Party, party!

I went to a marvelous party!
I must say the fun was intense!
We all had to do what the people we knew
Would be doing a hundred years hence!
Dear Cecil arrived wearing armor,
Some shells and a black feather boa.
Poor Millicent wore a surrealist comb
Made of bits of mosaic from St. Peter's in Rome,
But the weight was so great that she had to go home.
I couldn't have liked it more!

      -Noel Coward

And it was a marvelous party given by two dear friends, Eric and Jeff, who were celebrating thirty years together.

The weekend began with an elegant room in the Renaissance Hotel on Public Square in Cleveland. The hotel was built around 1917 and has been completely restored to its former grandeur.

Friday evening we had a gourmet dinner at Fire, a very high-end restaurant on Shaker Square near where they live.

Saturday morning was a tour on 'Lolly the Trolley', which took us all around Cleveland and Shaker Heights. The tour guide didn't miss a brick in this tour. Cleveland is in an odd place right now, having gone through a major decline and now bouncing back to its former grandeur. But much of the tour was 'There is where the elegant mansion of Mr. Soandso formerly stood.' But it was enjoyable.

That evening we had a cocktail cruise out into Lake Erie and then up the Cuyahoga River. Much of the riverside is industrial waste, so it wasn't exactly like the scenic Hudson, but I had a charming cruise companion which made it a great evening.

Then back to Whisky Park for a glorious picnic. These guys went all out!

This morning there was a champagne breakfast at their sensational apartment in Moreland Court neat Shaker Square. This is a 1927 apartment building that has been compared to the Dakota in New York City.

Eric and friends

Jeff and friends

Dear Eric and Jeff, I can hardly wait for your fiftieth!!

Twouble in Wiver City

Tonight my friend Sue and I saw a play that was trying to be a play at Barrington Stage 2. It was Dr. Ruth, All the Way by Mark St. Germain. He is the author of Freud's Last Session  and The Best of Enemies both of which have been produced with some success by Barrington Stage in the past.

Appawently, Dr. Wuth had twouble pwonouncing the letter 'R'. This, like any speech defect, is unfortunate and I should not be making fun of it. But the actress who portrayed her, Debra Jo Rupp, or possibly Julie Boyd, the director, made such a big deal of this problem that I was ready to scream by the end of the first act. I was hoping that Dr. Ruth had somehow taken advantage of a course in Speech Therapy between Acts I and II.

No such luck.

Every single 'R' for two hours was lovingly pronounced as a 'W'. Remember the Japanese water torture?

Having never really seen or heard Dr. Ruth much in her radio and television heyday, I have no idea how pronounced (pardon the pun) this problem is in real life. But it was, to me at least, terribly annoying in the play.

I think that the dialect coach, Stephen Gabis, must share some of the blame for this. I don't personally know many Germans or Jews who habitually pronounce an 'R' like a 'W'. The enthusiasm with which Ms. Rupp lisped her way through the role was commendable, but, I thought, mis-guided.

Then there is the matter of the play, or non-play, as may be. It covers the tragic story of the life of Ruth K. Westheimer, who escaped from Nazi Germany after her parents had been taken away, later to die in a concentration camp, her life in Israel, Paris, and finally Washington Heights in New York City. Her three marriages, two children, and her rise to become a famous sex therapist on radio and television.

While Ms. Rupp played the role with a good bit of emotion, I was just never convinced that it was real. I am not a playright, but somehow this should have come off better.

The rest of the audience cheered at the end, so I guess I am just a grumpy old man.

So sue me!

Long live the Queen!

I have been reading a biography of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother by Lady Colin Campbell which does a pretty good hatchet job on any reputation for sweetness the Queen Mum ever had.

According to Lady Campbell, the Queen Mum and her younger brother, David, were conceived on the family cook by her father with the consent of her mother who had already borne a number of children and wasn't up to producing any more. Apparently this was common practice among the upper class in England at the time of her birth.








Her two daughters, Queen Elizabeth II  and Princess Margaret Rose were conceived by artificial insemination with King George's sperm because the Queen Mum wasn't interested in having sex with him.

She was a mover and shaker behind the scenes in getting Edward VIII to abdicate shortly after he became King at the death of George V. She had had her cap set for Edward, or Albert, as he was known in the Royal family, and was furious when she had to settle for Bertie, his less appealing younger brother, who became George VI. As a result she hated Wallis Warfield with a vengeance when she ran off with Edward. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as they were styled, were ex-patriots for the rest of their lives. Edward was allowed to come back to England when his mother, Queen Mary died, and Wallis came back for Edward's funeral.

Lady Campbell liberally drops names and titles by the score as she continues to trash the Queen Mum. I wonder what the Royal family thinks about this. The Queen Mum is made out to be a controlling and vicious woman who gave the impression of being soft and cuddly.

If this seems complicated, it is. Juicy, like a Barbara Cartland novel  (Diana's grandmother- I can drop names too!) But a good read if you like scandal.

She's still here!

'Three cheers and, damn it, c'est la vie! I got through all of last year, and I'm here! Look who's here! I'm still here!

I know just how Elaine Stritch felt when she sang that song in her one woman show a number of years ago. Connecticut Public Television showed a filming of that show tonight. I had seen her do it twice on Broadway and I was still blown away tonight to see it again. She was probably 80 when she did it. I think she's 88 or 90 by now, but she's still here. (I just looked it up. She's 87!)

I saw her do Madame Arnfelt in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music about a year ago on Broadway. She was the one you watched on stage. No one dared breath while she was doing 'Liasons'. There are very few actresses that can hold an audience in the palm of their hand like Elaine does.

I first saw her singing 'Zip' in the revival of Pal Joey  of Rodgers and Hart in the fifties. It was the same back then. She stopped the show! Sail Away of Noel Coward, Company and 'Here's to the Ladies that Lunch' of Sondheim, and on and on. She has been a fixture on Broadway and the West End of London for over a half century.

It's fairly obvious why I am impressed with these old Babes who can still do it- Barbara Cook is another one. It must be because I am in their generation. And I can still do it-  more or less!

Peggy and I are preparing to do two cabarets in September and I will be doing three 'cello-piano concerts with Andrea in October. The Grieg Sonata, no less.

And I'm still here, too!

Sing me a song

I sat down for an interesting conversation with my friend, 'the other voice teacher', who had visiting her another fine musician. We got on the subject of Lieder recitals and the lack thereof in today's musical world.

The July issue of Opera News treated this very subject, highlighting Gerald Finley, the Canadian bass-baritone, who makes a specialty of singing this type of program. It also contained an article on Elly Ameling, the Dutch soprano, who for years toured the world singing only song recitals. In earlier years singers like Janet Baker, Rise Stevens and many others, were known for their ability to combine careers in opera with one in the song repertoire. My friend told me that she used to sing as many as sixty song recitals each year, in addition to her appearances in opera.
. Elly Ameling

    Rise Stevens

Janet Baker 

Those were the days of Community Concerts, when great performers, singers and instrumentalists, came to small towns all over this country and performed. In Battle Creek, Michigan, I heard the greatest performers in the world. That, unfortunately, has ceased to exist.

I was working yesterday with  a student who is preparing a recital which will include, among other things, a set of songs by Hugo Wolf. She told me she likes to sing songs but really loves to sing operatic arias. I told her that in this day and age, outside of the conservatory, song recitals are becoming like the Brontosaurus: extinct! To have a career as a singer, one really needs to head for the operatic stage. If you are lucky, like Mr. Finley, people may then come to hear you sing songs.

Our visiting friend, who is involved in a summer chamber music festival, said that she thought that she would suggest that they begin to include at least four song recitals in each of their seasons. What a wonderful idea. Would that more venues would think like this.

In the meantime, my students learn a repertoire of songs, as well as of operatic roles and arias. Considering the vast catalogue of song repertoire, it is a crime to let it go unsung.

Second Fiddle

My friend Sue and I attended a performance of Fiddler on the Roof at Barrington Stage tonight. I first saw this musical in 1964 at the Imperial Theatre in New York. That's a long time ago. Starring were Zero Mostel, Maria Karnilova, Bea Arthur, Austin Pendelton, Bert Convy, and, later in the run, Bette Midler. That's quite a cast.

In the ensuing years I have more or less forgotten the story line. It is based on the short stories of Solomon Rabinovich, whose pen name was Sholem Aleichem. This is a Yiddish expression which translates something like 'How do you do?'.

It follows the life of Tevye, the milkman, his wife, and his five daughters who live in the village of Anatevka, a Schtetl in Russia. They are beset by joys and woes, mostly woes, and are finally forced to leave their village in a pogrom. These were especially vicious between 1881 and 1884, when the Jews were blamed for the assasination of Tsar Alexander II. These riots forced many to leave their native Russian and seek safety elsewhere.

The music is by Jerry Bock, the lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and the book by Joseph Stein. The production by Barrington Stage was both good and bad, as far as I was concerned. Good in the sense that all of the actors seemed right for their roles, bad in the sense that they all seemed to think that they had to shout both their lines and their songs. Even thought miked to the hilt, the volume from the stage was a roar all through the first act. I would have enjoyed an occasional lull here and there.

Brad Oscar as Tevye has a splendid voice. He uses it to excess much of the time, but he was very good in the part. Joanna Glushak as Golde could sing sweetly at times but opted for the rule: 'When in doubt, belt'.

The rest of the cast had varying success with their roles. Most of the women were pushing their voices out of reason.

A voice teacher should never be allowed to attend a performance like this!

I also realised that I had never particularly liked the musical. The obvious 'hit songs', 'Tradition', Sunrise, Sunset', and 'If I were a richman', stood the test of time fairly well. But, especially in Act 2, the musical inspiration ran out and much of the music is banal.

The play, which is so energetic and loud in Act 1, peters out and, as the story becomes grim, wanders off to nowhere.

There was some sensational dancing, based on the choreography of Jerome Robbins by Gary John La Rosa, who also directed the show.

Toot Toot!

I know that it is considered gauche to 'toot your own horn', but I can't resist. This afternoon four of my musical grandchildren performed a concert at the Sandisfield Arts Center that brought me to tears. There is nothing more powerful than young talent; and it was on display this afternoon in enormous quantities.

The four, Gabriella Rose Makuc, pianist, Jullian Müller, cellist, Morwenna Boyd, guitarist, and Yevgeny Kutik, violinist, proved that youth is where great talent begins. Young performers seem to have no fear and play where angels fear to tread.

Gabriella, myself, Morwenna and Julian

Gabriella opened the program with Bach's 'Prelude and Fugue in C major, played with clarity and musicality, followed by Liszt's 'Sonetto 104 del Petrarco', which she played with touching sentiment and limpid tone.

Julian played the Allegro movement of the Dvorak 'cello concerto with bravura, marvelous intonation, and passion. He then played a transcription of Chopin's 'Nocturne in C sharp minor' by Gregor Piatigorsky. His timbre  on the instrument is meltingly beautiful. He plays with consummate musicality and emotion. He was accompanied by the excellent pianist Anne Chamberlain.

Morwenna played several guitar pieces with delicacy or furor, as needed, beginning with 'Asturias' of Albeniz, followed by 'Prelude #4 in E minor' by Villa-Lobos, Baila de Gato Rojo, which she wrote. and ending with 'Estudios Secillos' by Leo Brouwer.

Kathleen Callahan, performing as a guest artist on the program,  sang 'Come scolio' from Cosi fan tutti, of Mozart, 'Ain't it a pretty night' from Carlisle Floyd's Susanna and 'Vissi d'arte' from Puccini's Tosca.  Her impassioned performance led to an ovation.

After the Intermission, Yevgeny Kutik took the stage- in every sense of the word. This incredible young violinist has been conquering the world of music every since John Ferris and I first heard him nine years ago. Accompanied by the estimable pianist, Timothy Bozarth, he performed a Beethoven Sonata and a Lutoslavski work that was dazzling in its scope and technical bravura.Yevgeny is the nearest thing to Heifetz I have heard in my many years of listening to violinists. He recently returned from concerts in Rostock, Germany with the Norddeutsche Philharmonic and at the Lobkowicz palace in Prague. On Friday evening he played to a sold-out house at the Embassy Series in Washington, DC. Words fail me when trying to detail the power and scope of his performance. He wipes me out!!

Yevgeny, myself, Tim

These wonderful young artists are all under the wing of the Ferris Burtis Music Foundation, which benefited from the proceeds of this concert. It has been our aim to help young classical musicians in their education and careers.

I think we have made remarkable choices with our performers. Bravi a tutti!

http://ferrisburtisfoundation.blogspot.com

www.berkshiretaconic.org