musicians | The Sleepless Critic

REVIEW: Accompanied by A Far Cry, NPR’s Rob Kapilow made an enthusiastic return to Boston with an American classic for Celebrity Series of Boston’s ‘What Makes it Great’ series

Posted on February 13, 2023 by The Sleepless Critic

Though NPR’s famous composer, conductor, author, and music commentator Rob Kapilow has unveiled quite a few eye catching music details over the years with Celebrity Series of Boston from Swing to Broadway to carols and much more, perhaps the most interesting takeaway from Aaron Copland’s classical music composition Appalachian Spring is that it is not about Appalachia nor is it about spring.

Making his return to NEC’s golden and gleaming Jordan Hall in person for the first time in front of an audience since the pandemic, NPR’s Rob Kapilow covered some fascinating music territory in What Makes it Great? with Rob Kapilow and a Far Cry Inventing America Part 2 Copland’s Appalachian Spring: An American Voice for Classical Music on Sunday, February 5 at Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. The show ran for 120 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Click here for more information on Rob, here for more on A Far Cry, and here for more information about Celebrity Series of Boston.

Kapilow guided the audience through Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring with greater technical zeal and an interactive approach than he has in some of his past performances. Part teacher, humorist, and historian, Rob Kapilow has been performing the What Makes It Great series for approximately 15 years, expertly uncovering a new way to connect to a vast array of music and encouraging the listener to experience this music in an entirely new way from technical composition to its emotional impact.

As beautiful and fanciful as Appalachian Spring sounds, it is neither about Appalachia nor spring and was entirely imagined by Copland who was a Jewish immigrant from Brooklyn. What is so wondrous about this 40s piece is how Copland creates this imaginary and extraordinary world, a piece which was originally called House of Victory, and how it has been historically associated with America over the years. Kapilow uses a bit of a different approach for this particular work by expounding on the technical and mechanical side of the piece and inviting the audience to actively participate in the song’s musical patterns and rhythms. Appalachian Spring is also associated with lyrics and it is a based on the Shaker melody, Simple Gifts, and Rob spends a wealth of time on the mechanics of the piece and how it ties together. It is a method that would thrill classical music fans, music enthusiasts, and musicians alike. He even exposes the subtle intricacies of Copland’s inherent confidence, style, and how to identify it in Copland’s other works.

Grammy-nominated Chamber Orchestra A Far Cry Photo courtesy of A Far Cry

Adorned in suits, ties, and gowns, Grammy nominated and self-conducted chamber orchestra A Far Cry worked seamlessly with Kapilow as he broke down each aspect of the piece, a feat not easy to do with Kapilow’s specific stops and starts. A Far Cry has made its way around the world since they started in 2007 and what sets this orchestra apart from others is the open communication between each musician. A Far Cry reflected just how important it is to remain in sync with the group, especially since they must connect without a conductor. Their camaraderie and chemistry as they play is compelling to witness as they direct each other with each note.

Copland’s Appalachian Spring has a unique zest, playfulness and peppy thrill of nature through harp and chime as well as calm with a western tinge as Rob explains its historical significance and just why the piece is so enjoyable through each note’s placement, rest, and orchestration.

Appalachian Spring was a childhood favorite for Kapilow’s which was perfectly clear through his personal and humorous anecdotes and the natural and engaging enthusiasm he exhibited throughout the production. Rob is always teaching something new to even some of the most trained and learned music enthusiasts. It was easy to see he has missed the live audience and judging from the audience’s resounding applause and standing ovation, they have missed him too.

Celebrity Series of Boston continues its digital and in person season which includes Jason Moran and the Big Bandwagon on February 17, Dreamers Circus on February 24, Aoife Donovan on March 17, and David Sedaris on April 2, and the return of Alvin Ailey on May 4. Click here to see Sleepless Critic’s past review of Dreamers Circus. Click here to see the full list of Celebrity Series of Boston’s upcoming events.

REVIEW: Featuring Grammy award-winning mezzo-soprano Krista River and special guest musicians, A Far Cry ended season with a stirring ‘Sunset’

Posted on May 23, 2022 by The Sleepless Critic

Having witnessed A Far Cry’s triumphant return to performing live and in person last September as they kicked off their 15th season with Circle of Life, it was an honor and fitting to review Sunset, A Far Cry’s final concert of the season. Sunset was originally scheduled for March 2020 and this Grammy-nominated, self-directed chamber orchestra was thrilled to finally present it onstage. With a heartfelt introduction by Sarah Darling, Boston-based A Far Cry brought a diverse repertoire of suspense, tragedy, and soaring vocals by mezzo-soprano Krista River before joining a collection of promising musicians including Project STEP for a robust finale.

A Far Cry criers at Jordan Hall Boston MA Photo credit to A Far Cry

Following opening group Project STEP, A Far Cry took the gorgeous Jordan Hall stage in Boston, MA for their final concert on Friday, May 13 for 90 minutes with no intermission. A Far Cry will cap off their 15^th season with a Spring Soiree on June 1 at the Nathaniel Allen Center for Arts and Culture in Newton, MA. The event includes a sneak peek of next season, outdoor cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a charity auction with the option to attend in person or virtually. Click here for more information and here for a look at A Far Cry’s upcoming season.

Elegantly dressed in flowing dresses and suits, A Far Cry opened their final concert with all 18 criers for Julius Eastman’s Joy Boy. A piece likened to the feeling of falling in love, Joy Boy has a trickling and mounting intensity as the orchestra gradually comes to life. It is fascinating to watch the ebb and flow in Joy Boy’s soothing opening rhythms which escalate to a gripping crescendo before lulling into its resonating finale.

Imagine moments before a stunning discovery in a suspenseful film. That’s the escalating tension built around Lutoslawski’s fiery Musique Funebre, Spanish for Funeral Music. A Far Cry performs this chilling and somber dirge with rich, Hitchcockian flair enhanced by a stroke of the viola and plucking, creeping rhythms. Fueled by searing drama and violin-tinged, pulsing urgency, A Far Cry plays furiously to bring this masterful work to an exciting and astounding climax that might leave you with a few goose bumps by the finale.

‘Il Tramonto Photo credit to Sarah Darling/A Far Cry

Led by Grammy award-winning mezzo-soprano Krista River’s airy and soaring vocals, A Far Cry took on Respighi’s classic piece, Il Tramonto, which is an Italian phrase translated as The Sunset. It is a popular piece having been featured in films such as the western classic, The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Adorned in a shimmering blue gray gown with her hair swept into an updo, River’s expressive vocals and her stirring countenance brings out the surreal poignancy of this tragic romance. Based on a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Il Tramonto has a moving story behind it and possibly inspired by a real life disaster in Indonesia.

Mezzo-soprano Krista River Photo credit to A Far Cry

A Far Cry recalled how music has been “cathartic journey” and like many in the arts and beyond, the love for the arts has been tested, especially in the last few years. Joined by promising musicians in New England Conservatory, NEC Prep, and Project STEP, A Far Cry brought this concert to a robust and wondrous close with Vicente Lusitano’s Aspice Domine and Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme, the latter dedicated to an inspiring teacher that encouraged young musicians to pursue their musical aspirations. Highlighted by a duo of skilled violinists, this group of musicians brought A Far Cry’s 15^th season to a glorious close with a mix of fragility, power, and a stirring finale.

Students in Project STEP Photo credit to Project STEP/A Far Cry

A Far Cry will cap off their 15^th season with a Spring Soiree on June 1 at the Nathaniel Allen Center for Arts and Culture in Newton, MA. The event includes a sneak peek of next season, outdoor cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a charity auction with the option to attend in person or virtually. Click here for more information and here for a look at A Far Cry’s upcoming season.

REVIEW SpeakEasy Stage’s ‘Once’ a celebration even within its quiet moments

Posted on March 25, 2019 by The Sleepless Critic

Dancing fiddlers and a rollicking music celebration is only the beginning. Directed by Paul Melone and adapted from the 2007 romantic musical film of the same name, The SpeakEasy Stage Company presents the Tony Award-winning musical, Once extended through Sunday, April 7 at the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Welcoming early arrivals to the show is a lively, comical, pre-show band that is also part of the talented Once cast. Each cast member is also a musician and they all get their moment to shine. With naturally flowing choreography by Ilyse Robbins, stomping guitarists and dueling fiddlers joyfully romp in a freestyle dance with the drummer. The band has such personality and the performance is a wonderful preface to a quietly beautiful love story about a pair of lonely musicians who long for their place in the world.

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Eric Levenson’s absorbing set design enhances the production’s soulful atmosphere, featuring instruments hanging around a brick arch while musicians pop up sporadically during the production. Though Once is set in Dublin, takes a lot at Czech and Irish traditions. Guy is a lonely, sensitive street performer from Northside Dublin. Portrayed with tight lipped earnestness by Nile Scott Hawver, Guy expresses his raw emotion through his songwriting, immediately leaving an impact with his first number, Leave.

Guy meets Girl, a talkative Czech pianist portrayed with quirky charm by Mackenzie Lesser-Roy. Their immediate, humorous chemistry and her heartening, compassionate demeanor toward him is a particular highlight only topped by their remarkable duets, heightened during the show’s signature song, Falling Slowly.

Hawver does an impressive job portraying Guy’s gradual vulnerability while showing off his comic chops, especially during the song Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy, but it is Lesser-Roy who shines, her chiming voice delivering a stirring rendition of The Hill and If You Want Me. She carries a longing and loneliness she recognizes in Guy and her plucky, irrepressible optimism leaves a mark on everyone she meets.

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Once also has its share of amusing moments. Billy Butler is hilarious as hot blooded, macho music shop owner, Billy. Jeff Song is a delight as Bank Manager in a wildly enthusiastic version of Abandoned in Bandon. Jacob Brandt and Kathy St. George are charming as perpetual dreamer Andrej and as candid, strong-willed Girl’s mother Baruska respectively.

The songs on Once’s acoustic, fiddle-laden soundtrack contain timeless, contemplative messages and the ensemble certainly contributes to its playful moments, but Once’s greatest strength is its subtle nuances and the impalpable stillness within this simple tale, most evident in the ensemble’s lovely, a capella version of Gold. Love can a simple, quiet declaration that lingers long after the show is over.

SpeakEasy Stage presents the Tony Award-winning musical, Once extended through Sunday, April 7 at the Calderwood Pavilion, 539 Tremont Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Click here for more information and for tickets. Click here for a closer look at the SpeakEasy Stage and its 2019 season.

Flutist Sarah Paysnick delves into Grand Harmonie’s rollicking ‘March Madness’ concerts

Posted on March 17, 2017 by The Sleepless Critic

For a musician, choosing the right instrument is the key to success. For Grand Harmonie flutist and co-founder Sarah Paysnick, family and Sesame Street played a big part in her choosing the right one. When a group of successful musicians got together to pursue something new and exciting, the innovative and eclectic music ensemble, Grand Harmonie was born.

Grand Harmonie in action Photo courtesy of Sarah Paysnick

Grand Harmonie will deliver March Madness, two exciting and inventive concerts that mixes a little bit of everything. Featuring conductor Scott Allen Jarrett and soprano Jacquelyn Stucker with horn by Yoni Kahn, March Madness kicks off on Friday, March 24 at Arts at the Armory in Somerville, Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 26, March Madness will take the stage at the Second Church of Newton in West Newton, Massachusetts at 3 p.m.

Grand Harmonie Scott Allen Jarrett conductor

Grand Harmonie conductor Scott Allen Jarrett Photo courtesy of Scott Allen Jarrett

Sarah Paysnick discusses her music career, Grand Harmonie’s educational outreach, the excitement behind Grand Harmonie, and a closer look into March Madness. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Jeanne Denizard: What first sparked your interest in music and what inspired you to pursue it as a music career?

Sarah Paysnick: In kindergarten, many of my friends started learning piano. They would teach me what they were learning, so I begged my mom for piano lessons. I remember wanting to quit after a short time, but my mom told me I had to finish the year. A few years later, many of my friends started learning string instruments. I have a cousin my age that played the violin and she’d teach me when we got together. When I told my mom I also wanted violin lessons, she said that I have two cousins who play the violin and I should pick something else. Watching Bob on Sesame Street and because another cousin was learning it, I decided on the flute.

In 4th grade, when asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, I said I wanted to be a cantor because Judaism and music were important to me. I didn’t have proper training as a singer. Something told me, over the next few years, it would exclusively become a music career even though Judaism is still important to me. I never really thought about doing anything outside of music, though my music path has taken me in a variety of directions. Ultimately, it led me to historical performance on flutes and teaching piano to children.

JD: How did you become a founding member of Grand Harmonie and what do you enjoy most about this group?

SP: I knew Yoni Kahn, our horn player and soloist for this concert! With Yoni Kahn and a couple of other founding members, we were interested in starting something new and exciting. Though my favorite music to perform falls a bit earlier than Grand Harmonie’s core repertoire, I am constantly inspired by my colleagues who push me every day to be a better musician and honored to be an organizing member of the kind of ensemble people enjoy working with. Everyone has such a positive, generous attitude and it’s infectious!

Yani Kahn, horn Photo courtesy of Grand Harmonie

JD: Grand Harmonie is very versatile and can transform from a symphony orchestra to an opera orchestra, or even become a chamber ensemble. Is the unexpected part of what sets Grand Harmonie apart from other groups?

SP: Yes, Grand Harmonie is a bit of a moving target. People attempt to put us into a box and we don’t fit into one. Every performance is different, but it also makes anything possible!

JD: Grand Harmonie will be touring through Somerville and Newton on March 24 and 26 for March Madness. Is this Grand Harmonie’s first time performing March Madness? Where did the idea come from?

SP: This is our first time doing this performance as well as splitting up the movements of a symphony and sprinkling them throughout a concert. In the 19th century, performances were quite different than they are today. Maybe a full symphony wasn’t performed or it was performed in its entirety but not straight through. Perhaps a small chamber ensemble gave listeners a break from the big symphonic sound or a soprano would delight everyone with her beautiful voice.

Grand Harmonie Jacquelyn Stucker Soprano

Jacquelyn Stucker, soprano for March Madness Photo courtesy of Jacquelyn Stucker

These concerts were a social event and audiences didn’t remain silent as they think they are expected to today. Grand Harmonie wants to break the tension and allow people to clap when they want to, explore the space around them, and enjoy the concert without fear of getting stared down if they clap at the wrong moment or make a noise during the music.

On Friday night, the cash bar at the Somerville Armory will be open all night. Through a generous donation from Aeronaut Brewing Company, the first 30 ticket purchasers will receive one free beer! On Sunday in Newton, we encourage people to relax and enjoy themselves, but the concert will not include alcohol and will be a more traditional performance.

JD: This concert will be a particularly intimate and uplifting concert experience since it will take place in-the-round. Additionally, Grand Harmonie will deliver classical pieces in an entirely unique and rollicking way. Putting something like that together must have been a lot of fun.

SP: Friday’s show is a really exciting experiment in how to make a “classical” concert more accessible and we can’t wait to experience it with our audience! Sunday’s show will be more traditional with the audience in pews and the orchestra in front, but we still expect it will be a rollicking good time!

JD: For March Madness, Grand Harmonie weaves Mozart, Beethoven, and Weber into one big concert. You have a unique way of breaking up Beethoven’s First Symphony during this “in the round” concert experience.

SP: It may sound unique to split up a symphony today but this was not unusual in the 19th century! Sometimes even a single movement was chosen for a particular program.

JD: Grand Harmonie also participates in educational outreach. Please tell me about that.

SP: Grand Harmonie has given master classes at the Longy School of Music at Bard College, MIT, and Harvard, among others. We have also given informational lecture/demonstrations at MIT and Yale’s Lewis Walpole Library. We love sharing what we’ve learned with musicians and music enthusiasts young and old! Audience members are very curious about our instruments and we are happy to engage with them.

JD: A few Grand Harmonie concerts are coming up before the end of the season. Please tell me about Grand Harmonie’s future plans.

SP: March Madness is the official close of our season, but we have plenty coming up! We will be performing Haydn’s The Creation with Edward Jones and the Harvard University Choir and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 Lobgesang with Edward Jones and the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus. We have loved working with Ed at least once a year since we began and it’s fair to say we have a mutual admiration for each other. In NYC, we will be partnering with On Site Opera to perform a wind octet Harmonie arrangement of Mozart’s The Secret Gardener by our own Yoni Kahn on horn and Thomas Carroll on clarinet. Also, keep an eye out for us during the Boston Early Music Festival the second week in June!

Grand Harmonie group Photo courtesy of Hannah Shields

Click here for all of Grand Harmonie’s upcoming concerts and here for more on Grand Harmonie’s educational outreach. Follow Grand Harmonie on Facebook and Twitter for upcoming events and more.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Brian O’Donovan and WBGH’s ‘A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn’

Posted on March 11, 2017 by The Sleepless Critic

Revel in rich, Celtic traditions and captivating live performances with WGBH’s 12^th annual St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn from Wednesday, March 15 through Saturday, March 18. Hosted by Brian O’Donovan and touring through Worcester, Beverly, New Bedford, and Cambridge, A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn offers the excitement of Ireland’s history, Celtic traditions, storytelling, and annual concert with a dynamic array of musical guests from all over the map.

A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn kicks off its Massachusetts tour on Wednesday, March 15 at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, for the first time at The Cabot Theatre in Beverly on Thursday, March 16, take the stage at the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford on Friday, March 17, and then concluding the tour at the Sanders Theatre, Harvard University in Cambridge for two performances on Saturday, March 18. WGBH members get a discount on tickets. Click here for further details and for tickets!

Once again musically-directed by Keith Murphy, this highly-anticipated concert features musicians such as world-renowned fiddler Liz Carroll and popular harp and fiddle duo Jenna Moynihan and Mairi Chaimbeul. Karan Casey, Irish folk singer and founding member of Solas, will also appear with the Kara Casey Band. A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn will showcases local performers such as the Miller Family, featuring guitarist Ruby May, fiddler Evelyn, and multi-instrumentalist Samuel. Hailing from Smithfield, Rhode Island, The Miller Family are traditional Irish dancers who have toured and competed in dance competitions from Montreal to Rhode Island. Winners at the World Irish dancing championships, the Miller Family are happy to share their upbeat rhythms.

Celebrate ‘A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn’ from March 15-18 Photo courtesy of WGBH

Click here for the complete list of performers to ring in this thrilling holiday. From Beverly to Cambridge, A St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn is quickly approaching. Click here for tickets and further details. For a taste of Irish and Celtic traditions each Saturday afternoon, click here to tune in to A Celtic Sojourn hosted by Brian O’Donovan on 89.7 FM WGBH from 3 – 6 p.m. Follow A Celtic Sojourn on Facebook for updates and much more.