Last night (6 January 2010) was the crowning concert of the first Arizona Bach Festival. On the program were four of six parts of Johann Sebastian Bach’s beloved Christmas Oratorio (S. 248) featuring the Grammy Award-winning Phoenix Chorale and a chamber festival orchestra. The venue was the recently-renovated Central United Methodist Church in Midtown Phoenix, whose acoustics quite possibly rival Trinity Cathedral’s in Downtown Phoenix. (Yes, I said it.)
A quick note about the Christmas Oratorio: Unlike other grand oratorios from the period, Bach’s work is comprised of six separate cantatas that are for Christmas Day through Epiphany (January 6). Bach’s original design was for the six separate cantatas to be performed separately. Modern concert performances perform all six. JS Bach’s cantatas combine grand choruses, settings of chorales, arias, and recitatives. Some feature small overtures/sinfonias at the beginning of each cantata.
There is a strong element of musical foreshadowing in the Christmas Oratorio. Bach employs the Passion chorale Befiehl du deine Wege (usually sung in English as O sacred head now wounded) throughout the work. Most notably, the chorale concludes Part VI as well as the complete Oratorio. In addition, an aria and chorale from Part V (Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden?) are borrowed from his St John Passion (S. 245).
Joining the 27-voice Phoenix Chorale was a 19-member chamber orchestra as well as a continuo organist. It should be noted that a key element to Bach’s works (and most Baroque works in general) is a strong basso continuo. In the performance, cello and organ combined to play the continuo. Jan Simiz (cello) and Sue Westendorf (organ) were perfectly together in this respect.
For the most part, the Phoenix Chorale’s pronunciation of the German text was easily discernible. When the choir was singing the same words at the same time, even non-German speakers could transcribe the text. But like most of Bach’s work, unison writing is rare and often times the different vocal parts are singing different words. That, combined with the live nature of the space’s acoustics, muddied up the text. I was sitting about 30 feet from the choir so I cannot imagine what it was like for people sitting in the back of the house.
On his game at the concert was Erik Gustafson, a tenor in the Phoenix Chorale, who performed the role of evangelist. (In the Christmas Oratorio as well as the Passions, the Evangelist connects the different arias and chorales together with text from the Bible sung in recitative form.) He sung with a pure, refined sound that, in my mind, made for a perfect evangelist. Mr. Gustafson kept to the simplicity of the text and added vocal effects (e.g. vibrato) very sparingly that actually contributed to the success of that role.
It was good to see the Phoenix Chorale return to its roots (they were, until recently, called the Phoenix Bach Choir). The Chorale, along with the orchestra and conductor Scott Alan Youngs, performed this work brilliantly. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is not a work that should be taken lightly. The combined ensemble presented the work in a manner that even those who do not appreciate JS Bach’s music would suddenly appreciate it; for those who admire the great composer’s music, their admiration would become even greater.
This concert was one part of the Arizona Bach Festival, and so far, each of the performance spaces have been packed houses. It truly is heartwarming that, even in times of economic peril and also in a state whose legislators do not recognize the value of arts in the community, people enjoy and support the arts. With a concert like last night’s, it can be truthfully said that there are artistic gems in this desert.
-Edward Jensen
(For pictures from last night’s concert as well as the previous concerts in the series, check the Festival’s Facebook page at facebook.com/arizonabachfestival.)
Coming in just a couple days (actually, beginning on the 3rd!) is the premiere Arizona Bach Festival. It’s the logical next step in Phoenix’s American Bach series that just wrapped up a seven-year cycle of the complete JS Bach cantatas as well as his St Matthew and St John Passions at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.
So this month, from the 3rd-7th, the Festival will happen at locations up and down Central Avenue. The orchestra features members of the Phoenix Symphony, the chorus is the Phoenix Chorale (of Grammy fame), the guest concertmaster is Dr. Stephen Redfield, the concert organists are Dr. Kimberly Marshall and Scott Dettra, and the conductor is Scott Youngs.
There are five events: two organ recitals (both at All Saints’), a solo violin recital (in the lobby of the Viad Tower in Midtown Phoenix), a performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (at Central United Methodist Church), and an educational component sponsored by ASU and Arizona School for the Arts. The events list is online here and tickets are available here.
A sad end to one of Phoenix’s architecturally significant buildings happened yesterday when the former Qwest/Mountain Bell Building, at 3rd St and Earll, was demolished. The building had sat as a steel frame for many years as it was supposed to be turned into a new development. But the economy went into the toilet and, well, need I say more?
So, it’s sad to see this building go, but it had become quickly vandalized and blighted. I guess this was for the best.
The Camerata Singers are in concert tomorrow! It’s a concert that you surely don’t want to miss!
A couple of good friends from my high school, Eric Choate and Sean Colonna, have put together a summer choir that’s called the Camerata Singers, and I’m in the choir. Over the past weeks, we’ve prepared music by Palestrina, de Victoria, des Prez, Morley, Gasparini, Rachmaninoff, Vaughan Williams, and a couple settings of folk tunes. Rather than keep this incredible music to ourselves, we want to share it with you!
With this said, join us for our season concert this Sunday, August 2nd, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1407 N 2nd St, in Phoenix. (It’s near the McDowell/Central Avenue Metro station.) The performance begins at 3:30pm and a free-will retiring collection will be taken.
Friend and preservation advocate Jim McPherson is a self-proclaimed map fanatic.
His latest map shows different projects that have contributed to or detracted from Downtown Phoenix revitalization. He explains the color key as follows:
I’ve also devised a color-coding system to “rate” the status/progress of these projects: BLUE (successful/maintain!), GREEN (in progress),YELLOW (on hold; caution), MAGENTA (failing),RED (failed). Some of you may disagree with my methodology, status on an individual project, or geographic boundaries. That’s okay, I understand. So I welcome your feedback to correct what needs to be corrected!
Check out his map below, and if there’s anything you see missing, let us know!
Valley METRO Light Rail keeps getting more passengers on its trains. New passenger numbers indicate that 5,000 more people rode the light rail in February than in January. From KNXV-TV (Phoenix):
Almost 5,000 more people used light rail on an average weekday in February than in January, according to METRO officials.
For February 2009, METRO ridership totaled 908,052 boardings. That resulted in an average weekday ridership of 35,277, an average Saturday ridership of 31,417 and average Sunday and holiday ridership of 19,212.
For Phoenix and the region, this is fantastic news. Yesterday, Mayor Phil Gordon gave his State of the City address where he outlined his plan to make Phoenix a greener city. I’ll expand on Mr. Gordon’s themes in a later post.
This weekend (today through Sunday) is the Art Detour in Downtown Phoenix. For the uninitiated, Art Detour is like the typical First Fridays, but only on steroids, and much longer. But it is only one of a host of things taking place in Phoenix this weekend.
The Downtown Phoenix Journal (courtesy the Phoenix New Times) has written up a decent review of the things to see during the weekend and what galleries are worth visiting (excerpted from here and here):
Art Detour kicks off with an expanded First Friday on March 6 and continues through Sunday, with extended gallery hours and a Seventh Avenue Street Fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to the usual arty fetes (like the I.S. Survival party at the Icehouse, 429 W. Jackson St.) and boutique bashes (Made, at 922 N. 5th St., is a sort of unofficial Detour Central), street vendors will be stationed along Garfield, between Third and Seventh Streets, all weekend. As ever, much of the action takes place on Grand Avenue and along Roosevelt Row, but outlying galleries are also showing off their best this weekend.
Here’s a sampling of galleries (full map here) that will be open throughout the weekend:
Gallery Marsiglia(1018 Grand Ave): “Metals, Rock, Fashion” is a series of jewelry-centric events featuring a steel-bending demo by “master bladesmith” Ray Rybar, and a lecture from Mrs. Hancock, the Valley’s premier etiquette instructor, who’ll instruct us on the proper protocol for jewelry-wearing at weddings, the theater, and (one hopes) art exhibits.
Jordre Studio(1007 Grand Ave): A trio of diverse local artists — Jennie Ignaszewski, Tyson Crosbie, and Kyle Jordre — are on display in “3,” a show documenting the city’s urban beauty in varied styles.
Modified Arts (407 E Roosevelt St): A solo show by painter James Angel is the visual highlight of a weekend of music from the likes of singer/songwriter Elesisha Eagle, Sister Cities, and the Terrible People.
MonOrchid(214 E Roosevelt St): New paintings from Christina Ramirez and Randy Slack will be exhibited in “Multiple Personalities,” a Detour-exclusive show of new work.
The Paisley Violin(1028 Grand Ave): Folks interested in aural as well as visual art will want to keep the Violin on their Detour to-do list, as this cafe gallery will be featuring live music all weekend long. The Dorsets will perform on Friday night; Chicks with Sticks on Saturday from 2 until 4, and local jazz musicians throughout the day on Sunday. An exhibit by the Arizona Print Group will also be on display.
Perihelion Arts(610 E Roosevelt St #137): Photographer Davyid Lemmon’s newest works are featured in “Fact Illusion and Structure,” a collection of evocative, black-and-white fantasy portraits.
PRAVUS Gallery(501 E Roosevelt St): “The Panelists” is an ink-drenched celebration of the comic book that includes art by Russ Pope, Luster Kaboom, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, and the show’s curator, Krk Ryden.
Tilt Gallery(919 W Fillmore St): This is not your grandmother’s photo album: Mark Osterman’s new show, “Artifacts of a Curious Mind,” offers the artist’s warmly hand-tinted photographs, each an ambrotype printed from a collodion negative.
In addition to the Art Detour, this weekend is the Heard Museum’s annual Indian Fair and Market. If you’re wanting a diversion from the Downtown Phoenix scene, hop on the Light Rail and travel to the Encanto/Central Ave station and check that out. (Admission: $15/adults, $5/students with ID, FREE/children under 16). More information here.
To great fanfare, Valley METRO Light Rail opened today after a decade in the making. Here are some highlights from the day’s events from the Encanto/Central Ave station:
SATURDAY DECEMBER 27: Grand opening! METRO’s hours of operation will be 10a-8p with station celebrations happening from 10a-5p.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 28: 10a-6p.
MONDAY DECEMBER 29: Normal hours of operation, with the first train starting from either end at 4.40am and the last train leaving from either end at 11.00pm
TUESDAY DECEMBER 30: Normal hours of operation (see above)
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 31: Normal hours of operation, but the last train will leave from either end at 2am January 1 to accommodate New Year’s revelers.
I know you’re all sad that this is the last weekend in Phoenix without METRO Light Rail. I am, too. [end sarcasm]
The thing that is extremely hard to believe is that it seems like yesterday when Central Avenue was still 3 lanes with the fancy bricks running down the center. Or when construction started in front of my house. Or even when we hit the 100-days-to-go plateau. But it’s here, and the grand opening celebrations are in ONE WEEK!
I’m probably going to be helping out that day at the Heard Museum (Encanto/Central Ave station) promoting the Midtown Museum District Neighborhood Association. I work with them as a community engagement partner for businesses, residents, and METRO Light Rail. So, if you’re going to be riding the rails that day (so to speak), stop by and say hello. (I’m the tall one.)
