Wednesday with Viet, Stanley and Devin

Original image of Devin Gray by There Stands the Glass.

By the end of the month I’ll have gone to 17 performances at 13 venues spread across 14 days in September. My total ticket outlay is more than $150, not including tips for musicians at jazz gigs. Gasoline and beverages up the ante further.

A time will come when I no longer go out. My priorities may shift or I might lose my hearing, health or savings. Until then, I remain an (old) man about town. This diary entry is intended to provide solace when I become financially or physically infirm. Reading this entry will console my future shut-in self.

I whined about the lineup of a highly-publicized festival with a pal earlier in the week. Once I gave myself permission to forgo attendance at the event, I became open to a multitude of alternatives. I elected to devise a miniature Kansas City festival of my own making on Wednesday.

John McEuen, the venerable leading light of the original Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, was at Knuckleheads. The fabled rockers the Brian Jonestown Massacre were at recordBar. And my friend Aaron’s new band Unity Ticket was making its debut at a house concert.

I didn’t choose any of those shows. I’m currently obsessed with Prism Quartet’s new release El Eco de Un Tambor. I opted to open my evening with its outing at Helzberg Hall with the UMKC Conservatory Wind Symphony. The in-person opening remarks from the celebrity composer Viet Cuong were an unexpected bonus that came with my $15 ticket.

I headed to Black Dolphin following the one-hour and 45-minute concert to check out Stanley Sheldon’s Rhythm Republic. A scene that includes noodle dancers and avid devotees has already developed around the new Latin jazz band led by the man who played bass on Frampton Comes Alive. The $5 cover felt like a bargain.

My trek to the Ship to catch Devin Gray included passage through toxic smoke from a hobo-instigated fire. The peripatetic drummer’s 2023 appearance in Kansas City was my  21st favorite performance that year. Enraptured by his vigorous solo set at the free show, I handed Gray a twenty dollar bill before going home entirely sated.

Concert Review: Joseph Genualdi and Sean Chen at White Recital Hall

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

The recent misfortunes affecting all global citizens have been paralleled by personal setbacks in recent weeks. My gloom resulted in an insatiable craving for chamber music.

Seven of the 13 performances I’ve attended so far this month fall into the category. And while I wasn’t interested in tuning into broadcasts from the Coachella festival, I’m currently obsessed with The 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition.

I was impelled to claim a front-and-center seat amid an audience of a few dozen at a free faculty recital by pianist Sean Chen and violinist Joseph Genualdi at White Recital Hall on Wednesday, April 23. The UMKC Conservatory professors’ interpretations of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Fauré hit home.

Accompanied by rolling thunder, Genualdi’s take of Bach’s famed chaconne may be the most transcendent thing I’ll hear in 2025. My passion for a piece written more than 300 years ago almost certainly correlates with my malaise.

Masterclass Review: Jake Heggie at Grant Recital Hall

(Original image of YounHee Choi, Laci Olberding and Jake Heggie by There Stands the Glass.)

Most masterclasses in classical music offer valuable insights into the form I’d been unable to glean from recordings and performances. I didn’t learn a single thing about music at Jake Heggie’s free masterclass at Grant Recital Hall on Wednesday, April 9. Yet the famed composer taught me and about thirty students a lot about life. Rather than focusing on conventional subjects such as vocal timbre, Heggie tutored four groupings of UMKC Conservatory students as if he were a life coach. While he’s a prodigious namedropper- he referenced his associations with Julie Andrews, Joyce DiDonato, Patti LuPone, Leontyne Price and Stephen Sondheim- Heggie diligently focused on drawing out the repressed personalities of the students. The counseling seemed to be precisely what the apprentices needed. I know I was a slightly better person at the conclusion of the two-hour session.

The Top Fifty Performances of 2024

(Original image of Vasily Petrenko and Isata Kanneh-Mason at Helzberg Hall by There Stands the Glass.)

Just because I’m no longer paid to review concerts doesn’t mean I stopped going out. The 157 music performances I’ve attended so far in 2024 represent an unprecedented financial outlay. The out-of-pocket figure would have been even more breathtaking had I been able to bring myself to acquire exorbitantly priced tickets to sold-out appearances in the Kansas City area by Bad Bunny, J. Cole and Grupo Frontera. Visiting the bucket list venues Wigmore Hall, Wiener Hofmusikkapelle and Wiener Staatsoper and catching the Jesus and Mary Chain, Makaya McCraven, Negativland and Jah Wobble for the first time was worth the expense. Unless I live longer than anticipated, the investment will have been worth it.

1. Militarie Gun, Pool Kids, Spiritual Cramp and Spacing at recordBar
My review.

2. Peter Schlamb, Matt Otto, Matt Villinger, Sebastian Arias and Zach Morrow at the Ship
My review.

3. Véronique Gens and Susan Manoff at Wigmore Hall (London)
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Jeffrey Osborne at Ameristar Casino
My Instagram clip.

5. Nick Shoulders at Third Place Lounge
My review.

6. Mike, 454, Niontay and El Cousteau at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

7. Wiener Staatsoper’s “Carmen” (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Flatland Cavalry at Grinders KC
My Instagram clip.

9. Makaya McCraven at Liberty Hall
My review.

10. Peter Schipka, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle, Wiener Sängerknaben and Wiener Staatsoper at Wiener Hofmusikkapelle (Vienna)
My Instagram clip.

11. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Heliophonie at Charlotte Street Foundation
My review.

12. Rev. Dwight Frizzell’s Bridge at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram clip.

13. Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater 
My review.

14. Childish Gambino and Willow at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

15. Lawrence Brownlee at the Lied Center
My review.

16. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi at Wigmore Hall (London)
My review.

17. Sandbox Percussion, Soowin Kim and Gloria Chen at Lincoln Performance Hall (Portland)
My review.

18. Isata Kanneh-Mason with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Helzberg Hall
My review.

19. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

20. UMKC Opera’s “Marriage of Figaro” at White Theater
My review.

21. Yo-Yo Ma and the Harmony Project at Parade Park
My Instagram clip.

22. David Lord, V. Vecker and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Farewell
My review.

23. Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart at Mississippi Studios
My review.

24. Nick Shoulders and Chris Acker at Knuckleheads
My Instagram clip.

25. Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

26. Khatia Buniatishvili at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

27. Willi Carlisle at the Folk Alliance Conference
My Instagram clip.

28. UMKC Opera’s Puccini’ Suor Angelica at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center
My Instagram snapshot.

29. Negativland at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

30. Isidore String Quartet at Zhou B Art Center
My Instagram snapshot.

31. Joyce DiDonato with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My review.

32. Adam Larson Quartet at the Blue Room
My review.

33. Kansas City Symphony’s “Matthias Pintscher conducts Symphony Dances: West Side Story and Rachmaninoff” at Helzberg Hall
My review.

34. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

35. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

36. Rick Bartlett at Ricky B’s (Louisville)
My Instagram clip.

37. Drug Church at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

38. Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

39. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My review.

40. Alber’s “By the Sea” at Charlotte Street Foundation
My Instagram snaphot.

41. Jackie Myers, Matt Otto and Bob Bowman at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

42. Dunedin Consort’s “St. John Passion” at Atonement Lutheran Church
My Instagram snapshot.

43. Jeremy Denk at the Folly Theater
My review.

44. Bachathon XLV at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral
My Instagram snapshot.

45. The Psychedelic Furs, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Frankie Rose at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

46. Beppe Gambetta at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

47. Seth A Davis, Kwan Leung Ling, Aaron Osborne and Evan Verploegh at 7th Heaven
My Instagram clip.

48. Danielle Nicole at Records with Merritt
My Instagram snapshot.

49. Ernest Melton, Parker Woolworth, Jordan Faught and Jalen Ward at In the Lowest Ferns
My review.

50. Sleater-Kinney and Palehound at the Truman
My Instagram clip.

Last year’s concert ranking is here.

Opera Review: UMKC Conservatory’s Le Nozze di Figaro

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

A trigger warning was posted at the doors of White Recital Hall on Wednesday, November 20. The note advised that droit du seigneur is an essential plot point of “Le Nozze di Figaro.” In blending the threat of sexual violence with boisterous hilarity, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte crafted the most popular work in the history of the form.

The opening night of UMKC Conservatory’s three-hour production was unremittingly delightful. Heidi Shea (Susanna) radiated stardom. I also appreciated the robust presence of Evan J. Nelson (Count Almaviva), the comedic acting of Madeline Friesen (Cherubino) and the lush voice of  Victoria Schmidt (Countess Almaviva).

A Mozart freak, I didn’t need to be warned about the opera’s harshest component. I was triggered, however, by the dismal attendance of about 125. I bought a $25 ticket as a member of the general public, but discounted ticket options are available. The production runs through Saturday, November 23. Wednesday’s performance streams here.

January 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of Oper Graz’s production of Giuseppi Verdi’s Macbeth by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of January

1. Willi Carlisle- Critterland
Folk masterstroke.

2. Abdullah Ibrahim- 3
The octogenarian in peak form.

3. Piotr Anderszewski- Bartók, Janáček, Szymanowski
On an overgrown path.

4. Philip Glass- Solo
Greatest hits hits hits hits hits hits hits hits.

5. Kali Uchis- Orquídeas
Panoramic pop.

6. Betty Bryant- Lotta Livin’
My review.

7. Luis R Conriquez- Corridos Bélicos, Vol. IV
What border?

8. Danielle Nicole- The Love You Bleed
My audio feature for KCUR.

9. The Smile- Wall of Eyes
Frippery.

10. Behzod Abduraimov- Shadows of My Ancestors
Prokofiev, Saidaminova and Ravel.

Top Ten Songs of January

1. Joel Ross- “bach (God the Father in Eternity)”
Sanctified.

2. Brian Harnetty- "The Workbench"
A loving sound collage.

3. Mary Halvorson- “Desiderata”
Now that’s what I call shredding!

4. Idles- "Gift Horse"
Ugly as homemade sin.

5. Sleater-Kinney- "Small Finds"
Needles.

6. Sprints- "Heavy"
Gravity.

7. Erick the Architect featuring George Clinton- "Ezekiel's Wheel"
Cosmic slop.

8. SleazyWorld Go- ​​"32 Bars"
Shots fired.

9. Ana Tijoux featuring Pablo Chili-E- "Dime que"
Chee-chee-chee, lay-lay-lay.

10. Ufo361 featuring lucidbeats and Ken Carson- "RICK OWENS"
If the shoe fits…

Top Ten Concerts of January

1. Isata Kanneh-Mason and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Helzberg Hall
My review.

2. UMKC Conservatory’s “Suor Angelica” at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center
My Instagram photo.

3. Joyce DiDonato’s master class at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram photo.

4. Joyce DiDonato with the Kansas City Symphony at Helzberg Hall
My review.

5. Arnold Young’s RoughTet at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

6. Wire Town at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

7. Bryan Hicks, Matt Otto and Charles Gatschet at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram photo.

8. Cynthia van Roden at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

9. Jun Iwasaki’s violin master class at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram photo.

10. Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s master class at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church
My Instagram photo.

The previous monthly recap is here.

The Top Fifty Performances of 2023

Original image of Yujia Shen at the Diastole Scholars Center by There Stands the Glass.

The accompanying image of Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center encapsulates my year. Classical violin (and piano) provided default ambience throughout 2023. By arriving early and through financial outlays, I claimed spots up front at dozens of concerts. The books in the room are also meaningful. My evenings were devoted to reading when I wasn’t attending performances.

1. Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater
My review.

2. The Smile and Robert Stillman at the Midland Theatre
My review.

3. Kassa Overall and Omari Jazz at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

4. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

5. The Metropolitan Opera’s Tannhäuser at Lincoln Center (New York City)
My review.

6. András Schiff at Helzberg Hall
My review.

7. Mike Dillon and Brian Haas at the Brick
My review.

8. Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center
My review.

9. Jake Blount at the Folk Alliance International Conference
My review.

10. RP Boo, DJ Alphabeta and Whorxata at the Encore Room
My review.

11. Pretty Yende at the Folly Theater
My review.

12. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

13. Tim Bernardes at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My review.

14. UMKC Opera’s Proving Up at Spencer Theatre
My review.

15. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
My review.

16. Boston Camerata’s Dido & Aeneas at Community Christian Church
My Instagram photo.

17. Hermon Mehari Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

18. Off!, Upchuck and Weaponize Chomsky at the recordBar
My Instagram clip.

19. Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall
My review.

20. Juan Diego Flórez at the Folly Theater
My review.

21. Devin Gray, Maria Elena Silva and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Firehouse Gallery 
My review.

22. DJ Lucas, Papo2oo4 and Subjxct 5, Lil Heavn, Paris Williams and N1n4 Freakqncy at Farewell
My review.

23. Thee Sinseers, the Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
My review.

24. Willi Carlisle and Betse & Clarke at Knuckleheads
My Instagram snapshot.

25. CRAG Quartet, Joshua Gerowitz and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at the Bunker
My review.

26. Artemis at the Gem Theater
My review.

27. Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth at Starlight Theatre
My review.

28. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Listening Forest at Crystal Bridges (Bentonville)
My Instagram clip.

29. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

30. Bob Weir at Louisville Palace (Louisville)
My review.

31. Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Michael Hurley at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My review.

32. Christian McBride, Benny Green and Gregory Hutchinson at the Village Vanguard (New York City)
My review.

33. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

34. Nickel Creek and Gaby Moreno at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

35. Alien Nosejob, Citric Dummies and CKrit at Howdy
My review.

36. Danielle Nicole and Katy Guillen and the Drive at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

37. Pat Metheny’s SideEye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

38. Janet Jackson and Ludacris at the T-Mobile Center
My Instagram snapshot.

39. Big Freedia at Boulevardia
My Instagram clip.

40. Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

41. Parker Quartet at Polsky Theatre
My review.

42. Eugene Friesen and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
My review.

43. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

44. Booker T. Jones at the Folly Theater
My Instagram clip.

45. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell, the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society and Alber at Farewell
My review.

46. The Salvation Choir at Theis Park
My Instagram clip.

47. Hot Chip and Cadence Weapon at Wonder Ballroom (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

48. Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

49. John Mellencamp at the Midland Theatre
My Instagram clip.

50 Kentucky Opera’s Cinderella at W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre (Louisville)
My Instagram snapshot.

There Stands the Glass’ top albums and songs of 2023 are listed here.

Last year’s concert rankings are here.

Opera Review: UMKC Conservatory’s Die Zauberflöte at White Recital Hall

Original image of the temple “boys” at curtain call by There Stands the Glass.

Five years ago, I didn’t know the difference between Puccini and Verdi. I discovered I’ve since become an odious opera elitist at White Recital Hall on Thursday, November 16. The alterations made to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte in a UMKC Conservatory production outraged me. Yet even when condensed, sanitized and slightly dumbed down, Mozart’s genius still shines brightly. The orchestra conducted by Nicholas Perry Clark performed commendably. Among the solid cast, I most enjoyed Angelo Silva as Tamino, the three attendants of the Queen of the Night and the three “boys” of the temple. I paid $25 to sit amid the audience of about 250. The production streams here. My sniveling reservations aside, it’s well worth watching.

February 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer of Detroit Opera’s production of Charles Gounod’s “Faust” by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of February

1. Young Fathers- Heavy Heavy

Crushed.

2. Christian McBride’s New Jawn- Prime

A1.

3. James Brandon Lewis- Eye of I

All seeing.

4. Ten City- Love Is Love

Disco revival, part one.

5. Karol G- Mañana Será Bonito

Tomorrow will be pretty.

6. Don Toliver- Love Sick

Grown and sexy.

7. Lisel- Patterns for Auto-Tuned Voices and Delay

A.I. soundtrack.

8. Gorillaz- Cracker Island

Stranded.

9. Kelela- Raven

In flight.

10. The Necks- Travel

Hear the world.

Top Ten Songs of February

1. Kelsea Ballerini- "Leave Me Again"

Alone.

2. Fuerza Regida and Becky G- "Te Quiero Besar"

Kisses.

3. Joe Louis Walker- "Don’t Walk Out That Door"

Let’s stay together.

4. Jessie Ware- "Pearls"

Disco revival, part two.

5. Hitkidd featuring Aleza, Gloss Up, Slimeroni and K Carbon- "You the Type"

Old-school fun.

6. Yeat featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again- "Shmunk"

Kids these days.

7. Lonnie Holley featuring Moor Mother- "I Am a Part of the Wonder"

Old souls.

8. Dierks Bentley- “Heartbreak Drinking Tour”

The night life ain’t no good life.

9. The Men- “Peace of Mind”

Stooges stew.

10. Talibando featuring BabyTron- "Make the Money"

Paid in full.

Top Ten Performances of February

1. UMKC Conservatory’s “Proving Up” at Spencer Theater

My review.

2. Hermon Mehari Quartet at the Folly Theater

My review.

3. Jake Blount at the Folk Alliance International Conference:

My review.

4. Bobby Weir and the Wolf Bros at Louisville Palace

My review.

5. Verónica Valerio at the Folk Alliance International Conference

My Instagram clip.

6. Kentucky Opera’s “Cinderella” at W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre

My Instagram snapshot.

7. Voices of Mississippi at Polsky Theatre

My review.

8. Jack Wright with Ron Stabinsky at Charlotte Street Foundation

My Instagram clip.

9. Talibah Safiya at the Folk Alliance International Conference:

My Instagram snapshot.

10. NAVO Trio at Polsky Theatre

My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly survey is here.

Concert Review: UMKC Conservatory’s “Proving Up” at Spencer Theater

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Recreational marijuana has been legalized in Missouri.  I’m not tempted when I drive past bustling dispensaries.  A matinee performance of an enthralling new opera yesterday demonstrated that I’m fully capable of attaining blissful, extra-sensory states without the use of intoxicants.

I felt like a monster when I selected a third-row center seat in Spencer Theatre on Saturday, February 18.  Most of the 100 other people at the free production of Missy Mazzoli’s "Proving Up" opted for seats in the back.  My transgression paid off.

Sitting 20 feet from the action in the Cather-esque tale of hardscrabble Nebraska homesteaders was an immersive experience.  The performers were obligated to make eye contact with the weirdo up front as they portrayed hope, grief, fear and devastation. I became part of the plot.

The orchestra played the inventive score with authority.  The vocalists were remarkable.  In fact, everything about the student production was first-rate.  Aside from a production of Arrigo Boito’s “Mefistofele” at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma in 2010, “Proving Up” is my favorite in-person opera experience.  No gummies necessary.