2008 Woodie Awards
Making Mozart proud
Nick Kepley
Issue date: 1/30/06 Section: Culture
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Guest conductor Klauspeter Seibel was forced to cancel his appearance due to a serious family illness. Seibel was replaced by James Gaffigan, who is currently completing his third season as assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra.
At 26, Gaffigan is an exceptionally young conductor; his age seemed to help more than hurt. His energy was palpable, and his passion for the works was written all over his face. Gaffigan led the orchestra with care, using sweeping gestures that effortlessly cued the musicians and allowed the music to take over, showing the audience its beauty and power.
The first movement of the Mozart work, which was 26 minutes, began softly and liltingly, then led into surprising peaks and crescendos. The orchestra's blend was superb here, with each section sounding like one voice.
The second movement contained darker undertones with plucked cellos and sustained violins. Gaffigan controlled the phrasing beautifully, bringing out every nuance.
Movement three returned to a strong, broad waltz, and movement four ended the work playfully with furious strings passages.
The audience responded well to the work, which was an excellent beginning to the evening.
The 17-minute Wagner piece was next on the program. The orchestra rearranged themselves, as the work was smaller and not all of the musicians were needed.
Wagner is an undoubtedly dramatic and romantic composer, but the Siegfried Idyll proved itself not one of the strongest in his repertoire. Originally composed for his wife, Cosima, Wagner never intended for the Idyll to be played in public.
Perhaps Wagner knew best. While the score included several beautiful passages for woodwinds and certainly had its moments of beauty, it lost focus and wandered at times.
For the orchestra's part, the work was played with ease, with the exception of a few wrong notes contributed by the brass.
After an intermission, two of the musicians came forward to ask for the audience's financial support to help the Louisiana Philharmonic, which was devastated during Hurricane Katrina. One of the contra bass players had recently moved to Kansas City from New Orleans and explained that many of the Philharmonic's instruments, including all of the percussion section, had been lost in the tragedy.
The Symphony proved that they had saved the best for last with the 32-minute Beethoven work. The opening movement was the strongest of the evening, starting off dark and mysterious, then breaking suddenly into a crisp, light tempo and ending in grandeur.
The remainder of the work continued in the same fashion, revealing Beethoven's indisputable musical genius. At the end of the performance, the audience rewarded Gaffigan and the musicians with boisterous applause and a much deserved standing ovation.
The acoustics in Folly Theater certainly leave something to be desired. Despite several microphones and speakers, the sound came across very flat. Nevertheless, audience turnout was excellent. In this age of technology, it is comforting to see that people still value and appreciate live performance.
Music Director Michael Stern is leading the Symphony in a strong direction. The orchestra has never sounded better, even in a less than perfect setting.
nkepley@unews.com
