Banjo dynamo at the Wamsutta

The Wepeckett Salon Series usually features excellent but little known musicians, but last Saturday the Wamsutta Club hosted Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, a high-energy five member bluegrass band that has performed internationally. On their way back from touring Ireland, the band found it easy to stop off in New Bedford for a gig. The band is led by two-time national champion banjo player Jeff Scroggins, and also features his 20 year old son Tristan on mandolin. Playing a mean guitar and providing most of the vocals was Greg Blake, and the band also had Ellie on fiddle and some vocals and Sebie on bass. While billed as “bluegrass,” the band featured a variety of musical styles from near-pop to traditional folk to bluegrass. Their playing was indeed energetic, and Greg’s vocal range was excellent. Ellie did a soulful rendition of “Just a few old memories” as well as providing harmony. With free parking, table service for food and drink and very reasonable prices, you owe it to yourself to check out the remaining monthly concerts.

A Grieving Mother: The Testament of Mary at the New Rep

Mary receives very little mention in the Bible; there is actually more written about her in the Koran than in the New Testament, and she was an afterthought in early Christianity. Only in the fourth century AD did she begin to be given status in the church. Because so little is written about her in the Gospels, every artist is free to create his or her own picture, in image or in words. One such is the short one-woman play Testament of Mary, by Colm Toibin now at the New Rep Theatre’s Black Box. The play was presented on Broadway, and received several Tony nominations, but had a surprisingly short run. Apparently the director did not feel the script was strong enough to hold an audience and used a dramatic staging, with a buzzard on the stage and a nude Mary at one point. The current production, directed by Jim Petosa, takes the opposite tack. There is a stone wall as a backdrop, and a single large rock on which the actress sits from time to time, and Mary. This production requires a strong actress, and Paula Langton more than fulfilled that need. Alone on stage for over an hour and a half without intermission, she had the audience captivated throughout. This Mary is a very human figure, and her story recounts the life of Jesus, with focus on the crucifiction, from the point of view of a grieving mother who does not understand what her son was doing or why he had to suffer so. She is giving her story in contradiction to that of the unnamed “visitors” intent on re-writing the story to fit their needs, doubtless two of the Apostles. The play was heavily condemned by local Catholic laity, but the play is certainly not anti-Catholic, simply the biblical story as it might have been seen by a very human mother. With a wonderful actress, this play should be on your list to see before the run ends.

H+H goes all Haydn

In an interesting conceit, this past weekend, H+H put on an all-Haydn program. In lesser hands, it would have been too much, but for them it worked. Starting with one of his early works, the Symphony number 8 is “typical” Haydn: lovely, “easy listening” classical music that one assumes was meant to entertain the guests of Count Esterhazy without asking too much of them. An interesting feature was the showcasing of several different instruments in a “concertante” style. After the stage was largely cleared we heard the Violin Concerto #3, featuring the electric Aisslinn Nosky as soloist and leader of the twelve string players. Unlike concertos from Beethoven on, the soloist was not clearly separated physically and musically from the ensemble. Ms Nosky played along with the violins during the orchestral part and then had her own moments to shine in virtuosic solos. After intermission was a brief performance: the Overture to one of Haydn’s many operas, Armida, This was, as would be expected for the genre, more dramatic than most of Papa Haydn’s opus. It also opened up a new world to me. Before today I would never have guessed that Haydn wrote 15 operas. These are rarely performed, and not because they lack quality but because in his day he was overshadowed by Mozart, and today probably because in a circular fashion, they are so little known that producers worry they will not fill the halls. The final piece of the program was one of Haydn’s later works, Symphony #84, one of the Paris Symphonies. This work, much more musically complex that Number 8, showed off Haydn’s growth over the years. A lovely performance, fitting tribute to one of H+H’s namesakes.

Sondheim fans run see this!

“Sondheim on Sondheim,” currently playing at the Lyric Stage, is a clever conceit. The music of this prodigious composer is performed by a cast of eight on stage, while a large backdrop of multiple screens plays montages of Stephen Sondheim himself telling bits and pieces of his life story and the stories behind many of his musicals. The cast is a strong one, with such familiar local favorites as Leigh Barrett, Aimee Doherty and Christopher Chew. A new face to us was Mala Bhattacharya, whose soaring soprano was delightful. Maritza Bostic, Davon Monroe, Sam Simahk and Patrick Varner were energetic young singers new to us but all held up their end. Probably best known for Sweeney Todd, Sondheim’s output is vast. He has won eight Tony awards, more than any other composer. Presented on the Lyric stage were such old favorites as Send in the Clowns and I Hear a Waltz, and many unfamiliar to us but probably known to true Sondheim aficionados. The production ran for over 2 hours, 40 minutes with an intermission, but the time flew by. Don’t miss it!

Snow-bird alert - great Florida orchestra

A highlight of our stay in St Petersburg was a “Coffee Concert” by the Florida Orchestra. Formed in 1966 when the Tampa Philharmonic and the St Petersburg Symphony merged, the Florida Orchestra performs a variety of classic and lighter orchestral music around Tampa Bay. The orchestra’s Board is headed by our own Tom Farquhar, and Barbara is also active with the group. We attended at the beautiful Mahaffey Theatre, with superb acoustics. The 2000 seat theatre was filled almost to capacity. The “coffee concerts” are intended to broaden the audience for classical music, and perform portions, such as a single movement, of symphonies and suites. We attended the Tchaikovsky Celebration, an almost two-hour concert featuring works from his entire career. Each piece was introduced by the guest conductor, Jacomo Bairos, who has the charisma of Keith Lockhart and a bright future. The orchestra had a rich clear sound, and is clearly first-class. If you winter in the Tampa Bay area, put the Florida Orchestra on your must-do list

A seasonal favorite encores at Wamsutta

“The Harper and the Minstrel,” husband and wife Jay and Abby Michaels, play an astonishing variety of instruments from the past. Jay is a virtuoso of the harp but also plays string dulcimer and guitar, while Abby plays a variety of flutes, recorders and whistles as well as the hammer dulcimer and psalter. This past Saturday they brought their magic to the Wamsutta club as part of the Wepecket Island records “salon series.” For the fifth year, they focused on songs of the season, both winter and Christmas. Abby has a lovely soprano voice, though at times her facial gestures are a bit disconcerting. The sound they bring out of their historically correct instruments is haunting and peaceful, and the hour and half passed much too quickly. With food and drink available for purchase in a close-up homey setting, these first Saturday of the month concerts are a treat as well as a bargain.

Dorothy heads north: The Snow Queen at New rep

The latest offering at the New Rep is a musical adaptation of the classic Hans Christian Andersen story The Snow Queen, the story of a girl overcoming numerous trials to save her friend. The story line follows closely to the original fairy tale. If you have seen the original Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland, you will find enormous overlap: plucky young girl meeting numerous odd creatures, some friendly, some evil, and overcoming great odds to achieve her goal. The heroine, Gerda, even has special red shoes! The production relies heavily on the staging, which is beautifully done, with falling snowflakes and a magical sense to the backdrop. The cast are generally strong, with Victoria Britt making a very convincing pre-pubescent heroine. Maurice Parent has several scene-stealing moments, notably as The Old Crow/flyer with a British accent. Unfortunately the singing voices are not quite up to the task with the exception of Aimee Doherty as the Snow Queen, who has a wonderful voice. The production, at over two and a half hours with intermission, is a bit long and could be tightened. More hit than miss, and worth seeing.