Author Archives: Mary Lou Prince

About Mary Lou Prince

Mary Lou Prince is a composer, conductor and performer. She lived in Japan for over two decades, working with Japanese instruments and theater forms.

UTAH SYMPHONY GIVES ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCE OF MUSSORGSKY, GLAZUNOV AND SAINT-SAËNS’ ‘ORGAN SYMPHONY’

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UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, May 1; second performance 8 p.m. May 2, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org 

The concert was billed as “Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony” and certainly that was the highlight of the evening, but the two pieces preceding it were well programmed, beautifully performed and set a lively atmosphere for a well rounded, finely tuned and exhilarating evening.

Starting with Mussorgsky’s A Night on Bald Mountain, guest conductor Kazuki Yamada’s command of the orchestra was evidenced as he effortlessly led the orchestra through the moods that define the Witches’ Sabbath, the story behind this tone poem. The grand pauses followed by full blown orchestral statements were punctuated with perfection.  Bravo to the clarinetist whose ethereal solo at the end of the piece transported the listeners from Abravenal Hall to another world.

The melody that opened Glazunov’s Symphony No. 5, played in octaves by the string section, was breathtaking. Each section of the orchestra displayed its virtuosity as the piece unfolded, making its way through the four movements with crisp woodwind passages, bold brass statements, impeccable percussion and more gorgeous sonority from the strings.

The popularity of Richard Elliott, principal organist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, was clear as he took his place at the organ for Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 and was greeted by a passionate round of applause.

Known as the “Organ Symphony” (the composer called it a Symphony with Organ) the performance was exquisite from start to finish.  Again, Yamada displayed his brilliance with the full-blown orchestration that included piano four hands and a percussion section that required several players.

The subtleties of the piece were perfectly contrasted by the full-on dramatic statements.  Saint-Saëns was a genius of orchestration.  The delicate pianissimo entrance of the organ created a river of calm through the multi-textured architecture of sound.  Elliott’s command of the piece was exceptional.  Each section of the orchestra displayed its brilliance, knowing when to pull back, knowing when to dig in.

This was Yamada’s United States debut.  Audiences will look forward to more appearances by the exceptional, energetic maestro.   

JUN MÄRKL AND INGRID FLITER LIGHT UP BEETHOVEN AND WAGNER

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UTAH SYMPHONY, Abravanel Hall, March 27; additional performance 8 p.m. March 28, tickets at 801-355-2787, 888-451-2787 or www.utahsymphony.org.

Pianist Ingrid Fliter opened Friday’s concert with a dazzling rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2, under the direction of dynamic guest conductor Jun Märkl. Together they achieved a perfect balance between orchestra and soloist, each entity working together to form a blend that was fluid and nuanced. Argentine born Fliter’s exuberance in the music was unmistakable as she displayed her artistry and virtuosity during the cadenza. The spirited Rondo was superbly executed with mastery and finesse.

Jun Märkl (Photo Credit: Intermusica)

The subtle, delicate balance of the Beethoven moved into the world of Wagner during the second half of the program with a rousing performance of his Orchestral Suite from The Ring. In 45 minutes the audience experienced music from the entire Ring cycle that would take 12 hours to perform in its original operatic form. The size of the orchestra grew from standard numbers of musicians to doubled sections of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, including their basso and treble counterparts: piccolo, English horn and bass clarinet. The usual four French horn instrumentation was augmented to eight, there were three trumpets instead of two plus a bass trumpet, three trombones and a contrabass trombone instead of two, the rare “Wagner Tuben” (hybrid of French horn and trombone), a percussion section that required five players including two sets of tympani, anvil, crash cymbal, suspended cymbal, field drum and a huge array of clanging things, two harps and a full string section.

Märkl, born in Germany to a concertmaster father and solo pianist mother, brilliantly conducted the orchestra from the exquisite, mysterious sustained low E flat that introduced the Prelude from Das Rheingold through to the enchanting melody of Brünnhilde’s “Immolation Scene.” The huge orchestra masterfully made the transitions from the full-blown sounds to the delicate passages.  The influence of two of his mentors, Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa, was evident as he danced with the music, always precise, filled with joy that was palpable to the audience, masterfully bringing out the exceptional skill of the players.  Forty-five minutes seemed to have passed in 15.