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Violinist
plays rare John Adams concerto and Firebird soars in the O.C. |
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Pacific Symphony
Carl St. Clair, conductor
Conductor Carl St. Clair drew opulent colors from his musicians in Ravel’s beloved Mother Goose Suite. He phrased the music most beautifully, and conveyed the hushed expectancy of the Sleeping Beauty pavane superbly. Among the memorable solo turns was Benjamin Lulich’s lovely and characterful clarinet playing in the Beauty and Beast waltz. Underneath all that glitter and gold lied a dark surprise – John Adams’ 1993 Violin Concerto, its classic-sounding titles (“Chaconne”, “Toccare”) disguise a macabre and nightmarish scene. Violinist Leila Josefowicz demonstrated profound empathy for this new-age work. The first movement Chaconne was a relentless melodic inventions and repetitions over a quarter-hour span, and Ms. Josfowicz held it together with a tight narrative thread without sounding mechanical. The slow movement was a dark and rambling dream, made bearable by the violinist’s supremely lyrical playing. The zigzagging finale contained bursts of energy and breakneck speed that saw the violinist and the orchestra in perfect sync and in great service of composer John Adams. After the ‘meat’ of the concert, we were back to the feel-good music of the French variety. Mozart’s G-Major Symphony No. 32 /K.318 was basically a three-part operatic overture popular in Paris during the 1790’s. Its fanfare-like allegro and stately andante were meant to guide the audience to their seats and muffle noises of the late comers, rather than telling the story of the opera itself. For whatever it’s worth, Carl St. Clair gave a rousing, straightforward account of this lesser work by Mozart.
Igor Stravinsky made
three concert suites out of his original 1910 Firebird
Ballet, of which the 1919 version is the most often heard in
concerts. The 1919 Firebird Suite is a short but highly
effective condensation of the original story. The Pacific Symphony
gave plenty of atmospheric playing in the sinister opening depicting
Kashei’s magical world, which then led to the mellifluous “Round
dance of the Princesses” and the serenely beautiful Lullaby (Berceuse)
on the solo bassoon. The feverish music of Kashei’s demonic
followers was also brilliantly realized through whirling clarinets
and flashing piccolo. There were some uncharacteristically slow
speeds in the dances, which threatened to put this Firebird to
sleep, but thankfully not at the expense of the delicate colors and
lightness of touch. The final hymn of thanksgiving, initated by
the French horn, was the highlight of any Firebird performance and
this one did not disappoint – full of lush colors and extravagant
brilliance that elicited a long ovation from the enthusiastic crowd. To
purchase tickets for the Pacific Symphony's 2009/10 season, call
(714)755-5799 or visit online
www.pacificsymphony.org
Truman C. Wang is editor-in-chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Pasadena Star-News, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily.
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