AllOtsego.com: Follow-Up, And How

Follow-Up, And How

12/11/09

SAM GOODYEAR
ART BEAT

One goes out on a limb by trumpeting an upcoming event, as I did some weeks ago about the Musical Madrigal Dinner at Oneonta’s First United Methodist Church on Dec. 1, master-minded from start to finish (literally – more about which later) by Dr. Jason Curley, professor of horn and conducting at Hartwick College, and cultural force-about-town extraordinaire.
Over the two-and-a-half years that I have been writing this column, I have gone out on many limbs. It is unfortunate that, because of my program on WSKG radio in Binghamton on Saturdays, I can never attend any of the Saturday events I preview in print, hence less follow-up than I would like.
Such, luckily, was not the case with the Musical Madrigal Dinner, sold-out and exuberantly enjoyed by 126 patrons, of which I was fortunate to be one, because it fell on a Tuesday night.
All the myriad elements came together in perfect sequence, starting with arrival in the lofty meeting room adjoining the church’s sanctuary.
It might as well have been a English baronial dining hall, festooned with garlands of evergreens and festive lights.
A court jester showed guests to seats at long, seasonally decorated tables. A string ensemble filled the air with sprightly melodies floating above the expectant chatter and buzz.
“Deck the Halls,” first of three carols performed by the entire assembly, has possibly never been more rousingly sung. I am a pushover for good cheer and I confess to a sudden welling of tears at the genuine joy and enthusiasm that shook the timbers.
Then came the feast: soup, game, vegetables, condiments, cider.
With the succession of courses came a succession of musical offerings, all provided by the several excellent ensembles, vocal and instrumental, at Hartwick.
If that were not enough, there was also high royal patronage in the form of King Stephen Markuson and Queen Mary Ann Ross.
Dr. Curley, splendid in 17th Century garb, served as Lord Chamberlain, ringing a handbell and making announcements, assuring a smooth and cordial unfolding of everything he had so meticulously put together, including the figgy bread pudding he had made himself.
This was an inspiring start to the end-of-year social hoopla. Among the many gratifying and encouraging elements was the mutually appreciative unity and interconnectedness between town and gown. Long may it last!
(Reserve NOW for next year.)

Sam Goodyear’s column on the arts in Otsego and Delaware counties appears weekly.

Labels: 12-18-09, art beat, Frontpage