Another "Provocative Pairing" Season Performance by Mélomanie

Composer Larry Nelson (left) talks about his piece, Moonbow.

By Guest Blogger, Christine Facciolo
Christine holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music and continues to apply her voice to all genres of music. An arts lover since childhood, she currently works as a freelance writer.

Mélomanie capped its season with one of its most eclectic programs to date. Sunday’s concert treated its audience to a Delaware premiere, a fiery Latin tango and several interesting representatives of the Baroque era.

Moonbow, the second premiere of the season, is a commission from Larry Nelson, a colleague of Mélomanie flautist Kimberly Reighley at West Chester University. In case you’re wondering, a moonbow is a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon (rather than from direct sunlight) refracting off moisture in the air. The subject matter fits nicely with Nelson’s fascination with timbre, a motivating factor in his work.

The piece consists of 13 sections, each flowing into the next and exhibiting a wide variety of musical styles. There’s a blues chorus, a pensive “cello float” and a very un-Bach-like contrapuntal section requiring each instrument’s participation.

It was pleasing to hear Richardson’s harpsichord step out from its usual supporting role. One section — Angelic over vamp I and II — had the instrument chopping chords that were tonally distinct from the rest of the ensemble. Richardson also concluded the piece, playing in gospel style.

The piece is a demanding one, and each member of the ensemble contributed a strong performance.

Argentina for flute, violin and cello by Christopher Caliendo offered a stark contrast to the introspective quality of Moonbow. Once again, Caliendo proves he knows how to write for the flute. Reighley’s fiery playing carried the piece as it got support from a punchy accompaniment of Latin rhythms provided by violinist Christof Richter and cellist Douglas McNames.

The Baroque was well-represented with works by Boismortier, Telemann and Vivaldi. The participation of guest artist violinist Daniela Pierson allowed the ensemble to program works it would not normally have been able to perform.

Guest violinist Daniela Pierson (right) performs with Mélomanie.  

The concert opened with the Sonata IV in D Major (Op.34/4) by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. Also known as the “French Telemann,” Boismortier took advantage of the demand for technically accessible and melodious music by the growing population of amateur musicians in the 18th Century. Partly for this reason, his works have not received the respect they deserve. The musicians gave a sparking performance of this short but aesthetically pleasing work that demonstrated the composer’s command of the rules of harmony and counterpoint as well as his gift for melody.

Violinists Richter and Pierson teamed up for Telemann’s Gulliver Suite, another piece written for amateur musicians. Swift’s satire gave Telemann the idea for a programmatic dance suite, each of whose movements recalls Swift’s characters with musical gestures. Richter and Pierson provided a nice interplay in the fifth and final dance — a loure —which contrasted the civilized Houyhnhnms (Richter) with the untamed Yahoos (Pierson).

The concert closed with a performance of Vivaldi’s Sonata XII in D Minor (Folia), which is actually a set of 20 variations on “La folia,” a musical theme dating back to the 15th Century. Like other composers, Vivaldi sought to emulate Corelli’s version as evidenced by his choice of virtuosic flourishes. Vivaldi takes advantage of the extra violin — provided by Pierson — to engage in imitative play.

See www.melomanie.org. 

A Bit of Musical Heaven, Courtesy of Brandywine Baroque

By Guest Blogger, Christine Facciolo
Christine holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music and continues to apply her voice to all genres of music. An arts lover since childhood, she currently works as a freelance writer.
Brandywine Baroque topped off its 2014-2015 season as it has in years past with Harpsichord Heaven, a weekend festival featuring lectures and concerts by noted musicians and scholars from across the U.S. and Canada.

Brandywine Baroque founder and artistic director Karen Flint kicked off Saturday’s “marathon” with a concert of works by Jacques Champion de Chambonnieres, the founder of the French harpsichord school. Each of the 10 visiting harpsichordists then presented 40-minute concerts every hour on the hour. The day culminated with a Bach recital performed by British-born harpsichordist/scholar Davitt Moroney of the University of California at Berkeley.

But if you were pressed for time — or in the mood for something a bit more adventurous — Sunday’s Grande Finale performance was your ticket. This extravaganza brought all 10 musicians up front playing on five vintage harpsichords from The Flint Collection. The concert offered a cross-section of styles from across Europe, including Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

Particularly noteworthy were performances of two concerti for two harpsichords. Leon Schelhase and Luc Beausejour performed the Allegro movement of Joseph Schuster’s work in D major while husband and wife harpsichordists Gwendolyn Toth and Dongsok Shin offered the Allegro movement of Johann Gottlieb Graun’s composition in B-flat major.

Flint and Moroney reprised their performance of Nicholas Carleton’s Praeludium and a Verse in D for two to play. Only one part of the manuscript exists, so Moroney supplied his part, providing some interesting facts about the piece to the audience.

It was especially pleasing to hear Flint perform her arrangement of Lebegue’s Les Cloches. Although intended for organ, the composer noted that it was “suitable” for harpsichord, and the shimmering tones of the instrument certainly brought to mind church bells.

Twenty hands on five vintage harpsichords provided plenty of opportunities for performing transcriptions. These included the Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Handel’s Solomon, the Passsacaille from Handel’s opera Radimisto, and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major.

As always, there was a “surprise” in the final performance, and this year the musicians played their version of musical chairs to Handel’s Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah. At times, it sounded as if the audience was going to break out in a full-fledged Messiah sing- along. As with any game of musical chairs, one of the participants ultimately has nowhere to sit. Here that honor was bestowed on Arthur Haas — who rose to the occasion and “conducted” the final bars of the piece.

See www.brandywinebaroque.org. 

"Because of Winn-Dixie: A New Musical” is far More Than a Children’s Show

The Delaware Theater Company’s final production of the 2014/2015 Season explores death, loss, abandonment, alcoholism, and incarceration -- themes not typically associated with a children’s show. However, Because of Winn-Dixie: A New Musical isn’t a typical children’s show. Yes, the production has a group of talented youth in lead roles; yes, it has a cute dog as the star; and yes, it has a logo that features a little girl about to shake a dog’s paw, but the show has depth and is actually about the impact adult situations have on children.

The new musical with book and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Tony award winner/recording

The Because of Winn-Dixie cast.

artist Duncan Sheik perfectly incorporates singer/songwriter, country, blues, and gospel styles to propel this coming-of-age story. Opal (Kylie McVey) and her father, Preacher (Clarke Thorell), are adjusting to life after the abandonment of Preacher’s wife/Opal’s mother and a recent move to a small southern town, where Preacher will lead a Baptist church. 

Through Opal’s adventures we meet the quirky townspeople (Miss Franny, The Librarian - Carolyn Mignini; Otis, The Pet Store Man - Christopher Ryan Grant; and Gloria, The Witch - Joilet Harris), the children who Opal befriends (the snooty bookworm Amanda Wilkinson - Leonay Shephard, the young perky Sweetie Pie Thomas - Anya Rothman, and the pesky brother duo Dunlap and Stevie Dewberry - Nicholas Barasch and Evan Dampman), and the children’s parents (single mom of two boys Jeanne Dewberry – Magie Kakis, Amanda’s standoffish parents Carl and Millie Wilkinson – David Jennings and Kimberly Fairbanks, and Sweetie Pie’s good ol’ southern parents Jiggs and Callie Thomas – Brian Michael Hoffman and Jenna Pastuszek), as well as a stray dog (Bowdie) that Opal meets at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store. Opal adopts the dog and appropriately names him after the popular southern grocery chain.

On the outside, life seems to be “normal” for the townspeople and their children, but as the show progresses it’s revealed that each family and/or person is dealing with hardship. Not wanting to face their challenges, the parents ignore the situations and don’t discuss the matters with their children, while the other townspeople are willing to share their adverse stories and become friends with the youth.      

Since the show has a somewhat complex story, director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge has the difficult task of ensuring Bowdie doesn’t upstage his human co-stars, which could lead to losing the narrative of the show. Thankfully she successfully achieves this task. She manages to give ample time to both Bowdie and his cast mates to shine on the stage, while the story comes to life.

Kylie McVey and Bowdie in Because of Winn-Dixie.

The lead human in the show shines bright, along with the rest of the cast! For being so young, Miss. McVey has a great voice and strong acting chops. She is wonderful as the brave and curious twelve-year-old Opal who longs to connect with her father and gain a better understanding of her mother’s actions. Equally as good is Mr. Thorell as Preacher. He gives a compelling performance as a man who is trying to cope with his wife’s leaving, raising a daughter on his own, and establishing himself in a new community. Their number “Thirteen Things” is touching as Preacher describes his wife’s good and bad virtues to his pre-teen daughter.

Like Miss McVey. Miss Shephard also has a great voice and strong acting chops. With remarkable stage presence, the young actress perfectly captures the feelings of a girl who maintains a tough exterior to shield her inner sadness. The reason for her steel personality is revealed during a duet with Miss McVey (the riveting and haunting number “Not True At All”). While Miss McVey’s character finds solace in her new dog, Miss Shephard’s character finds comfort in her books. Wanting to Read, rather than play with the children of the town keeps her character from establishing relationships with others. The show opens with her reading A Tale of Two Cities and towards the middle of the show she is moving onto Gone with the Wind.

Both Ms. Mignini and Mr. Grant give stirring performances in their respected roles. Ms. Mignini, the wealthy librarian with long southern roots captivates during her number “Sweet Life” -- a reminder that the Civil War wasn’t as glamorous as it is portrayed in books and films. Mr. Grant seamlessly handles his multiple duties; he not only performs the part of Otis, the ex-convict owner of the town pet store, he also plays the guitar and at times interacts with the band.

The highlight of the show is Ms. Harris’s explosive performance as a town outsider, Gloria. The children believe Gloria a witch, because she mysteriously hangs empty bottles on her tree. The unpleasant reasons for hanging the bottles are revealed during her exuberant show stopping number “Bottle Tree Blues”! She brings great humor and style to this dark, but upbeat song.

Of course I have to mention Bowdie as Winn-Dixie. Expertly trained by Tony award winner William

The children of Because
of Winn Dixie.

Berloni, the shaggy dog follows both voice and touch commands (without having to get a treat). Only a person with a cold heart wouldn’t fall in love with the lanky 85 pound standard poodle mix. 

Bowdie is very fortunate to play on a fantastic set by Allen Moyer. With an elevated tier for the band, set pieces easily enter and exit the grocery store-like checkered floor stage. To invoke the southern charm atmosphere, Mr. Moyer has decorated the proscenium of the stage with pictures of Winn-Dixie stores and other southern images.

Make sure you see Because of Winn Dixie: A New Musical before it closes and moves to Broadway. The show runs through May 3, at the Delaware Theatre Company. In honor of producing a show that features a dog, DTC will host three community adoption events between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM on April 18 (Delaware SPCA), April 25 (Faithful Friends) and May 2 (Delaware Humane Association). A ticket to the show is not required to attend the adoption events. Visit www.delawaretheatre.org  or call 302.594.1100 for additional information and tickets.