By Eileen Wingard
CHULA VISTA, California — Pastor Brian Parce introduced the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra concert in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church of Chula Vista with eloquent words about the unifying power of music. This February 4 concert was another in the annual TICO programming at the Church.
Although the venue’s live acoustics required conductor David Amos to take more moderate tempi to avoid the blurring of sound, the orchestral voices, especially the strings, came through with fine presence.
In honor of its jubilee year, the 50th year since the orchestra was founded, TICO is performing at each of its concerts the fifth symphony of a great master. This concert opened with the most famous of all, Beethoven’s Fifth. During World War II, its motive, dot, dot, dot, dash, was equivalent to the Morse Code letter V, which was the symbol for Victory. Thus, that first movement took on added meaning and was played frequently during that era. It continues to engage with its rhythmic incisiveness and dynamic excitement. Under Amos, its founder and conductor, TICO gave a satisfying performance of the four-movement work, noticeable for its precise attacks and releases and some beautiful solo work by the principal horn, flute, clarinet and oboe. The trombones entered the finale with confidence and the strings shone.
Following intermission, assistant conductor, Robert Zelickman, led the strings in the Concerto for Four Violins and Orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi. The four soloists were members of TICO s violin section, Concertmaster Bryce Newall; Assistant Concertmaster Sarah Price-Keating; Principal Second Violinist Jenee Wallace; and violinist Martin Warsh. This work was one of the many that Vivaldi wrote when he was in charge of music at the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for the illegitimate children of Venetian noblemen and courtiers. Vivaldi trained these girls to become fine musicians and he composed many pieces for them such as this concerto. The four violinists from the ranks of the orchestra did a commendable job as did the rest of the strings accompanying this contrapuntal work. The second movement with its engaging melody was especially beautiful.
The final work on the program was the tone poem Emek, inspired by the Valley of Jezreel in Israel. It was written by Marc Lavry (1903-1967), the Riga-born, German-trained Israeli composer. The opening flutes depicted sunrise in the valley, the finale was a rousing Hora, and in between we could imagine the early Israeli pioneers working the land and draining the swamps. Although Emek was a frequent selection at Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, it was David Amos who made the premiere recording of the work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The concert was repeated the following Tuesday evening at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, home to the 50-year-old ensemble since 1995, when the orchestra moved from the Jewish Community Center on 54th Street, where it was founded.
The next concerts of TICO will take place Sunday, April 14th & Tuesday, April 16th, at Tifereth Israel Synagogue and feature the Fifth Symphony by Shostakovitch, and Beethoven’s monumental Fifth Piano Concerto, “The Emperor.”
*
Eileen Wingard is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com