Marin Symphony's Monica Daniel-Barker

COLORFUL DISSONANCES DRIVE STRAVINSKY WORK IN MARIN

Without doubt, the Marin Symphony concert April 5 was a tour de force performance of exceptional virtuosity and brilliance. From the opening local premiere of Roberto Sierra’s Carnaval to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Conductor Alasdair Neale led an evening with the stress on orchestra bravura.

Sierra’s work, commissioned by the Northern California Magnum Opus project, is a spirited piece in five parts, evoking the composer’s rich imagination of mythical creatures consisting of “Gargoyles, Sphinxes, Unicorns, Dragons and The Phoenix.” Born in Puerto Rico but principally trained in Europe, Roberto's exuberantly-crafted Carnival reflects the rich Latin rhythms of his homeland, while the score is structured in the classical symphonic tradition. Though this music is not easily assimilated at first hearing, Sierra’s rhythmic wizardry combined with the succinct structure brought the five character sketches together into a cohesive whole. It is an extraordinary piece, worthy of more performances. Special kudos go to the four members of the percussion section who brought the pungent rhythms to the fore with excitement and aplomb.

In sharp contrast, the program’s next work was Mozart’s Concerto in C Major for Flute and Harp, K. 299, performed by flutist Monica Daniel-Barker and harpist Dan Levitan. Composed in three movements, this charming duo concerto was beautifully played, both soloists the principals with the Symphony. Typical for Mozart’s time, this concerto was composed for the salon and not for a large concert hall. Yet Daniel-Barker and Levitan successfully communicated to the capacity audience the overflowing lyricism of this expressive Mozart concerto, written in Paris when the composer was 22. The andantino slow movement was richly colored, the themes for flute sublime.

Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), composed in 1910-12, is an extraordinary work, perhaps the most influential symphonic piece of the 20th Century. Although controversial in its 1913 Paris debut, it is as clear and logical as any music one hears today. Written in Switzerland as a ritual pagan ballet, exotic dancers from the Ballet Afsaneh in Woodacre were invited to the pre-concert lecture to explain the imagery of ancient Asiatic cultures. Stravinsky’s polytonalities, polyrhythms and uncanny knowledge of orchestration express his musical ideas with momentous force. The Exalted Sacrifice segment was positively exhilarating, and the Orchestra’s performance of dissonance for purposes of color generated impressive musical energy.