New York Repertory Orchestra (10/19/13)

As the program notes say, NYRO is NYC’s leading all-volunteer orchestra, made up of professional and amateur musicians. I have always found their playing to be of a very high caliber and Saturday night was no exception. Also of interest to me is the fact that they play repertory that is not so well known. Here’s the program:

Památník Lidicím (Memorial to Lidice) (1943), Bohuslav Martinu
(1890–1959)

Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major (1783), I. Allegro moderato; II. Adagio;
III. Rondo: Allegro, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

Symphony No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 57 (1903), I. Exrêmement lent – Trés vif;
II. Modérément lent; III. Modéré; IV. Lent – Modéré et solennel – Assez vif, Vincent d’Indy (1851–1931)

The backstory on the Martinu is that on a night in 1942, as a result of a Nazi massacre, the village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, ceased to exist. Appropriately, the music was somber and bleak, yet still pretty. The bass drum and tympani were heard to good effect—not ominous, exactly—quietly commenting on what has passed.

The Haydn was a complete turnaround. The cello soloist, Kasja William-Olsson, played very well throughout. The opening was easygoing and light, but the acoustics in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin reverberate a great deal so as to create balance problems from time to time. I was aware of a couple of very minor intonation mismatches between the soloist and orchestra, which may have been due to the acoustics. The second movement had a gentle tempo and featured the cello front and center very well. Ms. Olsson had a nice way of sending the solo line back into the orchestra—this worked better in the second movement than in the first. While both movements had cadenzas (a showy solo for the featured player toward the end of the movement), I also preferred the second to the first. The closing Rondo was pleasant, though there were still minor balance and tempo issues, once again due to the acoustics.

In general, the d’Indy had a fresh, modern, and full style that seemed to give compositional nods to the music of César Franck and Camille Saint-Saëns. The first movement had an almost cinematic quality, with broad strokes. It meandered a bit, but had a strong finish. The second movement had slightly more open writing, with individual lines featured, still maintaining a feeling of fullness. While pleasant, it was not really compelling. Movement three had a lilting opening yet still failed to draw me in. And the fourth movement was well constructed, technically, unfortunately without a real payoff.

Hearing music of different composers is a good thing, and I’m glad I got to hear d’Indy. I think I’d rather hear something different next time. Some more Martinu would be nice, too. Papa Haydn I’m happy to hear any time. Thank you, NYRO, for broadening my (and NYC’s) horizons.

ConcertMeister