It had been nearly two years since I'd been to the Art Museum so I was looking forward to it. The Rembrandt exhibition featured not only his works, but works by his students and contemporaries of the Netherlandish art scene. When it comes to art, I'm more of a I-know-what-I-like kinda guy and have a limited art history background. Bill, however, is a painter and was an art major in college so he's my go-to guy for stuff like this. I went to him with a few questions. I'm not the biggest Rembrandt fan around and my attitude didn't change much but it was still cool to see his works. I mean, he's Rembrandt! I will say that I really liked "Landscape with the Good Samaritan", though. Oh, and his ditties about the Crucifixion were neat too. Instead, I enjoyed the works by his contemporaries more. For some reason, I wanna say that David Vinckboons' painting were the ones I enjoyed the most but I honestly cannot recall. The very Baroquey still lifes of fruit bowls were really cool. I liked how bits of the fruit had been eaten away by insects or whatever predator it was. There were lots of landscapes in the exhibition and I'm just not a big landscape guy. They were pretty, to be sure, but nothing particularly moving. Done with that, we wandered around parts of the rest of the museum, including the section featuring German artists. (Wisconsin is, by all accounts, the most German state in the Union.) Some gorgeously painted steins and some neat paintings. There were some works by a German Expressionist whose name I cannot recall that I really loved. I should try and figure out who that was…There is also a section there of works by regional artists and there was one piece in particular which caught my eye. I think the artist was from Evansville but can't be sure. It's this blue, moody street with a figure in the foreground dressed a bit like a jester with its back turned to the viewer. The outfit is all yellow and orange and contrasts with the rest of the scene. Good stuff!
Around 5, Bill and Pam had to bail to catch dinner at Bill's parents' home. We said our goodbyes in the dark and the rain and I was off to Water Street to find a temporary home until it was symphony time.
I found shelter at the Water Street Brewery. I got me a pint of Oktoberfest and watched the Badgers get their asses handed to them in the 4th quarter. Since I was going to the symphony primarily to hear a work by a German composer and was drinking a German-style bier, I ordered the super-sausage platter for dinner. A nice hearty meal to beat back the rain and chilly weather raging outside. A couple wursts, sauerkraut, and spaetzle. Quite tasty! The joint started hoppin' and I took my leave. I went to my car and grabbed a bit of reading material and then found a nice seat at the Marcus Center. Before long, a pre-concert hoolie began in which Carmina Burana was discussed. It didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know about the history of the piece but I found out how it's being sampled today. The gentleman started by saying the exact same things I said to The Dulcinea when introducing the piece to her. You may not know the piece but you've heard it. Or, more precisely, you've heard the opening part, "O Fortuna". It was featured in the film The Omen, perhaps most famously. The presenter contacted Orff's publisher who said that the rights have been given out for use in film, commercials, etc. well over 500 times. He also played snippets of a few techno songs that used samples from it. Pretty much everyone has heard one part or another of Carmina Burana whether they know it or not. Soon enough, showtime neared and I took my seat.
One thing I didn't expect to happen was for me to fall in love. Yes, I've fallen in love with Associate Concertmaster, Samantha George.
Isn't she just dreamy?! With her long, wavy red hair and that sexy black dress…mmm…Oh Samantha, let me catch a ride on your violin strung upon your bow. I'll float on your melody and sing your chorus soft and low. I'm not sure what an Associate Concertmaster does, exactly, besides sitting next to the first violinist. But she does it oh so well.
Anyway, back to the music. The program featured Stravinsky's Chant du Rossignol and one of my favorites, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I wasn't familiar with the Stravinsky piece but it was quite good. Also known as The Song of the Nightingale, it was based on Hans Christian Anderson's story, "The Nightingale". It was fun as a local actress came out and read the story aloud during the performance. But I was there to hear Orff's masterpiece, Carmina Burana. In submitting it to his publisher, he wrote, "Everything I have written to date, and which you have, unfortunately, printed, can be destroyed. With Carmina Burana, my collected works begin
The history of the piece, in brief: Orff was introduced to a collection of 13th century poems that were discovered in 1803. He chose a couple dozen of the poems and wrote his piece around them. Written mostly in Latin (as well as Middle High German and Old French), the poems selected by Orff concern Fate, spring, the vulgar activities of tavern life, and courtly love.
The performance last night was, to say the least, awesome! Not only do you have the orchestra, but also the MSO Choir, the Milwaukee Children's Chorus, and tenor, soprano, and baritone soloists. It's a BIG production. And, having had several years of Latin, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing a massive chorus singing in that tongue. You just can't beat the roar of the orchestra with the bombast of tympanis while a massive chorus sings in Latin about the fickleness of Fate. The movement concerning spring has a melody as catchy as any song by The Beatles with very naughty lyrics such as:
"Shopkeeper, give me colour
to make my cheeks red,
so that I can make the young men
love me, against their will.
Look at me,
young men!
Let me please you!"
You can bet your sweet ass I was looking at Ms. George during this part with a copulatory gaze. Actually, my eyes teared-up during this section. It was just one of those odd emotional moments. The music was fantastic and, in my mind, I had visions of young maidens dancing around a fire just like in The Wicker Man, and…and…I dunno. It was just a strange but wonderful moment.
The part about taverns featured lyrics that showed that tavern life hasn't changed much in 800 years.
"The poor man drinks, the sick man drinks,
the exile drinks, and the stranger,
the boy drinks, the old man drinks,
the bishop drinks, and the deacon,
the sister drinks, the brother drinks,
the old lady drinks, the mother drinks,
this man drinks, that man drinks,
a hundred drink, a thousand drink."
The only part that would be out of place today was "Cignus ustus cantat (The Roast Swan)". The tenor, John Osborn, did a fantastic job as the swan bemoaning its fate. His performance was imbued with a bit of humor and his singing wasn't overly dramatic.
The section about courtly love was great too, though of a very different tone than the rest of the piece. Very beautiful and I must say that the Milwaukee Children's Chorus did a great job. A reprise of "O Fortuna" closes out the piece. The audience went crazy apeshit bonkers and gave everyone a well-deserved standing O. In fact, some folks applauded after the movement about spring, which is a definite no-no at classical concerts but I think conductor Andreas Delfs didn't mind one bit. Speaking of Mr. Delfs, if it weren't a classical concert, I would write that he was up there shaking his bum. I mean, he was at the podium waving his baton like a madman, turning every which way – the man wasn't still for a moment.
And so it was a great time. The weather sucked, however. It was cold and rainy the whole day. The drive home was a bit perilous as I ran into some patches of heavy rain – I think I hydroplaned the whole way. Just a reminder that winter will be here anon.
No comments:
Post a Comment