GREENSBORO – The local folk orchestra gave a concert last Saturday night with a generous program of a wide variety of musical genres, bringing out the individual talents of its members under the enthusiastic conducting of Roy and Mavis MacNeil, all to a near capacity audience at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.
by Paul Fixx
They started off with a high energy number, “The Root Beer Rag” by Billy Joel, a lively tune with a fast beat, creating a great introductory piece.
Piano rags became very popular at the beginning of the twentieth century in this country and sold a lot of sheet music and early gramophone records. Next was the Romanian “Dances of Bela Bartok” (1991-1945). He and Zoltan Kodaly (1882 – 1967) were among the first to record authentic folk music in Central and Eastern Europe on wax cylinders in the early 1900s and incorporate these rich rhythms and unique harmonies into their own compositions. The first dance had an immediately engaging melody, the second featured the cello played by Annie Rowell. The third was scored for flute, here with Mavis MacNeil, slower in tempo and beautifully evocative of the landscape and culture of Romania. The fourth highlighted the violin, performed by Mia Hartman and was full of feeling, while in the fifth one could readily picture villagers dancing. Guest artist Maura Gahan accompanied the music with improvised movements and amusing props.
photo by Paul Fixx
Icarus Tyree lent her fine clean voice to a rendition of “Donna Donna” by Shalom Secunda and Aaron Zeitlin, as well as playing her guitar, in a song about going to market that had a certain haunting character. A traditional Klezmer piece, “Lebedik un Freylach,” also had its roots in Eastern Europe, vivacious dance music with complex progressions, led by Jeff Reinhardt on clarinet. The “Scherzo from Symphony No. 2 in D Major” by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) followed, the third of four movements, having a stately elegance.
Leslie Campos gave a skilled interpretation of three Irish and American fiddle tunes, “Haste to the Wedding,” “Drowsy Maggie” and “The Devils Dream,” accompanied by Fiona Bok and Roy MacNeil on violins, Annie Rowell on bass, Icarus Tyree on guitar and Mavis MacNeil on spoons. “O’ Delight” was Annie Rowell’s original piece, “Dolly’s Song,” about her husband’s truck with the refrain, “Lets go home.” Mavis MacNeil joined voices with her, while Roy MacNeil on guitar and Andrew Koehler on piano added to the men. “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” by Sandy Denny rounded out the first half of the program, with a dreamy rhythm and poetic lyrics, well sung by Mavis MacNeil, Leslie Campos and Annie Rowell, combined with Roy MacNeil and Randy Bulpin on guitar and Andrew Koehler on piano.
After intermission the four members of the Bird House Band sang “I Hear Them All” by the Old Crow Medicine Show, with wonderful meaningful verses, vocalized by Roy and Mavis MacNeil with both guitar and saxophone respectively, Andrew Koehler on piano and Annie Rowell on bass.
A classic love song, “Fly Me to The Moon” by Bert Howard, had excellent ensemble playing, with Andrew Koehler on piano and Roy MacNeil on violin getting in some imaginative improvisations, while Mavis MacNeil’s warm voice was a pleasure to hear. Randy Bulpin on guitar and Esteli Kitchen on saxophone accompanied them.
“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Joe Zawinul was made famous by Cannonball Adderley’s recording of it, a memorable melody beautifully sequenced, giving Leslie Campos on violin, Esteli Kitchen on saxophone and Max Densmore on French Horn a chance to do some permutations.
“Na Srce Mi Lezi” was a traditional Macedonian song, which Icarus Tyree and Mavis MacNeil sang together in Greek with finely blended voices, a lovers lament with many verses. “Bist Du Bei Mir” by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 -1750), translated as “If Thou God Be Near Me, (I Can Die in Peace),” was a moving piece, sung by Mavis MacNeil with her exquisite color and change. Bach’s harmonies often have rhythm, whose tempos correspond to the beating of the human heart, which is one reason they are so powerful.
The final movement of the “Symphony No. 36 in C Major,” marked Presto, by Wolfgang Amadaeus Mozart (1756 – 1791), was triumphal, so positive in its energy as most of his music is.
Mara Gahan made a visual addition with her spontaneous dancing. “A Day in the Life” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney was one of their best compositions as the Beatles, having remarkably original lyrics and orchestra, with Roy MacNeil and Annie Rowell bringing out the deeper feelings in their expressive voices.
The last selection on the program was the Shaker tune, “Simple Gifts.” The Shaker movement in 19th century America was a daring experiment in communal living, and the verses of this beautiful song embody their vision of creating paradise of joy and peace on earth, a perfect ending to this concert. As Roy MacNeil put it, music gives us “light in these dark times.” The audience rose in appreciation to the local folk orchestra in a standing ovation.
Other supporting musicians not mentioned above were Will Helms on clarinet, Adam Lebow on tuba, Tom Ziobrowski on viola, Theresa Peura on violin and Torri Lynn Ashford on percussion.
David K. Rodgers
David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.
