After my relatively short post about Tuesday evening’s chamber music version of the ENDAC concert, I decided that some sort of more detailed recap might be informative to those who weren’t there, and provoke some feedback from those who were.
There were a few changes in the lineup due to unavoidable absences of key musicians, but the concert was largely left intact. The concert led off with Benjamin Britten’s Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury, which was, true to form for Britten, not your grandfather’s trumpet fanfare. More meditative than triumphant, it gave our three fabulous trumpeters a chance to show their lyrical as well as staccato chops to good effect. The newest member of the trio, Micah Wilkinson, played superbly and he’s a most welcome addition to the brass section.
The Mozart Adagio & Fugue for String Quartet was the first of two all-string groups to play Tuesday evening, and the Mozart was an interesting and seldom-heard work, heavily influenced by JS Bach. I often wonder if Beethoven got his inspiration for his famed Grosse Fuga from this piece, with its extreme (for its time) chromaticism and violent fugal counterpoint. Shin-young Kwon and Fumino Ando played violin, I played viola, and Heather Blackburn was the cellist.
Principal violist Joël Belgique made his Chinese opera gong debut (!) in Chen Yi’s Yangko for violin and percussion. All three parts also called for vocalizing sounds and Mandarin words, and all parts were handled deftly and with subtlety. Ron Blessinger was the violinist, Niel DePonte the other percussionist.
Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Assobio a Jato (The Jet Whistle) followed, played with passion and commitment by OSO Assistant principal flutist Alicia DiDonato Paulsen and Principal cellist Nancy Ives. It’s such an unusual pairing, but it gave both players a chance to shine. In case you might have been wondering about the title, the breathy glissandi at the end of the piece were meant to evoke the sound of the jet engine, hence the title.
Filling out the first half of the concert was the second (and final) all-string work on the program, the last two movements of Mendelssohn’s youthful work of genius, the Octet. Concertmaster Jun Iwasaki, Assistant concertmaster Andrea Erin Furbee, Inés Voglar and Keiko Araki were on violin; Joël Belgique and myself on viola; and Justin Kagan and Heather Blackburn on cello.
After intermission came the onslaught of all things wind and brass (with one notable exception).
A sparkling, virtuosic performance of Stravinsky’s Octet for Winds (mvts. 1, 2 & 3) had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, with so many great players to watch and enjoy, and with the characteristic wit of Stravinsky’s neo-Classic scores in full evidence. Special praise is due to Principal bassoonist Carin Miller, bassoonist Evan Kuhlmann for their fleet finger work, and to trumpeters Micah Wilkinson and Jeffrey Work, who proved that the trumpet really is a musical instrument no matter what snobby string players might say. Trombonists Aaron LaVere and Charles Reneau provided a great foundation and some deft passage-work throughout. What a treat!
The evening’s injection of humor came courtesy of (who else?) the double bass and tuba. Jason Schooler, Jeffrey Johnson and Tommy Thompson played virtuosic pranks on their instruments in Daryl Runswick’s Suite and Low for double bass quartet. JáTtik Clark provided some dazzling high notes on the tuba, and a great time was had by all.
As if the virtuosity of any of the wind players might have been in any doubt, the finale of the concert provided proof in spades. Bassoonist Evan Kuhlmann wrote a dazzling arrangement of Richard Strauss’ Don Juan for wind octet, and it was dispatched with apparent ease by all involved. Everyone played their hearts out, and it was a bravura performance showcasing our world-class wind section. Particularly good were the two french horns, played by Graham Kingsbury and Mary Grant, as well as the amazing key-work of bassoonists Carin Miller and Evan Kuhlmann (also conducting with his bassoon while playing), and the mellifluous lyrical playing of Principal oboe Martin Hebert and flutist Alicia DiDonato Paulsen.
Special notice must be given to the heroic efforts of Principal clarinetist Yoshinori Nakao and Assistant principal clarinetist Todd Kuhns, who filled in on very short notice for indisposed colleagues and still managed to play as if they’d been involved from the very beginning.
So, now my question to those of you who were in attendance: did you like the chamber music format? Is it something that you’d like to see once a season in the future? Why or why not? Comment below with your thoughts.
3 replies on “more thoughts on endac”
I really enjoyed the chamber music format and would like to see it continued for a few more years. It clearly demonstrated the abundance of musical talent in the orchestra. In an orchestral setting, an individual musician’s talent is not always as apparent as it is in the smaller, chamber music setting
I’m glad Curt Heikkinen enjoyed it, since he’s precisely one of the folks we did it for! Audience members like him who stay passionately involved and put their money where their hearts are make all the difference in the world, and I know we musicians all welcomed the chance to do something special to say “thank you” to at least some of them.
Any clues as to why it wasn’t better attended? Newness? Tuesday after spring break?
Nancy, I believe that it might be a combination of both the new format and the night. Tuesday night is not an ideal evening for me personally, but I believed that I should really should attend since so many musicians had made the effort to prepare such a wonderful program. I’m really glad that I went. Perhaps in future years it could be done on a Friday night.