BRINGING EDUCATION TO ITS KNEES

To those who were blessed to receive an education that included basic reading, writing, mathematics, history and at least a smattering of the arts, it might seem like a shock to learn that this summer Governor Kate Brown of Oregon signed Oregon Senate Bill 744, which abolishes competency in core subjects as a requirement for graduation from public high schools in Oregon.  Proponents of the bill lobbied for it in the name of "equity" for minority students, but it is difficult to understand how such a bill will would help any student of any background.  Some even view this law as a direct assault against minorities, whose innate abilities might now be dismissed as a result of a largely Caucasian legislative body's attempts to downgrade education and academic accomplishment.

To be fair, the law holds place for the next five years and then will be subject to review, but the harm that it could potentially generate could last much longer.  Tragic that the very institutions that were granted the sacred task of imparting knowledge are now working against it.

It is imperative that we ALL learn as much as we can about our schools, even those who have no children, because their lives will be impacted as surely as children's lives.  We should all study the funding, the curriculum, the training of teachers, the philosophy in place, the percentage of funds spent on administration and non-essential expenditures.  It is our right and our duty.

MARINO GARDENING:  A NEW APPROACH TO OLD WAYS

Imagine a small plot of land, maybe a suburban front yard or back yard, or maybe even just a few square feet, filled with a rich variety of plants, selected perhaps only by their immediate appeal to the gardener.  The planting space is crowded and perhaps not well-planned, but it provides a feast to the eyes and the nose, and energizes the surrounding area with an infusion of oxygen and nourishment for wildlife and humans.  This new (or old?) approach to gardening is being popularized by John Marino of St. Louis, Missouri, and is little by little capturing the attention of gardeners both in the Midwest and elsewhere.

When John acquired the suburban house left to him by his parents, he began to sample the joys of gardening more intensively than ever before.  He planted evergreen bushes, roses, flowering trees, hydrangeas and a host of other species.  Although his property was spacious enough for a suburban location, his appetite for new varieties of plants quickly began to soak up the available space, and perhaps the spacing may not have been ideal to an experienced landscaper.  However, the myriad assortment did provide privacy, cleaner air, little spots to lose yourself as you wandered through the front and back yards, and perhaps an air of mystery, somewhat like a small enchanted forest.

In time, a professional landscaper up the street from John's home became inspired and began to apply John's notions to his own property and to adventurous clients who wanted to make the most of their own properties.  Eventually some of John's friends and associates also decided to become more experimental in their own garden design and implementation.  A local psychic even commended John for fostering an "energy vortex" through the pairing of majestic trees of various species side by side.  If you think about it, Mother Nature herself adopts a very pragmatic--and oftentimes crowded--approach to filling spaces on our planet with as much vegetation as possible, paying no heed to any sort of principles of garden design.  Now we are beginning to see "Marino gardens" pop up here and there in all sorts of places.

Basically, Marino gardening boils down to a "do your own thing approach" to garden design and layout.  The only constraints are that you need to make sure each plant has sufficient light, soil and space to grow and prosper on its own.  The possibilities are endless, and the only boundaries are Nature itself and our own creativity.

WORDS OF CAUTION FROM A WISE MAN

Like visiting with old friends, re-reading books we love brings its own rewards.  Recently I picked up once again Umberto Eco's brilliant novel from 1980, "The Name of the Rose".  Few scholars can match the insight, wisdom and vast reservoir of language and knowledge that this great man brought to bear upon a medieval detective story.  Near the end of the novel, the monk William of Baskerville gives us these wise words of caution:

"The Antichrist can be born from piety itself, from excessive love of God or of the truth, as the heretic is born from the saint and the possessed from the seer.  Fear prophets...and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them."

(Translated by William Weaver)

Although Eco couches his literary commentary in Christian terms, his caution should not be limited solely to the Christian religion.  Sadly, far too many religions and belief systems are stained with blood.  May we all take Eco's words to heart.

 

VOICES IN THE HEARTLAND

Music has a way of haunting each of us.  Sometimes a single piece can take hold of a person and become almost an obsession.  I keep a mental list of several pieces that always impact me profoundly.  Over the years, my choices have evolved to include a wide variety of genres and performers.

One such piece that I find haunting is "The Call"  from the Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams.  This short work, written for baritone soloist and instrumental accompaniment, is redolent of Gregorian chant as well as the Romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries, set to words by the 17th century British poet George Herbert:

The Call
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.


The Gateway Men's Chorus of St. Louis performed this entire work, and many others, as part of their holiday concert on December 8 and 9, with baritone Robert McNichols, Jr., conducted by Robert Stumpf.  Both men are consummate musicians.  McNichols sings with boundless energy and precision honed by years of careful practice.  His voice boomed throughout the auditorium at Union Avenue Christian Church, backed by organist John Cargile. 

Robert Stumpf is one of those conductors who breathes with the music and makes himself a complete part of it.  He clearly understood the drama and pathos intended by Vaughan Williams.  Stumpf has built on the legacy of previous conductors of the GMC to craft a skilled and unified ensemble that continues to grow and mature, now in its 31st season. 

Interestingly, Vaughan Williams was an atheist turned agnostic, yet is renowned for his Christian music.  Perhaps he understood that mysticism sooner or later tugs at each of us.  Here is a performance from YouTube of the song by baritone Carl Frank and organist Colin Knapp:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAxc7zuqFyU

THE BOOKS WE READ: RUDYARD KIPLING'S "KIM"

Lately I had been noticing that I was spending too much time watching the world go by, but not taking time to read.  So I adopted a midyear resolution and commanded myself to begin reading all the books collecting dust on a "to read" shelf.  One of the very first was "Kim", by Rudyard Kipling, which appeared in print in 1901.

Today in the United States we need to read more of the classics.  It is amazing how timeless the themes are in Kipling's work:  devotion to one's passions; persistence; the legacy of colonialism; racism; religion.  "Kim" tells the story of an orphaned Irish boy raised as a Hindu in the streets of Lahore in India.  Kim becomes the devoted guide to an elderly Tibetan lama as he searches for the River of the Arrow in India and who becomes as a father to the orphaned boy.  Along the way, Kim acquires a European education paid for by the lama and gets involved in colonial espionage.

Reading "Kim" is challenging; Kipling throws around terms from Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam on almost every page.  His own father commented on the difficulty of the text.  But the effort is well worth it.  Seldom has there appeared a book that speaks more deeply to the very essence of the human spirit and all our inner and outer struggles. 

Kipling's own life was very difficult--separation from parents, abuse by foster parents and legal battles--so I suspect there are many autobiographical moments recounted in the pages of "Kim", rendering his words all the more poignant.  

Next on my list:  Faulkner's "Light in August".  Anyone else care to share their thoughts on a particular book that moved them?

Review: THE METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA PRESENTS A MUSICAL PANORAMA

Sunday, March 5, 2017

A kaleidoscope of diverse and talented soloists and a broad-ranging program, led by two conductors, combined to produce a spirited and intriguing concert by the Metropolitan Orchestra of Saint Louis this weekend in their home venue at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood.  

In his remarks to the audience, Conductor Laureate Allen Carl Larson explained the uniqueness of several of the featured works, as well as the characteristics and challenges of the solo instruments involved. Today it is more important than ever to provide education and background to listeners, which is one of the most important and attractive components of MOSL’s concept and mission. Not only does the orchestra provide background and knowledge, but it also offers a “Share the Music Stand” program in which gifted students are paired with orchestra members at rehearsals and concerts. This is music education at its very finest:  veteran performers in the orchestra teaching by example, and students learning by doing.

Harpist Megan Stout opened the program as soloist in the “Danses sacree et profane” (Sacred and Secular Dances) by Claude Debussy, a beautiful work showcasing the strength, agility and sheer beauty of the instrument, for which Stout was amply suited. Benjamin Britten’s remarkable “Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings”, featuring Peter Ulffers, horn, and tenor Keith Boyer.  Drawing upon verses from major British poets, the cycle of songs requires performers with a wide range and warmth of tone. Ulffers and Boyer melded a beautiful lyrical counterpoint together; without such smoothness and rich sonority, this work would be cold and lifeless. But that was certainly not the case. Britten’s score calls for both a field horn (no valves) as well as the modern concert horn.  The opening and closing sections of the work are played offstage by the field horn, creating a roving and dreamlike effect that provides a tonal backdrop to the poetry proclaimed by the tenor.

The program continued—without intermission, which seemed entirely appropriate for such a musical showcase—with clarinetist Jeanine York-Garesche performing the “Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Strings” by the 20^th century composer Gerald Finzi, arranged by Lawrence Ashmore.  The descendant of Italian Jews who settled in England, Finzi is well known for his numerous choral and vocal works. The Five Bagatelles are a beautiful set of short capricious works, full of melodic ingenuity and expressing various moods.  Along with all the featured soloists on the program, York-Garesche performed not only with a flowing, liquid tone, but also consummate technical skill. All musical instruments, and all human voices, must “sing,” meaning they must perform with expression, dynamics, proper phrasing, rich tone and must be able to give the music wings to take flight on its own. All the featured soloists at this concert were able to successfully embody these characteristics.

The first three works on the program were conducted by Conductor Laureate Allen Carl Larson, perhaps the single guiding force behind the establishment of the Metropolitan Orchestra, ably assisted by Music Director Wendy Lea. In addition to his musical leadership that molds the entire ensemble into a cohesive, dynamically balanced whole, Larson also functions as an educator and commentator to the audience. Added to that is his deep commitment to nurturing young musicians. These traits combine to create an impressive mission statement for the orchestra.

Assistant Conductor Andrew Peters concluded the concert with Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, completed in 1916 when the composer was only nineteen. Since Schubert died at 31, somehow his inner spirit knew that he needed an early start. This symphony displays Schubert’s uncanny ability to produce tuneful and soulful melodies, easily recognizable yet always original. The task of the conductor is to make sure that each melody must ring out clearly and sail into the listener’s ears. Peters projected a solid understanding of Schubert’s ideas and how they intermingle, making this work an excellent send-off for the enthusiastic audience.  

The winning combination for this program was its mixture of varied instrumental and vocal soloists, a wide historical range of musical styles, inclusion of works that appealed to audiences yet here and their gave just a bit of harmonic and melodic challenge, an affordable admission price, a hall that is large enough to accommodate yet still provides an intimate setting, and careful yet brief explanations and introductions of the pieces. This is what symphony orchestras were meant to be, and why they are critical to the cultural life of every community.

ANCIENT STYLE RINGS OUT WITH STILE ANTICO

November 30, Cathedral Concerts at the Saint Louis Basilica

Early music forces us to recondition our ears and our entire approach to listening. The system of tonality that we take for granted today was not yet fully established when this music was written, so the melodies and harmonies may sound strange to us--and, ironically, totally new rather than old. Particularly in the contrapuntal music of the Renaissance, there is no single melody. Rather, a virtual shower of melody, with its resulting harmony, cascades upon listeners' ears. But for those listeners who dive into the ocean of sound, the effect can be mesmerizing. The British a cappella group, Stile Antico (Ancient Style), has devoted itself to recapturing the essence of what music sounded like centuries ago to the awakening minds of the European Renaissance, garnering numerous awards and critical acclaim.

The effect of hearing multiple lines of music simultaneously produces a state remarkably similar to that of the Eastern meditation technique of clearing the mind. Finding oneself unable to focus on single lines of music leaves only the alternative of focusing on the void of the broad canvas that the music creates, or perhaps focusing on nothing at all, thereby allowing the music to work its magic on the soul. The listener becomes much more aware of the overall mood and texture of the music.

Stile Antico consists of twelve singers, male and female. The group does not rely on a conductor; instead, each vocalist is responsible for the careful execution of his or her own part. Singing contrapuntally requires strict independence and complete accuracy. Fortunately, neither was lacking. The group performs with precision and careful balance and blend. Although the acoustics inside the Cathedral Basilica can cloud the sound produced by performers, in this case any blurriness of the sound only added a sheen of mysticism to the group's timbre and further unified their vocal blend.  

Although at first it might seem that an ensemble specializing in music of the Renaissance would have a very narrow focus, on further examination such is not the case. It is important to remember that Europe was--and remains--a very diverse continent, multilingual and multi-ethnic. Perhaps even more significantly, we must bear in mind that the Reformation was still in its infancy, and so Christians of the era (and now also) were markedly split in their allegiances. Moreover, Jewish and Moorish influences, particularly in the music of southern Europe, can also be felt.

That being said, the theme of Stile Antico's performance at the Basilica, "A Wondrous Mystery," revolved primarily around northern European compositions by Lutheran and Catholic composers, set to both German and Latin texts. One of the few compositions from the era that remains rooted in our hymnals today, "Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming," by Michael Praetorius, opened the program, proving that early music is not forgotten. (In fact, many melodies from the Renaissance remain with us today, such as "A Mighty Fortress.") Selections from a mass by Jacob Clemens non Papa (whose nickname tacked on at the end affirms that he was NOT a Pope Clement) were interspersed throughout the program. That may seem like an odd way to perform a mass setting, but it also afforded an opportunity to contrast the composer's style against that of his contemporaries. Works by such composers as Orlando di Lasso (Orlandus Lassus) and Leo Hassler were also featured on the program. When we consider that Orlando was allegedly kidnapped three times as a boy by rival choirs in order to capture his beautiful voice for their own, we gain an insight into the significance of music to the peoples of this period. 

Following the intermission, the group performed Jacob Handl's "Mirabile misterium" (Miraculous Mystery) in a side aisle of the Basilica. This created a remarkable new effect, demonstrating that the direction of sound does indeed affect the listener. Although that was the only selection performed off the altar area, hopefully the singers will experiment further with such techniques. 

By inviting performers of the caliber of Stile Antico, the Cathedral Basilica continues its longstanding tradition of serving the musical needs of our entire community. Kudos to Scott Kennebeck, the Director of the series, and the leadership of the Basilica, particularly Music Director Horst Buchholz, for providing such a far-reaching and broadly-based array of world class performers.