Embassy
of Austria
Washington Musica Viva, Hans Gal and ÒWhat a LifeÓ
May 28, 2009
Carl
Banner and Washington Musica Viva like nothing better than the opportunity to
rescue from oblivion a forgotten 20th century composer. Last night Washington Musica Viva and
the Austrian Cultural Forum presented music written by an obscure composer who
had co-edited the complete works of Brahms, had his music banned in Germany
because of his Jewish heritage, and became an Òenemy alienÓ in Britain during
World War II. A sizeable audience
turned out to see what the music of Hans Gal might actually sound like, and to
ÒseeÓ or ÒhearÓ the US premiere of What a Life, a bilingual internment camp revue for which Gal
wrote the music in 1940.
Although
Banner introduced the evening by stating that GalÕs music is Òcomplex without
being obscureÓ and suggested strong overtones of Brahms and Schubert within the
music, what the audience discovered was that Gal was the Scottish Poulenc. Gal wrote delightful music, a little
campy in flavor, certainly containing ample ÒpopularÓ approaches to the blending
of instrumental sounds. This may
not be jazz, but the saucy intensity, the arch development of themes and sudden
interruptions of contrasting sensations, had more to say about Paris or New
York than about Viennese chocolate box operettas or the gloom of GalÕs adopted
Edinburgh.
The
program broke easily into two parts, beginning with two substantial
compositions written after World War II.
The various musicians played both the Suite for Alto Saxophone and
Piano and the Trio for Violin,
Clarinet and Piano. Here the flavor of Poulenc was palpable. After the intermission, Bret Werb of
the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum introduced two works written by Gal during
his four-month internment in 1940.
Werb read appropriate passages from GalÕs diary of the period. GalÕs Huyton Suite for flute and two violins was written soon after Gal
had been interned, and constrained by the instruments available to the
musicians interned with him. This
is a slight work, but not a work to be disdained.
Mezzo-soprano
Karyn Friedman, tightly gowned as a torch singer in red spangles, was the
sparkle for What a Life, as she
sang all the songs. The lyrics are
eminently forgettable, cute but also a bit trite. Only the music raises this work above the mediocrity of a
summer camp effort. Except for
GalÕs score, nothing else has survived from this revue.
Stephen Neal Dennis
www.allartsreview4u.com sndesq@starpower.net