David Amram turned 95 on Monday. On Friday, the Musicians of Ma’alwyck are honoring the legendary composer with a concert featuring several of his compositions and remarkably, a performance by Amram himself.
The event is at 7 p.m. at SUNY Schenectady at 78 Washington Ave. In addition to the performance, while in town Amram will also hold an open rehearsal and a public masterclass. The event will have a beatnik-inspired theme to honor Amram’s early days in Greenwich Village.
If Amram isn’t a household name with the public, he is a legend within the world of classical music. He is known as a genre-bending composer who is jazz-oriented, in love with folk and Americana music – and of course, chamber and orchestral music. He even had an opera premiered by Lake George Opera Company, before they changed their name to Opera Saratoga.
Spend an hour talking to Amram and you likely won’t be told that Leonard Bernstein chose him to be the first composer in residence for the New York City Philharmonic. More likely you’ll hear stories about Greenwich Village, where he met Jack Kerouac at a party. Kerouac, the man who coined the term “Beat Generation”, would read his poetry and Amram would create a jazz background to accompany his words. They started an entirely new genre of poetry readings. The two men became best friends.
You might also hear about riding with Joseph Papp, who formed the New York Public Theatre. Their truck, which was used as a stage, was driven to city neighborhoods to perform and broke down in Central Park. Amram tells how Papp said to him, “Let’s leave it here. We’ll use it as our stage and see how long it takes them to move it.” Of course, today The Public spends the summer performing at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Amram wrote scores for 25 of the Public’s productions.
He also scored plays by Arthur Miller and created the score for films. “The Manchurian Candidate” and “Splendor in the Grass” are two of the best known but collaborating on “Pull My Daisy” was his favorite. Appearing in the 1959 short film written by Keruoac were poets Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Gregory Corso. It also included artists Larry Rivers and Alice Neel.
However, despite a dazzling career filled with honors (he has eight Honorary Ph. D’s from various colleges) he always sought for honesty in his compositions. He says throughout his life he has discovered many genres of music that he has embraced and incorporated into his work. Indeed, his favorite instrument is the pennywhistle.
His music became for varied he says, “People would tell me they were “anti-career moves” and describe me as “a bi-polar, death-wish freak.” “I’ve always sought honesty in my work over being stylish. All music is autobiographical. It has to express your personal feelings about the world.”
Amram has for most of his life been a frequent visitor to this area and is well aware of our art institutions. He sounds in awe of the talent and culture that flourishes in the area. He speaks highly of the Musicians of Ma’alwyck and calls them “amazing musicians.” “I’m incredibly proud and honored to have been asked to play with them.”
The amount of talent to be found locally leads him to speak about the frustration he has about fame. “Every town in the country has some theater, musical group, or special club that offers pride and inspiration to the community. Because the local artists don’t work in New York, Chicago, or LA, their talent seems somehow diminished. That’s ridiculous and sad. Talent is talent and should be recognized for such wherever it lives.”
His philosophy on life is rather simple. His advice is, “Do what you are good at and do it the best you can, all the time.” As for his own career, when asked how long he would continue to perform he said, “I’ll use my good friend Dizzy Gillespie’s answer for that question, “I’m going to bop ‘till I drop.”
“David Amram and his 95th Birthday Concert” will be held SUNY Schenectady, 7 p.m. Friday, November 21. For tickets and information: musiciansofmaalwyck.org
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
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