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November 1, 2007
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A night at the symphony... Last season’s unfortunate demise of the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra posed a problem for the New Hampshire Philharmonic. Both are symphony orchestras based in Manchester, and both have “New Hampshire” in their names. That can lead to some challenging situations for the surviving orchestra, especially if you’re doing the Philharmonic’s marketing. While the New Hampshire Symphony is apparently gone for good, I’m pleased to report that the New Hampshire Philharmonic — that other orchestra — is alive and well and healthy. The group, made up of amateur and professional players based in the Granite State, has a full slate of concerts lined up for the coming season. And that’s not all. The Phil (as they like to be called) is capable of staging a rip-roaring concert of exciting classical music, which is exactly what happened last Saturday night at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. For the group’s 2007-08 season opener, conductor Anthony Princiotti led the Phil in a program of interesting pieces. After a warm-up with Grieg’s familiar “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 1, the musicians played Schumann’s seldom-heard Cello Concerto and then the colorful Symphony No. 9 of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. The Schumann, with cellist Owen Young from the Boston Symphony as soloist, was a delight. Though the music was serious on the surface, a playful spirit prevailed, making the concerto sound fresh and lively throughout. Young was in top form, with a warm tone that brought out the work’s lyrical bent. Everyone played together well; the way that Young and the orchestra built up to the final coda of the last movement was nothing short of magical. But the real fireworks came in the Shostakovich. Under Princiotti, musicians in all sections played the heck out of this difficult and challenging score. The result was a performance that didn’t just hold together, but one that was thrilling to hear and that sparkled in all the right places. Good thing, too. Shostakovich wrote some of the most dramatic and exciting music of the 20th century, and his colorful Symphony No. 9 was done ample justice by the Philharmonic last Saturday night. Let’s hope they take on similar 20th-century scores in the future. • And now the opera: Opera New Hampshire returned to the stage last Sunday with a touring company’s rendition of “Tosca.” Good news: the performance was Opera New Hampshire’s first show since cancelling its traditional spring performance last May due to slow ticket sales and financial headaches. The cancellation led to a break in Opera New Hampshire’s longtime relationship with DiCapo Opera Theatre in New York, which for the past decade had supplied productions to the Granite State group. For last weekend’s production, replacing DiCapo was Teatro Lirico D’Europa (despite the Italian name, a group from Bulgaria), which brought to Manchester’s Palace Theatre a slightly tattered “Tosca” — one that definitely had its moments but also came with a few shortcomings. The strength was the music. Voices in all the lead roles were strong; there was a solid sense of when to hold back and when to let loose throughout all three acts. Especially good were soprano Adina Aaron in the title role and bass William Powers as Scarpia, her nemesis. Both made the most of the drama in their parts, both vocally and acting-wise. After a rough start, the orchestra came together. Production values were uneven. The often-persnickety operation of projecting English language titles above the stage went off without a hitch, but many costumes were dreary and some of the set pieces frankly looked amateurish. Still, it all worked, which is a good thing, because Opera New Hampshire has signed the group for two productions next season: Bizet’s “Carmen” in October 2008 and then Verdi’s “Aida” in January 2009. No word yet, alas, on any opera for spring of 2008.
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10/18/2007 Best of the 20th century?
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