By Eileen Wingard in La Jolla, California
With a seasoned soloist, violinist Martin Chalifour, retired concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and an attractive program, the Jewish Community Symphony drew a large audience to their April 19th concert at the Lawrence Family JCC.
The first half of the program was conducted by the orchestra’s assistant conductor, Robert Zelickman, and opened with a nicely paced Overture to Rosamunde by Franz Schubert. As is typical with this composer, who is known for his beautiful melodies, this overture was filled with engaging themes.
The lively dance-like tune, begun by the violins and later taken up by the entire orchestra, was particularly well- played.
The overture was followed by Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony #82, nicknamed The Bear, because of some drone accompaniments in the cellos and basses in the last movement.
This work, number 82 of Haydn’s 104 symphonies, was the last of five commissioned by the Parisian ensemble that, in 1787, presented its premiere.
The four-movement work, Vivace, Allegretto, Minuet and Vivace Assai, was performed under Zelickman with crisp cut-offs, transparent intonation and joyful sound. Unlike most symphonies, it did not have a slow movement, although the Allegretto and Minuet had more relaxed tempi than the sprightly outer movements.
After it ended, Conductor Zelickman, with a smile of satisfaction, turned to the audience and quipped, “Fun, huh?”
Following intermission, the brass of the orchestra signaled the audience to return to their seats by playing a royal fanfare.
With orchestra and audience back in place, founder and conductor of the renamed Jewish Community Symphony, David Amos, ascended onto the podium to conduct Bedrich Smetana’s Moldau from Ma Vltava (My Country).
With Amos’ downbeat, the flutes began to softly depict the narrow tributaries leading into the Moldau river and the strings mimicked the waves and rapids while the beautiful melody, similar to the tune of Hatikvah, rose forth. Later, downstream, the tone poem included a sprightly peasant dance. It finally returned to the beautiful Hatikvah melody, in all its glory.
Concluding the concert were Mozart’s Concerto #3 in G major and Camille Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capricioso.
Martin Chalifour, retired concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic after 30 years of service in that post, was the seasoned soloist. He cut a handsome figure with his slim body and head of wavy grey hair. He played effortlessly and projected the effervescence of Mozart’s work, which the composer wrote when he was 19 years old. Chalifour’s cadenza after the first movement was impressive.
He rendered the second movement Adagio with great sweetness and he added some charming ornamentation. The concluding Allegro, Rondeau brought the composition to its light-hearted ending.
David Amos dedicated the final work on the program, the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, to the memory of his wife, Lee “Bunny” Amos, who served as the first concertmaster of the orchestra and soloed in this work during her tenure in that post.
Chalifour brought out all the charm of this romantic piece with the soulful introduction followed by the flamenco -inspired rondo theme and the tempestuous interludes. The exciting conclusion brought the audience to its feet.
This concert of joyful music served as a welcome antidote to the stresses of today’s world. The next Jewish Community Symphony concert will take place June 28 and feature works by Mussorgsky, Delius, Beethoven, and Luxemburg.
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Eileen Wingard, a retired violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts.