Home  Entertainment Reviews Review: NMSO (Nov. 17)
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Written by D.S. Crafts
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Saturday, 17 November 2007 |
To everyone's delight violinist Rachel Barton Pine is becoming a regular
visitor to New Mexico. Having performed with the Santa Fe Symphony earlier this
season, she arrived on the stage of Popejoy Hall Friday night as soloist with
the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra in the Violin Concerto No. 3 of Saint-Saens.
The golden gown in which she appeared seemed a visual analogue of the golden
sound which emanated from her instrument (a 1742 del Gesu). If Rembrandt's
brilliant golds could "sound," they would have the timbre of Pine's playing.
The Saint-Saens concerto puts the violin center stage throughout and Pine
responded in a marvel of espressivo and beauty of line. Beginning with the
opening phrase in meaty low tones, she sang with lilting voice through the
soaring lines of the Andantino, then nimbly into the free-spirit of the Finale.
Maestro Figueroa, himself an outstanding violinist, knows exactly what
support to give the soloist, and provided a colorful cushion with plenty of
attention to woodwind details, never once overpowering the violin.
Announcing her encore in a loud and clear voice (thank you!), she commemorated
the NMSO's 75th anniversary with a Theme and Variations on a popular
song—Happy Birthday. She proceeded to make even that banal tune sound like
real music and followed with a series of variations which rolled the Paganini
Caprices into one almost unbelievable feat of virtuosity. Great fun for us; an
astounding display of technique for her. Returning from its triumph in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony only weeks ago, Roger
Melone's marvelous NMSO Chorus filled the back of the stage for the
oratorio Belshazzar's Feast by English composer William Walton. There could
hardly be a more fitting showcase for the Chorus than this work of great drama
and passion. The often complex harmonies and thrillingly unanticipated rhythms
allowed the ensemble to demonstrate richly-hued pianissimos, crisp, clean
staccatos and heart-stopping fortissimos. For the performer the piece is
teeming with treacherous pitfalls, but when as here everything comes together,
the effect is gloriously spectacular. The stentorian pronouncements of baritone
Steven Condy narrated the action, and supertitles provided the audience
with the text. After a somber opening section depicting the bitter enslavement of the Jews and
some rich a capella singing from the male voices, the music exploded into a
riot of volume and color in the setting of the feast, a gourmet banquet of
musical textures and flavors. The huge orchestra which includes an extended
battery of percussion and two extra brass sections placed in the wings above
was all held together with decisive precision by Maestro Figueroa in a
presentation almost cinematic in its execution. The final jubilation ended with
a fury of sumptuous excitement. If you miss this concert, you really miss out on something quite special. WHAT: New Mexico Symphony Orchestra presents Rachel Barton Pine and Belshazzar's
Feast WHEN: 2 p.m. today (Nov. 18) WHERE: Albuquerque Journal Theatre at the National Hispanic Cultural Center HOW MUCH: $18- $57 at the NHCC box office or Ticketmaster outlets
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About Reviewers D.S. Crafts (Website) Composer Daniel Steven Crafts came to New Mexico from San Francisco where he had hosted a classical music radio program on KPFA. His first commission from opera star Jerry Hadley, "The Song & the Slogan" based on texts by Carl Sandburg, was made into a TV program for the PBS network and aired nationally in 2004 and won an Emmy for Best Music. His latest opera La Llorona is a collaboration with novelist Rudolfo Anaya based on his play "The Season of La Llorona." Mr. Crafts is currently working on another commission from Jerry Hadley for a piece about the American Southwest which includes texts by Rudolfo Anaya and V.B. Price. Two CDs of his music, Contemporaries (short, satirical keyboard works) and ARIAS (excerpts from his various operas) have been released on the BACAT label in San Francisco.
David Steinberg David Steinberg has covered state government, the courts, city and county government in Santa Fe for the Albuquerque Journal. He's been an arts writer for the past 20 years, and serves as the book editor, for the Journal. Over the years, he's also acted in plays, sung in choruses and played trumpet.
Jennifer Noyer Jennifer Noyer has been writing dance reviews for the Albuquerque Journal for 17 years, as well as contributing articles for Dance Magazine and other art journals. She trained in dance with Hanya Holm in New York City and Colorado Springs, and studied several dance techniques at the graduate level at the University of Michigan. After teaching dance at Wayne State University she entered and completed a Masters Degree in Humanities there. In New Mexico Ms. Noyer has taught, directed, and choreographed contemporary dance for several years. Her writing on dance includes a monograph accompanying the video of choreographer Bill Evens’ ballet “The Legacy.” An overview of Evans’s world wide career, it was written and published during his tenure at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Noyer’s studies in the humanities, and her studio dance work influence her approach to dance as an integrative art form in the United States.
Barry Gaines Barry Gaines has taught Shakespeare in the University of New Mexico English Department for over twenty-five years and has received two outstanding teaching awards. He has written theater reviews for the Journal since 2000. He has attended theater all over the world including Shakespeare productions in Russia, South Africa, Denmark, and Poland. He has also served as literary advisor for two professional theater companies and written performance reviews for Shakespeare Quarterly. Gaines has taken two years of acting with Paul Ford and appeared in small parts in three plays at the Albuquerque Little Theater. He believes that he is probably a better reviewer than actor.
Joanne Sheehy Hoover Joanne Sheehy Hoover, music critic emeritus of the Albuquerque Journal, has written for NPR, PBS, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Symphony, among others. She has also been a music lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates and a music critic and arts writer for The Washington Post. She was director of the Levine School of Music, one of the country’s largest community music schools, in Washington, D. C. 1980-1993. She and her husband moved to Corrales, New Mexico in July 1993. Also a poet, her fifth collection, “Einstein in New Mexico,” was published in 2002.
Marissa Greenberg Marissa Greenberg is a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico English Department, where she teaches Shakespeare and early English literature. A prior guest reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, Greenberg will be reviewing theater while Barry Gaines is out of town. She also composed and edited the program notes for last year’s Albuquerque Shakespeare Festival and has written performance reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, Greenberg has been performing and studying drama for most of her life. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to review for the Journal.
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