As usual, I am too overwhelmed by Bard Music to keep up with everything. I obviously have a long road before I get up to journal-keeping-par.
Saturday is already fading from my mind, of course it was fading before it began as I was very tired that day and was not impressed with the offerings. Whether that is a statement on the quality of the program or the depth of my exhaustion, I haven’t a clue.
Mike Seeger was interesting and enjoyable but by the end of the hour it was all sounding a little monotonous to me. Peggy Seeger was a little too cute and folksy and I would have appreciated an intermission between after the first hour. On the other hand the fact that there was none was probably good as I might have left.
The afternoon concert was more interesting. The high points were Walter Piston’s "Three Pieces, for flute, clarinet, and bassoon" and Stravinsky’s "Suite from L’Histoire du Soldat". The Irving Fine and Eliot Carter woodwind quintets were marred only by the performance, which I found to be rather pedestrian, surprising since Marc Goldberg and Randolph Bowman are both such excellent musicians who seemed to work well in other groups. Perhaps I was too tired, I cannot put my finger on the exact problem, but the Bard Woodwind Quintet did not seem to work well as a group.
The evening program did less for me. For the most part I could have skipped the entire first part of the concert. I enjoyed Samuel Barber’s “First Essay, Op 12" but otherwise thought the rest of the program was a waste of time. George liked the Chavez though.
The second half of the concert more than made up for the first however. In an all-Copeland program, the orchestra played, Statements, Quiet City, and Billy the Kid. All three were excellent.
This morning I was mentally more awake, and if I had not been, the absolutely wonderfully stimulating and charming panel discussion by contemporary composers would have woken me up completely.
The afternoon program was wonderful:
Lukas Foss Capriccio, for cello and piano (1948) beautiful
Arthur Berger Duo, for cello and piano (1951) a little boring but well played
Benjamin Britten Folk Song Arrangemenets, "The British Isles" neither George nor I liked the tenor, Philippe Castagner but the songs were nice.
Ned Rorem Echo’s Songs, Stopping by woods on a Snowy Evening same as above
David Del Tredici I Hear an Army (1964) Awesome, specatuclar, beautifully sung. Frightening.
John Cage and Lou Harrison Double Music (1941) What a great piece, really cool.
Pierre Boulez Flute Sonatine (1946) Outstanding performance of a difficult piece. Unfortunately Boulez leaves me cold every time.
Aaron Copland Piano Quartet lovely, well done.
The evening concert was also a rousing success and great conclusion to the festival. Botstein played the original version of Copland’s Third Symphony and it seemed perfect to me. I am not familiar enough with the work to remember the fourth movement without the 10 bars that have been eliminated. I think it must be a shame. Too much is never enough, after all.