LSO members showcase uneven performance

By David Kocsis, special to the LaGrange Daily News

I have always espoused the philosophy that it is much more satisfying to pass out an “attaboy” as opposed to an “aw bflptsk”. I, at least, get a real joy out of saying to someone “attaboy - what a great job”. Tuesday night’s LSO symphony concert elicited both emotions and comments from this listener.

The original purpose of taking popular music of the day written for one musical ensemble and transcribing it for another ensemble was to make the music more accessible for the masses because mass communication was not available at the time. Organ transcriptions were very popular because most small towns in Europe had a nice pipe organ, but did not have an orchestra, so the latest compositions were transcribed for the organ and played to general audiences.

The all brass instrumentation transcription of the J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 was not written for this purpose. It was written to satisfy the desire of a brass player to get together with other brass players and perform some baroque music written primarily for strings and continuo. I can relate to the idea of brass players performing music which they seldom get to perform as written but, in this case at least, it did not work.

The individual players performed admirably, and I think they really enjoyed making music together, but the whole idea of the Brandenburg Concerti was totally lost. It was not light and playful; it was ponderous and serious. The whole performance reminded me of what Walt Disney did in “Fantasia” to the “Dance of the Hours” from Leo Delibes ballet “Coppelia”. He had hippos and crocodiles dressed in tutu’s and ballet slippers trying to make this delicate dance look lithe and polished. It didn’t work there, either.

The Serenade of Antonin Dvorak turned the corner, musically speaking. It was unquestionably the best performance of the evening. Maestro Cobos and the select winds plus a cello and string bass turned in a truly stunning performance, capturing the flavor and romantic ethos of the composition exactly as I imagine Dvorak would have envisioned it in his head as he wrote it. All of the solos, oboe, clarinet, French horn and cello, were performed musically and flawlessly.

The final Brahms Serenade in A Major, united 18 members of the orchestra, with all strings represented with the exception of violins. The Viola section took the string lead, and could have made the entire 5 movement work the high point of the evening, if they had only played in tune. The almost 3 or 4 cents tuning variation between the 3 players throughout the entire work, had my ears not paying attention to the rest of the instrumentalists for a good part of the performance. I had to force myself time after time to snap back to real time and listen to the superb job the various wind instruments turned in. My only other comment on this piece, compositionally, is something that I, as a composer, would never do. I kept waiting for the piccolo to become part of the ensemble, but he never had anything written until the last movement. No wonder he kept yawning. He did, however, acquit himself admirably, once he got the opportunity to do so. The somewhat less well attended patrons were most gracious with their applause in appreciation of the musicians efforts, for which Maestro Cobos and all players should be very grateful. I was less enthusiastic.

LSO Brings ‘Magnificent Joy’ to the Season
Robert Murray

A capacity audience on Tuesday evening at Callaway Auditorium was treated to a concert program by the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra that was as well-suited to the holiday season as any of the usual pops offerings that traditionally mark the performance season at this time of the year.

Titled “Magnificent Joy” the Symphony’s program featured two works of the great master Johann Sebastian Bach and a work by another luminary of the Baroque era, Arcangelo Corelli. The evening was significant as the performance marked both the completion of 20 years of concerts by the LSO and the debut of the LaGrange Symphony Chorus.

Appropriately cast as a chamber orchestra for the entirety of the concert, the LSO began the evening’s performance with Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3. Under the baton of Maestro Patricio Cobos, the LSO gave a spirited and energetic reading of the work.

Of the five movements that comprise the suite, the second movement is easily one of the most familiar works of Bach and is known to modern audiences as ‘Air on the G String.’

The string sections gave an intriguing rendition of the Air, performing with a delicate elegance that had just a hint of forward motion, allowing for a strong sense of the dance that this would have originally been based on. The wind instruments also performed valiantly with the strings on the other movements and while this reviewer would have appreciated a bit more of the individual character of each dance (gavotte, bourée, and gigue) to be evident, nonetheless it was a fine performance of the Suite.

Curiously, the next piece on the concert was printed in the program without designation of the movements to be performed. This caused only a bit of rustling in the audience and did not interfere with the enjoyment of Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in g, the Christmas Concerto. Maestro Cobos led the strings through a wonderfully defined performance of the concerto, highlighted by terrific contrast in both coloration and mood of the various movements. At times somber, at times effervescent the ensemble was a delight and it should not go without mentioning the talent on display in the personages of concertmaster Callie Hammond, principal 2nd violinist Chevis Patterson and principal cellist Daniel Holloway; all performed admirably.

After the intermission, the audience was welcomed back with an early Christmas gift, the debut of the La Grange Symphony Chorus. Joining forces with the LSO, the Chorus was led by the ever capable choirmaster and conductor Debbie Ogle in the featured work of the evening, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat. From the opening movement the LSC served notice of their artistic abilities, singing with clarity and energy. The Magnificat also featured the performances of four brilliant soloists, Courtenay Budd, soprano; Toni Anderson, mezzo-soprano; Adam Kirkpatrick, tenor; and Wade Thomas, bass.

Ms. Budd performed with a soaring lyricism and in the 3rd movement was matched beautifully by the warmth and phrasing of principal oboist Lauren Murray in one of the most noteworthy Bach arias. Mr. Wade had a relaxed strength and presence that reached the audience easily while Ms. Anderson and Mr. Kirkpatrick both sang with grace and beauty, in their duo and respective solos.

The orchestra complemented the chorus very well a majority of the time, with distractions only occurring most noticeably in the eighth movement when the violins didn’t seem to be paying the necessary attention to Ms. Anderson during her solo.

Regardless, all performers on stage captured the spirit of the text marvelously. The final choruses were sung with power and musicianship, bringing this concert to a magnificent conclusion. The audience was fully appreciative, giving all on a stage a well-deserved standing ovation. Kudos to Maestros Ogle and Cobos on a wonderful collaboration – it is this reviewer’s hope that this only the beginning of many performances by these two fine ensembles.

LSO Continues Its Winning Ways in Concert

By David Kocsis, Special to the LaGrange Daily News

Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky – giants all in the world of classical music. That the music of two of these three Titans was to be performed by college students was cause for concern to some. The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D is one of the most prodigious works for stringed instruments in the entire repertoire, and the seldom heard and less seldom played Mozart bassoon concerto is no less an unforgiving venue for any young performer. Both performances were of a caliber that had Tuesday night’s audience wishing for more.

The program opened with Beethoven’s Overture to Egmont, an orchestra staple the world over. Maestro Cobos’ interpretation was very workmanlike, and the orchestra handled the tempi changes, sudden dynamic changes, accelerandos and retards with ease. If the performance had been pushed a little more in all these venues, it would have made for a more exciting performance.

The Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major BELONGED to Principal bassoonist Bogdan Dumitriu, 2010 LSO Young Artists Competition Winner. Two things amazed me about this composition. First, that Mozart was familiar enough with the bassoon to ask the performer to execute these incredible scales, arpeggios, and double tonguing repeated notes as easily as any competent pianist would perform them. Second, that one so young as “Bogie” played them as easily as any seasoned performer, no easy task when you’re wielding a 5-foot instrument and running your fingers up and down the length while standing! Actually, he unconsciously moved around while doing this effortless playing so that it was almost a musical ballet between soloist and instrument. Beautiful, clear tone, unerring dexterity all folded neatly into a superb package of grace and charm. The orchestral accompaniment was impeccable.

How was a 19-year old violinist going to handle such a work as the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, a piece that was once considered unplayable by the foremost concert violinists of the time? Hannah Linz supplied the answer almost immediately from the strings of her violin. This young lady is already an artist in the finest sense of the word. Her entire performance was robust and uninhibited, seemingly defying the thoughtful, logical process that went into her interpretation and virtuoso performance.

As many times as I’ve heard this concerto with as many different violinists performing it, I always thought that this particular violin concerto belonged to Nathan Milstein. Hannah Linz’s performance had the same fire, pathos, and flawless technique as did Milstein’s. All of the cadenzas throughout the work were marvelous to behold, letting the audience fully appreciate Hannah’s spectacular dexterity. Here is truly an artist to watch in the days to come. Hopefully, the LSO will find another reason to have her back to LaGrange. My only regret was that there were so many empty seats in the auditorium. Those who were at the first concert and not at the second missed a truly memorable event. Bravo to all!

LSO Opening Concert Definitely NOT “Dead”

By David Kocsis – special to the LaGrange Daily News

As I have said many times, the first concert of the season by any symphony orchestra you care to name usually sets the tone for how the season ticket holders are going to fare. For those who plan on supporting this orchestra for the entire season, the portent gets downright “scary”. Perhaps diabolical is more proper. Just how good is this orchestra in its current form going to get?

The opening “Fanfare” from Paul Dukas’ “La Peri” set the proper tone. It was stately, without being showy. The brass section plus French Horns were in particularly fine form. If there was any thing I would have changed in this performance, it would have been a little more balance between the three trumpets and the rest of the ensemble. Then again, that the trumpets could have been a little bolder may have been due to my seating placement in the hall.

My association with composer Lee Johnson is only slightly more than 7 weeks old, and yet I have developed an admiration for this man in this short time that I have seldom enjoyed. So many people in today’s musical audiences are very “off put” by music labeled “contemporary”. That is due solely to the compositional efforts of those regarded as “contemporary composers”. Lee Johnson has helped enormously in turning this perception around. What we heard tonight was such a refreshing change from the genre of music that tried and failed to say something new. Lee Johnson is to the twenty-first century as Gustav Mahler was to the twentieth century. He treated the music of “The Grateful Dead” in a way that was instantly accessible to general audiences, yet uniquely “Johnsonesque” in its originality. The orchestration of the Symphony No. 6, the “Dead” Symphony, was spot on, not lacking in balance in any aspect. The LaGrange Symphony has obviously gravitated with gusto to this work, and it showed. I would seriously doubt it has had a finer, more admirable rendering from any orchestra anywhere, nor should it. That this man has come to and resided in LaGrange for so many years is one of the fortunate turn of events in this state. It is no wonder he has received so many, many honors. Kudos to Pat Cobos and the orchestra for the fine performance of this incredible work.

Equally impressive was the appearance of Yakov Kasman as soloist in one of the most famous and beloved of all piano concertos, the Concerto No. 2 in C minor by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The program notes adequately covered the difficulty in the birth of this work by the composer/pianist. Mr. Kasman’s performance of it was probably the best, most exciting performance of this work I have ever heard, live or recorded, including performance by the composer himself. Mr. Kasman performed the entire work with great emotion, but with no hint of sentimentality – as it should be. He coaxed the most exquisite sounds in the ultra-melodic passages from the new Shigeru-Kawai EX concert grand piano. Accelerandos and retards were followed with ease by Maestro Cobos and the orchestra, allowing maximum emotion to be drawn out of every person in the audience, resulting in a standing ovation and clamoring for an encore from the artist. As if playing the Rachmaninoff 2nd wasn’t taxing enough for the pianist, his passionate reading of Franz Liszt’s transcription of Robert Schumann’s song “Widmung” or “Dedication” showed just how deep this artist’s technical and emotional prowess goes. I think I can speak for all in the audience when I say, to quote a line written by Oscar Hammerstein in “Carousel”, “we’re mighty glad we came”.