Britten's War Requiem at Chicago Symphony Orchestra

A week ago, I had the chance to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with chorus, children's chorus and vocal soloists perform Benjamin Britten's monumental War Requiem at Orchestra Hall.  As someone who has always loved Britten's music, I have never quite taken to this work, although I had never had the opportunity to hear it live before.  As with most works it improves immensely in performance over a recording.

I was struck particularly by the theatricality of the piece.  What in a listen to the recording I merely interpreted as short, fragmented vocal lines became in performance heart-felt, panting pleas for rest, forgiveness, peace.  While still a very thorny piece to embrace, visualizing the soloists in their three political regimes (German, British, Russian) helped populate the music for me.

The CSO vocal soloists were from the cultural backgrounds which Britten intended when he wrote the piece in 1961 -- Russian soprano, British tenor, German Baritone.  There is something about Britten and 3s. (The photo is of a German performance of the piece in the 1960s with Britten conducting as he did at the premier, and original soloists Baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Tenor and Britten's partner Peter Pears.)

The piece is structure to build toward the end, but not in the way you anticipate.  Although all the musical forces are being used together for the only time in the piece -- orchestra, chamber orchestra which accompanies the soloists, soloists, children's chorus, and adult chorus -- it ends more with a whimper than a bang, Whimper may be too negative a word, perhaps communal prayer is the feeling the ending is trying to convey.  The finale worked for me.

The soloists I heard sing were spot on and well chosen: Russian soprano Tatiana Pavlovskaya, English tenor John Mark Ainsley and German baritone Matthias Goerne. All brought vitality and pathos to their parts.

Another Ending

I haven't posted anything here in a long time.   But an event happened this summer and concluded last night which I feel compelled to write about -- Bernie Sahlins died on June 17, 2013 and his public memorial was held last night, September 30 at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

Bernie is the legendary founding producer of The Second City, the one credited with finding the way to monetize sketch comedy, present a consistent product, and franchise it around the world who also directed dozens of shows for the company and helped develop talents that went out to write, perform and direct around the world.  At his memorial lots of Second City people were in attendance and several spoke about Bernie's impact on the industry (well, he kind of created the industry of sketch comedy), and the careers he impacted by allowing performers to work on their craft during the long rehearsal periods for shows at The Second City.

While that work is the most well-known and visible legacy of Bernie's 90 years on this planet, I know Bernie through different channels than The Second City.

I was 22 when I came to Chicago having arranged a job with the International Theatre Festival of Chicago, which was getting ready to produce its second set of performances from foreign theatre companies in a month-long festival.  I had been hired as the assistant to the Director of Development to whom I had been introduced by a professor of mine -- the Director of Development had graduated from our college about 6 years before me.  So in September of 1987 I arrived in the offices of the ITFC.  It quickly became clear that I had landed in Oz.

Like in Oz, there was a beautiful and good witch named Jane, who was the executive director and co-founder of the festival.  Her husband (and I did always think of them in that order) was Bernie Sahlins, also a co-founder and board member of the festival.   He was the elfish wizard in Oz, and I was, if not Dorothy, at least a friend of hers. I was the ultimate philistine for Bernie, a Chicago neophyte and completely ignorant of the city, improv, sketch comedy, The Second City, and of his accomplishments. He soon corrected all those short-comings in me.

Over the course of my 20s, I worked on three International Theatre Festivals, which Jane continued to run and on which Bernie continued to advise. Through them I was introduced to all the cultural elite in town -- not just the well-heeled crowd who attended, but the administrators, critics, artistic directors, and actors in Chicago who were continuing to shape the Chicago theatre scene.  Through the Sahlins I got entrée into shows at The Steppenwolf, Goodman, Lyric Opera, but also smaller off-Loop companies like Victory Gardens, Lookingglass, and Body Politic.

When the Festival closed after its 1994 incarnation, I was well positioned to continue my non-profit management career through the friends and contacts of the Sahlins.  To this day, having the International Theatre Festival of Chicago on my resume garners comment and positive memories.  Even with my current job at a museum, I am convinced I was offered the position at least partly because Bernie Sahlins was a reference of mine and my boss at the museum had taken his kids to many shows at The Second City in the late 70s and early 80s. 

My relationship with the Sahlins continued throughout the 90s and 2000s, as I became the go-to stage manager for what I referred to as Bernie's guerrilla theater productions.  He was writing or adapting readings of plays for one-off performances for groups such as the Chicago Humanities Festival, the University of Chicago, and the Poetry Foundation. from 1995 until April of 2013 (two months before his death) I worked on somewhere around 30 readings that Bernie produced.  I was honored to help him continue his work right up to the end.  His intellectual capacity and curiosity was undimmed even on the few occasions when he was not at his peak physically.

Bernie's belief that all a good production needed was a good actor and good words for him/her to say, led to a stable of Chicago actors whom Bernie would call on again and again over the years to be part of his readings.  The unofficial "Bernie Sahlins Repertory Company" developed and I was happy to be the Boy Friday to its name-sake, continuing to do so even while working full time at other cultural organizations.

With Bernie's death, the production side of my professional career may have ended, or at least been much curtailed.  It was a pretty good run, though, and if it is over I feel like it went out with the best.  Personally, I will miss Bernie and will always picture him beside Jane with an impish smile--delightful enough for you to think he is getting away with something, and generous enough for you to believe you are in on it.

Life of a blog

I was checking in with the blogs that I have selected to follow on my own blog's "dashboard" and was interested to note that while two of them have regular and recent postings, one is updated only every other month, and several have not had a new entry in five months or more.

It started me thinking about the life-span of a blog. While I don't believe the act of capturing one's thoughts or writing about a new hobby is a fad, I do think that in most cases blogs start out as outgrowth of someone's or some group's specific situation. When that situation changes, either the blog changes or disappears altogether.

That is certainly the case in my situation. I began my Year of Musical Thinking in June of 2008. Over the next twelve months I posted 250 entries, roughly five a week. For the next twelve months I only have 58 entries, which is slightly more than one a week. And since June of 2010, I only have six entries--covering a period of more than six months.

This reflects a lot of other things going on in my life. In 2008, I was under-employed, disenfranchised from my industry and feeling at a loss where to go next and what challenge could re-invigorate me. While that didn't change directly during the first 12 months of my Musical Thinking, it did give me something else to focus on when the realities of employment and personal satisfaction were at their lowest point. The twelve months from June 2009 through June 2010 didn't change much in regard to the job, either, but I did start to focus on making changes to that; I "got myself out there" more, networked, applied for more jobs outside my industry, went on many more interviews--all of which prevented me from listening or watching to musical theater for this project.

In November of 2010 I started a new full-time job--the first full-time position I have held since 2003. The process of securing this job started in July of 2010. Although it was hardly all-consuming during the four months from application through start date, I did channel some of my under-utilized energy to something I saw as potentially positive and long-term. I have gone from performing arts administration to museum administration--certainly related industries requiring similar skill sets, but very different environments.

Do I regret leaving the performing arts behind. Yes--and no. I think I will always consider myself an arts professional, even while sitting in an office in a Museum, or social service agency, or health care facility, or university, or wherever my career takes me.

I certainly don't regret the situation in which I find myself employed now. I have specific tasks in the cog of the Museum's machinery--which is supported by a lot of other systems in the institution, and completely within my ability to accomplish. It is also an institution that can provide its employees with a lot of perqs I haven't had in a long time--health insurance, paid leave time, a pension (who knew those still existed!), as well as feel-good benefits like discounts at the Museum store and cafe. In the end, the theater or classical music industries wouldn't or couldn't give me many of those items unless I worked at a large-scale performing arts organization--and judging by the couple of interviews I had with "the big boys", they weren't interested in me.

With this life change and focus shift, I think now is as good a time as any to say "good-bye" to writing about my Musical Thinking.

La Cage aux Folles Broadway revival cast album

I've gotten tired of being reminded that my former colleague was awarded the MacArthur Foundation Fellows grant (or whatever the program is called), so I thought I would comment on another cast album that has just entered my collection.

I don't get all the hoopla over Douglas Hodge (right). I'm sorry, but he is over-the-top too often for me. He seems the vocal heir to Anthony Newley--all affectation and no musicality. I'm sure there are many things that would be clearer if I saw him perform in person (or even on video) but I feel like Albin/Zsa Zsa needs some non-ridiculous moments to make the audience root for him.

On the positive side, I was glad to hear Kelsey Grammer's singing. He proves to have a real voice, with nice legato and a sizeable range. He even manages to reach into his upper register with attractive singing. His affable manner seems right for Georges the emcee of the club while being in the shadow of Albin, too.

A.J. Shively in his Broadway debut displays a nice tenor range in some lovely singing, also.

Jerry Herman again shows he is one of the few songwriters who is capable of handling both the music and lyrics. You not only can leave the theater humming, but will remember snatches of lyrics, since they are repeated so often. I only mean that as a slight slight.

This production has been open for almost nine months at this point, eclipsing a previous 2004 revival that lasted six months. The original Broadway production lasted more than four years. I recall seeing the tour in Detroit in 1985, I think it was with Keene Curtis and Peter Marshall.

La Cage aux Folles

Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman

Book by Harvey Fierstein

based on the play by Jean Poiret

Original production opened in 1983; this production opened in April 2010 and is still running.

Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Douglas Hodge, A.J. Shively.

My former assistant was just awarded a MacArthur "Genius" grant

Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration; David Cromer wasn't really my assistant. He and I were assistant co-producers for a show presented by the Museum of Science and Industry in 1999. The show was an original script developed through improv about the nature and properties of light. Cromer was in the cast as Sir Isaac Newton and was in charge of the cast of six after the show opened. I was the stage manager and in charge of keeping the technical side of things running.

The show called "See the Light" ran all summer long at MSI, six days a week, with two and three show days--kind of like a theme park. I can't quite recall, but I think we did something like 180 performances.

It was hell most of the time. It was an add-on ticket to museum admission, so very few people bought in. We had very small houses--often 10 or 12, which did nothing for cast morale. Neither Cromer nor I were very good at counter-acting that problem. We were both too cynical and smart-alecky to try and do anything about it. Fortunately, we had a smart, funny, talented, and professional cast, who kept their heads up no matter how deep the water got.

Obviously, David Cromer has gone on to much bigger and better projects and he deserves the recognition he is receiving. He is a very good director and works well with actors. While I did not see his production of OUR TOWN, I have only heard good things about it and his furthur stripping down of the stripped down play.

I'm resisting the urge to be cynical and smart-alecky.

Podcasts from The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Volume 1

I admit to being years behind the curve with this one, but after discovering the music of Jeff Blumenkrantz about four years ago, I have finally taken the time to download and listen to (most of) his collection of 20 recordings of the songs from The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Volume 1, along with about 18 recordings of songs not in the songbook. I have made it through probably half the collection so far, and I look forward to listening to the remainder and any future songs Mr. Blumenkrantz may add to the collection.

I first learned of Jeff's songwriting by falling in love with (have so many have) his "I Won't Mind" on Audra McDonald's album. It took me a long time to realize that this was the same Jeff Blumenkrantz I had done summer stock with in 1984 (like there could be more than one?). I had seen his name in performing credits from time to time, but hadn't realized he had added songwriter to his accomplishments. Well, not to dis Jeff's capable performance abilities, but I suspect that at the end of his career it will be as a songwriter that he is most warmly remembered--and rightfully so.

With a wide range of styles and themes, and a keen intellect for writing lyrics that often manage to be poetic and conversational at the same time, these are songs that performers clearly love to sing, as evinced by the stellar line-up of performers singing on his podcasts--Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, Kate Shindle, Megan Mullally, Marin Mazzie, Judy Blazer, and on and on. There are some men, too, but it seems to be with women that Mr. Blumenkrantz's music really takes hold. The singing is uniformly good, and often great, with performances that draw out the nuances in the songs without making them too precious. There are comedy numbers, too, which are all character-based and deserve wider hearing.

The last few recordings I have to listen to include most of Jeff's settings of Edna St. Vincent Millay poems. I've only listened to one so far and it had a tremendous, emotional impact with an art-song sensibility that will bring me to the other settings in the near future. When I have more to say about those songs, I will. Until then, if you want to check out Jeff's music for yourself, the podcasts are all available free through www.jeffblumenkrantz.com.

Enjoy.

The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Volume I

Music by Mr. Blumenkrantz, lyrics by Mr. Blumenkrantz, Edna St. Vincent Millay and many others.

Cast: Jeff Blumenkrantz, Kelli O'Hara, Sutton Foster, Judy Blazer, Marin Mazzie, Kate Shindle and others.

Ghost Light Monday -- Paddle to the Sea, short film

If you don't know the children's book Paddle to the Sea by author and illustrator Holling C. Holling, you must check it out. Written in the 1940s it follows the travels of a small, carved, Indian canoe-figure as it floats through the Great Lakes, down the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean. The story is whimsical, with beautiful illustrations and teaches a lot about the geography of the Great Lakes.

I was surprised to come across a National Film Board of Canada live-action film of the story, made in 1966, but recently re-released on DVD by Criterion. I thought my niece and nephews might like it (since they know the book at least as well as I do), but thought I would check it out myself first (excuse). The Canadian Film Board generally produces wonderful short films, most of them documentaries.

While the photography and scenery of the film is beautiful and, at times, breath-takingly shot (Niagara Falls) by producer and director William Mason, I was a little disappointed in the film as a whole. It's only 30 minutes long--not long enough to really cover the most edifying parts of the story (the seasonal changes, geography, history, and industry of the Great Lakes). Neither was it enough time to really feel the length of the journey and the time span which it takes--as depicted in the book. Also the Native American (or rather First Nations, as this is set on the Canadian side of things) aspect disappears quickly in the film. In the book the Indian boy returns at the end, not in the film version. Also, one of the strongest impressions I have from the book are the illustrations (as exemplified by the title page), and the film uses none of them.

I will pass the DVD on to the kids in my life, because I do think some of the nature footage is worth seeing and it's another way to tell a story they will hear again and again over the years, but only to augment the book, not to replace it.

Paddle-to-the-Sea
written and illustrated by Holling Clancy Holling
published first in 1941

Paddle-to-the-Sea

film written and directed by William Mason

produced by the National Film Board of Canada in 1966

released on DVD by the Criterion Collection