Last night I attended a concert consisting of works by Stefan Wolpe and two of his prominent students, Ursula Mamlok, and Ralph Shapey. It was exciting to hear seasoned performances of these works which were probably never intended to become seasoned, judging from their essential temperament, which is avant-avant garde.
A commentator, speaking of Wolpe during the pause, mentioned the speed of his mental process. Now that is a subject I relate to big time, and one that concerns me every moment of my waking life. But there are different manifestations of that speed, some include other humans and some excluding others. I cannot help but notice that the moments of inclusion are many in Ursula Mamlok's work, and few, though present, in the works of the other two.
Praise must be given to the Momenta Quartet which performed Wolpe's string quartet with great elan.
