Home  Entertainment Reviews Review: Quodlibet (Dec. 4)
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Review: Quodlibet (Dec. 4) |
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Written by D.S. Crafts
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Tuesday, 04 December 2007 |
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Quodlibet, a Latin term for "what you will" was a form used in early music to combine various songs to produce humorous, usually bawdy lyrics. Needless to say, such witty "compositions" were great party favorites.
The excellent Renaissance choral ensemble which takes the name Quodlibet, produced its seasonal concert "What You Will, a Musical Potpourri" on Sunday at St. Michael and All Angels Church. Living up to the title, the program, while mostly outstanding Renaissance music, also included folk songs and "jazzed-up" madrigals. Introduced and conducted by Marilyn Alletzhauser the group, decked out in colorful Renaissance costumes, supports a rich blend of mixed voices, full of enthusiasm and a sincere desire to bring these great works to life. Two high sopranos, arrestingly visceral, grace the top of the ensemble like a shining star on a Christmas tree. The afternoon began with a processional, the Gaudete (Rejoice) from 16th century Spain. While a set devoted specifically to Christmas opened the second half, there followed immediately three supremely beautiful works frequently associated with Christmas. The Ave Maria by Josquin des Pres is certainly one of the most astoundingly gorgeous works of early Renaissance. Josquin, like Michelangelo, was so highly regarded as to be referred to by his first name alone like an emperor. Mouton's Quaeramus cum Pastoribus (Let us seek with the shepherds) is clearly a Christmas text set here to a joyful, exuberant polyphony. Finally, the haunting O Magnum Mysterium of Tomas Luis de Victoria is perhaps the most esteemed of the many settings of this verse. From the English Renaissance we heard works of William Byrd and Thomas Tallis, two composers who were not only musical colleagues, but business partners in the music printing monopoly granted by Elizabeth. The only anomaly to this set, and certainly a welcome addition, was Bruckner's hushed and reverent motet Os justi (The mouth of the righteous) from the late 19th century. The mood then brightened significantly with a set of sparkling madrigals including Josquin's satirical work "El Grillo" (The cricket), mocking a miserly Duke who wouldn't pay his "crickets" (the choir). The Christmas portion per se was full of seasonal favorites including Praetorius' Psallite, the Spanish villancico Riu, Riu, Chiu, the English Coventry Carol and the Bohemian Carol of the Bells. A vigorously rhythmic setting of the popular text Hodie Christus Natus Est (Today Christ is Born) by Reformation composer Sweelinck brought this section to a close. Two folks songs, the American Shenandoah, and the Russian Jewish Artsah Alinu (We come to this land), set the stage for "Madrigals Jazzed Up" humorous arrangements by Gregg Smith. Orlando Di Lasso's lovely Matona Mia Cara became "Hey, Babe" as vocal percussion peppered the repeating section, and Mon coeur se recommande a vous was given a modern harmonic setting as "My Heart is Longing for Your Love." When Love and Beauty by Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan) ended the program as the Be-Bop "Oh! That Love and Beauty."
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About Reviewers D.S. Crafts (Website) Composer Daniel Steven Crafts came to New Mexico from San Francisco where he had hosted a classical music radio program on KPFA. His first commission from opera star Jerry Hadley, "The Song & the Slogan" based on texts by Carl Sandburg, was made into a TV program for the PBS network and aired nationally in 2004 and won an Emmy for Best Music. His latest opera La Llorona is a collaboration with novelist Rudolfo Anaya based on his play "The Season of La Llorona." Mr. Crafts is currently working on another commission from Jerry Hadley for a piece about the American Southwest which includes texts by Rudolfo Anaya and V.B. Price. Two CDs of his music, Contemporaries (short, satirical keyboard works) and ARIAS (excerpts from his various operas) have been released on the BACAT label in San Francisco.
David Steinberg David Steinberg has covered state government, the courts, city and county government in Santa Fe for the Albuquerque Journal. He's been an arts writer for the past 20 years, and serves as the book editor, for the Journal. Over the years, he's also acted in plays, sung in choruses and played trumpet.
Jennifer Noyer Jennifer Noyer has been writing dance reviews for the Albuquerque Journal for 17 years, as well as contributing articles for Dance Magazine and other art journals. She trained in dance with Hanya Holm in New York City and Colorado Springs, and studied several dance techniques at the graduate level at the University of Michigan. After teaching dance at Wayne State University she entered and completed a Masters Degree in Humanities there. In New Mexico Ms. Noyer has taught, directed, and choreographed contemporary dance for several years. Her writing on dance includes a monograph accompanying the video of choreographer Bill Evens’ ballet “The Legacy.” An overview of Evans’s world wide career, it was written and published during his tenure at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Noyer’s studies in the humanities, and her studio dance work influence her approach to dance as an integrative art form in the United States.
Barry Gaines Barry Gaines has taught Shakespeare in the University of New Mexico English Department for over twenty-five years and has received two outstanding teaching awards. He has written theater reviews for the Journal since 2000. He has attended theater all over the world including Shakespeare productions in Russia, South Africa, Denmark, and Poland. He has also served as literary advisor for two professional theater companies and written performance reviews for Shakespeare Quarterly. Gaines has taken two years of acting with Paul Ford and appeared in small parts in three plays at the Albuquerque Little Theater. He believes that he is probably a better reviewer than actor.
Joanne Sheehy Hoover Joanne Sheehy Hoover, music critic emeritus of the Albuquerque Journal, has written for NPR, PBS, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Symphony, among others. She has also been a music lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates and a music critic and arts writer for The Washington Post. She was director of the Levine School of Music, one of the country’s largest community music schools, in Washington, D. C. 1980-1993. She and her husband moved to Corrales, New Mexico in July 1993. Also a poet, her fifth collection, “Einstein in New Mexico,” was published in 2002.
Marissa Greenberg Marissa Greenberg is a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico English Department, where she teaches Shakespeare and early English literature. A prior guest reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, Greenberg will be reviewing theater while Barry Gaines is out of town. She also composed and edited the program notes for last year’s Albuquerque Shakespeare Festival and has written performance reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, Greenberg has been performing and studying drama for most of her life. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to review for the Journal.
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