LA JOLLA, California — Since they could rehearse and perform masked, the string sections of TICO were once again featured in this concert, performed on April 24 and on April 26 in the Cohen Social Hall of Tifereth Israel Synagogue.
It reminded me of the beginning days of the JCC Community Orchestra, some 40-plus years ago, when it was a string orchestra. I played viola in the ensemble, sitting on a stand with longtime member, Janet Gastil, who now sits in the outside second stand of the first violins. The St. Paul Suite by Gustav Holst, the selection before intermission, was part of our repertoire then.
TICO’s strings attacked the opening notes of the first movement, Jig, with energetic gusto. It was played with precise rhythm and excellent dynamic contrasts. The intermezzo featured nice solo work by concertmaster Bryce Newall and principal viola, Joe Rowling. The last movement was particularly pleasurable as the familiar Greensleeves emerged amid the dance rhythm.
The concert opened with Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G minor. It featured the two first stand violinists, concertmaster Bryce Newall, assistant concertmaster Sarah Price-Keating, and principal cellist Evelyn Kooperman as the concertino, the small trio contrasting with the full string orchestra, the tutti. The three soloists played with a fine ensemble. This opening six movement work was a highlight of the evening.
After intermission, we heard a rarely programmed piece, the Ukrainian Suite by the American composer, Quincy Porter. Porter, a Yale graduate who later taught there, studied in Paris with D’Inty, then returned to the United States to study with Ernest Bloch. During his career, he was director of the New England Conservatory, ending his years as a music professor at Yale.
The short six-movement work, based on Ukrainian folk material, opened with a liturgical sounding Largo, a middle Presto, and final Allegro resembling folk dances and the other three movements probably derived from folk songs. This was in homage to the brave Ukrainians defending their homeland.
The final work on the concert was Antonin Dvorak’s beautiful Serenade in E Major, op. 22. This five-movement work is like a symphony for strings. As conductor David Amos stated in his introductory remarks, this is a most challenging work, especially for a non-professional ensemble. Although their efforts were commendable, it strained the capabilities of the TICO strings.
Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com