The Week Over-Heard #6
Should Have Worn Lifts
I made the crucial error — attending the premiere of Terry Riley’s The Holy Liftoff at Public Records on Thursday, May 2 — of standing behind someone who was six-foot-three.
Because of that, over the course of the 90-minute, standing-room concert, it was hard to ignore my aching tiptoes.
The concert — featuring flutist Claire Chase with the JACK Quartet — was the unofficial start to the Long Play Festival, a three-day, 50-concert marathon.
Riley’s Liftoff, realized by composer Samuel Clay Birmaher, is part of Chase’s “Density” project, commissioned for The Kitchen.
Color drawings, which decorated Public Records’ walls, were an important part in Riley’s compositional process.
“An angel in a cowboy hat does a backflip over the tempo marking,” describes Jenny Judge in the program notes. “On page two, another angel in a tank-top floats over the music, smoking a cigar and towing a halo behind him that looks remarkably like a deep-fried onion ring.”
On one of these drawings is the “Holy Liftoff chorale,” with claustrophobic harmonies, that starts the piece. Chase played along to a pre-recorded, multi-flute track — making me wonder what was live, and what was not.
The amped JACK seemed, at times, to be in “waiting mode.” The recording was most effective when it seemed to finish Chase’s sentences.
The Holy Liftoff had lightness alongside heaviness. The flute sounding, at times, like a trickling stream, or birdsong. At other times, sawing eighth notes and scratchy sul ponticello viola
But the high (or rather, low) point was Chase’s contrabass flute. When Chase played this beast, you could hear the slap of the keys more than anything.
But, adding some drama to the evening — after Chase placed the flute in its stand, it began to fall in slo-mo, to be narrowly caught by a stagehand. (At this point, I thought I might keel over, too)
“All rise!” slurred a recording of Riley, talking into his beard. The final section had Chase venomous, almost spitting, with the quartet throwing in the towel.
Swann Song
I've written pretty extensively about drag-opera crossover. But I’ve never sensed quite so much potential in a project as Tamar-kali’s The Swann — excerpts of which I saw at the Harlem Stage on Saturday, May 4.
This chamber-opera-in-progress is about William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved “queen of drag,” who, in the late 19th-century, held America’s first documented “drag balls,” which were subject to police raids.
I must admit that when a filmed snippet (titled just Swann) streamed as part of PROTOTYPE, I was, musically, underwhelmed.
But Saturday’s performance showed Tamar-kali’s talent for leitmotifs — taking many of the same melodies (and lines from Carl Hancock Rux’s libretto) as the film and developing them.
She chose a dark instrumentation — with choppy strings (violist Ina Paris and bassist Jason DiMatteo) and plodding piano (Adam Rothenberg).
As well as a Greek chorus (bass Hans Tashjian, tenor Brian Golub, and countertenor Ken Alston Jr.) in red opera gloves
“Child please,” intoned bass Brian McQueen as Swann,” I wouldn’t be caught dead in a woolen gown” McQueen had a gorgeous timbre (and presence), but questionable enunciation.
Mezzo Tesia Kwarteng added a mythical element as the Yoruba goddess Oshun. “Men dressed as girls!” sang countertenor Daniel Moody as the, clearly intrigued, officer.
In the Q&A, Tamar-kali said she was inspired by Jesus Christ Superstar to cast this highest-of-male-voice-types as the antagonist. “People assume the drag queen would be a countertenor,” she said.
Instead, subverting expectations, the officer is “coded as closeted.”
Coming down the PP2S pike:
Ted Hearne’s Law of Mosaics at New York City Ballet runs Wednesday, May 15 through Friday, May 24
Adam Schoenberg’s Automation kicks off the MATA Festival at Fotografiska on Wednesday, May 15
Anthony Roth Costanzo stars in Orfeo ed Euridice at the Met Opera opening Thursday, May 16
Opera Essentia plays en plein air at the Campos Community Garden on Friday, May 24 and Saturday, May 25
Philip Glass’s Music in Twelve Parts celebrates its 50th at The Town Hall on Saturday, May 25
New York Choral Society presents “The Unicorn” at NYU Skirball on Thursday, May 30
Bryce McClendon’s The Smallest Sound, in the Smallest Space makes its Lincoln Center premiere on Thursday, May 30
Reuning and Sons is “Celebrating Women Luthiers” Monday, June 3 through Sunday, June 9
ChamberQUEER kicks off the Constellation Festival on Tuesday, June 11
Sapphira Cristál and Monét X Change take Lincoln Center on Wednesday, June 12
Baruch Performing Arts Center hosts Queer the Ballet Friday, June 21 through Sunday, June 23.
Jasmine Rice LaBeija performs as part of Carnegie Hall Citywide on Thursday, June 27
Experiments in Opera’s “Five Ways to Die” runs Thursday, June 27 through Sunday, June 30