The Chattanooga Symphony performs in the Tivoli.A crisp fall evening greeted guests streaming beneath the sparkling marquee over the Tivoli Theatre as the Chattanooga Symphony presented another of its Masterworks concerts Saturday.
The program opened with Maurice Ravel’s “Introduction and Allegro” (1907), the happy result of crass commercialism at its best, resulting from the Erard Music Co.’s commission of a composition to show off its new pedal harp. The outcome was a chamber piece for harp, flute, clarinet and strings.
This performance spotlighted principal players Caroline Brown Hudson on harp, Janet Hale on flute and Robert West on clarinet.
Ravel’s music possesses that shimmering quality often associated with Impressionism and is thoroughly entrancing. Hudson’s performance was most impressive, captivating listeners with masterful cadenza-like passages, alternating in a delightful interplay with the flute and clarinet. This sparkling jewel of a work was a great vehicle to display the mastery of CSO principal players.
The next work was also for reduced forces. It was “Sunset Strip” by Michael Daugherty, whose “Metropolis Symphony” was featured on the season opener.