Lasting Impressions by Karolina Hopper

A Clockwork Cadence

The winter doldrums seem to have lingered this year, but that lingering was suspended during Fenimore Chamber Orchestra’s latest performance on March 16. The concert opened with a delightful, and seldom heard, performance of Martinů’s “Nonet.” All the folk music idioms are fully employed by the composer. This charming work is witty and a tribute to the folk music of the composers’ native land, Czechoslovakia. The melodies themselves intertwine like a beautiful, flowering vine that seems to be in unending flower. The soft, undulating jazz witticisms brought out the very best collaborative work from these polished musicians.

The big surprise of the afternoon came via “SteamPunk” (which gave the concert its name), by David Bruce. A truly contemporary and quite clever work, it has gone on to be widely performed by leading ensembles around the world. The composer himself mused he first came across the word “steampunk” when a friend introduced him to a collection of strangely futuristic lights, clocks, and other objects that he’d fashioned out of copper pipes and other scrap materials. Wild fanfares on French horn and clarinet begin the mysterious journey, spiraling celestial mechanisms all within the world of tonality, however bent out of shape.

After intermission, Louis Spohr’s gorgeous “Nonet in F major” was given a rare outing. This is another one of those inexplicably neglected works of art. In this piece, the composer has more than succeeded in presenting the essential character of each of his chosen instruments. He creates a very sunny atmosphere throughout, even employing a German Ländler into the second movement.

None of this could have come off without the virtuoso playing of the nine orchestra members who presented this program. Solo playing was cleverly employed with abandon and yet, ensemble playing produced a massive, beautiful as well as unique sound which belied the number of instruments on the stage. The playing of the French horn, a notoriously temperamental instrument, by Douglas Nunes was especially notable for his “take no prisoners” performance of several amazingly difficult and virtuosic passages. The success of this performance is again a tribute to Music Director Maciej Żółtowski and his superior skill at building and, more importantly, balancing an ensemble. The capacity house certainly enjoyed itself and let it be known via a thunderous ovation. We look forward to the final concert of the season on Saturday, June 1.

Karolina Hopper is a regular contributor to “The Freeman’s Journal.”