BEYOND / JENSEITS – A Lullaby

Posted on March 20, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

In this fourth installment of the opera I wrote for my mother (you can find links to the first three installments on the JENSEITS / BEYOND home page), we are introduced to a new theme, a lullaby.

We have just transitioned out of the fear theme, hearing it transform at the end of Section VI into what becomes the lullaby theme at the beginning of section VII:

The lullaby theme is wordless, sung on the vowel sound oo (or uh for German vocal transliteration), sung a cappella, and repeating on a loop.

The first Angel soon adds his voice with a countermelody, also a simple lullaby, harmonizing with the Woman. Then the second Angel takes on the role of the Woman’s young Son, and as their scene starts, the piano takes over the Woman’s melody.

By the way, this repeating interplay between the two lullaby themes is something I would sometimes employ as a vocal exercise with my choral groups.

At the end of the scene both Angels harmonize their part in the lullaby, while the Woman expands upon hers, culminating in a celestial final harmony.

Which however at the very end just winds up being slightly, uncomfortably discordant.

And thus we are introduced to the husband…

VII

German Language Studio Recording*

English Language Live Concert Recording

The woman, at her son’s bedside, sings a lullaby.

WOMAN

Oo… oo…

1. ANGEL
Sweet dreams my darling

Sweet dreams my love

Sweet dreams my darling

Sweet dreams my love

SON (2. ANGEL)
Mama, is there a ladder so high it reaches up to heaven?

WOMAN
I don’t know, Sweetie. Go to sleep now…

SON:
You leaving now, Mama?

WOMAN
Yes, my love, I have a performance.

SON
You smell so good. May I smell your perfume?

WOMAN
Did you practice your piano?

SON
Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?

WOMAN

I have rehearsal, there’s no time.

SON
And the day after?

1. ANGEL
(singing as accompaniment)

Now, now, evermore now

There only is this moment now


La la la la la la…

WOMAN
I have to go to Milan. But Betty can take you to the zoo.

SON
But she doesn’t smell as good as you.

WOMAN
Sleep tight, my prince, and sweet dreams. I’ll blow you a kiss from the stage.

oo… oo…

SON
But I always dream of monsters.

1. ANGEL
Sweet dreams my darling Sweet dreams my love

SON
They have three heads and spit poison. Sulfur-like and stinky

1. & 2. ANGEL
Sweet dreams my darling Sweet dreams my love

WOMAN Ah… ah…

1. & 2. ANGEL
Sweet dreams my darling Sweet dreams my love

Sweet dreams my darling Sweet dreams my love

Sweet dreams my darling Sweet dreams my love

HUSBAND (1. ANGEL)
I declare us husband and wife.

In the next installment we will spend time with the Husband, albeit interrupted by a lover’s tryst with the Conductor. Stay tuned.

*Yes, you heard right, that is me singing the 1. Angel part in the German studio recording; which means you can hear me perform as both Angels between that and the English concert recording in Section VII – although both times I stick to the upper harmony when singing with the other Angel.

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia, The Teaching Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – An Encounter with the Conductor

Posted on March 14, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Above is a picture of myself, my mother Catherine Gayer and family friend Helga Krauss after the New York stage premiere of Beyond, the little night opera Helga and I wrote for my mother.

This is Part 3 of sharing both the German and English versions of Jenseits/Beyond on Notes for a Composer. Part 1 can be found here, Part 2 is here, and eventually the whole libretto and score can be found on the designated Jenseits/Beyond page.

In Section V the woman’s journey in the Beyond has its first extended reenactment of a scene from the past. And for the first time one of the angels takes on the role of an important figure in the opera singer’s life, the conductor. (Yes, that is me hamming it up as the angel/conductor in the English language concert recording).

The woman is rehearsing a wordless baroque aria under the direction of the conductor – and if the long held note at the beginning of the aria followed by a circuitous melodic line vaguely reminds you of other famous baroque or baroque adjacent pieces of music, let me as the composer just state that that is absolutely intended.

The conductor is blurring the lines between musical direction and seduction, which the woman finds both thrilling and alarming. Her responses are reflected purely musically through modification of the baroque melody and wordless musical interjections.

This blast from the past troubles the woman greatly as she grapples with how she sees herself now in the Beyond in Section VI. She is filled with doubt and fear over what is real and what is happening with her. She sees no light, only darkness.

V

German Language Studio Recording

English Language Live Concert Recording

The Woman and the Conductor rehearsing. Both are nervous. She sings a wordless baroque aria.

WOMAN

Ah-

CONDUCTOR (2. ANGEL)

Lovely, with sentiment

WOMAN

Ah-

CONDUCTOR
But no sentimentality please

Bellissimo, a whispering melody

A sensual, hovering tapestry

He comes closer. She eludes him. He exudes a strong erotic energy. She feels drawn to him, but also fears this sensuality.

CONDUCTOR
Pauses….most important are the pauses.

WOMAN Oh-

CONDUCTOR
Imagine how your mouth forms the tones, caresses them. Con bocca chiusa. (He hums seductively)

WOMAN

AAH –

The woman is enjoying being wooed.

CONDUCTOR
Yes, yes, even more luster in your chest tones

WOMAN
AAH – Ah, ah, ah –

CONDUCTOR
Please, Mary, don’t hold back.

(his intentions unmistakable)May I invite you, to dinner at my hotel?

WOMAN
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah

Uh uh, uh uh


Ah-

CONDUCTOR
We should get to know each other…much better…

The rehearsal continues.

WOMAN
Ah-

ah – ah- ah-

Continue reading →
Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Attack of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on March 10, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

The 6th installment of my submissions to the New Yorker Magazine cartoon captioning contest.

My streak of not being chosen as a finalist continues unabated!

… got a little political with that one.

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – A Life in Review

Posted on March 6, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Welcome to the second post about the little night opera “Jenseits” AKA “Beyond” I composed for my mother, Catherine Gayer. Helga Krauss wrote the libretto, which I translated into English. Read and listen to the first post here, and follow the eventual posting of the complete opera on its designated page.

Today we look at/listen to sections III and IV. The woman, an opera singer who suffered a serious car crash, has found herself in a metaphysical waystation accompanied by two angels.

As she bargains for more life to live, she briefly looks back at three of the most important figures in her life (and who will figure prominently in sections to come): her son, her lover, and her husband. She laments all that has remained unsaid, uncried, unfulfilled.

Which is a cue for the angels to start a more comprehensive review of the diva’s life. Beginning with her childhood. We receive snippets of her girlhood concerns while she performs her vocal exercises, dreaming of becoming a famous opera singer.

By the way, the vocal exercises threaded into the score are all actual vocal exercises my mother learned from her mother and which she also taught her own vocal students, including me, who would in turn teach them to my students, as when I led school choirs or music directed first grade operas.

Those however are the only biographical details taken directly from my mother’s life and incorporated into the opera, along with roles the singer lists as her repertoire in section II. Everything else is Helga Krauss’ invention.

III

German Language Studio Recording

English Language Live Concert Recording

WOMAN

I want to live. At least a little bit longer.

All the words I have not spoken
All the dreams I have not followed
All the tears I have not cried out

My son needs me…!

2. ANGEL
Your son’s grown up. He can get by without you.

WOMAN
The shore
My little boy walking
With his tiny hand in my hand
The waves break pulling gently at our footsteps til our traces have gone


All the words I have not spoken
All the dreams I have not followed

2. ANGEL All over

WOMAN
Roberto
Beloved impossible
Mia bella Maria
We take the lover’s leap
We cling together, sinking beneath the surface

I truly was in love, Roberto
But I made sure I never told you


All the words I have not spoken

1. ANGEL Your time is up.

WOMAN
Henry
The homey distance by your side
Strangers who have been married for thirty-three years

If I could break through the walls of our lonely jail cells

Of our private confinement


All the words I have

I’ll give you all my jewelry
Only a little bit longer

Continue reading →
Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia, The Teaching Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Wig Made From My Hair

Posted on March 3, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

That is a picture of a wig that was made with my hair. Hair I donated. Multiple pony tails in zip lock baggies I shipped off to an organization called Hair We Care. Their mission statement is “to help maintain dignity, confidence and self-esteem to those affected by medical hair loss”.

As is turns out, Hair We Care required donations from four individuals to create the wig pictured above. This is the photo card they provided for me, crediting my contribution to this particular wig.

Here is a pic of me the day before the hair went bye-bye:

And here I am mere hours after it all got cut and shaved away:

Regular readers – or those who clicked on the links above – will know my hair was that long and then shaved off in service of my second short film musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“.

This is the P&P On Set Diary blog post that documents in exhaustive hair-curling (or rather hair-removing) detail how my hair was cut and plastic baggied for shipping to Hair We Care.

And below is the certificate I received from Hair We Care after they processed my donation.

They cautioned it would be a while before the wig would be made, and it took even longer due to back logs and pandemic induced delays. But now finally I have received the long-awaited photo of the wig that was made with my hair.

And that is really cool.

Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Poe Musicabres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – an Opera for my Mother

Posted on February 29, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Twenty years ago family friend and screenwriter Helga Krauss and I created a one-act opera for my mother, Catherine Gayer (AKA Catherine Ashkenasi, her maiden name being her stage name). Helga wrote the libretto and I composed the music. It is the story of an opera singer who after a serious car crash is met by two angels who take her on a tour of her life and psyche to help determine whether she returns to life or passes on. The opera is called “Jenseits”. The English title – I was responsible for the English translation – is “Beyond”.

There is a studio recording of the complete German version, and a live concert recording of the complete English version. My mother sings both. The postcard at top is from the theatrical version my mother also performed at FringeNYC in 2005. The NYTimes review at the time said my music has “dimensionality and touches of poignancy”.

Starting today, and following up in regular installments, I will be sharing sections of Jenseits/Beyond in German and English, while simultaneously posting these on the opera’s designated Notes from a Composer Page. When the final blog post installment is posted, the full opera will be accessible in bilingual sound and text on the Jenseits/Beyond page.

We begin with Sections I and II. Two Angels, one seasoned, one new at the job, await their next assignment, an opera singer involved in a car crash…

I

German Language Studio Recording

English Language Live Concert Recording

Two men in designer suits, possibly wearing sunglasses, sit behind a traffic sign: Curve. The stage is rather dark. Traffic noise.

1. ANGEL:
Must be about time.

The 2. Angel checks his watch

A cell phone

2. ANGEL
Nineteen hundred hours, ten minutes.

1. ANGEL Understood.

(to 2. Angel) Black Mercedes. Mary Stone 2. ANGEL

A woman?

Car sounds that come nearer. Then a loud crash, two cars have smashed into another. A woman is thrown onto the stage, together with a suitcase.

WOMAN

I’m falling…. I’m floating…


A waterfall, the roar of the ocean waves

The song of the sea shell’s breath

1. ANGEL
Are you ready?

WOMAN
A fluttering whirlpool of blinding white, blue tinted light

1. ANGEL
Please come along. You are expected.

WOMAN

No ending, no beginning
I am light, just like a feather

Fire truck siren.

Continue reading →
Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

MOM’s NEW YORK TIMES BIRTHDAY PUZZLE

Posted on February 25, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

My mother Catherine spent two weeks in New York with us in February. Her birthday was celebrated during her visit. And one birthday present was a puzzle of the New York Times front page of the day she was born.

Let’s look even closer, here is the date at the top of the page. February 11, 1937.

My mother turned 87.

Here she is at the swanky restaurant overlooking Columbus Circle where we celebrated her birthday, blowing out the candle the waiter presented along with complimentary petit fours while singing “Happy Birthday”.

Next to Mom is her girlhood friend Sheila. They’ve known each other since elementary school. Sheila was the one who gave Mom the New York Times front page puzzle.

The 500 piece puzzle wasn’t necessarily easy to put together. But we managed to finish it before Mom’s visit concluded. Allowing us to sandwich it between two pieces of cardboard for safe travel in Mom’s suitcase to Berlin.

So what was the big news on February 11, 1937?

Well, some of the best known parts of 1930s history are referenced, like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The Spanish Civil War, the Dust Bowl and the Nazis.

The main headline and articles on the left side are all about FDR’s effort to reform the Supreme Court, nowadays often referred to as the court packing scheme. But even a passing glance at these articles suggests the whole court reform effort was more complicated than just the effort to add more justices to the court. This day’s paper has the president wrangling with Congress about whether to split different components of the reform effort into separate bills or not, while also discussing how various state legislatures are responding to the effort. Interestingly I found no use of the term “court packing” anywhere on the page.

Meanwhile the secondary headlines on the right side both pertain to the Mid-West. An automobile-strike is averted in Detroit. The article emphasizes just how fatigued Michigan’s Governor Murphy was by the negotiations.

Below that bold face headline is an article regarding efforts to mitigate the devastation brought on by the massive droughts the Great Plains suffered in the 1930s, what we commonly now refer to the as the Dust Bowl.

Continue reading →
Posted in Beginnings, Live! On Stage, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Astor Place Reflections

Posted on February 21, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wild, Spark-tacular Fire Run of Barcelona

Posted on February 17, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

It’s called Correfoc. It is a popular Catalan tradition consisting of “a parade of infernal characters that chase people with fireworks“. It was one of the wildest events we attended during Barcelona’s La Mercé festival.

Diables and Bestiari, adults and children dressed as devils or wearing monster contraptions, light firecrackers and sparklers and send shooting sparks careening into the parade watchers on Barcelona’s fashionable avenue, the Passeig de Gracia.

Teams of drummers accompany the semi-controlled mayhem.

In the evening all the devils and monsters go into the Porta de l’Infern, Hell’s Gate, erected in a northern corner of the Passeig. After a massive fireworks display, the devils come out of the Porta de l’Infern again and dance back south down the avenue, shooting swirling waves of bursting sparks along the way.

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Dancing Giants of Barcelona

Posted on February 10, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

The day after the display of the Castells the La Mercé festival featured giant puppets dancing in Placa de Sant Jaume in Barcelona.

Huge puppets surrounded the plaza, then were marched by their handlers – balancing figures many multiples of their own height – into an open space in the middle of the plaza, where two to six of these giants, some of them depicting royalty, some regular folk or caricatures, some fantastical creations, danced elaborate choreography while a live band played traditional tunes.

Thereafter all the puppets marched and danced in a parade of the giants out of the plaza and through the city of Barcelona.

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Verticles

Posted on January 31, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Amazing Human Towers of Barcelona

Posted on January 28, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

When Ed and I scheduled our time in Barcelona (to attend the Love and Hope Film Festival), we didn’t realize we would be there for the La Mercè festival, the biggest weekend of festivities of the year in Barcelona. So many amazing events take place throughout to the city!

Including the Castells, the Human Towers, which is a spectacular tradition unique to Catalonia. 

On the Saturday morning of La Mercè we joined thousands of spectators in the Placa de Sant Jaume marveling at the Castells erected by multiple neighborhood groups.

Watching these incredible constructions be erected is breathtaking, marvelous and unnerving, especially when it happening only meters from where one is standing…

The Spanish and Catalonian flags.

First a serious of groups constructed a variety of human constructions on the placa stage.

Then there were parades of human columns.

The main constructions, the Castells that rise up to 9 levels of humanity towards the heavens, wound up being erected in the midst of the crowd, near where we were standing.

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revenge of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on January 15, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

And we’re back, for a fifth installment of my never-a-finalist New Yorker cartoon caption contest submissions. Well, the jury is still out on finalist status of my last two submissions. I’ll update if one of them gets chosen.

But don’t hold your breath.

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wing Shots

Posted on January 5, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Edward Elder Wins FFTG Award!

Posted on December 30, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

The FFTG Awards have been announced and “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” was nominated for six awards and won one, for my husband Edward Elder for Best Supporting Actor!

The FFTG Awards announced the nominees and winners on their Instagram page in a series of reels, from which I took these screenshots.

“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” was nominated for Best Background Music, Best Post Production, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Film – Musical.

For this category they named the actual nominee, Jason Chua:

Note the spelling of cinematographer…

I’m happy to have been cited as a nominee for Best Actor…

But I am honestly most tickled for Ed’s nomination and win!

Also tickled that the winner gets sparkly animation over their card on the FFTG announcement reels.

Less tickled that they forgot the final “r” in Ed’s name. Maybe because his supporting actor turn is so short? He’s on screen for about 17 seconds.

An award for a 17 second performance! That’s gotta be some sort of record!

Also noticed that instead of posting a picture of Edward next to his name, FFTG Awards used a picture of me in my secondary role as one of the judges of the Inquisition … ??? … !!! …

UPDATE: FFTG has this to say on their Twitter Supporting Actor post:

🏆

Winner: Edward Elde (sic) for “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre.” Playing the Rescuer, Edward Elde’s (sic) performance in this musical adaptation of Poe’s classic story stands out for its intensity and depth, contributing significantly to the film’s chilling atmosphere.

For our final nomination FFTG seemed to be under the impression my brother David deserves the citation, even though they still showed the picture of me…

UPDATE 2: The FFTG Nom and Win certificates have arrived (and at my request, they spelled Ed’s name correctly, yeah!):

Continue reading →
Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Moon Over Brooklyn

Posted on December 27, 2023 by dannyashkenasi

Eagle-eyed Brooklynite sleuths may be able to trace the route I took taking these pictures one past Thursday afternoon…

Continue reading →
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment