Ensemble stretches sonic boundaries in new presentation

  UCLA Performing Arts Ensemble Galilei performs original
music from Renaissance France and Ireland to accompany "Anna’s
Garden," at Schoenberg Hall on Nov. 19.

By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Musical group Ensemble Galilei worked hard to reproduce some of
the most unusual sounds known to man in its new musical
presentation, “Anna’s Garden.”

An original combination of music and narration,
“Anna’s Garden” uses instruments to create the
atmosphere of a timeless children’s’ fairy tale. Set in
a mythical kingdom, the show tells the story of a young girl, Anna,
and her friendship with Gus, the gardener at the King’s
palace.

Anna is a disfigured girl who finds her niche working in the
palace gardens. The gardens are overgrown and neglected because old
Gus has gone blind and is no longer able to care for them
alone.

“The original story was very long and beautiful,”
ensemble member Carolyn Surrick said. “Telling a story is
like creating a soundtrack, you pick which parts fit the most
beautifully and you focus on what would be most perfect.”

“Anna’s Garden” follows the growing friendship
between the two main characters, as Gus introduces Anna to the
wonders of the gardens, and as Anna helps Gus regain his lost joy
for life.

Trouble begins, however, when the King goes off to war, leaving
the kingdom at the mercy of the evil regent, Sir Rupert. Aided by
the magical skills of an old witch and her flock of pet vultures,
Sir Rupert plots to overthrow the Queen and usurp the throne.

According to ensemble members, the musical presentation was not
made without its share of challenges, such as getting the right
sound to imitate the buzzard flock.

“Buzzards regurgitate food for their young,”
explained Surrick. “Since (the food’s) already been
dead for a while even before its eaten, it’s really
disgusting. An actor with a microphone can only come so
close.”

Surrick compared the concept of using music and narration to
tell a story to “Peter and the Wolf,” in which the
music of different instruments represents different characters in a
story told by a narrator. “Anna’s garden” was
written specifically to be performed by Ensemble Galilei.

“I wrote the first seventeen drafts,” Surrick said.
“It was beautiful, but it wasn’t funny. Then Bob Berky
took it and made it beautiful and funny.”

Award-winning playwright Robert Berky wrote the final version. A
clown, in addition to a playwright, Berky possesses a good sense of
what would appeal to children.

“We realized that we wanted to do something to captivate
kids,” Surrick said. “Generally, we just do concerts,
but (“˜Anna’s Garden’) was made as a kids’
concert.”

Although modern musicians have no clear idea of what Renaissance
music sounded like, it was not difficult for the Ensemble to
simulate a sound appropriate to the period in which
“Anna’s Garden” takes place.

Surrick mentioned that written music from that period does
exist, and that, since the same instruments are still in use today,
it is possible to play similar music.

Ensemble Galilei recreated the feel of Renaissance music through
French Baroque music, Irish reels, and Scottish jigs.

Surrick plays the viola da gamba, a six stringed instrument with
a flat back like a guitar. A viola da gamba, literally
“violin of the leg,” gets its name from the fact that
it is bowed underhand, while the common four-stringed violin is
bowed overhand.

Other members of the Ensemble include Jan Hagiwara on
percussion, Liz Knowles on fiddle, Deborah Nurse on Scottish small
pipe and fiddle, Sue Richards on Celtic harp, and Sarah Weiner on
oboe and recorder. Thomas Beatty narrates the story.

“Working with Ensemble Galilei has been extremely
rewarding,” Surrick said. “We’re all soloists in
our own right, but we tour well together. It’s not just a job
for any of us.”

The different backgrounds of the Ensemble Galilei members also
contributes to their unique sound.

“These are people who have backgrounds in historical
performance, practice, Irish, or Scottish music,” Surrick
said of the other members. “It’s a nice combination of
cultures.”

Besides “Anna’s Garden,” the ensemble’s
other efforts to connect with children include “The Mystic
and the Muse,” a cooperative writing project. In this
venture, the group sends recorded music to under-served schools,
encouraging children to write poetry to accompany the pieces. The
ensemble then visits the school to perform the children’s
works in person.

“Some of these kids just write unbelievable poetry,”
said Surrick, recalling visits to schools in Alabama and West
Virginia.

“We’re all huge fans of great writing, the sort of
writing that makes you tell your friends, “˜You gotta read
this book!'” Surrick said. “It’s stunning
how music supports the words. Finding ways to connect with children
is something is very important, and that’s what this project
is about.”

MUSIC: Ensemble Galilei performs at Schoenberg Hall, Nov. 19, at
2 p.m. For more information, contact the Central Ticket Office at
(310) 825-2101.