Man and Nature
Springfield Symphony Hall
November 3
By Wendy Sutter
On Saturday night classical music aficionados from across the Pioneer Valley were treated to another rousing performance by Maestro Kevin Rhodes and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. The evening's theme Man and Nature included works by Smetana, Bernstein and Beethoven.
The program opened with an enchanting rendition of Smetana's The Moldau, a lilting tribute to the river of the composer's native Bohemia. What began as a murmuring of solo strings conjuring images of a meandering brook slowly gathered speed as the entire orchestra joined together in the birth of a triumphant musical maelstrom cascading headlong to its astounding finish. The Moldau is a perfect example of the sentimentality heard in most symphonic poems: the music pulls at the heart-strings of the listener who yearns for those care-free, idyllic days spent in the company of nature alone.
Second on the program for the evening was Leonard Bernstein's Serenade for Violin, String Orchestra, Harp and Percussion. Bernstein's composition is a musical ode to Plato's Symposium, a conversation amongst friends on the "nature" of love. The winding solo violin slyly manipulated the musical dissertation throughout its five movements only to be answered in return by an orchestral cacophony of objections and assents reminiscent of any good philosophical argument. Guest soloist Glenn Dicterow delivered a performance of technical perfection and lyrical aplomb that brought the entire house to their feet.
The final selection was Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major. Like the Smetana work, Beethoven's symphony is considered a symphonic poem meant to call upon pleasant imagery for the listener. Indeed, such was the case. As the orchestra flowed effortlessly from one movement to the next, the audience was transported back in time to a more "romantic" era of music replete with echoes of happy country folk enjoying the offerings of nature. Certainly a fitting ending for any classical connoisseur!
November 3
By Wendy Sutter
On Saturday night classical music aficionados from across the Pioneer Valley were treated to another rousing performance by Maestro Kevin Rhodes and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. The evening's theme Man and Nature included works by Smetana, Bernstein and Beethoven.
The program opened with an enchanting rendition of Smetana's The Moldau, a lilting tribute to the river of the composer's native Bohemia. What began as a murmuring of solo strings conjuring images of a meandering brook slowly gathered speed as the entire orchestra joined together in the birth of a triumphant musical maelstrom cascading headlong to its astounding finish. The Moldau is a perfect example of the sentimentality heard in most symphonic poems: the music pulls at the heart-strings of the listener who yearns for those care-free, idyllic days spent in the company of nature alone.
Second on the program for the evening was Leonard Bernstein's Serenade for Violin, String Orchestra, Harp and Percussion. Bernstein's composition is a musical ode to Plato's Symposium, a conversation amongst friends on the "nature" of love. The winding solo violin slyly manipulated the musical dissertation throughout its five movements only to be answered in return by an orchestral cacophony of objections and assents reminiscent of any good philosophical argument. Guest soloist Glenn Dicterow delivered a performance of technical perfection and lyrical aplomb that brought the entire house to their feet.
The final selection was Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major. Like the Smetana work, Beethoven's symphony is considered a symphonic poem meant to call upon pleasant imagery for the listener. Indeed, such was the case. As the orchestra flowed effortlessly from one movement to the next, the audience was transported back in time to a more "romantic" era of music replete with echoes of happy country folk enjoying the offerings of nature. Certainly a fitting ending for any classical connoisseur!
Labels: greater springfield, man and nature, music, sso, symphony hall
