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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

It is rare when each piece on a Kansas City Symphony program perfectly complements the others and is individually compelling, and this weekend's program achieved just that with rousing success. Each work contained impressions of idyllic reflection and wistful imagery, and the Symphony along with guest soprano Heidi Grant Murphy performed at an impressively high level which further enhanced this divine and inspiring selection of music.

Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin was the first piece of the evening. Despite a hurried opening, the orchestra settled into a more comfortable tempo for the remaining movements and performed the entire work with precision and energy, clearly conveying each movement's distinct character. The flowing, luscious melodies and harmonies were played with excellent intonation across the orchestra, the driving rhythms maintained forward motion and the dynamic and tempo changes were very well executed and controlled. Principal oboist Mingjia Liu displayed especially brilliant and eager playing in his featured melodies, and all the movements showcased the Symphony's formidable woodwind section.

Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy joined the orchestra for Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Murphy's voice was vibrant, lovely, and elegant with the perfect amount of vibrato. Though Murphy was expressive and lively on stage and enjoyable to watch, unfortunately her voice was no match for the full orchestra that night, which overpowered her through much of the piece. When audible, Murphy exhibited clear diction and expertly handled challenging dissonances and large leaps. Aside from the balance issues, a few hesitant entrances in the strings, and occasional iffy intonation, the orchestra had a high level of energy and concentration, portraying the dreamy, rhapsodic nature of this nostalgic work through its starkly contrasting textures and techniques.

Mahler's hour-long Symphony No. 4 is a masterfully beautiful piece: emotionally affecting with equal parts powerful depth and playful delicacy. It was evident both Stern and the orchestra were relishing the opportunity to play this epic piece. The orchestra was comfortable with this work's opulent harmonies and graceful melodies. The woodwinds and brass were able to shine here as well, making the most of playing with their bells pointed out at the audience. The third movement was slightly troublesome with a few intonation issues in the brass and inconsistent shifting in the violins. Despite its tranquil and romantic mood, this movement also suffered a bit due to its length and position on the concert: the audience was getting a bit restless at this point. The fourth movement, however, was the shining moment of the night. Murphy rejoined the orchestra for this movement's depiction of a child's view of heaven, and similar to Knoxville, the balance issues distracted me from fully appreciating Murphy's voice. But I was pleased that the orchestra retained the energy level and brought out the movement's contrasting moods with tenderness and fervor, respectively.

Sometimes I leave a Kansas City Symphony concert feeling exhausted by its duration. But this time, while it was certainly as long a concert as any they have presented, I felt a sense of joy and serenity leaving the Lyric. The program was a perfect musical prelude to the upcoming summer and will be difficult to top.

REVIEW:
Kansas City Symphony
Mahler's Monumental 4th
with Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Friday, April 9 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 at 8 p.m. (Reviewed)
Lyric Theatre
11^th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Sunday, April 11, at 2 p.m.
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
www.kcsymphony.org

By Kristin Shafel Omiccioli

Editorial Assignments Executive Editor; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Kristin Shafel Omiccioli, a native of Madison, WI, holds composition degrees (M.M., B.M.) from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Kristin's compositions have been performed at national and regional new music festivals and conferences throughout the United States. During her time at UMKC, Kristin also focused on double bass performance and arts administration. She was a student leader and performer in many of the Conservatory's student organizations and ensembles, including Musica Nova, Composers' Guild, the Conservatory Student Association, the orchestras, and Wind Symphony. Her composition instructors were James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, and Chen Yi, and her bass instructor was Sue Stubbs. Formerly a guitarist, Kristin performed with big bands and her own jazz combo in Madison, WI, having studied jazz guitar and theory with Roger Brotherhood in Madison and jazz voice and theory with Hal Melia in Kansas City at UMKC.

Kristin enjoys being active in the performing arts community. She has volunteered with the Chamber Music Society of Kansas City and Charlotte Street Foundation, and has played in the bass section of the Northland Symphony Orchestra, among other bass gigs around the metro. Kristin currently serves as principal bass for the Kansas City Civic Orchestra and Heritage Philharmonic, and is a section bassist for Kinnor Philharmonic. She joined the writing staff of KCMetropolis.org in February 2010 and has been KCM’s executive editor since July 2011. Read her blog at mylittleheartmelodies.com.