Annual Concert
The annual Alec Wilder Concert in New York City will be held on Saturday, April 12th, 3PM at St. Peter's Church, Lexington Avenue and 54th Street. Tickets at the door: $25 and $15 (students).
With the theme "Wilder's Legacy," hosted by John Marcellus, the concert will include performances by singer-pianist Ronnie Whyte [selected popular songs], tubist Ron Caswell ["Effie Suite"], violinist Helene Bergman, cellist Kurt Behnke, and pianist Barbara Lee ["Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano"], and a chamber wind ensemble led by Mike McGinnis and John Carlson [improvisations on Wilder popular songs].
Centennial Celebrations
Marking the 100 th anniversary of the birth of Alec Wilder, centennial concerts were heard throughout 2007, all around the country. Among these were the following:
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, January 26
Eastman School of Music, February 13
Oregon Coast Chamber Orchestra, February 23
New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, March 17
William Paterson University of New Jersey, March 18
Merkin Hall, New York City, April 29
Harold Washington Public Library, Chicago, August 3
Southeast Missouri State University, September 23
Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, September 30
Appalachian State University, October 2
University of Wisconsin, October 11
Reviews of three of these concerts follow.
Merkin Hall, New York City
On Sunday, April 29, in Merkin Concert Hall, with Rex Reed as host, the Friends of Alec Wilder gathered to celebrate the centennial of his birth. As Rex Reed noted, "27 years after his death, I guess Alec Wilder would be surprised -- maybe even terrified -- to see so many fans, admirers, collaborators and friends, still filing in to celebrate him." Yet celebrate they did, with the most memorable Wilder concert in this reviewer's experience.
It was particularly gratifying to see the interest in Wilder's work by a younger generation, as witnessed by the performers of the "Octets" opening the concert. There followed a pair of solo Wilder song renditions by guitarist Gene Bertoncini, both expertly played, then an exquisite reading of the "First Sonata for Flute and Piano" by Wilder-favorite, Virginia Nanzetta, and three art songs by soprano Andriana Smela, a young voice of singular beauty. Her "Blackberry Winter" was surely a highlight of the concert. The opening half of the concert concluded with a rare performance of "The Churkendoose" (known only to a few Wilder aficionados for the 78 rpm recording by Ray Bolger) sung by bass-baritone Tim Cain, and accompanied on piano by Aaron Gandy, who is to be given special accolades for his resurrection of the score.
Still more rare, in fact unique, was the listening experience that opened the second half of the concert, as soprano Lily De Paula sang a medley of two unused songs from the Wilder-Engvick film score "Daddy Long Legs." Mr. Engvick, seated next to this reviewer, was visibly moved by her performance. Clarinetist Stephen Hart then played a piece "Footnote to a Summer Love" that Benny Goodman originally discarded -- for reasons that are totally unclear upon hearing Mr. Hart's sensitive performance.
The concert concluded with three songs sung by Jackie Cain and two elegant piano improvisations by Bill Mays. We learn once again, as Alec himself once said of Ms. Cain, "Blessed with an architectural sense of inflection and timeless grace, she doesn't sing a song, she constructs it." As for Mr. Mays' last selection "I'll Be Around," it looks like Alec really meant it!
-- Ron Prather
Harold Washington Public Library, Chicago
On August 3 at the Harold Washington Library Richard Wyszynski, conductor and friend of Alec's, presented a marvelous one-hour set of early orchestral pieces, Lullabies and Night Songs and Octets. And, in keeping with the spirit of Alec Wilder, it was free! Mr. Wyszynski deftly wove together various strands of the Wilder body of work, interspersed with commentary about his life, to create a powerful portrayal of the great composer.
Starting off with "Theme and Variations," the 22-piece Cardinal Chamber Orchestra, augmented by harpsichord and rhythm section, performed four of the "Sinatra Conducts Wilder" pieces, the highlight of which was soloist Gail Schechter's wonderful reading of "Air for English Horn" transcribed for clarinet. Ms. Schechter later revealed that she had written the entire transcription on a train, which Alec would surely have appreciated. Lovely takes on "Air for Oboe" and "Slow Dance" rounded out the first segment.
Singer Alyssa Bennett and pianist Lisa Pustina then performed six of the "Lullabies and Night Songs," with Mr. Wyszynski reading an appropriate excerpt from "Letters I Never Mailed" before each song. The result was delightful and affecting.
The show concluded with three of Wilder's "Octets." They were well-played, but didn't swing as much as this reviewer would have preferred. During this segment, Mr. Wyszynski played a tape of Alec declaring that "the preparation for the Barbarian Age is not for me," which elicited laughter all around.
One of the most notable aspects of the concert was the amount of press it received. Two appearances by Mr. Wyszynski on radio and at least three newspaper articles accompanied the event.
All in all, it was a wonderful, well-attended concert, worthy of the Wilder legacy. Although the talented players had but one rehearsal -- and it showed in the occasional rough transition or shaky tempo -- they played the material remarkably well.
-- Rob Geller
Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin
On Sunday, Sept. 30, Professor Emeritus of Music Robert Levy directed a multimedia concert in Harper Hall to mark the centennial of the birth of composer Alec Wilder. The varied concert featured five musical segments by Lawrence University faculty and guest performers. Punctuating the performances were excerpts from a series of filmed interviews that Levy conducted over the last several years with famous friends of Wilder.
After opening remarks by Professor Levy, soprano Patrice Michaels sang five of Wilder's art songs, accompanied by Tad Hardin. Ms. Michaels noted that the unmistakable American quality of Wilder's music could be attributed to "the sophisticated melancholy found in jazz, combined with a childlike freshness," elements found in her singing.
Following a delightful faculty-student reading of two of Wilder's famous "Octets," Janet Planet was accompanied by pianist John Harmon, as she beautifully sang "A Child Is Born" and "Did You Ever Cross Over To Sneden's." The rarely- heard "Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano" was then played by Kin Chau, Janet Anthony, and Anthony Padilla to a well-deserved applause.
The concert concluded with the melodious trumpet of Robert Levy joining pianist Harmon for a sublime treatment of three of Wilder's most popular songs, "Moon and Sand," "Blackberry Winter," and "While We're Young."
-- Sonia Emmons
New Songbook
A centennial year issue, an "Alec Wilder Song Collection" has been published by The Richmond Organization. The best of two previous collections, "Songs Were Made to Sing" and "American Popular Song" have been combined in this new centennial edition, together with four new songs with lyrics by William Engvick, as adapted from Wilder's Octets and his film score to The Sand Castle.
The songbook may be ordered from Hal Leonard, TRO's distributor. It is also available from Sheet Music Plus and other internet vendors.
The Richmond Organization owns and publishes Wilder's popular songs, show music , and a number of his concert pieces. Inquiries as to the purchase of such item s should be addressed to:
The Richmond Organization
266 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018
Tel: 212-594-9795
Fax: 212-594-9782
Margun Music POD (Print on Demand) chamber music titles should be ordered from:
J.W. Pepper 800-345-6296
Other Margun items should be ordered from:
Shawnee Press 800-692-8584
except for rentals, available from:
G. Schirmer Inc.
Rental/Performance Dept.
P.O. Box 572
Chester, NY 10918
Tel: 845-469-4699
Fax: 845-469-7544
Wilderworld
Late in 2006, podmaster Rob Geller launched the internet site "wilderworld," promising "100 records in 100 days to celebrate 100 years of Alec Wilder."
Since its inception, more than 23,000 visitors have registered at the site, where one can hear and download some of the best and also some of the most rare Wilder recordings ever assembled. Those who have not yet sampled this vast collection should visit:
wilderworld.podmatic.com
for a truly memorable listening experience.
James T. Maher
The Friends of Alec Wilder are saddened to learn of the death last July of James Maher, 90, writer and historian, who exerted a vast influence on the field of music and cultural criticism. Maher was perhaps best known for his editing of Alec Wilder's "American Popular Song" and for his contribution to the Ken Burns PBS "Jazz" documentary.
Maher began his career as a journalist in Cleveland. An ardent fan of jazz and popular music since boyhood, he was present at the 1950s birth of the long-playing record, and he authored numerous well-regarded liner notes, including those for classic recordings of Stan Getz, Benny Goodman, and Oscar Peterson.
For "American Popular Song," Maher was essentially Wilde's co-author. Going through hundreds of classic songs together, they fashioned chapters on the works of each of the great popular songwriters. Published in 1972, the book won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and has long been regarded as the definitive work on the subject.
The Newsletter of the Friends of Alec Wilder
Published annually in Oakland, California.
Editor: Ronald Prather
If you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter, free of charge, please write or call:
Ronald Prather
78 Gleneden Ave.
Oakland, CA 94611
(510) 601-7627
email: rprather@brandxnet.com
FRIENDS OF ALEC WILDER
The Friends of Alec Wilder is an organization dedicated to perpetuating the memory and life's work of American composer Alec Wilder. Its membership presents annual Wilder concerts and other events involving the composer's work. For information concerning the Friends of Alec Wilder organization, please contact Tom Hampson at (585) 442-6941.