Hearing Mark O'Connor

It's been a while since I wrote here (nearly 3 months), and lots has been going on musically since then. One of the highlights since the end of February has been hearing Mark O'Connor and his newest work, The Americana Symphony. He came to Anderson, where the GAMAC Chamber Orchestra played it. He also played a little bit, his piece Harmony, written after 9/11. It was all really great, and after the concert, he stuck around, signed CDs, and talked to people. It was fun to see him interact with the kids--there were high school and college string students there, all clearly in awe of him. One of them was very shy, and when O'Connor asked him if he played violin, he nodded quickly. O'Connor then asked, Do you know about my strings camp? and went on to describe it. By the time he was finished, *I* was ready to go to strings camp (and I don't play violin)! I got to tell him that I'd been listening to his music for a long time--since my friend Susan Wilson in Nashville introduced me to his album "Elysian Forest." 

Stretching the definition of "musical" a bit, April and May saw me at 2 musical shows, Spamalot and The Drowsy Chaperone. Both were good in different ways. Spamalot was spectacular from the get go--sets, music, the wacky premise from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I think my favorite moment/production number/scene was the conception of Camelot as Las Vegas--lots of bright lights and the sentiment "what happens in Camelot STAYS in Camelot!" I also enjoyed the "Bring out your dead/I'm not dead yet/He's not dead yet" scene because I remember it from the film. 

Drowsy Chaperone was a love letter to the theater, for anyone who has fallen in love with a musical, seen it, and then listened to the soundtrack over and over to relive the experience. It was hokey, but in a good way, and the title character is actually a minor one. It's a love story and all the theatrical conceits surrounding it. 

I will probably buy the Spamalot soundtrack but not Drowsy Chaperone. 

While we are on the subject of musical theater, I'll mention seeing my first Broadway show last summer--Curtains. Billed as the last musical by Kander and Ebb, it's another love letter to the theater, but one that involves murder and a theater company sequestered while the mystery is being solved. It was so much fun, and it was great to see recognizable faces in the cast--David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, Ernie Sabella. I was just over the moon--didn't want to leave the theater after it was over. 

The next while is going to be on the paltry side for music, unless I end up buying music. Mostly I need to practice music, now that choir is over and I don't have that excuse to keep me away from the piano. I probably also need to plan another trip to NYC!!