Look Alive, People!
CDs:
This evening Classic Arts Showcase once again ran the clip of the King's Singers performing "O Lusty May," which is as choice a bit of synchronicity as I've experienced, since that's the precise title of an upcoming concert by the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. Under the sure direction of , the group will bring its vocal and instrumental charms to DC's on May 3rd for a lively launch to the month of Maying. Huzzah!
It's not often that you have such an ensemble appear, period instruments in hand, to perform everything from Monteverdi to Morley right in the heart of DC. So seize the day and and get your sackbuts over to the Church of the Epiphany on May 3rd for .
To get into the proper mood beforehand, or generally get your early music groove on, there are numerous options. One of them is, of course, the Baltimore Consort's Gut, Wind and Wire, which I featured in a recent blog entry.
Another is the reissue of Piffaro's Canzoni e Danze, a beguiling instrumental collection showcasing various period instruments. Everybody reading this has no doubt heard the lute, recorder, and bagpipe, but how about the crumhorn, the hurdy-gurdy, and the shawm?
Still, even if the distinctive sounds of an early music ensemble are foreign to your ears, I can promise you this performance of centuries-old tunes will put a spring in your step. That distinctive buzz of the crumhorn, for instance, is quite startling to each new listener, and how I remember it from one of my first early music concerts, but the music itself is timeless and appealing.
Now, getting to Just Before Sunrise, you may be wondering why I've tossed an operatic baritone into this mix. After all, Nathan Gunn isn't performing centuries-old madrigals. Songs by Sting and Billy Joel don't count, no matter how long ago the '70s and '80s seem at this writing.
Well, it all goes back to that "Lusty Month of May" stuff. Like many baby boomers, I spent my childhood listening to my parents' Broadway musical albums, among them the famous recording of Camelot with Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet. If you remember the Kennedy administration, you probably remember the songs, particularly the title tune, sung first with assurance and then in a wistful reprise. It was all very stirring, though during childhood I didn't really take in the meaning of several of the songs, including "The Lusty Month of May" and most particularly "The Seven Deadly Virtues."
You'll never find a virtue unstatusing my quo
Or making my Beelzebubble burst.
But I digress. Jumping ahead to 2008, it turns out that Live from Lincoln Center is going to treat us all to a concert version of Camelot next week. is scheduled to air the program May 8th, but don't forget to double-check.
The Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, better known for Moon for the Misbegotten and The Usual Suspects, is going to be King Arthur, and Guenevere -- Are you ready for this? -- is sung by the versatile Broadway musical star Marin Mazzie.
That leaves a juicy baritone part, Lancelot, which is just the thing for Nathan Gunn. It all sounds promising, particularly the pairing of Mazzie and Gunn, though there's also some downright surreal casting, which I will leave you to dicover at the .
What he makes of Camelot we'll find out on May 8th, but on Just Before Sunrise, Gunn's voice is warm, dark, utterly assured. In fact, listening to these arrangements, it's difficult to grasp that the man belongs not to the Broadway stage but to opera and concert halls. Listen to his pleasing duet with Kristin Chenoweth, one of the jewels of American musical comedy, and you'll wonder why he isn't singing Billy Bigelow or Curley.
The pop tunes on the album are another surprise. Raise your hand if you love covers of Tom Waits songs (I know I do). Well, "Innocent When You Dream" gets the full romantic treatment here, and it's going to stay with you long after spring's other sweet memories have faded.
- Piffaro: Canzoni e Danze
- Nathan Gunn: Just Before Sunrise
This evening Classic Arts Showcase once again ran the clip of the King's Singers performing "O Lusty May," which is as choice a bit of synchronicity as I've experienced, since that's the precise title of an upcoming concert by the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. Under the sure direction of , the group will bring its vocal and instrumental charms to DC's on May 3rd for a lively launch to the month of Maying. Huzzah!
It's not often that you have such an ensemble appear, period instruments in hand, to perform everything from Monteverdi to Morley right in the heart of DC. So seize the day and and get your sackbuts over to the Church of the Epiphany on May 3rd for .
To get into the proper mood beforehand, or generally get your early music groove on, there are numerous options. One of them is, of course, the Baltimore Consort's Gut, Wind and Wire, which I featured in a recent blog entry.
Another is the reissue of Piffaro's Canzoni e Danze, a beguiling instrumental collection showcasing various period instruments. Everybody reading this has no doubt heard the lute, recorder, and bagpipe, but how about the crumhorn, the hurdy-gurdy, and the shawm?Still, even if the distinctive sounds of an early music ensemble are foreign to your ears, I can promise you this performance of centuries-old tunes will put a spring in your step. That distinctive buzz of the crumhorn, for instance, is quite startling to each new listener, and how I remember it from one of my first early music concerts, but the music itself is timeless and appealing.
Now, getting to Just Before Sunrise, you may be wondering why I've tossed an operatic baritone into this mix. After all, Nathan Gunn isn't performing centuries-old madrigals. Songs by Sting and Billy Joel don't count, no matter how long ago the '70s and '80s seem at this writing.Well, it all goes back to that "Lusty Month of May" stuff. Like many baby boomers, I spent my childhood listening to my parents' Broadway musical albums, among them the famous recording of Camelot with Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, and Robert Goulet. If you remember the Kennedy administration, you probably remember the songs, particularly the title tune, sung first with assurance and then in a wistful reprise. It was all very stirring, though during childhood I didn't really take in the meaning of several of the songs, including "The Lusty Month of May" and most particularly "The Seven Deadly Virtues."
You'll never find a virtue unstatusing my quo
Or making my Beelzebubble burst.
But I digress. Jumping ahead to 2008, it turns out that Live from Lincoln Center is going to treat us all to a concert version of Camelot next week. is scheduled to air the program May 8th, but don't forget to double-check.
The Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, better known for Moon for the Misbegotten and The Usual Suspects, is going to be King Arthur, and Guenevere -- Are you ready for this? -- is sung by the versatile Broadway musical star Marin Mazzie.
That leaves a juicy baritone part, Lancelot, which is just the thing for Nathan Gunn. It all sounds promising, particularly the pairing of Mazzie and Gunn, though there's also some downright surreal casting, which I will leave you to dicover at the .
What he makes of Camelot we'll find out on May 8th, but on Just Before Sunrise, Gunn's voice is warm, dark, utterly assured. In fact, listening to these arrangements, it's difficult to grasp that the man belongs not to the Broadway stage but to opera and concert halls. Listen to his pleasing duet with Kristin Chenoweth, one of the jewels of American musical comedy, and you'll wonder why he isn't singing Billy Bigelow or Curley.
The pop tunes on the album are another surprise. Raise your hand if you love covers of Tom Waits songs (I know I do). Well, "Innocent When You Dream" gets the full romantic treatment here, and it's going to stay with you long after spring's other sweet memories have faded.
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