The Mountaineer

Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: A & E

"So a lady walks into a bar," Margaret Worsley, clarinetist, said after walking on stage followed by Carol Stephenson, soprano, and Masako Klassen, pianist. These were three Mt. SAC teachers, serious musicians who spent their whole lives studying music, but that didn't mean they followed any stereotypical view of a pedantic college professor. While final loose ends were tied before the recital began, Worsley broke tension by asking, "Does anyone know a good joke?"

All pieces of Reflections in Harmony at the Music Recital Hall Feb. 27, integrated the talents of the three professional musicians. They produced a show that was elegant and had contemporary appeal despite the classical nature of most of the works.

"Parto Ma Tu Ben Mio" composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and "Sechs Deutsche Lieder" by Ludwig Spohr were befitting of the recital's title. Both were harmonious, fluid pieces representing the romantic era. The era was showcased in Spohr's first, fifth and sixth acts. "Sie Still MeinHerz" (Be Still my Heart) and "Das Heimliche Lied" (The Secret Song) had love themes. The sixth act, "Wach Auf!" (Awaken!) displayed a recurring theme of the era-optimism.

After intermission, the recital's sound took an unexpected turn with Alan Hovaness's 1971 piece, "Saturn." The composition's 12 acts resembled two TV theme songs -1959s "The Twilight Zone" meets 1970s "Star Trek." Stephenson introduced the piece, briefing the audience of the roles the musicians would be playing. Worsley's clarinet sounds symbolized a spaceship orbiting around Saturn; Masako's piano notes were the atmosphere of the planet, and Carol's singing served as a narration of astronomic acts.

The recital ended on a humorous, joyful note with Sir Henry Bishop's short composition,"Lo? Here the Gentle Lark." Laughter filled the recital hall as Stephenson played with the audience, smiling and singing the operatic, loud sounds of the lark.

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