San Francisco Classical Voice

March 2, 1999

The last-minute replacement of a group's musical leader doesn't necessarily mean reduced musical standards. In the case of the Academy of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, which performed in Davies Hall last Tuesday, the performance under associate leader Kenneth Sillito, who replaced an ailing Iona Brown, reached standards as high as I have ever heard.

The pool of musicianly musicians from which the Academy draws for its overseas tour, not necessarily the same people who play the homeseason concerts, is astonishingly deep. From its appearance on stage here I would suspect that a good percentage of the players were not born when the ubiquitous recording giant, Neville Marriner, now Sir Neville, founded the ensemble in 1959.

Opening the program, the String Symphony No. 9, in C minor, written by the 12 year-old Felix Mendelssohn, gave an overview of this unique orchestra's qualities. One of the advantages of hearing and seeing an orchestra of 22 or 23 players is the ability to see each and every one of them and observe the individual dedication to a singular purpose. No hiding in the backstands, because there aren't any. Vibrato was on call every needed moment, which gave a lovely silken quality to the singing passages. With your eyes darting from player to player during a fast spiccato passage, you'd note the absolute precision of the right arms in this delicate work. Such skill assured the success of the Mendelssohn style.

Shostakovich's Eighth String Quartet followed, or as sanctioned by the composer in Rudolph Barshai's transcription, the Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a. This is an astonishing work. Carl Sandberg, the American poet, said it best when he wrote the line, "written with the heart's blood."

Much has been written about the work's autobiographical content, but the music is so compelling that the listener can be transported to music heaven without even knowing about the historical baggage usually attributed to this piece. The Quartet/Chamber Symphony is in five sections, played without pause, quoting from the Piano Trio, First Symphony, Cello Concerto, and a wonderful Russian song that reappears throughout the score.

The only grumble I had with this performance was a certain over-polish, an unwillingness on the orchestra's part to lose its incredible sheen and attack the more violent passages with more aggressiveness. Apart from that,the intentions of the composer were more than realized. Contributing to the high caliber of this performance were beautiful solo turns by concertmaster Sillito and principal cellist Steven Orton.

A sparkling, witty performance of the Mozart D Major Divertimento, K. 136, followed the intermission. The eye contact among the musicians was apparent, their breathing together to assure perfect attacks was literally visible, and Sillito's extremely adept leadership gave the music the Mozartean values needed.

Ending the program was Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, opus 10, the piece that put Britten on the musical map in 1937. One can imagine the delight of the Salzburg Festival audience on hearing the first performance of this remarkable score by the 24 year-old Britten. The titles of the 10 variations are clear references: Adagio, March, Romance, Italian Aria, Classic Bourree, Viennese Waltz, Moto Perpetuo, Funeral March, Chant, Fugue and Finale. The score's brilliance was matched by the ensemble's, and the total togetherness, the sweet singing tone, the arresting interpretive concept and a hell-for-the-leather style captivated a large and reponsive audience. Encores were added, a Sitkovetsky transcription of the March from Dohnanyi's String Serenade and a piece from William Walton's film score for Henry V.

(Stuart Canin, is former Concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony and of Hollywood film orchestras, and currently Music Director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.)

©1999 Stuart Canin, all rights reserved