THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 25, 1995 TAG: 9504250278
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: MUSIC REVIEW
SOURCE: BY MARK MOBLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Every concert has its surprises. But an Orpheus chamber orchestra performance has more surprises than most.
The New York-based ensemble played the first of two Williamsburg concerts Monday at Phi Beta Kappa Hall. The Mendelssohn ``Italian'' Symphony was louder and more bracingly energetic than anyone could have hoped. And a new work by a respected academic composer gave unexpected insight into the orchestra's collective soul.
But it was the most famous feature of Orpheus that provided the most pleasure. The orchestra performs without a conductor. And after two hours of first-rate music making, you started to wonder what exactly a conductor's job is.
From the first notes of Mozart's ``Idomeneo'' ballet music the players' enthusiasm was palpable. Their phrasing was no less supple and their balances were hardly less true for not having an extra set of ears and arms at center stage.
The novelty of the program was a sneak preview of a Concertino for violin by Columbia University Professor Mario Davidovsky. The official premier is Saturday at Carnegie Hall, but Monday's hearing was its first public performance.
Davidovsky chose subtle musical gestures that elucidated Orpheus' finest quality. For the opening measures of the nearly 20-minute work, the composer wrote single notes that generated other notes. These were events as connected as the players were.
The body of the work was mostly short virtuoso flourishes against a dark orchestra colored by bass clarinet and alto flute. The soloist was long-time ensemble member and sometime concertmaster Guillermo Figueroa, who was extremely proficient but a shade less compelling than this music may require to get across.
Veteran guitarist Pepe Romero was the appropriately easygoing soloist in a much better-known work, Rodrigo's ``Concierto de Aranjuez.'' A smaller body of strings was used in this piece, and it was a pleasure to hear the guitar part clearly without the amplification big halls and big orchestras usually require. The woodwinds were light and the dynamic changes were breathtaking.
The concert closed with the Mendelssohn symphony, its outer movements performed in a headlong rush. The final movement was as big as it gets, but here - as throughout the concert - the volume sounded natural, not exaggerated. The program will be repeated today. ILLUSTRATION: AT A GLANCE
Orpheus chamber orchestra Monday at Phi Beta Kappa Hall, the College
of William and Mary, Williamsburg. The program will be repeated
today at 8 p.m. at Phi Beta Kappa Hall. General admission tickets
are $20. Call (804) 221-3276 for reservations.
by CNB