Wagner Ensemble

Keeping the Dream Alive

2010-01-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

Keeping the Dream Alive

Despite the controversy that accompanies the creation, appreciation and expression of music, we all validate the importance of it in our lives. For us, there is value in all aspects of the vibration that is sound in motion. The essence of beingness is vibration for nothing can exist without the fundamental act of innate movement that allows for its projection into our reality. The act of pitch is the establishment of purpose upon a 'blank canvas' of a universe. With fierce determination a territory is carved out of the fabric of cacophony and from there arises our fate.

Music is the way to express our inner emotions, define the edges of our boundaries, create bridges to other people, and translate the truculent tongue of the soul. Beauty and Art must prevail over brutality and baseness. We aspire, with our better angels, to raise the song to God in appreciation of all creation. This is not an easy process. It demands loyalty, commitment, and trust. And we must be true to the muse of music to keep the dream alive.

At the Wagner Ensemble there is a process that is pursued with the spiritedness reserved for the inveterate enthusiast. What we practice is achieved with the wind of whispered antiquity at our backs. In the Wagner tradition sound is shaped, honed and elevated to a precise expression that fits a sea of sensation that washes over the human spirit. The goal is to unveil our most sacred moments from the measured steps of destiny through the mud of mankind. We strive to sing with passion and perform with precision because that is what our tradition demands. Jeannine has dedicated her life to the principles that keep the Wagner Tradition alive.

Wisdom is not an final destination from which to wave goodbye but a way station from which to say hello. The journey is just beginning.

Dealing with Passion

2009-12-15T23:26:00.000-08:00

Dealing with passion

We are days away from our concert "Christmas, a Feast for the Senses", Sunday the 20th at 4 pm at the Westwood Methodist Church. The music is well written and beautifully performed. But there's more. The Wagner Ensemble has never settled for the superficial trappings that would satisfy the average concert-goer. Our supporters are an elite group of people who are fastidious fans seeking to have an experience that speaks to their lives in the most fundamental facet, the innate passion of the moment.

The expression of the soul leaves it with a degree of exposure, a sense that it is vulnerable to the ravages of an imperfect world bent on gratification with a voracious appetite at the expense of expression. Yet we step boldly into that position putting our doubts and fears aside and allowing the release of our feelings to flood into the music to give it the life and richness that sets it apart. It is the infusion of life-force that is the basis of passion. After a lifetime reconciling success and loss, rapture and regret, trust and doubt, Jeannine draws from a full panoply of passion and all their consequent motives. There is a richness arrived at by the ordination of ardor in music that makes it transcendent. With it communication goes beyond rhyme and reason, into the mystical realm of emotion.

All our concerts strive to bring excellence, erudition, and insight to our audience. More than entertainment, although there will be plenty of that, the Wagner Ensemble will showcase the legacy of its founder by the faithfulness to The Sound by his daughter, Jeannine.

Just the right ingredients

2009-12-11T23:52:00.001-08:00

Within every artist is the seed of magic. That is our legacy, to aspire, to come to the realization and resolution, and of which to seek the comfort. We singers are little Johnny Appleseeds. Throughout the landscape of human interaction it is our duty to uplift, encourage, and amuse the inhabitants of this lonely world. We plant the seeds of wonder and nourish them with sensitivity in the hope that they will bear fruit ripe with excitement and novelty. And the subject is Christmas and we must rise to the telling.

Close to our consciousness is the law of love that binds us all. There is an inner voice that stirs our souls to reach out beyond our own circumstances to embrace our neighbors, our planet, our stars. The heart of the universe begins to beat with an earnestness that melds the intention together and we seem as one before the Lord of all creation. Christmas is our celebration of this feeling that there are no barriers between us, only the love of God that takes away the pain of loneliness and surrounds us with the warmth of acceptance.

Jeannine has reached into our traditions and compiled a sampling of the most enduring memories she hopes will instill within us the spirit of the season. Just the right ingredients are involved in the making of the best meal and this will be a feast for the soul. From Josquin to Bach to Mel Torme, all the components come together for a special afternoon designed to release the Christmas character in all of us. God bless us, everyone!

Singing a Tradition

2009-11-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

The Wagner ‘sound’ is unique. It has its roots in the experiences, the history, and the perceptions of one man, Roger Wagner. Dr. Wagner was born in France and at an early age made music his life and passion. As an organist he grew into an uncompromising commitment to registration of the overtone series. An accomplished and gifted organist, the door to music led him to appreciate that the bass predominates and is built upon to reach a production of sound that reaches into the soul and expresses the depth of human emotion.

Another element in the Wagner Sound is propulsion of the line to the organic culmination that gives it the "motion" that we hear. Without this surge in the music we would not be carried along to experience the story, to share the tale that informs our humanity. Nothing is more interesting than the narrative of life with lyric resonance as its accompaniment. This allows for the emotional investment in the text to evolve from the page to the people. We are all enriched by the encounter.

Roger and Jeannine shared an important fundamental talent: a singular, discriminating, uncompromising, superbly honed sense of hearing. In the 'business', Jeannine is known for her 'ears'. Roger felt that the bass predominated and was the foundation upon which the 'sound' was built. Added to this is the famous 'floating soprano' strategy that she demands from the choir. This talent is the tool used to fashion the Wagner Ensemble's production that has thrilled audiences throughout the world.

Roger Wagner's experience with boy choirs led him to want to retain the purity of the boys' sound along with the warmth of the women’s sound resulting with what Jeannine strives for today. And now we sing the tradition.

The target is acquired

2009-10-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

We have a mission to present ourselves to the community and perform MASS IN TIME OF WAR by Haydn. We each have a reservoir of talent, desire and commitment that contributes to the proper execution of our concert. This is a truly communal effort in that Jeannine will marshal the forces from the choir, instrumentalists and soloists in the expression of her vision. This invariably promotes the state of anticipation that has the potential to enhance or erode our performance. Will we rise to the challenge, each of us individually? Only by working to woodshed our scores can we insure that the addition of our well practiced, well nuanced, well performed parts will be viable elements that can be fashioned into the brilliant rendition we expect.

Most valuable of all are the reliable voices who have come together to celebrate this endeavor. Just take time to consider the long lonely hours of practice, the dogged determination to secure the proper musical line, the insatiable desire to stand at the front of the altar and sing. This is not a casual, inconsequential feat. It is one that requires both ego and the sublimation of ego. You’ve got to know you can do it, and you’ve got to give up your inner conceit to that of the director. Only together can we achieve the goal the conductor has set for us.

As any faithful leader she will look over her resources and determine how best to proceed onward toward victory. That victory will be the completion of a long road that we have traveled both solitarily and with our director. We have taken the time to learn the notes, study the rhythm, and become aware of the message. Now we wrap everything up with the emotional intensity that will make the music come alive. The reward is great and it is an offering that we make to ourselves, our community and to the universe. This will be an experience that allows us to share the stage with the infinite, with the sublime. Let us all do our part.

When staying in tune embraces rhythmic propulsion

2009-10-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

When staying in tune embraces rhythmic propulsion

Some marriages are made in heaven because they result in the best of all worlds. Peace on earth, unbridled bounty, unlimited horizons, and music that transcends the sublime. What can staying in tune do for you? “But I always sing in tune.” is a common refrain from those of us who produce a note that fails to reach its full potential and is flat. Or as Maestro Wagner exclaims, “Flaaaat”. The usual culprit is the third, the bane of the 8 note scale. But any of its neighbors can be susceptible to a lack of energy that fails to raise its vibration to the proper pitch. The root of that force, so desperately needed, is support from the diaphragm. The breath. A good breath will provide the singing system with the motion of the column of air that allows for an accurate pitch. In the performance of any major work the subtle sound matters the most. Not just whether or not the passage is in major or minor, augmented or diminished, but that the tuning of the pitch is rendered as perfectly as possible. MASS IN TIME OF WAR is written by a master composer, Joseph Haydn. It is incumbent upon us to give as faithful a rendition off the page into the universe. It deserves no less.

When we add rhythmic propulsion to the mix we have the makings of a real feast. What exactly is rhythmic propulsion? What can it offer? Look to your heart. The basic beat is found in your body, the pulse created by the beating of your heart that supplies the river of life to the realm of your physical frame. Rhythm is the accent of a line of music and in this piece Haydn has given us a panoply of riches to expound upon. Each is a treasure that can only be revealed by its precise production. It drives the music forward toward the summit of his intention. With the presentation of this concert Jeannine is reaching to bring the Wagner treatment to MASS IN TIME OF WAR by honing in on defined tuning and rhythmic propulsion as the primary elements to release the genius of the music. We can do it when we focus on these factors.

The Lady in the 3 Hats

2009-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

What does the conductor do? Well, that is a question that deserves a little inspection of a haberdashery heterogeneity. Our conductor is Jeannine Wagner, a woman for whom the skills and artistry of choral direction are a lifetime endeavor. But what really happens when the podium is ascended by a world class musician? Let’s take a look.

A conductor is the Architect whose job requires careful attention to the structure of the music. Every detail of the composition that comprises the ebb and flow of the phrase is carefully built from the columns that support the basement up to the gables that crown the arches. And the dictum must be that this house is sound.

And she must wear the hat of a Psychiatrist who conducts a group session where the patients bring a host of interesting dramas that influence the sound and texture of the music. We are all flawed individuals who want to do our best and yet resist the surges of change that will allow the best to emerge. Singers want to be in charge but there is only one to whom the mantle of authority is granted. She stands in front of us, demanding, cajoling, inspiring our obeisance to the muse of creativity of her inner vision.

One of the best hats she wears is that of the Cheerleader. Unabashedly, she's up there waving her arms, grimacing, sometimes in pain, sometimes in shock, sometimes in pleasure, but always with a childlike excitement of having the time of her life. The tone is positive, an ocean of confidence that carries all of us along toward the performance worthy of our effort. Go team, go!

Jeannine, as the lady in the 3 hats, is just warming up. This is a journey that will take many hats and require many functions from dedicated musicians. Our goal is to make Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR a thing of beauty and inspiration. We are on our way.

Witness to the Launch

2009-09-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

I am going to be right up there, first in line, to be a witness to the start of something special. I want everyone to look up at the stars and see what I see. Up there is the essence of the universal sending energy and promise to all of us down here. If we could catch the hope and dreams that from those lights emanate, our lives would be fundamentally changed. How do you gather the ineffable? That’s so easy. Just open your hearts and like magic it pours in. We do it all the time but we are usually asleep when the celestial transaction takes place. Now is the time to wake up to the great moment and to make some cogent observations.

Every engagement with the infinite is the first time because every breath is new, each look is a fresh glance from eyes of never before been here views. This is because you are never the same time after time. You are a new you every single time the heavens are perceived anew. I want our music to be imbued with this dynamic. We are going to perform Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR for the first time. Beyond the good audience in the seats, there will be witnesses from on high, those stars of celestial denizens that will be smiling down on us. I want them to say to themselves, "Now, this is a song sung by a communion of lives that reaches far into the infinite. Good for them.".

The Recalcitrant Singer

2009-09-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

We prepare. That’s what we do as singers who want to give their music making the best chance of being at its highest level. Like an athlete who does wind sprints as the competitive season approaches, singers warm up their voices, every single day, 10, 20 minutes a day. Why? Because of 3 major modalities that priming the vocal apparatus brings out. Firstly, the obstreperous mechanism, once it is engaged by the mind of the musician, is amenable to improvement. Secondly, when we warm up we focus our intention in producing the best sound we can. And lastly, my personal favorite observation, we engage our imagination. I suggest that if we all make a commitment to warm up every single day, then game day will be one which will allow us to be proud of our performance. Our MASS IN TIME OF WAR, is going to be a magical moment when Jeannine puts it all together. Quite a task, 50 singers, 20 instrumentalists, 1 fabulous hall with wonderful acoustics, and just the right conductor. Yes, it will be a night to remember. Let’s prepare.

The time for Mass in Time of War draw nearer

2009-09-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to bringing Haydn’s Mass in Time of War to our Memorial Concert November 7th. It will be a performance that will be “true to the text” and will truly test our music making ability. Jeannine, the captain at the helm of this presentation, is excited to be nurturing the choir through an understanding of this piece and the opportunity to generate the emotional expression that will make this concert special. All of our Memorial Concerts have served to elevate our spiritual resonance to higher levels and this is so much appreciated by our audience. I feel it and I’m sure you do also. So now the work begins. Good luck to all.

Back in the saddle

2009-09-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

So happy to have summer tucked into a neat package I can put back on the shelf and pull out fall. Ah fall. When changes tease our senses with the promise of cooler temps, shorter days, and, --- music to practice. Those church jobs, well, like seedlings out of sight, now pushing forth to unlock their budding leaves, they begin to rearrange our time, the time we thought we'd never give back. Soon we be working on Haydn's MASS IN TIME OF WAR for the memorial concert, November 7th, 7:30 in the evening. I can't wait to see everyone and share the special gift of music with all.

Welcome to our blog

2009-09-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Follow us as begin our blog. We will be coordinating with Facebook and Twitter and smoke signals and Crystal Balls, and everything else we can think of to make this a most unique and surprising season.