Feb. 4th concert review

RIDGEFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – Saturday, February 4, 2012

Reviewed by Courtenay Caublé, The Ridgefield Press

A packed house and nearly unprecedented audience enthusiasm at the Ridgefield Symphony’s Rogers and Hammerstein celebration last Saturday evening at the Anne Richardson auditorium were impressive testimony to the drawing power for Ridgefield audiences of Broadway musical favorites. The attraction is more than doubled, of course, when the favorites are showcased with the sort of pizzazz that enlivened the RSO’s fourth concert this season.

With multi-talented Maestro Gerald Steichen on the podium, the program offered orchestral selections (The Carousel Waltz as an opener and a Rogers and Hammerstein Interlude-Overture to start the second half) and vocal solos and duets from The King and I, Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music by the evening’s guest stars, Nat Chandler (familiar from a similar RSO program last season) and Teri Hansen, both of them dramatic vocalists with rich Broadway experience.

Chandler and Hansen were engaging both vocally and dramatically in an overall performance enhanced by what amounted to professional choreography. Ms. Hansen was charming and lively, first in a beautiful form-clinging, sparkling silver gown and later in an equally lovely but less formal dark blue outfit, and Mr. Chandler was top flight in every way – engagingly charismatic, with a rich vocal quality, expressive and flexible delivery, and star-quality dramatic control.

Never flagging in audience appeal, the program moved right along from one musical highlight to another towards a memorable conclusion, with both singers bringing their audience in with participatory involvement for “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music and the title song from Oklahoma!

It was the kind of musical presentation that surely must have left its audience remembering and humming familiar tunes and smiling (even the day after) and looking forward to more musical evenings like it in future RSO seasons.

At dancing gala, the money is for the music

The Ridgefield Press interviews some of the dancers that will appear in "Dancing with the RSO" on March 10 at the Salem Golf Club.   Read the article at TheRidgefieldPress.com

Dec. 3rd concert review

RIDGEFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – Saturday, December 3, 2011

Reviewed by Courtenay Caublé, The Ridgefield Press

With Music Director Gerald Steichen on the podium, Brahms and Christmas shared the stage at Ridgefield High School's Anne S. Richardson Auditorium last Saturday evening for the Ridgefield Symphony's third concert this season. Brahms was represented by his Variations on a Theme of Haydn and his Symphony No. 2 in D Major, and Christmas was celebrated in advance with Tchaikovsky's perennially favorite Nutcracker Suite and (as surprise closing dessert treats) by a group of Ridgefield Chorale choristers with a delightfully frolicsome version of Jingle Bells and by the orchestra and it's maestro (all in red and white Santa Clause hats) with an equally playful arrangement of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

A favorite of mine, the Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn is a masterfully crafted work that cries out for quite a lot of rehearsal (and learning) time to afford it the sort of performance quality needed for clearly defining its varied moods. The central "St. Anthony" theme was beautifully intoned by a choir of woodwinds and brass; but in spite of Maestro Steichen's clear direction, the overall effect came through (to me at least) more like a good read-through than a polished performance -- perhaps an endorsement for a shorter, less weighty concert opener as a warm-up for orchestra and audience.

The rest of the program was complete compensation, though. When he first took over as the RSO's Music Director, Maestro Steichen determined to cover all four of Johannes Brahms's symphonies in his first four seasons with the orchestra; and Saturday evening's performance of the melody-rich Second Symphony completed the cycle. And it was a notable conclusion. With a loving understanding of the work, Steichen was in complete control from the first note to the last; and the orchestra was his responsive instrument. Everything was as it should be, but the lovely third movement, with its gentle interplay between woodwinds and strings, was especially fine, as we're the management and effect of the dramatically complex finale.

Tchaikovsky's deservedly popular Nutcracker Suite was also a pleasure to listen to, with well-done solo bits throughout the orchestra, most notably the bell-like sound of the celesta (played by Margarita Nuller) in the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy and Wendy Kerner Lucas's sweeping harp cadenza in the lush Waltz of the Flowers.

Finally, Maestro Steichen's annual add-on tribute to Christmas was particularly delightful this year, what with the wonderfully polished performance by the Ridgefield Chorale choristers under Daniela Sikora's direction and the spirited walk in a winter wonderland by the red-hatted maestro and his orchestral team.

Nov. 19th review

RIDGEFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – Saturday, November , 2011

Reviewed by Courtenay Caublé, The Ridgefield Press

    With four stellar solo performers, the Ridgefield Symphony’s refreshingly enjoyable second concert this season last Saturday evening at Ridgefield High School’s Anne S. Richardson Auditorium departed from the usual three or so complete selections. Rossini’s Overture to Italiana in Algeri was the only complete work on a musical menu otherwise comprising single choice movements from longer works by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, Schubert, and Saint-Saëns, with orchestral and chamber works equally represented.

    The evening’s four soloists included quest cellist Madeleine Bouissou (the gifted daughter of Bernard and Sarah Bouissou of Ridgefield culinary fame), violinist Jorge Ávila (the RSO’s fine concertmaster), guest pianist Gayle Martin Henry, and (of course) Petko Dimitrov, the RSO’s exceptional Assistant Conductor.

    With both her skill and grace implicitly promising even more yet to come, Madeleine Bouissou’s sensitive and lovely playing of both the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major and Saint-Saëns’ “The Swan” from Carnival of the Animals (with Ms. Henry at the piano) received a justly enthusiastic ovation from both her local fans in the audience and the rest of us – plus enough bouquets of flowers to fill a secondary garden. She gave us reason to expect to hear great things both about her and from her in the future.

    Elsewhere in the program an ensemble of principal RSO string players provided a rousing and well-modulated reading of the final Allegro from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and wonderful support for violinist Jorge Ávila’s alternately lyric and stormy performance of the “Summer” segment of Vivaldi’s “The Seasons.” His playing was an exceptional amalgam of virtuosity and musical sensitivity. Later, pianist Gail Martin Henry joined a quartet of string principals for a winning performance of the theme-and-variations fourth movement of Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet. The RSO is fortunate to be able to enlist the artistry of a solo pianist and chamber musician of Ms. Henry’s stature.

    Last but absolutely not least, kudos must go to Maestro Petko Dimitrov, whose obvious combination of musicological knowledge and overall musicianship both sensitively communicated individual works, which included Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Bach’s Air on the G String, the Haydn Cello Concerto, the Rossini overture, and the first movements from Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 and Haydn’s Symphony No 104, and impressively held together an unusually varied program.

RSO fundraiser at Piccolo's

Thank you to Matt Criscuolo, Breno Donatti and all at Piccolo Pizza Pasta and Catering, and Piccolo Gelato Bar, for helping the Ridgefield Symphony raise over $200 at our recent fundraiser.  Also, thank you to all who patronized Piccolo’s to benefit the orchestra. (View picture by clicking "Gallery")