by Kevin T McEneaney
Smithfield Church in northwestern Amenia conducted its annual (the nineteenth) Christmas Concert & Tea, sponsored by the Bang Family Concert Series. This year the concert was dedicated to former church organist Will Carter, who recently passed away; a new plaque commemorating his service to Smithfield Church was displayed, with comments by Denise Finley. Rev. Douglas Grandgeorge then welcomed attendees.
The program, selected and arranged by Matt Finley, was a mix of ten short pop, jazz, and classical music pieces featuring a savvy mix of children’s themes and adult jazz tunes.
The Smithfield Chamber Orchestra opened under the baton of conductor Milt Lee from Skidmore College with Serenade for the Doll (1908), a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. The suite was composed for Debussy’s daughter, Claude-Emma (known as Chou-Chou), who was three years old. A friend of Debussy, André Caplet, arranged an orchestral version in 1911. In this country, the composition is usually called “The Children’s Corner.” The chamber orchestra played the third movement. This charming part shifts the lead melody with wondrous harmonies between flutes, clarinets, and bass (delightful daughter where Lynette Benner and Michelle Demko on flutes enchanted; model guiding mother where the clarinets of Kay Sutka and Charles Gray wove their magic; then the suave gravitas of father where bassist Lou Pappas excelled).
Boa Nova (“Good News”) by Ivan Lins followed. Lins is the leading Brazilian composer; his work is renowned around the globe. This happy work celebrates the fertility of the Amazon forests, its luscious rain, abundant fruit, and delicious coconuts. This was an appropriate analog to the copious nature of Christmas. Internationally noted pianist Larry Ham delivered the element of joyous, infectious rapture in this piece!
A Child is Born, by Roland Hanna and Thad Jones, orchestrated by Thad Jones at the Village Vanguard, remains one of the most perennial of Christmas tunes, heard every December. This tender, mellow waltz in ¾ time casts a glow over the image of a sleeping baby. This new orchestral arrangement by Larry Ham, on Yamaha Clavinova, enhanced the parameters of the piece. Piotr Kargul on viola distributed exciting extra color. Here Milt Lee stopped conducting and joined the orchestra to play second trumpet.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by Hugh Martin, was written for the film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and made famous by Judy Garland the following year. Clarinetist Norman Baker, formerly of the Atlanta Symphony, supplied gorgeous, sonorous deftness in his playing.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, by Felix Mendelssohn, remains one of the most famous Christmas songs, and the audience sang along with gusto!
A Child’s Eyes, an up-tempo jazz waltz piece written by Matt Finley for his granddaughter, Joey, spotlighted the mellow, delicate, affectionate tones of his trumpet (perhaps inspired by Debussy). Here the resonant cello of Jean Vilkelis highlighted the warmth of the composition.
Gymnopédie No. 1, by Eric Satie, provided another mellow theme. The violin of Rob Murphy exuded subtle nuance.
A Children’s Christmas, by Johann A.P. Schultz, was a version of an eighteenth-century hymn updated and arranged for organ by Hampson Sisler and then rearranged by Matt Finley for this orchestra. Walter Barrett on trombone delineated the sophisticated aura underlying this work.
Wave (1967), by Antonio Carlos Jobim, offered a mellow bosa nova that demanded elegant drumming with edgy, lively syncopation by Jeff Siegel on drums. The finale was Day by Day, by Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell (1971). The band switched to big band mode, in which Matt Finley memorably let loose on trumpet. The song was originally inspired by the story of John the Baptist, yet revised to portray three disciples of Yeshua, most likely Andrew, Peter, and John. This offered a return to the religious spirit of Christmas, despite the secular overlay of pop culture.
And yes, there was a full-bore encore of Jingle Bell Rock (1957). Milt Lee joined on second trumpet. Yet his real contribution was conducting the concert with energetic rhythm amid various tempo changes.
P.S. If you missed the concert, Stan Hirson from Pine Plains has created a complete video of the concert and also a short video featuring an excerpt from rehearsal to show how the rehearsal process works. These are available on the church website.
