Performers Mix Russian Fairy Tale, French Concerto

by Diane Peterson 

The Press Democrat, March 21, 2005

The Santa Rosa Symphony took listeners on a magic carpet ride Saturday night at the Burbank Center for the Arts, brightening a dreary, wet weekend with a magical Russian fairy tale, a sparkling French concerto and an electrifying new work.

After last month's trial run with music director candidate Joana Carneiro, the symphony was back under the baton of music director Jeffrey Kahane, who has only a few concerts left before he leaves the Santa Rosa podium for good in 2006 to lead the Colorado Symphony.

Both Kahane and the orchestra seemed refreshed and happy to be back together after the break from their routine. Kahane's conducting was in fine form, his beat clear and his movements economical and smooth.

The orchestra sounded especially lush and self-assured after intermission in Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade," a work whose orchestration is as intoxicating as the "Thousand and One Nights" tales upon which it is based.

This is the kind of repertory staple that the orchestra could probably play in its sleep. But Saturday night's performance was entirely engaged and alert, which showed in both the orchestral solos from principal players as well as the crisp ensemble playing.

Portraying the voice of Scheherazade, concertmaster Joseph Edelberg sounded especially sweet and alluring during his solos. The winds as a whole were equally impressive, including principal oboe Laura Reynolds, principal clarinet Roy Zajac and principal flute Kathleen Lane Reynolds. Ditto the brass, percussion and hard-working harpist Michael Rado.

Before intermission, cellist Daniel Gaisford brought showmanship and flair to the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 in A minor, the more popular of the composer's two concertos for the deep-voiced string instrument.

Performing on his 1706 Matteo Gofriller cello, Gaisford had no trouble projecting his sound during the work's tricky double-stops, arpeggios and harmonics, although intonation in the upper register wasn't always spot-on.

However, his mature musicianship polished the virtuoso piece to a high sheen, especially during the effective pianissimo passages. For an encore, Gaisford sailed smoothly through Saint-Saens' beloved "The Swan," accompanied by Kahane on piano.

Opening the concert was Ingram Marshall's hauntingly beautiful "Bright Kingdoms" for Orchestra and Tape, first performed last January by the Oakland Symphony.

As the veteran among the three composers funded by the Magnum Opus project, Marshall is probably the most radical, with roots in the meditative music of the Pacific Rim, which slows one's sense of time.

His new work, like his eerie "Kingdom Come" and "Fog Tropes," overlays electronic tapes with live performance, challenging the listener to multitask through different rhythms, harmonies and soundscapes.

Saturday night, the work seemed to work better for the orchestra than it did for the electronic tape, which sounded overly disjointed and muddled. Or maybe it was because some of the tape was purposely run backwards.

At any rate, this kind of cutting-edge music needs sophisticated sound equipment and superb acoustics. Barring that, I'd suggest you give this gifted composer another try on your CD player.

It's another world.

The Santa Rosa Symphony will repeat the Saturday program at 8 tonight at the Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. Tickets: $26-47. Phone: 546-8742.