One of the more interesting wineries we stopped at on a recent trip to Paso Robles was Eberle Winery. With its 16,000 square feet of underground caves and beautiful gardens and grounds, itโs a happening place to visit. Not surprisingly, itโs a popular spot for weddings and birthday celebrations.
We tasted an interesting Muscat Canelli ($22), made from Eberleโs estate fruit, with enticing aromas of orange blossoms and spicy ripe apricots. Mouthwatering flavors of candied ginger and white peach intermingled with bursts of guava add pizzazz to this refreshing semi-sweet wine, which comes with an easy-to-open screw cap.
The German-origin name โEberleโ means โsmall boarโโwhich accounts for the boar logo on every label and the impressive bronze boar on the grounds greeting every guest. Founded in 1982 by entrepreneur Gary Eberle, the focus was on the production of handcrafted, premium wines, which continues to this day. After winemaking experiences spanning six countries, Garyโs son Chris Eberle is now winemaker. โI always knew Iโd be back,โ says Chris of returning from working overseas.
Gary and his wife Marcy are still very much hands-on in the winery, and they are hosting a wine cruise to New England in September 2019 on the small yacht M/S Navigator. They also host a series of events throughout the year: Friday, Oct. 19 is Harvest Festival in the Caves with Chef Dakota Weiss, and Saturday, Dec. 1 is a black-tie dinner in the caves with Chef Budi Kazali. But if you simply want to enter the portals of Eberle Winery to try their wines, then tasting is complimentaryโand so is a tour of the caves.
The imaginative cuisine of Executive Chef John Paul Lechtenberg at the Hollins House made four of us very happy when we met recently in the Tap Room for Happy Hour. Delicious food paired well with a bottle of Storrs Chardonnay, a friendโs favorite. Also from their extensive wine list, try a Pelican Ranch Gewรผrztramineras you watch the sunset from the restaurantโs patioโcomplete with ocean view. Hollins House, 20 Clubhouse Road, Santa Cruz, 459-9182. thehollinshouse.com.
Weโve written about the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music many times over the years, and even examined how its tradition of presenting the U.S. and international premieres of new pieces has made it a magnet for world-class talent. But in this weekโs cover story, Christina Waters takes a closer look at how the festival pulls off these premieres. Starting from Music Director and Conductor Cristi Mฤcelaruโs overall philosophy of programming, Waters then dives into the anatomy of a single piece that will get its West Coast premiere at this yearโs festival, Impossible Things. Composer Nico Muhly explains the inspiration for the piece, while tenor Nicholas Phan explains how his longtime artistic kinship with Muhly affected his decision to make his Cabrillo Festival debut with the piece. Just understanding how these artists look at the interplay of voices and instruments reveals so much about what we hear when weโre sitting at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, hearing the results of this intricate artistic collaboration.
I wrote about another artistic collaboration this weekโthe live and interactive installation Spektrum at Lille Aeske. While it was running up in Boulder Creek, it was hard to say too much about it without spoiling anything, but now that itโs ended I wanted to take the opportunity to talk in more detail about what was one of the most unique artistic projects Iโve ever experienced around here. Owners and collaborators James Mackessy and Sarah Farrell Mackessy say they may be bringing Spektrum back in some form (and producing more projects) in 2019, so if you didnโt get to go this time around, take a look at what they didโit was pretty remarkable.
Re: โMore to Learn on Rail Trailโs Futureโ (GT, 6/22): There are no โunknown unknownsโ in my opinion, but good start to an article to get people thinking. What is known is there are two options which have support, โrail + trailโ and โtrail only.โ Yes, there are some outside ideas, but none of these will take hold. Personal Rapid Transit, PRT, could also be built near or on the highway. Letโs not forget self-driving cars may become a reality. PRT can be put on monorail, so that could be built with โtrail only.โ
The other thing that is known is that the RTC and the state are in the driver seat as far as making decisions on this issue, and there is a powerful pro-rail lobby now, similar to the days of the Old West promoting High Speed Rail, HSR, and dreaming these smaller lines connecting to it. They knew they would have to campaign to attract the large โno widenโ crowd and the bike enthusiasts by promising a parallel bike path. This path is a known unknown, as it can be built and is expensive, but unknown to what exactly it will look like. So, they created fantasy artist renditions, claiming there was plenty of room and you can have an equivalent bike path as โTrail Onlyโ for just $127 million. The Land Trust and Bike Santa Cruz were onboard, and we have a path to convince the public without them really thinking of the consequences. Perhaps HSR makes sense, but this does not.
Every local area is unique, and locals deserve to vote on it. Big Creek Lumber, Del Mar Foods and Lineage Logistics have known unknowns, and that is the estimated number of train cars vs. trucks loaded, destinations to and from, and projected cost. It appears this freight service is valuable around Watsonville, and could stay in operation with โTrail Onlyโ built to the north. But when computing this into the better overall economy, donโt forgot the train will have to be subsidized to run, and the exorbitant amount of time and money spent in clogged traffic on the highway and major side streets.
What really blows the economic argument out of the water is that the corridor is a priceless area for the installation of underground utilities. High-pressure recycled water mains, distributing 10 MGD, cannot be placed next to train tracks. Then there is the argument of the poor families in Watsonville needing to commute to Santa Cruz. Canโt we help create more higher-paying jobs in Watsonville, and serve these people better with the widened highway and improved buses, including possible electric buses on the bike path?
Bottom line, you need to look at the whole picture, so when the signature takers walk around to simply put this on the ballot, please sign. Dream of what you prefer. Itโs easy to envision โTrail Onlyโ over the tracks, thatโs a known knownโnot only what it would look like, but the cost. Donโt be fooled that โRail + Trailโ is also a known known, but ask yourself if you will use the train, go down to the train station, use it frequently to connect to HSR or other places. Envisioning the unknown parallel trail is difficult, and can be done by hiking on the tracks and envisioning building a road. Bring a measuring tape.
Bill Smallman
Felton
Re: Plan for Logos Building
Thanks for the informative article. One note: at the time of the โ89 quake, Logos was in the same location on Pacific, where it had been for years. That building was damaged in the quake, demolished, and replaced.
โ Sam Baron
Sam is correct. My family has owned the current property since 1973. The old building was demolished after the 1989 earthquake. The new building opened in 1992.
โ John Livingston
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
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GOOD IDEA
Earlier this month, the Downtown Senior Center began a new partnership with Community Bridgesโ Lift Line to expand services to local seniors. Lift Line has begun providing door-to-door transportation services to the classes and activities held at the Downtown Senior Center, Monday-Saturday. Classes include gentle yoga, exercise, creative writing, memoir writing, poetry, line dancing, qi gong, tai chi, Latin dance and computer classes. To be eligible, applicants must be 60 years of age or older and live in Santa Cruz County.
GOOD WORK
Six Santa Cruz poets traveled to New Mexico last weekend to compete in the 2018 Southwest Shootout Slam Poetry Championships against teams from across the southwestern states. They won first place in both the team and individual divisions. Slam poetry, a competitive spoken-word art form, gives poets three minutes to perform a piece of original work. Coached by Kevin Holmes and Jasmine Schlafke, the team of local poets includes Mycah Miller, Risa Mykland, Raggedy Andey, Fortino Vazquez-Hernandez Jr., Zoe Willats, and Jordan Wilson.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
โGood conductors know when to let an orchestra lead itself.โ
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is an internationally renowned celebration of new music right here in our own backyard. The festival attracts top-tier composers, artists, conductors and musicians for what always proves to be unforgettable experiences. This year, music director Cristi Mฤcelaru brings together 18 works that โreflect the human spirit and the stories we tell, the grandeur of the planet, and the vastness of the cosmos.โ On Saturday, Aug. 4, Mฤcelaru and company present โAfter Dixieland,โ featuring three West Coast premieres: Vivian Fungโs Dust Devils; Kristin Kusterโs Rain On It; and Gabriela Lena Frankโs Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra, as well as William Bolcomโs Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra, with Philippe Quint on violin.
INFO: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. $37-$65. 426-6966.
WANT TO GO?
Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, July 27 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
When reggae musician Emmanuel Selassie moved to Berkeley in 1993, it wasnโt long before friends told him about Santa Cruz. With his deep love for reggae and spiritualismโheโs a Rastafarianโand his laid-back demeanor, it was a no-brainer. He was made for Santa Cruz. Heโs been here ever since.
โEveryone was like, โwe know where youโre going to fit in, youโre going to be fine in Santa Cruz,โโ he says.
Originally from North Carolina, Selassie started playing music in the early โ80s, and reggae by the late โ80s. He released his first album, ESI, in 1996.
His music is driven by his commitment to Rastafarianism, so much so that even his name Emmanuel Selassieโhis spiritual nameโmeans โGod with us and the power of the trinity.โ
โI think all creation is some sort of praise for emulating the Creator. And weโre making our own creation in the image of God. Everything I create is inspiration from the creator,โ Selassie says.
In addition to playing reggae music, he also has a jazz-fusion combo called Blood Relatives, does sound engineering for bands at Pine Forest Studio in Aptos, and works at Flynnโs Cabaret as the chief audio engineer. He also plays in other bands as the hired gun on occasion, a job he particularly enjoys.
All of this explains why he only sporadically releases reggae albums. His fourth, The Ego or the I, is nearly finished. He hopes to have it released later this year, roughly October.ย
Live music highlights for the week of July 25, 2018.
WEDNESDAY 7/25
ACOUSTIC
QUITTERS
Who wants to see a couple of quitters playing music? Well, the Quitters (Stevie Coyle and Glenn Houston) are actual quitters, and have quit their fair share of successful bands (Most notably, the Waybacks), meaning they are either self-saboteurs or uncompromising in their vision (or more likely a little of both.) The pair started the Quitters as a way to celebrate these strengths/weaknesses and make good music together. Itโs funny and sometimes gorgeous acoustic music with one member playing right-handed upside and the other playing left-handed upside-down. Not sure if that last detail matters much beyond providing more proof of their fun, kooky nature. AARON CARNES
INFO: 7:30 p.m. Michaelโs on Main, 2591 S Main St., Soquel. $15. 479-9777.
THURSDAY 7/26
SKA-PUNK
LEFTOVER CRACK
Donโt call Leftover Crack a ska-punk bandโthey prefer the term โcrack rock steady.โ What does that mean exactly? As a ska scholar, I can tell you that itโs a similar genre, but more extreme on all ends. The group, which formed in the ashes of Choking Victim, has created a punky ska sound that takes some of the most intense sounds and adds fierce, in-your-face lyrics about religion, corrupt capitalism, racist police and environmental decimation. The groupโs masterpiece Fuck World Trade (which depicts Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani and George W. Bush causing the World Trade Center attacks) is now 14 years old, and its brutal message and musicianship is as potent as ever. AC
Krautrock is an odd, somewhat meaningless term used to describe a wave of bands in the late โ60s and early โ70s that popped up in Germany. The bands are all amazing, but donโt have a whole lot in common musically, other than an adventurous spirit that promotes experimentation. One of the most revered groups from this scene, Faust, is playing Santa Cruz, which is amazing. This group formed in 1971! Their records are vaguely Zappa-esque psych-rock, sometimes cut-and-paste recordings, generally chaotic and/or trance-inducing. Faust was never a commercially successful band (on what planet would Faust songs bump on Top 40?), but for people who like to poke around the outer edges of art, this is a go-to band. AC
As society continues to advance in the digital age with lightspeed movement, more and more people turn to a time when things seemed more simple. Just as Simon and Garfunkel or Dylan were the soundtrack of 1960s folk, Misner and Smith continue the tradition of heartfelt ballads that warm the soul like a summer day or bring the tears of yesterday. Touring on their fifth album, Headwaters, released last October, Misner and Smith will be backed by a full band and share the stage with Santa Cruz sons Joshua Lowe and the Juncos. MAT WEIR
Anniversaries are important for any relationship, especially for bands. This year, the Santa Cruz reggae representatives of Thrive! celebrate their 10th year together and decided to do it big. When the band released its debut album, 2010โs Gratitude Attitude, Thrive! broke out from the Santa Cruz scene, making it to No. 4 on iTunes reggae charts. This Fridayโs show at the Catalyst, featuring Nashville reggae act Roots of Rebellion will be the premiere release party for their much-anticipated third album, Be Here. Their roots reggae and rock fusion is both irie and grateful, with harmonies and beats that dare the listener not to smile and shake their thang on the dancefloor. MW
Bluesman Taj Mahal has been a force for popularizing blues in the 21st century. With a career that stretches back to the mid-1960s, the singer-songwriter-guitarist has bridged musical, cultural and stylistic divides for decades. Now itโs his daughterโs turn to shine. Described as a โpowerhouse vocalist and songwriter,โ Deva Mahal co-wrote with her father the song โNever Let You Go,โ from his Grammy-nominated album Maestro, and her soulful style is an amalgamation of blues, gospel, funk and jazzโeverything youโd expect from someone steeped in American music traditions. CAT JOHNSON
INFO: 7 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.25/adv, $31.50/door. 427-2227.
SATURDAY 7/28
AMERICANA
DAVE ALVIN & JIMMIE DALE GILMORE
Any roots music fan whoโs been around the block a few times knows Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The two were playing alt-country before alt-country was a thing and theyโre at it still, shaping and furthering the genre for new and old fans alike. This Saturday, the two take to Moeโs Alley for an intimate evening of stories and song-swapping, melodies that keep you humming, and lyrics that stick in your head. Friends for 30 years, this tour is the first time Alvin and Gilmore have performed together. Donโt miss your chance to see history in the making. CJ
It doesnโt seem possible that the Supersuckers have been around for 30 years, but time flies when youโre rocking and rolling, I suppose. A garage/cowpunk/Southern rock outfit out of Seattle-by-way-of Tucson, the long-running Supersuckers play a rafter-rattling hybrid of country and working personโs rock and roll, infused with irreverence, humor and a good time approach to life and music. Led by frontman Eddie Spaghetti, the band has collaborated or toured with a whoโs who of artists, including Willie Nelson, Kelley Deal of the Breeders, Mudhoney, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, the Ramones, Motรถrhead, Flogging Molly, the Reverend Horton Heat, and the New York Dolls. CJ
If I was a branding consultant, Iโd recommend that Paris Combo make a quick name change, swapping out a single letter so that the anodyne Combo transforms into the far more descriptive Paris Cosmo. The long-running band reflects Paris as a cosmopolitan playground, with its joyous blend of French chanson and Gypsy jazz laced with rhythms gleaned from Afro-Cuban, Middle Eastern, and North African popular music. The intoxicating host of the party is vocalist and accordionist Belle du Berry, whoโs backed by guitarist and banjo player Potzi, percussionist and vocalist Franรงois-Franรงois, bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac, and trumpeter/pianist David Lewis. After taking a few years off while Lewis and Du Berry toured as a duo, the band returned to action last year with a strong new album, Tako Tsubo. ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: 7 and 9 p.m. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $26.25 -$42. 427-2227.
Although Santa Cruz boasts its fair share of donut shops, new wave donuts are a trend that hasnโt really taken hold locally yet.
Visit your neighborhood purveyor of glazed and jelly-filled delights and youโre likely to face the same deliberations you have since you were a kid. Maybe you donโt need to fix what isnโt broken, as most shops have so far been resistant to tinker with traditional recipes in order to create playful modern iterations ร la Portlandโs Voodoo Doughnut and Bluestar Donuts.
Dunlapโs Donuts is the exception. The Pleasure Point shop is beginning to dip its toes into the deep waters of donut exploration. On the weekends, they load their display case with oversized donuts topped with sugary breakfast cereal, crushed cookies and candyโthink Fruity Pebbles, Girl Scout โSamoasโ and M&Ms. Others are drizzled with dessert-inspired glazes like mint chip and red velvet cake. They even have a sโmore donut finished with crushed graham cracker and toasted marshmallow fluff and crowned with a chunk of Hersheyโs chocolate bar. Theyโre totally over-the-top, undeniably fun and definitely Instagram-worthy, if youโre into that sort of thing.
Compared to those decadent creations, Dunlapโs cronut looks almost humble. Yes, I said cronutโthat croissant-doughnut hybrid that made headlines in 2013 when pastry chef Dominique Ansel began offering it at his New York City bakery. For months after its initial release, lines stretched down the block hours before the bakery opened. The craze led to a Craigslist-based black market where cronuts sold for $20 to $40 a piece, launching the cronut into infamy.
Dunlapโs versionโthey call it a โdossantโโis delicious. Fried to a deep brown and either dusted with sugar or finished with a simple glaze shining on its many layers, the textural delight of sinking your teeth through the flaky, croissant-like interior is luxurious. I also find that peeling off each individual layer like itโs part monkey-bread is equally fun. Despite its creation story, the cronut doesnโt feel gimmicky, but rather like two friends who finally started dating and everyone agreed that the pair โmade sense.โ I sense that a new classic has been born. 3791 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz. Open seven days a week 5 a.m.-4 p.m., and at 5:30 a.m. on Sundays.
With Capitolaโs transient occupancy tax (TOT) headed to the November ballot, additional cash could soon start flowing into city coffers, as well as toward youth programs and business groups (โTOT Off the Presses,โ GT, 7/18), but not everyone sees the breakdown as perfectly fair.
After reading last weekโs brief on the topic in GT, Ray Cancino, CEO of Community Bridges, called to remind us that this new youth program money will supplant a similar amount of youth funding that already comes from the general fundโnot add to it.
Similarly, the marketing money supplants business-oriented general fund dollars, although that new allocation would see an estimated $8,000 more than the kidsโ groups would. The combined $62,000 for the Business Improvement Area and the Capitola Soquel Chamber of Commerce would replace $30,000 of general fund money for the chamber. Thatโs an estimated increase of $32,000, while kidsโ groups see an estimated increase of $4,000.
Cancino questions the values reflected in the decision and calls the resulting measure โa hard sell.โ
Councilmember Ed Bottorff, who worked with the business community on a breakdown that everyone would like, says that TOT revenues have been growing at about 5 percent per year. And if the marketing campaign leads to an added boost in visitors, as supporters think it will, everyone will end up with more dough, including the kidsโ programs. โIf the measure fails, that means nobody gets anything,โ he says.
Bottorff says that if the City Council simply kept funding youth programs via the general fund that stash would be liable to get cut in the next recession. This way, itโs instead protected long-term in the measureโs wording. He adds that Capitola, the countyโs smallest city, is the most generous local government per capita, when it comes to supporting community programs.
If the measure passes, most of the proposed 2 percent tax increase on visitor lodging would go to the general fund, and Cancino has no illusions about whatโs really driving budget constraintsโpension obligations, he says.
At a recent budget hearing, Finance Director Jim Malberg called pension costs โthe biggest threat to our city finances.โ
โAll these other things are just patches on the boat, until the cities and the county and the unions work together,โ Cancino says. โWhen the majority of your funds are paying for people who are no longer working, and you have all these other needs, with streets and social services and first responders, somethingโs going to break.โ
The SEIU, a union representing many government service workers (as well as some Community Bridges employees), did not provide a comment for this story by deadline.
Living up to โbigger and better than everโ hype, here comes the 56th season of the homegrown festival with a worldwide reach. Under the leadership of Cristi Mฤcelaru, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music comes to town next week with an abundance of very fresh musical ideas that span the globe from Romania to China to Canada to Korea.
This yearโs festival offers two world premieres, three U.S. premieres, and seven West Coast premieres. The musicians and performers involved have been recipients of Pulitzer Prizes, Grammys, and Oscars. Several works have been commissioned by and for the festival, guaranteeing that audiences will be treated to never-before-heard musical experiences.
So how does this premiere programming happen? We talked with the director, a composer, and a performer about what happens behind the scenes.
The Director: Cristi Mฤcelaru
Speaking from a conducting gig in Munich, maestro Cristi Mฤcelaru says this yearโs world premieres tie into what has become a Cabrillo Festival trademark. โPremiere performances are important, because they reinforce and redefine who we are as a festival,โ he says. A big aspect of contemporary music is โnot only the performing. It is also the commissioning of new music. When you commission a new piece, you are flying blind. Well, almost,โ he laughs. โYou are making an informed guessโand definitely take a risk. Itโs different than performing a known work.โ
In offering premiere performances, the festival brings new life to the music world. There will always be Beethoven and Mozart, but now there can also be Muhly, Shahov, and Clyne. Itโs an expansion of the global imagination. โTo think of the Cabrillo Festival only as performing contemporary music isnโt enough,โ Mฤcelaru reminds me. โIt also has a role as a commissioning agent, to bring new work into the world.โ
The opening concert features a U.S. premiere by Romanian composer Dan Dediu. โHe is a composer I met after I left Romania to live in the United States,โ the maestro explains. โWhen I went back to Bucharest asking about leading Romanian composers, everyone recommended Dediu. Heโs a very accomplished composer. I listened to a lot of his work for orchestra. Itโs incredibly creative and fun and beautifulโ plus itโs virtuosic for the orchestra.โ
NEW MUSIC Mฤcelaru sees premieres and commissions as an essential part of the Cabrillo Festivalโs mission. PHOTO: ADRIANE WHITE
Also on the program for the first concert is the festival commission world premiere of Piano Concerto No. 2, by Macedonian Pande Shahov. โShahovโs piano concerto was written for, and will be performed by, fellow Macedonian Simon Trpceski. He is a great pianist,โ Mฤcelaru says.โWeโve worked together several times before. When we have, he always wants to play, as an encore, something from his country.โ
Trpceskiโs encores always involved Macedonian folk dance music, which gave Mฤcelaru an idea. โI proposed that he might like to do a suite of dances as a concerto. Then he mentioned the composer heโd worked with, Pande Shakhov,โ he says. โSo it came aboutโfilled with crazy rhythms, and complex harmonies, just what youโd expect from southern Balkan music. I canโt wait to hear it.โ
The composer Shahov says that he โaimed at creating a texture which resembles a tapestry or a kaleidoscope.โ And in the center of this the virtuosity of pianist Trpceskiโwho worked closely with the composerโwill translate the musical and folkloric colors of his native country into a journey across Macedonian musical heritage.
Romanian-born Mฤcelaru has clearly enjoyed programming his second season at Cabrilloโs podium. โFor me, this festival has been a discovery. The Bay Area community feels so right for contemporary music. And this year I come back knowing more what to expect. I think itโs the difference between the excitement of going somewhere new, and the excitement of coming home. This time Iโm coming home.โ
The Composer: Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is the only one of the 18 featured composers who will not be in residence this season. But he has a good excuse for why he is unable to be here for the West Coast premiere of Impossible Things, a double concerto for tenor, violin and string orchestra. The composer will be in New York conducting the technical rehearsal for his new opera Marnieโwhich opens at the Metropolitan Opera in October. โIโve had that on my calendar since September 2014,โ he says.
A bona fide prodigy of the crossover musical landscape, Muhly does it all: operas, song cycles, choral works, concerti, and an electrifying dive into the poetry of C.P. Cavafy. Based in New York, former boy soprano Muhly has composed for films, Broadway, and Bjรถrk. For many years an editor and archivist with Philip Glass, Muhly pushes the term postmodern to its limits. Of Marnieโhis third operaโhe admits, โof course it is a big deal. Itโs the biggest piece Iโve ever written.โ On the other hand, he admits, โright now Iโm writing something for a solo lute. Every piece has to feel like a big deal, or else why are you doing it?โ
Impossible Things is one of his favorite pieces that heโs written, says Muhly. โIt was commissioned for a duo concerto voice and violin for Pekka Kuusisto (violin) and Mark Padmore (tenor). They toured with it all over the U.K. and Europe, with many performances, and then it sort of disappeared.โ Muhly is thrilled that it will receive fresh life in Santa Cruz next week.
Muhly chose the text, a suite of poems by Cavafyโwidely considered the most important Greek poet of the 20th century. Muhly knew the Cavafy translator, Daniel Mendelsohn, at Columbia. โTo me, his translation combined the literal and poetic in a compelling way,โ Muhly says. โSo I cobbled together a triptych of poems.โ
NEXT TO โIMPOSSIBLEโ Composer Nico Muhly is thrilled that the Cabrillo Festival has given โfresh lifeโ to one of his favorite pieces. PHOTO: ANA CUBAN
The compelling nature of Cavafyโs work, Muhly believes, is in the subtext.
โThere was a magical space created by the opening section of poetry,โ Muhly says. โThat was a point of entry for me. Cavafyโs work always contains the unsaid thing: โWhy should I remain with lips shut tight?โโ
Muhly very much likes commissionsโand the restrictions they bring. โCommissions are great. They are a challenge. Like being invited to a duel. Commissions and freeform composing are like complementary muscles. They work to refresh each other,โ he says. โThe different composing modes are complementary, not either/or.โ
He starts out planning a piece by hand, and then inputs it into a computer. โThen I print it outโwithout the rests indicatedโand work on more details, input it again, and then print it out again,โ Muhly says. And back and forth in this way. In the case of the Cavafy piece, the abstraction of the beginning text offset the reality of the funeral cortege, the hanging. I also knew I wanted the opposite of passion, an atmosphere that offsets the erotic.โ
As he wrote deeper into the composition, he found that the narrative juxtaposition โsuggested musical textures. Much like architecture, or even better, like the layering of choices when curating an exhibition.โ
One of Muhlyโs favorite things in the piece is the relationship between voice and fiddler. โI thought so hard about how the text insists on one or the other, the voice or the violin, and why that is important,โ he says. And heโs very happy with the scary passacaglia of the last section. โItโs a traditional form, so itโs unexpected,โ he says of the slow triple time.
Muhly says he gets musical inspiration from the past, โlike Benjamin Britten. I find those things incredible. Really incredible,โ he says.
The Tenor: Nicholas Phan
Nicholas Phan, a celebrated tenor whose recordings of opera and lieder have attracted many Grammy nominations, performs across the globe. Phan makes his Cabrillo Festival debut with Muhlyโs Impossible Things.
โNico and I have known each otherโand known of each otherโsince we both started living in New York,โ Phan says. โAnd at some point he said โhey, check out this score.โโ Phan did, and pronounced it โstunning.โ Phan, who debuted Muhlyโs piece in New York several years ago, says that when he found out Mฤcelaru was newly involved with the Cabrillo Festival, he asked him to check out the Muhly piece. โI thought it would make the perfect collaboration.โ
โThis piece is a great fit for my voice,โ says Phan. โThat shocked me at first, that it felt so natural to sing. I feel a sort of kinship artistically with Nico.โ And with maestro Mฤcelaru as well. โChristi and I met at the Philadelphia Orchestra. We did the Messiah, several times, and weโve been to Romania together. I think the world of what Christi does. Heโs a serious musician,โ says Phan.
Phan says his approach to most vocal music is the same. โVocal music illustrates a text through music. Music is an abstract way of engaging with human emotion. The words make it concrete,โ explains the tenor, who began his musical career as a violinist. โFirst, you learn it allโthe words, the music, the entire piece. And then you try to understand what the composer is trying to convey. And the more you perform a certain work the more layers reveal themselves.โ
LETTING FLOW Tenor Nicholas Phan says he was surprised at how natural it felt to sing Muhlyโs complex โImpossible Things.โ
Phan describes Muhlyโs piece โas a sort of double concertoโa dialogue between the tenor voice and the violin. The piece is actually reminiscent of Brittenโs Serenade with the voice and the instrument. Vocal concertos are like chamber music, yet not as intimate as a song recital.โ
The tenor finds the doubling of instruments especially provocative. Cabrillo Festival concertmaster and violinist Justin Bruns is a key element of this performance. โIn this case, I view the violin as another voice, but with its own colors. Justin is someone I know very well, since we were students at Rice,โ says Phan, who says it is always exciting to interact with the other instrument. โItโs my job to convey the meaningโand poetryโs tricky,โ says Phan.
As a singer, Phan believes in trusting the material. โYou have the ability to share this insight, to share the moment that we can all relate to,โ he says.
Muhlyโs work is notoriously intricate. โYou have to keep your concentration,โ says Phan. โOften just keeping the focus is a great challenge with new music. Partly because itโs not familiar.โ
The sheer newness of this music is also its strength. โYou have to hear it with fresh ears,โ insists the tenor. โAnd whatโs great is that it inspires us to hear all music with fresh ears.โ
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The Cabrillo Festival runs July 29 through Aug. 12, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Nico Muhlyโs โImpossible Thingsโ will receive its West Coast premiere featuring tenor Nicholas Phan and Cabrillo Festival concertmaster/violinist Justin Bruns on Sunday, Aug. 12.Go to cabrillomusic.org for tickets and info.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Be extra polite and deferential. Cultivate an exaggerated respect for the status quo. Spend an inordinate amount of time watching dumb TV shows while eating junk food. Make sure youโre exposed to as little natural light and fresh air as possible. JUST KIDDING! I lied! Ignore everything I just said! Hereโs my real advice: Dare yourself to feel strong positive emotions. Tell secrets to animals and trees. Swim and dance and meditate naked. Remember in detail the three best experiences youโve ever had. Experiment with the way you kiss. Create a blessing that surprises you and everyone else. Sing new love songs. Change something about yourself you donโt like. Ask yourself unexpected questions, then answer them with unruly truths that have medicinal effects.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your past is not quite what it seems. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to find out whyโand make the necessary adjustments. A good way to begin would be to burrow back into your old stories and unearth the half-truths buried there. Itโs possible that your younger self wasnโt sufficiently wise to understand what was really happening all those months and years ago, and as a result distorted the meaning of the events. I suspect, too, that some of your memories arenโt actually your own, but rather other peopleโs versions of your history. You may not have time to write a new memoir right now, but it might be healing to spend a couple of hours drawing up a revised outline of your important turning points.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of the most famously obtuse book-length poems in the English language is Robert Browningโs Sordello, published in 1840. After studying it at length, Alfred Tennyson, who was Great Britainโs Poet Laureate from 1850 to 1892, confessed, โThere were only two lines in it that I understood.โ Personally, I did better than Tennyson, managing to decipher 18 lines. But I bet that if you read this dense, multi-layered text in the coming weeks, you would do better than me and Tennyson. Thatโs because youโll be at the height of your cognitive acumen. Please note: I suggest you use your extra intelligence for more practical purposes than decoding obtuse texts.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ready for your financial therapy session? For your first assignment, make a list of the valuable qualities you have to offer the world, and write a short essay about why the world should abundantly reward you for them. Assignment #2: Visualize what it feels like when your valuable qualities are appreciated by people who matter to you. #3: Say this: โI am a rich resource that ethical, reliable allies want to enjoy.โ #4: Say this: โMy scruples canโt be bought for any amount of money. I may rent my soul, but Iโll never sell it outright.โ
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As you wobble and stumble into the New World, you shouldnโt pretend you understand more than you actually do. In fact, I advise you to play up your innocence and freshness. Gleefully acknowledge youโve got a lot to learn. Enjoy the liberating sensation of having nothing to prove. Thatโs not just the most humble way to proceed; itโll be your smartest and most effective strategy. Even people who have been a bit skeptical of you before will be softened by your vulnerability. Opportunities will arise because of your willingness to be empty and open and raw.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Since 1358, the city of Paris has used the Latin motto Fluctuat nec mergitur, which can be translated as โShe is tossed by the waves but does not sink.โ I propose that we install those stirring words as your rallying cry for the next few weeks. My analysis of the astrological omens gives me confidence that even though you may encounter unruly weather, you will sail on unscathed. What might be the metaphorical equivalent of taking seasick pills?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Spanish word delicadeza can have several meanings in English, including โdelicacyโ and โfinesse.โ The Portuguese word delicadeza has those meanings, as well as others, including โtenderness,โ โfineness,โ โsuavity,โ โrespect,โ and โurbanity.โ In accordance with current astrological omens, Iโm making it your word of power for the next three weeks. Youโre in a phase when you will thrive by expressing an abundance of these qualities. It might be fun to temporarily give yourself the nickname Delicadeza.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Uninformed scientists scorn my oracles. Reductionist journalists say Iโm just another delusional fortune teller. Materialist cynics accuse me of pandering to peopleโs superstition. But I reject those naive perspectives. I define myself as a psychologically astute poet who works playfully to liberate my readersโ imaginations with inventive language, frisky stories, and unpredictable ideas. Take a cue from me, Scorpio, especially in the next four weeks. Donโt allow others to circumscribe what you do or who you are. Claim the power to characterize yourself. Refuse to be squeezed into any categories, niches, or imagesโexcept those that squeeze you the way you like to be squeezed.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): โI have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature. My attachments are always excessively strong.โ So said Sagittarian novelist Jane Austen. I donโt have any judgment about whether her attitude was right or wrong, wise or ill-advised. How about you? Whatever your philosophical position might be, I suggest that for the next four weeks you activate your inner Jane Austen and let that part of you shineโnot just in relation to whom and what you love but also with everything that rouses your passionate interest. According to my reading of the astrological omens, youโre due for some big, beautiful, radiant zeal.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): โThere are truths I havenโt even told God,โ confessed Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector. โAnd not even myself. I am a secret under the lock of seven keys.โ Are you harboring any riddles or codes or revelations that fit that description, Capricorn? Are there any sparks or seeds or gems that are so deeply concealed theyโre almost lost? If so, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to bring them up out of their dark hiding places. If youโre not quite ready to show them to God, you should at least unveil them to yourself. Their emergence could spawn a near-miracle or two.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What are your goals for your top two alliances or friendships? By that I mean, what would you like to accomplish together? How do you want to influence and inspire each other? What effects do you want your relationships to have on the world? Now maybe youโve never even considered the possibility of thinking this way. Maybe you simply want to enjoy your bonds and see how they evolve rather than harnessing them for greater goals. Thatโs fine. No pressure. But if you are interested in shaping your connections with a more focused sense of purpose, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to do so.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Janet Fitchโs novel White Oleander, a character makes a list of โtwenty-seven names for tears,โ including โHeartdew. Griefhoney. Sadwater. Die trรคnen. Eau de douleur. Los rios del corazรณn.โ (The last three can be translated as โThe Tears,โ โWater of Pain,โ and โThe Rivers of the Heart.โ) I invite you to emulate this playfully extravagant approach to the art of crying. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to celebrate and honor your sadness, as well as all of the other rich emotions that provoke tears. Youโll be wise to feel profound gratitude for your capacity to feel so deeply. For best results, go in search of experiences and insights that will unleash the full cathartic power of weeping. Act as if empathy is a superpower.
Homework: Do you have a liability that could be turned into an asset with a little (or a lot of) work? Testify at Freewillastrology.com.
In this last week of July, with Sun in Leo (I am by what I create), humanity is experiencing seven retrogradesโMercury (communication, thinking), Mars (action), Saturn (restructuring), Neptune (spiritualizing), Pluto (transforming), Vesta (the self as a newly discovered reality, the fire within), and Chiron (the wound leading to suffering, leading to awareness, leading to healing, leading to understanding).
Retrogrades create a time of remembering for humanity. In October (Oct. 5-Nov. 16) Venus retrogrades (in Libra) and Mercury, too (in Sag). By the second week of December, the retrograde season is over.
What is a โretrograde seasonโ and how do we respond? A season is a cluster of months (spring, summer, autumn, winter). When retrogrades occur, it signals a time of rest for humanity, a moving inward. Everything turns inside out, upside down, the usual day-to-day becomes the unexpected and different.
Multiple retrogrades can create unease, tension and pressure upon humanity.
We can become irritated and out of sorts. Communication (Mercury) becomes miscommunication. Moving forward (Mars), takes us two steps back. Memories flood us. Sadness sometimes, too. We remember what hurts (Chiron). And how we have hurt others. Some return to church (Neptune) or to drugs/alcohol (unskillful level of Neptune). We seek love and harmony (Venus), but itโs unavailable. Our entire world seems transformed (Pluto). And it is.
Let us consider this. If the entire world of humanity (98 percent) has turned inward, what happens to the outer world? Chaos ensues, conflicts, too. And then we remember. Retrogrades are times to assess past actions, events, situations. A time to reassess, reanalyze, reassemble, review, reorganize, reevaluate, reexamine, reconsider, and revise. Retrogrades help us change. In the night sky, through August, we can actually see Mars. Itโs the red โstarโ in the sky. ย
ARIES: Mars is what propels you. Itโs is your physical energy. During this time, you may experience interactions slowing down, not working in ways expected. Itโs good to understand retrogrades. Because there can be anger and frustration. Itโs good to allow setbacks to be taken in stride. And to know that different opportunities will be offered. When interruptions occur at work, just refocus and review everything. Something from the past becomes important.
TAURUS: The task for Hercules in the sign of Cancer was to lift up instincts and intellect to the intuition; holding intuition close to the heart. Your intuition is very keen. You are able to sense the false, deceptive and unreal. Things you planned on doing may experience setbacks. Simply reorient yourself to a different agenda. One that changes day to day. Review previous studies, cultural interests and important goals. Do you have the same aspirations?
GEMINI: During retrogrades our enthusiasm for interactions in the world slows down. Life becomes an internal drama, weโre more cautious, we question more, we wonder about past choices and if we should redo them. We want to refine and perfect, refocus and review, reorganize and reorder. Especially our old ways of thinking and old beliefs. Money and communication with intimates can become complicated. Look at finances once, twice, three times. Review everything.
CANCER: Finances, insurance, shared resourcesโall of these may need to be explored once again. Review all previous transactions. Fix whatโs broken. And donโt allow any buried anger to surface and hurt others. Have the intention to manage emotions with equanimity and poise. Communication may be difficult. Something may become an obsession. Reassess how you approach relationships. Find ways to have more kindness, less protection under your shell. Reach out and touch the heart of everything.
LEO: You may be looking deep within the self, assessing communications in past relationships. Nothing is clear or direct. There is such a focus upon the past that the present doesnโt seem to exist. Assessing oneโs behavior within relationships is important at this time. Relationships with everything, not just lovers. This is very important inner work. Daily schedules and agendas may change. Notice setbacks, hindrances. Work around them with agility and poise. Youโre always the leader.
VIRGO: You may feel less than enthused about your present daily life. Projects and routines may have lost their luster. Work may seem difficult, unexciting. Expressing the self may be frustrating. Itโs a good time to reorganize all levels of everyday life. Experiment with different time schedules, ways of eating, exercise, walks and chats in the garden. Notice any anxieties, confusion, preoccupations or changes of heart.
LIBRA: Itโs time to return to your artistic abilities, a creative project previously put away. Time to reconsider leisure, work, travel and creative self-identity. Time to consider new approaches to interactions with friends, groups and your future. Are you questioning something? Remembering will produce feelings, deep and complicated. There could be exhaustion, too. Itโs time also to rest more. Giving you time to contemplate, to ponder, to understand more and to forgive.
SCORPIO: All Scorpios are deeply affected by Mars and Mercury retrogrades. Mars brings the Nine Tests of Discipleship. And Mercury informs Scorpio (especially) to be careful of thoughts and words, which either create or destroy. In the meantime things around the home begin to have a life of their own. Breakdowns may occur, things long waiting to be fixed wonโt wait anymore. Family situations occur, emotional issues from the past appear. Siblings call needing help. Daily routines arenโt anymore. No matter the situation, carry on, Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS: Here are the areas of life that may be affected in some ways. Observe them. And go on your way. Creativity, recreation, pleasure, children, hobbies, love affairs, enthusiasm, creative projects, leisure. Or perhaps ideas, thoughts, self-expression, social interactions, communication, money making and security. In all these things, one after another, something may occur that makes you rethink past actions. You will revise some things, eliminate many others. In between times use mantras to reorganize your thinking.
CAPRICORN: Is the issue of money or resources up for discussion? Do you feel that you are a resource for your family and friends? Things may come quite up-close and personal. Emotions may be volatile. Are you responding or reacting? What needs refining, reorganizing, rethinking and/or repaired? What is creating frustration? What are you concerned about and need answers for? Is there a need to redo or coordinate something? What initiatives do you want to put into place after the retrogrades?
AQUARIUS: Itโs important to realize that everything you have done has been perfect. And according to plan. Aquarians are sometimes hard on themselves, thinking they donโt do enough, arenโt enough of something. They worry a lot, too. However, itโs important to know that Aquarians are quite different than most of humanity. Aquarians come from another star system, from the future. They donโt perform or accomplish things like the rest of humanity. They have different tasks altogether. Aquarius, youโre perfect.
PISCES: Youโre hidden away for a while, Pisces. As it should be. Itโs time for resting more, contemplating the future, reaffirming dreams or letting them go. Something has changed in your work. A new level of study has appeared after many months of preparation. Itโs important to tend to health now, to assess whatโs needed for your well-being. Focus on the little things that make up each day. Accomplish each task with order and strive to do your very best. Oneโs best is better than perfect.
