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.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum film on DVD

Eek, a week since my last entry. Sorry, a combination of work obligations and internet connectivity issues have hog-tied me. So it's a good thing I had a farcical romp like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to entertain me.

I didn't realize this had music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. For some reason I thought he did the lyrics only, like he had for Gypsy and West Side Story. But no, he did both for this show. Was this Sondheim's first Broadway score? If so, "Comedy Tonight" is a home-run. The rest of the score is probably greatly compromised from stage to film and doesn't really hold its own.

The clowning does hold its own for me, even if the very 1960s filming techniques seem a bit dated now. Zero Mostel and Jack Gifford reprise their roles from the stage version, which premiered in 1962. Phil Silvers is added to the film along with Buster Keaton, to create a whos-who of top-notch clowns. Bland-ola Michael Crawford is the young lover, Hero. He has the skinniest legs ever, and should never were a toga again. Fortunately, the primary song for Hero "Lovely" is better suited to Crawford's voice than what he was asked to sing in the film version of Hello Dolly.

About ten years ago, this show was remounted with Nathan Lane in the Zero Mostel role. I can imagine the antics being much funnier on stage than on screen, which tends to flatten the action for me sometimes. Mr. Lane was later replaced by Whoopi Goldberg. Did she play the character as a man or a woman? The sex-capades of the romp would change dramatically, depending on that answer.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Film directed by Richard Lester
Released in 1966
Cast: Michael Crawford, Zero Mostel, Jack Gifford, Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton, Annette Andre

Stop the World--I Want to Get Off original Broadway cast album

I guess depending on how the results of today's elections go, this title may be very prophetic for me. I have a book about becoming a Canadian citizen, and I'm not afraid to consider it. But onto the task at hand...

I have known the title of this show for ever, and known for quite a while that it was created by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, but didn't know anything about the show. Well, it turns out that show is all about Anthony Newley, as he is the only singing man in the show that he also co-created and directed. I wouldn't be surprised to learn he also sewed the costumes and sold the tickets. Given all that one-man-show stuff, I was prepared to be dismissive of the score and Mr. Newley's performance; however, there was a lot I liked on the Broadway album of Stop the World--I Want to Get Off.

The story surrounds the life of Littlechap, a Chaplin-like character (Charlie, not Sydney) as he goes through life reacting to the things that happen to him, but not really being an active participant. The show seems prescient of some Sondheim, particularly Company, in it's non-linear story-telling and unique production design. The look of the production wasn't discussed specifically in the thin liner notes to this CD reissue, but seems to be a circus theme with Newley in whiteface.

The only other singing role is taken by Anna Quayle as the various women that come and go in Littlechap's life. Both Ms. Quayle and Mr. Newley originated their roles in London before coming to the Broadway stage. The liner notes do include a rather funny letter from producer David Merrick stating why he was so taken by the production when he saw it in England and choose to bring it to New York. Basically, Mr. Merrick writes a love letter to Anthony Newley.

I had heard the song "What Kind of Fool am I" before, as well as Newley's gospel-inspired song "Gonna Build a Mountain." Both are good numbers. Newley's song "Mumbo Jumbo" does for politics what "Backstage Babble" in Applause did for the theater. The four songs that Ms. Quayle sings introducing the women she plays are hysterical: "Typically English", "Glorious Russian", Typiche Deutsche" and "All American" poke fun at attributes of each culture and Ms. Quayle delivers them well. The duets in the score don't really match the level of the solo numbers.

Stop the World--I Want to Get Off
Music, lyrics and book by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Recorded in 1962, released on CD in 2001
Cast: Anthony Newley, Anna Quayle