Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Ring of Fire: Pacific Sounds in Review
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Ring of Fire: Pacific Sounds
Distinguished Concerts Singers international, Anthony Giles, director
Inglemoor High School Orchestra, James Rice, conductor
Inglemoor High School Wind Ensemble, Ted Christensen, conductor
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, NY
April 13, 2015
Distinguished Concerts International (DCINY) presented a concert entitled Ring of Fire: Pacific Sounds at Avery Fisher Hall on Monday, April 13, 2015. The first half was to feature the “Spice, Magic, and Mystique” of the choral music of Southeast Asia, focusing on Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Taiwan. The second half was to showcase the talents of the Inglemoor High School Orchestra and Wind Ensemble (from the Inglemoor High School in Washington State).
As the hall filled, the singers from Washington, China, Indonesia, and Thailand, took to the stage. Led by Anthony Giles, their six selections proved to be filled with charm, humor, playfulness, and simple beauty. A nice touch was that pieces were introduced by selected members of the chorus, who came to the front of the stage to introduce themselves and the pieces. The order did not follow the printed program, so this was not only a nice touch, but helpful!
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Ring of Fire: Pacific Sounds
The opening piece, Phra met ta, a setting of verses from Psalm 25 in Thai, was given a refined and reverential performance, with the sounds of plainchant in pentatonic being especially effective. A surge of latecomers delayed the start of the third work for at least five minutes. As the ushers herded the masses of the chronometrically challenged to their seats, Mr. Giles quipped “It’s so nice that so many people want to come to hear our concert!” which drew a roar of laughter from the audience. Finally, order was restored, and what followed was, to this listener, the highlight of the half, the Taiwanese song Diu diu dang a. This is a song about a train, complete with whistles and the sounds of a locomotive, gaining momentum and finally arriving at its destination with a final burst of steam as the train slows to a stop. It was done with a great sense of play, but without resorting to overt silliness that would have spoiled the effect- it was delightful. The chorus then took on the challenges of Janger, with its extended vocal techniques and mimicry of the sounds of a Balinese gamelan orchestra, giving it a tightly focused performance with seeming ease. They ended the half with Dumbele, a tribute to the rain god of the same name, handling the complexities of sound and style effortlessly. Mr. Giles proved himself an able leader who had prepared his singers well.
After intermission, the Inglemoor High School String Orchestra took to the stage. The first thing one noticed was the large number of players (16-24-16-16-6!!), which would be the envy of many an orchestra at any level! Led by James Rice, they led off with Gustav Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite for String Orchestra, Op. 29, No. 2. One can hear bits of Jupiter (amongst other movements from The Planets) in this 1913 work. The opening movement (Jig) was at times a bit muddled in attacks, not unsurprising with forty violinists playing at once, but the overall effect was well done, with good intonation and balance. The final movement features a “mash-up” of the Dargason and Greensleeves, which brought smiles to the faces of many in the audience. The third movement (Meditation) of Serenade for Strings by Jack Jarrett followed and showed the quality of these young players in what was a sensitive and mature reading of a poignant work. Ending with two movements from Concerto Grosso. No. 1 for String Orchestra with Piano Obbligato (I. Prelude, IV. Fugue), from Ernest Bloch, the orchestra played incisively, with just the right amount of uneasy tension, not a simple thing to accomplish, something that impressed this listener.
After a brief pause, the Inglemoor Wind Ensemble took to the stage. As any regular reader of this journal would know, this listener is a huge fan of the wind ensemble and has a keen interest in hearing ensembles of young players, so I was eagerly looking forward to this part of the concert.
Like the String Orchestra, this ensemble has a large number of players and not overly heavy in the usual sections (i.e. trumpet, flute, etc.). Conductor Ted Christensen took the podium and launched his ensemble into a carefully played Dedicatory Fanfare, by William Cherry, which, while well played, was lacking volume and intensity. This careful approach paid handsome dividends in a wonderful performance of J.S, Bach’s Bist Du Bei Mir. The intonation and balance was excellent throughout, and there are ample opportunities for any issues with both to be glaringly obvious. Next came Timothy Mahr’s Endurance, a work about Shackelton’s 1914 ill-fated Antarctic expedition (named after his ship, Endurance). It is a work that would challenge any ensemble, but these young players rose to the occasion with a polished performance. Even Mr. Christensen was delighted, to judge by his fist-pumping celebration at the end of the work! Ending with what must be one of their signature pieces, The Florentiner, a grand march in the Italian style by the legendary band composer Julius Fučik, the ensemble unleashed a performance that had the audience respond with enthusiastic applause. It was also the highlight of their selections to this listener.
One general reservation for this listener was that the opportunity to project a truly big sound was lost. It is rarity at this level to boast forces that are not only large but well-balanced in proportion and ability, with an amount of lower brass that has the potential to shake the walls of the hall! I wanted to be blown out of my seat with a wall of sound, and it never happened, nor was it even close to happening. When you are on the stage of one of the most famous concert halls in the world, is not the time for a well-mannered performance! Lest anyone think I am suggesting that wind ensembles are all about being loud and bombastic, be assured that that is not the case, but why have seventy-four players if you aren’t going to take advantage of your resources? To do less is akin to using a sports car to pull a trailer. Please take this all as some friendly advice from a life-long band geek- Leave it all out there, always give it your all, and go big or don’t go at all!
That all being said, these were outstanding young players and they especially impressed in terms of balance – no one section dominated. This is almost unheard of at the high school level. Mr. Rice and Mr. Christensen are to be congratulated for the fine musical program at Inglemoor that they both have been so instrumental in developing. With the huge numbers of participants, and the high level at which they play, one should expect continuing successes for this excellent program. Congratulations to all.
