Symphony Shines Despite Difficult Music, Weather
Spokane Symphony Saturday, Aug. 3, the Festival at Sandpoint
An interesting collection of music for strings was the reward for hardy souls at this year’s first Spokane Symphony performance at the Festival at Sandpoint on Saturday night. A definite chill and the occasional drops from the sky probably scared off casual listeners, but the do-or-die fans were there with coats on.
Sandpoint’s artistic director, Gunther Schuller, doesn’t take the easy out when it comes to programming. Schuller pulled up some music that has not been heard in the Inland Northwest often or at all, including material challenging for the players as well as the audience.
The Spokane Symphony played very well, especially considering the meteorological circumstances. The cold and damp are kind to neither sensitive wooden instruments nor musicians’ fingers, but for most of the performance the orchestra overcame these hardships.
My biggest complaint was having to listen to the strings through a sound system. As good as it was, it still served to remove the immediacy of the sound by one or two notches, replacing warm, wooden energy with a bright, electric energy.
On the other hand, the sound system served very well for Debussy’s “Danses sacree et profane.” Harpist Camille Peterson’s delicate touch in the shimmering, ephemeral work would have been difficult to balance, except in a small chamber, without electronic enhancement. As it was, the result took on an ethereal air that warmed the audience.
The pretty and deeply felt performance of Dvorak’s “Nocturne” had the same effect on concertgoers. Schuller asked for and the players gave soul to the work’s peaceful lines and flowing modulations.
Mozart’s exploration of Bach’s world in the “Adagio and Fugue” was a rare treat. More clarity of articulation, though, would have carried the orchestra’s energy further. Even more of a treat was Stravinsky’s “Concerto in D,” a work never performed in this area before, to my knowledge.
After the Stravinsky, Schuller thanked the orchestra for a “spiffy performance,” telling those in the audience they didn’t know how hard it was. Making it sound easier than it is is certainly the mark of a good performance, and the players did that remarkably. Gutsy playing combined with precision made for an exuberant performance.
The final work on the program, Schoenberg’s “Verklarte Nacht,” was where the weather finally took its toll. In contrast with the rest of the evening, intonation strayed a few times. Pacing and contrasts were excellent, but a few little details kept it from being a stellar performance. A warm, clear night might have made all the difference.
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