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CONTENTSIN THIS ISSUE ..., 3 An Interview with George Walker, Duffie, 5 LEGATO NOTES LIVE EVENTS
Scelsi:
“All of the Above” Pehrson, 15 DOTTED NOTES
from… SPEAKING OUT RECORDINGS CDS
IN BRIEF & RECENT RELEASES THE
PUZZLE CORNER: COMPOSER INDEX, 26 BULLETIN BOARD, 27 WEB SUPPLEMENTGala AnnouncementFestivalDresdener Tage des Zeitgenössisches Musik
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¡O, que Orquesta tan rica!by John de Clef Piñeiro ©2004 ‘Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra—A Carnegie Hall Debut.’ José Ignacio Quintón: Requiem+ • Roberto Sierra: Beyond the Silence of Sorrow +(2003) • Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (1830). Sopranos: June Anderson, Jossie Pérez and Ana María Martinez; University of Puerto Rico Centennial Chorus; Guillermo Figueroa/PRSO. Carnegie Hall. November 18, 2003. (+ New York première) For those fortunate enough to have been there, it was a night of multiple firsts, as the number one symphonic ensemble in the Caribbean celebrated its 45th birthday at Carnegie Hall in a performance that included the New York premières of two works by Puerto Rican composers. World class in sound and execution, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, founded by legendary cellist Pablo Casals and now under the direction of its first Puerto Rican music director Guillermo Figueroa, celebrated a musical "coming of age" by having its debut performance at Carnegie Hall.
In an elegant and refined performance of José Ignacio Quintón’s Requiem, the assembled orchestral and vocal forces delivered a powerful rendition of composer Roberto Sierra’s new orchestration for this early 20th century mass that, for the most part, employs a 19th century harmonic and melodic idiom. Featured along with the glorious voices of sopranos June Anderson and Jossie Pérez, the University of Puerto Rico Centennial Chorus also made its Carnegie debut on this occasion to mark the centennial of Puerto Rico’s foremost institution of higher learning.
Without a doubt, the stunning masterwork of the first half of the program was Roberto Sierra’s six-part song cycle Beyond the Silence of Sorrow, which received its New York première with this performance. It was premièred in May by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gerard Schwartz. In much the same way that poet N. Scott Momaday revels in the alliterative cadences of repeated words, in this work we hear Sierra reveling in pastel sounds and crystalline and sparkling orchestration as the coloristic setting for vocal lines pregnant with perfection. Ms. Martinez’s lucid and alluring vocal presence actually made this performance a very affecting experience. Indeed, as a successful encounter with a contemporary work, listeners can enjoy in Beyond the Silence of Sorrow new music that connects with refined delicacy and class, a full-bodied orchestral event full of wonder. Clearly, the standing ovation at the end left no doubt that Maestro Figueroa had presided over a resounding triumph —what one so often yearns for but rarely experiences in the presentation of a new work. Of course, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique was the orchestral showpiece of the evening, demonstrating the mature capacity of this very impressive ensemble of musicians from the Caribbean. Observing Maestro Figueroa’s scoreless conducting and total command of the various works on this program was, admittedly, a delight in itself that for this reviewer enhanced the aural performances with a satisfying visual accompaniment. This is what the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra is like at 45. May we see and hear much more of it in years to come. |
