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    To the moon and back

    A drunk Pierrot & an expensive Haydn: ROCO commissions music others won't dareperform

    Joel Luks
    Feb 21, 2012 | 5:51 pm
    • River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
      Photo by David Brown
    • Paul English
      Photo by Scott Corron
    • Richard Belcher

    While Houston Symphony's Orbit - an HD Odyssey trekked around planet Earth, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestras' journey took flight and reached for the Solar System's fifth largest satellite. Moonstruck and moondrunk, the opening premise of JoAnn Falletta's poem in response to Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, was the muse for the ensemble's premiere of Paul English's Lumière Lunaire this weekend at The Church of St. John the Divine.

    The program also included Haydn's Concerto for Cello in C Major with principal cellist Richard Belcher and Schubert's Symphony No. 4 in C Minor "Tragic" led by visiting conductor Kazem Abdullah.

    The nod to space wasn't in reaction to the Houston Symphony, it happened serendipitously. English was taken by Falletta's much lighter reflection of the otherwise noir and gloomy setting of Schoenberg's 1912 pre-serial atonal composition. That Pierrot was celebrating its centenary anniversary was coincidental, but no less significant.

     

    Of course the viola represents the main character. Subject to countless jokes, the instrument is largely unappreciated in general music zeitgeist, not unlike Pierrot.

    It's by no means a stretch to call English a music Renaissance man. He's equally as comfortable improvising jazz riffs as he is whipping up country western tunes at the recording studio, versatility he adopted growing up with a band director for a father. That familiarity with a wide range of genres seeped in comfortably in Lumière.

    The justification for doing so emerged from the many languages that intermingled leading up to Falletta's text. Her Pierrot is an English memoir of the music which set Otto Erich Hartleben's German translation of a 1884 French text by the symbolist Belgian poet Albert Giraud. And Pierrot originates from 17th century Italian Commedia dell'Arte.

    Yet that was no reason to call on instrumentalists to sing while playing, wear microphone headsets and sprechstimme German-style vocalizations, which appear in Schoenberg's Pierrot. That idea came from the group's founder, principal oboist and art troublemaker Alecia Lawyer.

    Surprise! They can sing, in tune, and pull off an effective theatrical piece.

    That's so ROCO, something many ensembles can't do and won't dare commit on a playbill. ROCO's audience may appear conservative, but that doesn't stop Lawyer from pushing boundaries.

     The music: Lumière Lunaire

    Of course the viola represents the main character. Subject to countless jokes, the instrument is largely unappreciated in general music zeitgeist, not unlike Pierrot, who endures ridicule in loveless pain while basking in the reverie of the moonlight. First coherent, then implicitly drunk, the leitmotif and its permutations travel across the wind section.

     Lumière Lunaire opens with rising intervals bowing to the sonorities of Schoenberg. It quickly moves to focus on the verse, highlighting action words with text painting and hand gestures. Spooky chatter leads to a juxtaposition of recognizable influences: A little Stravinsky, some Tristan und Isolde, a touch of film noir and plenty of Mission Impossible with walking bass lines, groovy drum kit beats and gimpy asymmetrical rhythms. English's background definitely showed.

     

      To American ears, Belcher's New Zealand brogue lies somewhere in between debonair chivalry and witty mischievousness, also words that accurately describe what happens when he speaks through his lustrous instrument.

    With atonal interjections sprinkled during transitions, English nostalgically reminisced of the composer he wished to honor, not just during his serial period, but his complete opus. Like the moon vanishing in the horizon, Lumière Lunaire disappears into nothingness.

    To append context to Lumière, Space Center Houston provided a large exhibit with images of Apollo 11's mission of 1969, Buzz Aldrin's first footprint on the moon, photos taken by Apollo 17 mission commander Gene Cernan of geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt standing adjacent to the lunar module "Eagle," displays signed by astronaut Mark Kelly, a space suit and models of craft used during exploration.

     A fresh new Haydn

    Josef Haydn's showcase may have been written in 1760s, but at the hands of principal cellist Richard Belcher (Enso Quartet), it was as if the piece was written yesterday. The concerto is a staple of the instrument's repertoire, often learned early in the career of an emerging musician but, like Mozart, constantly refined years into professional life. It can sound over-rehearsed, calculated and academic. But not this fresh take on Haydn.

    Belcher plays with an accent. To American ears, his New Zealand East Coast brogue lies somewhere in between debonair chivalry and witty mischievousness, also words that accurately describe what happens when he speaks through his lustrous instrument. When he executed Haydn's perky happy gem it was as if his musical maturity framed the energy and coquettishness of a young child, rendering this performance very "expensive."

    That is certainly not an observation on ticket price. Rather, expensive details a raucous finesse: A pinky-up classical facade with a naughty undercurrent. It's a compliment.

     Tell me more

    Schubert's Tragic Symphony might as well be dubbed the symphony of countless deceptive cadences that, although you know they are coming, surprise every time. Abdullah clearly understood the harmonic implications and leaned into their role with gusto and dark zest. His pending post as the Generalmusikdirector of the city of Aachen, Germany (starting in August) validates his musical prowess, though refining his speaking skills from the podium may be his next step.

    After all, ROCO loves nothing more than connecting musicians with their fans.

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    Movie Review

    New Superman movie forges into the future while honoring the past

    Alex Bentley
    Jul 11, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    David Corenswet in Superman
    Photo by Jessica Miglio
    David Corenswet in Superman.

    When the character of Superman was invented in 1938, it was perhaps easier to see the world in good and bad terms. Fascism was already on the rise in Germany under Adolf Hitler, and the idea of an all-powerful superhero who stood up for people in need was a welcome one. In the nearly 90 years since, though, the world and the character have undergone multiple evolutions, and the thought of someone who is purely good is often met with cynicism or worse.

    The new Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, puts the superhero (or metahuman, as the film calls him and similar creatures) squarely in the midst of the modern world, with geopolitical conflicts, mega-corporations, and social media all combining to make the altruism of Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) questionable. That skepticism even extends to his coworker/girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), whose knowledge of his exploits puts her in a tricky position personally and professionally.

    Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is out to dominate the world and take down Superman, with his eponymous corporation and vast group of underlings dedicated to doing both. Superman is generally a one-man fighting crew, but he’s occasionally aided by a group calling themselves the Justice Gang, comprised of heroes many have never heard of like Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a version of Green Lantern; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), a flying metahuman; and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who knows all kinds of technology.

    One of the best things about this new version of Superman is that it mostly dispenses with introductions, putting the audience in a world where Superman is already a well-known quantity who’s adored by many and hated by some. Gunn has used his new position as co-CEO of DC Studios to honor the past of the hero and take him into the future. With the 1978 John Williams theme song echoing throughout and Corenswet giving off Christopher Reeve vibes, it’s clear Gunn wants audiences to feel nostalgia while still getting something new.

    He also appears to want viewers to fight against the negativity that the modern world can bring. The plot involves manipulation of the public, usually at the hands of Luthor, through bombastic talk shows, political theater, and social media, the latter of which — in a great joke — comes to involve hundreds of typing monkeys. The film could be read as a rebuttal of many real-world ills as, despite Luthor’s machinations, many choose to continue to believe in the goodness of Superman.

    There is a lot going on in the film, but somehow it never comes off as overly complicated. Superman’s relationship with Lois Lane and Luthor’s attempts at taking him down are given the most prominence, with everything else supporting those two main things. The Justice Gang is a fun addition, with Mr. Terrific becoming the breakout hero of the group. The addition of the (CGI) dog Krypto provides levity, poignant moments, and unexpectedly great action scenes. The only part that gets somewhat short shrift is the crew of The Daily Planet, with everyone besides Lois and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) getting little more than face time.

    Being the new Superman is a lot to live up to, but Corenswet is completely up to the job. He, like Reeve, plays the character as someone who is earnest but not naive, a quality that comes through even when he’s in the middle of fight scenes. Brosnahan is also fantastic, providing a nice balance to the relationship while also proving the character’s own worth. Hoult makes for a great new version of Luthor, and Gathegi nearly makes the case that Mr. Terrific should get a starring film of his own.

    Just as he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Gunn has shown that success can be found through making characters people want to see. Not everyone in this Superman will be familiar to viewers, but in the end a group of people working together toward a goal that serves the common good is one worth watching and cheering for.

    ---

    Superman is now playing in theaters.

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