LSO Review of Octomber 7, 2006 Concert

It has been two years since Boulder's Colorado Music Festival and Denver's Colorado Symphony both programmed performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony within a month of each other. The iconic work, whose status in the hierarchy of classical music compositions is virtually mythical, is once again at the center of a similar regional coincidence, as the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the Longmont Symphony Orchestra have both chosen to program it in their 2006-07 seasons.

Fortunately, the BPO is closing their season with the Ninth in May, while the LSO presented their interpretation as their season opener on Saturday night at Skyline High School's Vance Brand Auditorium. This will provide an interesting opportunity to compare the two orchestras' approaches to the work.

While the BPO introduces a new music director this year, Longmont is fortunate enough to still retain the services of longtime conductor Robert Olson, who is responsible for the orchestra's nearly consistent overachieving in the last several seasons.

Olson's recent concerts with chorus have been particularly revealing. After successful outings with such relatively obscure works as Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" and Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony," he turned to the most recognizable choral/orchestral work of them all.

While there were some inconsistent moments, the LSO's Ninth was indeed quite respectable. The Longmont Chorale, directed by Timothy Tharaldson, was in particularly good form on Saturday, pronouncing the German text of Schiller's "Ode to Joy" quite well and responding with enthusiasm to Olson's direction, although the sopranos seemed taxed by Beethoven's brutally high parts in certain sections.

The performance was also helped by the presence of an outstanding quartet of soloists. Baritone Dale Morehouse quickly gained everyone's attention as he presented the first sung version of the "Ode to Joy" theme. Tenor Paul Hartfield was amazing in the demanding "Turkish" section. Soprano Kara Guggenmos and mezzo-soprano Julie Simson are both well known in the area through their association with the University of Colorado, where both have given many memorable performances. In spots where the soprano soloist is asked to sing above the choral parts, Guggenmos projected clearly, audibly, and beautifully.

For the most part, the orchestra matched this level, particularly in the choral finale itself. In the three preceding purely orchestral movements, Olson's choices of tempo and interpretation were brilliant. The driving scherzo was extremely exciting, and the sublime Adagio movement was gorgeously played, Olson avoiding the overly slow tempo that snares so many conductors. The revolutionary, dramatic, and strange first movement started somewhat more tentatively than it should have, but it quickly gained in intensity and accuracy.

The LSO's one sticking point in the performance was in the horn section, which played very well in certain passages, but faltered noticeably in two exposed passages in the scherzo and the slow movement.

The length of the Ninth is such that it requires a relatively short companion piece. Olson's choice of an excerpt from Wagner's "Ring" cycle was typical. The "Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music" episode from the second opera of the cycle is a fine display of Wagner's orchestration technique, with tinkling percussion, strong brass, and highly varied string writing. One was left to wonder why, however, with a fine baritone singer on hand, Olson didn't avail himself of the opportunity to include the original vocal part in the performance, opting instead for the purely orchestral arrangement. Such a choice would have added somewhat to the performance.

The LSO appears again to be in fine form, as this Ninth had many moving and exciting moments. The orchestra next takes on works of Kodály, Rodrigo, and Sibelius as they are joined by guest guitar soloist Douglas Niedt on November 11.

"Ode to Joy" October 7, 2006 By KellyHansen It has been two years since Boulder's Colorado Music Festival and Denver's Colorado Symphony both programmed performances of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony within a month of each other. The iconic work, whose status in the hierarchy of classical music compositions is virtually mythical, is once again at the center of a similar regional coincidence, as the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and the Longmont Symphony Orchestra have both chosen to program it in their 2006-07 seasons. Fortunately, the BPO is closing their season with the Ninth in May, while the LSO presented their interpretation as their season opener on Saturday night at Skyline High School's Vance Brand Auditorium. This will provide an interesting opportunity to compare the two orchestras' approaches to the work. While the BPO introduces a new music director this year, Longmont is fortunate enough to still retain the services of longtime conductor Robert Olson, who is responsible for the orchestra's nearly consistent overachieving in the last several seasons. Olson's recent concerts with chorus have been particularly revealing. After successful outings with such relatively obscure works as Rachmaninoff's "The Bells" and Vaughan Williams' "Sea Symphony," he turned to the most recognizable choral/orchestral work of them all. While there were some inconsistent moments, the LSO's Ninth was indeed quite respectable. The Longmont Chorale, directed by Timothy Tharaldson, was in particularly good form on Saturday, pronouncing the German text of Schiller's "Ode to Joy" quite well and responding with enthusiasm to Olson's direction, although the sopranos seemed taxed by Beethoven's brutally high parts in certain sections. The performance was also helped by the presence of an outstanding quartet of soloists. Baritone Dale Morehouse quickly gained everyone's attention as he presented the first sung version of the "Ode to Joy" theme. Tenor Paul Hartfield was amazing in the demanding "Turkish" section. Soprano Kara Guggenmos and mezzo-soprano Julie Simson are both well known in the area through their association with the University of Colorado, where both have given many memorable performances. In spots where the soprano soloist is asked to sing above the choral parts, Guggenmos projected clearly, audibly, and beautifully. For the most part, the orchestra matched this level, particularly in the choral finale itself. In the three preceding purely orchestral movements, Olson's choices of tempo and interpretation were brilliant. The driving scherzo was extremely exciting, and the sublime Adagio movement was gorgeously played, Olson avoiding the overly slow tempo that snares so many conductors. The revolutionary, dramatic, and strange first movement started somewhat more tentatively than it should have, but it quickly gained in intensity and accuracy. The LSO's one sticking point in the performance was in the horn section, which played very well in certain passages, but faltered noticeably in two exposed passages in the scherzo and the slow movement. The length of the Ninth is such that it requires a relatively short companion piece. Olson's choice of an excerpt from Wagner's "Ring" cycle was typical. The "Wotan's Farewell and Magic Fire Music" episode from the second opera of the cycle is a fine display of Wagner's orchestration technique, with tinkling percussion, strong brass, and highly varied string writing. One was left to wonder why, however, with a fine baritone singer on hand, Olson didn't avail himself of the opportunity to include the original vocal part in the performance, opting instead for the purely orchestral arrangement. Such a choice would have added somewhat to the performance. The LSO appears again to be in fine form, as this Ninth had many moving and exciting moments. The orchestra next takes on works of Kodály, Rodrigo, and Sibelius as they are joined by guest guitar soloist Douglas Niedt on November 11.