Soprano, Toledo orchestra end season with elan, soul
From the sonic fireworks of the Beatrice and Benedict Overture by Hector Berlioz to the majesty of Sir Edward Elgar's aptly named Enigma Variations, the symphony seemed full of itself in the best way possible - creating a memorable evening of live music in the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle.
In his conducting debut, Rachleff, a busy conductor and academician, made a strong, positive impression from the first downbeat to the final massive chords.
The orchestra responded precisely and with lan to his intelligent, sensitive leadership. His conducting style, infused with expressive clarity and economy, resembles that of Leonard Slatkin, the new music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
The slick and showy Berlioz was followed by selections from Joseph Canteloube's charming Songs of the Auvergne, a local premiere for the orchestra and a chance to hear Susan Lorette Dunn, soprano, in her local debut.
Much like Orff's Carmina Burana or Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes, the Canteloube lyrics reflect the very earthy nature of early poetry, uplifted and transformed by the skill and vision of an inspired composer.
With printed lyrics provided - in English and the original antique French - the messages of the six songs chosen from dozens in the first four volumes of the collection were immediately clear. All the better, really, for the audience could then pay attention to the real beauty of the work - Canteloube's exquisite Impressionist settings and Dunn's marvelous performance.
Her soprano voice rich and smooth as honey, Dunn conveyed the love tales with insouciance and confident interpretation. The only flaws in this program segment were its brevity and the artistic discomfort that separating each song with applause created. Toledo audiences rarely applaud between movements of a symphony any more. Why should the Canteloube be treated any differently?
Samuel Barber's transcendent Adagio for Strings, always a moving work, seemed especially so in last night's concert. There was an amazing tension created as the theme rolled slowly from section to section to its final chords. A visual equivalent to its long, slow, dark rise and subsidence is Maya Lin's profound Vietnam War Memorial in Washington. Perhaps instead of applause, this work warranted fervent Amens.
Rachleff called the second half "soul music" and he was absolutely right. After the solemn Barber work came Elgar's complex and yet transparent Enigma Variations.
This piece is testament to the ability of musical genius to transform a simple eight-note theme into 30 minutes of brilliant musical development. Organist Brian Rotz joined the orchestra for the final parts, but kept the organ contained within the symphony's overall sound.
Classics IX by the Toledo Symphony with Larry Rachleff and Susan Lorette Dunn will repeat at 8 p.m. today in the Peristyle. Tickets are $10-47 at the box office or at www.toledosphymony.com.