Egad – my once-fat Spoleto ticket envelope (nearly 30 events) is now flat … I just used the last ones. Can the festival really be over? My body, ravaged by chronic sleep deprivation, may be about to shut down — but my mind is still reeling (and my ears ringing) in a grand sonic dither. How do you digest a massive musical cornucopia like Spoleto’s?
But, hey – I kept a journal. I can re-live (or clarify) any part of my festival experience by just going back through Eargasms: if it’s Spoleto and classical, you can find it all right here—plus (thanks to Robert) much of the best from Piccolo, our illustrious sister festival. And it is my sincere hope that, between us, we’ve managed to give you an interesting and worthwhile ride through the classical end of this crazy, wonderful festival of ours.
Now, one last Spoletogasp – a pretty nice one, actually: Saturday’s final Intermezzo program was a chamber affair, with a choice threesome of works for between six and eight instruments (courtesy, as usual, of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra). They got played in true chamber fashion: no conductor. Two of them were terrific examples of smaller-scale music from Gioacchino Rossini and Anthony Davis: our two opera composers this time ’round. Similar explorations have been part of past festivals, too.
Serenata per Piccolo Complesso is a fun little septet by Rossini for two violins, oboe, flute, English horn, viola and cello. Short and uncluttered, the piece runs a simple theme through a set of flashy variations that gave most of the instruments a chance to strut their virtuosic stuff. Nothing deep or weighty here: just a bit of well-crafted, tuneful charm.
In stark contrast, Wayang II – the even shorter Davis number — struck me as a complex, yet fairly straightforward affair that owes something to the minimalist style, while enriching it with more rapidly shifting rhythms, colors and effects than usual for that genre. And it was a tasty sonic smorgasbord, too: scored for piano, xylophone, marimba, violin, flute, trombone, cello and double bass. My more faithful readers have seen a lot of blogging from me this year about Davis’s varied and enjoyable music (just keep scrolling down!). This is one of several of his pieces I’ve reported on this year that don’t mine the treasures of Afro-American roots music.
The final and by far the longest offering was The Septet in D Minor by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (doncha love that middle name?), a composer we’d probably know a lot better had he not been almost completely overshadowed by the genius of his contemporary (and intermittent friend) Ludwig van Beethoven. Like Ludwig, Hummel was a virtuoso pianist — and it shows in this nicely balanced number for piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello and double bass. While the piano part — played here to perfection by Lydia Brown — predominates, the other instruments also get to shine … especially in the third (Andante) movement’s imaginative set of variations. It’s one of his masterpieces, so seek this one out if you ever want to explore this underrated composer’s excellent music.
I had absolutely no complaints about the playing — these wonderful young musicians obviously have a lot of chamber music experience. They may not have shown the quite the kind of polish and panache we heard from the established pros of this year’s chamber series, but give ‘em time.
Too bad St. Matthew’s Church was less than half-full … oh, well … perhaps another symptom of festival wind-down.
As I told you above, I’m pleased & proud to have covered every notable Spoleto classical event for you here in Eargasms, with a little help from my friends (– a LOT from Robert, bless him!). I regret that, due to the theft of my laptop early in the festival, I’ve been sort of a lame cyberduck: no time amid the festival flurry to acquire and set up a new ‘puter — and the long-since obsolete machines I’ve been reduced to working on both from home and at work have cost me a lot of time and flexibility. That’s kept me from writing several pieces I had planned, and reduced the number of links I’ve been able to provide (try surfing for links at dial-up speeds sometime). Still, no classical stone has gone unturned again this year — and that should be worth something.
I’m not quite finished, either. Due to a conflict with Millennium Music’s farewell party Saturday, I had to pass up the eleventh and final Chamber program, featuring Franz Schubert’s heart-wrenching Quintet in C Major. But a trusted musical friend of mine got my tickets, and should be forthcoming with an eloquent guest blog very shortly (I’ve already spoken to him).
I also intend to give you a final festival wrap-up, where I’ll tell you what I liked best this year and why. But you’ll have to wait for that until I’ve gotten at least ten hours of nonstop sleep — like tonight. Right now, I’m going on guts, glory and an obscene excess of espresso (Viva Starbucks!!).
What? The whole festival gone, and I haven’t come up with a single “Eargasm” joke for you? Well, how about the true story of the elderly lady sitting in front of me at one of the Music in Time concerts, whispering intermittently to her companion about how the music hurt her ears and you couldn’t even hum the tunes. But afterwards, I overheard her warmly complimenting the musicians: a prime example of a FAKED eargasm. (Trust me, you’ll never get one of those from yours truly.) The overused “multiple eargasms” schtick I inflicted upon you last year needs to lie fallow for awhile (– giggle!).
My Last (sob!) Spoleto Concert
Egad – my once-fat Spoleto ticket envelope (nearly 30 events) is now flat … I just used the last ones. Can the festival really be over? My body, ravaged by chronic sleep deprivation, may be about to shut down — but my mind is still reeling (and my ears ringing) in a grand sonic dither. How do you digest a massive musical cornucopia like Spoleto’s?
But, hey – I kept a journal. I can re-live (or clarify) any part of my festival experience by just going back through Eargasms: if it’s Spoleto and classical, you can find it all right here—plus (thanks to Robert) much of the best from Piccolo, our illustrious sister festival. And it is my sincere hope that, between us, we’ve managed to give you an interesting and worthwhile ride through the classical end of this crazy, wonderful festival of ours.
Now, one last Spoletogasp – a pretty nice one, actually: Saturday’s final Intermezzo program was a chamber affair, with a choice threesome of works for between six and eight instruments (courtesy, as usual, of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra). They got played in true chamber fashion: no conductor. Two of them were terrific examples of smaller-scale music from Gioacchino Rossini and Anthony Davis: our two opera composers this time ’round. Similar explorations have been part of past festivals, too.
Serenata per Piccolo Complesso is a fun little septet by Rossini for two violins, oboe, flute, English horn, viola and cello. Short and uncluttered, the piece runs a simple theme through a set of flashy variations that gave most of the instruments a chance to strut their virtuosic stuff. Nothing deep or weighty here: just a bit of well-crafted, tuneful charm.
In stark contrast, Wayang II – the even shorter Davis number — struck me as a complex, yet fairly straightforward affair that owes something to the minimalist style, while enriching it with more rapidly shifting rhythms, colors and effects than usual for that genre. And it was a tasty sonic smorgasbord, too: scored for piano, xylophone, marimba, violin, flute, trombone, cello and double bass. My more faithful readers have seen a lot of blogging from me this year about Davis’s varied and enjoyable music (just keep scrolling down!). This is one of several of his pieces I’ve reported on this year that don’t mine the treasures of Afro-American roots music.
The final and by far the longest offering was The Septet in D Minor by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (doncha love that middle name?), a composer we’d probably know a lot better had he not been almost completely overshadowed by the genius of his contemporary (and intermittent friend) Ludwig van Beethoven. Like Ludwig, Hummel was a virtuoso pianist — and it shows in this nicely balanced number for piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello and double bass. While the piano part — played here to perfection by Lydia Brown — predominates, the other instruments also get to shine … especially in the third (Andante) movement’s imaginative set of variations. It’s one of his masterpieces, so seek this one out if you ever want to explore this underrated composer’s excellent music.
I had absolutely no complaints about the playing — these wonderful young musicians obviously have a lot of chamber music experience. They may not have shown the quite the kind of polish and panache we heard from the established pros of this year’s chamber series, but give ‘em time.
Too bad St. Matthew’s Church was less than half-full … oh, well … perhaps another symptom of festival wind-down.
As I told you above, I’m pleased & proud to have covered every notable Spoleto classical event for you here in Eargasms, with a little help from my friends (– a LOT from Robert, bless him!). I regret that, due to the theft of my laptop early in the festival, I’ve been sort of a lame cyberduck: no time amid the festival flurry to acquire and set up a new ‘puter — and the long-since obsolete machines I’ve been reduced to working on both from home and at work have cost me a lot of time and flexibility. That’s kept me from writing several pieces I had planned, and reduced the number of links I’ve been able to provide (try surfing for links at dial-up speeds sometime). Still, no classical stone has gone unturned again this year — and that should be worth something.
I’m not quite finished, either. Due to a conflict with Millennium Music’s farewell party Saturday, I had to pass up the eleventh and final Chamber program, featuring Franz Schubert’s heart-wrenching Quintet in C Major. But a trusted musical friend of mine got my tickets, and should be forthcoming with an eloquent guest blog very shortly (I’ve already spoken to him).
I also intend to give you a final festival wrap-up, where I’ll tell you what I liked best this year and why. But you’ll have to wait for that until I’ve gotten at least ten hours of nonstop sleep — like tonight. Right now, I’m going on guts, glory and an obscene excess of espresso (Viva Starbucks!!).
What? The whole festival gone, and I haven’t come up with a single “Eargasm” joke for you? Well, how about the true story of the elderly lady sitting in front of me at one of the Music in Time concerts, whispering intermittently to her companion about how the music hurt her ears and you couldn’t even hum the tunes. But afterwards, I overheard her warmly complimenting the musicians: a prime example of a FAKED eargasm. (Trust me, you’ll never get one of those from yours truly.) The overused “multiple eargasms” schtick I inflicted upon you last year needs to lie fallow for awhile (– giggle!).