PREVIEW: Berkshire Opera Festival, "Breaking the Mold"

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.berkshireoperafestival.org

July 22, 2023 at 2:00pm

It's true that not everyone loves opera. It's true that not everyone even likes opera. I don't
possess the inclination or the power to change people's minds, but maybe I can nudge those who already appreciate classical music and/or theatre to give opera an honest try. 

One of my missions in the arts over the course of several decades, has been to encourage listening and watching opera on PBS, videos, and live on stages.

The best way to begin "the study of opera" is through local opera companies. Attending the Met in NYC is the epitome of opera presentation in this country. However, the Met offers a jump into the deep end. Start off small, listening to exemplary skills of local talent. In the case of the Pioneer Valley, this means Berkshire Opera Festival.

In the Spotlight (ITS) recently had the opportunity to interview Tyson Traynor (TT), Marketing and Communications Manager of Berkshire Opera Festival (BOF) about this season of music.

ITS: The first program in the 2023 season will showcase arias from numerous operas rather than a full-length opera. Is this one of the best ways to indoctrinate newcomers to opera?

TT: Absolutely. This concert is actually perfect for new listeners. We have titled the concert "Breaking the Mold: Baroque, Bel Canto, and Beyond". BOF will feature a smattering of arias and ensemble music by well-renowned composers like Puccini and Verdi, as well as Handel and Mozart and more.

ITS: Will the music be accessible to those who aren't familiar with opera? 

TT: It is BOF's mission to explore the entire operatic repertoire, and this concert epitomizes that. There are centuries separating the oldest and most recent arias which will be heard. 

Berkshire Opera Festival welcomes Megan Moore back following her resounding success in last season's role as Donna Elvira in Berkshire Opera Festival's production of "Don Giovanni" last season. 

 

ITS: Tell the readers about BOF's highlight of the summer, "La Boheme".

TT: We are excited that "La Boheme," probably the most well-known opera of all time, will be fully staged performances.

ITS: Who are the members of the orchestra? Are the singers from the Berkshires?

TT: We try to make sure that our orchestra and chorus are filled with as many local/regional artists as possible. For our fully staged production of "La Bohème" this season Benoit/Alcindoro will be played by bass-baritone James Demler who is local. 

However, other principal cast members come from all over the country, and that's because BOF gets the best artists as well as the best audiences.

ITS: What would you say the future holds for BOF?

TT: The mission of Berkshire Opera Festival is to explore the entire operatic repertoire. BOF is proud to continue to present a world-class slate of artists to perform this powerful music.

Review: Mahaiwe Arts Center, "Parsons Dance"

Mahaiwe Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

July 18, 2022

by Shera Cohen

A preface to this review is in order. I do not dance; never have. I don't know the dance jargon except what I have heard over the years. Yet, I can see talent, exuberance, and the comradery called for in the ensemble pieces by the Parsons Dancers. Even in the darker pieces, Parsons troupe is, in my opinion, the most accessible modern dance form in this country.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center has hosted Parsons for two performances only for several years. They fill the house of this elegant large venue, and the instant standing ovations received are never obligatory. 

Artistic Director/Choreographer David Parsons founded the group of contemporary dancers in 1985. In the past 30+ years, Parsons, et al have performed throughout the world, winning just about every dance award given. Coupled with the skills of the dancers, one can't help separating the movement onstage with the exquisitely timed lighting. The program book states that Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Brinkley co-founded Parsons. Often an ancillary phrase or line about the mechanics of performances are included in our In the Spotlight reviews. However, I have to single out the extraordinary work of Brinkley's lighting. 

While some of the dance sections were from Parsons' older repertoire, two were recently choreographed. Act I included "Kind of Blue," a jazzy salute to Miles Davis; and "Nascimento" which delighted me and everyone else. Between these full cast pieces was "Balance of Power," an eery solo work danced by one man whose body rippled in robot-like positions, enough to say to oneself, "How did he do that?"

Act II presented the humorous "The Envelope" which was handed by one dancer to another, yet never touching the ground. The choreography was impeccably precise. "The Road" with music by Cat Stevens, was light with country-western steps and kicks. Again, as in Act I, the middle performance, "Caught," showed the hand-in-hand balance of a single female dancer's talent with that of the lighting designer. 

I would have suggested a program note warning about strobe lighting, as lengthy parts were created by stacatto-like images, so much so that I closed my eyes through the entire segments. However, my companion told me that when dance met lights, the movement seemed to life the dancer off and onto the stage in mid-air.

REVIEW: Aston Magna, “The Devil’s in the Tales”

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA 

http://astonmagna.org

June 25, 2022 

by Michael J. Moran 

Founded in 1972, the Aston Magna Music Festival calls itself “the longest running annual summer festival in America devoted to music performed on period instruments,” that is, “as the composer imagined it.” They opened their 2022 season with an inspired program of two musical stories about the devil’s intervention in human affairs written two centuries apart with contrasting outcomes and very different sound worlds.  

The earlier score, Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti’s 1704 oratorio “Humanita e Lucifero” (“Humanity and the Devil”) for two solo voices and small instrumental ensemble, had the happier ending. Written for a church service in a series of recitatives (sung speeches) and arias, it would have been interrupted by a sermon presenting the moral of the story. The goodness of the newborn Virgin Mary, representing humanity, vanquishes the evil of Lucifer, the Devil.   

Kristen Watson’s clarion soprano found both tenderness and strength in Mary, while Frank Kelley’s florid tenor gave Lucifer a comic swagger that entertainingly foretold his opponent’s victory. Daniel Stepner on violin led the ensemble in a buoyant account, and his “free translation” of the anonymous text (recitatives were sung in English, arias in Italian) was helpfully readable in the dim house lighting. 

   

Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 theater piece “L’Histoire du Soldat” (“The Soldier’s Tale”) is based on a Russian folktale about a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil (in disguise) for material wealth. Written for three actors, a dancer, and, according to Stepner’s program notes, “a rag-tag village band – a sort of Klezmer ensemble,” Swiss writer C. F. Ramuz’s original French text invites translation for local productions. 

Jack Greenberg vividly rendered the soldier’s shifting emotions, David McFerrin was an alluring, sometimes amusing devil, and DeAnna Pellechia gracefully danced her small role as the soldier’s would-be bride. Kelley, who also directed the powerfully minimal staging, was a droll narrator of Stepner’s up-to-the-minute translation, which tartly echoes current US politics. Again, playing violin, the translator drew sharp-edged performances from the musicians.   

As should be clear by now, the real star of this show was Stepner, who is also celebrating his 30th year as Aston Magna’s Artistic Director. The next four weekends promise other enticing Aston Magna concerts, including Clara Schumann (June 30-July 2) and Francois Couperin (July 21-23). 

PREVIEW: Aston Magna Music Festival

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA        

http://astonmagna.org

by Michael J. Moran 

The mission of Aston Magna, founded in 1972, is to enrich the appreciation of music of the past and the understanding of the cultural, political, and social contexts in which it was composed and experienced. Aston Magna seeks to inter­pret the music of the past as the composer imagined it. 

On Saturday, June 25, at 7:00 pm, they will present a program entitled “The Devil Is in the Tales,” at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA. The program will consist of two pieces: Alessandro Scarlatti’s 1706 oratorio “Humanita e Lucifero” for two voices and ensemble; and Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 theater piece “A Soldier’s Tale” for three actors and seven instruments.   

Tenor Frank Kelly

Both works feature the struggle between personifications of good and evil. Scarlatti pits the Virgin Mary against Lucifer, and Stravinsky dramatizes Satan’s Faustian bargaining for the soul of an innocent soldier. Both composers and their librettists were looking over their shoulders towards the medieval morality play, in which the existential contests between the forces of light and dark play out in stark, primary colors. 

Featured vocalists include soprano Kristen Watson, tenor Frank Kelly, and baritone David McFerrin as the Devil. A pre-concert talk will be held at 6:15 pm, with Aston Magna Artistic Director Daniel Stepner. 

Tickets may be purchased by phone at (413) 528-0100 or online at the Mahaiwe website.

Preview: Close Encounters with Music, "Reeds and Strings"

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

cewm.org

May 29, 2022

The organic voice of the oboe, a member of the woodwind family, meets kindred wood string instruments at the May 29 Close Encounters with Music performance on May 29 at 4pm. First oboist of the New York Philharmonic leads the way from Mozart’s Oboe Quartet to Cimarosa’s Oboe Concerto and Benjamin Britten’s Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, a musical masterpiece that will be accompanied by images of historic paintings of the mythological tales.   

Liang Wang

The Metamorphoses is Ovid's longest extant work, a continuous epic poem in 15 books. Based on the poetry of Hesiod and Callimachus, it features a collection of separate stories linked by the common theme of transformation. A tour de force for oboe players, the programmatic work is a refresher course in Roman mythology and a rare experience for listeners to enjoy the full range of the oboe—from seductive to weeping to simulating flying chariots and thunderbolts, fountains and drunken feasts. 

Oboist Liang Wang is joined by violinists Itamar Zorman and Susan Heerema, violist Michael Strauss, and Close Encounters artistic director and cellist Yehuda Hanani. Zorman, Strauss and Hanani also perform the Beethoven String Trio in C minor, written in his dramatic, misterioso key, with constant dialogue between minor and major, darkness and light.s also an active arranger and editor of scores, as he rarely finds p

REVIEW: Mahaiwe, John Pizzarelli Big Band

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

December 7, 2019

by Lisa M. Covi

John Pizzarelli

John Pizzarelli Big Band packed the Mahaiwe for what is an annual show. Pizzarelli vocalized with his jazz guitar while fronting a 16-piece orchestra that performed fresh takes on classic, but wide-ranging selections. A consummate entertainer, Pizzarelli connected with familiar fans and new audience members via stories of his distinguished career, amusing patter and even a vaudevillian “spit-take.” His repertoire, customized arrangements of American songbook classics, conveyed his group's mastery of swing, call and response, and tight improvisations.

Some featured performers included Andy Fusco, a saxophonist who previously played with Buddy Rich, John Mosca on trombone, and Konrad Pazkudzki on piano. Pizzarelli's wife, Jessica Molaskey, who appears with him on his weekly “Radio Deluxe” show and contributed lyrics to his arrangement of Tizo's “Perdito,” was unfortunately home with a cold and did not appear. Pizzarelli dominates with his personality and performance, but he is also quick to credit contribution and skill to his band.

Aside from the novelty selection “I Like Jersey Best,” little of the music was composed less than 50 years ago. Another exception, “Nat King Cool” from the 2019 album, “For Centennial Reasons,” is the third tribute he's released to the iconic jazzman that inspired Pizzarelli. At the top of the show, Sinatra-style vocals on “Love is Here to Stay” was a little slow for my taste, but I was swept away by Brandon Lee's soulful trumpet solo and the sweet quote at the end of the song. The first set ended with Holiday selections such as Leroy Anderson's “Sleigh Ride,” substituting rhythmic horn bleats for the famous whip crack. The second set started with several Johnny Mercer pieces including a particularly expressive performance of “Come Rain, Come Shine.” During a pause in Duke Ellington's “C. Jam Blues,” toe tapping in the audience was audible.

Improvisations tended to be note-heavy and fast in tempo. During several call and response passages, the musicians seamlessly passed the solos back and forth. Each instrument was separately amplified and the mixer let us hear the highlighted musicians with only a few slips. Pizzarelli's voice was a bit nasal at first but within the first few numbers opened up as he demonstrated his mastery of scatting the notes he plays with technical proficiency. Overall, the evening was dependably and vastly enjoyable entertainment by dynamic performers who brought New Jersey charm with stylistic big band flair. The energy, enthusiasm, and swing of Pizzarelli's Big Band made timeless songs relevant and real.

The Titans: Schumann and Brahms Piano Quintets

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

Close Encounters with Music

www.cewm.org

October 21, 2017

by Rebecca Phelps

A warm reception was offered to the opening performance of the 26th season of Close Encounters with Music series. Clearly the audience was primed and expecting a first-rate performance of two, much beloved classics of the chamber music repertoire.

The evening commenced with an informative introduction by Yehuda Hanani, artistic director of the series and cellist in the evening’s performance. In his lecture, Hanani went straight to the music with descriptive insights into the composers and each movement of the pieces, knowing he had an informed audience, ready to listen and learn.

The program’s pieces are both considered to be giants of their respective composers’ overall output, and of chamber music repertoire. In order to present them in chronological order they were reversed from the program order with the Schumann going first, followed by intermission and then the Brahms, which was preceded by another introductory lecture from Hanani.

The piano quintet was a new concept in chamber music in 1842 when Robert Schumann wrote his now famous Quintet in Eb major.  At the time, Schumann was engaged to the lovely and talented Clara Wieck, and the addition of a piano to the standard string quartet gave her an opportunity to perform her fiancé’s music, perhaps helping to assuage her father’s concerns about his prospective new son-in-law.

The Brahms Quintet in F minor is surely one of the giants in Brahms canon, and not for the faint of heart. The demands placed on the players to successfully surmount this musical mountain of a piece are extraordinary. The fast passages went at lightening speed; the quiet, pensive ones were played with delicate control and sensitivity; and the musical conversation amongst the players had to be developed to a high degree. Chamber music requires team players who interact with each other, passing the music between them and understanding their roles to form a cohesive whole. The five performers, all fine players from diverse backgrounds, came together and did just that. The audience and this reviewer raved about this outstanding evening of first rate, high class artistry. Bravo!

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet

Close Encounters with Music 

Mahaiwe Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

www.cewm.org

May 7, 2017

by Rebecca Phelps

This year Close Encounters With Music celebrates its 25th season presenting creative programming for smaller venues in and around Great Barrington. The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet was their penultimate concert of the 2016-17 season and was a huge hit with the audience.

Beginning with music from the time of Cervantes, arranged and narrated by LAGQ member William Kanengiser, the concert was off to an engaging start. William Kanengiser is not only a talented guitarist and arranger, but indeed a gifted actor, who told the story of Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza, interspersed with short, delightful Spanish renaissance dances. Kanengiser included castanet, tambourine, and drum-like effects on the guitars.

Bach’s 6th Brandenburg Concerto was arranged for the quartet by their former college professor, James Smith, to whom the LAGQ remains deeply indebted. It was in his studio where they originally met and became an ensemble; three of the four members have remained together for 37 years!

The Three Brazilian Pieces, which came next, represented a small sample of a project the LAGQ undertook in 2007 in which they studied, performed and recorded several Brazilian works. Each piece which they performed represented a different aspect of Brazilian music; the first by contemporary jazz composer Hermeto Pascoal, the second (originally for piano) O Lenda da Caboclo, by Heitor Villa-Lobos, and lastly a traditional samba - Samba Nuovo; highly energized and lots of fun.

La soiree dans Granade from “Estampes” by Claude Debussy was another of James Smith’s arrangements; a perfect choice as the original piece depicts a scene of the Alhambra in Granada and is, in its original form, a piano imitating guitars! Stunningly beautiful in either form.

The final set of was another of William Kanengiser’s arrangements, this time  a suite of movements from Bizet’s famous opera Carmen; another selection featuring guitaristic sounds depicting the much loved dances and melodies made famous by the bewitching Spanish Carmen.

The LAGQ brought the audience to its feet with their creative programming, their virtuosity that never gets in the way of music making, and their obvious enjoyment of performing together. Bravo!

“Fiddler Off the Roof"

Close Encounters with Music

Mahaiwe Theatre, Great Barrington, MA

www.cewm.org

April 17, 2016

by Barbara Stroup

The eclectic “Close Encounters” series at the Mahaiwe continued with “Fiddler Off the Roof,” a program of Jewish (?) music. Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani again offered insights (in the form of questions!) into what might make such a definition possible, noting that the element of “longing” must be included, and referencing the relationship between the inquiring nature of Talmudic study and the uprising (questioning) interval of the syncopated fifth. 

The program varied from Mahler to Gershwin -- and the musicians were of the same high caliber that the audience has come to expect from this series. This review, however, must start by attending not to the performers at the front of the stage, but to the pianist behind them. Michele Levin’s artistry was superb – both forceful and delicate, whichever the music required. Her solid and accomplished support provided the backbone for everything the soloists did, and, finally, was beautifully highlighted in the post-intermission Mendelssohn Trio. 

The program started with a fine example of the inquiring interval mentioned above: two David Schiff Divertimenti featuring clarinet, cello and violin. In all of Sarah McElravy’s violin playing (she was also featured in the “Hebrew Melody” of Paul Ben-Haim), there was fine technique highlighted by a rapt attention to dynamics. She accomplished an incredibly quiet reverence with her ultra pianissimo passages. Paul Green’s clarinet sound was crystal clear – both instrumentalists avoided over-reliance on vibrato – and his “Klezmer Medley” that concluded the first half was rhythmic enough to inspire toe-tapping. Alex Richardson provided vocal selections that ranged from Mahler to Gershwin and his fine operatic tenor was well-suited to them all. 

The program included a premier of “ZEMER” by Paul Schoenfield that featured a folk-like melody by Rabbi Max Roth, who was in the audience; it concluded with an inspired performance of the Piano Trio. Once again, Hanani brought his own cello artistry to the Mahaiwe stage. Audiences hope for much more of his “Close Encounters” programming genius in the future.

J.S. Bach & Sons: Legitimate and Otherwise

Close Encounters with Music

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

March 19, 2016

by Barbara Stroup

The early music movement has taken its share of criticism for performance practice guidelines for pre-symphonic music. When these performance standards are honored, however, the listener is offered a magical transparency and clarity.

Acronym, a “Baroque string band” and its talented guest soloists, presented just that kind of listening experience in its March 19th program. There was variety, ensemble tightness, and an overall joyful acoustic experience. Individual artists could be heard but without disruption of texture. There was a fresh vitality in all the playing and an especially sensitive continuo section. James Austin Smith’s oboe sound was lush; Dave Shuford’s harpsichord solo was rapturous.

Yehuda Hanani

The amiable and learned Yehuda Hanani (the series director) began the evening with verbal program notes both entertaining and educational. He later performed as a solo cellist. The violins were featured in the first part of the program (there were a few intonation problems on the C Minor Fugue. Shuford’s harpsichord solo was rapturous; the first half ended with the double concerto for oboe and violin. The sound was lush and assertive from both soloists and the oboe provided a nice contrast to the bow and plectra.

There was a short but humorous nod to the fictitious P.D.Q. Bach after intermission before the romantic performance of a modern “Baroque” concerto by Henri Casadesus, performed by Hanani.  In his encore Andante by J.S. Bach (transcribed for cello), he and the ensemble continued to show their mutual support and admiration. It was later revealed from the stage that Hanani has been the cello teacher for Acronym’s own cellist, Kivie Cahn-Lipman, since the age of five.

 

The evening ended with the familiar Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and the audience was dazzled all over again by virtuoso string playing from these young and talented instrumentalists.

The “Close Encounters” series includes an eclectic mix of performers, genres, and themes; these concerts make a delightful roster in the fine acoustics of the Mahaiwe, the gem of the Berkshires’ venues.

Vespers of 1610, Claudio Monteverdi

Boston Early Music Festival Ensembles

Mahaiwe Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

www.bemf.org

June 20 2015

by Barbara Stroup

Fresh from a Boston performance of this and other Monteverdi works, the artists from the Boston Early Music Festival delivered a confident and stunning performance in the Mahaiwe.

Eschewing more modern presentations with many on each part, Conductor Stephen Stubbs chose to offer the audience the transparency and clarity that best benefit this late-Renaissance sacred work, using nine singers and 15 instruments.

The Vespers of 1610 was performed in its entirety and in the order in which the composer published it. In his pre-concert talk, co-Artistic Director Paul O'Dette convincingly described the evidence used to make this choice. These remarks of both Stubbs and O'Dette helped clarify the architecture of the piece and showed not only the reverence in which it is held, but the amount of musicological research behind this performance.

Claudio Monteverdi

Utilizing instruments of the period, the ensemble achieved a well-blended sound whether supporting vocal parts or performing alone. Particularly outstanding was gambist Erin Headley, who had barely a measure of rest but who provided an anchor for the entire continuo section with her smooth and fluid sound. The section included the director at times, playing chitarrone, an organ, cello, double bass, harp along with Odette on chittarone. Upper line instruments made singular solo and ensemble contributions appropriately, including the longest trombone ever seen by this reviewer. Cornetto playing was particularly effective, but even so, the use of recorders by the same players for brief respites was charming and welcome.

The vocal ensemble was faultless in pitch and drama. Their commitment to the text and to other parts was clear in both their solo "concerti" and ensemble sections. The audience let it be known that the entire performance was a joy by calling the players and singers back several times. It is a wonderful partnership to have BEMF in Western MA and it is hoped such appearances will increase.

Berkshire Bach Society

St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

September 27, 2014

by Barbara Stroup

To kick-off their impressive 2014-2015 season, Berkshire Bach Society welcomed Fall with a fine group of musicians who are the artistic core of Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York City.

In a concert called “Bridging the Baroque," the program began with Mozart and ended with Vivaldi. Featuring violinist Krista Feeney, Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons" was fiery, fierce, and passionate without being frenetic. Feeney had total command of her instrument, which freed her to play with sincerity and respect for the many changes in tempo and virtuosity that the music required. Ms. Mann had a wonderful flute technique for the Bach Orchestral Suite as well. She chose dance-like tempi that seemed entirely appropriate, and it was a relief not to hear this music rushed. Both soloists' ability to apply vibrato with conservative restraint was wonderful to the ears.

The ensemble behind these two players shone just as brightly as the soloists did, anchored by an amazing bass section that gave distinction to that pivotal department. John Feeney, on bass, was as virtuosic as it is possible to be on that slow-responding instrument, never allowing the sound to be anything but clear and supportive, both to the soloists and to his cello and keyboard companions.

Accustomed to hearing these pieces played by a much larger ensemble, the music gained in St. Luke’s presentation by letting the middle lines through, and listeners could hear both the support and complexity of Louise Schulman’s viola.

The concert was a gem in the acoustically rich space that the Mahaiwe has become, and the appreciation for the venue - as well as for Berkshire Bach - was reflected in a nearly sold-out house.

Berkshire Bach Society is dedicated to sharing the vast and wonderful repertoire of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, his contemporaries, the composers who influenced his work and those he inspired to achieve musical timelessness. Berkshire Bach seeks to reach the broadest possible audience for the works of J.S. Bach and his musical peers, mentors and followers. Performances range from solo instrumental recitals to large choral works with full orchestra.

Jonny Lang/Runaway Saints

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

August 21, 2014

by Eric Sutter

Denim-clad alt-country band Runaway Saints debuted their sound at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center to an enthusiastic response. These Nashville, by way of Providence, RI, songsters sang about loves lost, found, and shared in an acoustic folk-rock/country format. The band opened with the love song "Caroline." Stand-outs in the course of the evening included "Loretta Lynn," about missing her voice on the radio; "California's Girl," about losing a woman to the Golden State, and a rave-up rootsy rock song "We Got Love" with mandolin, guitar and banjo. "Headed Home" carried it full circle to their next day's gig back home in Pawtucket.

This stop at Mahaiwe was important because it was the last venue on their current tour to feature Jonny Lang. Jonny Lang's new century sound is a slight departure from his 1997 debut blues-rock style. Part blues-rocker and soul singer, his approach added a sweeter soul sound to his vocal. Always edgy and passionate, Lang projected a strong stage presence with tribal inspired rhythms that resonated in the soul. The scorcher "Blew Up (the House)" was electric. "Freight Train" was powered by his frenzied lead electric guitar delivery. The Tinsley Ellis cover, "A Quitter Never Wins," harkened back to the debut album "Lie To Me."

The title cut of Lang's 2007 Grammy winner, "Turn Around," expressed turning life around in its lyrics. Rhythm guitarist Akil Thompson turned out a great solo on "Red Light." Lang showcased nice guitar tone throughout. Stand-out funky keyboardist Dwan Hill also hit the mic on Stevie Wonder's "Livin' For The City.” Lang found his true voice on his own "Fight For My Soul" from his first studio album. This time around, a fresh, crisp joyful sound filled the hall with spirited passion. Connecting effortlessly with the audience, Lang performed  "Wander This World." His encore was the familiar "Lie To Me" featuring a subtle acoustic guitar with a break-in by his blues band in a full tilt finale. Right on!

Cowboy Junkies

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

March 8, 2014

by Eric Sutter

"There are always ways to shine without gold" is a line from the song "Take Heart" on the Cowboy Junkies latest recording "Kennedy Suite." It is music that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the assassination of JFK. The song's lyrics are rambling thoughts from the perspective of a motorcycle cop's mind on that fateful day. This Canadian band of diverse musical influence performed at the Mahaiwe while on their Nomad Tour in support of their latest music.

Margo Timmins is an accomplished vocalist who, along with her brothers Michael on guitar, Peter on drums and Alan Anton on bass, has pursued an artistic vision of brutally honest music from light and darker realms. In particular, the lyrical angst of "F##k, I Hate The Cold" testified.

"We Are Selfish" featured voice, strummed acoustic and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird's harmonica. He proved a valuable asset whether on harmonica, mandolin or percussion. "Demons" worked a quiet intensity with Timmins' vocals out front. "Damaged From The Start" was a relationship song about bruised and battered hearts. On the lighter side was "Late Night Radio."

The second half of the concert featured more familiar music and covers. Jeff Bird's harmonica played a prominent role in "Cheap Is How I Feel." Alt-country mixed naturally with blues, folk and rock styles. "Cutting Board Blues" and "Angel Mine" showcased acoustic guitar love ballads from different lyrical viewpoints. Timmons spoke of her love of Bruce Springsteen and performed an intense cover of "Thunder Road" from 2004's "One Soul Now." The cover of Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" was true to their ethereal hit sound from 1989. Another song from that period, "Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)" conjured the imagery of yearned heartfelt feelings for true love. The star's unique voice and deeply affected blues harp kept the music lively. Cowboys' encore of countryman's Neil Youngs' "Don't Let It Bring You Down" was inspired. Another line from "Take Heart" echoed true to the audience..."Come on and give hope a little elbow room."

World Blues with Taj Mahal

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

November 3, 2013

by Eric Sutter

A beacoup of blues entertained a lively audience at the Mahaiwe. Fredericks Brown opened with a contemporary soul-blues set. Vocalist Deva Mahal, the daughter of Taj Mahal, proved to be a powerful blues tinged soul singer with "Can't Pretend." Their musical blend included Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." Keyboardist Stephanie Brown added a nice touch as Mahal performed the passionate soul hand-clapper "Everybody Deserves To Be Free." Watch for their rise!

International artist Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa stressed the need for Ubuntu (kindness) in "A Prayer For Our Time." During "Say Africa," he urged the audience to sing along as he danced for the joy of his homeland. Next, was a dedication of "My Song Of Love" to the women of South Africa, sounding especially beautiful through its many tones and pitches, in both Zula and English languages. 

     

Taj Mahal Trio performed a blues happy set. Mahal spoke of the world gone crazy with everyday "Uh Oh" news. The trio lit up with "I Used To Be Down, But I Ain't Down Anymore." The master multi-instrumentalist played many guitars. "Fishin' Blues" sounded clean on acoustic guitar. Mahal's bluesy rasp worked to great effect on his classic songs.

Mahal carries the torch for roots music. On ukelele, the star played the traditional jug band song "Wild About My Lovin'" that  danced friskily. His banjo jubilee was pure magic. Mahlasela joined in for a world-music acoustic guitar duet "Zanzibar" with a haunted vocal blend. Mahal swept away the audience with the low rumble of his resonator guitar as he dueted sweetly with his daughter on "Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes." Guest keyboardist John Savitt became the swingin' part of the encore, "Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie No More". The avalanche of sound prompted an audience soul-clap. In the aftermath, every player joined in the bustin' loose thrill of "Everybody Is Somebody."

Anatomy of a Melody

Close Encounters with Music, Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.cewm.org

October 19, 2013

by Barbara Stroup

Because the concert title seemed to require it, and to bring clarity to the evolution of this world premiere, some background explanation was provided at this Close Encounters' concert. Cellist Yehua Hanani provided cogent details so that the audience would have a more critically tuned ear for the appearances of a singular musical element. Hanani described the source of the melody, the early opera tune “Love the Sailor,” helping listeners to further appreciate the skill composers use as they weave variations over a single theme.
Beethoven, for instance, used it in the 3rd movement of his piano trio Opus #11.

The highlight of the evening was the premiere performance of a commission by composer Paul Schoenfield who titled his use of the theme “Shaatnez for Ady.” Ady was present in the audience and far from alone in appreciating this modern composition. The piece was complex, tuneful, harmonic, bright, and the conclusion brought the audience to its feet. The piece was generously commissioned through the organization itself and if only every local musical group could manage this same generosity, audiences could continue to revel in Schoenfield’s skills.

For the trio and the commissioned piece, Hanani was joined on the stage by Miriam Fried (violin) and Renana Gutman (piano). These musicians exemplified all that is best about chamber music – a sensitivity to each other’s line when required, and a joy at leading when that opportunity was clearly their own. Perfectly balanced as a threesome, the sound periodically blurred during the final piece by Brahms. Perhaps the change from three lines to four was too abrupt for this venue or too sudden for these ears.

The venue itself deserves mention: the Mahaiwe has magic as one approaches the twinkling neon marquee and is drawn into the renovated facility, which shines in its refurbished state and lends itself to happy audiences with good sightlines and fine acoustics. Both this pleasant atmosphere and the early hour of the performance lent a feeling of being in the artists’ living room for an intimate evening of music making

This concert marks the beginning of the “Close Encounters with Music” season, which includes five more concerts between now and June 2014 at various venues in the Great Barrington area.

Music & More at Mahaiwe

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

by Shera Cohen

Adding to the recent concert reviews at Mahaiwe – in which both The Fab Faux and Mary Chapin Carpenter were highly praised – is Manhattan Transfer.

The four-part harmony of this group, with a resume boasting awards over four decades, brought in a full house of avid fans. Sometimes a capella and sometimes with piano accompaniment, the quartet echoed smooth and often jazzy sounds in a relaxed and intimate concert. Highlights included a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, several of their own compositions, and audience favorites “I Love Coffee” and “Route 66.”

More than a review, however, In the Spotlight gives kudos to Mahaiwe on its programming, not just in the summer. This, indeed, is a 12-month venue. Art and entertainment genres include music (of course), theatre, dance, lectures, comedy, film, and family shows.

Running from October through May is the Met Opera Live in HD – live Saturday afternoon operas broadcast simultaneously at Mahaiwe. Important to note is that only a few sites in the Berkshires offer this unique series. Coupling the visual elegance of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City with the grand picturesque Mahaiwe in Great Barrington makes for double the pleasure in seeing the finest opera in this country.

Other series on the stage have been (and will continue to be) the Berkshire International Film Festival, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab, and London’s National Theatre in HD plays. Mahaiwe is also the lovely home of the Close Encounter with Music orchestra and singers.

Music tends to be folksy, 50’s, and New World with lots more packed in. For instance, on any given month there can be 10 performances of numerous arts. Examples of the array of upcoming programs include: Bela Fleck NY Banjo Summit, Pilobolus Dance Company, Bill Cosby, Chef Francine Segan’s Shakespeare’s Kitchen, and (Springfield’s own) Taj Mahal.

For those interested in the theatre’s name, the Mahican Indians’ translation was "the place downstream." I never excelled at geography, so I can’t say if Great Barrington is or isn’t downstream on any lake or other waterway in Massachusetts. I do know, however, that Mahaiwe should be a destination point for some of the best in the arts.

Mary Chapin Carpenter/Marc Cohn

The Mahaiwe PAC, Great Barrington, MA

www.mahaiwe.org

July 25, 2013

By Eric Sutter

A special synergy surfaced between two 90's singer-songwriters who collaborated on their own catalogs and favorite songs. The feel-good folk/soul transformed the venue into an intimate living room of sonic sweetness.

Mary Chapin Carpenter and Marc Cohn's Summer Tour 2013 show started with The Beatles’ "Two Of Us." With heartfelt beauty Carpenter performed, Cohn's "Walk Through The World" and the title cut to her "Stones In The Road.” The sound quality was rich as guitarist John Leventhal added mellifluous lines to Cohn's "Perfect Love." Oddly, after he sang the touching ballad, Cohn quickly left the stage. Carpenter's mellow "That Magic Time" tapped into the listener's universal psyche.

Cohn returned carrying his blue suede shoes and announced a bee had stung him during "Perfect Love." It made for some funny ad-libs. He crooned a soulful "The Letter" from his new CD "Listening Booth/1970,” with a soothing piano solo. The pair collaborated on Cohn's "Silver Thunderbird," about a car, a man with a plan and a pocket comb. By song's end, Carpenter battled a bee to death.

Carpenter's confessional ballad of isolation and connection, "Transcendental Reunion,” personalized a flight to Great Britain with strangers. She is a wonderful singer and newest female member of the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame. Cohn performed his Grammy-award winning ballad, "Walking In Memphis" with a dedication to gospel singer Muriel Davis Wilkins followed by "My Eye Is On The Sparrow." From bee sting pain to gospel fervor joy, the show had it all!

They encored with Carpenter's take on Frank Sinatra's "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning." Cohn crooned "Moon River" with the audience joining. It was an incredible night with both artists delivering their best.