The Auros Group’s season finale trained the spotlight on one of this past century’s most celebrated and inimitable writers, Samuel Beckett. The concert featured not only an operatic setting of one of this author’s plays, but also his dabblings in other media. In addition to a screening of the infrequently seen Film (1964), a silent, modest length, black-and-white star vehicle for an aged Buster Keaton, the audience was treated to a presentation of Beckett’s Quad (1982), a conceptual work employing music and dance. This latter consists of a quartet of hooded, cloaked dancers marching about the stage in intricate pattern combinations, underscored by a foursome of percussionists who extemporize accompaniments in support. It’s all quite Cage-like in its way, though imbued with the somber existential desperation of postwar French literature rather than the life affirming friendliness found in the collaborations of Cage and Merce Cunningham. Acton School of Ballet members Jessica Berkwitz, Mimi Calkins, Nora Lawrence, and Emily Normand expertly traced Chip Morris’s staging of Beckett’s interlocking geometric grids, while percussionists Matt Bogdanow, Maddie Child, Nathan Davis, and Robert Schulz improvised a sturdily capable sonic platform.
Embers (1984), a chamber opera by Peter Child based on a radio play by Beckett and given here in a semi-staged presentation, is effective both as musical and stage entity. It allows the author’s writings sufficiently free reign while bringing many enhancements to them; the sense of drama is subtle, but clearly present. Scored for Pierrot ensemble plus percussion, the ensemble backing is highly eclectic, containing material suggestive of everything from Chopin to Messiaen, Schoenberg to Earle Brown. When put in service to an extroverted male vocal part (as is often the case), the sum total hearkens back to such Peter Maxwell Davies fare as Eight Songs for a Mad King. But there’s no sense of style toadying here; Child’s music expertly goes beyond any influences heard. And the vocal writing is first rate, a highly convincing melange of singing, speaking, and Sprechstimme that puts the text across clearly. Baritone David Ripley and mezzo-soprano Janna Baty were splendid; Ripley’s voice showed terrific flexibility and range of characterization as well as substantial sound and fine diction while Baty’s well controlled mezzo instrument contained significant power (especially in high registers) and excellent enunciation. David Hoose’s fine conducting demonstrated significant grasp of the score’s intricacies and a sensitive feel for stage pacing, while the pit band of Susan Gall (flute), Gary Gorczyca (clarinet), Sarah Thornblade (violin), Jennifer Lucht (cello), Nina Ferrigno (piano), and Schulz played handsomely.
The evening commenced with a new curtain raiser by John Heiss, Fanfare for Auros’ Tenth Anniversary (2002). It’s brief but effectual, an imaginatively constructed and genially festive selection that convinces with charm and craft rather than flashy strength. Scored for Pierrot quintet, the sound world is dissonant though grounded in scalar pitch collections. The aforementioned opera instrumentalists (minus Schulz) gave it well.
Huzzahs go out to this talented group—still going strong after ten seasons—for an enjoyable concert that kept its audience waiting neither for Godot nor quality music making. Very well done.
--David Cleary