I had forgotten how good this story was: great music and great dancing. The young cast was well suited to the story. It was particular amazing how they all danced and ran about on the small stage!
At the New London Barn.
Handel Society Spring 2017
I saw this concert from the second row in Spaulding – not ideal for sound with large choral works, but always interesting to be up close to the first violin and the soloists. The concert was sold out, but there were 2 empty seats on either side of me.
The start was the most famous Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3, with the very familiar “Air”. I suppose this was to make the pre-intermission segment a bit longer, as the Magnificat is a relatively short piece.
The Stabat Mater filled the second half. I had never heard this live before, and it was really wonderful, particularly the duets and quartets with the soloists. Soprano Esteli Gomez and tenor Derek Chester particularly shone, especially with the “Fac ut portem”.
Apollo’s Fire
An unusual name for a baroque chamber music group. And perhaps as the director suggested, it should have been Apollo’s Kindling, as the group that played in Spaulding only contained 6 members, instead of the usual orchestra. But it was a fine concernt nonetheless.
The director and harpsichordist, Jeannette Sorrell, dedicated the concert to the memory of John Rassias. She spent 4 summers as a student at the Rassias Institute.
The premise of the program was to emulate Bach’s coffeehouse atmosphere. The instruments are period instruments, or at least in their style, and the musicians are all specialists in the era. The music was a very nice baroque selection, with the familiar Bach piece for flute and strings, and a movement from one of the unaccompanied cello suites. It was interesting in the program to learn about how close in age the composers were, and how well they knew each other.
The last piece was a Vivaldi sonata called “La Folia” after a type of dance that was popular at that time. Jeannette dedicated it to John Rassias, remembering his “madness” which would lead him to shred his shirt at the ALPS banquet. She did not think that they would go that far, but hoped that we would leave the concert with a kind of inspiration.
Jeannette, Olivier, Johanna, and Kristen came to the stage after for some questions. They are spread over the country, but still work well together. Kristen and Johanna, the newest members, have been with the group for 12 years, and a number have been there since the founding 25 years ago.
I Am Not Your Negro
We had heard about this movie, but I have never read any of James Baldwin’s books, so I was not at all familiar with him.
This was a surprising and interesting movie. The dialogue was all by Baldwin, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, except where there were videos of him. He was very articulate, and spoke clearly and forcefully. One especially good sequence was from the Dick Cavett show when he responded to a Harvard philosophy professors insipid comments.
The film came from a partial manuscript that Baldwin started about Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King. The film talked about these 3 men, their assassinations, and Baldwin’s reactions. It also tied in more recent events: the Watts riots, Rodney King beating, Ferguson, and Black Lives Matter. It was a strong reminder that the United States has a lot to be ashamed of, and still has a long way to go.
Sally Pinkas
This was a very nice concert. Starting and closing with Bach, with Schumann in between, and a short Schumann encore. Not well attended: a smattering of students and the Kendal crowd.