David Gordon & Melinda Coffey

"A light hearted Un-concert"

 by

David Hopper

Melinda Coffey & David Gordon

When I received an invitation to David Gordon and Melinda Coffey’s concert entitled: “What is this thing called love?” I knew we were in for an enlightening and entertaining experience. The invitation advertised a “light-hearted UN-concert of love songs, poems, whimsical musings, and general wackiness” served up by a master vocalist and raconteur. As I approached the Universalist Unitarian Church, I immediately realized why David and pianist Melinda Coffey selected this location for their concert, for the exterior solar panels blended wonderfully with the modern, Shinto-shrine-like church building nested in the Monterey Pines. This would be a perfect setting for an “un-concert.”   

The artists entered the church down the center aisle and took their places — David sat on a stool at center stage, with Melinda at the piano to his right. Both artists together recited the words of the 12^th-century Reis Glorious by Guiraut de Borneil. It is admirable when vocalists not only acknowledge their accompanists, but also feature them prominently in the event.  

This “un-concert” was divided into four acts: “The Spark of Romance, The Flame of Love, Longing and Loneliness and Ever After.” The first song, Reis Glorious by Guiraut de Borneil, drew me into a bygone world. Mr. Gordon told us of the origin of the troubadours and how they considered themselves finders of music, not creators. The melody of this first song was simple, elegant and exotic. Mr. Gordon’s beautiful, laser-clear tones bounced around the hexagonal room and wove with the piano a 12^th-century tapestry of emotion. Mr. Gordon’s voice could not have been paired with a better pianist. Ms. Coffey touched the piano so softly and with such care, you might have thought the piano keys were fragile rose petals.  

The next song, by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “From Far, From Eve, From Morning” paired beautifully with the Reis Glorious, glorifying the beginning of love, that thrilling roller coaster of emotion that clobbers us on the head and makes us dizzy for months. 

We were then whisked off into the music of John Dowland’s “Come again, sweet love doth now invite.” David and Melinda swooped us up into the ascending passage, “To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die” and dropped us into a famous Donizetti aria, Quanto e bella, from the opera L’Elisir d’Amore. Mr. Gordon’s vocal technique is so secure you never wonder whether he will reach the high notes, so you can always relax and calmly enjoy the music. The cadenza at the end of the aria was like a multi-faceted diamond-strong and shimmering with light. 

“The Flame of Love,” Act II of the concert, began with one of the most beautiful songs ever written, Franz Schubert’s, Ständchen. As David informed the audience, “it has everything — the moonlight, the nightingale and the wind whispering through the trees.”  Melinda’s piano accompaniment and David’s voice danced together and painted a perfect picture of pastoral passion. It was impressive how Mr. Gordon spoke so eloquently about each piece. He either recited the text with his own interpretation, or gave a short history of the composer and the song. This informative presentation made each song become a living, breathing entity. 

The next gift on our romantic journey was a pair of songs, tied together with Ms. Coffey’s piano artistry. Our moonlit journey was taken though Jacques Offenbach’s Barcarolle as we snuggled into our gondola with Ms. Coffey’s piano tones rocking us back and forth like an infant's cradle, almost lulling us to sleep. Then, without stopping, she modulated into Cole Porter’s classic, “In the Still of the Night.”  Mr. Gordon’s choice of starting with an opera aria, and then seamlessly segueing into a musical theatre classic, was impressive and delightfully unexpected. 

The highlight of Act III, entitled, “Longing and Loneliness,” was David’s interpretation of John Dowland’s, “Flow My Tears.”  David’s voice beautifully suited this classic song of woe.  His light, floating tone lifted us up as Dowland’s lyrics lead us into hell.  This was my favorite piece of the whole concert because of its enchanting melody which immobilizes you with its intensity. 

The comic peak of the afternoon came in Act IV, when David sang Benjamin Britten’s Song, “I am a Bachelor.”  This irreverent tale of a wayward bachelor had me almost falling out of my chair with laughter.  David’s storytelling abilities came out in this piece and his facial expressions were hilariously apt when portraying the sometimes clueless male species.  

In closing, this concert was one of the most enjoyable and joyous I have ever attended. It is refreshing to hear classic songs intertwined with relevant poetry and historical facts. David and Melinda’s concert was like a perfectly executed mix-tape that you could listen to a million times and still not tire of it. For more information about David Gordon check out his website: http://www.spiritsound.com. 

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