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Gaffigan, Barnatan, Roumain an Event for the CSO

Mary Ellyn Hutton
Posted: Oct 9, 2010 - 10:54:47 PM in reviews_2010

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James Gaffigan
It was a losing game for the Reds Friday night in Philadelphia, but quite the opposite for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall.

Although attendance took a hit, with just about everyone at home watching the National League playoffs, the evening was a bona fide event.  There was a CSO premiere, a CSO debut, the first installment of the CSO’s season-long perusal of Beethoven’s piano concertos, and last but not least, a return visit by the gifted young conductor James Gaffigan.

Gaffigan, 31, made an impressive debut with the orchestra in March, 2009 and his return has been greatly anticipated (especially with CSO music director Paavo Järvi completing his tenure this season).  Gaffigan, a native New Yorker currently chief conductor of the Lucerne (Switzerland) Symphony, did not disappoint.  He brought an iconic work with him, Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony, pairing it with Verdi’s Overture to “La forza del destino” (“The Force of Destiny”).  He worked hand in glove with guest artist Inon Barnatan in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and he gave Daniel Bernard Roumain’s “Dancers, Dreams and Presidents” a fine introduction to the CSO audience.

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Daniel Bernard Roumain
Roumain, 39, also known as DBR, is one of today’s most inventive composers, mixing and matching a multiplicity of styles and multi-media to expand the boundaries of classical music. Inspired by Barack Obama’s dance with Ellen DeGeneres on her show in 2008, his 20-minute “Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents” was commissioned by the Sphinx Consortium, an alliance of American orchestras, including the CSO, who sponsor and premiere a work by an African-American or Latino composer annually.  Roumain, a Haitian-American who grew up in Margate (Broward County) Florida, describes it as a dance-inspired concerto for orchestra.  Scored for large orchestra with a raft of percussion, it is full of hip-hop and jazz rhythms (Roumain has collaborated with dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones).

Each of the three movements begins with a distinctive instrumental color.  The first movement, “Dancers,” opened with piccolo (small) timpani sounding a melodic fragment, which was taken up and developed later. ”Dreamers” began with low, dark double basses, “Presidents” with synthesizer.  There was melodic interest throughout and an almost constant beat -- provided with great skill by percussionist Mark Wolfley on drum set.

The beat is only occasionally interrupted to allow contrasting moods and colors to emerge.  An ear-teasing example occurred in "Dancers," when the beat stopped and harp, bass clarinet and piano joined to create a patch of beauty.  Roumain, whose credits include a doctorate in composition from the University of Michigan as well as an appearance with Lady Gaga on “American Idol,” employs classical techniques readily.  The final two movements unfolded as variations on a repeated bass line (passacaglia, think Bach).  The opening of “Presidents” had a hymn-like cast, suggesting a subtext for the work.

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Inon Barnatan
Israeli-born pianist Barnatan, 31, last minute pinch-hitter for pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa, who canceled because of illness, is a real find for Cincinnati. His reading of the Beethoven Concerto was bright and aristocratic in the Allegro con brio, soft-breathed and tender in the Largo, swift and smiling in the Allegro scherzando.  Gaffigan and the CSO complemented him fully, and balances were superb.  Kudos to clarinetist Jonathan Gunn in the Largo.  The small crowd made itself heard at the end, calling Barnatan back for repeated bows.

Gaffigan put lots of love into Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony, drawing out its wealth of melody with gestures to match, some sweeping, some minimal.  The double basses began the first movement (Allegro moderato) in a firm, but gentle whisper, followed by soft rustling in the upper strings and the lovely cello theme that breaks the melancholy spell.  The Andante ended in a soft swell, making one wonder, as always, what Schubert might have written had he written more.  Compliments to oboist Dwight Parry and clarinetist Richard Hawley for their sterling contributions.

Verdi’s Overture, which pulses with drama, was just the ticket to send the audience home happy.  Gaffigan, who cued the brasses almost before stepping onto the podium, led with energy and passion, carving out each operatic fragment vividly.  The crowd seemed to hold its collective breath as he paused slightly before moving into Leonora’s ineffable prayer to the Virgin, and the recurring “fate” motif had a pulse-quickening, edge-of-your-seat quality.

Repeat is 8 p.m. tonight at Music Hall.  Tickets begin at $10.  Call (513) 381-3300, or order online at www.cincinnatisymphony.org

(first published in the Cincinnati Enquirer Oct. 9, 2010)