by Kelly Dean Hansen, special to the Times-Call

After the December Baroque concert and the Family concert in February, the Longmont Symphony made a welcome return to its regular subscription series on Saturday.  The evening at the Vance Brand Auditorium of Skyline High School also marked the return of maestro Robert Olson to the podium.  As in the season's earlier concerts at the end of 2003, including one conducted by Brian St. John, the program was adventurous and incredibly challenging.  The inclusion of a 20th-century Russian choral piece was certainly a daring choice, and actually performing it in Russian was even more bold.

The work in question, "The Bells" ("Kolokola") by Sergei Rachmaninoff, is quite unlike the composer's more familiar works such as his piano concerti.  Based on a Russian translation of Poe's poem, the work consists of four musical impressions of different types of bells.  The combined Boulder and Longmont chorales rose to the challenge, particularly in the intense third movement, which does not feature soloists.  Tenor Jonathan Hodel and baritone Steven Taylor provided moving performances with crisp, clear Russian diction.  Taylor was featured in the lugubrious final movement, which left the large audience nearly breathless at the end. Hodel sang in the more exuberant opening movement.

Soprano Amy Broken Leg stepped in as a last minute replacement, and was warmly welcomed by the Longmont audience.  Her lovely solos in the second movement were quite moving, and although she was unable to learn the part in Russian on such short notice, her rendition in English against the choral background in Russian seemed hauntingly appropriate, making an unintentional reference to the source of the text.

The orchestra responded with enthusiasm to the challenging work.  While the choral parts are difficult, the orchestral score is varied, colorful, and elaborate, featuring an extensive part for "Pianino," or a small piano, along with various incarnations of the titular bells in the percussion section.  Neither the chorus nor the orchestra really stood out above the other.

Before the intermission, the concert opened with a sparkling performance of John Adams's brief but tricky "Short Ride in a Fast Machine."  Olson followed with Strauss's "Death and Transfiguration" ("Tod und Verklärung"), programming one of the composer's extended tone poems for the second year in a row (following last year's "Hero's Life").  The individual instruments had many opportunities to excel in the course of this emotionally varied work.  The agitated faster sections were played with great vigor and intensity.  The piece proved satisfying, but the timpani representing the heartbeats in the slow introduction could have been a bit more distinct.  There was also one very exposed early entrance from the timpanist in that section.

Such minor complaints, however, seem trivial in the light of such ambitious programming on the part of Olson.  The choice of the Rachmaninoff work is unbelievably gratifying from an orchestra this size.  Olson's artistry has transformed the LSO into an ensemble that truly does compete with the others in the area.  By including such a large and difficult choral work, Olson even managed to surpass them this week.

The regular subscription portion of the LSO season concludes on April 17 with a program of Impressionist works by Debussy and Ravel, with Olson again on the podium.  For tickets, call (303) 776-5796.  Prices are $14 for adult general admission, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students.