration camp in World War II." This is not the first time Avila University and TYA have partnered together, but if you haven't seen a production this one is a must see for any first timer.
One More Thing: Many shows are already sold out please visit Avila University's exhibit website for available dates and times.
For more information visit www.avila.edu/blessing/events.asp
City Stage,
Theatre Column for February 2 -15
NOW RUNNING...
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
Directed by David Cromer
Runs January 9 through February 15 - EXTENDED RUN
Copaken Stage
13th and Walnut, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Tennessee Williams' enduring classic is an award-winning portrayal of a disintegrating family during the depression of the 1930s. Vulnerable and tragic, The Glass Menagerie is one of Williams' most intimate and heartrending dramas and introduced him as one of the preeminent American playwrights of the 20th century. The Rep has restaged this classic play with fantastic designs by Jeffery Cady (lights), Collette Pollard (set) and David Cromer's direction. Using multimedia features and incorporating the entire Copaken space - on stage and in the house - this play is most assuredly something worth seeing. Our own Steve Shapiro said The Glass Menagerie is a "haunting new production...like an intricately threaded quilt...the plays depth of pain emerges..."
Cromer makes his KC Rep debut with The Glass Menagerie. His home base is Chicago where his productions have garnered a total of 16 Joseph Jefferson Awards including Best Production and Best Director for The Cider House Rules, The Price and Angels in America. His critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Adding Machine: A Musical recently won an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Musical and a Lucille Lortel award and an Obie award for outstanding direction.
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
American Heartland Theatre
Murder By the Book
By Duncan Greenwood and Robert King
A Kansas City Premiere
Runs January 9 through February 22
Crown Center - 3rd Level
2450 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO
Witty barbs exchanged between master thriller writer, Selwyn, and his estranged wife, Imogen, turn fatal...or do they? When the writer is found dead by his loyal secretary and the amateur detective neighbor insists on solving the crime, the twists and turns begin. Crisp and funny, this light-hearted and inventive thriller unfolds with a series of deadly games.
For tickets call 816-842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com.
The Coterie Theatre
Our Town
By Thornton Wilder
Runs January 27 through February 20
Crown Center (lower level), Grand & Pershing
Continuing their 30th anniversary, The Coterie plunges forward with their season by presenting the full length version of Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning play Our Town. A timeless classic about a girl's time in Grover's Corners, the audience will come away with asking if they are aware of life while living it; one of the plays many themes.
Originally performed at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey on January 22, 1932, Our Town was Wilder's attempt to steer theatre away from the inadequate and evasive style he felt it had become. By making the actors mime their props and performing on a set made up of only tables, chairs and ladders, he forced the audience to see the play's theme without distraction of the spectacle theatre tended to produce. Another first was having the role of Stage Manager, completely aware of his relationship to the audience and the actors on stage, break the ever present fourth-wall that theatre was known for using. (The fourth-wall is the idea that the audience is looking in on the lives of other people as if looking through a wall.) Tied to a curriculum focusing on communication, arts, literature, social studies, psychology and philosophy, this play is suitable for an elementary age child and adults alike.
Unicorn Theatre
The Velvet Rut
By James Still
Runs January 30 through February 22
3828 Main Street
Having appeared in Unicorn Theatre's 2007-2008 In-Progress New Play Reading Series, James Still's The Velvet Rut moves onto the main stage in its first metropolis performance at the Unicorn. A high school teacher who loves his students, adores his wife, and is passionate about his poetry, goes on a soul searching camping trip after he meets Virgil, a seemingly mysterious young man. What they both discover are the tools they will need to survive. This two actor play stars veteran Kansas City actor Jim Korinke and Unicorn newcomer Matthew Jayson Weiss with direction from Joseph Price. Still, a native of Kansas, also has two other plays premiering at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. and Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis, IN.
One more thing: Talk back performances will be on February 3, 8 & 10 to discuss the play with the cast and director. On February 5th at 6:30 the Unicorn host Play Before the Play Party, visit their website for more details.
For tickets call 816.531.7529 or online at www.unicorntheatre.org
Kansas City Repertory Theatre
The Arabian Nights
Written and directed by Mary Zimmerman
Runs January 30 through February 22
Spencer Theatre
James C. Olsen Performing Arts Center
4949 Cherry Street, on UMKC campus, Kansas City, MO
Mary Zimmerman, creator of the Broadway and Kansas City phenomenal hit Metamorphoses, reprises her genius in Kansas City Repertory Theatre's newest production: The Arabian Nights. A carefully woven series of stories surrounds princess Scheherezade's attempt to save her own life by telling the king magical stories filled with love, valor, and heroism, this play reveals the profound passion and mystery of the country now known as Iraq.
Zimmerman, with her uncanny staging, lively sets and theatrical story telling, highlights why she is the recipient of the 1998 MacArthur "Genius" Grant, the 2002 Tony Award for Best Director, and ten Joseph Jefferson Awards, including ones for best production and best direction. "If you want theatre at its most unpretentiously poetic, most fetchingly stylish, as humane as it is elegant," said New York Magazine, "I commend to you The Arabian Nights. [It] sails as smoothly and magically as the caliph's boat on the moonlit waves of the Tigris"
For tickets call 816-235-2700 or online at www.kcrep.org
InPlay Productions
Collected Stories
By David Margolies
Runs February 2 through February 8
Just Off Broadway Theatre,
3051 Central in Penn Valley Park
A runner up for the Pulitzer Prize, David Margolies' Collected Stories is a play about how sometimes a teacher-student relationship can turn from friendship to peer to rival. A well-respected short-story writer, Ruth Steiner, becomes the mentor of a struggling author, Lisa Morrison. Giving Morrison an education on the craft of writing and life, Steiner and Morrison become battling contemporaries that ultimately changes their lives. It has been a while since we have seen something from InPlay Productions and it will be exciting to see what kind of show they present to the metropolis.
For tickets call 816.765.5767 or online at www.justoffbroadway.org
Theatre for Young America (TYA)
Africa's Daughters
Runs February 3 through February 21
Union Station's City Stage
30 West Pershing Road
Appropriate for children in 2nd grade and beyond, this play celebrates the struggles and triumphs of the African-American people. Understanding that African-American heritage is celebrated through out the year, TYA brings forth this production during the month where we are reminded of the importance of being a melting-pot nation and how it has benefited us as a community of people. "A young girl named Makeda takes an amazing journey through 4 millennia of African and African-American history, seen through the eyes of women ranging from the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba to modern playwright Lorraine Hansberry. In between ancient times and modern times Makeda joins the struggles and shares the triumphs of this historical pageant, and the experience changes her forever."
This play has ties in curriculum areas of drama, biography, African and African-American history, U.S. history, Civil War studies, women's studies, civil rights, and the Underground Railroad.
For tickets call 816.460.2020 or online at www.unionstation.org
The New Theatre Restaurant
Hats! The Musical
Book & Lyrics By Marcia Milgrom & Tony Dodge
Runs February 4 through April 12
9229 Foster, Overland Park, KS.
It is often said that 30 is the new 20, 40 is the new 30, and 50 is the new 40, but regardless of your age, the number of your years is still measured by the actual years you've been alive. Hats! The Musical is New Theatre's newest production to rise from the floors and celebrates life once you hit the big FIVE - ZERO. Written by Grammy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winning songwriters, and inspired by the Red Hat Society, this fun filled, laugh till you tinkle show will make anyone who is, knows or plans to be 50 roll on the floor in hysterics.
The Chicago Tribune said "This fast paced, funny musical revue flat out makes you feel great! It beats the support hose off the musical MENOPAUSE!" Joyce Dewit (Three's Company fame) stars as a woman who is "49.9999" years old and edging on the brink of 50. Dreading this unavoidable turn of events a group of women help her discover that with friends, fierce attitude and ferocious vigor anyone can surpass anything. This musical is for any woman of every age and the men who love them.
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW or online at www.newtheatre.com
Urban Culture Project
The Coppelia Project: A Clown Ballet in Three Acts
Created and directed by Heidi Van
Runs February 6 through February 23
La Esquina
1000 West 25th Street, in the Crossroads, Kansas City, MO
From the Urban Culture Project: "Urban Culture Project is thrilled to present The Coppelia Project... This original production, created and directed by Heidi Van, was originally presented at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, where it debuted to rave reviews in the summer of 2008. It returns, in a new incarnation adapted specifically for La Esquina, including a site-specific video installation by Kansas City visual artist Susan White."
If you are looking for something, new, fresh and innovative then this production is worth seeing. A story about a doll-maker's desire to make the perfect doll, Coppelia explores how our flaws can be our strength for freedom. Van's insight, staging, and theatrical sense captivated audiences this summer and will undoubtedly do the same this time around.
One more thing: The production kicks off with a First Friday event on February 6 from 7pm - 10pm featuring performance previews and a live performance from BOOM, an experimental ensemble group.
Another thing: A new original work conceived by Heidi Van will also be performed on February 13, 20, 21 and 22.
Tickets available at the door; for more information visit Urban Culture Project atwww.urbancultureproject.orgCOMING UP SOON...
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre (MET)
No Way to Treat a Lady
Book, Lyrics & Music by Douglas J. Cohen
Runs February 12 through March 1
METspace,
3614 Main St., Kansas City, MO
Mass murder may not be what you would consider to be a bowl full of laughs and an evening of hilarity, but when you mix together four comedy actors playing multiple characters, a murderer with the panache for disguise, and a Jewish cop who chases him, you come up with MET's newest production. First a best-selling novel by William Goldman turned into a film in 1968 starring Rod Steiger and George Segal.
Then in 1996, the book-turned-film played Off-Broadway as a musical written by Douglas Cohen, and this Damn Yankees meets Sweeney Todd story never looked back. Involving a down-and-out actor trying to win approval for his recently deceased Broadway diva mother, and the detective eager to solve an unsolvable case, move out of his own mother's house and into a relationship with a woman, Cohen weaves an entertaining, dark web full of strong song and impeccable narrative. A mix of modern musical with classical melody, No Way to Treat a Lady is sure to bring out the guffaws and giggles in everyone.
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at www.metkc.org
The Barn Players
Side Show
Music by Henry Krieger
Book & Lyrics by Bill Russell
Runs February 13 through March 1
6219 Martway; Misison, KS
Based on the lives of conjoined twins Violet and Daisey Hilton, Side Show follows the lives of these two sisters who journey from England to America. Making their way through the vaudeville circuit and on to Hollywood for an appearance in the 1932 movie "Freaks," this musical is tragic and funny and told almost entirely in song.
The original show opened on Broadway October 16, 1997, and despite much critical acclaim, the show only lasted for 91 performances at the Richard Rogers Theatre, closing on January 4. 1998. It was nominated for four Tony Awards and was the first time two actress had been nominated for the same award as a team - Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner for Best Actress in a Musical. If they would have won, both would have received the award.
The Barn Players, illustrating just how they are more than a community theatre, once again showcases challenging works to inspire their audiences and will undoubtedly do the same with this production.
For tickets call 913-432-9100 or online at www.thebarnplayers.org
Film,
FILM REVIEW: My two cents on Heath Ledger
Let’s face it, I am not the first voice in the wilderness to declare just how unforgettable the late Heath Ledger was as the chaotic Joker in The Dark Knight. I hope I will not be the last for in my ever-so humble opinion it was a performance the stuff of legend is born of. He deserved to receive the Oscar for best supporting actor because of it, and not just because he died under tragic circumstances.
It is true that The Dark Knight had an excellent script, great direction and a stellar cast. It was a terrific, if not classic work of cinema by any standard. (And it should have been nominated for Best Picture.) Yet while Christopher Nolan’s film successfully captured the essence of the masked vigilante, you could not help but grow impatient with each passing scene to witness what Ledger was going to do next. His brilliance was mesmerizing to say the least as he transcended his craft. (Jack Nicholson who?) I certainly was not the only one to have that opinion as The Dark Knight has thus far grossed over $533 million domestically.
Now because of their young age and the tragic circumstances surrounding their deaths, it has been easy for some to make a comparison between Ledger and the late James Dean, which is somewhat unfair to Dean since he only had three films under his belt when he was killed. What would have been even more unfair is if Ledger’s receiving of a Best Supporting Actor nod had turned out to be simply nothing more than a sentimental tip of the cap so that the Academy could have felt good about themselves after having done “the right thing.”
If you look back across Oscar history you will discover that the odds were not in favor of Ledger winning a posthumous award. During its 80 years, there have been seven individuals who have received posthumous acting nominations, but only Peter Finch in 1976 won.
1922 - Jeanne Eagels for Best Actress in The Letter
1955 - James Dean for Best Actor in East of Eden
1956 - James Dean for Best Actor in Giant
1967 - Spencer Tracy for Best Actor in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
1976 - Peter Finch for Best Actor in Network
1983 - Ralph Richardson for Best Supporting Actor in
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
1994 - Massimo Troisi for Best Actor in Il Postino
Long before he achieved critically acclaimed success for his Oscar-nominated performance in the 2005 cowboy drama Brokeback Mountain, I had the opportunity to interview Ledger in 2001 when he was promoting his turn in the rock n’ roll jousting flick, A Knight’s Tale. American audiences back then only knew him from his work as Mel Gibson’s son in The Patriot and his role on the all-too-brief TV series Roar. I found him to be articulate, friendly, and open to questions, yet he was a little on the reserved if not shy side at the time.
It is nothing less than tragic that Ledger is not here to enjoy the much-deserved praise that’s been directed at him over the past several months. From a purely cinematic viewpoint, it is even more tragic that we will never be able to see just how far up into the stratosphere his acting would have traveled.
Film,
FILM REVIEW: Slumdog Millionaire was the final answer Oscar night
I have to admit that I am suffering from a bit of Slumdog Millionaire fatigue after it received eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, at the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony. Of course it’s no wonder that I need a vacation after being bombarded for weeks, if not months, by a good campaign about how it was a magical rags-to-riches fairy tale.
Now, if you are one of the three or so people left on the planet who does not know anything about Slumdog Millionaire then the following is for you.
Jamal K. Malik (Dev Patel) is an 18-year-old Indian orphan sitting in a police station where he is being interrogated, sometimes brutally, by a police inspector who, along with the host of India’s version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor), believe he is a cheat.
As Jamal explains how he correctly answered each question, we are transported back to major events in his life in the slums that helped shape who he and his older brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) have become.
Throughout his life, Jamal has always loved Latika (Freida Pinto), another orphan who trailed along with Jamal and Salim when they were children. Jamal never forgets her and does everything he can to be with her despite the obstacles thrown in his way by local gangs, and by Salim who becomes a murderous thug.
Ultimately, the entire nation of India sits on the edge of its seat as the orphan boy from the slums attempts to answer the final question so he can become the nation’s newest millionaire.
What I walked away with after watching Slumdog Millionaire is that India, which is still emerging as a global economic superpower, has a long way to go before it is able to escape the boundless poverty that shackles many of its estimated 1.1 billion people. This of course sets the perfect backdrop for a love-conquers-all story about the triumph of the human spirit over seemingly insurmountable odds.
Even if it is a piece of fiction, Slumdog Millionaire proves that anything is possible in this world, no matter where you come from. This is fleshed out by a young cast that delivers many pleasant performances with a diverse range of emotions, but it’s the superb direction by Danny Boyle that makes this film Oscar worthy.
It is true that the story of how Boyle’s film became a movie at all almost mirrors what happens in the story itself. With an estimated production budget of $15 million, it was once thought to be headed for the straight-to-DVD market. Now it’s on top of the world with an estimated international gross of over $159 million and rising.
Now, did Slumdog Millionaire deserve to win? It did not receive one acting nomination but it’s not unprecedented for a film to get the biggest prize on Oscar night without scoring any acting nods. My own personal choice would have been The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but the Academy didn’t ask me.
I think I’m ready for that vacation now ...
On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Slumdog Millionaire receives an A-.
Slumdog Millionaire is rated R and has a running time of 120 minutes.
Now Showing
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.
Theatre ,
MET: Uncovering their discovery
There have been moments in my experience as a theatre go-er when I see a show and I say to myself, “I wish I could do that!” As I sat and watched Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s latest production of No Way to Treat a Lady those exact words passed through my mind. The chemistry, the effortless performances and pure fun the four actors were having on stage could not have been duplicated by any other person other than those who participated in this production.
It should be pointed out that this musical wasn’t always a musical. William Goldman, a playwright, screenwriter and book author, penned this as a novel in 1964. Goldman, who had no intention in becoming a writer, started what would be a distinguished career after he took a creative writing class in college. At the beginning of his career, Goldman wrote what would be considered serious works of literature until the death of his agent inspired him to write thrillers. Having researched for several years for his 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, he used a varied spelling of Sundance Kid’s original name – Harry Longbaugh – and published No Way to Treat a Lady.
Four years later his work grew into a movie adapted by John Gay, directed by Jack Smight and starred Rod Steiger, Lee Remick and George Segal. Unlike his career, this particular movie did not win any awards, but that did not matter to Douglas J. Cohen who adapted it into a 1987 musical that eventually played off Broadway in 1996.
Prior to my viewing No Way to Treat a Lady, the MET’s artistic director, Karen Paisley, provided yours truly with an original cast album and encouraged me to have a listen. According to Paisley the discovery of this album was a random find in a little rummage store down south. “That was about twelve years ago,” she said, “and we’ve been holding onto it ever since.” A great match to this year’s season, No Way to Treat a Lady fits perfectly between Hedda Gabler and their next show Galileo – slated to open April 4th.
The intimate environment of METspace invited their audience to a set configured in the corner allowing an almost thrust feel to the space. METspace – located on 3614 Main Street – is so flexible that the ability for varied uses is possible. Designed by ensemble member, Bob Paisley, the set was divided into four areas – a bedroom/office, apartment, kitchen and living room – the actors took us to various places around the city of New York revealing a story that asked the question, ‘how far would you go to be noticed?’ Of course that was just one of several questions this musical posed to its audience.
At the top of the show we hear the alarm clock of Detective Morris Brummell (Michael Dragen) who (like we all do at some point in our lives), wakes from slumber into the realities of his life. Brummell, an adult living with his mother (Jeanne Averill) and dodging the shadow of his successful doctor brother, decides he needs to change his life. At the same time we see Christopher Gill (Jon Daugharthy) realize his acting career is not all rose petals and butterflies. Gill, eager to please his deceased, stage-diva-of-a-mother (haunting him through a portrait in his apartment) decides to make a career move. Add in a love interest (played wonderfully by Lauren Braton) with crazy strangulation victims (also played by the very talented Averill) both men take a journey towards their own climax and life potential.
It’s hard to point out one specific significant performance when a production displays talent that has no weak link. I would say that this was all due to the wonderful direction of John Staniunas, who made his Kansas City directorial debut with this production. Each performance did not seem forced or produced. Braton, as Brummell’s love interest, performed with subtlety and ease; Averill gave each character great distinction balanced between kitsch and slap-stick; Daugharthy enjoyed his role so much that I had fun because he had fun; and Dragen was sincere and so horribly honest that I was able to identify with him. This critic hopes to see more of Staniunas’ work here in the metropolis.
The music of the show, however, felt a little pastiche. Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s musical of the same genre, Lucky Stiff, which premiered a year later in 1988 at Playwrights Horizons, made better use of the style of music Cohen was trying to capture. His continuous use of building to a high, ear-busting end was a bit over used and got a little tired. It didn’t make the production flat by any means, maybe a bit predictable, but some of the audience members pulled back when the voices built to each bombastic ending.
The book itself is superb and fast-paced; and very few musical theatre writers who compose music and write lyrics are able to create an interesting book. Cohen, though, succeeded well in this area, and reminded me quite often of Stephen Sondheim in musical composition and dialogue wittiness.
Although the orchestra only consisted of a piano and drums, it was nice to hear live music and not canned instrumentations filtering through speakers. Additionally, the set, despite its simplicity and rudimentary appearance, had a nice charm to it that allowed me to focus on the action and not on the surroundings. Theatre doesn’t have to be bells-and-whistles. MET proved a great show could still be produced within budget and without spectacle.
The idea of Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre is fantastic. Focusing on the ensemble team rather than the individual actor was a goal set at the beginning of the Regional Theatre movement in the 1960’s. MET, thus far, seems to have found the key to unlocking the ensemble-focused theatre company. How this will be sustained in our economic times is uncertain, but it’s safe to say everything is uncertain at this point. Not every show can be a hit, and this critic won’t like everything he sees, but the efforts of MET are not going unnoticed. MET is quickly becoming a theatre company to watch out for.
REVIEW
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre
No Way to Treat a Lady
Runs through March 1
METspace, 3614 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at www.metkc.org
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