It must be May, because music is flying
at me and out of me in all directions. Between last Sunday (Il
trovatore) and this coming
Sunday's Chamber Orchestra
concert, I will have had six
completely different performances of various genres. I
am happy just to have brought the right music, the right instrument,
and the right attire. Next week is much easier, only three different
performances...
And
now more about that Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra concert,
2:30 Sunday at the Bijou. Maestro
Lucas Richman's Bijou Theatre farewell will be a concert of
masterpieces from the chamber orchestra and wind band literature;
Richard Strauss' Serenade in E-flat for 13 Winds, William
Schuman's Symphony for Strings,
and Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D.
On the surface the program appears
to be all-German, but remember this is mid-20th-century
American composer William
Schuman, with one “N”, not Robert with two.
The
Strauss Serenade holds a special place in my heart, because I don't
have to play it! But seriously, if you take Mozart's Wind Serenades
and kind of give them a small dose of complexity, you'll have an idea
of what to expect here. It's an early work, nestled between the Cello
Sonata and the momentous First Horn Concerto. It's always a rare treat to
LISTEN to a piece of music at work, and our winds ROCK!
Next
comes the William
Schuman.
Although
his music has been more in the mainstream in the past, it has for
some sad
reason
become less frequently heard. Known for his orchestration of Ives'
Variations on
“America”
for organ, his Credendum:
Article of Faith
was performed here
under Kirk Trevor
in October
of 1992, oddly enough coupled with ROBERT Schumann's 2nd
Symphony. Wow, tough night for the violins. ANYway, the striking
harmonies and excitable rhythms of this String Symphony should wipe
away any doubt of Schuman's presence
in the upper echelon of 20th-century American composers.
Brahms'
op. 11 Serenade (like
the Strauss, a youthful work) which
closes the concert, is pure bliss. A symphony in all but its title,
you can literally hear him develop
as the work progresses. The first Scherzo
forecasts the theme of his 2nd Piano Concerto's Scherzo
in an eery way, but
all six movements are drop-dead gorgeous and iconic.
I played this work before I played any of the Brahms symphonies,
heck, I thought they were all this good!
Fusing
together the separated camps of woodwinds and strings that performed
on the first half of the concert is an ingenious programming touch
that is typical of the classy details for which Maestro Richman will
be missed. We hope YOU are not missed on Sunday afternoon, come on
out!
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