Last night Ronnie and I went to Disney Hall to the 2nd concert of the Green Umbrella series.
The concert opened with a piece I dreaded hearing but I became a convert afterwards: the Berio trombone sequenza. Trombonist James Miller, in clown costume, sold it to the respectable crowd.
Joanne Pierce Martin made me fall in love with John Cage. She played excerpts from his Sonatas and Interludes. Some of the most heavenly music I’ve ever heard. Bravo to John and brava to Joanne. The piano preparation sounded flawless.
I was looking forward to hearing Stockhausen’s Kontra-punkte, but ultimately found the piece BORING. No, I don’t ever need to hear it again, nor do I care how it was constructed. But, I’m very happy they programmed the piece. Beautifully played.
The final pieces were Ligeti’s Aventure and Nouvelle Aventure. I had known the pieces from LPs in the 70s and was thrilled to hear them. Pockets of the audience giggled and laughed all the way through. People seemed uncomfortable thinking there might be humor in these pieces, which I do. Come on gang, music CAN be funny. Brilliantly performed.
A lovely evening
[Photo: © Ken Hively, LA Times]
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