|
|
|
In an enjoyable program that presented different visions of the 20th century, the Stockton Symphony opened the second half of its 80th season Thursday at Atherton Auditorium. The program repeats tonight. Following a welcome and rare rendition of Virgil Thomson's 1985 "Stockton Fanfare," conductor Peter Jaffe led the symphony through a powerful and broadly shaped performance of Copland's "Appalachian Spring" suite, in the well-known version for large orchestra. After a melancholy opening movement featuring a number of small solos well played by a variety of orchestra members, the symphony's performance of the second section was crisp, with a compelling rhythmic drive. The piece ends with the Shaker melody "Simple Gifts" that gives way to an atmosphere of hushed repose. Led by Patrick McCarthy, the double basses descended well below their normal range, grounding the transcendent performance by the upper strings of the work's final chords. It is difficult to overstate the sublime response the orchestra produced. Richard Ormrod's performance of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 formed the centerpiece of the program. Widely regarded as a chops-busting monster, this relatively short work from 1855 received an enthusiastic performance. Ormrod played with confidence and an impressive attention to expressive detail. His precision, especially during the bombastic octave runs that open and close the piece, always let a hint of musicality show through. Amid the flash and grand display, Ormrod paid equal attention to a sense of poetry in the work's slower, more lyrical sections. The concert's second half couldn't quite match the successes of the first, though. While the symphony produced perfectly competent performances of Stokowski's 1927 orchestral transcription of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and Ravel's "Rapsodie espagnole," neither quite had the spark that wholly encourages a repeat listen. Stokowski's aim in producing his transcription was to introduce Bach to as many people as possible. With its romantic sense of pathos and drama, it's something of a guilty pleasure, but one worth hearing live at least once. Jaffe controlled the extra-large orchestra with skill and grace, and the group responded with a solid performance. The concert closed with Ravel's 1907 impression of Spain. It's a slightly strange piece in its combination of textural developments from European modernism and fleeting snatches of Iberian instrumentation and characteristic rhythms. In addition to Kyle Bruckman's fine work on the English horn, the symphony's percussion section, led by Bob Stover, put together a tight performance. Contact Glenn Pillsbury at features@recordnet.com.
|
