January 15, 2008
Conductor Santora leads trip in magical wood
Article tools
E-mail
Print 
Reprints - Post comment
- Text size:
Sometimes, there is no way to cloak novelty. You just have to
put it on the dais to speak for itself, as the Boca Symphonia did with the
opening composition in the packed Roberts Theater on Sunday.
Jacob
Druckman's Nor Spell Nor Charm is a fanciful collection of calls from
the creatures of a magical woodland, no less than Tatiana's minions in
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The flittering woodwinds and
brasses, and the bell-like sonority of the strings, unfold in a jazz patina that
could be incidental music for Shakespeare's play itself. The chamber orchestra
evokes an aura of critters of the night, sometimes colorfully melodic,
interspersed among what guest conductor Mischa Santora described as spooky,
fairy tale-like shakes and shimmers.
On a program that included Mozart's
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor and a vivacious suite by Richard Strauss,
Druckman's delicate, ethereal musings jarred the Symphonia audience's
expectations. Yet the 1990 piece is an appealing panorama of solo and orchestral
passages.
During a chatty interlude, the boyish Santora attempted to tie
the Shakespeare-themed piece to Strauss' orchestral suite Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme, inspired by the play by Moliere, via their literary
antecedents — a stretch by any measure. The frisky, charmingly comic Strauss
confection was simply the button on a diverse program that followed up its
challenge with crowd pleasers.
Pianist Daniel Alfred Wachs joined the
orchestra for Mozart's concerto, merging with the musicians through an
attractive, somewhat relaxed performance. Santora led an unhurried reading that
favored the woodwinds and horns with a light sweetness that contrasted a lack of
luster in the otherwise graceful strings. Wachs' light, smartly assayed
passagework eschewed flourish, hewing to the concerto's classic sensibility,
particularly in the middle Larghetto.
The bracing Strauss suite, in nine
mostly short bursts, proved a showpiece for the orchestra, though Santora still
refused to hurry. Maintaining somewhat deliberate tempos throughout, the
conductor spurred various elements to colorful solo turns. Some of the more
aggressive interactions turned ragged, but for the most part Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme proved lively and infectious.
Strauss' piece also is a
showcase for solo violin, and principal chair Misha Vitenson consistently
delivered bouncy and bracing turns.
Jack Zink can be reached at
jzink@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4706.
Online: Piano-cello duo
approach perfection in Chameleon series. Review at
Sun-Sentinel.com/duo.
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
.gif)
- Classifieds
- Weather
- Traffic
- News
- Opinion
- Sports
- Business
- Entertainment
- Features
- Travel
- Obituaries
- Get Local Palm Beach
- Newspaper Services
- Resources
- Metromix
.gif)
.gif)
.gif)