Musical Review by Harry Schroeder

MUSIC IN PARADISE CONCERT

 

Music in Paradise, the organization established and run by Linda Sparks and Michael Kilgore, gave a Christmas concert last Wednesday evening at the historic house of Shirley Freeman and Harvey Server, on Eaton Street. The concert featured a quartet of singers—Gayla Morgan, Barbara Staffen, James Carter, and Mr. Kilgore—some of whom appeared also as soloists, or in smaller groups. As might be expected of a group with the versatility which this one has always shown, nearly all the performers doubled, and the concert was designed to make the most of their variety of skills. Ms. Morgan played violin, Mr. Carter French horn, and Ms. Sparks left the piano bench, where she did most of the evening’s accompanying, to play one selection on English horn. Mark Wilcox, visiting, played solo and backup cello on several numbers. Beautifully.

The quartet had the largest segment of the program. Whether a capella or with instrumental accompaniment, they responded to Ms. Morgan’s strong lead, and were together and in tune, with a sound which was well blended.

 

Mr. Carter, who directs the vocal program at the high school, sang in a variety of styles, all of them effective. One of his selections, a spiritual, was quite moving. In another he sang softly but with complete control, and in a third he ascended to the register of a countertenor, with no loss of accuracy. Near the end of the concert he sang a hilarious “White Christmas,” with a doo-wop background, putting forth bits of a kind of parody Elvis. He also played French horn, though to my way of thinking not often enough, since he’s a real master of that difficult, treacherous instrument.

 

Linda Sparks, who was last seen at the MARC House on Sunday playing Christmas carols, was a supportive accompanist. Her one appearance on English horn was a rendition of Morricone’s “Gabriel’s Oboe,” done in perfect intonation and with an intense centered sound. Michael Kilgore sang a piece by Gounod, in which his voice and the cello played off interestingly against one another. Shirley Freeman, hostess for the event, put forth a small true eloquent voice in “Jesu Bambino” with Mr. Carter and a background line by the violin. She led the audience in two numbers: “Deck the Halls,” an easy one to sing with all those “falala”s, and near the end a light-hearted version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

 

Whether in his two cello solos or backing up singers with a counterline, Mr. Wilcox’s playing was everything the concert could wish for. He is an excellent cellist. His sound is strong but never harsh, he plays in tune, and his dynamics are nicely in control, so that they were always just right for the room. He lives in Boston, but it was mentioned that he might move here. This should be strongly encouraged.

 

One effort of Music in Paradise is encouraging young performers (a beneficiary of the evening’s gate receipts will be the annual awards concert of selected young artists in the Keys). In accordance with that emphasis, young Emerson Fariss, a pupil of Linda Sparks’, played Mykola Leontovych’s “Carol of the Bells.” It was a fine rendition: he played the piece at a good steady tempo and without error, and his touch on the keys is musical.

 

The outstanding musician of the evening was Gayla Morgan. She has a lovely voice, expressive of a full range of feelings, and she holds nothing back: she sends out into the air all the sound that is in her voice. In ensemble numbers her singing had the authority of a good principal trumpet. She sang one pop Christmas song, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire;” what with the modulation in the bridge, it’s a tough tune, but she put it across in relaxed fashion, accompanying it with comic turns. Her violin playing was of the same order of excellence. On “Greensleeves,” she played an interesting improvised line. Throughout the evening she was obviously having a very good time.

 

The concert was very well received; the warmth of feeling in the room was a distinct pleasure. That was an excellent example of what makes Key West unique. The level of performance was of the kind which one usually finds only in much larger cities; it’s a fair bet that no other small town in America could have put on a concert like this one with resident musicians of such ability. At the same time, though, Key West is a small town, with the sense of community which cities cannot match. The result is a close and warm connection between musicians and audience, which enhances the experience of both. Yet another reason why we live here.

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