New Jersey Symphony Orchestra – Jacques Lacombe, conductor; Mary Fahl, vocalist, Serhiy Salov, piano. March 21, 2015.

Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ.  Orchestra (Seat H115, $52.)

Program

O for a Muse of Fire (2014) by Darryl Kubian (b. 1966).

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 (1934) by Rachmaninoff (1873-1943).

Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, “Pathetique,” Op. 74 (1893) by Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

Evidently NJSO has this “multi-year Winter Festival” and other initiatives that include composition commissions.  In this case it was “an overture-length piece with a connection to Shakespeare.”  Kubian, an NJSO violinist, decided on Henry V as the basis of his work.  All I know about Henry V is what Kubian said at the introduction of the concert: King Henry’s power over life and death; French and English forces fighting at the Battle of Agincourt; and is casualties of war a worthy sacrifice for unity.  The way he went about structuring the piece was to have the vocalist (who incidentally used a microphone) present themes drawn from the play. and the orchestra expanding on them.  With his “inside tips” (such as themes in the first and second violins represent the English and French forces) the piece is relatively easy to understand.  While I didn’t quite get the drama I would expect of a Shakespeare play, it was nonetheless an enjoyable 12 minutes of music.  The music calls for a waterphone that I definitely didn’t know about, it was helpful that Kubian asked the percussionist to show it to the audience at the beginning.

We heard this Rachmaninoff piece on Halloween last year in Dublin, and from that encounter we knew all about the inverted theme and the use of Dies Irae in the variations.  That knowledge didn’t diminish our appreciation of the composer, or the virtuosity of the performer.  This was our first encounter with the Ukraine-born Salov, and the bio included in the program probably would elicit a shrug from most people.  But did he put in an enjoyable performance.  Being in Row H, and on the center left of the auditorium, we had a clear view of the way he attacked the piano.  It was amazing to watch.  Come to think of it, this was very similar to how I feel about the Dublin experience.  One exception was the “fear” associated with Dies Irae was missing in tonight’s performance.

Our proximity to the stage also made the Pathetique Symphony quite interesting, with everything amplified to up close and personal.  The downside is we had no view of the woodwind, brass, and percussion sections.  The upside is that the violas - whose sound I always have trouble picking out in the orchestra – sounded great.  Even though I have heard this several times in the past few years (by the Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the Pro Arte Orchestra of Hong Kong), I continue to find this Symphony enjoyable.  I must say it wasn’t as sad as it could be.

In looking over the NJSO website, I found out this isn’t Lacombe’s last season – his last season would be the next.  A little sigh of relief here.

This article at nj.com provides more information on the Kubian piece: the battle was the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered yet they won (with the long bow.) I found this review of the overall concert.