Last night we played the first of four concerts of the latest Classical Series (3 shows here in Portland, and one run-out to Salem). It’s a big program. Usually we start at 7:30 on Saturday evenings, and I pretty much expect to be walking in my front door around 10:00 p.m. Last night I was getting in my car around 9:50 – the concert was a solid 2 hours plus. It’s a pretty demanding program for all parts of the orchestra (except for the percussion section, who after the MacMillan a few weeks ago get a reprieve).<\/p>\n
First, the brass section came out and played the Copland Fanfare for the Common Man<\/em>, lined up amidst the string seats for visceral sonic impact rather than in their seats at the far rear of the stage. It’s a brief but demanding blow for our shiny brethren.<\/p>\n Next was the Barber Souvenirs<\/em>, further proof that Samuel Barber never wrote an easy piece for orchestra. You’re always having to think about something – either it’s technically difficult, or it’s easy but rhythmically tricky – it’s never both parts easy at the same time, but often both parts difficult at the same time. Aside from those quibbles from the players’ perspective, the piece is a delight for the audience (and the performers, once they get their shit together).<\/p>\n And to close the first half (an unusual three piece half), Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto with Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen. It was stunningly played by a pianist who I had not had the pleasure of hearing before, and he gave a charming encore of what must have been a Brazilian piece – I’ll try to find out tonight what it was. I’m not a huge Liszt fan, but the audience loved it.<\/p>\n After a much-deserved intermission, we came back for the Bizet Symphony in C major, an early piece which is a delightful, frothy confection – unmistakably French. It’s a piece that you’d turn to after listening to too much Wagner, Mahler, or Brahms. It clears the palate and delights the ear. Unfortunately, it also demands the utmost from the orchestra – especially the violin sections. The first violins virtually play a violin concerto’s worth of notes in the Finale – and they did a great job last night. The highlight for me was the gorgeous, golden, spun phrasing of Marty Hebert in the huge oboe solo in the second movement.<\/p>\n And last, but certainly not least, we had Liszt’s ultimate pot-boiler, Les Preludes<\/em>. The brass got to rest their chops after the Copland, and proceeded to lay waste to the lower strings and most of the concert hall. I mean this in only the most positive function of “laying waste to”. Did I mention that by the middle of this piece I was almost unable to move my fingers anymore? Well, it’s true. If I had no self-respect left, I’d make a sound file to demonstrate what I sounded like during one of the most difficult sections last night, but I still have a little bit left, so I won’t do that.<\/p>\n All in all, it’s an eclectic program, a bit old-fashioned, and I like that aspect of it. There’s a lot for the audience to listen to, and there’s something for everyone. On the downside, it’s a longish concert, and very fatiguing for the orchestra. Ok, enough whining.<\/p>\n Hope to see you there…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last night we played the first of four concerts of the latest Classical Series (3 shows here in Portland, and one run-out to Salem). It’s a big program. Usually we start at 7:30 on Saturday evenings, and I pretty much expect to be walking in my front door around 10:00 p.m. Last night I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[148,115,2],"tags":[3668],"class_list":["post-784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appreciations","category-music","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-oregon-symphony"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-cE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13589,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/04\/the-oregon-symphony-an-inside-out-impression\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":0},"title":"the oregon symphony – an inside out impression","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"If you're frequent symphony patrons, you'll have noticed that I have been absent from the last two Classical series shows. That was due to the death of my father on October 21st after a short illness. I was fortunate to be able to get the time away from my job\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon Symphony | Photo: \u00a9 Charles Noble","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_0290-500x375.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_0290-500x375.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_0290-500x375.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":236,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/03\/09\/cant-lose-for-winning\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":1},"title":"can’t lose for winning","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 9, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I read this entry from David Stabler's blog with interest. It cites comments by OPB radio host (of the program Beats and Pieces) Steven Cantor about the new season of the Baltimore Symphony in their first year with new music director Marin Alsop. Presumably, Cantor (and by extension, Stabler?) is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1073,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/08\/24\/sunriver-music-festival-roundup\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":2},"title":"sunriver music festival roundup","author":"Charles Noble","date":"August 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"We just got back today from the lovely high desert resort community of Sunriver, located in Central Oregon about 15 miles south of Bend. \u00c2\u00a0This was the \u00c2\u00a0Sunriver festival's 31st year of existence, which is a great thing considering the quick and final (Chapter 7) demise of the Cascade Festival\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/srmf08poster-400x534.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4118,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/02\/26\/a-proud-and-thankful-orchestra\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":3},"title":"a proud and thankful orchestra","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 26, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I just got back from the post-concert drinks after our annual Evelyn Nagel Donor Appreciation Concert (ENDAC) at the Newmark Theater.\u00a0 For years, ENDAC was an orchestra concert by the full orchestra, with most all of the orchestra's donors invited.\u00a0 Last year, Elaine Calder suggested (I believe) that the concert\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2006\/01\/03\/acoustics-can-you-hear-me-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":4},"title":"Acoustics – can you hear me now?","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 3, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"A good article on acoustics for the audience, and how, even in a great hall, where you sit can make a huge difference in what you hear. For example - in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall here in Portland, you spend the most money for the Dress Circle seats, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22067,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2021\/11\/09\/a-november-to-remember\/","url_meta":{"origin":784,"position":5},"title":"a november to remember","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm not sure if it really is a November to remember - it's hardly just begun - but the first week has had a lot to recommend it. At the Oregon Symphony, we just finished the second of two back-to-back classical series runs. Composer HK Gruber The first classical week\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "45th Parallel Universe"","block_context":{"text":"45th Parallel Universe","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/45th-parallel-universe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/51F8D967-44E8-4412-8F88-FDBFEF51BE57-e1636477516402.jpeg?fit=800%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/51F8D967-44E8-4412-8F88-FDBFEF51BE57-e1636477516402.jpeg?fit=800%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/51F8D967-44E8-4412-8F88-FDBFEF51BE57-e1636477516402.jpeg?fit=800%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/51F8D967-44E8-4412-8F88-FDBFEF51BE57-e1636477516402.jpeg?fit=800%2C640&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}