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SYMPHONY REVIEW
March 7, 2004
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By Benjamin Frandzel
The Marin Symphony's concert Sunday at the Marin
Veterans' Memorial Auditorium brought to mind the
question of originality in music. I left the concert
considering what made the authentic invention of each
work so apparent, what set it apart from deliberate
novelty. Both the contemporary American composer
Jennifer Higdon and Saint-Saens surprise the ear by
announcing their ideas through a full and unusual
palette of instrumental color, matching their
compositional fluency with sincerity of expression.
And in the case of Mozart, there was the sheer
inventiveness that could only have come from that
singular mind.
The program began with a recent work by the
increasingly celebrated Higdon. Her blue cathedral
was written in memory of her late brother David Blue,
and it shows Higdon to be a composer who matches a
direct style of communication with an imaginative
awareness of instrumental possibilities. Much of this
work has a lush feeling to it, as it incorporates rich
string textures, layered bells, and the lovely effect
of combined harp and celesta, among many others. The
piece goes beyond the creation of an evocative
atmosphere, though, as Higdon manages the difficult
feat of creating a dreamlike mood while maintaining
forward momentum. Equal credit goes to conductor
Alasdair Neale and the orchestra for polished,
sensitive playing and thoughtful pacing.
Despite the memorial nature of the piece, for nearly
its entire length, the strongest sensation it creates
is pleasure in its sheer aural beauty rather than a
sense of mourning or a leaving-this-world ecstasy.
The work achieved its most moving moments near the
end, fittingly enough, when the solo flute and
clarinet that had been featured early in the piece
returned. Over the background of several dozen
players rolling Chinese reflex bells in their hands,
flutist Jeanie Chandler and clarinetist Arthur Austin
played with an understated lyricism, evoking a spirit
hovering away from the rumbling of the everyday world.
The orchestra was joined by soloist Corey Cerovsek for Mozart's Violin Concerto No.5, the "Turkish." I didn't hear Cerovsek during his child prodigy years (he had finished his doctoral work in music and mathematics by age 18), but I can safely say that at 32 he has matured into a compelling and distinctive musician. His tone is rather brilliant and carries well over the orchestra, and he brought a free, spontaneous quality to his playing, particularly in the cadenzas. He often used the more ornamental aspects of Mozart's melodies as opportunities for surprising phrasing, rising and falling not quite where you'd expect, but still putting his ideas across as authentic and convincing. He also tossed off these arabesques with a freedom that comes from the remarkable bow control that is a highlight of his playing. While there was a relaxed quality to the faster movements from both soloist and orchestra, Cerovsek's soloing in the middle movement provided a lively contrast. He was a little bit jaunty in the midst of the slower music, and found a touch of pathos in the cadenza. The concluding movement, filled with unusual melodic turns that earned the concerto its nickname, was played with a fiery intensity by both Cerovsek and the orchestra. Neale's pacing was just right, motoring along but restrained enough to let the surprises in the music be fully appreciated. A couple of solo encores provided a fuller picture of Cerovsek's musicianship. He brought a mellower tone and a poetic quality to the Adagio from Bach's C Major Sonata. He also has a charming exuberance, and got some laughs when he admitted neither he nor the players he consulted onstage were sure of the name of the movement. The Wienawski Caprice that followed was a dazzler, though Cerovsek followed it with the announcement that the instrument he was playing was not in fact the ca.1742 “Wienawski” del Gesu that had been advertised for the concert. The instrument lent him had been withdrawn by the owner. An orchestra representative informed me that Cerovsek was playing a 19th-Century Pressenda, also from Cremona, with the music none the poorer. The evening ended with a stirring rendition of Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3, "Organ". This work provided a showcase for the fine sense of ensemble that the orchestra has under Neale's direction. The brass and strings achieved an ideal balance as they traded themes in the first movement, for example, and each instrumental section emerged clearly at the furious opening of the work's second half. This sensitivity highlighted Saint-Saens' ingenuity in combining orchestral and thematic development, traversing the orchestra while varying the movement's opening theme. There was a considered stillness when necessary, providing a canvas for the rich inventiveness of this work and a strong sense of pulse throughout the ensemble.
(Benjamin Frandzel is a Bay Area musician and writer. In addition to
writing concert music, he has collaborated with dance, theater, and visual artists, and has written about music for many publications and musical organizations. He is currently a graduate student in composition at San Francisco State University.)
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Corey Cerovsek