Sprightly

A group I have played with for the past seven years, one I can actually name, has a few performances of note coming up. In fact, it seems as if the '09 ' - '10 season might mark the beginning of a 'golden age' for the Gunnelpumpers with more performances than we have done in quite a while. Brainchild of bassist Doug Johnson, the Gunnelpumers are best described by the subtitle on the band's myspace page: music by accident . Other band members include bassist Mathew Golombisky, percussionists Randy Farr, Douglas Brush and Quin Kirchner, along with Guitarist John Meyer. The group has also included a host of stellar guest artists over the years. One of the most interesting things about the group is seeing who will show up for any given performance. One of the best things is that we almost never rehearse. We might have had one, maybe two over the past seven years. More info about the Gunnelpumpers, including music and photos, may be found here . The Gunnelpumpers wil...

TCHAIKOVSKY The Storm [L'Orage], Op. 76 TCHAIKOVSKY Selections from The Snow Maiden, Op. 12 Alex Balestrieri, Narrator ----INTERMISSION---- TCHAIKOVSKY Selections from Swan Lake, Op. 20 Alexander Polianichko, Conductor Redmoon Theater Frank Maugeri, Artistic Director Alex Balestrieri, Narrator All of the concerts I've played since the week of Thanksgiving have been in the dark (sometimes both literally and figuratively) with stand lights and visual aids. I had the week conducted by Nicholas Kramer off, so I have no idea if they had pole dancers and a laser light show for those performances. It certainly seems as if we are resorting to a lot of smoke and mirrors of late. Also, since my night vision really sucks, I find playing in the dark kind of a drag. The stand lights never seem bright enough. One place I could have done with less light was on the podium. Polianichko pitched a couple of no-hitters in the four performances. I think it was the Selmer Musical Instrument Company ...

An orchestra member sent me an email regarding the appointment of Yo Yo Ma as some sort of creative consultant with our organization. Originally I was speechless, not necessarily with delight, and thought to let the matter slide until it occurred to me that Bass Blog readers might benefit from this insightful and passionate email. Certain words and initials have been redacted to conform with Bass Blog standards. With the author's permission: Hubris What’s the deal? Is it necessary to believe that you possess godlike power to be appointed {redacted} Music Director? Back in the late 80s, Sir Georg Solti saw a film of Vladimir Horowitz performing back in the disintegrating USSR after a life in exile from his native land. The audience was rapturous, many in tears as they cheered the prodigal native son. It never occurred to Sir Georg that, not being Russian himself, he might not get the same reception. Not at all. “We must go!” he insisted, arranging a hastily planned {redacted} tour...

December 3 - 6 MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto ----INTERMISSION---- MAHLER Symphony No. 4 Markus Stenz, Conductor Viviane Hagner, Violin Nicole Cabell, Soprano Gerard McBurney, Narrator William Brown, Actor Laura T. Fisher, Actress Elizabeth Buccheri, Piano The Friday and Sunday matinees are Beyond the Score performances devoted to the Mahler. I have to confess to finding these concerts uncomfortable to play. Sitting in the dark listening to lengthy dialog tends to make the mind wander, and then, before you know it, you are called upon to play some touchy little snippet taken out of context. Some further editing might help. The BTS presentation goes on for over an hour while its subject, the symphony, is more concise at about 55 minutes. On the other hand, if I saw this on PBS (or some late night cable outlet) I would probably keep my hands off the remote for a few minutes at least. I'm in no position to judge if this all works as a live performance. To me, the most interesting things ...

November 27-29 ADDINSELL Prelude from Blithe Spirit' ARNOLD Excerpts from The Bridge on the River Kwai' JARRE Excerpts from A Passage to India BAX Three Pieces from Oliver Twist JARRE Excerpts from Dr. Zhivago JARRE Excerpts from Lawrence of Arabia ----INTERMISSION---- WILLIAMS The Magic of Harry Potter Holland Taylor, Narrator WILLIAMS Flying Theme from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (encore) WILLIAMS Marion's Theme from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (encore) WILLIAMS Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) from The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars Episode V) (encore) WILLIAMS Wide Receiver , (Theme from NBC Football) (encore) John Williams, Conductor Michael York, Narrator Holland Taylor, Narrator Well, we went from an unflinchingly rude conductor to an unfailingly polite one. The orchestra always seems a bit cowed by John Williams and he responds with the utmost cordiality. You might chalk it up to to celebrity, but I think a large part of it has to do with his net worth – inside ...