May flowers

Samuel Barber, Kilgore, Bob Jordan, and more

by Michael Caito

Kilgore

A shining star among American 20th-century composers, Samuel Barber had already finished "Dover Beach" -- lavishly praised later by Vaughan Williams -- by the time he'd completed studies at the Curtis Institute. Today many are far more familiar with Barber's stirring Adagio for Strings (performed by Toscanini in 1938) than most of his other work, including "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" which soprano Diana Alexander tackles Saturday with RIPO -- even though Barber later copped multiple Pulitzers. Overall, his successes were tempered by critical and high-vis popular snubs; he worked on Zeffirelli's giant Shakespearian opera el floppo Antony and Cleopatra, but the Adagio again re-entered pop consciousness, at least a little, through its inclusion on the soundtrack to Platoon. Daring to emote with more stridency and force than many of the more-austere European predecessors, Barber's willingness to let it all hang out in terms of polyphony and texture secured grudging respect in classical camps, a fact never lost on Philharmonic conductor Larry Rachleff, who continues in his masterful -- and thus far successful -- incorporation of more modern (Barber died in 1981) works into RIPO's Classical Series. We'll also hear Mahler's first symphony, which evolved from a symphonic poem (as did several other Mahler works) into a jam-packed, sprawling rumination -- one artist's keen examination of his position in the cosmic ratatouille. Of course through his tortured philosophizing, the subject ends up dead, with Mahler's ensuing funeral march nicking a melody from the children's playsong "Frere Jacques." Mahler was always pegged as a superstitious kinda guy, so conspiracy theorists of the day, even without the benefit of the Internet or Oliver Stone or the X-Files, still probably had a field day at his expense when one of his daughters died, an event made more eerie given his earlier "Kindertotenlieder" ("Songs on the Deaths of Children") cycle. It's closing night at Vets, and an encouraging year it has been. Saturday's is the final performance of three orchestra stalwarts -- assistant concertmaster Florence Weintraub, assistant principal cellist Sylvia Rosenthal, and first violinist Samuel Chester, who among them have brought 118 (!!!) seasons of musicianship, leadership and community involvement to Rhode Islanders through their work for the Philharmonic, RISCA, the Music Mansion, the Rhode Island Civic Chorale, and many more artistic and educational organizations. Congrats.

AROUND. Bob Jordan will be back at AS220 next month, but an update is warranted now. His fifth cassette (out now) is titled Left Oeuvres, and its arrival predates his new CD by a coupla weeks. That's called 4 Corners. Among them they represent 29 new and two revamped tracks from the wilds of north central Massachusetts. The Wormtown frequenter dedicates the disk to the memory of Tom Cora, whom I was lucky enough to once see at the Knitting Factory, NYC. The Knitting Factory rules, as does His Panic Band member Jonathan Thomas, who co-wrote "X-Oz'me (The Trombone Song)" on 4 Corners. Upcoming AS220 nights of note include a Fat Cat multimedia bash on the 23rd:5 Films, Jamie Verinis, and Guy Benoit each screen new films of varying lengths, videographer Mark Marinello's work joins a Fly Seville musical set, and other solo musicians include Chick Graning and Purple Ivy Shadows' Chris Daltry, and a set by V Majestic. Huge night. This Saturday afternoon, noted Indonesian playwright Ratna Sarumpaet's play Marsinah will be read. Following her arrest in March at a pro-democracy rally in North Jakarta, efforts in her behalf have included a pointed plea for her release by the Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals. They hosted a UNESCO-endorsed global Conference on Culture four weeks ago in Sweden, at which Ms. Sarumpaet was scheduled to speak and read. The afternoon, brought together by Hera Gallery, the URI Women's Studies Program, AS220 and the International Center for Women's Playwrights has thus gained in urgency along with artistic appeal. Free. It's followed by the RISD Cabaret and, later, bands -- including Matt Everett and Al Redfearn in the Eyesores.

LOUD AND PROUD. I suffered a cruel mental blow with word that the new End Hits (Dischord) is to be Fugazi's final studio album. That, mi amigos, was one whale of a run by Ian, Guy and the Dischord standard-bearers. I seriously doubt there will be any Fugazi greatest hits records; maybe a live record if we're lucky. Atruly great band. Word.

Meanwhile Mother's Day features a CD-release party with Mother Jefferson at the Century with Hula Bomb waxin' and maxin'; cover is 10 dimes. New Mother disc's called Evil Smokes. Next DropDead disc/ LP, out in a few on their own Crust label, boasts guest appearances by members of PainDriver plus Diana from Victim. Tour arrangements to date encompass four continents. Lyric themes addressed, according to singer Bob Otis (coming off recent back surgery), include women's rights, AIDS, the dismantling of spurious media, and several more missile blasts across the bow of the destroyer Big Brother. Someone's gotta tell the truth, someone's got to be relevant. The guys in Kilgore, besides their official OzzFest pre-tour next month, have a show at Mama Kin on Friday before arriving at Lupo's on the 15th. Their major debut A Search for Reason (Revolution), is out Tuesday, and if the tempting track they applied to Revolution's Christmas-time label compilation is any indication of Search's power, they sound on. The best show of the OzzFest, which launches July 3 and hits Great Woods on July 7 and 9 with Kilgore on the Second Stage, seems to be the Minneapolis gig on July 18, which combines the Warped and OzzFest Tours (at the brilliantly named "Satan 'n' Skatin' ") at Sommerset Park. Congrats to Bill, Jay and the rest of the Kilgores. Viva Vonnegut! Those who heard the impressive trio Euthanasia remember the power of Eric Moffat's songs before the band split and he moved to San Fran in '95. His subsequent band Scratch Ticket -- another trio, with Chris Cloward, Rob Castaneda and cello -- released the tasty Laughing Apprentice Dream on the Santa Rosa, CA label Pop Smear last year. It's nine helpings of Moffat's thick, oozing (as opposed to "Ozzing"?) tricksy power-pop with a slight grunge aftertaste. Moffat can write and play; here's hoping word in Cali continues to spread about this talented Rhody expat.

Chan's has the Greg Abaté Quartet on Friday, Scott Hamilton and Dave McKenna together on May 22 and 23, and Judy Stillman's debut there June 5, with classical and improv on the 88s from the East Side-based teacher, Marsalis collaborator and Pell Award recipient. Sonic Explorers hit CAV on Saturday, the Gospel Fest raises the roof at PPAC in their third summit of southern New England choirs.

Coming up, ears open for a benefit for the non-institutional Si Belle Retreat Center in Narragansett, featuring Compass Rose and Mary Zima. Compass Rose is the new name of Wickford Express, and features Dave Peloquin, Everett Brown and Dan Lanier. Their seafarer chanteys and balladry sometimes employs a cappella singing, when citterns, accordions and fiddles are temporarily stowed belowdeck. They're also at the Seaport Museum's June Festival of the Sea in Mystic.