I’m in New York City again this December for another series of Winter Solstice concerts at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This is Paul Winter’s 30th annual Solstice event and the city is accordingly bright with all of the seasonal Christmas lights. The Cathedral is on the west side at 110th St. on Amsterdam Ave. Last night (December 17) was the first of four concerts, and was fairly well attended for a Thursday night.
Paul Winter is again joined this year by his regular ensemble of great musicians - oboist Paul McCandless, cellist Eugene Friesen, pianist Paul Sullivan, bassist Eliot Wadopian, organist Tim Brumfield, and Jamey Haddad on drums. We’re also joined by the Dmitri Petrovsky Singers from Russia and a great local African music and dance ensemble, the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, led by Abdel Salaam. Among the things that I most enjoy about this event is the freedom I have in playing. Everything is done by ear; there is no printed music score to read.
The Solstice concerts have a fair amount of production concerns - a large central stage for the dancers, a massive lighting grid, and lots of sound reinforcement - involving a dozen or so technicians and staff, not to mention another dozen ushers who assist an audience numbering in the thousands for each concert.
The 2-hour (plus) program has a number of dramatic moments. The central concept of the program is the return of the sun after the longest night of the year. This is represented musically in the first half of the concert in a cathartic sequence titled, “Journey Through the Longest Night.” The Cathedral becomes dark as six low-pitched Balinese gongs are sounded in ominous waves of low-pitched tones that echo throughout the massive interior space. The song of a whale emerges, accompanied by a beautiful cello solo.
Then the Petrovsky singers carry a “Golden Boat,” complete with a large sail and bowsprit, in a ritual procession down the central aisle towards the high altar, recreating an ancient Slavic myth in which the sun is imagined to be a golden boat that travels beneath the earth. The ritual boat is carried in the hope of evoking the sun’s return from the underworld. As the boat arrives at the altar, a large tree decorated in gongs appears in the center of the stage. Jamey Haddad and I then perform an improvisation on the gongs until Paul Winter enters playing a solo around the gong tree.
A storm approaches, portrayed by gongs, drum rolls and flashing lights. Finally the storm subsides, and Paul Winter, side by side with Paul McCandless, makes a procession to the high altar. The sun - a 16-foot diameter tam-tam - begins its rise in the Cathedral, while the tam-tam player using a 6-foot long gong beater rides along in a chair. The tam-tam sound reverberates throughout the Cathedral in a powerfully dramatic moment. The sun/gong and player rise slowly up to the Cathedral ceiling, about 50-feet high, enhanced by intense yellow/orange spot lighting. Finally, when the sun/gong reaches its zenith, the ensemble plays music titled, “Solstice Chant,” to close the first half of the concert.
Another one of the highlights in the concert is the performance of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. The drumming and dancing are at the highest level - great sounding drums, incredibly complex djembe patterns played with energy and ease, wonderfully choreographed dancing. It’s an inspiration to hear and see. The four djembe drummers are all New York based, though they have studied in West Africa. The three deep sounding barrel-shaped master drums are played with authority by Abdel Salaam. The drum ensemble’s patterns and time are impeccable - comparable to the great ensembles from Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Berkino Faso that I have heard in past World Drum Festivals.
Add to that the beautiful solo performances of Paul Winter, Paul McCandless, Gene Friesen and Paul Sulivan along with Jamey Haddad’s solid time on the drumset and it’s easy to see why it is such a privilege to be a part of these Solstice events and to share in the music making of these great musicians.
