Violin virtuoso leads DPO in iconic concert

By Burt Saidel

The second month of the “Made in America Festival” of the Dayton Philharmonic was a concert of works as American as apple pie. American musical icons Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland shared the stage of the Schuster with Dayton’s premiere composer Steven Winteregg.

Winteregg, commissioned by the Philharmonic to write a “serious piece,” chose the most somber of themes, the battle with cancer.  Dedicated to his lovely wife Candy and her treatment and survival from breast cancer, the music was compelling but far from glum.  Winteregg has an ability with melodic line and intricate rhythms making his music persuasive and delightful.  We are fortunate in Dayton to have heard his music from the Philharmonic and Dayton Ballet.

Resolution, beautifully played by the musicians of the Philharmonic was full of energy and emotion.  There were, perhaps a few too many percussion interruptions with the musical line, but the total effect was well received.

Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium was a first hearing for the audience.  I was certain that the piece would be like several other of Bernstein’s classical works, a wandering opus lacking the focus of his lighter compositions.  After hearing Serenade, I owe “Lennie” a profound apology.

The work was conceived to be an exposition of Plato’s familiar student assignment, The Symposium. It is remembered as a wine-sodden discussion on the various phases of love by convivial philosophers. Serenade succeeded, not as philosophic guide, but as a stunning piece of music, a violin sonata with orchestral accompaniment.  

Each of the five parts was full of musical nuances and expressions.  Each of these nuances and expressions was presented to perfection by young violinist Philippe Quint and the master musicians of the Philharmonic. Included was a remarkable double cadenza by Quint and Principal Cellist Christina Coletta..

Quint, a tall, slim and handsome young man has an interesting pedigree. He traces his ancestry back to a Napoleonic soldier wounded and abandoned in Russia.  There he made his life and sired a remarkable family.  Quint plays on a 1723 Stradivarius violin.  When I was asked how old he is, my glib reply was, “less than 10 percent of the age of his violin.”

A master virtuoso of his instrument, Quint led the orchestra through the work with élan and verve.  Called in his press releases a modern Paganini, I believe he deserves even more comparison to the great masters of the past and the future.

The rest of the concert displayed the full orchestra’s marvelous strengths in Copeland’s beloved Appalachian Spring Suite and Bernstein’s equally adored Chichester Psalms. 

The mellifluous melodies of the Copeland are intoxicating.  While we were still tipsy from its loveliness, the orchestra and Philharmonic Chorus treated the audience to the beauties of the Chichester Psalms.  

The work, sung in Hebrew and featuring familiar psalms, is full of melodies which are exalted and beautiful.  The disarming charm and lovely voice of boy soprano Eli Davis made his pleas to Adonai, God, in the 23rd psalm live with the simple appeal of youth.

Great programming, great music, a great hall, wonderful musicians, soloists and maestro make the Philharmonic our great treasure.  Unlike the pirate’s elusive treasure chests, this one lies open and readily accessible.

The John Parker Story

It is never too late to recognize a real hero.  John P. Parker, freed from slavery by his own efforts after enduring torture and forced labor, has been a hero in the river town of Ripley, Ohio for a century and a half.  

Parker became a successful foundry operator and devoted abolitionist in that nest of abolition activity which was the northern  shore of the Ohio River.  Parker’s financial and family success was risked night after night as he picked up runaway slaves and rowed them to the safety of Ripley and the friendly environment of the abolitionists.

His heroism, his story, has been crystallized by Cincinnati Opera in Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story.  The opera, composed by Adolphus Hailstork with a libretto by David Gonzalez, opened Saturday night at the Aronoff Center to a sell-out audience.  

The opera is, in itself, an act of heroism.  Contemporary operas are risky and expensive.  Encouraged by the success of the full opera Margaret Garner in 2005, Evans Mirageas and his talented team looked for inspiration into Cincinnati’s unique history of fighting slavery, and found it.

Rise to Freedom

For Rise to Freedom, Cincinnati Opera pulled out all the stops.  The sets and costumes by David Centers and Rebecca Senske were as kinetic as the beautiful and smoothly flowing music and plot.  Dayton’s own Sheila Ramsey directed to opera bringing her special touches to every scene.  In a nod to history and the former slave-state, Kentucky Symphony Maestro J. R. Cassidy conducted the orchestra.

As John Parker, international baritone star Terry Cook brought his rich voice and dramatic presence to the critical role.  The cast, well represented by local singers was led by Dayton Opera regular Andrea Jones-Sojola as Parker’s wife.  

Rise for Freedom can be heard on October 20 and 21 at the Aronoff Center.  The theater is small but the experience is great.  For tickets call 888 533 7149.  You will be so glad that you did.

Amedeo Modigliani String Quartet at DAI Oct. 19

The Amedeo Modigliani String Quartet

Vanguard Concerts presents the Amedeo Modigliani String Quartet as the second concert in the 2007-2008 series on Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. in The Dayton Art Institute’s NCR Renaissance Auditorium.

Praised by Le Progrès (France) for its “stunning technical expertise, outstanding ensemble and a particularly accomplished musical identity,” the Amedeo Modigliani Quartet won the 2006 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York and the 2005 Young Concert Artists European Auditions in Paris.

For their concert in Dayton, the Amedeo Modigliani Quartet will perform:

Quartet in G Minor, Op. 74, No. 3 “Rider” by Franz Josef Haydn
Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel
Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumousky”) by Ludwig Van Beethoven

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and may be purchased at Hauer Music Company, Wright State University Center Box Office, or online at www.daytonartinstitute.org. Tickets are only available at The Dayton Art Institute on the night of the concert. For further information, please call Vanguard Concerts at (937) 436-0244.

Bach Society concert slated Oct. 21

On Sunday, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m., the Bach Society of Dayton will open its 2007-2008 Season with an all-Baroque program. This concert will feature two Bach cantatas as well as a Bach Society premiere of a Vivaldi choral work.

Bach’s Cantata 34 is thought to be his earliest, while his Cantata 150, (“Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich”) is one of his most-beloved. Rounding out the concert will be Vivaldi’s exquisite “Chamber Mass” and “Autumn” from the popular “Four Seasons.”

The Bach Society of Dayton will be joined for this concert by soloists Elizabeth Wiley-Taylor, Soprano; Liza Forrester, Mezzo Soprano; and Mark Spencer, Baritone. Local residents participating in this concert include Margaret Karns; Dave Grupe; Faye Seifrit; Laura Thie; accompanist, R. Alan Kimbrough; and music director, John Neely.

The concert will take place at the Kettering Seventh-day Adventist Church, 3939 Stonebridge Road, Kettering, Ohio.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Children 12 and under are admitted for free. Culture Works Passport holders are eligible for two-for-one tickets. Tickets are available at the door or may be purchased in advance by calling 937-294-BACH (2224).

For further information, please call 937-294-BACH (2224) or visit the Bach Society of Dayton’s website at www.bachsocietyofdayton.org.

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October 16, 2007
Volume 16, No. 42

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