The Philharmonic Orchestra has never performed Price’s music in a subscription program. Her Fourth Symphony lacks the stirring hymn of the first movement’s slow movement and the evocative slyness of the Juba dance of the third, but it’s expansive yet stylish. There’s an unfolding first movement, a delicate andante, a unique swing juba, and an exuberant finale. “Microfiction” of the show, Vol. 3 is a combination of singing, speech, breathing, pitch bending, weeping angels and the mundane, as in her contemporary classic Partita for Eight Voices, but her work includes the Lacking inspired variety. The orchestral accompaniment is playful and ominous, with plenty of pizzicato ragged as drizzle.
After Thursday’s concert, Roomful of Teeth moved into Hall’s new Sidewalk Studios (visible from the street at the corner of 65th and Broadway) for their first nightcap program of the season. It showcased the group’s flair for dreamy, floating harmonies and eerie, even otherworldly effects.
Sidewalk Studios is also used for daytime chamber music performances under the NY Phil @ Noon rubric. Last week, a shaky rendition of Mozart’s “Kegelstadt” trio trumps the refined and graceful rendition of Schubert’s “Trout” quintet. Whether the music is amplified or not, small-space acoustics come to life.
Geffen still raises an eyebrow when it comes to class. A David Smith sculpture is tucked into the corner of the lobby and blocked with protective wire. Clearly wanting to reflect the elegantly rising ‘Sputnik’ chandelier as the lights dimmed before a performance at the Metropolitan Opera, the hall’s designers came up with ‘Firefly’. Public spaces have grown, but are cluttered with furniture and stilts.
But some questionable decor hasn’t stopped the space from being inviting.With just minutes to go before Thursday’s concert, laptops were opened. Wine was being sipped. A newspaper was being read. Friends were sitting, chatting and laughing. It was lively, but not as uncomfortably packed as it used to be. It was a space that was used in a good way.