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As composer, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and popularizer (through his television appearances), and teacher, Bernstein, more than any single figure, brought classical music to the American masses. And as an advocate for American music, he muscled the sounds of this country onto concert programs around the world, winning our composers the acclaim and attention they so clearly merited. So prodigious was his music making, so lasting his mark on our time, that it's hard to believe he's been gone for a decade now. As a composer, Bernstein achieved greatest success in his works for the theater, such as the immortal West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and others. But their magnificence shouldn't eclipse his other triumphs. Even in his classical works, Bernstein tapped into the enormous energy of America's mid-century urban popular culture, especially its theater, literature and jazz. That's why he makes a nice bridge into classical music for novice listeners who love pop music and poetry, theater, show tunes, and jazz. Next weekend, the Oregon Festival of American Music will give us a glimpse of these too-rarely heard sounds of this country's towering musical figure, in an American Composers Series concert as attractive to classical music novices as to the experienced listeners who'll find some rare treasures on the program. Thursday night's (Jan. 11) chamber orchestra concert at the UO's Beall Hall offers what's perhaps Bernstein's finest classical piece, the striking Serenade after Plato's "Symposium." This powerful 1954 violin concerto (here featuring the redoubtable Fritz Gearhart, an American music specialist, as soloist) is one of century's most thrilling orchestral works, following the rhetorical form of Plato's dialogues, but strictly in musical terms. The show also presents serenades by the American neo-Romantic Howard Hanson and OFAM's obligatory non-American entries, England's Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten, whose moving Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, another 20th century masterwork, beautifully sets a series of English poems by Blake, Keats, Tennyson and others. Friday's enchanting chamber music show opens with Bernstein's jazzy 1942 Clarinet Sonata, his first major work, and closes with the wistful-to-whimsical 1971 Duo for flute and piano by Bernstein's lifelong friend and colleague, Aaron Copland. Now a staple of the flute repertoire, it's probably Copland's last masterpiece, and makes a fascinating bookend to what was likely his first: the haunting 1923 song "It Fell Upon a Day," for soprano, flute and clarinet, composed during his Paris sojourn. Since Bernstein was Copland's great exponent, it's fitting that a Bernstein tribute concert serve as a vehicle for two of Copland's finest small-scale works. The rest of the program features delightful miniatures: settings of poems and even recipes by Bernstein, his friend Mark Blitzstein, and -- commendably -- one of our finest living composers, Ned Rorem, including his settings of some of Sylvia Plath's "Ariel" poems for soprano (here, Eugene favorite Maria Jette), clarinet and piano. Saturday's orchestral concert delves even deeper into the series' theme: Bernstein's literary roots, though expressed entirely by instrumental, not verbal, means. It kicks off with the most exhilarating overture since Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, Bernstein's curtain-raiser to his setting of Voltaire's satirical masterpiece, Candide. Marin Alsop and others have made this fun, propulsive piece one of the most frequently performed American classical works, and deservedly so. (Now, will someone please bring the whole fabulous production to Eugene?) The major attraction is also based on a prominent literary work, W.H. Auden's epic "ecologue," The Age of Anxiety, which Bernstein turned into his second -- and best -- symphony. Dramatizing what the composer called "our difficult and problematical search toward faith," this powerful quasi-concerto (here featuring piano soloist Victor Steinhardt) follows four lonely people, who are trying to drink their way out of loneliness and alienation, from bar to taxi to desperate partying to an unexpected resolution. They eventually arrive at what Bernstein (no stranger to wild nights on the town) described as "a Buddhistic idea. God in everything, in the smallest thing." The show and series close with one of Bernstein's last great creations, the 1977 "Songfest," a dozen settings of poems (by Ferlinghetti, Whitman, Langston Hughes, Gertrude Stein, e. e. cummings, Gregory Corso, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Poe and others) celebrating America's diversity. Featuring a half dozen singers, readings of the poems by UO theater Prof. Grant McKernie and others, and traversing a range of moods and styles almost as eclectic as the nation itself, this song cycle is a worthy celebration of American words and music, and an appropriate climax to this tribute to an artist who did so much for both.
Let's hear it for Sam Bond's for coming through with a nearly full calendar of events. And, just so you all know, the booker at Sam Bond's is now in charge of John Henry's stage as well. So I think we can all expect more and great diverse acts frequenting two of Eugene's most loved clubs. Anyhoo, save some time and energy after this hullabaloo called the New Year is all over to see John Shipe Band Jan. 4 at Sam Bond's. John Shipe and his two comrades, Ehren Ebbage and Elisabeth Babcock, are celebrating the completion of their latest project, cleverly titled A Stealthy Portion. Of course you remember one of Eugene's favorite bands of the past decade, Shipe's former outfit Renegade Saints. Now, he's on his own with a full bag of self-confessional and reflective tunes. Always observant with a keen eye for honesty, melody and relevance, Shipe tackles these solo songs with a bluesy feel and a definite darker atmosphere than the Saint's would have handled things. Husky crooning and tender plucking on "Mystical Hangout" speaks for what we all need, especially this time of year when obligations can leave us feeling empty rather than fulfilled as they should: "I need a mystical hangout, some kind of secret hideout, where all my friends gather around with their flags unfurled ... we drink like Vikings and shout out death to the world." Lyrical tweaks and an irreverent sampling of pop cultural icons (7-Elevens and Slurpees in "Spontaneous Combustion," James Dean in "East of Eden") keep this CD interesting to listen to. What stands out over all when listening to A Stealthy Portion (recorded live at Mt. Tabor Theater in Portland and Cafe Paradiso in Eugene) is Elisabeth Babcock's cello and Shipe's obvious desire to make personal music to connect us all with universal thoughts and desires. I understand that the last time Shipe appeared he had planned a "CD release party" but didn't have the CD quite ready, so now's the chance to make amends and get the CD you couldn't get before. Visit Sam Bond's once again on Friday, Jan. 5 for Portland's The Dolomites. Named for a hangover-curing mineral, their press package describes their sound better than I can ... "a Tom Waites/Pogues shipwreck, gushing out drunken heart-felt ballads like a burst beer vein at the Guiness brewery." Self described as acoustic punk "drunk-rawk," critics claim their live performances are "unrestrained" and they've garnered sought after spots in both prestigious music conferences South by Southwest and North by Northwest. The drunken Irish sprites have liberally sprinkled their intoxicating magic into this band's collective cup, and you may find yourselves reeling at the end of the night, and not just from the alcohol you may consume. Allow Sam Bond's to yet again play host as they welcome Leila Chieko Band and Elena Powell. Leila Chieko, transplanted herself in Eugene via Hawaii, introduced herself to local bands Mamalovdus and Flying Canoe, and she naturally assumed drumming duties for both. She developed her guitar playing and voice on her own, and now she has taken on another instrument, the bass. She's relocated herself to Portland, and is layng down tracks for a one-woman band. Her musical style reflects her backgrounds in progressive rock, ethnic-folk and alterna-pop. Willamette Week describes Elena Powell as "laid back and casual as a butterfly in a garden (with) a Liz Phair-like voice." Hope you all had a wonderful New Year and I look forward to our next chat, gentle reader. Adam's Place Barnes & Noble Bliss Steak Ranch Buzz Coffeehouse Chantrelle's Chez Ray Diablo's Doc's Pad Groucho's John Henry's Mystique Restaurant The Old Pad Oregon Electric Station Rick's Pub Sam Bond's Garage Stepina's Tiny Tavern Waterfront Bar & Grill
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