(Revised) OVERNIGHT REVIEW: Rachael Worby, Jessye Norman and "Muse-ique" make stunning debut at Caltech

By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Pasadena Star-News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Whittier Daily News

Since Rachael Worby began conducting New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts decades ago in Carnegie Hall, she has envisioned what occurred last night when her new ensemble, Muse-ique, made a stunning debut in what proved to be an inspired location: a lawn south of Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium known (because of its trees) The Olive Garden. Now comes the hard part: making future programs meet the exalted standard from last night’s inaugural concert.

Just about every aspect of the evening proved to be inspired, beginning with the locale. The lawn — essentially an outdoor version of the traditional concert hall “shoebox” design enclosed on three sides by Caltech buildings including Beckman Auditorium behind the stage — proved to be a great sound chamber. With at least three sets of sound engineers working their dials and computers, this proved to be one of the finest acoustical evenings I’ve ever heard outdoors in Southern California.

Two large banners (one with the “Muse-ique” name and the other listing sponsors) were subtly lit with incandescent red hues. Four flat-screen 50” television monitors provided visual help for about 1,000 patrons, who were seated in round tables of six.

The event (don’t call it a concert, is a Worby mantra) was quintessential Rachael, the sort of “out-of the box” programming style she tried, with some success, to institute during her 11-year tenure as music director of the Pasadena Pops. She describes the concept as a “mash up geared to the iPod generation,” which (for those who don’t live with such devices) translates as two dozen short selections, the longest of which may have been the eight-minute opening arrangement of America the Beautiful, which began with a limpid oboe solo and concluded with a stylish choral arrangement of the song’s first two verses sung sensitively by members of the Pasadena Master Chorale.

The 36-piece orchestra — which included many musicians who had worked with Worby at the Pops — was in fine form throughout the evening. The musicians were dressed somewhat casually (another hallmark of the Muse-ique style) with the men in sport coats, some without ties, and most of the women in simple black dresses. Unlike the normal symphony orchestra, the Muse-ique musicians stood on risers atop a stage throughout the program, which lasted 1:48 without an intermission (longer than the 90 minutes originally forecast).

Nobody was complaining, or leaving because the soloist, soprano Jessye Norman, was in superb form. Within six weeks of turning age 66, Norman remains a force of nature; only Plácido Domingo, who is still going strong at age 70, exceeds her combination of quality and longevity. Moreover, Norman has reinvented herself in the 15 years, transitioning from opera diva (she no longer performs opera onstage) to concert singer; she has performed American songs not only in the U.S. but also throughout Europe and China to great acclaim.

Last night, she made a diva-like entrance, emerging from the olive trees while she sang Somewhere from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story with operatic power and emotion. She remain seated on stage for much of the rest of her singing, which included selections by George Gershwin (including Summertime from Porgy and Bess) and Duke Ellington in the first half of the evening.

Worby’s “mashup” programming concept had music ranging from J.S. Bach to Thelonius Monk (featuring Donald Foster’s superb clarinet solos in ‘Round Midnight) and on to Air and Simple Gifts, the work that John Williams wrote for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, performed last night by Violinist Roger Wilkie, cellist Kim Scholes, Foster and pianist Alan Steinberger (unlike what occurred in D.C., no lip-synching was required in the balmy Southern California evening).

The program included world premieres by Ben Lear (Boxer) and Peter Knell (a splashy, jazzy homage to Caltech called Charged Particles) along with a lush piece by Steinberger entitled The Land of Make Believe, which (so Worby told us) was inspired by a visit to George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch. Included in the evening was Caltech professor and scientist Julia Greer, who rapped (well, sort of) on her specialty of nanomechanics while playing Bach’s Partita No. 2 on the piano.

Interwoven throughout the evening were several themes that tied things together winsomely and Worby was, as usual, exemplary in her brief but insightful repartee.

To conclude the evening, Worby called on Angela Bassett, who read Maya Angelou’s poem, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, with high drama as a lead-in to Norman singing three a cappella spirituals. Of course, no evening is complete for Worby without one final surprise: last night, talk-show host Tavis Smiley came onstage to gush over Norman, who then brought tears to many eyes as she encored with Amazing Grace to close out a memorable evening.
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Hemidemisemiquavers:
• The inventively printed program, a collection of thick pages held together in one corner by a screw, included a cheeky take on the standard request: “Please make sure to turn off your cell phone, or you will be forever shunned by civilized society.”
• The obnoxious helicopters that have plagued Hollywood Bowl and the Pasadena Pops concerts this summer managed to find their way over Caltech several times last night.
• Muse-ique has scheduled three fall programs:
— a free 6 p.m. concert of American music on the steps Pasadena’s Civic Hall on Sept. 11.
— On Oct. 3 at 6 p.m., Ellis Hall, a multi-instrumentalist and former lead singer for the Tower of Power, will join Worby and an ensemble in a program of music from Motown, Gershwin and Ellington.
— The final program, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m., will find the Doric String Quartet performing a new work by Peter Knell while sitting on piles of paper and a printing press at Pasadena’s Castle Press.
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(c) Copyright 2011, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.

Comments

[Jennifer Grappone]

Hi Robert, Just an FYI: the uncredited chorus was members of the Pasadena Master Chorale (http://pasadenamasterchorale.org) including director Jeffrey Bernstein.

[Bob Thomas]

Thanks for letting me know. I've made the change.
— RDT

[mulberry outlet]

Love those! I enjoy following your posts on facebook and rss!