PHILHARMONIC PROGRAM STIRS THE IMAGINATION

In spite of all the "pictures," Shannon Lee steals the show.

By George Warren - September 27, 2009

The Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra opened its season in grand fashion Saturday at the William Saroyan Theatre with a stunning visual display, profound musicianship in the soloist Shannon Lee, and an ear-splitting finale of “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Theodore Kuchar led the orchestra and a huge audience in the National Anthem, and the season was under way.

Shannon Lee, at the age of 17, has already performed Barber’s Violin Concerto and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto in D major. This evening, she played Glazunov’s Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82, and her technique in the cadenza took away the collective breath.

This work starts out slow and mellow, and the mind wanders a bit. Does this young musician have what it takes to finish? Is her tone a bit flat from nerves, the bow, the instrument? One thinks of the Bruch concerto, and Vivaldi, works played by other young violinists. There are a few moments here where the violin takes off at high speed, but we’ve seen that before.

Then there is a bit of tension, and the violin is released from the saccharine musing of Glazunov. Shannon Lee, at this moment transformed from the average player to stunning virtuoso, commanding the stage entirely with her fingers. She did not stamp her feet or swish her hair or slam her bow on the strings. She played the cadenza with no flaws at an extremely fast tempo. The questionable tone of earlier gave way to youthful expression, skill that for most takes decades to acquire, and a transcendent performance that took the listener out of the hall and into that special place where one suspends the disbelief. Hearing a young person play at this level makes the experience extraordinary.

Many people love the music of Dave Brubeck, and the photography of Ansel Adams has immortalized more than one region of the western United States. Now the musical style of Brubeck has met the photography of Adams in a concert piece co-commissioned by seven orchestras including the Fresno Philharmonic. The composition “Ansel Adams: America,” co-composed by Dave Brubeck and his son Chris, received its Fresno premiere on this program.

The Brubeck work purports to respond to and interact with Adams photography, and over 100 photographs were projected on a screen above the orchestra during the performance. Projecting images or adding other visual elements to a concert can augment the aesthetic experience, but it can also distract the listener from the actual music. Here, there were both moments when the images made one forget the onstage efforts of real living people, but there were also times when the music was so cloying that one was grateful for something else to occupy the mind.

To clarify: for the critical ear that is accustomed to following themes and listening closely to the blend of instruments of the orchestra, the visual aspect of the musicians playing on the stage is more than enough visual stimulation. However, not every piece of music composed for orchestra is as good as the next, and the addition of stunning visual elements like Adams’s photography can “get the music over,” as it did in the present case.

The Brubeck work began with jazz chords in a brass choir, and that element, thankfully, returned many times over the course. One expects these chords from Brubeck, and the timbre of the brass instruments brought something special to what would usually be heard on the piano. The brass gave way to woodwinds, another fantastic blend of timbres, and then the strings entered.

A couple of minutes into the promising score, an insipid theme in 6/8 time took over and repeated itself ad infinitum, and those photos suddenly became interesting. After the 6/8 episode, it was challenging to regain interest in the music, but there were many worthy moments as the work meandered through a variety of episodes.

In many of these episodes the orchestra made stellar efforts to bring off what seemed to be imitation Bernstein textures. These efforts seemed in vain, unfortunately; the music did not reward the skill of the musicians, and one felt a fondness for the success Bernstein had orchestrating his jazzy portions of “On the Waterfront” or “West Side Story.” The orchestra had its best moments with the chord textures—there were no moments of harmonic confusion, no wrong notes in the midst of the mild dissonance. On the upside, the commissioning and programming of a new composition must be commended. The Philharmonic took a risk with this work, and it seemed to be well received by the audience. Whether the collective enjoyment came from the good parts of the score or from the photographs on the screen needs no further analysis.

For those who love the wide range of timbres the orchestra provides, Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” as orchestrated by Ravel can’t miss. Kuchar launched the Promenade at a vibrant clip, and off they went.

Highlights of this performance: The whole orchestra held down its volume in support of the bassoon (with other woodwinds) solo in “The Old Castle.” Here, soloists and orchestra succeeded brilliantly creating the mysterious mood of this “picture.” In “Bydlo,” the tuba solo alone is worth the price of a ticket. How often does one hear the tuba carrying the melody? And finally, Kuchar directed the loudest and most majestic finale in “The Great Gate of Kiev” this hall has heard in years. One imagines the rehearsal: “Trombones, would you mind playing that a bit louder?” and “Percussion, if that tam tam is not dented or broken after the concert, we’ll find someone stronger next time.”

This program sought to offer something for everyone, and it succeeded.