Philharmonic concert weaves universal landscape

By Burt Saidel

The Dayton Philharmonic transported its audiences to Scandinavia for the February Concert at the Schuster.  We really didn’t need a snowy, cold background.  We have
had enough of both snow and cold.

Maestro Neal Gittleman had the secret.  Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius and our debut of contemporary Swede Dag Wirén provided music which was warm and exciting.  Just the antidote for a cold winter’s evening.

The concert began with an unexpected gift. The orchestra played Serenade for Strings by Dag Wirén.  The concert “curtain raiser” is usually a familiar piece to set the mood and settle the audience into its seats. In this case, the work was challenging not because of its difficulty, but its sheer beauty.

If we call to mind Tchaikovsky’s mellifluous Serenade for Strings, this is the next step in the distillation of beauty. Wirén’s four short movements included a perpetual motion, a dance and a march. The entire work, played with magnificent clarity and controlled emotion by the talented strings of the orchestra, was intoxicating in its loveliness.  

Each movement ended with softness, near silence, instead of crescendo.  All that was missing was an instant replay to allow the magic to sink deeper into our souls.
Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein lit up the sophisticated Vanguard Concerts audience with a spectacular recital in 2002. I described the experience stating, “Each of his selections was pure “Goldstein.”  Rich interpretations, nearly unique - yet so effective.”

Maestro Neal asked Goldstein to play the Grieg Piano Concerto. Remembering his unique style, I wondered what would become of this familiar and beloved concerto.  

In an interview on Dayton Public Radio, Larry Kensington asked Goldstein the perfect question, “How do you approach an icon such as the Grieg?” His answer was to make it seem as if it was the world premiere, not another replication of the familiar.
The concerto was played with magnificent strength by the soloist and the orchestra. While there seemed to be a bit of confusion in the Adagio movement, the excitement and the musicality were simply magnificent.

Goldstein then played an encore, Debussy’s “The Island of Joy.” This left the audience gasping as his solo playing had done at the Vanguard recital.  More visits from this fine artist are enthusiastically anticipated.

The featured work of the concert was Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No 5. This is a work which plagued the composer; he revised it for decades. It has confounded musicians in its relentless simplicity well mixed with musical complexity.

It has been said that Mahler created a universe in his symphonies. To me, Sibelius created a landscape in his monumental 5th symphony.  This is not the landscape of Nordic Finland but a universal landscape. When played by the virtuosos of the Dayton Philharmonic in the incomparable acoustics of the Schuster with Maestro Neal at the podium, the difficulties fade into clarity and appreciation.

The symphony opened with a controlled chaos. The orchestra seemed to be looking for the perfect sound, the Sibelius sound.  Themes ricocheted among the sections until we were treated to those honeyed chords which are the mark of the great Finnish composer.

Each movement has alternating “agitato’ sections which then surrender to the most simple but pervasive themes.  There is a three note theme, introduced by the French horns and lovingly passed among the other instruments, riveting in its beauty.  

Each of the varied dynamics of the symphony was handled with great musical understanding.  By the time the composer had decided we had enough, he gave us five great    chords, each separated with a dramatic silence.  The rest becomes a       psychic experience of traveling through this universal landscape again and again.

Victoria Theatre’s Cirque Dreams

At the other end of the spectrum from Jean Sibelius’ spiritual landscape was the Victoria Theatre’s Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy.  I had no idea what to expect as I had left the press notices unread.  I was praying that it was not another Stomp or Blast.  

My prayers were answered.  The Victoria stage had been transformed into a jungle. Animals, brightly colored in fantastical costumes, roamed the stage pausing to perform incredible tricks of gymnastics, aerialism juggling, jump roping and acrobatic dancing.

The cast, split among talented energetic athletes from the USA, Russia, Mongolia and Canada, have specialties which defy imagination and certainly defy description. Beautiful girls were suspended, it seemed, by one toe from their partners as they whirled over the stage on cables.  

Human forms, well disguised as animals, stacked themselves on one another defying gravity.  Jugglers, contortionists, acrobats, balancers of all species made the word “Wow” escape from my lips over and over.

It was great entertainment. This display of what the human body can do should have been coupled with a warning label – Do not try this at home!

Carlile completes Kennedy Model Workshop

Kaye Carlile, local artist and art educator at Oakwood High School recently completed a series of intensive training sessions presented by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC.  The sessions were presented by nationally known artists, Rosalind Flynn and Randy Barron. Ms. Carlile was a member of a group of area artists selected for this pilot program, sponsored by the Muse Machine and the Kettering School District.  Carolyn Wheeler, arts integration specialist for the Muse Machine, and Jim Probasco former fine arts supervisor of the Kettering School District, coordinated the program with the Kennedy Center.

The artist group included Ms. Carlile,  Michael Bashaw, Jim McCutcheon, Marilyn Klaben, Bev Sheridan, Pam Temple, Spencer Funk, Margaret Piatt, Rebecca Tsaloff, Chelley Seibert, and Adrene Harper. Each artist designed a workshop in their field of expertise, music, drama, visual arts, or dance, following the Kennedy Center Model.

The project is funded locally by The Miriam Rosenthal Memorial Trust Fund and the Tait Foundation. The Muse Machine is accepting workshop bookings from interested schools and organizations.

In addition to the Kennedy Model Workshops that Ms. Carlile has designed for educators, she is also conducting workshops at the Cannery Art and Design Center for adults interested in exploring new art experiences.  CADC is located at 434 East Third St.  

For a complete list of her CADC workshops please contact the Cannery Art and Design Center at 228-2232.

Juilliard String Quartet to perform March 17 at DAI

Vanguard Concerts presents the world-renowned Juilliard String Quartet for its fourth concert of the 2006-2007 season on Saturday, March 17, at 8 p.m. in The Dayton Art Institute’s NCR Renaissance Auditorium.

The Juilliard String Quartet has long been celebrated for its performances of works by composers as diverse as Beethoven, Schubert, Bartók and Elliott Carter.

Recognized as the quintessential American string quartet, the Juilliard String Quartet marked its 60th anniversary in October 2006.

The Juilliard String Quartet’s program in Dayton will be: Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor, op. 108, Dimitri Shostakovich Quartet No. 3, Bela Bartók Quartet in D minor, (op. Posth.) “Death and the Maiden”, Franz Schubert .

Concert tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students. Tickets may be purchased at Hauer Music Co., Wright State University Center Box Office, and at The Dayton Art Institute on the night of the concert only.  Tickets may also be purchased on-line at www.daytonartinstitute.org or by calling Vanguard Concerts at (937) 436-0244.

Vanguard Concerts will host a post-concert reception and buffet to welcome the Juilliard Quartet and to honor their extraordinary career.  Tickets for the reception are $20 and may be purchased by calling Vanguard Concerts at (937) 436-0244. A cash bar will be available.

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March 6, 2007
Volume 16, No. 10

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