The Knights – Colin & Eric Jacobsen, Artistic Directors; Eric Jacobsen, Conductor
What is the Grass? – Colin Jacobsen (1978–); Kristina Nicole Miller, Narrator
Lachrymae, Op. 48a (1950, orch. 1976) – Benjamin Britten (1913–1976); Nicholas Cords, Viola
Letters from God – Eric Jacobsen (1982–), arr. Kyle Sanna/C. Jacobsen; Ms. Miller, Narrator
Immense have been the Preparations – Kyle Sanna (1975–), arr. C. Jacobsen; Ms. Miller, Narrator
Fictional Migration (Solo Flute and Horn with strings) – Lisa Bielawa (1968–), (World Premiere Arr.); Alex Sopp, Flute; Michael Atkinson, Horn
String Octet, Op. 20 (1825) – I. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco (E-flat major); II. Andante (C minor); III. Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo (G minor); IV. Presto (E-flat major) – Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
New season (114th!), different venue. The Naumburg Bandshell is undergoing renovations this summer, so the concert series is being performed indoors at Temple Emanu-El. The good news is that there will be no rainouts this season. The not-so-good news is that the spirit and camaraderie (and eating & drinking!) that takes place in the outdoor venue cannot really be re-created indoors.
As can be seen from the birth dates of the composers, the first half of the concert was more modern than the second. What is Grass? had the aforementioned narration with interesting music as a background. The spare, open scoring reminded me of Copland, and the end of the piece segued directly into Lachrymae, which was richer and fuller. The viola was featured but was not overpowering. A note about the particular viola played by Mr. Cords—it is a 400-year-old Amati instrument on loan to him, and has a beautiful, rich tone. There was a second variation in which the viola sang out a little more followed by a pizzicato variation that also included some smoother, legato lines. The piece had a darker and more dramatic section contrasted with a calmer and almost sweet section, ending with a spikier section that went on a bit too long for me.
Similar to the first two pieces, the three that followed also dovetailed together in one relatively large section. Letters from God had what seemed to be a vamp and repeated rhythmic snippets of phrases, while Immense have been the Preparations had a sung narration and a humming chorus of instrumentalists. It was chant like, but modern chant with hints of modern gospel. Fictional Migration began with solo narration followed by solo piccolo, imitating fictitious bird calls. Then strings were added and finally the horn was added. At one point the piccolo was switched out for the flute, and the piece had slightly chaotic background sounds. I thought the piece was okay but it did not really make a strong statement for me.
After intermission the eight players came out for the Mendelssohn. They played standing (the four violins and two violas), though the two cellists sat. The first movement was gentle and pleasant yet with a slight effervescence thrown into the mix. It was bright and fun while also being a bit serious, too. The second was more sedate, but touches of drama showed up as well. The third movement was brisk, with some typically Mendelssohnian spirit, and it somehow glided right into the final movement, which was also spirited though it seemed to go on a bit too long. I wanted to like the piece a little more than I actually did. But that’s only a minor quibble, and the entire concert was a great kickoff to the 114th season. And the rest of the season looks pretty darn good as well.
ConcertMeister
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