Springfield Symphony, Springfield, MA
April 8, 2017
by Shera Cohen
I’m not going to pretend to have anywhere near the high
credentials of In the Spotlight’s seasoned classical music reviewer, Michael
Moran. You will read no Latin words or phrases in my description of this music.
Yet, I have attended symphonic concerts since I was a child. Those were the
days when buses were filled with kids from nearly all the neighborhood
elementary schools, and set them en route to their own private concert in
Symphony Hall. It is wonderful to know that that indoctrination to classical
music (for me, some 50 years ago) continues. Seeing the dozen or so yellow
school buses aligning the streets at Court Square brings back memories. At the
same time, I hope that those youngsters in attendance will create their own
memories.
SSO is winding down its season with “…Gardens of Spain.” The
evening’s music proved a smorgasbord of composers, styles, and eras. Maestro
Kevin Rhodes called the first piece a “symphonic poem,” distinguishing itself
from a “normal” symphony concert. This meant that linear lines of melody and
instruments didn’t fall naturally in place as the listener might expect. This
style of presentation applied to the program’s first two selections – Franz
Liszt’s “Prometheus,” and Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Youth of Hercules.”
Rhodes’ repartee with his audience is always educational in
a charming, non-didactic way. I always learn more about music, composers, and
musical instruments than I ever expected.

Rimsky-Korsakof’s Capriccio Espangnol provided most of the
Spanish sounds in the evening’s program, which also concluded the performance.
Five folk song pieces formed the core of Capriccio. Sprite and whimsical,
lovely and stirring. It took five percussionists to generate the power to
conclude the concert.