By Eileen Wingard
LA JOLLA, California — Annelle Kazumi Gregory, currently studying at USC with former New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glen Dicterow, opened the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus’s final program of their 2014-15 season with the Tschaikowsky Violin Concerto. The talented young woman rendered this familiar work with a warm sound and secure technique.
I recall hearing her several years ago, along with other students of the local, Russian-born violin pedagogue, Michael Tseitlin. Although all the Tseitlinstudents played with strong technical facility, she stood out because of her beautiful tone and musical phrasing. These same traits were evident in her Tchaikowsky. She shone in the first movement cadenza and the second movement came forth as a heartfelt prayer. She captured the spirit of the rollicking, unbridled last movement. The orchestra, at times, sounded a bit stodgy, trying to keep up with her, and its dynamic level could have been more subdued when accompanying. Nonetheless, the violin line managed to project. The accomplished young soloist received a well-deserved standing ovation and treated the audience to an encore, a movement from an unaccompanied sonata by the great Belgium violinist, Eugene Ysaye.
After intermission, Conductor David Chase, Choral Director of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus since 1973, mounted the podium to conduct the combined forces of the 94-voice adult Chorus, the 23-voice children’s chorus of the San Diego North Coast Singers and the 74-piece orchestra, with soprano soloist, Priti Gandhi, and tenor soloist, Edward Mout in There Was a Child, an oratorio by Jonathan Dove.
Dove selected poetry from a diverse group of poets to set to music, as a tribute to the memory of Robert Van Allan, who drowned at age 19, while snorkeling in Thailand. This work was commissioned by his parents to celebrate his life and the lives of all young people taken from us too soon.
The opening movement, a setting of I am the song by Charles Causley, has fast moving curls of notes in the woodwinds, joined by the strings and brass. The timpani’s loud interjection gives the only indication of foreboding. The solo soprano sang Birth by Langston Hughes. It begins: “Oh, fields of wonder out of which stars are born, and moon and son and me as well.”
The second movement, Childhood was for soprano, tenor and adult chorus. It was set to lines by Thomas Traherne and William Wordsworth.
The third section, A Song About Myself, by John Keats, featured the children’s chorus. The music matched the whimsical words, which concluded, “There was a naughty Boy, And a naughty boy was he, He ran away to Scotland the people for to see—Then he found that the ground was as hard, that a yard was as long, That a song was as merry, That a cherry was as red—That lead was as weighty, That fourscore was as eighty, That a door was as wooden as in England—“
The fourth and fifth movements had the adult chorus, then the children’s chorus sing settings of verses by Emily Dickinson. The Sixth, All shod with steel had the adult chorus singing about skating on the winter ice, with words by William Wordsworth. The seventh section was Romance by W. J. Turner “I walked in a great golden dream To and fro from school…” sung by tenor solo and children’ chorus.
The eighth part, began with New Worlds by Thomas Traherne “I saw new Worlds beneath the Water lie, New People; yea, another Sky…” High Flight by Jon Gillespie Magee was for tenor solo “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;” Grief by William Shakespeare, for soprano solo and adult chorus followed, sung with poignant emotion, “Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,” It was followed by Behold, we know not anything by Alfred Lord Tennyson for adult chorus. Finally, the ninth section, for soprano solo, tenor solo, adult chorus and children’s chorus was set to words by Walt Whitman, “There was a child went forth every day, And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became. The early lilacs became part of this child, And grass and white and red morning glories, and white and red clover, and the song of the phoebe bird, … These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes and will always go forth every day. “
Dove chose his texts well and composed music which enhanced the words. By alternating between the adult and children’s choruses, the soprano and tenor, and combining their forces in different ways, he engaged our interest throughout. Particularly outstanding in the performance was Edward Mout. His effortless tenor floated with youthful beauty. Priti Gandhi contributed significantly with her strong soprano. The singing of the Children’s Chorus from the San Diego North Coast Singers, reflected their fine training under their director, Sally Husch Dean, and both the La Jolla Orchestra and Chorus, performed this challenging premiere with excellent ensemble and well-calibrated dynamics under the direction of their seasoned choral conductor, David Chase. Bravo to all!
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Wingard, a former violinist with the San Diego Symphony, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. You may comment to her at eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website provided that the rules below are observed.
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