On March 3 at Goucher College, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra gave its fourth performance of the season, entitled, "A Journey of Sonic Wonder."? Apo Hsu, the director and conductor of the Springfield Symphony in Missouri, conducted.? The concert included four pieces: Robert Ward's Sixth Symphony, Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto in E-minor, Villa-Lobos' Ciranda das sete notas, and Schumber's Symphony No. 5.?
The Ward Symphony, written in 1985, had never before been performed in Baltimore.? Ward, famous for both his orchestral and operatic works, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 for his opera based on the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible.? Many of his works, including the sixth symphony, are influenced by folk music.?
The first movement of the piece was very well-done.? There were several moments in which the whole orchestra played in satisfying unison that contrasted nicely with the frequent isolation of instruments into solos or duets. The general effect of the first movement, and the second as well, was merely pleasant -- not engaging or energizing, but entertaining.? The third movement was very interesting, though, and in this part of the symphony, Ward gets the functions of the different instruments right.? The melody smoothly rolls from one instrument to the next, and each part serves its role in a distinctly apt manner.
The low point of the concert was the performances by bassoon soloist Bryan Young of the Vivaldi and Villa-Lobos pieces.? Young is a member of the preparatory faculty at the Peabody Conservatory and studied the bassoon both at Peabody and at Yale.?Despite his noteworthy education, tonight he did not do justice to the elegance of Vivaldi nor the jazziness of Villa-Lobos. ?
In the Vivaldi, Young made each restatement of the theme more and more mundane.? He had little dynamic variation and, even in the slow, mournful second movement, was mechanical.?He was clearly skillful in technique -- he played fast passages with accuracy and played safely and precisely in time -- but overall, this fastidious attention to precision without expression led to a boring performance.? On a positive note, the Vivaldi featured Billy Simms playing continuo on the theorbo, a large period ilutl-like instrument.
The problem with the bassoon presented itself again in the Villa-Lobos piece, Ciranda das sete notas, which is a Brazilian children's dance based on the C-Major scale Young did no more, even with the clearly exciting rhythms, to involve himself in the music and at times looked bored on stage, moving very little and expressing even less.? I would not say that either piece was a complete flop.?The orchestra performed admirably and kept the music alive, preserving its inherent excitement and beauty.
The Schubert was the best part of the night's performance, mainly because it showed Apo Hsu's great skill at conducting.? She did not use a baton, and her hands were wonderful to watch as she led the orchestra.? They were graceful and confident and create a perfect balance in sound level between the instruments.? All internal melodies were delicately acknowledged, showing her clear understanding of the piece.? She interacted well with the musicians, and they responded beautifully to her lead.? Her ability to maintain equilibrium among all parts of the orchestra made the Schubert especially excellent.
