Thurs, March 21

I am at all-day PD, but I need everyone to be productive....so due at the close of class:

You will find below two musical reviews. Tomorrwo you will commit to your choice of a second review. This will give you insight into what constitutes a well-written concert review.  Please read and respond to the questions as pertains to each review. Send along as usual.

The Irrera Brothers, violinist John, and pianist Joseph, list many credentials separately as soloists, but in Weill Hall this February they joined together in a performance as a duo. It is always interesting when talented soloists play together, but when they are siblings, there is an additional layer of interest. One would expect a connection between the players that would be hard to match. By and large, I found this to be the case.

Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 96 opened the program. There were balance issues at the very beginning, with the piano covering the violin, and the playing was somewhat tentative. The notes were all there, and there were moments of beauty, but I was hoping for more. Perhaps there was some nervousness at first. The Chaconne in G minor from Italian composer Tomaso Antonio Vitali (1663-1745) followed the Beethoven and whatever nerves might have present prior had happily abated. The balance was excellent, the shaping of the dramatic lines was strongly realized, and the brothers were right with each other as they built the tension into a fever pitch.

The second half opened with the World Premiere of “Bow Shock” by Russell Scarbrough (b. 1972). Written for the Irrera Brothers in 2012, this is a work that showcases their individual and duo talents to the hilt. The composer in his program notes stated, “the term ‘Bow Shock’ comes from the field of aerodynamics and refers to a curved shock wave that proceeds a solid body moving through the atmosphere at supersonic speeds. It’s a great image for this music…and I couldn’t resist the double-entendre with the word ‘bow’.” It is a jazz-tinged, driving, hyper-energetic work that invites the listener to fasten his seatbelt for the ride. It was a win-win-win: the Irreras can be well pleased that this work shows them to such great advantage. Scarbrough should be delighted with such accomplished musicians giving his music such a dynamic performance. Finally, the listener gets the best of both worlds! After this wild ride, it was time to come back to earth with Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 from Clara Schumann (1819-1896). These works were composed as a gift for the legendary violinist Joseph Joachim. These pieces might at first glance seem light works for the salon, but they require subtlety from the violinist and pianist alike. The Irreras clearly grasped this concept and delivered a performance full of grace, wit, and charm. Ending the program was the Sonata for Violin and Piano in D major, Op. 94a by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). Originally scored for flute and piano, it was modified for violin by the composer at the request of his close friend, the great violinist David Oistrakh. This work, although “classical” in form, is unmistakably Prokofiev with its humor, lyricism, and driving energy. The Irreras evidently have a special affinity for this work, as it was a riveting performance. It was the highlight of a very successful concert.

The brothers offered two encores, The first was an arrangement of Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 (“for Chopin’s birthday,” stated Joseph Irrera, although Chopin himself always stated his birth date as March 1). The second was “Danse espagnole” from Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve,  as arranged by Fritz Kreisler in 1926.

-Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review; New York, NY
1. Who were the musicians and what instruments were they playing?
 2.What musical pieces were specifically  played?
3. Give two textual examples that illustrate the reviewer's impression of the performance.
4. . Why was this particular concert notable?
5.  What indication is given within the review that the writer is credible?


#2

Fuse Jazz Concert Reviews: 35th annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert

John Coltrane left this plane of existence 45 years ago. Exactly 10 years later, on July 17, 1977, the first John Coltrane Memorial Concert was held in a small performance space in Boston. As the tradition grew, so did its audience, and the event has occupied Northeastern University’s Blackman Auditorium since 1986. The 35th anniversary concert was held on November 3, 2012, proving that Coltrane’s music and memory continue to strongly hold sway in the hearts and souls of musicians and audiences alike.

It is to the credit of the concert’s founders, which include the saxophonist Dr. Leonard Brown, who serves as associate professor of music and African American studies at Northeastern, and percussionist Syd Smart, that the JCMC has evolved into more than simply a celebration of a master musician—important though that is. Over the years, the concert has also provided a platform for honoring people for their contributions to jazz music and history, and since 1992 the John Coltrane Memorial Concert Educational Outreach Program has brought live performances of creative improvisational music to elementary and secondary students in schools throughout Boston and Cambridge. Earlier this year, the Friends of the John Coltrane Memorial Concert became registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
But getting back to the concert. This year’s honorees were saxophonist Andy McGhee and former WGBH jazz disk jockey Steve Schwartz. McGhee, honored on the night of his 85th birthday, was recognized for his long career as a musician, in which he performed with the bands of Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, and Count Basie, as well as an educator at the Berklee College of Music. Schwartz, whose status as a beloved presenter of jazz has been elevated even higher in recent months due to his becoming a martyr for the sake of WGBH’s commitment to money over music, received a hero’s welcome and a warm embrace from his former colleague, Eric Jackson, who reprised his traditional role as master of ceremonies for the event.

The concert’s special guest was local girl made good Terri Lyne Carrington, who hails from Medford, Massachusetts, and was a drum phenom by the time she was a teenager. Anchoring the John Coltrane Memorial Ensemble seemed second nature to Carrington, whose ability to build a tight yet fluid groove was on display all evening. Though her solo spots were few and short, she added considerable energy to a band that was chock full of local legends and young lions.
Briefly, the ensemble featured Carl Atkins, Brown, McGhee, Bill Pierce, and Stan Strickland on saxophones; Bill Banfield on electric guitar; Consuelo Candelaria-Barry on piano; Tim Ingles and John Lockwood on electric and acoustic bass, respectively; Ricardo Monzon on percussion; and Emmett G. Price III on piano and keyboards. On some tunes, the entire ensemble played, while others featured different, smaller configurations.
The program opened with two tunes from Coltrane’s Blue Train album: the title track, which featured short solos from a number of the players, and “Moment’s Notice,” which proffered a sprightly arrangement by Pierce. That was followed by Price’s hornless arrangement of “Impressions,” with a small electric group consisting of Banfield (who unleashed a torrid solo), Ingles, and Price, supported by the acoustic rhythms of Carrington and Monzon. That was followed by a lovely reading of the somewhat obscure early ‘60s Coltrane composition “Central Park West” from Coltrane’s Sound, deftly arranged by Atkins. The first half of the program concluded with one of the highlights of the evening, “Equinox,” arranged and conducted by Banfield, with Strickland distinguishing himself on both baritone sax and flute while Carrington kept up a busy and funky beat.

After a brief intermission, a photo slideshow of images from previous concerts aired on a screen while a recording of “After the Rain” from an early ‘90s concert played in the background. Following that, Strickland, clearly on a roll, powerfully led his own arrangement of “Selflessness,” one of Coltrane’s major works from his fertile 1965 period. In the original, Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders shared sax duties; at the concert, Atkins played Sanders to Strickland’s Coltrane, which resulted in some hot blowing.
That was followed by a beautiful duet arrangement of “After the Rain” with Candelaria-Barry (the arranger) and Pierce, who demonstrated a stunning ability to articulate softly and lyrically on tenor. “Resolution,” the second part of the miraculous A Love Supreme, came next. Arranged by Brown, the piece showed that the ensemble was equal to the composition. The final number was “Peace on Earth,” a soothing culmination of all the emotions unleashed over the course of the concert. A richly deserved standing ovation capped another successful John Coltrane Memorial Concert, with everyone present already impatiently awaiting next year’s edition.

1. Who were the musicians and what instruments were they playing?
 2.What musical pieces were specifically  played?
3.Give two textual examples that illustrate the reviewer's impression of the performance.
4. . Why was this particular concert notable?
5. What indication is given within the review that the writer is credible?
6.How did the the audience respond to the performance? (use text)