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With a program of modern classics for chamber orchestra and a world premiere, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra performed in the sanctuary of the Old Mission United Methodist Church last Thursday.  During the pre-concert talk, director Bruce Sorrell enthusiastically described the program as "lovely....not Baroque and not Classical" and gave the audience some personal insight into the evening's performance.   Candles backlit the stage from the altar and prayer rails.

Quiet City by Aaron Copland was emblematic of Copland's soundscape.  Though a precursor to his Appalachian Spring, it exhibited those aural images that sound so "American" to us now.  This suite was a reorganization of incidental music written for an experimental play in 1941.  It began with wide intervals, common in Copland's writing, with the familiar and calming movement in the strings, and peaceful interjections in the English horn, performed by Margaret Marco. This was interrupted by a trumpet's agitated rhythms coming from the back balcony. 

Trumpeter Gary Schutza, was placed there in reference to the model for the piece, a lone trumpeter practicing somewhere in an upper floor in a busy, lonely city.    Consequent entrances were more serene as the oboe and trumpet conversed.  The trumpeter had a heavy vibrato, making the tone seem slightly unsupported, though each line came out clearly and soared through the space.  I was worried that this positioning would negatively affect the balance, but his mellow tone mixed beautifully, echoing slightly off the front wall, enveloping the audience.   The strings balanced well, sounding like a larger ensemble, though the cello soli had some intonation issues.

Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony was comprised of four movements, each based on tunes written by the composer as a youth.  Sorrell in his pre-concert talk mentioned that, while penned by a boy, the tunes were "innocent, not simple".  The alliterative subtitles added to the youthful treatment of the tunes, even in more complex settings.  "Boisterous Bourrée" was lively, with good section playing as the interwoven lines were passed around the orchestra.  "Playful Pizzicato" was just that: whimsical folk-like melodies traded between voices in call and response.  The accompanying voices played with heavy rhythms driving to each entrance.  The ending came softly, with one misplaced note after all that.  Sorrell had mentioned in the pre-concert talk that the string players preferred playing arco to pizzicato, but they couldn't get to their bows fast enough, not allowing the final chord to resonate before preparing for the next movement.   "Sentimental Saraband" was a solemn contrast, becoming passionate with a descending line in the low voices.  The final movement, ""Frolicsome Finale," started robustly, with a lilting melody described as a chanty, but I think too sweet to fit that term.  There was some great playing in the low voices winding up to the climax.  The violas, however, didn't quite balance within the section during their soli, a slight off putting moment during an otherwise well played piece.

Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber was the billed piece of the evening, popular since its radio premier in 1938 and a continuing favorite through its use in movies and frequent programming.  The orchestra had excellently gentle entrances, easy to misbalance.   However, they seemed to be pushing through the lines, instead of playing each note with the appropriate weight.  Within the measured rhythms, the players were not totally in sync, causing push and pull between players as opposed to in the line.  I loved what Sorrell was going for at the final cadence, trying to suspend the space created by the lingering chord, but then some of the players moved their bows, breaking the ambiance too soon.  I'm sure some performers have played Adagio tens of times, but each performance is new and should be given the same respect, instead of hurrying on to the next item on the program.  

The final piece was Twelve Kisses by KU faculty member and composer Forrest Pierce, a six-movement symphony based on the Song of Solomon.  This was the world premiere, written specifically for KCCO, under the direction of Bruce Sorrell, and coloratura soprano Sarah Tannehill.  It is also a testament to the arts scene in and around Kansas City, with friendship, mutual respect, and quality musicians inspiring new works to be created and performed.  The text for the piece was Pierce's "poetics transformation" of "Anglo-Saxon aural cousins" of the Hebrew text, as opposed to resetting the King James' Version.  In the program notes, a transliteration of the Hebrew (along with a literal translation), the composer's transformations, and the KJV were all included, allowing the audience to follow the evolution of the text.  This was helpful, as the composer deliberately made the English alliterative to the Hebrew, thus difficult to distinguish when the language shifted. Tannehill, however, sang both languages exquisitely, her voice filled the space, clear and full throughout.  

Added to the ensemble was the oboe d'amore, a Baroque instrument akin to the English horn, played by Margaret Marco.  The significance of this inclusion was probably lost on some people, as it was not mentioned in the program, the notes, or the press release, just a tidbit gleaned from the pre-concert talk.  It would seem appropriate to include the "oboe of love" in a setting of love poetry, although the added timbre did not contribute significantly a majority of the time, and the sound was lost in the full ensemble, somewhat overpowered by the vocalist, and ultimately and unfortunately was pitchy by the end of the piece.

Each movement had a distinct individuality and one could hear many influences: Baroque, Middle Eastern, dance rhythms, 21^st century practices.  The piece was grand; and each movement held within itself a bit of that grandeur.   The 1^st movement was typical of chamber orchestra music, elaborate runs in the strings and a graceful melodic line in the soprano.  The 2^nd movement was more interesting, with tremolo effects in the strings and a dense chordal structure, sliding from pitch to pitch.  Tannehill sang the disjointed phrases succinctly, giving each pitch and syllable it's due, flawlessly performing wide intervallic leaps and intricate ornaments.   The 3^rd movement was more song-like - triumphant and joyful.  The bass solo began the 4^th movement with an underlying dance rhythm that accompanied the melody.  This movement was performed pizzicato by the strings and by the keyboardist, who reached inside the piano to strum the strings.  In the 5th movement, with Middle Eastern texture, the text described war and questioning - the vocal line agitated.  The oboe was added, followed by cello and then the rest of the ensemble; with each addition the soprano line intensified, becoming more distracted, when finally they reached a triumphant climax.   The last movement had a sorrowful shift, with steadily paced rhythms in the strings.  The final held note in the soprano and the enharmonics of the strings seemed to shimmer in the candlelight.  Unfortunately, the composer added a final low chord, disposing of the delicate quality of the penultimate moment. 

It's gratifying to see new work performed in a traditional ensemble.  Too often, "classical" concerts perform tried and true pieces, adjusting to audience expectations, instead of heightening them.  Pierce's piece and the programming of this concert were pleasing and presented some challenging moments that added interest to an otherwise traditional repertoire.

Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings and Twelve Kisses, a Premiere
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Old Mission United Methodist Church
Shawnee Mission Parkway & Mission Road, Fairway, KS
For more information www.kcchamberorchestra.org

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.