Arts & Events

The Oakland Symphony originally scheduled its Friday, January 21st concert to offer two works by American composers, the Gaelic Symphony by Amy Beach (1867-1944), and the oratorio sanctuary road by contemporary composer Paul Moravec. The latter work is based on the book The Underground Railroad Records by abolitionist William Still, who helped 800 escaped slaves travel safely from the south and avoid arrest. I was eagerly looking forward to hearing both of these works, especially since I had recently heard Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto as well as her Gaelic Symphony on KDFC, the Bay Area’s classical music station. On first hearing, these two works by Amy Beach struck me as endlessly inventive and full of virtuosity and musical surprises. Having never heard any of Amy Beach’s music performed live, I was full of eager anticipation as I approached Oakland’s Paramount Theatre on Friday evening, January 21. 

Alas, on arrival I was told that neither the Amy Beach Gaelic Symphony nor Paul Moravec’s sanctuary road would be given, the reason being that the latter work required a large chorus to perform onstage without wearing masks, and this was deemed at the last minute a non starter due to the current surge of the Omicron variant of Covid 19. It was hoped that this entire program would be able to be offered at some time in the future. For tonight, however, the last minute change of program would offer Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A Major and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major. In addition, four of the soloists originally scheduled to perform in sanctuary road would offer songs accompanied on piano by Kymry Esainko. 

The revised program opened with Guest Conductor Leslie B. Dunner leading the Oakland Symphony in Mozart’s 29th Symphony. This work, written when Mozart was 18 years old, is hailed as a breakthrough work in which young Mozart showed a new, bold mastery of the symphonic medium. It has long been a favourite of mine among Mozart’s early symphonies. I fondly recall Sir John Barbirolli’s incredibly brisk recording of Mozart’s 29th Symphony, which tore through this symphony at a whirlwind pace. However, Leslie B. Dunner’s interpretation of this symphony was anything but brisk. Instead, it was stately, almost to the point of being flaccid, especially in the two middle slow movements. However, Dunner thankfully picked up the pace in the finalmovement, marked Allegro con spirito. Throughout this work, Oakland Symphony’s string section did itself proud. 

Following the Mozart there was an onstage presentation of a posthumous award to Michael Morgan for his Lifetime Achievement and commitment to community. Then came a series of songs offered by African-American soloists accompanied on piano by Kymry Esainko. Baritone Phillip Harris offered a song by Florence Price set to a poem by Langston Hughes and an aria from Richard Strauss’s opera Ariadne auf Naxos. Soprano Hope Briggs offered “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and an aria from Giuseppe Verdi’s La Forza del Destino. In these songs Hope Briggs gave ample evidence of her remarkable vocal range and breath control. 

After intermission, Leslie B. Dunner led Oakland Symphony in Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major. This work, written at the same time as his 1812 Overture, was much preferred by the composer to his admittedly “noisy” 1812 Overture. Indeed, this lovely Serenade for Strings offers a first movement that Tchaikovsky wrote in a deliberately Mozartian style in honour of Mozart, whom he revered. The Oakland Symphony’s rendition of this work was full of subtle nuances, especially in the Waltz movement and the ensuing Larghetto elegaic. Their reading of the Finale was spirited from start to finish. 

Concluding the program were songs performed by mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson and tenor Noah Stewart, accompanied on piano by Kymry Esainko. Especially ingratiating were the songs offered by Melody Wilson, which included two lovely songs by Richard Strauss, “Morgen” and ”Zueignung.” Melody Wilson’s consummate musicianship was a vocal highlight of the evening. Less successful, though full of bravado, were the songs offered by tenor Noah Stewart, who sang the spiritual “Great Day” and “Granada” by Mexican composer Augustin Lara. Noah Stewart has plenty of vocal power, though his voice sometimes sounds strained, and in “Granada” he had occasional pitch problems. Nonetheless, he gave a rousing performance of “Granada” and received enthusiastic applause from the Oakland audience.