Say a musician friend was planning a casual performance on the afternoon of your birthday. He asks you what you think of the idea weeks in advance. You tell him the idea is magnificent and made all the better because it will take place in between your birthday brunch and birthday dinner. Say he decides to call it the "Great Music, Great Spaces Inaugural performance" instead of "Karen's House Music Show." Whatevs.
But let's be clear, the show was not at anyone's house; it was at Urban Farmhouse Cafe, that high-ceilinged space with a facade of nothing but enormous windows, all of which were open. The "house music" term comes from the tradition of composers playing their latest creations for writers, poets and other musicians in a room in their house before debuting works for a symphonic audience.
Today's house show was organized by good friend and clarinet player Nicholas Lewis of the Richmond Symphony and involved four partners in crime (two violins, a viola and cello), also Symphony members. Urban Farmhouse was filled to capacity and I must have run into a dozen people I hadn't seen in years. Clearly Nick's circle is a wide one and yet somewhat overlapping with mine.
The program began with Mozart ("a civil discourse"), followed by Brahms ("more agitated"). Next came selections from Ralph von Williams consisting of folk melodies arranged as high art. The finale was spectacular. Nick had asked his friend and musical peer Gary Powell Nash to do an arrangement of the spiritual "Over My Head," a feat accomplished in an unbelievable three days. Of note here is that we were the very first audience to hear this arrangement; it was truly magical.
The words of the spiritual were demonstrated by Nick because the scheduled vocalist was unable to perform. I was so glad that he took the time to share the words because it made the piece resonate even more.
Over my head I hear music in the air
Over my head I hear music in the air
Over my head I hear music in the air
There must be a god somewhere
Now I'm a card-carrying heathen but I found those words to be as true as any ever written or sung. I might also mention how completely appropriate they were for the music-loving birthday girl at the finale of Karen's House Music Show.
Or whatever Nicholas was claiming it was called.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY missie. I expect to read all about the fun, frivolity and
ReplyDeletedare I say, debauchery you've engaged in today.
After all, you deserve to go
wild every once in a while.
My chorus did a spiritual with a bit of Over My Head in it and the music to those phrases is indeed beautiful (even for an agnostic like me). Andrew C tells me I may find you at my first Listening Room this week?
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