play an accordion, go to Santa Cruz
May. 23rd, 2009 10:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calimacI was sufficiently impressed with the Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra and the echoey little church they play in, when I heard them last October, that I determined to get back. This, finally, was my chance. The audience was gratifyingly much larger, perhaps because instead of playing dour Scandinavian music they had a program of cheerful (but, as it turned out, not too cheerful) Latin music. Music director Maya Barsacq conducted.
Also, from no soloists last time, they beat the bushes and came up with three. Made a change from the all-string sound.
First up was Seth Asarnow on the bandoneón, the Argentine national button accordion. It looks rather like a jewelry box with a bellows in the middle. He played a concerto by Pablo Furman, of Argentine birth and now teaching at San José State. It became rather hypnotic, watching the bellows get wider and wider, and wondering when the player was going to get a momentary break so he could push it back in and start over. This was more interesting than the music, which rather meandered.
Then, Rochelle Bard, a soprano with lung power to spare. No mere eight cellos behind her in Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 had a chance to be heard. Bard has great control over her voice and can bring it down to a powerful whisper when she wants to, but mostly she blasted the rafters. She also turned the concert into a brief art song recital with piano, for three songs, all morose things about love and death, by Enrique Granados, whose life was ended not from forlorn love but from a WWI U-boat.
After that, the concertmaster started to tune the orchestra, then stopped when she remembered that the next piece was an oboe concerto, so since the oboe is the preferred tuning instrument when there is one (it has a particularly clear and precise tone), they could have the soloist do it. This was Patricia Emerson Mitchell in the Suite for Oboe and Strings by Astor Piazzolla. I hadn't known Piazzolla had written such a thing; it didn't sound much like him, except for the one fast movement. Much better sound balance than in the Villa-Lobos, interesting variety of tone colors from the oboe and some crisp playing, especially as the piece went along.
Also, from no soloists last time, they beat the bushes and came up with three. Made a change from the all-string sound.
First up was Seth Asarnow on the bandoneón, the Argentine national button accordion. It looks rather like a jewelry box with a bellows in the middle. He played a concerto by Pablo Furman, of Argentine birth and now teaching at San José State. It became rather hypnotic, watching the bellows get wider and wider, and wondering when the player was going to get a momentary break so he could push it back in and start over. This was more interesting than the music, which rather meandered.
Then, Rochelle Bard, a soprano with lung power to spare. No mere eight cellos behind her in Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 had a chance to be heard. Bard has great control over her voice and can bring it down to a powerful whisper when she wants to, but mostly she blasted the rafters. She also turned the concert into a brief art song recital with piano, for three songs, all morose things about love and death, by Enrique Granados, whose life was ended not from forlorn love but from a WWI U-boat.
After that, the concertmaster started to tune the orchestra, then stopped when she remembered that the next piece was an oboe concerto, so since the oboe is the preferred tuning instrument when there is one (it has a particularly clear and precise tone), they could have the soloist do it. This was Patricia Emerson Mitchell in the Suite for Oboe and Strings by Astor Piazzolla. I hadn't known Piazzolla had written such a thing; it didn't sound much like him, except for the one fast movement. Much better sound balance than in the Villa-Lobos, interesting variety of tone colors from the oboe and some crisp playing, especially as the piece went along.
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Date: 2009-06-02 09:40 pm (UTC)To be fair, the concertmaster actually knew that we would tune when I got out there, but she thought the conductor was telling her, from the side room where we were standing, to tune. That might explain what I thought I saw -- her somewhat puzzled look. (But I did have my reading glasses on so maybe I was just imagining that?!)
I'd be interested to have a listen to a recording, if one was made. With my left ear issues right now (you know what I'm talking about if you have been visiting my blog in the past month, if not, I'll fill you in later), I really have to rely on my years of experience. I do hope they can tell me what's wrong when I visit the doc.
It really didn't sound much like Piazzolla, did it? When I was asked to play I immediately said yes, not knowing what the work even was. I was rather surprised to hear it. It's a fun little ditty to play.
It was very nice to meet you! Thanks for introducing yourself. I'm such an introvert I never manage to do that, even when I really wish to.