Archive for category Music
Figaro, Figaro, Figaro
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, Technology, That's Life on February 8th, 2010
A Saturday night at Opera Colorado’s performance of The Barber of Seville was helped along by an ingenious iPhone app. Almost any event held at Denver’s Ellie Caulkins Opera House both benefits and suffers from the features of its seats, to wit, the incredibly uncomfortable seats (which could only have been selected because the folding chair manufacturer was out of stock) along with the clever electronic seatback titling system called, appropriately, Figaro. Since few of Denver’s opera fans are either fluent in Italian (or French and German) or have an intimate knowledge of the sung libretto, the English translation provided by the pale blue OLED displays makes the performances much easier to follow. Such translation titling in America’s opera houses was once viewed as hayseed – a reflection of the lack of sophistication of US audiences – but has grown to be adopted by other country bumpkin facilities in Milan, Barcelona, London and Vienna.
Figaro Titling at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Suffice it to say that none of row D’s occupants had working Figaro’s to accompany Figaro, creating a less than optimal experience and quite a bit of griping to the helpless ushers during intermission. Having seen Barber staged, albeit close to 20 years earlier, I recalled that Act II has a large amount of sung character narrative that propels the action; in other words, it’s pretty hard to follow what’s going on without some type of libretto. So what to do? In the age of the iPhone could there be an app to bail the casual opera fan out? Indeed there is. A quick search of the App Store revealed that the good folks at Intermundia had an app that contained not only an English/Italian libretto, but an adjustable slider that would allow the text to move at a speed consistent with the performance – brilliant. So while the rest of my row scratched their heads through to the conclusion, I was more able to enjoy the chaos of Rossini’s comedy.
Opera App Saves the Evening
As to the performance? Opera Colorado’s production of one of music’s most beloved comedies turned out to be great fun. Director David Gately has staged this warhorse 30 times before utilizing a broadly comic reading that includes plenty of sight gags, cartoonish versions of the Bartolo and Basilio characters and a silly slow-motion brawl that ends Act I that would make fans of The Matrix proud. Rosina was beautifully sung by Isabel Leonard (remember that name as she may the next great young mezzo-soprano), her debut performance in the role. The opening night “talk back” session held by General Director Greg Carpenter and Director of Artistic Planning Brad Trexell was a welcome chance to gain insight into the production planning and thought process of the company.
A hearty Bravo to the cast – and to the inventiveness and ingenuity of the iPhone app.
No Atheists In This Foxhole
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, That's Life on January 29th, 2010
Patty Griffin's Downtown Church
Patty Griffin has built a fascinating body of work over the past 15 years. Her music has held the torch for traditional folk, brushed up against punk, and been recorded by some of Country’s biggest stars (The Dixie Chicks and Reba McEntire) although she is almost never played on popular mainstream radio. She may be this country’s finest singer-songwriter, consistently recording thoughtful and original music infused with a wide variety of American musical influences. Among the strongest recent influences in her last several albums has been the gospel and soul music of the American church.
Last year’s gospel collection “Oh Happy Day!” featured Griffin’s duet with the legendary Mavis Staples on “Waiting For My Child To Come Home” and proved to be a harbinger of the musical things to come. Griffin lists The Beatles, Aretha Franklin and the Staple Singers as the primary musical influences of her childhood in a recent NY Times review of the new album. Although she has dipped her toe into gospel music recently, the new release is a full-out cannonball into the deep end of the gospel musical pool. The album is a mix of traditional favorites (“Wade In The Water”, “Move Up”, and the utterly breath-taking “All Creatures of Our God and King”) and originals performed by Griffin and an ensemble of folk and gospel artists that include Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Regina McCrary. Produced by Buddy Miller (best known for his association with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s Grammy winner “Raising Sand”) the music stays true to its roots. Alternately meditative and foot-stomping, Downtown Church is Griffin’s vehicle to exposing the pop and folk audiences to what she believes is an under-represented and misunderstood piece of our musical heritage. Through it all, Griffin’s magnificent voice soothes, shouts, growls, trembles and inspires.
Whether you are in the Christopher Hitchens/Richard Dawkins camp or a regular attendee on Sundays, the music here is pretty transcendental of your philosophical grounding. Art may be inspired by faith or grow from its rejection – either way Griffin delivers a vibrant tribute to this part of America’s musical family tree.
3-Minute Mental Health Break
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, TGIF on May 29th, 2009
It’s Friday – the weekend is almost in sight but there’s still a lot of work to get through. Take a break for 3 minutes to regain your sanity and push through to the end of the day.
This video clip from our friends at PlushMusic is the Courante from Bach’s Suite No. 3 for Cello performed by Claudio Bohórquez.
Watch JS Bach: Cello Suite No. 3 – Courante on Plushmusic
4-Minute Heartbreak
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, TGIF on May 8th, 2009
“There are two kinds of music. Good music and the other kind.”
Duke Ellington
Country music is the comfort food of American popular culture. It’s often said that it doesn’t burden its listeners with themes much deeper than lost love, drinking, and cars. This means that the vast majority of the genre is no different from hip-hop or rock in its shallowness. The fact shouldn’t be lost that the level of musicianship is almost certainly higher than in any other classification of music, save for jazz and classical.
Storytelling is something that country music seems to do better than any other “kind”. The art of delivering a narrative of love, loss, redemption or failure in a 3 or 4 minute package is no small feat. This type of short story is a cliche of the country song and one of the primary reasons that the category resonates so strongly with listeners. Despite the over-abundance of “Your wife leaves you — and takes the house, the kids, the dog and the truck…”, there is always a jewel amidst the pile of manure.
Submitted for your approval is Carrie Underwood’s recent cover of the classic “I Told You So”. Randy Travis scored a #1 hit with this diamond back in 1988 and in the 21 years since its release, few songs have captured the ache and uncertainty of whether asking your former flame to take you back will result in the welcome mat or the head-slap. Her 2007 album, Carnival Ride, features a solo cover, but it doesn’t come close to the more recent duet version with Travis.
The leather-lunged Underwood can never be accused of self-restraint with her huge voice – I suppose if you’ve got a Ferrari it’s hard to not to drive it at 120 mph, even when it’s in a school zone. Randy Travis returns both the warmth and tension to the lyric that got lost in Underwood’s solo pyrotechnics. She has yet to attain the musical maturity that Reba McEntire or Martina McBride bring to country – but it took those singers over 10 years to understand the importance of easing-off of the throttle to sound more human and therefore more believable. Perhaps this is the start of the maturation process for Underwood.
Here is a video of Underwood and Travis – try to ignore the ridiculous hair ornament – and take a listen to a 4-minute heartbreak.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvTwFl6OIAk
3-Minute Mental Health Break
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music on May 5th, 2009
Adrian Brendel and Tim Horton (the pianist, not the doughnut shop) make for a nice way to end the work day with their spirited playing of Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello #2.
Watch Beethoven: Cello Sonata No. 2 on Plushmusic
The Cool Lilt of Melody Gardot
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music on May 4th, 2009
Philadelphia’s Melody Gardot is being packaged as the next “It-Girl” jazz singer. There are breathless comparisons to Norah Jones, the ridiculous video with Gardot in a bathtub, wearing nothing but bubbles and a pair of hot teacher glasses, and the front page of iTunes – all designed to promote her as the next big thing. What is interesting is that the promo machine is largely unnecessary - Gardot’s back story and the thoughtful and lyrical music combine for compelling listening.
When she was only 19 years old, Gardot was a kid playing on the local nightclub scene when she was critically injured in a car vs. bicycle accident. She sustained serious head and pelvic injuries and used music as a therapeutic pathway to recover her life. Now at 24, Gardot sings with a fascinating mix of self-awareness and depth that belies her age. While she doesn’t have the pure, bell-like tone of Jane Monheit or the piano chops of Diana Krall, her writing and singing have a maturity more reminiscent of Sheila Jordan, circa 1972. Gardot must endure special seating equipment to perform and to alleviate neuromuscular pain – but this is really only a background to her exceptional music.
Her just-released recording My One And Only Thrill
10 Minute Mental Health Break
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music on May 1st, 2009
Claudio Bohórquez provides a soothing and reverent playing of Bach’s Suite No. 2 for solo cello. Ten minutes of this will restore your sanity. If you can only spare 2 minutes – try the Prelude of Suite No. 1.
Watch JS Bach: Cello Suite No. 2 on Plushmusic
New Music Friday – The Greencards
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, TGIF on April 24th, 2009
It’s always a tad deflating to look at your playlists and realize that you’ve been listening to the same music for weeks. OK, maybe for months. I go through phases of intensive focus on some genre or artist but find that discovering something new is a chore that requires some guidance. The good folks at Paste had a brief review of a new recording from The Greencards. Interesting – sounded a little bit like Nickle Creek but the vocals had a more detached quality that was, well, interesting. John Taylor’s review gives more direction:
Bluegrass is an obvious starting point, but the band’s canvas is broad, with elements of traditional folk and hints of world music woven seamlessly into the tapestry. And rather than simple tunes supporting written words, compositions here tend to sound fully integrated, the music and the lyrics seemingly part of a single, considered whole.
The band consists of two Australians and a Brit and this allows them to take a somewhat different approach to the songs. There aren’t many catchy hooks – the melodic line comes in fits and starts – a little like listening to someone thinking as they sing and play. Still, it’s good stuff – and worth a listen.
2-Minute Mental Health Break
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music on April 23rd, 2009
A fine way to close the day before the day before the weekend. Aleksandar Madzar plays Haydn’s the third movement of Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 31.