Thursday, July 24

Band on the run




We’ve been writing a lot about the vicissitudes of traveling and the people and places we’ve seen, but have only mentioned the concerts in passing, so let me try to catch up on that. They are, after all, the point of this exercise!

There’ve been ups and downs. Besides adjusting to the time change, dealing with the fatigue of strenuous sightseeing, and weathering the many challenges of a strange land, the singers have had to encounter, and sometimes overcome, five different venues and collaborative schemes.

Major Challenge #1: Risers. They’ve run the gamut from comfortable to hazardous to downright dangerous. Narrow steps, steep climbs, no railings. It’s fortunate somebody didn’t land on their noggin with some of the crazy stagings they’ve encountered. Does the Great Wall cast that strong a shadow?

Major Challenge #2: Pianos. Some have been downright decrepit. Hard for singers and embarrassing for the pianists. No, those weren’t their wrong notes.

Major Challenge #3: Audiences. People have been friendly and cordial and appreciative, but these are the noisiest crowds I’ve ever had to put up with. Did they come to listen to music or talk? Apparently to talk, loudly. During the music.

At first I thought it was disrespect, but then they did the same thing during performances by their own countrymen. It wasn’t just the possibly less sophisticated folks who attended the variety concerts, either. The nattering was just as obnoxious at the Forbidden City and tonight at the Shanghai Conservatory, where you’d expect the patrons to be more sophisticated. I hope it wasn’t as disturbing for the singers as it was for me.

Between these factors and other intangibles, a few of the appearances didn’t quite meet the goal. The festival opening was a long show at which ROS appeared last. After a wide variety of more or less folk-based music and non-western vocal sounds, our friends resembled one of those middle-school exam questions about sets: which one doesn’t belong? The venue was bad, the sound on stage poor, and the audience was addressed though a typically inadequate PA system. Still, a few groups excelled, including a spellbinding ensemble from Belarus.

Here’s the good part. After our three tunes, ROS was surrounded by adults in exotic costumes and kids of all ages, accompanied by a large concert band, to sing Auld Lang Syne! Beautiful but surreal, with confetti cannons providing an absurd but wholly appropriate finale. (See the photo on Brenda’s blog.)

Another wacky stop was the Military Concert Hall, where ROS participated in a choral competition – itself a wacky concept. Piano: useless. Acoustics: indifferent. Risers: vertiginous. Results: 3rd place!

ROS made only a brief appearance at the Festival closing ceremonies, with one number to open the show. I think they went on at 9:30 and were out by 10:00, with a nice glass trophy in Eric’s hands.

The two concerts that ROS headlined were presented in excellent concert halls. The 1400 seat Forbidden City room is a modern fan-shaped space of great clarity and balance. Note to Rochester: this is what a concert hall is. I’d love to witness an orchestra in it. ROS sounded great, in part I think because they could hear and be heard better than perhaps they ever have before. Maybe it was my romantic impression, but I think the folks recognized their potential in a way they hadn’t before and maybe came to terms with the whole we’re-in-another-country-singing thing.

That potential was realized more fully tonight in another fine hall, at the Shanghai Conservatory. The music was locked-in and took on a freedom of expression that has been lurking within for months. Promise of Living finally lived, radiantly. (Well, I’m a fool for Copland.) There were many brilliant touches that Eric asked for and received. Music, in short, was made.

ROS shared the show with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Accessorial Chorus (according to the program, that’s their name), led by the 95-year-old Ma Geshun, who acted not a day over 85. They did a lovely Ave verum corpus, a song called “How can I do not miss him” (pace the program), and an athletic reading of Komm, holder Lenz from Haydn’s The Seasons. Except for the indistinguishable German, they sounded good. They joined ROS at the end for two selections: Os justi – gorgeous in the big, round sound of a big, relaxed, attentive chorus – and “Flying Petals,” which featured Monica in her second solo turn of the evening. A crowd-charmer for sure.

Then came the ceremonial stuff. Little speeches from the stage by Eric and his distinguished host; acknowledgements to the folks who made it happen; photos with the banners of our city and state; admiration and good will all around; a great way to end this difficult, frustrating, chaotic, challenging, exhausting, exhilarating, and rewarding experience.

And more than a few thoughts were expressed to the folks who couldn’t make the journey and be here with their colleagues to share this moment. Grab on to this energy, folks, because there’s a new season ahead and new goals to strive for.

Micky and I have more to share. We’ll get home in a couple days and start processing the experience. We’ll write some more and I have bunch of photos to show you. But, now time is closing in. Tomorrow they’ve planned a busy day of sightseeing in very hot/humid weather. The next morning, we become property of the airlines again and will be incommunicado for several days. Thanks to all who have read and commented on our postings, and to Brenda for her encouragement. All errors are because I’m daft - please send corrections. And check back for our reflections, which we’ll catch up on as we recover normality back in Roch-cha-cha.

Love, Carl

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Carl and Micky,

Thank you so much for sharing your China experiences with ROS members back in Rochester. I have given your blog link to pretty much all singers back home and I know many have been keeping tabs on your very articulate observations. I especially like your photos from your Shanghai concert. Have a safe trip home. Jo Ann Lampman, ROS