Piazzolla: Tangazo
Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major, K. 297b
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op.36
Alondra de la Parra, conductor
Nikolay Blagov, clarinet
Jamie Strefeler, oboe
Diane Bishop, bassoon
Mark Fischer, French horn
Alondra de la Parra. Thirty years old, and already an exciting conductor. Watch out for her. Seek out her performances.
As OPO supporters, we are invited to attend one of the open Friday night rehearsals before a concert, and we chose this one for the compelling reason that it was the only one scheduled for when Porter was able to attend. What a fortunate Hobson's choice!
Back when Janet was in the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, we enjoyed listening to rehearsals because the orchestra would play, the conductor would make some suggestions, and then the orchestra would play again—with obvious improvement. Orlando Phil rehearsals are not usually fun in that way, because, of course, they are better players.
And then Alondra de la Parra came as guest conductor. I don’t know how the musicians felt, being treated like youth orchestra students—for Maestra De la Parra stopped them, and worked them, and even at one point had them play to the accompaniment of a loud and disconcerting rim-tap metronome sound from the percussion section. She made them play chords again and again, until she heard the right balance: “I need more of the C!” She ran late, much to the annoyance of the union rep, who checked his watch every minute and a half.
But what a difference the work made! The before and after contrast was as discernable as it had been with the students, and the next day's performance was even more brilliant. I have always loved the OPO, but I had no idea they could play like that. I loathe the “grade inflation” that has led to standing ovations at nearly every concert, but this time I was one of the first on my feet.
De la Parra is fun to watch, too. With the baton she is as commanding as a four-star general, and yet she dances her directions, playing the orchestra like a beloved instrument, coaxing out the sound.
She gave most of her rehearsal attention to the Tchaikovsky, and it was consequently the most stunning. But the Mozart was delightful because of the players: Jamie Strefeler handled the oboe part with skill, Mark Fischer is always good on horn, Nikolay Blagov would make even Heather like the clarinet, and Diane Bishop’s bassoon playing amazes me every time. (To be completely honest, my favorite part of the Tchaikovsky was some exquisite solo bassoon notes.)
The Piazolla was fun, all the more so because we recognized both the name and the style from a concert in Japan a few years ago. There we had heard his Libertango played by a talented cellist, who, like other notables such as Diane Bishop and Janet Stücklin-Wightman, graduated from the Eastman School of Music. She is now teaching at an arts school in Africa. This completes your It’s a Large World trivia diversion for today.
We capped the evening by enjoying some drinks (okay, it was water) and cookies (oatmeal) at a table by a fountain, while the rest of the crowd struggled to get out of the parking lot. Twenty minutes later the way was clear; we packed up our belongings and drove home in peace.
