Reviews

Symphonicity: Time Warp
Sandler Center, October 13, 2019
Review by John Campbell

During a spoken introduction after the National Anthem, Music Director and Conductor Daniel W. Boothe told the audience that Bach did not invent Western music, he discovered the DNA of Western music. The opening Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565, written for organ by J.S. Bach (1685-1750), was arranged for orchestra by Leopold Stokowski (1882-1977). Stokowski was a London-born and trained conductor who was an organ recitalist in London (1907) and New York (1905-1907). In 1912 he was asked to take over as conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. There he became famous for what was called the “Philadelphia sound” with its luxuriant, sonorous tones and pinpoint attention to instrumental colors. In 1927 he recorded for the first time the Bach arrangement we heard.

Symphonicity, the all volunteer community orchestra of Virginia Beach, gave a glorious performance, led by Mr. Boothe. Bach never heard it like this: three instrumental groups each take a turn at the opening chords. The expanded potential of the orchestral forces with shimmering strings and the light, crisp playing of the woodwinds, brass and subtle percussion made real the innate grandeur of Bach's music, especially in the sweeping climaxes. I will certainly still enjoy my period Bach performances but this was marvelous playing in the Sandler's acoustically live hall.

In the liner notes of Stokowski's 1957-1958 recording available on CD, he described Bach's Toccata and Fugue: It “is among the freest in form and expression. Bach was in the habit of improvising in the church of St. Thomas in Leipzig. In this lengthy, narrow, high church with a reverberation period of 3/5s of a second, the thundering harmonies must have echoed long and tempestuously, for this music has power and majesty that is cosmic.” This is so true!

Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) was 18 when Bach died in 1750. This was the year after Haydn was let go from his job as a choirboy at Saint Stevens in Vienna (where he received a good musical education) because his voice had broken. He found himself living in poverty and he took a job as accompanist and servant to Italian composer and teacher Nicola Porpora (1686-1768). He later worked for two aristocratic patrons until 1761 when he was hired by Prince Paul Esterhazy and was part of Esterhazy's household for the next 30 years. Paul and his brother Nikolaus were passionate music-lovers. In 1666 Prince Nikolaus built a palace second only to Versailles where they spent the greater part of each year. In this isolation Haydn's art blossomed. “There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original.” There he practically invented the Classical music forms of symphony, concerto, string quartet and sonata.

The last half of the 18th century we know as the Classical period. During the Enlightenment the educated elite prided themselves on their civilization, on logic, emotional restraint and on politeness. It was the golden age of the aristocracy and they wanted simpler music than the Baroque. Music that would entertain “but not put too much strain on the intellect.” Haydn embodied this balanced approach in musical tastes.

Symphony No. 19 in D major (written in 1761-1762 when Haydn was 30) is an early one of his 104 symphonies and was delectably played by the orchestra pared-down to 24 players. The music was clear and uncomplicated and emphasized the beauty of lyrical music in a formal style. The lighter-than-air sound contrasted with the “muscular thickness" of the Bach fugue. As the program notes say, Bach sounds like he is talking to God; Haydn, like he is making witty remarks to courtiers to bring smiles to all of our faces. Hearing this music made our hearts dance.

After intermission we were treated to a world premiere by Polo Piatti (b. 1954), an Argentine composer who now makes his home in London after study in Paris and Berlin. The word "Bohemian" in Piatti's Bohemian Concerto for piano and orchestra refers to the life of the creative artist, not a geographic region in the Czech Republic, just as it was used in the opera La Bohème. Piatti was referred to as a neo-Romantic, as in restrained emotional expression.

The brilliant playing by pianist Thomas Pandolfi paired with the excellent sound of the orchestra gave the new piece a fitting debut. Composer Piatti, who was in the audience, is well-known in Europe and Japan for his own improvisatory piano concerts. Drawing on that stream-of-consciousness idea for his composed concerto created an unending river of lyrical sound filled with emotion. It was easy to hear with its underlying heartbeat on the timpani played by Brian Tuttle. There were periods of quiet solo piano that often blossomed into full-blown Romantic climaxes that built to a furor. Cello and bass were featured, as well as flute. Colors by woodwinds, trumpets, cymbals and bass drum by turn set the stage for additional melodious piano that always led to another big climax. It was fast—then slow, loud—then soft, brilliant—then thin, pretty music. The audience gave a wildly enthusiastic ovation as it ended.

I appreciated greatly the quality of the performance though I was glad to see it end. My personal limit of emotionally evocative music had been reached two-thirds of the way through. I need more structure and less heart to keep me engaged for forty minutes.

Editor's Note

Each performance of Symphonicity's 2019-2020 season, titled “Bach to the Future,” opens with a different Bach transcription. The November 17th performance, that we were not able to attend, offered Bach's Fantasy and Fugue in C. We later learned from Lynette Andrews, Executive Director of Symhonicity, that the Bach transcription was by Sir Edward Elgar. Lindsay Deutsch, an American violinist from Texas, who has played with Yanni, was soloist for the Beatles Fantasy Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Her encore was a Surf Rock version of Misirlou, a Greek/Turkish folk song, arranged by Dick Dale and the Del Tones in 1963. Violinist Deutsch was joined by Maestro Boothe on conga drum. Rich Moriarty told us that it “…was spectacular and Daniel brought down the house with an encore with the soloist…Daniel on the conga drum and the GORGEOUS soloist on the violin.” After intermission the orchestra played the world premiere of Daniel W. Boothe's Psalm Passacaglia commissioned for Symphonicity and dedicated to Carol Sue Kirk by Sharon Kirk Reyes. The closing piece was the coloristic Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofé.

Dr. Moriarty's We That Wait will be featured on the next Symphonicity concert on February 16, 2020.