NCCO and Chanticleer present Atlantic Crossing
featuring New Century Chamber Orchestra
with Chanticleer
2014-03-25
First Congregational Church
2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA
8:00 PM, Tuesday, March 25, 2014

[8:05 PM; lights down, NCCO enters]

1. [8:06 PM] Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962): Midnight Bells (1923, after Heuberger's Midnight Bells, from the Opera Ball)
   [work ends 8:10 PM]

[8:10 PM, Chanticleer enters]

1. [8:11 PM] Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)/Julius Hopp (1819-1885) (Arr. Erwin Bootz (1907-1982)/Comedian Harmonists): Barcarole aus “Hoffmanns Erzählungen” (Tales of Hoffmann, 1881)
2. [8:14 PM] Trad. (Arr. Harry Frommermann (1906-1975)/Comedian Harmonists): In einem kühlen Grunde
   [segment ends 8:17 PM]

1. [8:18 PM] Miklós Rózsa (1907-1995): Allegro Giusto from Concerto for String Orchestra, Op. 17 (1943, revised 1957)
   [work ends 8:25 PM]

Béla Bartók (1881-1945): Four Old Hungarian Folksongs for Male Chorus, Sz. 50 (1910, revised 1912)

1. [8:26 PM] Rég megmondtam bús gerlice (Long Ago I Told You)
2. [8:27 PM] Jaj Istenem, kire várok (Oh God, Why Am I Waiting?)
3. [8:28 PM] Angyomasszony kertje (In My Sister-in-Law's Garden)
4. [8:29 PM] Béreslegény, jól megrakd a szekeret (Farmboy, Load the Cart Well)

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963): Three Selections from Six Chansons, 6 pieces for a capella choir, settings of French poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke (1939)

1. [8:31 PM] O La Biche
2. [8:32 PM] Un Cygne
3. [8:35 PM] Puisque Tout Passe
   [segment ends 8:36 PM]

Béla Bartók (1881-1945): Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 68 (1917)

1. [8:36 PM] Jocul Cu Bâtă (Stick Dance)
2. [8:36 PM] Brâul (Sash Dance)
3. [8:38 PM] Pe Loc (In One Spot)
4. [8:38 PM] Buciumeana (Dance from Bucsum)
5. [8:40 PM] Poarga Românească (Romanian Polka) »
6. [8:42 PM] Mărunțel (Fast Dance)
   [work ends 8:43 PM]

1. [8:44 PM] Milton Ager (1893-1979)/Jack Yellen (1892-1991) (Arr. Harry Frommermann (1906-1975)/Comedian Harmonists): Wochenend’ Und Sonnenschein (Weekend and Sunshine (1930), sang to the melody of Happy Days Are Here Again (1929), German lyrics by Charles Amberg (1894-1946))
2. [8:48 PM] Kurt Weill (1900-1950): My Ship (1941), lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1896-1983)
   [segment ends 8:51 PM]

1. [8:52 PM] Kurt Weill (1900-1950) (arr. Clarice Assad (b. 1978); lyrics by Berthold Brecht (1898-1956), revised translation, Marc Blitzstein (1905-1964), 1951): Mack The Knife (1928), featuring Iris Stone, vox (german verses)
   [set ends 9:02 PM; applause, all off 9:03 PM]

[9:25 PM; lights down, NCCO enters with Chanticleer]

George Gershwin (arr. Clarice Assad (b. 1978)): Medley from Porgy and Bess, performed by New Century Chamber Orchestra with Chanticleer

1. [9:26 PM] It Ain't Necessarily So
2. [9:29 PM] Summertime, featuring ?GP, solo vox
3. [9:33 PM] Bess, You Is My Woman Now (Arr. Jascha Heifetz for solo violin), featuring Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
4. [9:38 PM] There's a Boat Dat's Leavin Soon for New York
   [segment ends 9:40 PM]

1. [9:41 PM] Vincent Youmans (1898-1946) (arr. Harry Frommermann (1906-1975)/Comedian Harmonists), lyrics by Irving Caesar (1895-1996): Tea for Two (1924)
2. [9:45 PM] Harold Arlen (1905-1986) (arr. Harry Frommermann (1906-1975)/Comedian Harmonists), lyrics by Ted Koehler (1894-1973): Stormy Weather (1933)
   [segment ends 9:49 PM]

Duke Ellington (1899-1974)/Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967) (arr. Clarice Assad (b. 1978)): Medley, performed by New Century Chamber Orchestra with Chanticleer

1. [9:49 PM] Lush Life (Strayhorn, 1933/1938)
2. [9:54 PM] East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (Ellington/Bubber Miley (1903-1932), 1927)
3. [9:57 PM] Take the 'A' Train (Strayhorn/Joya Sherrill (1924-2010), 1939/1944)
4. [10:00 PM] It Don't Mean a Thing (Ellington/Irving Mills (1894-1985), 1931)
   [set ends 10:03 PM]
    
   Encore
5. [10:04 PM] It Don't Mean a Thing coda
   [all off 10:05 PM; show ends 10:06 PM]

• Hrabba Atladottir: second violin;
• Robin Bonnell: cello;
• Michelle Djokic: acting principal cello;
• Jenny Douglass: viola;
• Michael Graham: cello;
• Candace Guirao: principal second violin;
• Dawn Harms: assistant concertmaster, first violin;
• Anna Kruger: principal viola;
• Anthony Manzo: principal contrabass;
• Robin Mayforth: first violin;
• Isaac Melamed: cello;
• Deborah Tien Price: second violin;
• Elisabeth Prior: viola;
• Cassandra Lynne Richburg: viola;
• Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg: concertmaster, music director, first violin;
• Karen Shinozaki Sor: first violin;
• Iris Stone: first violin, vox;
• Michael Yokas: second violin;
• Liza Zurlinden: second violin.

• Eric Alatorre: baritone-bass vox;
• Michael Bresnahan: tenor vox;
• Brian Hinman: tenor vox;
• Ben Jones: tenor vox;
• Matthew Knickman: baritone-bass vox;
• Cortez Mitchell: alto vox;
• Gregory Peebles: soprano vox, assistant music director;
• Kory Reid: soprano vox;
• Alan Reinhardt: alto vox;
• Marques Jerrell Ruff: baritone-bass vox;
• Darita Seth: soprano vox;
• Adam Ward: alto vox;
• Jace Wittig: interim music director.

Park on the corner of Ellsworth at Bancroft – got lucky and found a spot on my first go-round! Stroll over to FCC against the flow headed to Haas for tonight's big event: Arkansas vs. Cal in a men's basketball showdown as part of this year's NIT (Cal wins, 75-64, heads on to face SMU in Dallas in the quarterfinals tonight). Sit down and find that the program has been tweaked yet again, dang! Time for some quick edits to this note…. Finished, now waiting patiently at 7:59 PM for the voyage to get underway.

Set break now. I thought the first half was a real hoot. Sure, the transition back and forth between the groups was a little odd, but no weirder than alternating bites between your meats and your vegetables while eating a hearty dinner. Both portions were tasty, and mixing them up served to accentuate the contrasts between the two groups. Having Iris sing Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (auf Deutsch, naturlich!) was a big surprise, and quite well done for a violinist!

The second set was similarly fun, with the transitions between the instrumental and vocal sections sounding a little more natural. I would like to hear Clarice talk about how she orchestrated her arrangements, and whether she collaborated with Chanticleer in order to take advantage of their particular strengths or not – much as Ellington is regarded to have done in originally composing some of these works for his band.

Given the ever-changing nature of programming at NCCO, I'd be surprised if this collaboration gets revisited – not that I have any complaints, I really enjoyed it!

Stephen Smoliar published both promotional and review articles at the Examiner website (though he attended a show over in SF that took place a few days earlier).

Back to the calendar!