The River Concert crowd was certainly not deterred by the 90% threat of thunderstorms on Friday evening, July 20th on the lawn of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Unexpectedly, the clouds veered around the campus, offering only a few barely noticeable sprinkles and the concert crowd was awarded with a very memorable performance.
Maestro Jeffrey Silberschlag and the Chesapeake Orchestra began the concert with Richard Wagner’s “Prelude and Liebestod” (“Prelude and Love Death”) from “Tristan and Isolde”. The musical work tells the story of star crossed lovers, evoking sadness, with many emotional crescendos, altogether a very beautiful and moving piece. Mr. Silberschlag mentioned, “While we’re playing, watch the weather”, describing the mood of the music.
Edvard Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor” followed, played by St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s exceptionally talented pianist, Brian Ganz (pictured) and the Chesapeake Orchestra. This popular piece was wonderful, played with the enthusiasm and sheer enjoyment that Brian Ganz expresses in his musical artistry. The audience sprang to their feet at the conclusion of the performance and Mr. Ganz looked considerably touched by their fervor.
After intermission, the concert continued with Claude Debussy’s Nocturnes, two out of the three that is, Nuages and Fêtes. According to Mr. Silberschlag, the orchestra didn’t play Sirènes, the third movement, because his wife wasn’t willing to sing the part of the sixteen member female choir (a cute joke). Nuages was mostly soft and gentle. At times the cicadas were louder than the music! The second movement began softly and then became more exciting with trumpets, percussion and plucked strings. The ending was ominous, with lots of bass and cellos.
Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried’s Death and Funeral Music” from his opera “Götterdämmerung” (“Twilight of the Gods”) began and ended softly, at times mournful, at others bold. The music had a very dark repetitive theme, notably played by the horn section. The concert ended with power and excitement with a performance of Wagner’s famous “Ride of the Valkyries”.
Next Friday, the last River Concert of the season features Don Stapleson on saxophone playing Charlie Parker’s “Supersax”, Igor Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite 1919” and local musicians Joe Norris, Gretchen Richie and Jennifer Anne Cooper.
