Notes on the Arts

Washington, DC

We didn’t really stop in Washington DC, where I went to college and lived for seven years, and where entertainment abounds: both the art-music-theater-dance sort and the political kind. Instead we visited my niece in Bethesda and an old friend in Reston, and found time to talk about the arts.

Laura, my niece, has a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, and she was studying for medical school exams the week we came. Nevertheless, she found time to meet us at Starbucks (so ubiquitous in the Atlanta area, my daughter said, that she was excited to find a rare Dunkin’ Donuts). Laura is also a fine violinist, and we compared notes on our recent orchestra experiences.

We went out to dinner with JoAnn, whom I met on my first job, long, long ago. She is now a teacher of gifted and talented students and an enthusiastic actor in community theater. She had just finished a run of “The Full Monty,” in which she played the piano accompaniest. She loved the the role because it gave her an opportunity to be funny, which is what she enjoys most, and to sing a couple of good songs.

She said some things about the theater that I found interesting: that most actors were basically shy and theater gives them an opportunity to interact with others in a scripted way, never having to grope for words or wonder how to carry on a conversation (unless you forget your lines.) I had never thought of theater that way.

She was critical of local reviewers who, she said, spend too much space summarizing a play, rather than reviewing. I had heard this criticism of theater reviewers, and have tried to minimize such summaries myself, while still providing a sense of what the play is about. I do think that reviewers should be writing for potential audiences, not for theater people, but it can be helpful for reviewers to have their reviews reviewed by those we review.

Before leaving Washington the next day, we toured American University, where I received a BA in international relations from the School of International Service. None of that frivolous arts and music stuff for me back then.

The School of International Service on the left, and construction underway for the new building, on the right.

Spring Fling

It is not even warm yet on the Cape, but arts and entertainment activities abound. There are plays, concerts, art shows, coffeehouses, talks, children’s activities, and walks through the woods to watch birds or raise money for worthy causes. And it looks like it will only get busier as the season progresses.

 For the moment though, I am in Georgia. I flew down yesterday and will be driving back to the Cape with my daughter, starting tomorrow.  It’s hot here, and the major entertainment, at least where we are, seems to be shopping. There are shopping malls everywhere, next to each other, encircling each other. We have been amused by the multitude of restaurants, but have not scouted out any official entertainment yet

 Maybe I should buy a newspaper.

Falmouth Chamber Players, Review

[Originally published in the Enterprise on Friday, November 21.]

By SUSAN PENNINGTON
The Falmouth Chamber Players’ debut concert, directed by John Yankee, was a true delight for our community and a great success for the musicians. The group came together only 10 weeks ago and is organized as a nonprofit corporation in Massachusetts. Members pay dues to cover orchestra expenses, and the group accepts financial contributions. It was great fun to recognize people in the following professions: scientists (some retired), intern, social worker, conservatory director, music teachers, librarian, entertainment editor, landscape architect, architect, nurse, activities director and a few semi-pro musicians. All the amateurs, including a high school student, united to enjoy the love of music.

The program began with an overture from Handel’s “Water Music” for strings and woodwinds. It was bright and sonorous, joyous and celebratory. These feelings could be seen on the faces of many of the instrumentalists, increasing the appreciation of the audience. Hilde Maingay, joined by Marvin Grosslein, were highlighted in violin solos and duets, which they played with flair, blend, and wonderful tone, as did all the strings.

A Telemann concerto for recorder and flute followed, and soloists Jan Elliott and Suzie Dasilva played the light-hearted themes with perfect coordination and precise attacks. The strings pressed underneath and were sometimes joined by the wind instruments in a lovely display of enchanting delight. Mary Sholkovitz, cello (a new instrument for this flutist and teacher), and Tim Cronin, bassoon, provided a steady continuo, filled with sonority and panache. The concerto ended with a buoyant dance based on a Polish folk tune.

Bizet’s Scherzo from the “Symphony in C” brought horns (Kate Housman and John Bourne) and timpani (Jeff Myers) into the mix to add to the excitement. Mr. Yankee, in his humorous and charming introductions, said the classical orchestra (beginning with Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart) offered more dynamic possibilities than the Baroque. The FCP brought out a more thrilling, fuller sound, including an instrumental drone in the lower reaches, with a lovely minuet above.

“Andante Cantabile” by Tchaikovsky was lovingly played and filled with feeling.
The ending pieces were Glinka, “Kamarinskaja,” and Schubert, “Overture to Rosamunde.” Perhaps because of the length of the program, these had less clarity and precision, but had some nice moments.

Sunday’s performance, at the First Congregational Church, included a post-concert reception, and the audience could express their appreciation to the performers for all their concentrated effort and for the instrument-shaped cookies! I can surmise that most of the filled church, as I, left into a blustery, cold, fall afternoon with warm hearts and touched souls.

(Susan Pennington is the music director at St. Anthony’s Church and teaches art appreciation at the Cape Cod Conservatory.)

A Cornucopia of Celebrated Cellists

By MARILYN J. ROWLAND (Published in the Enterprise on October 3, 2008)

The last couple of weeks have yielded a bounty of virtuosic cello performances: four concerts featuring five cellists, each outstanding in its own way, each offering a unique interpretation of the instrument, providing not only musical enjoyment for the audiences, but a glimpse into the many and varied ways that the versatile cello may be played.

Last Saturday and Sunday, Denise Djokic soloed with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra in Hyannis, demonstrating her technical mastery and passionate playing style. Last Friday, cellist Savely Schuster and pianist Sharon Mann performed well-known masterworks for both instruments at Falmouth Academy. On September 19, cellists Bo Ericsson and Elizabeth Schultze and pianist Anne Perrault provided a wide range of 20th-century music at the Cape Cod Conservatory in West Barnstable. And on September 14, improvisational jazz/contemporary cellist Eugene Friesen, together with pianist Tim Ray and trumpeter Greg Hopkins, offered up an afternoon of innovative original music at Highfield Hall in Falmouth. It was a rare opportunity to hear the cello featured in exuberant and understated classical music, Broadway and modern music, and original contemporary music and jazz.

Denise Djokic and the Cape Cod Symphony

Ms. Djokic, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, who also attended the England Conservatory in Boston, is considered one of the best young classical musicians around. She was named one of most accomplished young Canadians by two publications. Cape Cod audiences last heard Ms. Djokic in February 2007, when she performed with the Simon Sinfonietta in Falmouth.
This time, she played Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, a piece written in 1877 in a Baroque style, featuring an elegant theme and seven variations, ranging from melancholic to contemplative to lively to almost frenzied. Ms. Djokic was up to the challenge of this demanding piece, playing gracefully, beautifully, with good projection throughout. She provided good contrast between the loud, big-vibrato, grumbling lower notes, the showy glissandos, and the soft, delicate highest notes on the cello, demonstrating very solid technique, as well as an expressive musicality.

Maestro Jung-Ho Pak said, in the pre-concert talk, that he selected the pieces for the weekend’s concerts to sharpen the senses of the orchestra. After a summer of pops music played outside under uneven acoustics, the orchestra benefits by playing a piece like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, which demands great focus. “It is a great way,” he said, “to set the palette for the next season.”

The CCSO lived up to Mr. Pak’s introduction, providing a glorious rendition of Beethoven’s joyful masterpiece. The orchestra played with intensity and skill, while Mr. Pak conducted with an electric fervor, jumping up and down at times, his whole body vibrating with the music. After the extraordinary presto movement, an awed audience member behind me said, simply, “Wow.” At the end, the orchestra, and the maestro, were rewarded with a heartfelt standing ovation.

Next on the Cape Cod Symphony’s schedule, in the CapePOPS! series, is the “Classical Mystery Tour” on October 11 and 12, featuring the original members of Broadway’s “Beatlemania” singing all your Beatle favorites.

Savely Schuster and Sharon Mann at Falmouth Academy

Falmouth resident Savely Schuster was born in the Ukraine; he has served as principal cellist both in Odessa and for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and also performs chamber music throughout the US. He and pianist Sharon Mann of San Francisco have been friends for more than 20 years, though this was only their second performance together. It was an evening of wonderful music, beginning with the poignant and evocative Élegié by Gabriel Fauré. Mr. Savely’s cello playing was rich and sensitive without being overwhelming. Ms. Mann’s piano accompaniment, an integral part of the piece, complemented the cello well, her playing elegant and seeming effortless.

Brahms’ Sonata in D Major for Cello is actually a transcription of his Sonata in G Major for violin and piano, which Brahms played at the memorial concert for his friend Robert Schumann. It was the cello version that Brahms played at the funeral of Clara Schumann. The sonata contains beautifully flowing parts, blazingly fast sections, and soaring cello lines; the adagio offers long, slow extended notes on the cello, tender and sorrowful, as well as a moving melody and some pounding chords in the piano. Mr. Schuster and Ms. Mann were expressive and perfect together in emotional piece.

“To cheer you up,” Mr. Schuster then played a vibrant and bouncy Allegretto Grazioso, attributed to Schubert, and followed that with the Saraband from Bach’s suite in d minor for unaccompanied cello, dedicating it to the memory of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. It is a sad and mournful piece, with long extended notes accented by double stops, ending on a long, solitary note. The audience loved it, applauding enthusiastically.
Ms. Mann performed two solo works, Nocturne in E Flat Major by Chopin and Prelude in g sharp minor by Rachmaninoff, both brilliantly, with graceful hand movement that seemed to add more expression to her vivid performance.

The final piece on the program was perhaps the most impressive, Shostakovich’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in d minor. Written in 1934, this piece is rich with Russian moodiness and folk tune themes, as well as lots of “special effects” on the cello: rough and dramatic bow techniques, glissandos, pizzicato, and lots of sound and fury, as well as slow and meditative lyrical sections and culminating in a frenzy of virtuosic activity for both of these gifted and accomplished players.

Bo Ericsson, Elizabeth Schultze, and Anne Perrault at the Cape Cod Conservatory, West Barnstable

Mr. Ericsson and Ms. Schultze, a versatile and talented husband-and-wife cello duo from Orleans who also play with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and the Simon Sinfonietta, performed “A 20th-Century Chamber Music Concert” (and one 21st-century piece). This concert was part of the conservatory’s Performance Series, a series of intimate, early-evening concerts with receptions following, designed to make outstanding performances more accessible to audiences in West Barnstable and Falmouth. Future concerts include harpsichordist SharonRose Pfeiffer on October 17, the Brentwood Consort on November 21, and a holiday concert on December 5, all in West Barnstable, and December 12 in Falmouth. All concerts take place at 5:30 PM and are relatively short, allowing plenty of time for dinner afterward.

Ms. Schultze and pianist Ann Perrault began with Rachmaninoff’s haunting and spine-tingling Vocalize and Gershwin’s love song, “Bess, You Is My Woman Now.” Vocalize was splendid, and “Bess” was exquisite, with Ms. Schultze bringing out all the emotion in this powerful piece, the cello serving as the perfect instrumental substitute for the voice.

Mr. Ericsson countered with “Somewhere” from Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” and the second movement of a Suite for Solo Cello written for him by Ted Frazeur, a composer who moved to the Cape fairly recently. Mr. Frazeur was in the audience for the performance. According to Mr. Ericsson, the second movement is the “easiest” of the three movements in this fiendishly difficult piece, which Mr. Frazeur wrote in 2007 (this being the 21st-century piece).

Honoring Bach’s solo cello suites, which are based on dances, Mr. Frazeur said he tried to include some of the same elements in his work. The movement required many and varied cello techniques, mixing pizzicato and bowing, gritty playing near the bridge, and a dazzling display of cello mastery from Mr. Ericsson. I look forward to hearing the entire suite, which he has recorded for a CD that is under production.

Mr. Frazeur, recently retired, has been a teacher, conductor, performer, soloist, and composer, and has issued 13 albums of his work. His recent CD, “Fearful Symmetry: Musics of Ted Frazeur,” is an excellent introduction to the works of this prolific composer and includes performances by such Cape Cod musicians as oboist Betsy Doriss, pianists Melinda Crane, Lucy Banner, and Donald Enos, vocalists Carole Buttner Maloof, John Murelle, and the Chatham Chorale, as well as the voice of his late wife, Joyce Frazeur, who reads her poetry to his piano accompaniment. Some of the works are interpretations or responses to Celtic or early music or poetry, and some is created or inspired by electronic devices.

The concert concluded with Menotti’s Sonata for Two Cellos and Piano, an impressive work of many moods: majestic, stormy, driving, and passionate, as well as lyrical, moving, and calm. The audience was audibly moved at times, expressing their approval and awe of three very fine musicians.

The evening was a big hit with the audience, who seemed to appreciate the early start time, the intimate setting, the reception afterward, and, most importantly the musical program. “Very nice program, don’t you think?” I heard one woman say to her friend.

“Perfect,” was the response.

Tre Corda at Highfield Hall, Falmouth

Tre Corda is a jazz ensemble consisting of Tim Ray on piano, Eugene Friesen on cello, and Greg Hopkins on trumpet. You don’t find a cello playing jazz often, or a cellist like Eugene Friesen, who plays and freely blends all types of music to come up with his own uniquely contemporary sound, inspired by Brazilian music, African drums, classical music, classical jazz and roots music, and his own fertile imagination. Mr. Ray and Mr. Hopkins are also very creative and original musicians; they come together as three equal musicians, each composing and improvising, each helping to create their distinctive sound, and adding a touch of humor here and there.

The group’s website describes them well: “The name of the group comes from classical piano notation, as an instruction to the pianist to release the soft pedal and let all three strings vibrate freely (literally ‘three strings’ or ‘three sounds’), and suggests that the trio’s members, individually and collectively, are free to explore their own creative path—independent of boundaries and categories that limit musical expression.”
Mr. Friesen used pizzicato techniques liberally, producing percussive effects with the strings and sometimes with the wooden body of the cello as well, creating a wide range of sounds and sound effects. He can mimic an entire rhythm section or produce dynamic or lyrical melodies, and sometimes it seems that he is doing all of the above at the same time.
Mr. Hopkins used his trumpet similarly, making “wa-wa” sounds with his bathroom plunger over the bell of the horn. And Mr. Ray took command of the piano, fingers dancing, always in control.

The jazz tunes came fast and furious; It seemed like all three musicians wanted to keep playing, without stopping for a breath, let alone to conclude the concert. The trio did conclude though, ending with their own arrangement of “All Blues,” from the album, “Kind of Blue,” by Miles Davis, which Mr. Ray pointed out was the highest selling jazz record of all time. Called back for an encore by a very enthusiastic audience, they played variations on “Pinocchio.”

The concert was part of the Salon Series at Highfield Hall, which presents chamber music performed by artists from all over New England and elsewhere. Concerts are held on the elegant first floor of Highfield Hall. Upcoming concerts include the Moët Trio (violin, cello, and piano) on November 16 and a holiday concert on December 21, celebrating Christmas in the British Isles.

Empty School Bus Syndrome

For the first time in 17 years, we have no children in school. No trips for school or college supplies. No tuition payments, no $120 textbooks. I loved school, but my kids didn’t take to it. I don’t miss the arguing over homework, of course, but I do kind of feel there is something missing this year (besides the kids themselves, who are off in Rhode Island and Georgia).

Fortunately, for me, there are lots of opportunities around to take classes or join in on discussions of all sorts. It’s a good year to discuss politics, to get a better handle on some of the many issues that divide and unite our country. Besides the ever-changing kaleidoscope of Sarah Palin revelations, of course, which is occupying most of my free brain cells just now. I am fascinated by the flipflop of liberal and conservative view on this issue: Phyllis Schlafly, who has long been an outspoken foe of women’s rights, thinks Palin is the best person for the job of VP. I who have worked in small ways for women’s rights, think Palin should stay in Alaska, and take care of her special needs baby, and be there for her daughters. Family values apparently has multiple definitions.

As I write this, self-described Democrat Joe Lieberman is speaking at the Republican National Convention about what a good president Bill Clinton was, and the Republicans are applauding Clinton. It’s hard to keep up. I’m turning to Comedy Central for now.

Watercolor Wizardry

I went over to the Cotuit Center for the Arts yesterday to see a watercolor demonstration by John Krenik of Plymouth. I dabble in watercolor and thought it might be fun to see an artist in action. I was kind of expecting a lesson in how to paint a realistic sky, but what Krenik was demonstrating was a whole new (to me) collage technique (that he has been developing since 1986). It’s called watercolor bath painting.

First he drew a sketch based on his white-line woodcut of an elephant ear plant. Then he took a large sheet of special rice paper and tore it in half, down the middle. On one piece, he painted, freehand, with water, the shapes of the objects in the background, and tore the shapes out (assisted by softening of the paper with water). He did the same for the foreground pieces.

Then, using mixtures of watercolor paints and water on a glass table surface, he dipped the shapes in the paints. Sometimes he folded or crinkled the paper and dipped the shape again, in another color.

It all seemed so simple, these torn shapes, randomly colored. I was wondering how the end result could possibly approximate art. Then he glued the background shapes together and held it up for us to see. The colors were beautiful, the shapes fit together perfectly, gracefully. He added the foreground shapes (many of the pieces were still wet). It was lovely.

Not satisfied, he worked on the stems a bit longer, first adding clumps of dark green rice paper. He didn’t like that, and decided to tear out some additional pieces of rice paper, dipping them in the orange-y brown and green water color mixture. The piece was transformed. Perfect!

All of this took only an hour or so, making it all look so easy, but I am guessing that my first efforts might result in a sodden lump of rice paper, not a work of art. Still, I might give it a try. Krenik has a larger and more complicated watercolor bath painting at the New England Watercolor Society show, now at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. For more information on Krenik, see his website.

The watercolor demonstrations continue for the next two weeks at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, Fridays at noon: Elizabeth Pratt on May 2 and Sally Sawyer Mitchell on May 9. These demonstrations are free and open to the public.They are a great way to learn about the artistic process, and maybe even encourage you to paint, or try new things in your painting.

“Inventing van Gogh” at CCftA

“Inventing van Gogh” Offers Intriguing Look At The Artist

Posted in: Entertainment
By MARILYN J. ROWLAND
Apr 4, 2008

Richard Martin captures Vincent van Gogh’s many moods in the Cotuit Center for the Arts’ production of “Inventing van Gogh,” weekends through April 20. JIM HOECK

“Inventing van Gogh,” by Steven Dietz, is the story of Vincent van Gogh as hallucinated by Patrick Stone, a present day artist; or is it the story of Patrick Stone, as hallucinated by van Gogh? It’s both, and much more. It’s a mystery, a discussion of art, a commentary on artists, and an enjoyable and thought-provoking evening at the theater. This is a very intelligently written play and it is well-directed by Toby Wilson.

The first thing you notice is that set, beautifully designed by Ted Vitale and James Wolf simulate van Gogh’s painting, “Bedroom at Arles” on one side of the stage, and Patrick Stone’s derelict art studio in a condemned warehouse on the other side. The colors glow, a perfect setting for discussion of van Gogh’s genius. Action shifts from one side of the room to another, sometimes in both simultaneously, and time periods shift too, as do the roles the actors play. Part of the fun is keeping track of who’s who and how the scenes and time frames relate to each other.

Though you don’t need to be an art history major to enjoy this play, it does help to have a basic knowledge of van Gogh’s life and an interest in art. There is plenty of fascinating discussion of the nature of art and artists, which seems to be closely based on van Gogh’s letters (he wrote about 800 of them, expressing his philosophy on art and related topics).

Patrick Stone, played by Joshua Koopman, is the contemporary artist who is hired by an unscrupulous art authenticator Bouchard (Michael Weber) to paint the “last self-portrait” of van Gogh, which was apparently painted a couple of months before he died, but never found. “We have no proof that there is no painting,” says Bouchard.

Stone, tortured by the death of his former professor, Dr. Miller (Peter Hirst), is blackmailed into complying with Bouchard’s demands. Though he has not been able to paint since the Dr. Miller’s death, he reluctantly sets out to create the self-portrait, grumbling that van Gogh is a “myth,” the “most untalented and overrated artist in the history of the world.” His task is complicated by his relationship with his sometime girlfriend, Hallie Miller (Jessica Adams), daughter of his former professor.

In painting the portrait, Stone “invents” Vincent van Gogh, vividly played by Richard Martin, who looked remarkably like the artist, red hair and beard, wild-eyed expressions, and all. Van Gogh vacillates between thoughtful and crazed, and Mr. Martin does a remarkable job bringing the artist to life (or into a hallucination), during the final months of his life.

Mr. Hirst, as Dr. Miller, provides historical details, with the passion of a teacher devoted to his subject matter, as his story is interwoven into the plot. The three supporting actors, Mr. Weber, Mr. Hirst, and Ms. Adams, each play two characters, one in the present day and a corresponding character in van Gogh’s time. The interplay among the characters is very well done, as they seamlessly become the other..

Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin (played by Mr. Hirst), who lived with him for a time, discuss art, arguing over its purpose and execution. Art, says Van Gogh, must look past what is seen. “Paint not the hands, but the gestures,” he later tells Stone, “not the head, but the expression.”

Care has been taken with the costumes, which were created to resemble clothing worn by the characters in van Gogh’s portraits.

“Inventing van Gogh” is well-worth a trip to Cotuit. It is both entertaining as a mystery and stimulating as a fast-paced, intellectual discussion of art, full of detail and interesting ideas; the acting is very good, and the actors playing dual roles are convincing in both roles, as they glide from one to another. Mr. Martin is wonderful as van Gogh. I enjoyed Mr. Hirst’s professorial Dr. Miller, Ms. Adams’ many moods, and Mr. Weber’s Gauguin. Mr. Koopman is good as the tormented young painter, but seemed to me a bit too tormented. I would have liked to see more range of emotions in this character. My only other complaint is that the artists use small, thin brushes and tiny little strokes when pretend-painting at the easels. I would have thought that van Gogh would have used bigger, bolder strokes, especially toward the end of his life, when, as mentioned in the play, he sometimes abandoned brushes altogether to paint with his fingers, “leaving bits of fingernail in the paint.”

“Inventing van Gogh” continues through April 20 at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. General admission tickets are $18, $16 for seniors, $12 for CCftA members and $10 for students. To reserve tickets, call the box office at 508-428-0669. For more information, visit www.CotuitCenterForTheArts.org.

Welcome to Notes on the Arts!

We are lucky to live on Cape Cod, a area with an abundance of talented musicians, artists, actors, writers, performers, craftspeople, and people who enjoy the arts and entertainment, and I am happy to be covering the arts for the Enterprise.

I hope to use this blog to talk about the arts, to post my reviews, and to explore some new areas. I am happy to hear from anyone with an interest in the arts on the Upper Cape and nearby areas and their coverage in the Enterprise.