San Francisco Classical Voice

In the wake of the human tragedy of September 11th, music director Jeffrey Kahane worked with haste to revise his Santa Rosa Symphony season opener for last Saturday, dedicating the new program to the victims of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. He expressed his wish that this program and particularly Barber's Adagio for Strings and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, would provide solace, healing and hope for audience and performers alike. Significant to this production, but not unique to Kahane's community-building efforts, was the inclusion of accomplished student musicians in the orchestra for the Barber and in the chorus for the Beethoven.

The powerful range of expression of the Barber Adagio, based on a single melodic idea, is remarkable when considering the relative simplicity of the music. Maestro Kahane drew an impressive blend of sound from the Santa Rosa Symphony's strings, augmented with student players from the Young People's Chamber Orchestra of Santa Rosa. Following the Adagio, a transition was made to an off-stage chorus singing the Lutheran hymn O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden from J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

The B minor violin concerto of Camille Saint-Sa”ns, Op. 61, was the only originally scheduled piece that remained on this revised program. Performing on the ex-Kiesewetter Stradivarius, 19-year-old Ilya Gringolts was an outstanding soloist. Dressed in subdued, informal attire, his modest style allowed the music to speak for itself. Impeccable intonation was underscored by a sweetness of tone traditionally associated with his mentor, Itzhak Perlman. Gringolts performed brilliant passagework with gentle nonchalance.

It is a monumental undertaking to prepare a 200-voice non-professional chorus on short notice, but the inspiration to form a community event around the performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor led to a triumph. In collaboration with choral director Bob Worth of Sonoma State University, Kahane invited singers from five local high schools and four adult choirs to join the Symphony in this performance. The result was a stage packed beyond capacity with an ensemble that radiated tremendous enthusiasm for this work that so beautifully expresses the spirit of brotherhood.

The first three orchestral movements were performed with power and brilliance, especially by the first violin and viola sections that had the acoustically favorable position of being placed side by side. Kahane's tempi were fiery and brisk, but the Adagio molto e cantabile lost none of its characteristic timelessness.

The ‘Choral' movement featured a well-matched quartet of vocal soloists, Elissa Johnston, soprano, Stacey Rishoi, mezzo soprano, Steven Stolen, tenor, and Robert Gardner, baritone, and there were engaging interactions between them and Kahane. The tenor solo, sung with vigor by early music specialist Steven Stolen, was a highlight. Conductor and tenor appeared to be coaxing each other to dynamic extremes, resulting in an exuberant declamation of the text.

Maintaining a high level of focused energy throughout the evening, the entire ensemble performed with an exalted musical spirit, the event realized as a glorious celebration of life.

(Cynthia Albers is a violinist and teacher residing in rural Sonoma County. She performs with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, and is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music.)

©2001 Cynthia Albers, all rights reserved