Mirror Visions Ensemble presents Journeys
Mirror Visions Ensemble- Vira Slywotzky, soprano
Scott Murphree, tenor
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Grant Wenaus, piano
SubCulture, New York, NY
March 10, 2015
To celebrate the upcoming release of their CD entitled The Three-Paneled Mirror (Centaur Records CRC 3381/3382), comprised entirely of commissioned works, Mirror Visions Ensemble presented a program called Journeys at SubCulture in New York City. Featuring works from the standard repertoire paired with premiered commissioned works from contemporary composers (not included on their CD), it proved to be a trip filled with wonder and whimsy.
Mirror Visions Ensemble, directed by Tobé Malawista, has stated their mission as “performing and commissioning musical ‘mirror images’- multiple settings of the same text by one or more composers,” and presenting programs that are “built around themes and always include new works commissioned by the ensemble.” Each member of Mirror Visions has an impressive list of accomplishments and credentials as soloist and was featured as such in at least one work in the program.
Journeys included works about exploring the sea, islands, and forests, letters from friends, as well as visits to churches and several hotels. There were sixteen works total on the program with the earlier being songs from Hugo Wolf, Hector Berlioz, Joseph Haydn, Felice Blangini, Henri Duparc, 20th century masters Samuel Barber and Francis Poulenc, and popular composers Cole Porter and Stephen Schwartz. The newer were commissioned works by Gilda Lyons, Scott Wheeler, Deborah Fischer Teason, Tom Cipullo, and William Ryden.
As much as I would like to give a detailed account of all the songs, I will concentrate mostly on the commissioned works. For the older works, I will mention three highlights: Baritone Jesse Blumberg dynamic, full-bodied performance of Hugo Wolf’s Auf einer Wanderung, tenor Scott Murphree’s hilarious take on Cole Porter’s Tale of the Oyster, which had the audience roaring with laughter, and Samuel Barber’s setting of James Joyce in Solitary Hotel performed in Film Noir style, with soprano Vira Slywotzky taking the part of the femme fatale as she slinked to the front of the stage – it was campy to be sure, but how very effective it was!
Moving on to the commissioned works, Great Barrier Reef by Gilda Lyons, from “recent studies, adapted by the composer,” featured swirling sounds of the waves, as the music “flowed” from one performer to the next in rapid sequence, and with some added sound effects. It was an ingenious work given a polished performance.
Letters to Isabella, by Scott Wheeler, uses the texts of three letters written to art collector and museum founder Isabella Stewart Gardner. The first from Henry James (for tenor), the second from Paul Bourget (for soprano), and the last (for baritone) from Kakuzo Okakura, ostensibly written to his cat, who was “visiting” with Ms. Gardner. Mr. Wheeler expertly captured the tone of each letter, from the longing sighs of James, to the world-weary Bourget (who found Florida especially odious), and the playful teasing of Okakura, and the performers projected those qualities with consummate grace.
The Bells at Saint-Aignan by Deborah Fischer Teason, using text from Jeffrey Greene, was to this listener the highlight of the commissioned works. As told in the program, each bell at this church has three names, the first the name of a noble woman, the second after bees or wasps, and the third for the notes they sounded. This commemorative piece was conveyed with haunting tonal ambiguity in both the vocal and piano writing, never straying too far toward atonality, but remaining unsettled throughout. It was a mesmerizing effect, given an equally mesmerizing performance.
At the Windermere Hotel, by Tom Cipullo, with text from Nightmare at the Windermere Hotel by Edna St. Vincent Millay, was a sure-fire crowd pleaser. The audience was in stitches as the quest for an elusive cup of coffee from room service took an absurdly comic route. Even pianist Grant Wenaus got into the act – when he called out “Kitchen Speaking,” the audience howled in laughter. This was just pure fun and Mirror Visions played it for all it was worth.
William Ryden’s The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, using Edward Lear’s verses, was a delight and brought the program to a successful finish.
It was gratifying that all the composers of the commissioned works were in attendance and able to be acknowledged for their compositions by the appreciative audience.
The Ghost of Madame de Sévigné at the Carnavalet, by Christopher Berg, was offered as an encore, after which the Ensemble greeted the many people who wished to see them. Mirror Visions Ensemble is not only highly accomplished musically, but also pulls in their listeners with their winning personalities on both the individual and group level. Add those qualities to the great service they do for contemporary composers by their continual commissioning and performing of new works, and the end result is a win for everyone. I look forward to hearing more from and about Mirror Visions Ensemble.
