Hello beautiful people,

Just a quick disclaimer: this is not your usual show review, for two reasons:

1) This was not a usual show by any means; and
2) I'm currently taking a music appreciation class (everyone should be so lucky!), and am required to attend four Western, fine arts concerts this semester and then write reviews for each. Below you will find the exact paper that I will be turning in tomorrow. I was somewhat hesitant to post this, since it's so lengthy and even though I love to write, I rarely share my writing with others, but have decided to share my thoughts with you good folks, knowing that you'll be kind. : )

Much love to you all and hope to see many of your bright, smiling faces at the Evergreen this weekend!

Heartside hugs,
Pamela
__________________________

Aaron Redner & Friends: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley played host to a talented array of musicians on the evening of Thursday, October 23, 2008. Guided by Aaron Redner on violin, who was classically trained at the New England Conservatory of Music but is best known for his fiddle and mandolin playing and songwriting in the Bay Area’s popular band Hot Buttered Rum, a cast of seven performed Antonio Vivaldi’s classic concerti grossi “Four Seasons” with the creative twist of injecting between each individual concerto a variety of seasonally themed tunes, performed in different genres by changing players. Redner amassed an impressive amount of talent on the evening’s roster. “Four Seasons” was skillfully presented by Karen Shinozaki on violin, Eugene Sor on cello, Michelle Maruyama on viola, JungHae Kim on harpsicord, Erin Benim on violin, and Bryan Horne on contrabass, with Redner as the primary soloist (referred to hereafter as the “Baroque ensemble”). Horne and Redner remained on stage throughout the evening, joined for the non-Baroque music by Adam Roszkiewicz on archtop electric guitar and Erik Yates on banjo, flute and acoustic guitar. Finally, Redner, Horne and Yates were joined by Nat Keefe and Zachary Matthews to bring together all players of Hot Buttered Rum to round out the evening.

The Throckmorton Theater is nothing short of breathtaking, complete with a rich blue and deep red palette, whimsical paintings of a jester and court musicians on one wall, women resting and playing flute on the opposite wall, gods and the crescent moon above, framed by dramatic clouds clinging to the theater’s ceiling. A small depiction of Mt. Tamalpais hanging just above center stage reminds the audience of the iconic natural asset just beyond the theater’s ornately adorned walls. The highly decorative harpsichord harkened back to the 18th century and hinted at the unique performance that was to come.
House lights dimmed, the audience fell silent, and suddenly, from the balcony above stage left, “La Primavera” (spring) announced itself in the form of Erik Yates:

Spring has come, and birds greet it
Festively with a cheerful song;
And with the breath of gentle breezes
Springs trickle with a sweet murmur.

Lightning and thunder, elected to announce it,
Come and cover the air with a black cloak.
Once they are quiet, the birds
Return to their enchanting song.

Then on the pleasant, flowered meadow
A goatherd, with his faithful dog at his side,
Sleeps to the sweet murmur of fronds and plants.

To the festive sound of a rustic bagpipe
Nymphs and shepherds dance under the beloved canopy
At the brilliant appearance of spring.

Then began the familiar first movement of “Four Seasons” and the gorgeous music filled the hall sweetly. The theater is not large by any means, but it was amazing to hear how just seven acoustic instruments could create such a powerful, well-rounded polyphony. Applause erupted after the first movement. Upon the second movement entered surprisingly a dancer veiled in white, adding to the somewhat seductive, sweet melody. The harpsichord shined through beautifully in the third movement with its unique sound that seemingly mimics an organ and a harp simultaneously. Redner’s solo was impressive, with double stops, fast exchanges and a playful dance-like melody (although it was in duple meter). It was unique to hear him play while being backed by two other violins and a viola – very rich indeed! A somewhat brief ritornello to the main theme brought “La Primavera” to a delightful end. After the applause died down, a member of the audience couldn’t contain his amazement and cried, “That was wonderful, Aaron!” which prompted more applause of agreement from the content spectators.

Next came a cast change where all of the players exited the stage save Redner and Horne, who were joined by Roszkiewicz and Yates. Aaron noted to the audience that he “wanted to change it up” and then introduced this new ensemble as “The Swing Cats.” Judging by the somewhat surprised yet pleased looks four players faces, I’m not entirely sure this moniker was discussed with the group prior to their performance. The quartet began with “Shine” by Stéphane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt, which decidedly changed the feel of the evening’s performance. Yates and Horne seemed especially animated during this tune to the delight of the audience and players alike. Their second piece was a seductive Gershwin number entitled “Summertime.” This smooth tune was delightfully jazzy and induced a notable flute solo by Yates, causing Redner to exclaim, “Don’t stop now!” as Yates appeared to be wrapping it up. The gents onstage urged one another on with encouraging “Yeahs” sprinkled throughout, while Horne, who had been introduced as “Papa,” would throw in a “ba-bap” by rapping his hands on his double bass, affectionately referred to as Dark Chocolate.

Another quick cast changed back to the Baroque ensemble led to the “L’Estate” (summer) poem recitation by Nat Keefe, once again from the balcony:

Under the harsh season ignited by the sun
Man and flock languish, and the pine burns;
The cuckoo offers his voice, and, soon heard,
The young turtledove and goldfinch sing.

Zephyr blows gently, but suddenly
Boreas offers opposition to his neighbor;
And the shepherd weeps, because he fears
A severe storm in the offing – and his destiny.

The repose of his tired limbs is disturbed
By the fear of lightning and fiery thunder,
And by a furious swarm of flies and wasps.

Unfortunately, his fears are justified.
The sky thunders and fulminates, and hail
Flattens ears of corn and majestic grains.

This concerto began on a surprisingly light note, perhaps hinting at the sluggishness brought on by the summer’s heat. Redner on violin, Sor on cello and Kim on harpsichord played together brilliantly, increasing the rhythm to a near frantic pace at times, and then contrasting with much calmer segments, finishing off with a very tight, dramatic finish to the first movement. The dancer once again emerged during the second movement, this time sans billowing hat but with the addition of brightly colored flowers tucked into her tresses. Here, she mimicked a puppet on a string, matching her movements to the beat. The highlight of the third movement was the incredibly succinct bowing technique on the strings exhibited by the players. This intensity actually caused me to lose my breath, very likely due to the fact that I stopped breathing momentarily. Emotion swept over me as this concerto struck its final note, and all I could do was emphatically say “Wow!” (I literally wrote that in my notes). Thankfully, intermission was up next, allowing me to catch my breath and prepare for the second helping of amazing musical entertainment.

After the intermission, The Swing Cats performed the popular tune “Autumn Leaves” to perfectly set the stage for the next Vivaldi concerto. After a swift cast change, “L’Autumno” (autumn) was recited by Zachary Matthews:

The peasant celebrates the blissful pleasure
Of a happy harvest with dances and songs,
And, glowing with the liquor of Bacchus,
Many complete their enjoyment with sleep.

The air, tempered by pleasure, makes
Everyone give up dances and songs.
It is the season that invites so many
To the great enjoyment of a sweet sleep.

At dawn the hunters are off to the hunt
With horns, rifles, and dogs.
The wild beast flees, and they follow its trail.

Frightened already, and fatigued by the noise
Of rifles and dogs, wounded, it threatens
Languidly to flee, but overcome, it dies.

This concerto seemed familiar, as if a variation on the spring theme, or perhaps in the same key. The passionate music was absolutely magnificent and flawlessly executed, and the harpsichord really stood out during the first movement. The second movement shifted the tone of the piece, where the ensemble sans Redner slowed and took on a melancholy quality, perhaps hinting at the sad aspect of the fall and dying that comes along with the season. As per the other concertos, the second movement also reintroduced the dancer, who this time seemed more distracting to me than anything. This aspect of the performance certainly was a departure from other classic musical presentations. The final movement had a very loping rhythm to it, which I construed to be the fleeing of the “wild beast” referenced in “L’Autumno” recited prior to this concerto.

After another eruption of applause, the focus was shifted to the balcony for one last reading, this time “L’Inverno” (winter), passionately delivered by Willow Horne:

To tremble from cold in the icy snow,
In the harsh breath of a horrid wind;
To run, stamping out feet every moment,
Our teeth chattering in the extreme cold.

Before the fire to pass peaceful,
Contented days while the rain outside pours down.

To walk on the ice and, at a slow pace
(For fear of falling), move carefully.

To make a bold turn, slip, fall down.
To go on the ice once more and run hard
Until the ice cracks and breaks up.

To hear the Sirocco, Boreas, and all
The winds at war leave their iron gates:
This is winter, but, even so, what joy it brings!

This concerto opened in a minor key, full of mystery and a bit of fear of what harshness awaits. The swift pace conveyed the tendency of creatures to rush from place to place to find refuge from the cold of the winter months. The dancer made her final appearance, this time donning an Asian style mask and a cloth draped over her head and shoulders. Although we had seen small amounts previously in the evening, there was a nice section that had the stringed instrumentalists plucking their strings, a technique called pizzicato. The third movement contained many runs that started high and descended through the notes, alluding to falling rain, to sweetly wrap up the final seasonal concerto.

One last cast change, but this time, Roszkiewicz stayed behind and Keefe and Matthews joined Redner, Horne and Yates onstage to form the whole of Hot Buttered Rum. “Butter” (as HBR’s devoted fans lovingly refer to the band) launched into Bill Monroe’s “Footprints in the Snow.” With Redner and Matthews on vocals and Yates on banjo, the Butter boys rounded up in the Old Time way to toss around the lead for a few bars each to highlight their individual talents. Next up was the traditional fiddle tune “Cold Frosty Morning” to continue the seasonal themes of the evening. To bring the evening to an end, the players laid down their instruments, stepped to the foot of the stage to deliver “Birds and the Bees” a cappella:

The birds and the bees are singing and buzzing
And rattling around her kitchen screen door
It might be a while or it might be real soon
'Til nature takes its course

I'm thinking of course I don't want to settle down
The life that I choose is from town to town
But the sound the night's song on the smell of the spring
I succumb to the buzz of the birds and the bees

He's got a new kind of smile
Light of the full moon's been shining a while
Into her bedroom door
She says I'm my mother's best son
But I don't know what it's like
To be a fertile woman
So I can't say that she's wrong

The birds and the bees are singing and buzzing
And rattling around her kitchen screen door
It might be a while or it might be real soon
'Til nature takes its course

I'm thinking, of course I don't want to settle down
The life that I choose is from town to town
But the sound the night's song on the smell of spring
I succumb to the buzz of the birds and the bees
I succumb to the buzz of the birds and the bees

The evening was absolutely superb in terms of level of professionalism and the musicianship demonstrated, highly entertaining, and especially distinctive for those in the audience who follow Hot Buttered Rum’s (or other popular) music more so than classical. Redner smoothly stepped out of his “usual” role and took on the entire performance – and especially the Baroque – with sophistication and flair. It was exceptionally impressive that while all of the Baroque Ensemble players had the various pieces of sheet music for their reference, Redner played the entire night sans music before him, and he did so ostensibly flawlessly. The nearly full house reciprocated with deep appreciation for the gift of music so beautifully created and shared.