Music at the Mission Premiere

On Saturday, January 12th, Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was filled to capacity for the first San Luis Obispo Symphony concert there in over fifteen years. The reason? The world premiere of Craig Russell's Ecos armónicos. (seen in rehearsal at the Mission on the right) Commissioned by conductor Michael Nowak and written especially for violinist Kathleen Lenski, the piece will be presented at Walt Disney Concert Hall later this year (more on that later!)

For those of you who may have missed the concert, check out the review below by Jay and Marisa Waddell. You can also check out the pre-concert article about Craig Russell and Ecos armónicos, in The San Luis Obispo Tribune from January 10th by clicking here.

And please don't forget to come back often to the "real. live. music." blog for Symphony news, thoughts, reviews and more about our debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 8, 2008.

Symphony Chamber Concert Premiers New Russell Composition
By Jay and Marisa Waddell

An enthusiastic audience enjoyed a special concert by the San Luis Obispo Symphony Chamber Orchestra at a packed Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Saturday, January 12, 2008. Titled “Music at the Mission,” the program featured violin soloist Kathleen Lenski performing Ecos armónicos, a new composition by Dr. Craig Russell; The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi; and Battalia (the Battle) by Heinrich Biber. The beautiful mission church, with its gorgeously restored interior, trompe l’œil effects and lively auditory quality, was a perfect place to enjoy this fine concert. Conductor and Artistic Director Michael Nowak’s programming choices were complementary to each other and well suited to the mission setting. Russell’s Ecos armónicos employed thematic ideas from the mission period of Mexico and California. The other two works were European pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Symphony Chamber Orchestra can be proud of their highly capable presentation of the diverse and challenging pieces. The string players are led by professional and highly competent section leaders who help to unify their sections, playing responsively to Michael Nowak’s knowledgeable and well-prepared conducting. Kathleeen Lenski, an internationally recognized violinist and a SLO County community treasure in her own right, gave us lovely soaring melodies and technically inspiring passages as featured soloist in two of the evening’s pieces: Ecos armónicos, the new work by musicologist and educator Russell, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

The concert opened with Biber’s Battalia, a programmatic composition in eight short movements, written in 1673. It began with a coordinated and rich string ensemble sound. Then, in a manner rare for its time, the composer had the musicians use numerous unusual devices to create the effects and sounds of an army being assembled and trained. The violinists actually tramped their feet briefly to simulate marching. There were the sounds of fencing and cavalry practice. Dissonances, pounding on strings with overturned bows, and over-layering of folksongs, represented a drunken evening of singing and revelry among the soldiers. At one point, the bass viol had aluminum foil placed in the strings to imitate a snare drum to accompany the principal violin sounding as a fife. Forceful plucking on the strings made the sounds of cannon. Audience members laughed aloud as these effects were carried off with cheerful enthusiasm by our musicians. Finally, beginning with descending melodic lines, in statements and responses between the higher and lower strings, the last movement reminded us of the tragic losses in war. This performance was most entertaining, but could have had tighter ensemble playing, with more definitive starts and stops.

Dr. Russell’s new work, Ecos armónicos (Harmonic echoes), written specifically to feature violinist Kathleen Lenski, had its origins in Russell’s study of music written by monks at the early Spanish colonial missions in Mexico and California. The piece includes passages that feature Lenski’s preferred mode: to make her violin sing. In six movements, it outlines some of the activities of a mission day, including worship, meditation, marching and celebration. Many of the melodies and the themes used and developed by Russell were found during his deep and dedicated research in mission libraries, where he discovered the music of a number of masses and other forgotten manuscripts. The opening passage, taken from the Introit of a Mass, uses the violins to whisper a melancholy and beautiful “Gaudeamus” theme. Low strings fill in the bottom and soar louder in the “Alleluia” section, as if the sun was dispersing a fog. A Swiss march was included, impulsive and jaunty, with bouncing bow effects from Lenski. Russell’s occasional modern harmonies, nicely voiced and resolved, reminded us that this melodious and pleasing work is contemporary. Lenski pulled a high and singing cadenza off of her fine, historic Guadagnini violin in a tocatta section. Then a peaceful O que suave (O how gentle!), a popular song of the mission period, preceded the closing Spanish-sounding Fandango. One could almost hear castanets in the Fandango’s rhythmic patterns in the strings while Lenski’s violin yielded Vivaldi-like flourishes over the orchestra’s pulse. Immediately after the last note, the audience rose and applauded enthusiastically. Russell was called to the front to take bows with the soloist while audience members in the front rows showered roses on the musicians. The capricious Russell celebrated the moment by catching a rose and offering it to Lenski, then caught another and placed it between his teeth. Cheers and laughter rose simultaneously.

In Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the orchestra members had a chance to show their strengths. The tempos were up where they belonged and the players rose to the challenge. All the effects of cheery birds, languorous heat, thunderstorms, and dry, icy cold were played with good accuracy, speed, and energy. The audience had the satisfaction of hearing a familiar piece well played. Concert master Pam Dassenko played many duets with Lenski and nailed them admirably well. Her bird chirps in the first movement of Spring were right on. Principal cellist Nancy Nagano also was most reliable and frequently featured in a nearly perfect performance. Harpsichordist Barbara Hoff was solid, providing a subdued but vital backbone in the continuo part. Principal violist David Hennessee also had first rate moments. The highlight of Lenski’s solos was the Allegro non molto in the first movement of the Winter concerto. She was precise and drove it like she was driving a Ferrari.

After the concert, several musicians remarked that they love the Vivaldi. Over all, they played together, and on note. One audience person asked; “How can you not be happy listening to this music?” Other comments included; “Thrilling!” Exciting!” In spite of the rare missed note or trouble with togetherness, the evening was a fine success for the musicians as well as the audience.