It had been 18 years since a symphony orchestra was brought to St. Thomas. The throng which gathered to hear the performance of the highly refined Puerto Rico Symphony on Saturday evening seemed to indicate that we should not wait so long again.
The Reichhold Center for the Arts added seats for the evening, yet there were still not enough to accommodate all who wished to enjoy this rare cultural opportunity on our island.
The Puerto Rico Symphony gave its first concert under the direction of its founder, Pablo Casals, in the winter of 1958. At the same time, with the enthusiastic support of then-Gov. Munoz Marin, the Puerto Rico
Conservatory opened its doors. Both institutions have flourished and continue to embody the high artistic ideals of the humanitarian artist who was so instrumental in their births.
Casals was adamant that music must communicate what is most noble in mankind. He insisted that virtuosity must be put at the service of great works rather than used merely to bring attention to the performer. He spurned flashiness for its own sake. How proud he must be of the deeply expressive, technically brilliant, interpretationally elegant performances delivered by his spiritual children!
The Puerto Rico Symphony is a Caribbean treasure. It plays with a purity of tone, sureness of intonation, cohesion of ensemble and acute awareness to musical style which can only come through devotion to the repertoire, rigorous rehearsal and enlightened leadership. Many in attendance at Reichhold were there for a "first" symphonic experience. The program and its performance were a most fortunate initiation.
While most of the program was widely familiar, the orchestra brought a new insight and freshness to its rendering of these staples of the symphonic repertoire.
Maestro Eugene Kohn leads the orchestra to the heart of the music, eschewing the pitfalls of bombast and vulgarity which so often can attempt to pass for excitement, especially in the Wagner and Beethoven the orchestra played for its St. Thomas audience.
The Overture to Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg is a great way to open a program. The interpretation of the work made it clear from the start that the music would come first. The triumphal mood of the piece glowed through the elegant textures of tone which the orchestra emitted. The restrained brilliance of the brass section crowned the rich, full-bodied sound of the strings rather than obliterating it. The sensitivity to the structure of the piece was a revelation to those who had heard it many times.
The orchestra's delivery of the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 was no less remarkable. This work is so familiar that it is too often performed in an almost perfunctory, hackneyed way. Audiences almost expect it to be beaten rather than built, and even great orchestras seem too ready to oblige. (Listen to the first set of Beethoven Symphonies recorded by the great Von Karajan!) Kohn and the Puerto Rico Symphony lean much more toward the lighter, cleaner textures advocated by John Elliott Gardner and those who choose to focus more on Beethoven as poet than Titan.
The power was there in the performance, but it came through the rhythmic intensity and the inner tension of the interplay of the voices and attention to overall construction rather than from decibels.
The first movement was a triumph of sensitive, intelligent musicianship. The drive and suppleness of the individual lines made the structure of the movement seem to bloom.
The poetry of the second movement was allowed to sing in a rather straightforward manner, avoiding the maudlin sentimentality to which it so often becomes a victim. The third movement was delivered as one extended buildup to the brilliant introduction of the theme of the final movement. Tempi were judicious and proportionate. It was a tremendously exciting performance while maintaining a very classic reserve and balance.
A curious "Concerto for Saxophone" by the Russian post-Romantic Alexander Glazunov began the second half of the program. This late work was inspired by and dedicated to Sigurd Rascher, probably the most outstanding saxophone virtuoso of our century. Many composers, including Ibert, Milhaud, Hindemith and Aaron Copland, were moved to compose and dedicate works to him.
The soloist for this performance was Edgar Marreiro, an 18-year-old student at the Puerto Rico Conservatory. This young man is clearly to the saxophone what Midori and Joshua Bell have been to the violin in the recent past. He combines a stunning technique with studied and intuitive musicianship of the highest caliber.
The orchestra provided a rich, exotic texture of sound from the strings and woodwinds through which Marreiro's solo sang and soared in a tone color that was between that characteristic of the brass and the woodwinds. It was unclear whether the devilishly virtuosic cadenza was the composer's or by the performer.
Marreiro played his heart out and certainly made it seem his own. The audience rewarded him with a standing ovation and were likewise treated to a beguiling performance of the "Flight of the Bumblebee." Watching this young man spread his wings and gain recognition in a larger arena will be a pleasure for all who have had the pleasure of experiencing his performance.
Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" rounded out the official program. It was delivered with flare and grace. The string section exhibited marvelous unity in their negotiation of the special technical demands of this work, which include pizzicato, double-stopping and playing acoustics.
Likewise, the percussion section demonstrated a tasteful restraint as they got to play with all their "toys." Along with the brass and woodwind solos, the percussion were able to create the illusion that they emerged from the overall texture rather than were imposed over it. The exuberant rhythms, so characteristic of this composer, were executed with ebullient flare. The blazing conclusion of the work had the audience once again on its feet. They left the center humming the Overture to the "Barber of Seville" which was played as an encore.
The Birch Forum has again succeeded in bringing cultural entertainment of the highest quality to our island, and we should be deeply grateful. What they have accomplished is truly a missionary endeavor in the cause of the arts. The members of the Forum and the collaborating sponsors within the community have done something truly wonderful for the island.
It is unfortunate that the Stage Bill was not only devoid of a list of the orchestra's personnel, it failed to recognize Edgar Marreiro as the saxophone soloist.
Additionally, since this was the first time we have had an orchestral concert in a generation, it might have been appropriate to use the program to educate the audience in the etiquette of classical concerts. There really is NO reason to seat latecomers while the orchestra is playing. It is traditional to withhold applause until the end of the last movement of a symphony, sonata, suite or concerto so that the overall unity of the work is not disrupted. Finally, a good audience develops listening skills and refrains from conversation and making extraneous noise.
These critical observations should in no way detract from the success of Saturday evening. It was a huge success.
Ricardo and Josephine Charaf did a magnificent job of the Herculean task of organizing the logistics of the event. Let's hope that they have kept copious notes which they will share with the next brave souls who are willing to bring such an event to our shores. May it not be another 18 years.
