Final
finalist directs Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra
By Jan Stribula CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Article Last Updated: 04/11/2008 05:02:41 AM EDT
RIDGEFIELD -- For the last two seasons, the Ridgefield
Symphony Orchestra has been wearing many musical hats during
its extensive search for a new music director.
The orchestra has performed a wide variety of programs
selected by many guest conductors and the "Four Fabulous
Finalists" featured this season. What's remarkable is how
well everyone has fared along the way.
Last Saturday night, RSO Executive Director Sarah Miller
explained how the process is nearing completion as she
introduced Christopher Confessore, the last of the
candidates. The goal of Confessore's program was diversity,
covering classical, romantic and contemporary periods. By
the end of the concert, or should I say the last two years,
it's clear the RSO sounds good performing just about
anything.
Confessore began with some millinery madness in "An Italian
Straw Hat Suite," written in 2005 by Michael Torke (b. 1961)
and sounding like Rossini on Broadway. The perfectly
delightful piece of fluff from the farcical ballet developed
a certain horsepower along the way.
They swirled into action, with lots of hustle and bustle,
love trysts, chase scenes, and a bit of a breather on top of
the Eiffel Tower, with principal trumpet John Thomas
sounding like a laid back Miles Davis, with a little help
from the harp. Good vibes prevailed in the pleasant and
palatable piece that bodes well for compositions from the
21st century.
Changing hats, Confessore turned to a piece that made its
premiere exactly 205 years ago, "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C
minor, Op. 37" by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 -1827),
featuring soloist Andrew Armstrong. The orchestra was in
fine form, giving a stately introduction to the first theme,
followed by Armstrong rippling into the opening octaves.
Armstrong was full of expression and played with boldness in
the spirit of Beethoven, who enjoyed putting some finishing
touches on his compositions right up to their performances.
Armstrong maintained the flow with the RSO, while paying
special attention to dynamics and articulation, keeping the
piece interesting rather than by the book. Thundering
arpeggios slipped away to whispers, erupting with agitated
bursts of energy. Even the slow movement contained flashes
of brilliance amid the rhapsodic melody. Playing with pizazz
and polish, it was a pleasure to hear Armstrong. Confessore
did a stand up job developing synergy between the soloist
and orchestra.
Following intermission, Confessore placed his hat in the
hands of fate with the challenging "Symphony No. 4 in F
minor, Op. 36," by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 -1893).
Fortunately the brass section was quite well behaved and
everyone escaped unscathed.
Confessore succeeded in eliciting a good deal of excitement
out of the RSO in one of the more challenging of
Tchaikovsky's symphonies. Glimpses of his yet to be composed
"Nutcracker Ballet" could be heard in a few places.
An abundance of solos gave the principals of the wind
section their chance to shine. Playing pizzicato all the way
through the third movement, the strings seemed to be light
as a feather. The percussionists came to life in the festive
final movement. The full house at the Richardson Auditorium
gave them a strong ovation at the end of the long concert.
After about two years, I'm sure everyone is anxious to find
out how the selection process will be resolved. I don't envy
the members of the RSO board of directors in choosing the
new director from the four outstanding candidates. Will they
pick a name out of a hat?
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