Two Favorite Sons...

As symphony orchestras struggle for survival in today’s world of financial insecurity and culture wars, filling seats with paying patrons is a holy grail of management. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) has discovered the golden ticket by scheduling works of Leonard Bernstein, resulting in several sold-out concerts. Of course, symphony orchestras across the US have been busy scheduling and presenting the works of this near-mythic all-American composer in celebration of the centenary of his birth. Yet, in spite of his larger-than-life significance in the popular culture, Bernstein’s compositional body of work has not been frequently performed in concert halls over the decades since his passing. Maybe we find the myth more engaging than his actual music.   For the complete review, click here:  https://bachtrack.com/review-bernstein-shostakovich-spano-moser-aso-atlanta-january-2019

Oundjian is a keeper...

As part of its recognition of the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, the ASO has scheduled several of his works throughout the year. It provides a great opportunity to hear and assess the works of the quintessential American composer, who, in recent years, is not heard quite as frequently as he once was. Bernstein’s strength was that he synthesized the cultural atmosphere of the time (including Pop music and Jazz) and applied the rigors of his musical genius to morph it into pieces for large orchestras. In contrast to other composers who delicately incorporated folk or Pop music into their works, Bernstein’s references are not subtle – he doesn’t just include themes or melodies – he adopts the energy, instrumentation, rhythms and colors of the popular culture. The Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free are good examples of the way in which this music, composed in 1944, is musically linked to the 1940s New York City zeitgeist. This, combined with his fairly limited orchestral palette, results in many pieces that often sound strikingly similar. The Dance Variations are bright, brassy, bold and rhythmically driven, but all too sonically familiar to anyone who has heard Bernstein’s other compositions. The Variations pieces were composed for the Ballet Theater and choreographer Jerome Robbins, and were the musical backdrop for three men competing to impress their female audience by each individually dancing a gallop, a waltz, and a danzon. Oundjian kept a brisk pace throughout the work and the ASO performed with enthusiasm, which ratcheted up the music’s already high energy.  For the complete review, go here:  https://bachtrack.com/review-saint-saens-bernstein-atlanta-s

Photo credit:  Dane Sponberg.