Reviews

Saturday, 1 July 2006—Statesboro Herald [Georgia]
Review of Atlanta Symphony Concert in Statesboro
By JAKE HALLMAN
jake@connectstatesboro.com

ASO Performance at PAC Proves Stellar Thursday

CONCERT REVIEW

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra put on a stellar performance Thursday night at the Georgia Southern Performing Arts Center.

In opening the show, Craig Lesser, commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism noted it was the first time the ASO has performed in Statesboro in 30 years. He also took time to plug the newly-renamed and reorganized Southern Georgia Symphony.

“This is about economic development and great initiatives to better the lives of all Georgians,” he said.

The show wasn’t about money, though – it was about music. In white tops and black pants, the ASO put on a strong performance of music by Borodin, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky and Glinka.

The theme of the show was decidedly nationalistic. Borodin, Tchaikovsky and Glinka were three of the driving forces that defined the unique identity of “Russian” orchestral music, and Saint-Saens sought to revitalize French music in the late 19th century.

The performance started in strong form with Borodin’s Overture to “Prince Igor,” a piece that was left unfinished (indeed, even unwritten) at the composer’s 1887 death. The music was quick and precise, as conductor Laura Jackson pulled the best from the musicians as her direction almost turned into dance.

Like any good conductor, Jackson throws herself into the performance, working as hard – or harder – than her musicians.

The orchestra pared down for Saint-Saens’ Concerto No. 1 in A Minor for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 33, a smaller, more intimate piece that featured cellist Daniel Laufer.

Saint-Saens knew how to write for cello (as evidenced by the defining popularity of his “Le Cygne”), and Laufer exhibited strong chops, his dark and mellow tone never getting lost among the other instruments in a piece as difficult to play as it was to compose.

Laufer nimbly handled difficult double stops and bowing in the piece. His focus seemed to wander a bit as the piece continued, but he had no problem hitting the defining, singing high notes, which were as much a testament to his skill as to the wonderful acoustics of the PAC recital hall.

Jackson and the ASO’s measured, sensitive take on Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, op. 64 showed the depth of the orchestra’s strings, taking highs and lows on the marathon piece. The work was a welcome respite to modern ears used to bombastic use (and overuse) of percussion in modern orchestral works.

The piece shined during its second movement, which spotlighted a number of solo motifs from instruments throughout the orchestra with almost no technical problems from the players.

The general public’s most common exposure to orchestral music is through movie soundtracks. Though often masterfully written, such pieces are meant as accompaniment to what’s on the screen, and lose something when performed on their own.

In the more intimate setting of the PAC, the ASO’s concert demonstrated the true range of a symphony – which can only be experienced live, since radio and recordings compress the dynamic range of music.

Overall, the concert hammered home how orchestral music – under the catch-all “classical” moniker – can be enjoyed best when it stands on its own merits. Many young faces in the audience were delighted with the show, and probably left with a deeper understanding of “serious” music.

In fact, responding to the enthusiastic ovation after finishing the Tchaikovsky piece, the orchestra returned for an encore of Glinka’s “Russlan and Ludmilla” Overture.

Such a response bodes well for the Southern Georgia Symphony, which will begin performances this fall. In the ASO’s performance, Statesboro may have caught a glimpse of what its local orchestra will become in a few years.

© Statesboro Publishing Company