Yes, siree, bob, I live in a great city. The opening concert of the 107th annual Naumburg Orchestral Concerts season was Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Free. Central Park. And, no, I have not been there for all 107 years!
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (conductor-less) presented:
Overture: Il Signor Bruschino (1813), Giaochino (boy, I’m surprised at that spelling) Rossini (1792–1868)
Holberg Suite, Opus 40 (1884), Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Symphony No. 29 in A Major. K 201 (1774), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Romanian Folk Dances (1917), Béla Bartók (1881–1945).
Overture: Il Signor Bruschino (1813), Giaochino (boy, I’m surprised at that spelling) Rossini (1792–1868)
Holberg Suite, Opus 40 (1884), Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Symphony No. 29 in A Major. K 201 (1774), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Romanian Folk Dances (1917), Béla Bartók (1881–1945).
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a truly grand New York orchestra. No conductor; small (strings, woodwinds lite, two horns, for this concert); different folks acting as leader for different works. No ConcertMaster (I think I fainted a little!).
This concert was just plain fun. The Rossini overture was bright and it even included percussion. Percussion, you might ask? Yes, indeed. Written into the score is “tap-tap-tap-tap-tap”—yep, the string players tap their bows on their music stands—actually in the score. Well, the Rossini was fun, if a little bit on the light side (not a problem for me).
This concert was just plain fun. The Rossini overture was bright and it even included percussion. Percussion, you might ask? Yes, indeed. Written into the score is “tap-tap-tap-tap-tap”—yep, the string players tap their bows on their music stands—actually in the score. Well, the Rossini was fun, if a little bit on the light side (not a problem for me).
The Holberg Suite (strings only) reminded me of the string serenades of Tchaikovsky and Dvořák. Five sweet movements with a good opening; a slightly odd ending to movement number two; a Gavotte, that picked up on themes from the first movement; followed by two movements that included tension, fading away, and banjo- fiddle-like writing, in the last movement.
After the intermission, we had the four-movement Mozart Symphony. My notes include “bright, mellow, bright,” “gently rollicking,” “little phrases bounced back and forth,” and “more vigorous.” I’m not a big Mozart fan.
I’ve stolen some web stuff for the Bartók. These were the exact listings in my printed program, so I don’t mind stealing them:
“Please note that the original Hungarian title will be in the first place, the most commonly known title in Romanian will be in the second place and the translation into English will be in parentheses:
I. Bot tánc / Jocul cu bâtă (Stick Dance)
II. Brâul (Sash Dance)
III. Topogó / Pe loc (In One Spot)
IV. Bucsumí tánc / Buciumeana (Dance from Bucsum)
V. Román polka / Poarga Românească (Romanian Polka)
VI. Aprózó / Mărunțel (Fast Dance)”
I. Bot tánc / Jocul cu bâtă (Stick Dance)
II. Brâul (Sash Dance)
III. Topogó / Pe loc (In One Spot)
IV. Bucsumí tánc / Buciumeana (Dance from Bucsum)
V. Román polka / Poarga Românească (Romanian Polka)
VI. Aprózó / Mărunțel (Fast Dance)”
Pretty cool stuff, eh? Here are my notes: I. was built on a repeating drone–bagpipe-like;
II. winds featured more; the rest: solo violin melody, then tutti, little gems, creating a whole.
These pieces were so brief that if you didn’t know where each left off, you didn’t really know when the work was over. Still, we figured it out, and knew that we’d heard world-class playing.
II. winds featured more; the rest: solo violin melody, then tutti, little gems, creating a whole.
These pieces were so brief that if you didn’t know where each left off, you didn’t really know when the work was over. Still, we figured it out, and knew that we’d heard world-class playing.
There will be three more Naumburg concerts this summer. Prepare for three more ConcertMeister entries, weather permitting!
ConcertMeister
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