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 The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra opened its 2008-2009 Season Sunday afternoon, October 12, in a program titled "Faith Meets Philosophy". The short 45-minute drive from downtown Kansas City past miles of open prairie fields to Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence was rewarded by the heavenly sounds of great music performed by this cracker jack of an ensemble, led with humor and intelligence by Music Director, Steven McDonald. Providing insightful commentary from the podium before the performance of each of the three works, McDonald ably shared his artistic vision that informed his interpretations.

The program opened with Mozart's rarely performedAdagio for English horn and Strings, K 580a, aptly described by McDonald in his program commentary as "wistful, tender and evocative," and featured soloist Margaret Marco, whose beautiful tone and masterful nuance of phrasing were exquisite.

Written late in Mozart's life at the same time he was sketching the Requiem, this Adagio was composed one year prior to the well-known sacred choral piece, Ave verum corpus,whose melody is incanted in the opening measures of the Adagio through the plaintive voice of the English horn. Tying together the theme of the program, "Faith Meets Philosophy", McDonald noted that this short secular instrumental piece is the ancestor of the beloved sacred choral jewel.

Using his hands without the baton to direct this intimately scored piece, McDonald's sensitive direction elicited a seamless blend and responsive balance from the string accompaniment that was perfectly attuned to Marco's soulful interpretation of the melodic line, rising to support her swells into the fullness of a phrase, and slipping gracefully back into infinity in the meticulously tapered diminuendos. Her rich, complex tone shimmered through a well-controlled vibrato that was mirrored exactly in the subtle vibrato of the strings, catapulting this performance into that rarest of moments of which it may be said was perfect, soul-wrenchingly beautiful music.

Written in church sonata form, McDonald informed the audience that Haydn's Symphony No. 22 in E-flat holds the distinction of having earned its nickname "The Philosopher" in Haydn's own time, the only one of his 104 symphonies to have done so. This title, he explained, is apparently due to the rock steady walking rhythm of the strings in the first movement, which conjures an image of a philosopher slowly pacing back and forth while deep in thought, or of the slow passage of time as marked by a ticking clock. Upon hearing the work, these images were inescapable. A pair of horns opened the adagio first movement in a simple ascending triad figure played in octaves above the walking figure of the muted strings, with the completion of the chorale-like phrase passed to the pair of English horns in unison, like a brilliant idea born, faded, and contemplated before returning again for development. Notable were the flawlessly executed lip trills by horn players, Paul Stevens and Kyra Sims, whose soaring sparkling tones resounded brilliantly in the expanse of the hall. 

 In playful contrast to the contemplative opening movement, the short second movement bubbled with exuberant humor. Bouncing springing figures in the strings playfully interwove amid lively melodic lines supported by a sostenuto harmonic texture provided by the English and French horns in their lower registers.

 English horns and strings opened the Minuet with the melodic line in the low registers of those all-wooden instruments to create an unusual blend of sonority reminiscent of a soft low breeze breathing among gently falling autumn leaves in three-quarter time. The glorious tones of the golden horns floated brilliantly into the stratosphere with the Trio, proclaiming Haydn's love of the beauty of high horns, completed in quartet setting by the pair of lower voiced English horns.

As noted in McDonald's commentary, the fourth movement began with the soft staccato of horn calls in the distance announcing the royal hunt, a favorite pastime of Haydn. This chase took off at breakneck speed. Tight ensemble playing from the strings was matched by a rapidly tongued rhythmic figure in the winds that brought the piece to its thrilling conclusion.

The program was rounded out with the richly romantic Organ Concerto No. 1 in F major, Op. 137 by Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, featuring organist, Michael Bauer whose exceptional musicality worked beautifully with that of the orchestral ensemble. Maestro McDonald elicited smiles as he began his introduction with the parodied question, "Who in the world is Josef Rheinberger?" The answer was likely known to the organists among the audience via his 20 organ sonatas composed in different major and minor keys. Born in Liechtenstein in 1839, Rheinberger composed about 200 works, and is credited with reviving the organ from relative obscurity in the concert halls of the 19th century. He served his first post as parish organist at Vaduz at the tender age of seven, was appointed Court Director for church music by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and was highly regarded as professor of organ and music composition at the Munich Conservatory, where his students included Humperdinck, Wolf-Ferrari and Furtwängler. 

 The concerto began with three chords of what McDonald termed "pure unadulterated joy" played together by organ and orchestra, and upon which the entire composition was based. McDonald explained that these three beginning notes found their origins in plainchant. Infused in the exuberant romanticism of this work, his observation that this work is the result of faith meeting with philosophy to create lebensfreude (joy in life) rang true.

Scored for three horns and strings, the orchestral colors blended seamlessly back and forth with those of the organ in an equal teamwork of music making, creating a bright full sound that reverberated an optimistic tone. Throughout the movement the mood was of soloist playing with the orchestra, not in competition, with the organ at times completing the phrases begun by the orchestra, and vice versa. Balance between the two was immaculately maintained.

The Andante movement in 3 began with a subdued organ solo answered by the horns, and was developed with lush romantic harmonies by the strings. At times it was hard to believe that such a small number of players could produce the rich full sounds that filled the space with complex harmonies and gorgeous blends of textures, where, in spots, could be heard a foretaste of the forest scene in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.Full expression of musical line and harmony were evident throughout, and underscored the tasteful command of dynamics and musicality that Bauer achieved on the organ, which he maintained in perfect balance with the orchestra. The movement concluded with a pianissimo chord released together by the orchestra and organ, under which a very soft low rumble echoed from the sustained organ pedal.

The bright Finale opened to sustained chords in the organ, contrasted by rhythmical figures in the strings and completed by the sounds of the trio of horns. It was in this movement that soloist Michael Bauer was allowed to showcase his virtuosic technical command. In a prolonged solo passage in which Bauer's feet danced nimbly over the pedals of the Reuter organ while his fingers flew among the keyboards, the audience was shown that even without the artistic input of the chamber orchestra, this king of Instruments could reign with its own majestic power and romantic musicality. The audience expressed its enthusiastic admiration with a standing ovation.

Who: Lawrence Chamber Orchestra with Steven McDonald, Music Director,
Presented by the Lawrence Arts Center
Soloists: Margaret Marco, English horn and Michael Bauer, Organ 
When: Sunday, October 12, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Where: Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont Street, Lawrence, KS
Attendance: ca 200
www.lawrencechamberorchestra.org

By Gayle G. Hathorne

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)