Steven Blier on “Manning the Cannon,” an upcoming program with the New York Festival of Song:
“This is a program I’ve been longing to do for about two decades. It explores two centuries of gay composers and gay-themed songs, and presents a wide variety of characters: experienced guys on the prowl for a good time; sensitive men grappling with their sexuality; hyper-males and drag queens; ecstatic lovers and those just awakening to their erotic nature. The composers come from seven countries and span 190 years, but they have one thing in common: they are all masters of words and music, and present a vital and engaging portrait of our gay heritage. The joys of gay brotherhood, the lacerating wit of our most brilliant writers, the subtle signals we’ve created to locate one another, and the crises we’ve faced and survived: these are the subjects of Manning the Canon.”
What’s nice about the line-up is that it’s not the most obvious cast of characters (what, no Ned Rorem?!) and includes a token straight or two (William Bolcom, others?) to hone the theme. All typical of the New York Festival of Song, which is in its 23rd season of presenting smart recitals with top singers. Steven Blier, who’s gay, is the co-director with Michael Barrett.
“Manning the Cannon” will be presented on November 30 and December 2 at Merkin Concert Hall.
This week Justin Davidson wrote a lovely profile of Blier for New York Magazine. Blier talks about his muscular dystrophy as well as his life-long passion for song: “(It’s) the closest thing I know in waking life to dreaming. It’s a coded version of reality.”
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“MANNING THE CANON: Songs of Gay Life”
Two centuries of songs by and about gay men, starring
tenor SCOTT MURPHREE • baritone JESSE BLUMBERG
baritone MATTHEW WORTH • bass MATT BOEHLER
MAN TO MAN
MARC BLITZSTEIN: Purest Kind of a Guy
CHRISTOPHER BERG: Is It Dirty?
STEVEN LUTVAK: Exit Right
OUR GAY HERITAGE IN ART SONG: FULFILMENT
FRANZ SCHUBERT: Der Gondelfahrer
CHARLES TOMLINSON GRIFFES: Evening Song
FRANCIS POULENC: Montparnasse
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI: Moje serce
DRAG ACTS
JOHN WALLOWITCH: Bruce
WILLIAM BOLCOM: Boardwalk Scene
OUR GAY HERITAGE IN ART SONG: MIXED SIGNALS
MANUEL DE FALLA: Polo
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY: At the Ball
CAMILLE SAINT-SAЁNS: Si vous n’avez rien à me dire
BENJAMIN BRITTEN: Night covers up the rigid land
LOCKER ROOM ENCOUNTER, CRISIS, LIBERATION, CELEBRATION
CY COLEMAN: Tennis Duet
CHRIS DE BLASIO: Walt Whitman in 1989
LEONARD BERNSTEIN: To What You Said
COLE PORTER: You’re the Top
UPDATE: A review in the New York Times by Anthony Tommasini “For Song Festival, a Program of Personal Significance.”
And another at Parterre Box.
