Tuesday, January 19, 1999
Chamber orchestra fuses classical, contemporary sounds
MUSIC: Famed pianist Ivan Moravec energizes concertos at Royce
Hall
By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Contributor
The L.A. Chamber Orchestra continued the celebration of its 30th
anniversary season in a concert on Friday in Royce Hall. The
program featured three classic concertos: Mozart’s "Concerto in D
minor for Piano and Orchestra," Strauss’ "Duet Concertino for
Clarinet and Bassoon," and Samuel Barber’s "Capricorn Concerto for
Flute, Oboe, Trumpet, and Strings."
Besides the fine leadership of conductor Jeffery Kahane and the
always outstanding work of the instrumentalists, this concert also
boasted the talents of celebrated guest pianist Ivan Moravec.
Although long recognized as one of this century’s premiere
pianists, many will remember him best from his role as the hands of
Mozart in the film "Amadeus." Moravec’s film career seems oddly
appropriate considering the evening’s selections; every featured
concerto contained scattered fragments sounding distinctly like
theme music from popular movies or TV series.
The evening began with Barber’s modernist "Capricorn Concerto,
Op.21." Although Barber himself insisted that this piece was not
intended to tell a story, the delightful, lulling sounds made it
difficult not to envision a sunlit afternoon stroll. The entire
concerto is named for Barber’s sun-drenched house in Mount Kisco,
and the final movement is even titled, "Sunday Afternoon on the
Terrace."
The audience listened attentively as Allan Vogel’s oboe, David
Shostac’s flute and David Washburn’s trumpet took turns playing
brisk, breezy solos. Afterward, the orchestra responded to each
soloist, echoing his or her soothing melodies.
Apart from one jarring moment when one might have almost
believed that the violinists decided to abandon the prescribed
program in favor of a spontaneous rendition of the "Psycho" theme,
the cheerful atmosphere of the work was sustained throughout.
Following this performance came Strauss’ "Duet Concertino for
Clarinet and Bassoon." Gary Gray and Kenneth Munday each gave
expert performances on the clarinet and bassoon, respectively.
Rumor has it that Strauss composed this concerto to be performed
together with a fairy tale storyline about a princess and a
beggar.
Although we may never know if this lost story ever really
existed, one can easily construct the fable in one’s mind. The
nimble clarinet and the sorrowful bassoon take turns playing to
each other, and it is not difficult to guess which instrument might
represent each character. As the deep bass and cellos provided
back-up to the bassoon’s burbling, so the plucky violins and violas
do the same for the haughty clarinet. In one stand-out moment, the
orchestra responded in mock horror to a bassoon solo; one can only
wonder what shocking revelation the sighing instrument might have
expressed. Again, one realizes just how much pop culture has
contaminated a listener’s ear when a bit of closing fanfare recalls
nothing so much as Darth Vadar’s theme from "Star Wars."
The program finished with Mozart’s "Concerto in D Minor for
Piano and Orchestra, K. 466." A mood piece about a violent
thunderstorm, the strings alternate between slow mournful wailing
and sudden bursts of chaotic activity. Composed in a minor key, the
work plays with a certain appropriate darkness, the almost off-beat
violins combining with the slowly vibrating woodwinds to paint a
disturbing picture of an untamed, disorderly world.
In many respects, this piece has since become the quintessential
concerto, mainly because so many artists have duplicated Mozart’s
form. While this performance did not bring anything new to the
piece, it still proved to be an interesting listening
experience.
This segment of Mozart also introduced guest artist Moravec. In
the second half of this concerto, the piano took center stage as
Moravec demonstrated his skill for complex keyboard scaling.
Moravec’s reputation appeared well-earned; the audience
responded favorably, demanding an encore performance. In keeping
with the inferred film-related theme of the evening, the excited
violins did at one point sound like the music that the Smurfs play
whenever they are menaced by Gargamel.
The renditions of Strauss and Barber were flawless, but the
orchestra seemed to falter slightly on Mozart’s piece. That is not
to say that they made any mistakes; the musicians proved competent
without exception and Moravec’s solo was a welcome treat.
They did not seem to play this concerto with their usual heart,
but one might attribute this to its being the last item of the
evening. Combined with the complexity of the work, that might
account for a rather lackluster finale to an otherwise engaging
evening. Although perhaps not up to the orchestra’s usual high
standards, the concert was nevertheless a worthwhile
experience.
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