Welcome to the new Northbrook Symphony Maestro Blog, for lack of a better name.
I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts and insights about our concerts with you, so please continue to follow along, especially as we approach our next exciting program on Sunday, November 4th.
BUT FIRST---- I couldn't start this blog without mentioning our big SEASON OPENER, theSeptember 30th concert entitled Joie de Vivre -- "The Joy of Life", which anyone who attended will, I hope, remember fondly.
I love French music, and always look for an opportunity to program it. Of course, most
orchestras and audiences seem to favor the "Meat and Potatoes" repertoire (question: does
potato have an "e" at the end?---it does when it's plural), so an all-French program
is a bit dicey; but what else is new with the NSO? We're always looking for new and
exciting---and fun, accessible--- music to present to our very appreciative audience.
The September 30th program opened with a Suite of dances by Jean Phillipe Rameau,
the French Baroque composer whose music has become something of a sacred icon for
me during the past few years; it's one of those things you can't explain---I've never
considered myself much of a Baroque-kind-of-guy in terms of knowledge and experience..
but Rameau's music has caused me to reconsider.
The problem is finding performance materials for his music, and I was very lucky indeed
to have access to the Suite from Rameau's pastorale NAIS, which, as you will recall,
contains much sublimely beautiful, haunting, dream-like music. We worked very
diligently at it, and in great detail. It's odd, but in attempting to perform Baroque music
in an authentic, 18th-century style, you almost have to stop and re-teach yourself
how to approach and play it, since almost everything has to be re-thought: phrasing,
tone color, tempos and how they inter-relate, the incessant, lavish ornamentation
(all those trills, etc) that is so much a part of Rameau's melodic writing.....
Anyway, I was THRILLED with the orchestra's playing of the Rameau Suite, and
feel that we recreated that unearthly, shimmery, vibrant, intoxicating aura of the
music, especially the gorgeous MUSETTES---the shepherd pastoral dances which
featured the choir of reedy oboes and bassoons, the pounding of the
ceremonial bass drums (when was the last time you saw TWO of them in an
orchestra?), the low ORGAN pedals and---of course--- the unique, rustic sound
of the hurdy-gurdy, expertly played by our own resident lecturer, Jim Kendros.
My next blog entry will cover the rest of the September 30th concert, but I
wanted to give a full "report" on the Rameau Suite from NAIS, since it was such
a rarity, a perfect example of what the NSO does best, and a fitting choice
as the very first work to be played in our new season. I think it was one of the
NSO's highpoints of recent years, a true GEM from the ancient musical past
that was brought to brilliant life on our stage; it was as exciting to
present as it was challenging to prepare and perform.
If you missed it, well........ I'll be looking for more possibilities to present
Rameau's incredible orchestral music in the future (we actually did a short,
4-movement ballet suite by Rameau in February of 2011; there will be more).
Larry R
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