Beethoven, Italian bel canto and jazz fusion launched what promises
to be a bold and diverse fifth season of the Metropolitan Orchestra of St.
Louis (MOSL) on September 18 at the orchestra's primary venue at First
Presbyterian in Kirkwood. Few ensembles have carved out such a niche for
themselves so quickly as has MOSL, and much of the credit must go to its
founder and Conductor Laureate, Allen Larson.
In an era where orchestras are struggling to maintain themselves
and prove their "relevance" in contemporary society, MOSL seems to do
the job almost effortlessly. Some of the older mainline orchestras have sought
validation by commissioning new works of dubious merit; the results in some
cases have been disastrous as audiences have voted with their feet.
MOSL's repertoire on their opening night captured both the genius of the
classical world while keeping an eye to the future.
Opening night for any serious orchestra must be a celebratory
occasion. Accordingly, Larson chose to kick off the program with
Gioacchino Rossini's sparkling and engaging overture to "L'Italiana in
Algeri" (An Italian Girl in Algiers). The music is happy and playful
to the ears, full of twists and turns. Since its inception, the orchestra
has steadily increased its overall skill level to where brisk tempos and rapid
contrasts are easily handled. Within minutes the near-capacity audience
was already enjoying themselves and clamoring for much more.
Pianist Dominic Cheli joined the orchestra for a brilliant
performance of Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 in G Major. Although still in
his early twenties, Cheli is already a home town hero. Having gotten his
start under the tutelage of Zena Ilyashov and other local pedagogues, he went
on to win the Young Artist Competition held at St. Ambrose on the Hill and
other local honors. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music,
he earned his master's degree at the Yale School of Music with the highest
honors, made recordings under the Naxos label and is currently pursuing an
Artist Diploma at the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles.
Although the fourth concerto is filled with virtuoso challenges
and musical fireworks, it is also a work of deep lyricism and introspection.
It is hard to believe that someone as young as Cheli is able to play with
the insight and tenderness that we would expect from a much older and more
experienced performer. Cheli transformed the piano into a mini-orchestra
of its own, echoing the agility of a violin, the singing of a flute or the deep
responsive voice of a double bass. His touch was resonant and rich, with
unerring accuracy. The excellent balance maintained between the solo
piano and the orchestra made the entire performance particularly gratifying and
easy on the ears.
The second half of the program featured the 442s, the
classical/jazz fusion group founded by Adam Maness and St. Louis Symphony musicians
Shawn Weil, violin, and Bjorn Ranheim, cello, with Syd Rodway on bass.
Named after the favored tuning frequency in general use today (442 cycles
per second for the A above Middle C--trending upward from 415 in the Baroque
period), this group forms a perfect bridge uniting the old with the new.
After hearing the group's take on such traditional forms as an Irish
reel, Latin rhythms and traditional soaring melodies, one begins to realize
that Beethoven, Rossini and every creative genius from the past continue to
inspire our present-day idioms. Adam Maness is a composer, arranger,
keyboardist (and accordionist, percussionist, vocalist and more) for the group.
Each of the performers, in fact, wears more than one hat, depending on
the needs of each piece. Hearing the group merge with the orchestra makes
it easy to see how symphony orchestras remain a potent force as the backbone of
both our classical and popular traditions.
Combining a jazz ensemble with a symphony orchestra is not
necessarily unique anymore, but to do so on an opening program as a herald of
the season to come is a wonderful means of demonstrating versatility, relevance
and a commitment to the new as well as to the old. Anyone who attended
MOSL's opening night will surely be eager for more. We are blessed with
many great ensembles in the St. Louis region. The great thing about
institutions such as the Metropolitan Orchestra is that its presence helps
fully establish and maintain the foundations on which our musical life is
founded.
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