A Double Quanta of Culture: Intergalactic Nemesis / Martin Kasik
Not to imply that Mr. Kasik is a nemesis, that's just the order in which we experienced the shows. First up - The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth!
This was a live-action radio drama coupled to a graphic novel. A description of the stage would help to clarify. From left to right, three microphones - looking very much like old-style radio mics, a central stage of props - the station for the sound effects guy, a grand piano - the accompanist, and a large screen behind all of this. The three voice actors performed the various roles in the drama with exuberance and flair. Not only were their voicing fantastic, but their antics were amusing as well. The sound guy did everything from thunder to wind to gears to a barking dog and alien starships. He was as much an actor, visually, as the others on the stage, hamming up reactions to the various sounds he was making. The guy on the piano, I must admit, was visually lost to me, but his playing was not. All of this took place below the panels of the graphic novel that has evolved out of the drama. These would flash onto the screen to highlight the action. All together, it was a fun experience. We laughed, we groaned, we giggled. Our biggest complaint was that some of the accents and voice-distortions made following the dialog occasionally difficult. It was not high drama, but it was high camp and fun way to spend part of our afternoon. It was not Shakespeare but it was amusing.
Second: Martin Kasik playing an evening at Farley's House of Pianos. Oh, this was quite amusing! Mr. Kasik played Debussy, Liszt, and Mussorsky, but, not on the same piano. He changed between four different Steinways. This was ... extraordinary, to say the least. He chose a Steinway Model D that had a spare sound that accentuated the individual notes for the Debussy (pieces from Estampe). I found the effect to be engaging. The second piano was another Model D but this one was a more resonant instrument. He played Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3 on it and it was an elegant and beautiful choice. The next was a Model A, which was a much smaller piano. He said he'd chosen it for its speed and clarity and he played Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody on it. I disagree with this choice - I found the sound to be harsh and muddy. It was fast but I don't think the full power of Liszt was a good match, at least not in such an intimate venue. I think a Mozart piece would have been a better choice. Then, there was an intermission to permit swapping out the third piano for the fourth.
With the intermission over, Mr. Kasik returned and played, of all pieces, "Pictures at an Exhibition", on the Centennial Model D. Oh, oh, oh, wow. OK, I like this piece. I like the piano version, too. But, the Centennial Model D was pretty much made for compositions like this - an orchestrally conceived piano piece. What makes this so is that the various musical registers of the piano - the bass, tenor, and soprano voices - are somewhat decoupled from each other due to the composition of the strings. They don't cause as much resonance between the voices as experienced in a standard, modern piano. Thus, there is a bit of differentiation between the various parts that just isn't there on a standard modern piano. I'd first heard this instrument right after it was restored in 2009 when Alessio Bax played it. The thought of "Pictures" occurred to me then and I told Mr. Bax that he would HAVE to play that, if only for himself, on that piano before he left. I don't know if he did get that chance but now I've heard it, and it was wonderful.
Mr. Kasik returned for two encores, a short serenade by Dvořák and a piece by Klement Slavický - Toccata. It was a spirited performance for the second piece, but it was a bit more dissonant than my tastes run. Still, it was great piece to show off Mr. Kasik's skill!
This was a live-action radio drama coupled to a graphic novel. A description of the stage would help to clarify. From left to right, three microphones - looking very much like old-style radio mics, a central stage of props - the station for the sound effects guy, a grand piano - the accompanist, and a large screen behind all of this. The three voice actors performed the various roles in the drama with exuberance and flair. Not only were their voicing fantastic, but their antics were amusing as well. The sound guy did everything from thunder to wind to gears to a barking dog and alien starships. He was as much an actor, visually, as the others on the stage, hamming up reactions to the various sounds he was making. The guy on the piano, I must admit, was visually lost to me, but his playing was not. All of this took place below the panels of the graphic novel that has evolved out of the drama. These would flash onto the screen to highlight the action. All together, it was a fun experience. We laughed, we groaned, we giggled. Our biggest complaint was that some of the accents and voice-distortions made following the dialog occasionally difficult. It was not high drama, but it was high camp and fun way to spend part of our afternoon. It was not Shakespeare but it was amusing.
Second: Martin Kasik playing an evening at Farley's House of Pianos. Oh, this was quite amusing! Mr. Kasik played Debussy, Liszt, and Mussorsky, but, not on the same piano. He changed between four different Steinways. This was ... extraordinary, to say the least. He chose a Steinway Model D that had a spare sound that accentuated the individual notes for the Debussy (pieces from Estampe). I found the effect to be engaging. The second piano was another Model D but this one was a more resonant instrument. He played Liszt's Liebestraum No. 3 on it and it was an elegant and beautiful choice. The next was a Model A, which was a much smaller piano. He said he'd chosen it for its speed and clarity and he played Liszt's Spanish Rhapsody on it. I disagree with this choice - I found the sound to be harsh and muddy. It was fast but I don't think the full power of Liszt was a good match, at least not in such an intimate venue. I think a Mozart piece would have been a better choice. Then, there was an intermission to permit swapping out the third piano for the fourth.
With the intermission over, Mr. Kasik returned and played, of all pieces, "Pictures at an Exhibition", on the Centennial Model D. Oh, oh, oh, wow. OK, I like this piece. I like the piano version, too. But, the Centennial Model D was pretty much made for compositions like this - an orchestrally conceived piano piece. What makes this so is that the various musical registers of the piano - the bass, tenor, and soprano voices - are somewhat decoupled from each other due to the composition of the strings. They don't cause as much resonance between the voices as experienced in a standard, modern piano. Thus, there is a bit of differentiation between the various parts that just isn't there on a standard modern piano. I'd first heard this instrument right after it was restored in 2009 when Alessio Bax played it. The thought of "Pictures" occurred to me then and I told Mr. Bax that he would HAVE to play that, if only for himself, on that piano before he left. I don't know if he did get that chance but now I've heard it, and it was wonderful.
Mr. Kasik returned for two encores, a short serenade by Dvořák and a piece by Klement Slavický - Toccata. It was a spirited performance for the second piece, but it was a bit more dissonant than my tastes run. Still, it was great piece to show off Mr. Kasik's skill!