But...once
the program opened with Allen Carl Larson, Conductor Laureate, leading
the orchestra in a performance of the lushly beautiful Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's
(1860-1911) Symphony No. 5, that friend was completely hooked into the
program. Why? Because he realized that this would be a program of
substance, not designed to impress critics but to speak to the listening
audience who are often unappreciated by performing organizations,
but who make up the backbone of support for performing organizations.
The
Metropolitan Orchestra is a grassroots ensemble that fills a niche in a
city that knows no shortage of performing organizations, yet the
capacity crowd demonstrated that that niche exists. People are hungry
for substance and meaning in art, but they also hunger for deeper
knowledge and understanding of what they see and hear. Too often,
modern day symphony orchestras are quick to force grant-driven
avant-garde works upon audiences without first making sure they
comprehend the basic language of musical structures. MOSL is one of
many newer ensembles springing up to provide both an educational and
esthetic experience. In some cases these ensembles are completely
amateur, and in some cases they are a combination of professionals and
amateurs, and in some cases they are fully professional--the category to
which MOSL trends--but they are all making an impact on the cultural
landscape.
Until our elementary and secondary schools can provide a more complete education in the arts (and no, it's not just a matter of money), institutions such as MOSL are introducing multi-generational audiences to our vast artistic heritage.
MOSL
was joined by the Concert Choir of Webster University for a performance of Mozart's (1756-1791) famous motet, "Ave
Verum", followed by the Mass No. 11 in D Minor, the "Nelson Mass" (named
in honor of the visit of Lord Nelson to Vienna following his defeat of
Napolean) by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809). The Choir, under the
direction of Trent A. Patterson, is an outstanding chorus, without doubt
one of the finest in the country. They performed with a magnificent
blend, firmly on pitch and with careful diction and
well-sculpted phrasing. Soloists in the Mass--soprano Heather McKenzie
Patterson, mezzo Martha J. Hart, tenor Keith Boyer and bass Jeffrey
Heyl--matched the Concert Choir's skill, negotiating Haydn's rapid-fire
passages with gusto, verve and energy.
A common bond among all three featured composers on the program is the fact that all three had lived and worked in Vienna for at least a certain period of their lives. Together, they spanned an era of music history stretching from 1732 to 1911.
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