January DPO concert mulls over Mahler

By Burt Saidel

The January concert of the Dayton Philharmonic gave me the opportunity to see Gustav Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 3. Yes, I said see the symphony.  I also heard the incredible music but it was the visual magic of a live performance played by great musicians which was so transporting.

Mahler can be called one of the last of the Romantics.  He wrought his music out of a deep well of emotion. His life, full of frustrations, personal domestic tragedies, ill-health and religious insecurity, was matched by an expansive intellect and artistry.

It can be said that Mahler put too much into his music, particularly his complex symphonies.  Having an almost mystical bond with his music, I counter by saying that he didn't say enough.

He reaches from his soul into the soul of his devoted listeners.  Whatever we learn about life, the universe, ourselves, is always incomplete after hearing Mahler's music.

The 3rd symphony is Mahler's longest, not his most complex. The length, more than 1? hours, scares some of the audience away. Maestro Neal knows that well but trusts his amazing clarity of performance to neutralize the passage of time. 

In Mahler, there are no traditional manifestations of the great Romantic symphonies. The sonata form, theme and variations, scherzo, coda and repeated crescendos so loved in Beethoven and Brahms' works, may be present but are obscured by the continuum of musical figures each of which seems to have a story.

Mahler borrows the melodies from his own songs and expands upon them in his orchestral arrangements.  He does not play with these themes but allows them to live and breathe on their own.

In two movements, there were actual songs, one very tragic by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the other mock-serious.  Both were sung elegantly by the beautiful mezzo-voice of guest artist Kathleen Clawson supported by the women of the Philharmonic Chorus and the Kettering Children's Choir.

Mahler gave the symphony a title, "A Summer Daydream."  He gave each of the six movements enigmatic titles posing ontological questions such as "What the Mountains Tell Me" and "What Love Tells Me."

Each of the movements had special musical features which beggar description.  I will highlight but a few.  The brass is so prominent and so important.  Each player rose to every challenge and played not with clarion calls but with true musicality.

There were moments which practically "stopped the show."  There is a series of trombone parts, highlighted by Timothy Anderson's incredible solos, giving the trombone an unforgettable dulcet and velvety texture. 

Trumpeter Charles Pagnard had a most difficult challenge.  He played, perfectly, the posthorn solos which are central to the 3rd movement.  Playing off-stage, the trumpet became a character in the play, moving from sentimentality to dramatic stridency.

The strings and woodwinds kept the purity of sound in their complex interplay.  One friend stated that the final movement, dominated by an all-orchestra string quartet, was "worth the price of admission." 

To name the outstanding musicians in this unforgettable performance I would merely append the roster of the Philharmonic.  Every section, every player found that "zone" of complete expression and sustained the magic of what is easily one of the most unforgettable and amazing concerts I have ever had the pleasure of "seeing and hearing."  All that I can say is, "Congratulations and thank you."

Thoroughly Modern Millie

What could possibly fit after a major dose of Mahler?   With style and verve, the bubbling youth of the Muse Machine take Mahler's universe and plop it in New York City during the 1920s. 

Thoroughly Modern Millie is a new musical, the newest ever done by the Muse Machine.  Although its "fluff-filled" plot lives in the flapper age, as a Broadway musical it is only four years old.

Written by Morris and Scanlan and based on a 1967 Julie Andrews film, it has the innocent joys of youth's discovery set to music and dance. Although there are no "blockbuster" songs, the music is pleasant and tuneful and so well played by the student orchestra.

What makes this a souffle instead of a pancake is the irrepressible talent and verve of our Muse kids as synthesized through the combined genius of Nat Horne and David Dusing. .  For 23 years, we have been attending the annual Muse Musical.  Every year we say, "This one is the best."  Well, this one was the absolute best.

Millie is a waif from Kansas who is determined to conquer New York by marrying her boss even though she doesn't have a job and, ergo, a boss.  She meets myriads of other theatrical hopefuls, all beautiful young women decked out in styles that could rest comfortably on the pages of Vogue then and now.

Millie's adventures bring her into musical and dance contact with all sorts of characters.  Even the malevolent kidnapping white-slaver Mrs. Meers is loveable!

Let's not dwell on the details.  If you were fortunate to attend one of the six sold-out performances, you won't ever forget it. If you missed, no description can make up for the joyous experience of being there.

There were great, yes great, performances. As Millie, Alexandra Finke was the perfect waif transformed before our eyes into a real woman.  She can "sell" a song and play a character to perfection. Her leading man, handsome Jonathan White, finally wowed Millie long after he wowed the audience.

Muse superstar, Oakwood senior Micah Stock, was hilarious as the prissy boss who ignores Millie but is struck and then loses the beautiful Dorothy, Oakwood senior Ruth Reveal.  Ruth has an operatic quality soprano which needed only one thing, more songs to sing!

Then there were the characters.  As the evil Mrs. Meers, another Oakwood student Jasmine Al-Masri took her comic role to the very walls.  She has the timing of a real pro and will be some day. She was joined in the comic character department by Joshua Hughes and Max Monning.  They played Mrs. Meers' Chinese foils who actually spoke Chinese, with sur-titles, of course.

Oakwood senior Torey Hollingsworth was a gas as the domineering straw boss of Millie's typing pool. Again, she displayed great timing and a complete development of her character.  As the heiress icon Muzzy, Elana Elmore became a convincing jazz singer replete with an adoring men's chorus.

What's for next year?  I haven't the foggiest idea but I promise you it will not only be great, but the best ever!

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January 23, 2007
Volume 16, No. 4

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