By Glenn Pillsbury
April 17, 2010 12:01 AM
With a program featuring festive symphonic works, the Stockton Symphony began the final weekend of its 2009-10 Classics season Thursday evening at Atherton Auditorium. The program repeats tonight.
Launched by a whirlwind of orchestral activity, the concert opened with the "Bacchanale" from Saint-Saëns' opera "Samson and Delilah," premiered in 1877. The piece immediately presents its subject using the familiar stereotypes of musical Orientalism. Thomas Nugent's beautiful opening oboe solo, full of the melodic gestures so loved by 19th century composers for representing all manner of non-Western societies, demonstrated control and expressive skill that really brought the exotic music to life.
In the piece's middle section, conductor Peter Jaffe worked hard to bring out the lush Romantic music of the strings while trying to make Saint-Saëns' odd flutterings in the winds and brass make sense. More successful was the run-up to the piece's powerful finish, led by timpanist Coleman Sholl.
Bookended by two works of a more representational character, Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor, completed in 1845, is more in the vein of evocation and subtlety that was so important to composers of his generation.
The piece's opening gesture should leap out like a jolt of electricity before moving into the main theme. However, at Thursday's performance, that opening sounded unsure of itself, both in the connections among soloist Peter Takacs, conductor and orchestra, as well as in the very tone of the piano.
Indeed, Takacs seemed to struggle with the instrument throughout the first movement. The piano's somewhat dull and muffled tone must have been unexpected, and it forced him to struggle to be heard, which in turn affected the accuracy of his performance.
Yet, while the orchestra frequently threatened to overpower the soloist, the moments of solo piano, such as the reverent chorale-like music in the first movement, were played by Takacs in a way that communicated an impressive depth.
Technical issues aside, Takacs was warmly received by Thursday's audience, and he clearly has the expressive chops to handle the style of writing favored by Schumann in this piece. Especially in the final movement, Schumann positions the piano as something of an accompaniment to the orchestra. In this more textural role beneath rich melodies played in the strings it rolls along in a series of rapid arpeggios and scale runs, all of which were handled by Takacs with a graceful virtuosity.
Respighi's large-scale "Feste Romane (Roman Festivals)" closed the program in jubilant fashion. Infrequently performed since its premiere in 1929, though well-liked by audiences who do get to hear it, the work is receiving its first Stockton performances this weekend.
As the concluding piece in Respighi's "Roman" trilogy of symphonic poems, the work's Italian flair served as a beacon for Italian nationalism in the interwar years, something about which Respighi himself felt much more ambiguously.
Respighi wrote four movements for a very large orchestra that each depict a festive gathering related to Italian life and history as centered on Rome. Jaffe deftly managed the expanded forces that included seven trumpets, four clarinets (in addition to tripling the other winds), two- and four-hand piano, as well as nine percussionists.
As with previous season finales, "Feste Romane" contains engaging music that also lets the symphony showcase a big orchestra along with a good number of individual members and sections in featured roles.
Contact Glenn Pillsbury at features@recordnet.com.
Peter Takacs
With: Stockton Symphony
When: 6 p.m. today
Where: Atherton Auditorium, San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton
Admission: $25-$50
Information: (209) 951-0196
