Art and About

Houston's own kick-ass string quartet: The Apollo Chamber Players get nutty

The Apollo Chamber Players
In concert, the Apollo Chamber Players have ceaseless energy.
The Apollo Chamber players in rehearsal at Rice University Shepherd School ofMusic.

The string quartet is arguably one the most established chamber ensembles of classical music across different artistic eras. Though its origins are traced back to the baroque trio sonata configuration, the typical two violin, viola and cello arrangement became a prominent corps in 18th, 19th and 20th century art music.

So why are we not tired of it?

Groups like the Emerson, Takács, Juilliard and Cleveland quartets (and the list goes on and on) have syndicated the art form, primarily through their respective recognizable unique sound and interpretation. Some market themselves as experts on a specific genre or period while others, like Kronos, are using the forum to expand the boundaries of music, even inciting social action.

Houston has its own breed of string quartet: Four cool dudes known as the Apollo Chamber Players.

Co-founders and violinists Matt Detrick and Timothy Peters found a winning strategy through a process of trial and error, focusing on the intersection of classical music seria and folk music. Often challenging what belongs on a classical music stage, this vigorous exploration is helping the group gain a loyal following.

While some groups use this as a gimmick, often to hide personal performance inadequacies — listeners have a tendency to ignore and forgive poor execution when the music they are listening to is likable — Apollo's approach is virtuosic, genuine and passionate owning the arrangements and their execution. In plain terms, they kick ass.

Apollo has that je ne sais quoi, that intangible that makes music worth more than a thousand words, with non-verbal chemistry that comes out of years of knowing each other personally and musically. Three of the members of the group, Detrick, Peters and cellist Matthew Dudzik, worked on degrees at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in the early 2000s, and I had the opportunity to know them back then as well.

They are a little nutty. Peters once explained the concept of themes and variations to children using chicken. Detrick was always hanging around the flute section. Dudzik would show off his language skills (he speaks Japanese fluently). Violist Matthew Carrington joined later, but had played with the rest in summer festivals and random gigs.

Part of Apollo's strategy includes coming up with its own arrangements. Detrick leads the effort, re-orchestrating tunes for the quartet, morphing unassuming folk melodies into tour de force compositions that feature the group's strengths.

At 8 p.m. Saturday at Shepherd's Duncan Hall, Apollo will present a concert infused with fiery Spanish culture. Titled "Gypsies and Toreadors: Folk Dances from Spain," The soiree debuts a brand new "Malagueña."

CultureMap goes art and about and gets the scoop on the concert and group:

Then, CultureMap captures "Malagueña" in its entirety:

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Movie Review

Supergirl fails to take flight in a movie weighed down by grief

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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