San Francisco Classical Voice

There is a lot more to the Napa Valley than fine wine, as was proven by the Napa Valley Symphony's all-Beethoven concert last Tuesday, under Asher Raboy's direction.

Due to earthquake damage at the orchestra's regular venue, the concert was held at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville, a major renovation of which is planned for the near future. It is sorely needed, for though the acoustics were decent enough, the room is not pleasing aesthetically. Once renovated, the hall is planned to become the Napa Valley Symphony's home. Based on what I heard, the orchestra and its conductor deserve the finest hall possible.

A real enthusiasm is felt among the orchestra and its patrons. A full 20 minutes before the downbeat, most of the orchestra was already on stage woodshedding parts while the audience gathered after enjoying a round of wine tasting. The orchestra was on the smallish side — ten first violins, eight seconds, six violas, six cellos, and three basses, perhaps pared down intentionally for this concert. In any case they played with a zeal that, while easily filling the hall, needed more bass support (the sound was heavy at the treble end).

The opening work, the Prometheus Overture, gave an idea of how things would go. The work was dispatched with plenty of verve and precision, especially in the string section's fast running eighth notes. But the best was to come with a performance of the Violin Concerto in D Major. The soloist was Elmar Oliveira, one of the highly respected violinists active today. His playing showed why. After a well-played orchestral introduction, featuring the famous timpani solo nicely rendered by Amy Stubbs, Oliveira lit into the work with drive and passion.

The spirit of his performance compensated for a few slips of intonation early on. This was a performance that went right to the heart of Beethoven's work (marred only, during the first movement cadenza, by the loudest sneeze I have ever heard in an audience, which Oliveira handled without flinching). The slow movement was especially lovely. Oliveira brought out its lyricism, and the rondo finale was a lively romp, with Raboy and the orchestra right in step with the soloist. At the conclusion, the audience responded with a loud and prolonged standing ovation. This was a performance that would have done many a larger venue proud.

After intermission, the Coriolan Overture and the Symphony No. 1 in C Major were well played, with conductor and orchestra sparkling in the symphony's rambunctious finale. However, in the wake of the concerto, there was an anticlimactic feeling. The Coriolan had a few moments of rough ensemble, and dynamics in general tended to be too much the same. The program might have been built better had the Violin Concerto been played last.

The Napa Valley Symphony enjoys an enthusiastic orchestra and audience, plus solid leadership from its conductor. They have a good thing going.

(Mark Osten is a pianist and conductor, teaches music at Santa Rosa Junior College, and writes the program notes and gives pre-concert lectures for the Santa Rosa Symphony.)

©2000 Mark Osten, all rights reserved