Press
December 23rd, 2008
The Warren Philharmonic Concert of November 18, 2008.
By Jerome K. Stephens
The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra is rated one of the top small symphony orchestras inth Northeast Ohio region. Much of that is the result of the work done by the director, Susan Davenny Wyner. On Sunday afternoon, we saw and heard the orchestra at its best in a varied program, beginning with music from Igor Stravinsky’s ballet,.Pertushka, and concluding with John William’ Star Wars Epic Suite. There was much of interest in between.
Stravinsky’s Petrushka is a short ballet as such go. The story line is a rather pathetic one. It is a story of a traditional Russian puppet, who is made of straw, and has a bag of sawdust as his body, but who comes to life and has the capacity to love, a love that has a tragic end.
Stravinsky composed the music during the winter of 1910–11 for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It was premièred in Paris at the Théâtre du Chatelet on June 13, 1911 under conductor Pierre Monteux, (Pierre Monteux was still conducting even after WW II. I can remember a telecast of him conducting Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony.) The production was generally a success, but a few observers were taken aback by music that was brittle, caustic, and, to them, even grotesque.
Stravinsky scored a revised version in 1947 for a smaller orchestra.
I have heard it played by other orchestras. It is a ballet, which means that there are passages meant to describe transitional movement. In the hands of a conductor that has no feel for ballet, such passages can become rather twaddley. Needless to say, that was not the case Sunday. Maestra Wyner and the orchestra were able to carry the drama forward in a convincing manner. Still, I would actually like to see it someday.
Heitor Villa Lobos is a Brazilian composer who is best known in the U. S. for his Bachianas Brasileiras, a set of compositions done roughly in the manner of J. S. Bach, but with a distinctly Brazilian flavor. This is unfortunate. I have recordings of his symphonies, and other compositions, and they are well worth hearing. Villa Lobos also composed the film score for the Hollywood turkey, Green Mansions. The music is excellent, but it could not rescue the movie.
The Little Train of the Caipira is from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2, for orchestra, and is a Toccata. It is a symphonic poem that graphically describes what its title designates. The composer was inspired by a train ride he took in 1931 on such a "puffing and chugging" country train transporting rural workers from around Sao Paolo. It must be one of the most perfectly descriptive tone poems in existence.
I first heard it played on the PBS program, Adventures in Good Music hosted by Carl Haas. This was only the third tome. It deserves greater exposure. It was played by the Warren Philharmonic in its usual excellent manner.
Aaron Copland’s Rodeo was originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, a dance company that moved to the United States during World War II. De Mille was given considerable creative control, choosing Aaron Copland for the composition. She had been impressed by his previous ballet, Billy the Kid. Copland was reluctant to do another Cowboy ballet, but De Mille persuaded him that this would mark a significant departure from his previous work. Although many of Copland's works utilized American folk tunes, Rodeo leaves them intact in the score, with little alteration by the composer.
The only part of the ballet score played Sunday was Hoedown, which utilizes square dance themes. It was , of course, very lively.
John Williams's most familiar style may be described as a form inspired by the same large-scale orchestral music of the late 19th century that inspired his predecessors in their film scores.
Williams's first major film score was for the B-movie, Daddy-O, in 1958, and his first screen credit was two years later in Because They're Young. In 1974, Williams was then approached by Steven Spielberg to compose the music for his feature directorial debut, The Sugarland Express. Spielberg recommended Williams to his friend and fellow director George Lucas, who needed a composer to score his ambitious space epic, Star Wars. Williams produced a grand symphonic score. Its main theme, "Luke's Theme," is among the most widely-recognized, and the "Force Theme" and "Princess Leia's Theme" are well-known examples of the leitmotif idea. The film and its soundtrack were both very successful, and Williams won another Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Williams was asked to score the film adaptation of the widely successful young adult's book series, Harry Potter. He went on to score the first three installments of the franchise.
The orchestra played a symphonic suite adapted from the film score, the Star Wars Epic Suite. Again, it was very well done.
There was also a bonus performance one movement of the Violin Concerto by J. S. Bach. The soloist was Nathan Gelfand, the son of the Principle Cellist, Michael Gelfand. He did very well.