A Night at the Symphony, English Sensuality: Music of the British Isles

The lights in the hall dimmed. The conductor, in his white tie and tails, walked to center stage. He spoke briefly about the first suite to be performed and turned to the orchestra. After a moment's pause, the orchestra began to play in response to his rhythmic gestures. Within a few measures, I was holding my breath in anticipation of the next note, the next phrase.

The performance.

The strings of the Valley Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Valley College's resident symphony orchestra, performed Saturday night. The Kadima String Quartet (Eric km Clark, violin and orchestra concertmaster, Andrew Tholl, violin, Beth Elliott, viola, and Lynn Angebranndt, cello), also residents at Los Angeles Valley College, performed as the orchestra's principals and, in one movement, as a quartet accompanied by the orchestra. The theme, English Sensuality: Music from the British Isles, showcased compositions by Peter Warlock, Gustav Holst, Edward Elgar, Karl Jenkins, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten.

The conductor's enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge.

Dr. Michael Arshagouni was not only an amazing conductor but his passion and excitement for the compositions were rivaled only by the passion and excitement of the compositions themselves. His knowledge of the composers, their lives, and their works seemed to be unlimited; and his humor was a pleasant addition to the evening bringing the mood of the audience to a relaxed and convivial state.

The program for the evening.

The program started with the six contrasting movements of Capriol: Suite for String Orchestra (Warlock). The Basse-Danse, Bransies and Mattachins movements were all lively dances with the latter ending in powerful and dramatic dissonances. The Pavane and Pieds-en-l'air were smooth, flowing, and rich movements. And the Tordion was a spirited, pizzicato movement.

St. Paul's Suite, Op. 29 No. 2, (Holst) was in 4 movements. Jig was a lively piece with Irish influence. Ostinato had a repeating pattern of tender melody and a happy and lilting pizzicati. I found Intermezzo, the third movement, to be haunting but with alternating lively and dramatic segments and a beautiful violin solo. The last movement, Finale: The Dragason, was a lively jig with segues to Greensleeves as a countermelody and back again.

Introduction and Allegro for Strings, Op. 47, (Elgar) may possibly have been the highlight of the evening, although I cannot think of one movement in the entire program that was not completely enjoyable. The Kadima String Quartet executed this piece brilliantly through all of its variations, tempos and dynamics: from grand and dramatic to sweet and flowing to powerful and majestic. The strings of the Valley Symphony Orchestra accompanied the Kadima String Quartet with like skill and passion.

I only have 3 words to say about the first movement, Allegretto, of the Palladio: Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra (Jenkins). Breathtaking! Breathtaking! And breathtaking!

Fantasia on "Greensleeves" (Vaughan Williams), is a beautiful work combining the lovely old tune "Greensleeves" with the East Anglian folk song, "Lovely Joan". The orchestra's exceptional performance of this piece was enhanced beautifully by the addition of guitarist Atticus Travis-McKittrick. The music seemed to flow from McKittrick's hand onto his guitar, and the guitar seemed to be an extension of his body and mind. If I have one criticism of the evening's program, it would be only that I would have loved to hear more of McKittrick's playing.

Simple Symphony (Britten), 4 movements, may have been the most interesting of symphonies for the evening. According to Dr. Arshagouni, these were pieces written by Britten when he was between 9 and 12 years old and then re-arranged and re-composed in his adulthood. The movements, Boisterous Bourree, Playful Pizzicato, Sentimental Saraband, and Frolicsom Finale, were appropriately titled. They were a perfect end to a perfect symphonic evening.

Future concert information.

You can check for upcoming events for the Valley Symphony Orchestra at www.valleysymphony.org and for the Kadima String Quartet and the Kadima Conservatory of Music at www.kadimaconservatory.com. By the way, if you ever have a calendar conflict between attending a concert of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and attending a concert of the Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Kadima String Quartet, the latter is much more rewarding. The venue is smaller and more intimate, the resonance of the music in the hall is superior to the open-air bowl, and there is often an opportunity after the concert to visit with the musicians and the conductor.

To Dr. Michael Arshagouni, the strings of the Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Kadima String Quartet, and Atticus McKittrick, I say thank you for one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever had at the symphony.