![]() She draws inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres, bringing a modern sensibility to each while simultaneously tearing down the walls between them. Julia Wolfe (composer) Julia Wolfe’s music is distinguished by an intense physicality and a relentless power that pushes performers to extremes and demands attention from the audience. “Before I let your steam drill beat me down, Polly Ann, Mary Ann, Julie Ann, Sary Ann, Sally Ann, Steel Driver (hammer, hammer, steel, steel) He said, “This hammer’s gonna be the death of me.” He picked up his hammer and a little piece of steel He said, “I‘m gonna be a steel drivin’ man.” ![]() The Bang on a Can All-Stars add a slew of instruments to their usual line up – mountain dulcimer, wooden bones, banjo, harmonicas, and body percussion, as well as a dynamic trio of three female voices, to tell the tale. I drew upon the extreme variations of the story, fragmenting and weaving the contradictory versions of the ballad that have circulated since the late 1800s into a new whole – at times meditating on single words or phrases – in order to tell the story of the story and to embody the simultaneous diverse paths it traveled. But regardless of the details, John Henry, wielding a steel hammer, faced the onslaught of the industrial age as his super-human strength is challenged in a contest to out-dig an engine. Some have said that his fate was set before he picked up a hammer, that his woman’s name was Liza Jane or Polly Ann – that Polly drove steel just like a man. Many of the facts are unclear: some say that he was from West Virginia some say he was from South Carolina. The various versions, based on hearsay, recollection, and tall tales, reveal both the evolution of the story, as well as the timeless tale of human versus machine. Steel Hammer is a meditation on over 200 versions of the John Henry ballad. Mark Stewart, electric guitar, banjo, mountain dulcimer, harmonica A wonderful tribute in honor of the late composer by one of his mentees and admirers.Steel Hammer was commissioned by Bang on a Can with generous support from Maria and Robert A. All of the music is well performed, with outstanding work from the London Symphony Chorus backing the cast. The narration throughout delivers a good amount of humor but, more importantly, sets the scene in the listener's mind. Some may find the wit missing in this presentation, but it is there, if slightly subdued. The finale "Make Our Garden Grow" is Bernstein at his best: lovers reunited, grand orchestral progressions, and tutti voices singing out in jubilation. Archibald's "Glitter and be Gay" is attractive and certainly more in the comic-opera tradition than Kristen Chenoweth's turn with Alsop in the 2004 production. Also featured are the venerable Anne Sofie von Otter as the Old Lady and Sir Thomas Allen as the narrator and Dr. Tenor Leonardo Capalbo in the title role and soprano Jane Archibald as Cunegonde lead an operatic cast that places the music at the fore. The London Symphony is in fine form and delivers a nearly show-stealing performance, getting the action moving right off the jump with the rousing overture. The pair were drawn to the novella by the similarities they both saw between the actions at the time of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Inquisition of Voltaire's time. This production is the composer's final edition of the operetta with the book by Hugh Wheeler, rather than the original by Lillian Hellman, who inspired Bernstein to take on the satirical novella by Voltaire. ![]() Marking the centenary anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's birth, Marin Alsop leads the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a live, semi-staged performance of Bernstein's Candide, based on the Alsop-led, critically acclaimed New York Philharmonic performance from 2004.
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