By Donald W. Blount
May 10, 2010 12:00 AM
The Stockton Symphony ended its 2009-10 season with its annual Pops & Picnic concert on Friday in Spanos Center at University of the Pacific.
Pops concerts serve as a wonderful opportunity to introduce someone to classical music. After all, the genre isn't solely for highbrow, uppercrust (meaning snobby) audiences.
At the Stockton event, there are several levels of participation to create your picnic - buying the dinner, boxed meal or bringing your own meal. It's an evening of food, fun and music.
Music, of course, is what the symphony does best, and in some creative ways.
Last year, I had the opportunity to review the symphony's performance of the world debut of Dave and Chris Brubeck's "Ansel Adams: America."
It was a marvelous night thanks to the new composition by the now 89-year-old father and 58-year-old son. The symphony played the work while 101 Ansel Adams images were projected on a screen overhead.
One of the things I remember most of that night was how fatigued, and sweaty, Conductor Peter Jaffe was when I spoke with him during the intermission of the show. I never knew a conductor worked so hard.
The second part of that show was just as remarkable, if for no other reason than seeing 250 choristers, the 70-member symphony, and a soprano soloist and bass baritone soloist on the same stage at Atherton Auditorium at San Joaquin Delta College. They then performed Brahms' "German Requiem."
Friday's crowd was quite large, even though Pacific was a new venue for Pops & Picnic. Previously, the event was held at Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium, which is closed as it undergoes a $2.5 million upgrade to its old heating and air conditioning system.
Pops concerts feature popular music. Friday's theme was Hollywood hits, including songs from "The Magnificent Seven," "Mission Impossible" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
The acoustics were better than I anticipated, given that it is an athletic center adapted for other purposes.
Jane Vial Jaffe, a musicologist and the conductor's wife, was ebullient during the intermission about how well things appeared to be going.
As for Peter Jaffe, he continued his trademark banter with the audience and ability to not take himself seriously by donning several costumes, including a cowboy outfit to begin the program, and a holster that stubbornly continued to slide down his waist despite his repeated tugs to keep it in place.
The only glitch I noticed was that the microphone for guest soloist Ralph Cato appeared to be in need of being turned up during "Under the Sea." Otherwise Cato was in fine voice.
The next Pops & Picnic concert has already been scheduled for April 29, 2011, at Pacific. I would urge anyone with a hankering for classical music to mark the date. And even those without that hankering should do the same. The theme is mystery tour. This event can serve as a great introduction for anyone to the arts scene in Stockton.
Contact Donald W. Blount at (209) 546-8251 or dblount@recordnet.com. The Record Editors' blog is available at recordnet.com/editorblog.
