2020 Events Archive Table |
| DECEMBER |
| "Mythical Menagerie" Premiere Performance~Hong Kong, China |
| OCTOBER |
| "The Tides of Mont Saint-Michel: A Montage" Premiere Performance~Hong Kong, China |
| JANUARY |
| "Happy New Year!" |
Using the Events page:To view an event, simply click on the title text from the Table of Contents below. Doing so will take you to a description of the event and associated images. Clicking on the image will present a higher resolution version, clicking again restores the original image. At the bottom right of each detailed description, you will find a "top" link that will move you to the top-of-page and a "toc" (or table-of-contents) link that will move you there. Happy viewing!
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DECEMBER 2020
The World Premiere of
Mythical Menagerie
by Carol Worthey
Pianist, Stanley Wong
On Saturday, December 12th 2020 in Hong Kong, Concert
Pianist
Stanley Wong
premiered my piano suite
Mythical Menagerie
that he commissioned in an online "virtual" concert heard
worldwide. The work is a suite in three movements. I'm
thrilled to be able to present to you this performance in
the video on this page. I wrote three fictional tales which
I utilized as the programmatic basis of the suite's
composition. Let me share some program notes with you...
1. Nénu, Mermaid of Giverny
A Fictional Tale by Carol Worthey as The Programmatic Basis for Her Piano Composition of that same name
Nénu (or in English "Lily") was a small mermaid
who swam and cavorted in the waterlily pond made famous by
Impressionist Painter and Genius Claude Monet (1840 - 1926).
Her iridescent tail measured only 18 inches long, featuring
peacock-like green, cobalt, gold, silver and cherry red
highlights. Her eyes were hazel-green and her wavy locks
were the subtle color of papyrus fronds, soft silvery-tinged
light gold. Her mother and father had decided to take a
vacation to the Normandy Coast when she was ten years old,
but left her there at Giverny with a koi fish who was
teaching her how to scuba dive.... Mom and Dad Mer-Family
had decided to flip their agile bodies on to a train caboose
just to get to the seaside quickly, but sad to say, they
never made it into the fast-moving train car. Nénu
never knew how her parents had perished, and underneath her
playful, mischievous, energetic personality lay a feeling of
being abandoned, a little deep whirlpool of loneliness and
unanswered questions.
Nénu was named after the French word for
waterlilies "nénuphar" and that was where she loved
to sit and sun herself, on one of the lovely velvety
waterlily pads that encircled and carpeted all the beautiful
pond on Monet's Giverny estate. When the sun got too hot,
she'd swim underwater over to the red Japanese bridge
spanning the pool. But most of the time she spent playfully
diving, swimming and splashing amongst the multicolored
water-carpet of the lilies. Nevertheless, she did not
relish being spotted by the painter.
Ironically he never noticed her, thinking that a sudden
flash of "something leaping up or diving down" on the pond
must either be a koi fish or a symptom of his constant
tireless labor indicating he needed an afternoon nap or a
wet towel over his tired eyes to refresh them.
So Nénu defied her spunky spirit and love of play
by being shy when it came to meeting the painter. Perhaps
she was afraid that she'd be captured, put in a small tank
or... Mon Dieu, non, non... end up on a platter at
déjuener. Over all, we can speculate that she felt
concerned that the surprise of seeing something mythical,
magical, and quite unexpected might be a shock too hard for
even Monet's imagination to absorb, especially at his age.
After all, he was no youngster at that time, a wizened,
bearded figure with a pot belly and tired hands and feet,
always massaging his aching back, consumed with each dot or
stroke or blended color on the huge canvases before him.
You see, Monet went nearly every day to the pond,
calculating when different times of day would light up or
shade the water-scapes there, so that he could capture the
play of light and color as it changed moment to moment.
Monet had always been fascinated with how objects
transmogrified as the day wore on, how time was an illusion
but ever so powerfully true. Monsieur Claude found himself
challenged to portray both change and stability. He was
mesmerized by the flow of the water, moving close to the
canvas then walking ten feet away, while the nearly abstract
shapes of the waterlilies wove a tapestry that moved and
shimmered as the pond surged and shifted, as the early
morning became full sun.
By noon, every day, truly like clockwork, he would leave
his multiple easels and canvases there by the pond, cover
his palette and paints with a muslin cloth and stroll back
to his charming house for a rich lunch prepared by his
devoted wife to be laid out on linens in their lemon-yellow
and blue diningroom. Often his guests would join them,
Renoir, Degas, Gustave Caillebotte and sometimes Matisse,
Cézanne or Jean Cocteau, sipping wine and relishing a
delicate fish appetizer (how that would have made
Nénu shudder), a roast chicken with petit pois grown
in their resplendent garden and crème brulée
in tiny porcelain cups.
What was there lacking in this
work-and-regaling-schedule? The sight of a REAL MERMAID
aswim at the pond.
Shhhh.... don't tell Monet. He'd make her pose for hours
as he painted her!
Program Notes
Color, Light, Motion and always Water, frothy fountains of
it, improvisational splashes of it.
As I composed I found myself immersed in a carpet of
floating lily pads, forming mozaics as they tickled each
other on the everchanging surface of the pond at Monet's
estate Giverny. I wanted to evoke both the Mermaid (as a
ravishing creature with a lonely but playful heart) and
Monet's shimmering masterpieces. When I first saw the real
Waterlily Paintings in the Parisian oval gallery, they made
me weep. Now it was my turn to pay homage as best I could,
to Monet, to myths, and to mermaids.
Arrayed in the jewels of sonorous ribbons of pianistic runs,
the music I squeezed slowly from my inner ear and soul can
be liked to a kaleidoscope, always changing and yet
returning in fluid fashion to its beginnings. Water can be
contained, in a glass, in a pond, but it always defies
containment.
As I evolved each moment of music, searching at times for
many hours, I aspired to recreate the way the sun plays with
shadows in the passing of time, something that fascinated
Monet. Sometimes the music just flowed in a split second,
sometimes I struggled in search of iridescent bellsounds. I
was looking for that mysterious hue or harmonic change that
would both surprise and pleasure the ear and the eye's
imagination. I surprised myself every now then by sprinkling
dissonant clashes here and there. (Nothing is dissonant
really if it expresses a unity with other parts of the music
or gives the listener a chance to feel refreshed by
surprise.) But repetition has its purpose too as it gives
music something recognizable and creates Structure and Form
and a sense of Evolution, or Resolution. Just as water
slips and slides back into itself, the opening passage
returns again and again. There is triumph at the close,
mimicking the intense joy of creativity and the sheer
feeling of water-waves! I believe that Mermaids are real,
we just have to see them.
Here in sound form is the Giverny Mermaid Nénu's
playground! Please read Nénu's story and relish her
way of life and how disciplined Monet's lifestyle was too.
How ironic, just a few feet away from where Nénu
cavorted in the pond was the masterpiece-maker Monet,
somehow (so absorbed in each stroke of paint) that he never
saw her or had an inkling she was even there.
From the first measures I unabashedly and purposely conjured
up the misty glistening warmth of Debussy (whole tone scale,
oriental touches, harmonic lifts to give a sublime feeling)
or the crystalline clarity of Ravel's orchestral palette. At
least, I hope you think I learned by reverent imitation well
enough to make your own sound-painting and mermaid-portrait
while you listen or play the piano.
Color, Light, Motion and Always Water. Monet, Myths and
Mermaids.
2. The Werewolf's Flamenco Moondance
A Tale by Carol Worthey Based on A Spanish and Portuguese Folk Legend "The Wolf-Child."
Let us begin our foray into Flamenco with the story that
the music portrays:
When Pedrocito was born in a small town in Andalusia,
his parents took the babe in their arms and examined him
with love from top to toe. He was perfect, all ten fingers
and toes, but they did notice one small feature, a birthmark
on his arm: It was in the shape of a Crescent Moon. His mom
and dad didn't know it, but Pedro was a Wolf-Child.
As the infant grew into a young boy, his parents doted
on his every new development. All seemed normal and
delightful but every once and a while little Pedro sneaked
out of the house (it so happened that the moon was full) and
returned home out of breath to fall asleep instantly. They
scolded him lovingly and this habit stopped for many years.
Pedro grew up to be a handsome young man with thick
black curly hair. He was genial and had many friends, but
he stayed indoors when the moon was full and kept to himself
for some reason. He said he just wanted to read and have
some quiet. But...
One night, Pedro grew impatient and crept out of the
house into the surrounding woods. Yes, the moon was full
and the light of it made an aura all around the trees.
Pedro began to dance.... As he moved to the Flamenco
rhythms, he began to be transformed into the shape of a
wolf. Faster, more passionate, more dissonant became the
song, until whirling and twisting, Pedro attempted to dance
away his wolf-shape and become a young man again.
The dance became faster and more furious until the very
moon itself became embodied in its whirlwind.
Pedro collapsed... he was a man again.
Program Notes
I recommend that you first read the story (above) I created
based on a Spanish and Portuguese folktale — about a
Wolf-Child. The path of the music closely follows the
actions and emotional feelings of this story.
Basically: In Andalusia (renowned cultural center of
Flamenco) a baby is born with a birthmark in the shape of a
crescent moon. Unknown to his parents, he is a Wolf-Chld.
When the moon is full, he feels compelled to go into the
woods where he transforms into a wolf, whirling and dancing
during his agonizing but passionate transformation. At the
end he is drained from his dance-frenzy, but human once
again.
Flamenco is not one form, it has many styles and various
rhythmic and harmonic variations. There are many forms of
Flamenco but basically I used "Bulerias". Clapping,
singing, dramatic postures and fluid movements including
foot stomping and castanet-playing, as well as the strumming
and chordal nots of the guitar are characteristic aspects of
this thrilling and dramatic dance, which itself is a form of
storytelling (often "about" the pain of love). Flamenco
developed over the centuries from nomadic (Gypsy) and other
groups, but is associated most strongly with a region in
Spain known as Andalusia. The well-known "Andalusian
Cadence" is A minor, followed by G Major, Fmajor and E
major, often decorated with Arabic and other melodic tones.
12 1 2
3
4 5
/
6 7 8 9
10
11
/
where the groupings of notes are shown by the underlining
line. Intermediate accents are on the 12, the 6, the 8th
beats but strongest accents are on the 3 beat and 10 beats
as shown in bold above.
To transcribe this into a meter pattern that can be
understood by a pianist (or guitarist) often is expressed
(for ease of reading and playing) as a meter of 6/8 tempo
followed by a meter of 3/4, then 6/8, followed by 3/4. To
fully give a Flamenco feel, stronger accents should be on
the 3 and 10 beats. This system is totally different from
the usual Western notation which has a strong beat (1) on
the first beat of the measure.
I do not pretend to have created a classically perfect or
"typical" (if there is such a thing) Flamenco piece. A
purist would shrug and say it's not authentic. When
composing this, I let the story and the music propel me to
create what I did, not to be a stickler for details that
would compress the excitement into a box. What it is is an
approximation and a way to give exciting impetus to the
Wolf-Child's story.
The music begins with moonlight, glowing, a bit eerie,
compelling, entrancing. As the Flamenco theme (excitingly
dissonant at times) begins, it starts relatively slowly just
as a dancer might do to emphasize passion, then gets faster
the second time (as if the Werewolf were dancing more and
more in overwhelming transformation from a person into a
wolf, in part ecstacy and part agony).
The final (third) time the theme appears, it is presto,
played nearly as fast as the pianist can play it. Then it
slows, because the Wolf-Child has begun to become human
again — he's exhausted. At the end the moonlight
again appears, calming this time but still a bit eerie,
until the final moments again reflect (in rubato) the
passionate Flamenco spirit.
Please note: The often-changing metronome indications are
NOT written in stone, whatsoever. The basic format should
emphasize medium slow (first Flamenco theme), then faster,
then fastest. Feel free to vary the rhythms according to
your sense of what works pianistically and dramatically. I
added all these metronome suggestions almost reluctantly,
knowing they are only hints to give a general idea. The
full rhythmic and tempo evolution of the piece are entirely
up to the performer. Feel the passion and have fun!
3. The Mythical Creatures Council
A Description of Their Purpose, Motto & Illustrious Members Working to Restore The Good Repute of Magical Creatures amongst Humankind
A "True Tale" by Carol Worthey serving to present Theme & Variations in a Piano Work of that name
The first Mythical Creatures Council was formed in 1520
during the Renaissance in Florence Italy in order to redeem
the good repute of magical creatures and to alert humans to
two assertions:
- Such creatures as Unicorns, Pegasus, Dragons and The Phoenix actually exist and are real (having hidden out in forests and lakes for ages, even before humans evolved to populate and dominate the Earth). Mythical Creatures are not myths, but they certainly are magical... and inspiring.
- Magical Creatures have gotten a reputation for cruelty and horror, but most of them are benign and love to help mankind. Evil ghosts and monsters do not represent the good-hearted ones and the council works to change this bad Public Relations Image... to no avail, in most cases.
So on the five hundredth anniversary of the founding of
the original group, in 2020, a new Mythical Creatures
Council was formed, consisting of a Unicorn of distinction,
Pegasus (who flew in), a festively attired Dragon and a
Phoenix who re-materialized out of a fireplace. The Council
(aware that scientific and technological advances had
occurred since 1520) adopted a Motto:
E = mc2
This (based on Einstein's famous theory) signified
Energy = Mythical Creatures Two (the second council in
history) and also Energy = Magical Creatures Squared (energy
plus).
Program Notes
In order to bring in a variety of magical and positive-image
creatures into the Mythical Menagerie Suite (and to feature
some animal-spirits in this work, different from the
human-type creatures in the other movements, mermaid and
werewolf), I decided to create a basic Theme and vary it to
represent each member of the Council. I hit upon a
ceremonical, but unpretentious melody, lyrical,
powerful-in-its-simplicity, with a subtle sense of grandeur
and grace. From this Theme sprang Variations, each
embodying the charismatic qualities, actions and "fabled
look" of these iconic animal spirits:
- Unicorn: A bittersweet, nostalgic melody followed by suggestions of neighing and stomping
- Dragon: The triumphant, colorful good-fortune-bringing Chinese dragon in all his glory
- Pegasus: An evocation of winged Pegasus soaring into the sky above the earth, very lyrical
- Phoenix: First the flames, then ashes, followed by a transformation as the Phoenix rises again The Finale incorporates elements from earlier variations and closes with blazing energy!
I hope you enjoy "meeting" them!
Here is the audio of the full performance of all three
movements without interruption:
The premiere had been exceptionally well received. You can
watch the full performance of all three movements in the
following video:
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OCTOBER 2020
The World Premiere of
The Tides of Mont Saint-Michel:
A Montage
by Carol Worthey
Pianist, Stanley Wong
Hosted by Stanley Wong
On Saturday, July 15th 2017 in Hong Kong, Concert Pianist
Stanley Wong
premiered my piano suite he commissioned that travels back
in time to an age of kings and saints, knights and
ninja-like monks protecting the coast of France, fierce and
spiritual times of the Age of Chivalry. It was some time
before the recording that was made finished editing and was
released as part of Stanley's CD
Sonic Landscape
. I'm happy to finally be able to post this beautiful
recording below.
The Tides of Mont Saint Michel: A Montage!
is a kind of TIME TRAVEL. Enjoy!
Below you can listen individually to each section.
1. The Bells of Time
The triumphant, rich sonorities of the bells at UNESCO
World-Heritage Site, Mont Saint-Michel begin our musical
Time Travel back to the 10th and 11th century. In the past
many bells rang from the bell tower, triumphant bells that
come back to life here as if triggered by ancient
reverberations of battles, prayers and redemption.
Today one enormous bell alone is rung whose bottom note
happens to be E-flat (the lowest sounding note here)
shimmering with higher harmonics.
The triumphant bells are followed by a graceful tribute to
beautiful, brilliant Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine, who
entertained knights, cardinals, performers and royals in the
huge feast-hall during the Age of Chivalry. (She was the
mother of Richard The Lion-Hearted and helped develop the
charisma and practices of knighthood and troubadour song and
poetry).
Eleanor of Acquitaine then takes a refreshing walk in the
Cloister Garden pursued by a knight or prince in a subtle
dance of flirtation and poetic banter.
The bells return, ringing throughout the centuries.
2. Illumination
There is something life-infused in this movement that is
intended to remind one of the illuminated manuscripts or the
stained glass windows of early times.
Before Mont Saint-Michel was built, the pre-Christian French
Celts worshipped this rock-island as the meeting place of
the Living with the Dead, a place carved out by a tsunami
wave that hit the coast of Normandy in 709 A. D. and leveled
an entire forest.
Early Christians sensed there was something holy about this
wild place, part grazing land, part island, surrounded by
quicksand. So when Abbot Aubert, Bishop of Avranches,
Normandy was visited in a dream by Archangel Michael and
ordered to make a monastery on the top of this precarious
spot, he initially refused. After the third such dream, he
finally agreed.
If you listen to the repeat of the saint's entreaty-theme,
you will hear it being followed by a troubled musical "no, I
can't do that, too hard" but finally the answer is "Yes" and
the monastery begins to be constructed, a miracle of
architecture and intense muscle.
3. Battlecry of St. Michel-in-Peril-of-The-Sea
This was more than a center of scholarship and devotion, the
monks weren't just praying, creating scrolls and tending
crops, they were warriors, almost Ninja-like. Despite
centuries of invasions by British armies (including a
thirty-year-long siege), Mont Saint-Michel was never
defeated and defended all of France.
4. Chant Angelicus
Fueled by a chant the composer created herself, a glow of
reverence is lifted in subtle tone-clusters (small
dissonances that add tenderness to the harmonies), prayers
rising the Gothic heights of the chapel, flowing to God
through the circles of earlier Romanesque windows.
This movement is tinged with the kind of devotion and sacred
awe that has made Mont Saint-Michel a place of Pilgrimage
since early Medieval times.
5. Chant de Roland
Like King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table in
England, France's near-mythical hero Roland was the central
figure in many a travelling troubadour's song. Today the
poetic lyrics that sing of Roland exist in Old French and
translations, but the original music has been lost —
it was a huge hit throughout Europe. The composer has taken
the rhythms, rhymes and moods of this heraldic poem and set
it to a tapestry of melody and harmony to bring this epic
back to life.
Roland it was who sounded the Horn to call Christian troops
in the forest to defeat the invading Moors from Spain. He
is said to have been handsome, hugely skilled, a true leader
and courageous, all the qualities of the best Knights
— AND he had a magic sword, only to be wielded by him.
Encircled at last by Moors in the forest, he was fatally
wounded but fell on his magic sword to hide it so that it
would not be captured. The movement ends with a depiction
of this noble death, which in a sense is an ironic victory
of the spirit.
6. Tides
Mont Saint-Michel has the highest tides in Europe. The site
becomes an island after the torrential flood, and subsides
into a pasture land for the famous sheep who graze on it.
Quicksand dots the plain on low tide and knights on their
horses were known to disappear in the strangulating mud.
The monastery and its small town are testaments to the power
of human endeavor and sacred prayer against the ravaging
forces of nature.
This is an extremely challenging pianistic work,
encompassing the entire scope of the keyboard, and demanding
a true virtuoso. Pianist Stanley Wong delivers!
7. Bells Echo through The Ages
After this musical visit, this Time Travel to this holy
place, the bells again return, this time with a misty
solemnity that is meant to express that times gone by can
live again when memory meets a long-standing message: We in
our sacred or embattled visions can conquer not just stone,
not just quicksand, not even death itself, if we retain a
sense of reverence and defend the battlements of Freedom,
the sacred need for connection to the Divine, the meeting
place of the Living and the Dead.
The initial premiere was exceptionally well received and
Stanley Wong
has performed it for many occasions since the premiere.
