Review: Beethoven Rises from the Dead at Green-Wood Cemetery Thanks to Violinist Gil Shaham, The Knights and “Death of Classical”

Pre-Covid, to quote an old groaner, people were dying to get into Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, for the Angel's Share concert series spearheaded by Andrew Ousley, producer of "Death of Classical" and head of Unison Media (a firm of artists' representatives) which has been taking place in the cemetery's catacombs for several years (often presenting performers from the opera world) and has very limited seating.

Ousley's one of those producers who definitely believes "the show must go on" and this year's concerts (in conjunction with the Cemetery's management), as New York City became "open for business," took place in the open air. The first of this season's concerts teamed up with the New York Philharmonic to present "Hymn to the City" June 3-5.

Last Friday's concert took place outside the catacombs, right inside the cemetery entrance and had room for up to 450 concert goers (and those who'd also come for the booze and bites that kicked off the evening). The star of the evening was the mesmerizing violinist Gil Shaham, performing with the Brooklyn-based chamber ensemble The Knights, who also were responsible for the "pocket edition" of Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D.

As Ousley explained, the reduced size of the orchestra is not unprecedented; 19th century music lovers who didn't have access to concert-hall sized ensembles often invited performers into their homes, with pianos or chamber groups replacing the larger groups of musicians.

The concert began with what Ousley (borrowing language from the culinary world) called an "amuse bouche," a palate pleaser performed solo by Shaham, by William Bolcom, called "Lenny in Spats." The "Lenny" of the titled was Maestro Bernstein, who happens to be buried at Green-wood (along with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Boss Tweed, among many other notables) and it was a tiny, but wildly creative and modern piece.

Then came the Beethoven. It's hard to believe that the concerto was a disaster at its premiere because of the stupendous impact we hear today, certainly in the hands of Shaham and the members of The Knights (here, Colin Jacobsen on violin [one of the ensemble's founders], Caitlin Sullivan, cello, Alex Sopp, flute, Stephen Gosling, piano, and Ian Sullivan, timpani].

The fluency of Shaham's playing was stunning but this was not a one-man show. The playing all around was wonderful--it was fascinating to see the difference in the violin styles of Shaham and Jacobsen, particularly apparent when the sections of the concerto featuring dueling violins were at work. Still, Shaham was a wonder: His fingers flew on the violin as if the instrument and his arms were suspended in air, separate from his body.

Shaham's double stops sounded as if he was a duet on his own. The ending of the first movement--with the solo work by the other violin and cello--was flashy, a deep contrast to the poignant, lower key second, which moved on to showier music in the second half of the movement. The third movement brought it all together, with spectacular writing that was played brilliantly by all.

While all The Knights were impressive, violinist Jacobsen was a standout because of the nature of Beethoven's writing. He and Shaham seemed to be having such a good time playing off each other, with the differences in their styles almost startling. Sometimes Shaham's violin seemed to be playing itself. His low-key physical style of playing, with fingers and bow flying but his body utterly still vs Jacobsen's more physically exuberant performance, throwing his body into it.

If I say "a good time was had by all," that doesn't even begin to describe the performance of the Beethoven, for both the audience and the musicians. It was miraculous.

The evening had started off with something completely different: The Grand St. Stompers describe themselves as "a New York-based New Orleans-style hot jazz band, reviving and refreshing the music of the 1920s onward for today's listeners, swing dancers, and music fans." That, my friends, is an understatement. They were utterly delightful--no more so than in their final number, Fats Waller's "Keeping Out of Mischief Now," with the vocal performance by Kim Hawkey. It was a perfect kickoff to the evening's festivities, including the food and drink, some free, some at extra cost.

For more information about the Angel's Share series and "Death of Classical," go to their website. For information about the Grand St. Stompers, see their online presence. For information about events at Green-Wood Cemetery, see their website.

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