By Rhonelle Runner

Special to The Record

April 13, 2007 3:58 PM

Thursday night at Atherton Auditorium, the Stockton Symphony presented the final Classics concert of their 80th anniversary season in celebratory style, with what Christopher Brubeck called “a glorious collision of two cultures.”

Both works on the program — the premiere of Brubeck’s “Music Is the Power,” and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony — blend elements of popular culture with established orchestral tradition.

Under the baton of Peter Jaffe, the program opened with Brubeck’s piece, a song suite for chorus, orchestra, jazz combo and vocal soloist. Given its eclectic mix of performing forces and lyrics penned by area high school students, this work had the potential to be either a provocative blend of styles, or an unfortunate mash-up of sound and sentiment. The audience waited expectantly.

The first movement, “Chorus of Fallen Angels,” with lyrics by Weston Ranch High School’s Nicolas Gerst, began in traditional style, with a hushed exhortation from the choruses (the combined forces of the Stockton Chorale and the University of the Pacific Choral Ensembles, prepared by Edward Cetto). The intensity built steadily, until it spilled over into a jazz-influenced riff that cascaded into the second movement.

In the second movement, vocalist Yvette Couvson sang with grace and assurance as the jazzy contours of the melody smoothed and became “Music is My Getaway,” a radio-worthy ballad. Stylistically straightforward, Brubeck anchored Weston Ranch High School student Shelby Cornell’s lyrics with a backbeat and warm, sweet string accompaniment. In fact, throughout the work, Brubeck’s use of performing forces was both judicious and idiomatic.

With each song, he took cues from the character of the lyrics, and orchestrated accordingly. The third song, with lyrics by Lincoln High School’s Ashley Kimball and Linden High’s Megan Davey, featured the jazz combo of Lucas Pino, tenor sax; Glenn Zaleski, keyboards; and Ken Cefalo, guitar.

In the final song of the suite, St. Mary’s student Tassarah Weatherly’s beat-driven “I’m Unstoppable” moved even further into pop culture, which meant that the orchestra provided punctuation for the combo.

The mix of chorus, soloist, orchestra, and jazz combo was unexpected, but well-suited to the character of the work. There were some minor balance problems, with the instruments sometimes drowning out the singers. Aside from that, “Music is the Power” worked very well.

Thursday night, the audience responded with an enthusiastic standing ovation.

After intermission, the Delta College Concert Choir, prepared by Scott Bowen, added their voices to a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Yes, another performance of one of the best-known works in the classical canon. Fortunately for us, the assembled forces gave a better than competent performance that helped the familiar seem fresh rather than tired.

Jaffe set a fairly good pace for the first two movements, and then really stretched things out in the third movement, where there was a real sense of arrival, and of breathing room. Overall, the orchestra played quite well. The woodwinds were as warm as usual, and the brass were exceptionally sweet.

Today, audiences usually accept the fourth movement, with its “Ode to Joy” without question. At its premiere in 1824, though, Beethoven drew criticism for having juxtaposed the philosophical “Ode to Joy,” with a popular-style drinking song.

Here, baritone Michael Sokol presented the “Ode” with striking clarity, and tenor Daniel Ebbers introduced the beer-hall tune with conviction.

Soprano Jessica Siena and mezzo-soprano Lisa Van Der Ploeg were the female soloists. They have wonderful voices, and performed well, but Beethoven didn’t give them a whole lot to work with, and that’s just too bad.

Finally, the chorus sang very well, with pleasant intonation and good attention to dynamics, even in the high registers.

In this performance, Jaffe, the ensemble, and the audience were able to appreciate both the philosophy and the fun that results when pop and orchestral styles converge.