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Pasadena Symphony Comes of Age
By Joseph N. Feinstein
Wind up a Dvorak doll, give plenty of breathing room to Stravinsky; put Howard Shelley on the piano bench for Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, set Jorge Mester on the podium to lead the Pasadena Symphony in the works of these three classical giants, and you have one fantastic adventure, one auditory orgasm, and one impressive musical experience.
On Saturday, November 13, the Pasadena Civic Auditorium was the setting for the second of an eight-program season by the Pasadena Symphony. Watching and listening to this orchestra takes me back to my early experiences in the fifties as a newly arrived New York transplant, listening to the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Olive Street. Watching that group through the years, under the batons of Guilini, Mehta, Previn and Salonen, reminded me of the steady control and progress that the Pasadena Orchestra has made through twenty years of Mr. Mester's stewardship. That effort was evident in the fire and spirit shown in both the Dvorak and Stravinsky pieces.
Dvorak wrote Scherzo Capriccioso just following the death of his mother. Two weeks after it was completed, on May 2, 1883, it was played for the first time and received genuine enthusiasm and acclaim. One hundred twenty years later, that same enchantment was realized in Pasadena. The orchestra's rendering delighted the appreciative audience.
Stravinsky's Firebird Suite is on of my very favorite pieces of classical music, and Mester and company gave it a most exciting reading. The music was written as a ballet suite for the Ballet Russe and previewed in 1910. The first performance of the Firebird made ballet history and helped Stravinsky achieve international recognition at the age of 28. I first heard this piece in the early 60's at UCLA's Royce Hall where it was conducted by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was breathtaking! One could imagine the Firebird dancing her frenzied dance to free Prince Ivan from the monsters. The oboe, harp, clarinets, and the strong string section of the orchestra kept beat and pace to perfection under Mester's deft baton.
With Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, generally acknowledged to be his most difficult concerto, came the melding of perfection through the magical fingers of Howard Shelley and an orchestra which played in total harmony with him. The conclusion of this beautiful concerto propelled the very large audience into a rousing standing ovation for an effort of consummate skill, strength and, always, grace. The program notes tell us that in 1994, Mr. Shelley received an Honorary Fellowship in the Royal College of Music by the Prince of Wales...a most deserved award, indeed.
The Pasadena Symphony's next offering will be on December 11 with Beethoven's Eighth and Ninth Symphonies. Their telephone number is 626-584-8833.
NOTE: The Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena will be open once again for performances of Handel's Messiah on December 17 and 18. For tickets call 626-793-7172 or visit
www.pasadenasymphony.org
Pasadena Symphony, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 2500 E. Colorado, Pasadena. 626-793-7172
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