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When I saw the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra’s season announcement last summer and noticed that Bruce Sorrell planned to have his troupe play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) for its final concert, I could hardly wait.  How was a relatively small group of musicians going to perform one of the great orchestral works that is typically performed today by at least 80 or 90 players?

Well, the moment finally came on Friday, June 24, and in the event, the Chamber Orchestra performed surprisingly well. With a reduced string section, the modesty of forces allowed the orchestra to display some of the more individualistic part-writing that is often lost or overshadowed in performances by larger ensembles.  Sorrell brought out every line, particularly with the countermelodies and inner harmonic progressions. 

The horn section was especially fine in the second and third movements.  All of the woodwinds shined in the spirited third movement.  Bird calls stood out as charming moments for the flute section.  It was an evenly balanced, nuanced performance, and the star of it was undoubtedly Sorrell, whose conducting seemed sensitive to every aspect of Beethoven’s familiar score.

How did the small orchestra do in those sections where more forceful playing is required?  Well, the big first movement crescendo and the thunder and lightning music of the fourth movement had sufficient heft without being overpowering. It was an impressive performance by the 40 or so instrumentalists on stage, and they deserved the standing ovation they received at the end.

Preceding the Beethoven symphony in the first half of the program was a lively rendition of Rossini’s overture to La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder), a rhythmic and sparkling curtain-raiser written when the composer was only 19. The orchestra’s oboe and flute sections marked a sprightly performance, showing that even at a youthful age the composer was already the master of the famous crescendo that would later bear his name.

Violinist Tamamo Gibbs, the principal second violinist of the Kansas City Symphony, soloed in the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 to complete the program. She showed fine technical skill and spot-on intonation and trills, but the orchestral accompaniment was so overpowering that she was forced to play almost the entire piece in one dynamic: as loud as possible. Only in the slow second movement did she have an opportunity to show more expression in her playing.  Even so, her technical accomplishments were impressive, particularly in the difficult double-stop passage of the close of the first and second movements.  Her second movement cadenza alone was worth the price of admission.

REVIEW:
Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Beethoven's Pastoral 
Friday, June 24, 2011 
Unity Temple on the Plaza
707 W. 47th St. Kansas City, MO
For more information visit http://www.kcchamberorchestra.org/
 
Top Photo: Bruce Sorrell
 

By Don Dagenais

City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor

A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony.  He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony. 

Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera).  He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.

In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization.  He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations.  When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.