Mark Alexander Boyd

Sonet

Fra bank to bank, fra wood to wood I rin,
Ourhailit with my feeble fantasie;
Like til a leaf that fallis from a tree,
Or til a reed ourblawin with the win.

Twa gods guides me: the ane of tham is blin,
Yea and a bairn brocht up in vanitie;
The next a wife ingenrit of the sea,
And lichter nor a dauphin with her fin.

Unhappy is the man for evermair
That tills the sand and sawis in the air;
But twice unhappier is he, I lairn,
That feidis in his hairt a mad desire,
And follows on a woman throw the fire,
Led by a blind and teachit by a bairn.

Scotland 1570

Boulder Symphony

Saturday, January 15th, I attended a concert by the Boulder Symphony at the Mountain View United Methodist.  I'm just a blogger, and an intermittent one at that, not a journalist under the obligation cover the local scene.  But a friend of mine was playing and they had the Schoenberg 1st Chamber Symphony on the program -- not something one expects from  a community orchestra.  

I know and admire the work from two recordings -- admire, but not love.  It's a work of formidable density -- a kind of cubist view of the 19th century symphonic tradition with the four movements of the standard symphony more or less played at the same time in one intense, twenty minute span.  Quite a stunning feat and by far the most advanced work of the pre WWI second Vieniesse school.  All of the standard techniques and gestures of the tradition are subverted and frustrated.  Yet it's an very much an example of the "constant variation" technique developed by Brahms. It couldn't possible be easy to play and not something one would want to hear butchered.

(The composer was also a painter, although an "expressionist" not a cubist.)

The church is one of those giant A-frames that were so popular in the 70's, quite large with very high ceilings.  Not a promising acoustic environment.  So I plopped myself down in the front row, right next to the conductor's podium.  Besides, the place was full and I'd arrived only ten minutes early.

The first piece, for the full orchestra, was Mozart's Overture for La Clemenza di Tito.  Well played.
 
Then the Schoenberg.   Reduced forces - a chamber symphony, after all, just sixteen instraments.  Associate conductor Alejandro Gomez-Guillen delivered some illuminating introductory remarks with examples played by the orchestra.  And then off they went: a performance more than competent: committed, engaged, sure footed, with accurate intonation and moments real power. 

Gomez-Guillen conducted with dispatch, accuracy and authority.  He must really know how to rehearse.  The orchestra, generally quite young, played beautifully together with remarkable coherence and communication: humility, musicianship and loyalty.

Subsequent research (Google!) reveals that Gomez-Guillen, is a violinist and PhD candidate in conducting at the CU College of Music.  The web site lists the orchestra members, a number of whom have web sites and many of whom are graduate students on their instruments at local schools . The clarinet chair for the Schoenberg was held by the wonderful Deborah Goretity recently returned to the US after years free lancing in Europe.

The second half started with the R. Strauss Serinade for Winds, written when he was a student.  Also well played and also impressive - woodwinds are hard, btw.  Then two concerto movements, one form Hydan and one Mozart played by two local compeittion winners,  Andrea Lin, perhaps ten years old, and Sonya Walker, thirteen.  Both played musically and did themselves proud.   Appaently there's quite a competition scene for young musicians.  I'm not sure this is healthy.


But the Boulder Symphony is clearly in excellent health.  Visit their web site.  And attend the upcoming concerts.     


Here's a review of an earlier performance.   Note that the Strauss Serenade was played then as well, which suggests limited rehearsal time. 
 
Those works of Schoenberg that made it into the general repertory are early ones, Verklärte Nacht and Pierrot lunaire.  The piano music turns up, in part because all of it is short and therefore easy to program.  There is a wonderful recording of the Gurre-Lieder by Pierre Boulez which is completely sui generis -- if anything, it sounds like Debussy.  Which makes me want to listen to the Austrian's Pellas.


His later works have met with much less acceptance, although there is an absolutely wonderful recording of the Violin Concerto by Hillary Hahn with Essa Pekka Salonen.  It's coupled with the Sebilus.  The Schoenberg is passionate and exciting.  The Sibelus  indifferent.

There's also a wonderful recording of the Piano Poncerto with Uchida and Boulez which includes all the solo piano music as well as the Berg sonata and the Webern Variations.