The Orchestra Now (5/19/24)

Chloé Van Soeterstède, conductor (début)

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Trombone Concerto – Realisation; Rumination; Illumination – Dani Howard (b. 1993); Peter Moore, trombone
Symphonic Dances – Non allegro; Andante con moto (Tempo di valse); Lento assai–Allegro vivace – Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

Full disclosure—this was not a free concert. I spent a whopping $15 for a balcony seat (and the balcony was pretty much empty). I bought my ticket the day before the concert, since I'm having problems making commitments these days. That said, I'm really glad I went.

Here's the reason I went. I had never heard the Debussy live before. I danced to it in Virginia before moving to NYC. But the piece also means a lot to me for another reason. When Michael and I would go on vacation to one of our favorite Florida spots, we knew that the places we usually rented had a cassette player (remember them?). We always brought a cassette that had Faun on it. When we arrived, we'd put the cassette on, play Faun, and say, "Now we're really on vacation."

Well, The Orchestra Now did not disappoint. Their playing was ethereal, gossamer, and beautiful. I'm so glad I've now heard the composition live.

Now, on to another first. I had never heard a trombone concerto before. This was the U.S. premiere of the work, played by Peter Moore, for whom it was written, and who also had some input assisting the composer. Alas, I've misplaced my handwritten notes, but the three movements were interesting, and included some beautiful writing, some virtuoso writing, and some (for want of a better word) splazzando (pronounced splat-zon-doh) writing, for which lower brass instruments are well known. It was a tour de force played very well by both the soloist and the orchestra.

The Rachmaninoff, also in three movements, was quite an earful. Written late in his life (1940), it was much more modern than I associate with Rachmaninoff (late Romantic). The middle movement, Tempo di valse, was an almost intoxicating perpetual motion—the waltz was omnipresent, almost overpowering. The entire work was a joy to listen to, and I had a great time in the rafters of the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was also my first time hearing anything at that venue.

A lot of firsts, hearing an ensemble that I know very well.

ConcertMeister