Sunday, April 13, 2008

PDQ review

I would have to say the concert was pretty amazingly good! The Fuga Meshuga went great, really, and people seemed to be cracking up with all the upsy-downsy stuff. The biggest laugh did indeed come during the retrograde inversion.

The Schleptet was also very funny, but the Sonata for Harpsichord and Viola (Four Hands) was hilarious. And then they did the Erotica Variations (piano and "banned" instruments, including balloons, toilet paper rolls, slide whistle, kazoo, airhorn and more). Our fabulous conductor D played piano for this and did the catering - Dr.P was conducting the other stuff. He had a lot of choreography - but I think it really came off well.

The opera was ok, I didn't ask J how well you could hear the text yet. The narrator (think Evangelist from the St. Matthew Passion - he actually dressed as a western preacher) was great. Oedipus was MUCH better last night, he had worked on his part very hard. Still harder to hear than the narrator, but he is a bass and the narrator is a tenor. Billy Jo Casta projected very well (sop) and had many rhinestones adorning her western attire. The orchestra looked pretty spiffy too - fortunately some people brought lots of stuff so I borrowed a red bandana and straw cowboy hat, the violist had chaps (yes, yes, pronounced "SSSSSHHHHAPS", NOT "chaps") as she is a professional horse person, and Dr. P had some big old boots. I figured no one would be able to see if I wore boots. I was mostly worried about "coverage" for the retrograde inversion, so I dressed for that!

I think the audience really had fun, but it was not crowded. I am really disappointed in our marketing efforts, and it worries me. I have offered many times to be the "marketing person", whatever that means, but although met with initial enthusiasm, nothing has been done. Oh well!

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