Eastman - Musica Nova - Steve Reich

I am continually reminded how lucky I am to live in Rochester. Sometimes it’s the relief of not living in an extreme-weather part of the country, other times it’s the ease of getting around the area relatively traffic-free. Mostly, though, it’s because of the richness of the performing arts offerings in the Rochester area.

This time, I was lucky enough to attend a free concert at the Eastman School of Music (ESM) featuring the music of and a performance by legendary composer Steve Reich. I studied his compositions in a college Electronic Music class, which I ended up dropping (I had no problem mastering the machines or splicing reel-to-reel tape, but the entire course grade was based on an original composition, and I didn’t have an original thought to my name!). But his “Come Out” haunted me for years (click on the title to hear on youtube). And I was lucky that I arrived in time to find one of the last empty seats in the packed Kilbourn Hall. I joked to the young man next to me that they should have charged for tickets, and he replied, “No, the music belongs to the people!”

(photo by Ian Oliver, on Wikipedia)

Curious whether the older audience members were there because it was free or had actually heard of Steve Reich, I chatted with the two octogenarians to my other side. One said that she had taught dance at SUNY Brockport in the 1970s and had used Reich’s music to dance to – oh my! The other admitted she’d never heard of him, but figured she’d still enjoy the concert. Her head bobbed and her hands tapped the entire evening. The program began with the unassuming Reich performing “Clapping Music” with Brad Lubman, Associate Professor of Conducting. It was riveting to watch. Here is a link to Reich performing in London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lesDb9GsQm4 and another of the scrolling score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzkOFJMI5i8. Genius!

Reich left the stage after much applause, and the ESM portion of the concert began, with the hypnotic “Quartet” of two pianists and two vibraphones. It was harmonically and rhythmically complex, and you could hear the vibes players breathing together as they prepared for fresh attacks. The students certainly rose to the challenge of Reich’s program notes explanation that the piece “calls for a high level of ensemble virtuosity.” Lubman returned to the stage to conduct “Radio Rewrite,” based on two Radiohead songs. There could be no subtlety in his movement, or the cohesion would be lost, and his broad, angular strokes reminded me of the people who direct traffic on airport runways.

I wonder if I will ever cease being amazed at the level of musicianship of the Eastman students. Or that you can enjoy this music for free (apparently, Eastman students present over 700 free concerts each year). We are so lucky there are still so many students willing and able to pursue a music degree, which may or may not provide post-graduation employment. And that Rochester has one of the few elite institutions that provide that education.

RPO "Behind the Scenes"

I have always been curious about how an orchestra puts together its schedule, since it seems to be a puzzle with so many interdependent pieces. So I was excited when I got the invitation to attend a Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra “Behind the Scenes” presentation, at which Dick Decker, RPO Vice President of Artistic Administration, would share “his insight on crafting the upcoming concert series.” Who, you might ask? It turns out Dick Decker is the wizard behind the RPO curtain. In order to put together a season, he coordinates with the RPO conductors (Stare, Tyzik, Butterman, and Seaman), the RPO musicians, and the potential guest artists and conductors and their agents, all while keeping his eye on the budget.

There was the potential for this to be a pretty dry presentation, but Decker actually has quite a sense of humor. For example, Stare puts together his initial wish list, regardless of budget or audience appetite for a performance, and then the discussion begins, with Decker trying to be as supportive as he can; but he admitted that “every now and then we agree to disagree.” He occasionally peppered his talk by hitting a button that said “no no no no” to emphasize when he’d had to push back against something Stare wanted. Decker is “an ombudsman for the audience” as well as the orchestra, as he demonstrated when he said “no” to a really heavy opera Stare favored. He hit that button again when he told us his reply to Stare’s desire to do an opera “festival” (thank you, Dick Decker!).

Stare’s programming initiatives for the 2016/2017 season are fairly ambitious: to showcase our wonderful orchestra (including featuring them as soloists) while also bringing in dynamic guest artists (including vocal soloists), to balance well known symphonic works with newer works, and to make room in the season for American music as well as opera. In addition, he wanted personally to participate in concerts series beyond the regular Philharmonic evenings, like the Sunday series, and concerts for elementary students and in the broader community.

The season planning process begins with determining the available Kodak Hall dates after the Eastman School of Music sets its schedule (e.g., for opera, Meliora, Eastman Presents, Jazz Festival). The Pops are scheduled first, to fit Tyzik’s schedule, and what’s left are the nights for the Philharmonics. Then they look at repertoire, with an eye towards balancing various concerns: works that are new, challenging, and interesting for the orchestra vs. familiar and comfortable to the audience; works the RPO already owns or that are in the public domain vs. new (written in the last 75 years) works that can be expensive to rent; larger works requiring extra musicians at $1000 apiece vs. smaller similar works.

The guest artist and guest conductor piece of the puzzle can get quite challenging. For example, while the RPO generally plans 18-months out, many “top of the food chain” guests artists, like Yo-Yo Ma, are booking 4-5 years out! Decker also told the story of almost scheduling Lisa Batiashvili, renowned Georgian violinist, whom the RPO could not normally afford. Apparently, she was looking to fill a particular date in her touring schedule (also to bolster her visa application), and would work within the RPO’s budget. Alas, after much back and forth, the date fell through.

In selecting guest artists, Stare and Decker consider the artists’ history (have they been here before, and when?), availability, repertoire, and fees, as well as the RPO musicians’ wishes and experiences (particularly true when selecting guest conductors). Decker ran us through the evolution of several performances on the schedule, showing how the first and last drafts are often completely different. For example, for the Fabien Gabel program, the proposed set was completely changed after Gabel and Juliane Athayde consulted, and included a piece that Stare had to reject, because he wanted to conduct it himself! There is also back and forth with guest artists about the repertoire, with “artists higher up the food chain” (a favorite expression) having more input.

Decker packed a lot of information (and slides) into an hour, and I left with an immense appreciation of the care and effort that goes into selecting a season in general, and the upcoming one in particular. We are lucky to have such a wonderful group of musicians in the RPO, and to have someone like Decker working to ensure that the organization is appreciated and sustainable.

For more information on the upcoming season: http://www.rpo.org/s_1/s_301/2016-17_Subscriptions/

Geva’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Seeing three plays in three days is nothing new for me, but seeing the same play three days in a row? That’s a first! However, each time was from a different perspective. This is a play which should elicit a “can you believe this kind of thing ever happened?” instead of “can you believe this kind of thing still happens?” Harper Lee must have been disappointed that 55 years after her book was published, audiences could still identify with it, rather than read it as literature within a historical context. Even though I’ve seen the movie many times (if you add up all the fractional channel-cruising times), Mark Cuddy’s production, with a beautifully creative set designed by John Haldoupis, had a freshness and immediacy that brought me close to tears each time.

From our regular seats

On Wednesday night, my husband and I saw the production for the first time, and we were both engrossed. Skip Greer was Atticus Finch, and the kids who appeared that night (there are two casts of kids) were incredible. We were delighted to see a slightly more diverse (and full!) audience than usual. Several my friends, who have also seen the show, were initially confused by the appearance of five non-speaking teenagers who randomly appeared, to both watch the action and move the sets, but eventually “got” it.

In an audience of students

For select shows (this being one), Geva presents Student Matinees. The Education Department develops detailed Study Guides to help teachers prepare students to attend a performance, and meets with them beforehand, as well. So Thursday morning, I sat in the back row, behind some 8^th graders and their teacher from Northwest, who had just finished reading the book.There was lots of energy in the hall, and the initial lights out had the odd opposite effect of eliciting whoops and shouts, instead of the usual quiet. When Atticus shoots the dog, the students reacted in shock and surprise, and it took them a while to settle back down.

For the students, attending a matinee at Geva is not just about seeing a play, but also about how to behave when seeing a play. The teacher in front of me chastised a boy who was about to climb from one row to another, as if he were at a sports stadium: “You don’t do that in a theatre!” After the gun shot, and at a couple of other points when the students got raucous, I could hear a chorus of “sh”s from the teachers. But all in all, the students were extremely well behaved and respectful. And in a time when standing ovations are so routine as to be meaningless, it was refreshing to see the students remain in their seats, but applauding and cheering wildly (especially when the three children took their bows).

After the performance, most of the schools departed, but some remained for a Talk Back with the entire cast. By then, when asked how many were first-time theatregoers, only a few hands went up, but I suspect if they’d asked the audience at the beginning, it would have been significantly more. The students had insightful questions for the actors, and answered thoughtfully the moderator’s and actors’ questions back to them. On their way out, the Northwest teacher thanked me (I had identified myself as a trustee…) very much for having them, and I replied that it was our pleasure, and that we hoped that these students would be the audience of the future.

From backstage

At Geva’s annual Summer Curtain Call fundraiser last June, I was the high bidder to “Be an Honorary Crew Member.” What an experience it turned out to be! Friday evening, I met Carolyn Pike, Stage Operations Manager, for a tour of the set and an overview of her performance responsibilities (she has many more the other hours of the week), which runs the gamut from holding doors for actors running to or from the stage, to ensuring the security of any weapons (there are two guns and knife in this show) when they are not on stage. She is also tasked with making sure everything is operational, and fixing any prop that breaks during a show (she admits she has MacGyvered a few things). She introduced me to various people as we passed them, and everyone, including the cast, was extremely friendly and welcoming. Right before they let the audience into the house, I got to watch the “fight call”: a quick run-through of the final fight scene, involving the kids.

Carolyn at her controls

Shortly before the performance started, we donned headsets (I was careful not to talk into mine!) and took our positions, Carolyn at a tiny black & white monitor of the stage, where she presses the buttons to make the scenery panels move, and I at her side (where I had a view of most of the action on stage, as well as the audience at the extreme house left). We listened as Frank Cavallo, Stage Manager, announced a full house and my presence to the crew, assembled the troops, and began calling the various cues for lights, spots, sound, set changes, and “auto” (the panels): “Standby lights 18… lights 18…go.” There was a bit of backstage drama as, between cues, Frank asked whether the actress who plays Mayella had arrived yet – she had been in a fenderbender on her way to the theatre! (Luckily, she did arrive, unharmed, in time.) Carolyn occasionally helped move or stabilize the sets, as when she held Boo’s house in place so that Jem wouldn’t knock it down when he hit it. During a particularly long cueless stretch after the dog is discovered, there was a discussion over the headset about rabies in the Rochester area.

No worries, I didn't touch anything!

At intermission, Carolyn took me down to the Green Room and I was able to chat with a couple of the actors (including the very mature Erin Mueller, who played Scout at all three performances I attended). Her dad, who is on site every performance, had unexpectedly appeared as one of the mob outside the jail, and it hadn’t fazed her. I asked Frank how many cues the show had in total, and he admitted he wasn’t sure, but he thought around 300! During the courtroom scene, which had very few cues, it was strangely quiet over the headset, but Frank reported to Carolyn and me (and everyone else who was listening) that he had counted around 175 cues in the first act, and about 125 in the second, so his instinct had been right. The funniest thing, and I had to keep from bursting out laughing, was when Frank said “damn” after the guilty verdict is read, as if perhaps tonight, Tom Robinson might have been found innocent.

If you attend Summer Curtain Call this June, I highly recommend bidding on this item, for a truly unique, informative, and fun experience. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen this production, go see it if tickets are still available!