Photo Credit: Troy Freund
Present Music’s season finale was also a career finale for Kevin Stalheim, its artistic director and “guiding light” for the past 37 years. “StalheimTime Finale” was an extravaganza of sound and vision lasting more than two hours, a (literal) “moveable feast” for the eyes and ears, and a perfect way to honor and celebrate the man and his music.
“If I knew this kind of event would draw so many people, I would have done it more times,” Stalheim joked. But the audience was clearly there to see what the special event would hold–and it lived up to the high expectations.
“StalheimTime” featured numbers from past seasons, and for Present Music (PM) fans, it was the nostalgic end of an era with evocative performances throughout the night–and that’s excluding the after-hours party well after the main event ended.
John Cage’s cacophonous “Apartment House 1776” (from PM’s 1996 Thanksgiving concert) beautifully summed up what the group is all about: new music that challenges the audience in sight and sound. “1776” featured 18th century dance and military tunes set against gospel, church music, singing and the signature sound of the Bucks Native American Singing & Drumming Group. For the uninitiated, its sonic dissonance pulled in many different directions as musicians and vocalists encircled the audience. The experience varied based on seat location and sight lines with the guest of honor conducting outward toward the audience in a perfect primer for the night to come.
Stalheim himself acted and danced along with the Danceworks quartet in the whimsical “Potluck” set against the musical backdrop of “Emperor Waltz.” As the four balletic dancers competed in setting a table and providing food, Stalheim was pulled into the act and wore what would become the tablecloth. The 12-minute performance, “Let’s Dance,” taken from the PM/Danceworks 1999 winter program, charmed throughout and was a testament to PM’s many successful collaborations with other artists over the years.
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Stalheim and company saved the best for last with the multimedia performance of “Souvenir,” which saw glow in the dark dancers writhing on stage, emerging to toss out giant balloons with “Future” imprinted on them, ping-pong balls and much to the audience’s delight, Silly String!
While the number began and ended in the darkness, it was clear that the end had finally arrived. But one thing was certain: “StalheimTime” had come to a close, but Stalheim’s work remains timeless.
