By Eileen Wingard
SAN DIEGO–Last Sunday afternoon, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, TICO presented a cleverly conceived concert inspired by celestial bodies in space. The music was accompanied by fascinating screen projections assembled by George Varga, astronomy volunteer at Mission Trails Regional Park.
I sat next to the editor of sdjewishworld.com and his ten-year-old grandson, who was attending his first indoor symphony concert. The young man’s greeting to me was, “Star Trek!” That was the music he had eagerly come to hear. As an avid fan of the series, he was familiar with the themes. Star Trek was the hook which grandpa used to lure the boy, and neither grandpa nor grandson were disappointed. Principal violist Bryce Newall introduced the work, wearing Vulcan ears, and the orchestra performed Star Trek Through The Ages with security and spirit.
The Three Nocturnes by Claude Debussy were more earth-bound. In the opening movement, Nuages (Clouds), an impressionist texture was evoked by delicate string effects and lovely oboe, English horn and flute solos. The second movement, Fetes (Festivals), was boisterous, and the final movement, Sirenes (Mermaids), had impressive trumpet solos. The electronic keyboard, used instead of the women’s voices called for in the score. was not as satisfying. But budgetary constraints undoubtedly prohibited the use of a woman’s choir.
After intermission, the orchestra undertook the challenging seven movement The Planets, composed in 1915 by the English composer Gustav Holst. Each movement has the title of a planet known at the time. Pluto is not included because it was not yet discovered. The first movement, Mars, with its mesmerizing rhythmic pattern played by the strings with the wooden sticks of their bows, was incisive. And when the orchestra arrived at the fourth movement, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, the main melodic theme sounded so warm and full of grandeur that it compared favorably to any professional ensemble. The only movement which showed marked signs of struggle was the highly difficult Mercury, the Winged Messenger where the tempo is speedy and passages are rapidly passed from one section to the other.
Carl Nielsen’s Helios Overture, a seldom-heard work by the great Norwegian composer, opened the program. Projections of the sun accompanied it.
Some six regular first violinists were absent and Conductor David Amos managed to find suitable substitutes. Concertmaster Juanita Cummings had suffered a minor stroke the previous Friday and was under medication, but loyal performer that she was, and with the assistant concertmaster among those unavailable, she managed to come to the performance and lead her section in what turned out to be one of the most impressive programs of the season.
Although grandfather and grandson moved to the back of the hall for the second half in case the youngster got restless, they remained to the end of the concert and both expressed delight. They, too, agreed that Jupiter was outstanding.
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Wingard is a freelance writer and retired San Diego Symphony violinist. She may be contacted at eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com