Grace, Exuberance, and Grandeur: American Classical Orchestra Opens 40th Anniversary Season
On September 18, American Classical Orchestra (ACO) opened its 40th anniversary season at Alice Tully Hall with exquisite grace, exuberance, and grandeur. The evening began with a beautiful surprise: the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, the numerical “twin” of the anniversary. The sweeping, passionate rendition of this famous piece set the tone for an evening buzzing with enthusiasm and thrills. It was one of those special evenings in a concert hall when musicians, conductor, and audience seem to breathe and feel as one, in a partnership of mutual delight that intensified throughout the concert.
Originally, fortepianist Petra Somlai was slated to play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, but due to a family emergency she wasn’t able to perform. Maestro Thomas Crawford reassured the audience that she would play this concert in the season finale on May 7. Replacements had to be found for the first half of the program and ACO appealed to Mozart and Schubert. They regaled the public with three superb pieces that infused the program’s atmosphere with enchantment and elegance, establishing that elusive intimate communication with the audience, often difficult to create and even more difficult to sustain. From Maestro Crawford’s cheerful introductions to the orchestra’s refined playing, that communication blossomed throughout the evening.
In Mozart’s Andante from Serenade No. 12, K. 388, woodwinds took center stage, namely two oboes, two clarinets, two horns, and two bassoons. Maestro Crawford introduced the piece by explaining the woodwinds’ importance in the orchestral sound, which opened many eyes and ears to the astounding range of colors that these instruments can produce, from ethereal to soulful. We learned that this was meant as an outdoors piece during its time, and it certainly conveyed the dreamy lyricism and sweetness of a serene afternoon.
Schubert’s Entr’acte No. 3 in B-flat Major from Rosamunde brought to this singer’s mind the famous Serenade, “Leise flehen, meine Lieder”; there was even one instant in which it sounded exactly like a phrase in that Lied. It was indeed a Lieder-evocative piece brimming with Austrian refinement, as Maestro Crawford explained. The work had singable sections, and the playing often sounded like plaintive, longing human voices.
Flutist Sandra Miller
In Mozart’s Andante in G Major for Flute & Orchestra, K. 315, flutist Sandra Miller produced luminous, silky sounds accented with delicate grace notes and trills, and offered an impressive solo cadenza. It was touching to see her step out of the orchestra and then return to her seat, underlining Maestro Crawford’s joy that this soloist was actually one of the orchestra members.
Alongside the outstanding playing, there seemed to be a social and fun vibe to the entire first part. The balance between this ambiance and the seriousness that often intimidates those who don’t know classical music would create the perfect environment for any newbie to forget the unfortunate prejudice of regarding 18th-century music as daunting, allowing no room for play and whimsical pleasure. What ACO succeeded in this first part was to amaze while connecting, and to display virtuosity while inviting everyone in and letting them know: Yes, this music is relatable and fun.
Maestro Thomas Crawford with American Classical Orchestra
In the second part, the wow factor of the first part deepened and expanded into breathtaking grandeur. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 took over the hall and the collective heartbeat. Before the intermission, Maestro Crawford had the orchestra play fragments of the symphony, and illuminated fascinating aspects of Beethoven’s art, from the composer’s ability to innovate in simplicity, to his mischievous humor and delight in shocking audiences with unexpected chords, to his refreshing “stick-it-to-them” attitude, as the Maestro described to great mirth in the audience. The explanation of the melodies, rhythms, the ostinato effects, and more, intensified the experience of listening to ACO’s thrilling rendition of the symphony. It was vibrant, ardent, and flowing, creating an ideal blend of imposing and nimble.
The second movement, Allegretto, is the most recognizable of the 7th’s four movements, and often played on its own, but this evening, thanks to the elucidations combined with an outstanding performance, the other movements were, in a sense, rediscovered and appreciated even more for their genius. ACO indeed conveyed beautifully the immediate sunshine of that first A major chord in the first movement, Poco sostenuto – Vivace, and the fun of the flute-violin “duel” as well as the rumbling ostinato and crisp dotted rhythms that, as we learned, were a major feature of symphonic art. The second movement and its A minor melody and haunting countersubject grew as an absorbing torrent that kept the audience mesmerized. The Scherzo, replacing the Minuets found in Mozart and Haydn symphonies as the Maestro pointed out, resounded virtuosic, adorned with tiny grace notes, then melting into a movingly played Trio section. Exuberance reigned in the Finale, uplifting and brilliant, but with a brilliance that was not simply a diamantine sparkling brilliance. This is a brilliance that always holds warmth at its core, the special warmth that period instruments, especially in the hands of such exceptional players and conductor, bring to any musical work they perform.
Top photo: Maestro Thomas Crawford with American Classical Orchestra
Photo Credit: Maria-Cristina Necula
