Big screen engages audience on the lawn at orchestra opener

Friday, August 3, 2007

By Judith White

For the Saratogian

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A large lawn crowd showed up early at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Wednesday evening, to set up lawn chairs and share picnics before the opening night performance of Beethoven's masterpiece "Choral" Symphony No. 9 by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The well-loved, familiar work has often been played during the orchestra's annual three-week residency at SPAC, delivering its message of universal joy and brotherhood and leaving memories of the sight and sound of a magnificent orchestra performing with four major vocal soloists and a 100-member chorus.

Maestro Charles Dutoit has led numerous performances of Beethoven's Ninth at SPAC since 1990, when he was appointed principal guest conductor of the Philadelphians. Most recently, the work was performed here during the summers of 2004 and 2002, and on opening night in 1999.

The conductor returned to SPAC this season with a new title - chief conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra beginning next year - but keeps his strong convictions about what music SPAC's audiences want to hear. Beethoven's Ninth is high on that list.

On this hot, humid opening night, Dutoit led an ensemble with many new faces, both new members and substitutes, but maintained the old, familiar Philly sound. In keeping with SPAC's opening night tradition, he began the concert with Eugene Ormandy's orchestration of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Beethoven's "Coriolan" Overture was a likeable warm-up for the musicians (and "settle-down" for the audience) before Dutoit launched the orchestra into Beethoven's masterpiece.

Although more than an hour in length, Symphony No. 9 had no dull spots in this performance, and the brief solo phrases by principal musicians were exceptionally well played.

Video screens inside and outside the amphitheatre seemed to show more variety of camera angles than in past seasons, sometimes catching the musicians right as they played a solo passage.

Oboist Richard Woodhams was shown in a close-up view as he played a wonderful passage in the second movement. More often, we hear his impeccable playing without seeing his face. There was a fantastic shot of bass trombonist Blair Bollinger - who sits stage left in the far back corner - giving a powerful lead-in to the chorale-like passage in the final movement. Even the bassoons were on view on this night, Daniel Matsukawa and Angela Anderson bubbling their way through the scherzo.

Maestro Dutoit never let a beat go by without using some form of body language in his direction of the orchestra. He stooped, stretched, tapped his foot, did knee bends and more than a few hops and jumps, all while prodding and probing and stirring the mix with his hands, arms, elbows and baton.

Vocal soloists for this performance all were making their SPAC debuts, and their voices were as good as any I've heard sing in this work. Soprano Arianna Zukerman, mezzo Elizabeth Bishop, tenor Steven Tharp, and baritone Philip Cutlip sang with an element of actual joy in their voices and on their faces. Cutlip's entry was bold without being ominous. Unfortunately, the soprano's sound was simply too loud for the quartet, or perhaps her microphone wasn't properly adjusted. There were moments when we heard "soprano and friends," rather than the mix of vocal qualities and harmonies.

Appropriately, it was the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia that joined the Philadelphia Orchestra as chorus for this performance. Founded in 1874, the chorus made its debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1904, singing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Prepared by Alan Harler, chairman of choral music at Temple University, the Mendelssohn Club has sung major choral works at SPAC on numerous occasions. At this opening night performance, it sang better than ever, and with a clarity that often evades large choral ensembles. The group evaded the rhythmic "bounce" that often overshadows the emotion of the finale.

The Philadelphia Orchestra performs "One Thousand and One Nights," at 8 tonight; Charles Dutoit leads the Philadelphians in "Mozart's Greatest Piano Concerto" at |8 p.m. Saturday; and world famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma takes the SPAC stage with the orchestra at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8.