A Sweet Baroque Embouchure Not To Be Missed
Thursday, May 22, 2014
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| Colin MacDonald & Domenico Gabrielli |
It has been impossible for me to locate the
lovely short story from an 80s Penthouse Magazine about some savvy LA music
producers who bring Domenico Scarlatti in a time machine from the 18th
century with the idea of presenting the public with some fresh new music. Unfortunately
for the music men, Scarlatti abandons his harpsichord for a Moog Synthesizer,
disappears and appears again as a member of a rock band.
One of my favourite short novels is Alejo
Carpentier’s Concierto barroco (1974) based on the 1709 meeting of Vivaldi,
Handel and Domenico Scarlatti, with cameo appearances by Wagner and Stravinsky,
and fictional characters from the new world who inspire the Venetian composer's
opera, Motezuma.
Because in the story the trio of Vivaldi,
Handel and Scarlatti are at a bar during the Venetian carnevale they are quite
drunk. A rich visiting Mexican (owns silver mines) dressed as Moctezuma (note the correct spelling) meets
up with them by accident. Vivaldi enquires about the costume but gets the whole
story about the Spanish and Moctezuma all wrong and even casts elephants into
his opera Motezuma.
If I were to re-write this story, the
Mexican’s companion, a very black Cuban would be replaced by my friend composer
and saxophone player Colin MacDonald.
Carpentier who invented something called lo
real maravilloso (doesn’t that sound much like magic realism?) has Wagner, dead
in a coffin pass in his funeral cortege on St. Mark’s Square. We find out that
Wagner died in Venice but was not buried there
and the reverse of that is that Stravinsky who died elsewhere was buried in Venice. Louis Armstrong
and his trumpet also make an appearance. Why not MacDonald?
Let me digress to mention that one of my
favourite Miles Davis albums is his Sketches of Spain. But I absolutely detest Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. So popular
was the Davis
album that many versions of the Concierto appeared shortly after and I believe I heard a version
placed with a kazoo.
And I also detest
those who upon hearing a Bach Violin Sonata played with a mouth organ will say,
“Bach would have approved.” I detest them! How do they know?
So in January 2013 when I heard a trio
that featured a harpsichord, a cello and Colin MacDonald playing Vivaldi and
Handel with a baritone and soprano sax I was floored in admiration. MacDonald
made his baritone sax in a high register sound like a bassoon and his soprano sax
(not always a sweet instrument) mimicked a flute.
I don’t particularly
care if Vivaldi, or Handel or Gabrielli or even Papa Bach would have approved. I
like it and I strongly suggest you who might be reading this decide to attend
the concert tomorrow Friday. You will be delighted.
The Baroque Saxophone
Friday, May 23 at 7:30
pm
St. Mark's Church, 1805 Larch St, Vancouver,
BC
Tickets $20/10 at the
door or from http://baroquesaxophone.brownpapertickets.com/
With guest artists
Christina Hutten and Marina Hasselberg
This is the program
Concerto in E minor,
RV 484 by Antonio Vivaldi (originally bassoon, arranged for baritone sax)
Folie à Deux by Colin
MacDonald (soprano saxophone and continuo)
Solo Suite V, BVW 1011
by J.S. Bach (originally cello, arranged for baritone sax)
Cello Sonata in G
major by Domenico Gabrielli
Trio Sonata in G
minor, KWV 393 by G.F. Handel (baritone sax and cello)
I must note that
MacDonald’s composition, Folie à Deux is based on an ancient 16th or
17 century tune allegedly about a mad dancing woman. This tune was tackled by so
many composers including versions by Arcangelo Corelli and Francesco Geminiani that
I can assert here that it was the Louie Louie of its time.
And if all that is not
enough you might note what kind of shoes the cellist will be wearing.
There are rumours in the jazz community that redhaired Gerry Mulligan who was a virtuoso of the baritone saxophone was distantly related to a red haired priest who lived in Venice in the 18th century.
There are rumours in the jazz community that redhaired Gerry Mulligan who was a virtuoso of the baritone saxophone was distantly related to a red haired priest who lived in Venice in the 18th century.
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| The Red Haired Priest - Illustration attributed to Grahamus Caminati |
