Impressions of the Sea Surface
Evening Music | May 6, 2010
Impressions of the sea surface in our first hour, as “Song of the Seashore” and a ‘Sea Interlude’ from Britten’s “Peter Grimes” prepare us for—da-dah!! “The Triumph of Neptune”!
Lord Berners was approached by Diagilev in 1911 to write a score for a scenario based on early 19th-century pantomime, which eventually emerged as the ballet known as “The Triumph of Neptune.” The ten tableaux tell one of the dopiest stories in ballet history, in which the disconnected adventures of a shipwrecked sailor offer opportunities for a Harlequinade, a Dance of the Fairy Princess, a Polka, a Hornpipe, and more—but the hero does turn into a prince at the end, when he marries Neptune’s daughter. Hey, it’s ballet musicand it’s fun! Barry Wordsworth conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
An orchestrated version of Bach’s chorale, “Wachet auf” (Sleepers, awake!), alerts us in time for a coffee break, when we discover that Bach had a sense of humor. His “Coffee Cantata” pits a stern father against a coffee-addicted daughter who won’t obey his injunction to stop drinking the stuff. Who do you think wins? Ton Koopman conducts the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and soloists in this delightful comic cantata. Next, we hear Charlie Chaplin’s “Coffee and Cakes,” a work for cello and piano. Second cuppa, anyone?
Lord Berners was approached by Diagilev in 1911 to write a score for a scenario based on early 19th-century pantomime, which eventually emerged as the ballet known as “The Triumph of Neptune.” The ten tableaux tell one of the dopiest stories in ballet history, in which the disconnected adventures of a shipwrecked sailor offer opportunities for a Harlequinade, a Dance of the Fairy Princess, a Polka, a Hornpipe, and more—but the hero does turn into a prince at the end, when he marries Neptune’s daughter. Hey, it’s ballet musicand it’s fun! Barry Wordsworth conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
An orchestrated version of Bach’s chorale, “Wachet auf” (Sleepers, awake!), alerts us in time for a coffee break, when we discover that Bach had a sense of humor. His “Coffee Cantata” pits a stern father against a coffee-addicted daughter who won’t obey his injunction to stop drinking the stuff. Who do you think wins? Ton Koopman conducts the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and soloists in this delightful comic cantata. Next, we hear Charlie Chaplin’s “Coffee and Cakes,” a work for cello and piano. Second cuppa, anyone?
