By Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO — The Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO), under the direction of David Amos, featured two impressive artists: composer, Mark Donnelly, introducing his engaging three-movement Hawai’ian Rhapsody, Ho’omaka Ana, and internationally-recognized guitarist, Gregg Nestor, performing selections by Joaquin Rodrigo and Luigi Boccherini.
Donnelly, who plays oboe and English Horn in the orchestra, has done many band arrangements. The Hawai’ian Rhapsody is his second large orchestral work.
An engaging piece, incorporating Hawaiian drums, a conch shell, a ukulele, and a Hawaiian steel guitar, the first movement began with mesmerizing rhythmic patterns and music that evoked pictures of the sea and the turbulence therein.
The second movement, more languid, included a final glissando on the steel guitar. The last movement again brought back incessant rhythms, with the music rising in volcanic splendor. Solos by Bryce Newall on viola and Evelyn Kooperman on cello were nicely executed.
On the second half of the program, an amplified guitar, played by Gregg Nestor, was well-balanced with the orchestral accompaniment in Joaquin Rodrigo’s four-movement Fantasia para un Gentilhombre. Nestor played with rhythmic decisiveness and virtuosic bravura, bringing just the right Spanish flavor to these musical delicacies. One could almost picture a Flamenco dancer spinning and turning to the sensuous music. The Rodrigo work was dedicated to the great Spanish guitarist, Andres Segovia.
Boccherini’s Introduction and Fandango was arranged for guitar and chamber orchestra by Nestor, himself. He included castanets in the orchestration, which lent emphasis to the beat. This piece also proved to be a fitting vehicle for showcasing the artistry of Nestor, a locally trained guitarist, whose career included being a finalist in the New York Concert Artist Guild Competition, broadcasts on the BBC, and a dozen commercial recordings.
The orchestra performed the Hawai’ian Rhapsody and the accompaniments for Nestor with good intonation, sensitive nuances, and precise rhythmic ensemble. These works were obviously carefully rehearsed, and Amos and his forces worked hard to bring the performances to a high level. Only the opening selection of the program, Introduction and Cortege from Le Coq D’or by Rimsky-Korsakov, seemed to suffer from insufficient preparation, with the challenging chromatic passages not quite hitting the mark. However, what followed more than made up for the tepid beginning.
The next concert will feature a Boston-based pianist playing the Rachmaninoff Concerto and a new Israeli work with Hebrew narration, based on texts from Genisis.
Amos is to be congratulated for the innovative programming he brings to TICO’s series.
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Wingard is a freelance writer and retired San Diego Symphony violinist. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com