Strange New Music
Jun. 2nd, 2010 03:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pastwatcherI just went to a live concert of Pink Martini, with the San Francisco Symphony. It was my aunt Meghan's idea, and my colleague Jon (a fifth-year staying next year, who dragged me to ballroom dancing once) came with me and her and Ben and four of Ben's friends. I swear I haven't been so amazed by my own enjoyment of a concert since seeing my first Noteables concert, and that was spring 2005.
It is vocal chamber music with salsa dancing (OK, maybe swing and tango and such actually, I'm not a good judge)! What could go wrong?
Basically, Pink Martini is a dozen versatile musicians, one of whom is primarily a singer. Their pieces are almost all songs, but the vocals don't diminish the importance of the other eleven instruments. I mean it about the salsa dancing, or standard that goes toward salsa: tango, swing of course, probably cha cha, I'm not sure...but definitely tango. They had a jazz improvisational piece, a piece with 'cello solo and vocalise, and so much, and yet it all seemed like one style...but there was also a lot of classical and other famous music in there. They played a four-hand-piano passage from Schubert before one piece, after explaining how they had loved the theme and put a twist on it, then did that piece. They started a piece with a passage of Chopin on the piano, then the 'cello took over the melody but it was suddenly strongly rhythmic, not Chopin at all and yet recognizably the same idea. They explained that one piece, written very early when the pianist said "sure, [these themes are] public domain" got them sued once it became popular in France, but the plaintiffs also asked for their autograph. In that piece they suddenly trumpeted "Always look on the bright side of life" and fluted the whistle, and it took me halfway through the next song to recognize that line because it was so startling and funny (and I'm sometimes bad at remembering what melodies actually are).
They were so precisely together in their rhythm that it simply wasn't a question (except for a little bit of subtly working to stay with the guest singers, which I noticed only because I was alert for it). They were jazzy and slid and whispered and hooted and made strange sounds, but they were all so musical and in tune that they never sounded unpleasant to my ear. The symphony was their backup, and complemented them very well; to hear the symphony itself I will have to come another time, because they blended in seamlessly. Seamless--that describes the whole concert. Or fluid, perhaps.
They brought in a man, the White House NPR correspondent to sing (unless they were kidding about that...), who by the way got thunderous applause when he mentioned having got married to his husband across the street. And a woman who was in the original Guys and Dolls (I think?), to do a solo and then a duet with the main singer.
I really liked the pianist. In fact, the role the piano took in the pieces was so different than the one I expect that for a few moments I had trouble placing the sound, and caught myself thinking "what is that instrument making the plinking bell-like noises?" Me, whose primary musical reference, that is the one which first helped my perfect pitch, is the piano. !!! I must be incredibly stupid, or just lulled out of my usual expectations. Normally, I derive enjoyment not only from the music but from picking out the faults in the concert--this time either it was perfect, or the music distracted me from doing that.
The drummer did something amazing: on his solo, he played something that sounded like the melodies I had been hearing before. I'm sure it used the rhythmic reminder to help carry the tune, but it was an amazing effect. That started off the round of jazz improvisations.
The SINGER! She was so versatile! I admire her for several reasons, not only because she sang mostly alto and proved that altos are underappreciated. Firstly, she moves and dances to set the mood for the piece. Secondly, she is never at all off on pitch or rhythm, and clearly is not *leading* the orchestra, but is simply with it. Thirdly, it's not that she suits the songs to show off her voice, but rather that she suits her voice to the songs and makes them amazing, but light and playful. She has that resonant roundness in the octave centered at middle C that you really only hear in a good alto, because though a bass can have a similar quality it is less smooth. She also has a playful vibrato, and a strong range down to F below middle C. She can belt, up to a C above middle C I thought, but then suddenly she belted an E above that later in the concert. She has a beautiful haunting headvoice with a slight vibrato, which came out a few times and also went up to E; but then suddenly she "oohed" a haunting and subtle melody ranging up to high C in the second-to-last piece!! She can whisper a note. She can slide in tune. I could always understand her words, in English and in French, even though she was only one among several important components of the piece.
Overall, the concert made me think that life is fun, that one can make light of the things that should be painful, and it all came so *easily*. It ended with a dance, and we the audience were so into it by then that about a tenth of us actually got up and danced, and about eight-tenths clapped the rhythm. Jon and I attempted a little bit of swing in place. I think only Irish music compares to this for making me want to dance; I think had I been on a dance floor I could have danced to it alone, unselfconsciously.
In conclusion, there was not a moment of the show when I felt tired, and it was so mixed up, I think their name really suits them. Before I heard them live, I just didn't understand. And maybe it will seem less amazing in the morning, but I doubt it, since everyone really enjoyed it. But also since I am music-drunk I am writing this on the train home to post as soon as I have Internet access.
Wheeeeee! And to think that I had been mystified by their CDs before. Must...listen...to...more...
It is vocal chamber music with salsa dancing (OK, maybe swing and tango and such actually, I'm not a good judge)! What could go wrong?
Basically, Pink Martini is a dozen versatile musicians, one of whom is primarily a singer. Their pieces are almost all songs, but the vocals don't diminish the importance of the other eleven instruments. I mean it about the salsa dancing, or standard that goes toward salsa: tango, swing of course, probably cha cha, I'm not sure...but definitely tango. They had a jazz improvisational piece, a piece with 'cello solo and vocalise, and so much, and yet it all seemed like one style...but there was also a lot of classical and other famous music in there. They played a four-hand-piano passage from Schubert before one piece, after explaining how they had loved the theme and put a twist on it, then did that piece. They started a piece with a passage of Chopin on the piano, then the 'cello took over the melody but it was suddenly strongly rhythmic, not Chopin at all and yet recognizably the same idea. They explained that one piece, written very early when the pianist said "sure, [these themes are] public domain" got them sued once it became popular in France, but the plaintiffs also asked for their autograph. In that piece they suddenly trumpeted "Always look on the bright side of life" and fluted the whistle, and it took me halfway through the next song to recognize that line because it was so startling and funny (and I'm sometimes bad at remembering what melodies actually are).
They were so precisely together in their rhythm that it simply wasn't a question (except for a little bit of subtly working to stay with the guest singers, which I noticed only because I was alert for it). They were jazzy and slid and whispered and hooted and made strange sounds, but they were all so musical and in tune that they never sounded unpleasant to my ear. The symphony was their backup, and complemented them very well; to hear the symphony itself I will have to come another time, because they blended in seamlessly. Seamless--that describes the whole concert. Or fluid, perhaps.
They brought in a man, the White House NPR correspondent to sing (unless they were kidding about that...), who by the way got thunderous applause when he mentioned having got married to his husband across the street. And a woman who was in the original Guys and Dolls (I think?), to do a solo and then a duet with the main singer.
I really liked the pianist. In fact, the role the piano took in the pieces was so different than the one I expect that for a few moments I had trouble placing the sound, and caught myself thinking "what is that instrument making the plinking bell-like noises?" Me, whose primary musical reference, that is the one which first helped my perfect pitch, is the piano. !!! I must be incredibly stupid, or just lulled out of my usual expectations. Normally, I derive enjoyment not only from the music but from picking out the faults in the concert--this time either it was perfect, or the music distracted me from doing that.
The drummer did something amazing: on his solo, he played something that sounded like the melodies I had been hearing before. I'm sure it used the rhythmic reminder to help carry the tune, but it was an amazing effect. That started off the round of jazz improvisations.
The SINGER! She was so versatile! I admire her for several reasons, not only because she sang mostly alto and proved that altos are underappreciated. Firstly, she moves and dances to set the mood for the piece. Secondly, she is never at all off on pitch or rhythm, and clearly is not *leading* the orchestra, but is simply with it. Thirdly, it's not that she suits the songs to show off her voice, but rather that she suits her voice to the songs and makes them amazing, but light and playful. She has that resonant roundness in the octave centered at middle C that you really only hear in a good alto, because though a bass can have a similar quality it is less smooth. She also has a playful vibrato, and a strong range down to F below middle C. She can belt, up to a C above middle C I thought, but then suddenly she belted an E above that later in the concert. She has a beautiful haunting headvoice with a slight vibrato, which came out a few times and also went up to E; but then suddenly she "oohed" a haunting and subtle melody ranging up to high C in the second-to-last piece!! She can whisper a note. She can slide in tune. I could always understand her words, in English and in French, even though she was only one among several important components of the piece.
Overall, the concert made me think that life is fun, that one can make light of the things that should be painful, and it all came so *easily*. It ended with a dance, and we the audience were so into it by then that about a tenth of us actually got up and danced, and about eight-tenths clapped the rhythm. Jon and I attempted a little bit of swing in place. I think only Irish music compares to this for making me want to dance; I think had I been on a dance floor I could have danced to it alone, unselfconsciously.
In conclusion, there was not a moment of the show when I felt tired, and it was so mixed up, I think their name really suits them. Before I heard them live, I just didn't understand. And maybe it will seem less amazing in the morning, but I doubt it, since everyone really enjoyed it. But also since I am music-drunk I am writing this on the train home to post as soon as I have Internet access.
Wheeeeee! And to think that I had been mystified by their CDs before. Must...listen...to...more...
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Date: 2010-06-02 02:53 pm (UTC)