By Diane Peterson 

The Press Democrat, December 9, 2002

The house lights stayed on during the Santa Rosa Symphony's powerful performance of Brahms' German Requiem on Saturday night at the Burbank Center for the Arts, allowing patrons to read the translated text. 

But there were other sources of light during the concert as well, including a rhythmic vitality that helped clarify the muddiness of Brahms' complex textures and a crispness of tempo that stripped away any funereal traces of sentimentality. 

Under the baton of Music Director Jeffrey Kahane, the symphony and the 160-voice Santa Rosa Symphony Honor Choir joined forces in a sumptuously burnished performance that underscored the spirituality of the holiday season without trumpeting it too loudly. 

The honor choir, which was prepared by Santa Rosa Symphony Choral Director Bob Worth, includes members of the Sonoma County Bach Choir, students drawn from 10 local high schools and various community members, including such familiar faces as Santa Rosa High School Choral Director Dan Earl and Worth himself. 

The choral entrances were as smooth as velvet, and their dramatic cutoffs were crisp and resonant. The tenors, in particular, sang with a glowing tone. 

Under the confident and relaxed leadership of Kahane, the orchestra navigated safely through even the most treacherous transitions, and despite the absence of concertmaster Joe Edelberg, the phrasing was nicely rounded and the dynamics subtle -- not exaggerated. 

Baritone Stephen Powell brought a nice, marbly tone to his solos in Movements 3 and 6, and soprano Karina Gauvin's solo in the fifth movement was sheer elegance and silvery luster. 

However, the orchestra and choir could have been a bit more sensitive to this talented singer -- her exquisitely restrained expression was sometimes hard to hear. 

After the concert, the Young People's Orchestra under the symphony's principal violist, Linda Ghidossi-DeLuca, performed an impressive array of Baroque, Romantic and contemporary music in the lobby. 

The unusual student orchestra, which performs standing up without a conductor, will give its winter concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 29 in the concert chamber of the Burbank Center for the Arts. 

Meanwhile, Brahms fans can look forward to exploring the composer's searing and sweet Symphony No. 1 with Kahane in a special concert April 26. 

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 cost $24-$45. Call 546-8742. 

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or dpeterson@pressdemocrat.com. Keywords: MUSIC REVIEW