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The Force was with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra this weekend at their themed concert, “2011: A Classical Odyssey.” The evening was a cosmic adventure of pun-filled programming that touched on music associated with outer space, and interspersed with sci-fi trivia and the occasional brandishing of a movie prop. The music was well executed, the jokes were laugh-out-loud corny, and the night in general was more than a little nerdy. As director Christopher Kelts said cheekily of this program, “Yeah, it’s cheesy, but it’s what we do.”

Atonement Lutheran Church was packed with adults and kids alike, and the huge sanctuary buzzed noisily with excitement until Kelts took the podium and a hush fell over the crowd to catch the first low rumbles of Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra. The opening chords were well tuned, though a little hesitant and uncoordinated across the sections. As the music progressed, the group gained confidence—led by some very enthusiastic timpani playing—and the rest of the opening selection was synchronized, with a full sound, and conjured up the epic beginning of 2001 to wild applause.

The program shifted to a quieter mood with an orchestral arrangement of Debussy’s Clair de lune. Making a piece for solo piano translate into full orchestra is difficult, and Kelts’ consistent, straightforward tempo lacked the idiomatic rippling rubato that is easy when interpreted by just one pianist, and more of a challenge for 70-plus orchestra members. Pitch issues in the beginning settled down into clearer intonation when the second theme was introduced by a lovely oboe duet, and the piece closed gently, led by the sweetly singing flutes.

Music from the movie Apollo 13 came next, and James Horner’s expansive, sweeping theme was first introduced with a beautiful trumpet solo from Bryan Miller, and then met by a cushion of strings and tuba. The group’s performance of this piece was one of their best of the evening, and the soaring melodies rang through the church, igniting the audience to cheer wildly as the first half of the program came to a close.

The program then shifted films back to 2001: A Space Odyssey for Johann Strauss’ waltz, The Blue Danube. The first high woodwind chords of the piece were plagued by pitch and coordination issues in the opening’s exaggeratedly slow tempo, but, as was the case for the entire evening, once the orchestra got warmed up with the piece, it started to line up much better as far as timing and intonation were concerned. A faster tempo would have been nice, as the piece tended to drag through the waltz’s many sections, rather than zipping by (as Strauss waltzes tend to do), though the classic push and pull in transition sections was pleasantly flexible. Balance was an issue at the end of the piece, both at the piercingly high end with the piccolo and at the blastingly low end with the trombones. But the energy of the group could not be ignored, and they finished the piece with a flourish that characterized their energy throughout the evening’s program.

Kelts returned to the podium after intermission to conduct Holst’s “Mars” from The Planets—wielding a lightsaber. Sadly, he did not use that most elegant weapon to conduct the piece, but still led the orchestra in some ferociously good and loud playing, which included an admirable trombone solo from Mitch Kaufman. More movie music filled out the program, with a joyful performance of Selections from E.T., and a medley of themes from The Empire Strikes Back which reminded me that, in the world of film composers, John Williams is a total rock star—a fact which I’m certain the KCCO realized, given their spot-on accurate performance of his music.

The program closed with a medley of themes from the invincible Star Trek franchise, and by the end of the night, everyone in the audience had gotten to hear something that tickled their inner sci-fi geek. Kelts and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra definitely deserve huge congratulations for giving almost 1,000 people a night of intergalactically entertaining proportions. 

REVIEW:
Kansas City Civic Orchestra
2011: A Classical Odyssey
Friday, November 18, 2011
Atonement Lutheran Church
9948 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS
For more information visit http://www.kccivic.org

Top Photo: Christopher Kelts 

By Karen Hauge

Classical Contributor, Senior Editor

A native of New Jersey, Karen Hauge relocated to Kansas City in 2010 to attend UMKC in pursuit of her M.M. in flute performance. Since moving to Kansas City, Karen has been active as a performer within the Conservatory and as a music educator in the community, working with the Conservatory’s Community Academy of Music and Dance.

Karen earned a B.M. from the University of Delaware, where she studied music education with Suzanne Burton and Robert Streckfuss. During her time at Delaware, Karen was awarded several grants to fund an independent research project over the course of two years. The project and subsequent thesis, entitled “What Does It Mean To Be Musical?,” explored the ways in which people naturally interact with music in their everyday lives, and earned her a degree with distinction upon graduation. Karen has been active as a solo and chamber performer in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. She has performed for world-renowned flute pedagogues such as Jeanne Baxtresser and Jeffrey Khaner, and has received honors for outstanding performance through her career at both the university and professional level. Her primary flute teachers have been Mardee Reed-Ulmer, Eileen Grycky, and Mary Posses.