“Neither rain, nor snow, nor dark of night. …”
Wait, that’s the mailman’s credo — but it could have been the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera’s mantra as they valiantly carved out rehearsal time during a transportationally challenged week and still came up with an impressive concert – led by guest conductor Sarah Hicks, a charming, engaging young woman, sporting a spikey-tailed tuxedo.
Maestro Hicks was trained as a pianist but boasts a glittering resume of national and international conducting experience, noted by The New York Times as a “new wave of female conductors.”
She opened the program with Jennifer Higdon’s “Blue Cathedral,” a musical journey through a heavenly edifice. Higdon is currently a hot commodity, winning both the Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy in 2010. “Blue Cathedral” emanates from the loss of the composer’s younger brother to cancer. Maestro Hicks, a friend of Higdon’s, directed this ethereal work with straightforward and somewhat angular gestures.
The dialog of shimmering voices – lots of bells and muted strings — proved most appealing and was sensitively guided by the maestro.
Gabriel Faure’s slightly modern “Masques and Bergamasques” is in the style of a Baroque dance suite in four movements. Maestro Hicks elicited rich sonorities from the chamber work, shaping wonderfully clean and transparent textures. This magical jewel revealed a lovingly crafted performance of the highest order – very moving.
Hector Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique” is probably the most famous symphony meant to musically depict a specific story – ranging from dreaming of a lover to death on a scaffold and a diabolical ritual in hell. Berlioz never met a novel orchestral device he didn’t like in this dramatic, sometimes cartoonish-sounding tour de force.
While played with solid ensemble and excellent intonation, the first two movements were pretty standard fare.
But the third produced a delightful jaunt in the countryside, featuring haunting solos by oboist Robert Burkes and English hornist Theresa Spilko.
The final two movements produced a little more fire and stoked the crowd into a standing ovation. In appreciation for the patience and fortitude displayed by its patrons during the snow, the CSO furnished complimentary wine during the intermission. The concert was a big hit.