A yearly event that puts us in a Christmas mood every year
is the Early Music New York concert at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. It’s
probably the only time of year I would pay to hear someone play the recorder.
We started going several years ago just as a lark, and not knowing much about it,
I congratulated myself for being pretty adventuresome.
The experience was fun and rewarding. The first one we ever
attended was largely choral “early music” that seemed so early that I’m not
sure “re” and “mi” were invented yet.
This year, the selections were drawn from “New Spain,” so
the music was splendidly upbeat and uplifting. The singers were in fine voice,
and we’ve been going often enough to recognize performers who return from year
to year.
In other local music news, WKCR has begun its Bach Festival,
which runs now through December 31st at just prior to the stroke of
midnight. “Bachfest” has been broadcast annually since 1977. They stream at
wkcr.org. It's a veritable bacchanal. So if you’re in the mood for holiday music but can’t take another
pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, this may be for you.
Me, I always get a kick out of recalling Robert Klein’s
routine about a late-night K-Tel-type ad featuring “Every record ever recorded”
from his Mind Over Matter. Included
is “Ich habe genung, Cantata 82 by Bach!” So when they get around to playing
that one, I still feel like I did when I recognized a classical piece used in a
Bugs Bunny cartoon.
