Bass Trombone Wauchope

Monday, July 3, 2023

Alex in concert, Harvard Art Museum, Doug's Final Professional Concert

This blog has photos of Alex in concert for his Spring concert, a visit to Harvard Art Museum, and a exhibition of Colonial Latino art and watercolors, and finally a few shots from my pops concert with the Westerly, R. I. chorus and orchestra, which I have announced as my final professional engagement.

Alex, Cheryl and Scott's oldest (now 13), flute

This is children's Sunday at Old South Union Church

The art of colonial South America was mostly very good work by artists practically unknown.

Artist active in the Peruvian Andes (Cusco School)
The Archangel Michael, 18th. century

Jose Campeche y Jordan (Puerto Rico)
Tobias and the Angel 1787

Juan Pedro Lopez (Canary Islands)
Our Lady of Guidance 1765-70

Artist active in the Viceroyalty of Peru
Christ Dragged through the Cedron 17th. century

Artist active in the Viceroyalty of Peru
Portrait of Jose Jeronimo Cayetano Vazquez de Scuna Menacho,
Sosa Zorilla de la Gandera, Leon, y Mendoza, Yturgoyen Amasa y Pastene Lizperguer,
Andia, Yrarrasebal, 3a Conde 1775

Artist active in the Viceroyalty of Peru
Annunciation of Saint Catherine and
Saint Gertrude 18th. century

Artist active in the Viceroyalty of Peru
The Raising of the Cross 17th. century

detail

And here are some watercolors from the exhibition "Watercolors Unboxed"

John Singer Sargent
Madame Gautreau (Madame X) 1883

John La Farge
A Bridle Path in Tahiti 1900

Edward Hopper
Highland Light 1930
(I've played the golf course there, one of the most beautiful settings for golf)

Stuart Davis
Boats and Dock, 1937

Charles E. Burchfield
The Back Street, 1931

George Grosz
Uprooted (The Painter of the Hole) 1948

Lyonel Feininger
Untitled 1953

Alfonso Ossorio
Fantastic Octopus, 1942

Dorothy Dehner
Untitled, 1951

Romare Bearden
Madamr's White Bird 1975

Sam Gilliam
Untitled, 1969

And here is Don, playing with the Satuit Band, Friday, June23rd. at Hull, Ma.

And here are all my relatives attending the Westerly Chorus concert, June 24th.
It was an honor and so rewarding to have my twin, both my sons and their wives, and all of
my grandchildren in attendance.

in the picture (l-r)
Don, Susan, Scott, Jackson, Carter, Cheryl, Ken, Erin, Jackson's girl friend;
(Missing from picture: Oliver, Alex)

And here is the article found in the program for the evening.

I had played for this organization for 52 years, all of their regular programs (3 Brahms

Requiems, 2 Verdi Requiems, Vaughan-Williams, Mozart, etc. and including

the 42 Pops program, 200 Twelth Night performances); probably over 900

performance over the years.

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Methuen Pipe Organ, Worchester Art Museum

The Methuen organ was the original organ at the Boston Music Hall, home of the BSO before Symphony Hall was built. The Organ was going to be trashed, but a wealthy organ lover bought it, built the spectacular Methuen Music Hall to house it, and it has been maintained and performed on ever since by a group dedicated to preserving this magnificent instrument. Mark Slawson and I attended a performance by a brilliant young German organist from Leipzig who performed a very fine recital of music of composers from Leipzig (Bach, Mendelssohn, Karg-Ellert, etc.), and as always, the organ, the building and the acoustics made a huge impression. What a sound!

The organ had a major renovation by Aeolian-Skinner in 1947.

The Worchester Art Museum is a very fine museum. It has an outstanding collection and featured in our visit a "Watercolors Unboxed" exhibit which was outstanding. Of course. the Sargent watercolors were especially wonderful.

The outside building is plain, almost factory-like, but to walk in and see the incredible facade of the organ is this baroque setting is to be awestruck.

Here is the modern portable console, with the original in back.

detail

Part of the pedal division

The original console

On to the Worchester Art Museum

Dewitt Parshall
Hermit Creek Canyon 1910-16

Constant Troyon
Apple Harvest in Normandy 1850

Julien Dupre
Les faneuses (The Haymakers) 1886

Winslow Homer
Coast in Winter 1992

Childe Hassam
Sylph's Rock, Appledore 1907

Cecilia Beaux
Helen Bigelow Merriman 1908

Alfred Stevens
Une Mere (A Mother) 1870

detail of above

The museum's great courtyard, and floor mosaic

Kulah Khud, 1700's Persia

Horned Kulah Khud, 1900's Pujkab
The Worchester Art Museum absorbed the Higgins Armory Collection, one of the world's most extensive collection of ancient arms and armor.

And on to the fantastic water color exhibit

Gustave Baumann
Grand Canyon 1927
We saw a wonderful exhibit of Bauman at one of the museums in Santa Fe

Rockwell Kent
Boy on Cliff 1926

Winslow Homer
Boys and Kitten, (detail) 1873

These next two Sargent watercolors are stunning.

John Singer Sargent
Derelicts, 1917

John Singer Sargent
Muddy Alligators 1917

Awa Tsireh (Alfonso Roybal)
Symbols of Clans 1925-30

And back to some of the regular collection

Gilbert Stuart
Russell Sturgis 1822
A painting Rembrandt might have been proud of.

Asher B. Durand
The Capture of Major Andre 1833
Ever since I have done the 300th. anniversary of our church's timeline, I have been fascinated, maybe even obsessed with, the story of Benedict Arnold. Everyone who has seen "Hamilton" is familiar with the story of his treachery (in the timeline, I have a photo of Arnold's oath of allegiance to the American cause, signed by him!). Andre was the British spy that Arnold gave the plans of West Point to; Andre was captured and hanged.

Albert Pinkham Ryder
Joan of Arc, 1880
Another slight obsession. Ryder is one of the more mysterious and noir figures of art, and especially in his case, the deterioration of his technique only adds to the threatening aura.