Concert review: Delaware Symphony Orchestra proves musical command with Dead Elvis Gail Obenreder Special to The News Journal “O brave new world that has such people in’t!” From Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” it’s been said many times since, but never more aptly than describing the latest Delaware Symphony chamber concert. The orchestra continues its upward momentum, and for this outing at the Hotel du Pont, it featured DSO musicians and a trio of performers from the Delaware Theatre Company and OperaDelaware. Such creative collaboration is an invigorating trend, clearly welcomed by Delaware artists and audiences alike. The evening featured two pieces only: Michael Daugherty’s 1993 work “Dead Elvis” and Igor Stravinsky’s “L’histoire du soldat / The Soldier’s Story,” which premiered in 1918. Maestro David Amado has conducted both pieces before, and at first look the two works, separated by 75 years and several continents, might seem disparate. But several connections led Amado to bring them together. Both are scored for the same (unusual) ensemble of seven musicians. And both are portraits of men who sold their souls for something that proved ultimately transitory and unfulfilling. The evening began with “Dead Elvis,” by American Michael Daugherty. He also composed the moving “Trail of Tears” for flute and orchestra, which was co-commissioned by the DSO. A concert piece with theatrical elements, “Dead Elvis” is an unusual tour de force for a bassoon soloist, whom the composer mandates be dressed as an Elvis impersonator. The DSO’s very fine Jon Gaarder leapt into the work with polish and enthusiasm, charming – and impressing – the audience with his classic Elvis style and moves. Repeatedly invoking the “dies irae/day of wrath” section of the Latin requiem mass, this rhythmically pulsing nine-minute work packs in a riveting array of musical references, including “It’s Now or Never,” a new Orleans jazz funeral procession, low-down blues, and even a conga. As Amado pointed out in pre-concert remarks, the composer, often inspired by “kitschy Americana,” uses these references to raise questions about the relationship of classical and popular music and, in this work, to comment on the transitory nature of celebrity. Amado has been at the podium for a number of Daugherty’s 100 or so compositions, and the maestro has an obvious affinity for this stylish, often witty composer whose works might seem to skim the surface but who always affords the opportunity to dig deeper into tapestries of sound and meaning. In the second half of the program, Amado presented “L’histoire du soldat (A Soldier’s Tale),” a memorable work by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Often performed fully staged or as a ballet, and based on a Russian folk tale, this Faustian theater piece with music tells of a soldier who sells his fiddle to the devil in exchange for what he believes will bring happiness. This performance, with Amado’s charming contemporary narrative translation, used the conventions of a theatrical reading or concert opera. The 60-minute work featured three of the region’s creative leaders – Delaware Theatre Company’s Executive Director Bud Martin as The Devil, DTC’s Director of Education Charles Conway as The Narrator, and OperaDelaware’s General Director Brendan Cooke as The Soldier. Seated at music stands set among the musicians, the three men – all skilled text interpreters – obviously relished this piece, as did the audience. The relative simplicity of the fable is meshed in counterpoint with Stravinsky’s evocative musical pieces – some short, some more substantial – that are rhythmically complex and, by the end of the work, surprisingly stunning. Both of these works require absolute authority and musical command from the ensemble that plays them. Always excellent, but especially so here, the DSO players included concertmaster David Southorn (violin), Jon Gaarder (bassoon), Daniel McDougall (double bass), Brian Kuszyk (trumpet), Jonathan Troy (clarinet), Natalie Mannix (trombone) and William Kerrigan (percussion). Amado led them with excellence and verve, and his enthusiasm was matched by the audience’s standing ovation. The concert will be reprised at The Queen on Market Street at 7:30 p.m. Friday. It’s the DSO’s first appearance at this stylish and increasingly important Wilmington venue. A performance like this doesn’t happen every day. We’re lucky to have it here, and twice. IF YOU GO WHAT: Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s “Dead Elvis” and “The Soldier’s Story” WHERE: The Queen at World Cafe Live, 500 N. Market St., Wilmington WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday TICKETS: $47 ($40, plus $7 charges) FOR MORE INFORMATION: queentickets.worldcafelive
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:44:12 +0000