Ilana Davidson, Soprano
Chris Whittaker, Music Director
Le Tombeau de Couperin – Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Knoxville: Summer of 1915 – Samuel Barber (1910–1981)
Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K. 504, “Prague” – I. Adagio-Allegro;
II. Andante; III. Finale (Presto) – W. A. Mozart (1756–1791)
This was a new venue for me and a first hearing of this group—somewhat appropriate, since it’s only their second season. Oddly, the program was titled “Mozart, Barber & Ravel” probably because Mozart insisted on top billing. I’m kidding. The pieces were performed in the order listed above.
The program notes (that reinforced what I thought I remembered about the work) stated that the piece began as an homage to Couperin but morphed into a set of dances with each movement dedicated to individual friends of Ravel’s who died in World War I. The first movement began in a rippling French manner and had nice sweeping lines and tunes. It was gentle, pleasant, and somewhat wistful, with a nice build and return of dynamics. The second had a dance feel with brief motifs shared back and forth between sections of the orchestra. Full of charm, it was fun to listen to. The third movement’s gentler rhythms and tunes had a touch of a haunting quality, even in the bolder passages. The final movement started with bang up sound right from the start, solid and, once again, lots of fun. A more reflective section followed before closing out with an upbeat feel.
The Barber, for voice and orchestra, was a sort of through composed setting of poetry by James Agee. There was a very spare opening followed by free-form, stream of consciousness vocal writing. The setting was modern yet easy enough to listen to, and Ms. Davidson’s projection of the text was clear. A brisker, perky section followed that, due to increased volume, made the text a little more difficult to understand. When the writing returned to a more subdued style, the remainder of the score was easier to understand, with a more straightforward and logical marriage of music and text. It’s essentially a memory piece of a young man reflecting on the feelings of that certain summer. Commissioned by a soprano, it’s most often sung by a soprano, though it can also be sung by a tenor. Ms. Davidson did a fine job, as did the orchestra.
Mozart’s symphony had a brief, rather forceful opening before turning softer, if not necessarily sweeter. The scoring seemed very solid to me, with hints of drama. The allegro section that followed was also rather solid—the perking right along section had a certain depth to it, though it tended to go on a bit too long. The second movement was slower and sweeter but still had touches of drama and bite as well. It was pleasant enough, though just barely. The finale was brisk yet slightly restrained, with those touches of drama again, a couple of false endings, and then the real one. I enjoyed this symphony more than I thought I was going to.
The orchestra played very well all afternoon. This is a group and venue that I’ll probably be returning to. Their season will include solo recitals, chamber music, and orchestra concerts. What’s not to like?
ConcertMeister
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