“A varied and rousing showcase of modern classics”
The performance tonight begins with Samuel Barber’s Essay No.2, a piece which itself starts
strong and forward with percussion, then goes on to rise and fall intermittently before swelling
with the string ensemble so characteristic of much of Barber’s work. As with all the choices of
music this evening they make a point of putting on show the great range within these pieces,
and the great range of this orchestra.
Barber’s Essay is only one movement, however and we quickly move on to tackle Phillip Glass’
Violin Concerto No.1. The first two movements of the concerto (the somewhat idiosyncratically
titled ♩ = 104 – ♩ = 120 and ♩ = ca. 108) are heavy and redolent with Glass’ haunting string and
Celeste arpeggios – a cornerstone of some of his more famous work and reminiscent in many
parts of certain movements of Koyaanisqatsi. Chloë Hanslip performs excellently here as key
violin and elevates many of the smaller sections of arpeggiation to an impressive height. The
last movement (♩ = ca. 150 – Coda: Poco meno ♩ = 104) is a different beast entirely – after a
small lull by way of the softer, more mysterious, second movement we enter a back and forth,
almost a dialogue, between light and airy trills one minute and bombastic, big-band-style stings
the next. This was, for me, the orchestra’s greatest opportunity to showcase their skill and
control of the material and they did this with aplomb.
Said orchestra, as is almost to be expected from such veteran musicians, played flawlessly
throughout. The range previously mentioned is truly a defining mark of their performance and
with many instruments serving various duties, for example in the scheme of the different timbres
of each piece, it really is a delight to see the performers tackle each work on display tonight.
Returning from the interval we now have two pieces by Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from
Westside Story and Three Dance Episodes from On The Town. As a return, these are
appropriately jazzy and indeed are performed with great enthusiasm; this now is truly the piece
which serves to enjoing most of the orchestra in the performance. The impressive swings
between the great walls of sound necessitated by some of the livelier dances and the
mellifluous lilt of the lighter numbers are accomplished with ease and do a phenomenal job of
walking you through the story of which they are a part. This is a section of the performance that
will undoubtedly prove a delight to any fans of the music of Westside story
As the softer tones of the more romantic symphonic arrangements fade, we are left with just that
small selection of dances from On the Town as our last full piece. These function now almost as
a palate cleanser at the end of the night and truly showcase for us a microcosm of the variety
and range inherent in the evening’s performance. We go at first from the brassy swing of The
Great Lover Displays Himself to another lull with Lonely Town: Pas de Deux (here almost mirroring Glass’ concerto) and then bringing us right back with the loud and jazzy Times Square: 1944 to round out a truly inspired evening of modern classical variety.