Not to short change the rest of the concert, but for me the highlight of our Classical subscription concert last night was the Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid playing the pants off of the William Bolcom Violin Concerto. He was just rock solid, and aside from the chops, had a clear affinity for the jazz/classical fusion sound world that Bolcom frequently spends a lot of his compositional time in. The concerto is a revelation for me – I had heard it performed only once before, with piano accompaniment, and since it was in the midst of a competition, much of it failed to make an impression on me. Now, having a full rehearsal plus the dress rehearsal to acquaint myself with the work, I have to say that this piece really deserves to be heard much more often. True, it’s a bit over-orchestrated, which requires some diligent work to balance the soloist with the orchestra, but the colors that Bolcom achieves are quite striking and attractive. Plus, the last movement is just about as charming as a piece of classical music can get, I must say! Our soloist this week, Benjamin Schmid, is also an accomplished jazz violinist, as you can see in the video below:
As for the rest of the program, the Rossini Overture to Semiramide featured our spectacular wind section, and they all outdid themselves – earning a “bravo” from the podium (in full voice) during the performance. Well deserved, indeed! The Tchaikovsky First Symphony really came together after a rather rough and apathetic rehearsal (by the orchestra, not the conductor). More great playing from the winds and brass, and we strings acquitted ourselves pretty well, with the viola section getting a rare solo bow.
Sunday afternoon brings the presentation of the Hitchcock film Psycho, with live orchestral accompaniment – if you haven’t yet gotten tickets, plan to show up around 2 pm at the Schnitzer box office to get tickets – there will be a long line to get in.
Online tickets for Psycho – must purchase by 1 p.m. day of show. After that, box office opens at 2:00 p.m.
18 replies on “bolcom + schmid = a winning combination”
Loved the concert last night. It was my kind of concert because all the pieces are not played very often. The Bolcom was a revelation to me as well. It made for fascinating listening. It was so nice to hear something other than symphonies 4-6 of Tchaikovsky. The second movement melody is gorgeous, full of melancholy. I liked Gaffigan conducting it without a stick. Does that make it more difficult for the players, however? The orchestra was in fine form all evening, with polished entrances and outstanding individual playing. I can’t get enough of the winds; they are playing so well. Will someone just appoint Alicia permanent principal flute and skip the auditions? I just love her playing. I would also give special praise to the clarinets, French horns and Marty Hebert and his splendid oboe playing. I should also mention that the cello section stood out for me in the symphony. Just a great job all around. By the way I liked Gaffigan addressing the audience mid-piece. I thought he was most gracious in giving well deserved praise to various orchestra members and sections. I’m getting spoiled by all these fine concerts.
Thanks, Curt! (On behalf of the cello section!)
I agree, Alicia sounds absolutely fabulous! I got chills when she played the chorale melody that starts the last movement of the Mendelssohn “Reformation” Symphony.
Gaffigan’s casual manner really works for him. Not everyone could pull off yelling “Bravo!” right in the middle of a symphony movement like he did. He is truly affable and gracious in rehearsal, as well.
Curtis, I totally appreciate your sentiment about Alicia, but believe me, those who are appointed to positions without an audition are tainted for the rest of their careers (at least within their own orchestra), even if it might be the best decision artistically. Better to have an audition process (which Alicia will be running, so she’ll have a say in who her new boss will be).
“By the way I liked Gaffigan addressing the audience mid-piece. I thought he was most gracious in giving well deserved praise to various orchestra members and sections. ”
Charles… can you elaborate on this quote from curtis’s comment? What/How?
After the piccolo solo in the Rossini overture, Gaffigan turned to the audience and said “Bravo!” – it was quite a special moment, seemingly not affected at all.
@Bill, Gaffigan turned to the audience just after the piccolo finished her riff around the middle of the piece and said “wow!” and then returned to conducting.
Charles, how do you feel about the applause between movements that seems to have become the norm the last few seasons?
I’m happy for the acknowledgement – if it makes people more comfortable and it doesn’t totally ruin the flow of a piece, then I’m all for it!
i wonder if conductorial running commentary is a good precedent?
could this gain momentum & popularity to the point where the audience might start applauding, etc. after fine passages – solo and/or otherwise?
gratuitous standing ovations are annoying enuff – to me.
As for the applauding after fine passages/solos – it works in jazz, why not in classical? Let’s go for it!
i had thought about that.
however, in jazz, what usually follows a solo is material that has already been heard, is basic transition vamping. etc. of course this isn’t always the case, but, i think you get the idea.
in many a so-called classical piece, the music after a solo may very well be some of the most rigorously worked out material in the composition – a beautiful chorale, a stunning modulation, a glorious passage of orchestrational magic or – gawd forbid – SILENCE.
in other words, i simply do NOT want the piece’s overall flow & attention to moment by moment detail impeded by “belches of approval.”
as for applauding after arias & suchnesses there like, i’m very grateful that no such thing occurs during Wagner’s Ring or Tristan, etc. Wagner also didn’t much care for people entering late & fumbling around with their goodies while “his” music was underway.
now, when i’m at a jazz club, rock gig or flamenco concert, i often emit as goodly of an obnoxious “belch” between golden moments as an other “yob” in attendance.
ps
while applauding between movements can sometimes be a bit annoying and ALSO undermine a composers intended mood for his/her entire work, i find this less problematic than “running commentary.”
pps
btw, the MAIN REASON i almost never go see movies in a theatre any more is because i can’t tolerate people talking during the film as though they’re in their living rooms at home. i wanna hear the words, music &/or sound effects of the creator. i have NO interest in my neighbors comments, admonitions, etc.
so, call me a curmudgeon if you like, but, please wait until i finish my speech.
shhhh, don’t interrupt – it’s rude.
:)))
I’m always delighted by clapping between movements. To me, it means there are people in the audience unaware or unconcerned that sensible concert etiquette has turned into rigidly formal rules of behavior.
On Saturday night we had a number of patrons who had purchased tickets through Groupon. It was our first experiment with that channel of distribution, and our customer service reps report that most of them were first-time Symphony ticket buyers. If they were moved to clap after every movement, then god bless. I hope the whole concert experience (including Gaffigan’s “bravo”) encourages them to come back for more.
I also LOVE the clapping between movements. To me it says the audience is enjoying its experience! And aren’t we here to bring enjoyment that you can’t get from a CD?
The weird thing to me is that the whole notion of clapping between movements is still controversial in the orchestra world. At Broadway musicals, people applaud after every song; at operas there’s cheering after every aria.
At Lucia di Lammermoor Saturday night in Seattle, the cheers at the end of Lucia’s famous mad scene were so loud and so long, I half expected Lucia to pick herself up off the stage floor, take a few bows and then lie down again so the scene could end.
Personally, I’m not crazy about clapping between movements, although I perhaps somewhat inconsistently don’t mind applause after an aria in an opera. For me, between-movement clapping breaks the mood of a symphony or concerto. I prefer making a mental note of what I liked earlier in a performance and then express my enthusiasm when the piece is concluded–and after the conductor’s baton is lowered. Even if an ending is flubbed a bit, I can still justify in my own mind an enthusiastic response based on superb playing earlier in a piece. I would say, however, that applauding too quickly at the end of a symphony such as Tchaikovsky 6, which ends quietly, bugs me much more than between-movement applause.
Yes, I agree about the too quick applause. The common denominator here is the effect — intended or otherwise — of the music. If audience members are in sync with the music and each other, they won’t applaud too soon at the end of Tchaik 6, and applause between movements will be in places where it doesn’t ruin a special transition. Call me Pangloss…
Certainly no one loves early applause at the end of Tchaik 6 or Mahler 9, but after the 3rd mvt of Tchaik 6 – absolutely – it’s almost necessary to have some sort of release before what comes afterward. Composers of the time weren’t too concerned about it – it was the tradition of the day (as was booing, which I wish would make a comeback) – so I don’t think that we should be, either.
yes to more booing when called for.
i’m just re-reading alex ross’ SUPERB book “the rest is noise.” don’t we ALL wish we could’ve been present at the premiere of “the rite of spring?”
come on, admit it!
🙂
I am not a fan in the least of applauding between movements in a symphony setting. I will admit that I applaud after big numbers in musicals and operas, but that has been the norm for a long time.
I think back to Itzhak Perlman’s recital last season and he was clearly annoyed with the applause, even joking about the composer phoning him during intermission and asking the audience to not applaud (they still did, so he cut the period between movements very short).
As for the conductor providing commentary during the performance, it was a surprise. You may “see” that during a Pops concert, but I hope this won’t become the norm in a formal concert.