We heard Verdi's "Otello" done at the Met, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting. It was superb. The opera itself is far more modern and adventurous than I remembered (I last heard it probably 30 years ago). I kept hearing echoes of Wagner, and the variety of instrumental textures and contrasts is extraordinary. Credit also goes to Boito, whose libretto is a model of dramatic concision. Needless to say, the orchestra and conducting were exemplary, and the singers excellent. In short, this is what the Met can do so well, and the end result was very moving.
We heard the amazing Eric Comstock at Cafe Noctambulo in the East Village. He ranges freely and widely through the Great American Songbook, and never ceases to amaze me with the musical treasures he unearths, and his depth of knowledge about this repertoire. When someone asked for Rogers and Hart's "Blue Moon", he spontaneously gave us three brief renditions of earlier versions of the song which were deemed "uncommercial" by their publishers (but copyrighted nonetheless). The publisher wanted a hit; so they complied. The result was "Blue Moon", which was a hit and which Rogers and Hart apparently hated. (My own acquaintance with the song dates from the doo-wop version by the Marcels in 1961.)
Comstock is both a wonderful vocalist and an exciting pianist, and on this occasion he was joined by the great Barbara Fasano, who sang several beautiful songs with her amazing voice.
While I am appalling ignorant of most of the Great American Songbook, the more I hear of this repertoire, the more I have come to admire the wonderful combination of sophisticated harmony and lyrics, most of these songs make current American popular songs sound simplistic and boring (sorry about that, friends of contemporary pop music).
I especially enjoy the wonderful wit with which the classic songwriters combined words and music.
We also made a return visit to the Mingus Big Band (with Ada and Andrew); the band also never ceases to amaze me with the different corners of the Mingus repertoire they present at their Monday night gigs. There are always a few pieces that I have never heard before; some of them extremely complex musically. The band, as always, played with spirited commitment, ) and pianist Helen Sung is a special delight to hear. (In fact, the rhythm ensemble of drums, piano and bass is one of the great strengths of the ensemble, holding things together as the music does its crazy Mingus tempo shifts.) We are very lucky to be able to hear them.
I also heard the NY Philharmonic play Brahms, as conducted by Semyon Bychkov. (Vera went to hear the Boston Symphony perform "Elektra"; with my Strauss allergy, it was not for me.) Brahms is the second hardest working man in show business (and shares the same initials with late hardest working man). Seriously, I mean that nothing in Brahms is filler or routine; every tune has its elaborate and often rhythmically opposite accompaniment. (This is a detraction for some). I can happily go through long stretches of Brahms and listen only to the contrapuntal figures accompanying the main themes. (OK, that's a bit perverse...and not really true) Thus I like my Brahms performances with maximum clarity (and that is something you can only really hear in a live performance). I get annoyed when conductors try to whip up some sort of impulsive frenzy; Brahms doesn't need it. This concert, featuring the Double Concerto and the First Symphony, was mostly very clear, with some occasional shakiness in the ensemble. In this performance I heard the some of the rhythmic aspects of Brahms music that were later to emerge in Schoenberg's music. I never get tired of Brahms. At the end of the concert, there was the (requisite) standing ovation for the conductor and orchestra. I wanted to do a standing ovation for Brahms. Why should all the others get the credit? He wrote the damn thing!
I heard a concert by the Keleman String Quartet at Weill Recital Hall, with Haydn's Op. 76, no.2, Bartok #56, and Kurtag's "Moment Musical" A perfect program, and I was totally impressed with the ensemble virtuosity of this young Hungarian group. I have heard so many extraordinary string quartets lately; the level of musicianship seems to be at such a high standard. Clearly, if you want to be a successful string quartet in today's world, you really have to work and practice together as an ensemble. The Haydn, Bartok and Kurtag pieces resonated very nicely with one another, and I came away wanting to go hear all the Bartok quartets again.
