1. Debbie and I know that it's likely that we'll experience traffic delays whenever traveling between Kellogg and Spokane. Right now, delays are common on I-90 westbound because the Northwest Blvd exit is closed and in that area traffic is funneled into a single lane. The delay gets compounded by cars entering the freeway via the westbound Northwest Blvd ramp.
Our hope was to arrive in Spokane in time to attend today's pre-concert presentation at 2:00. The Spokane Symphony Orchestra's performance was at 3:00.
We left Kellogg around 12:15, hoping we'd left ourselves enough time to absorb a delay and arrive a little before 2:00 at the Fox Theater.
We approached the I-90 delay.
The line of cars stopped still on I-90 looked long.
Right away, both of us shrugged.
"We might not arrive in time for the pre-concert lecture. No use getting upset. We know we'll make it in time for the concert."
So we patiently, without complaint, inched our way to the where the single lane turned into two lanes and, lo and behold, it was clear sailing into Spokane. We entered downtown Spokane via Lincoln Street, I spotted street parking spots on Second Avenue, we strolled to the Fox, and we seated ourselves at about 1:50 and got to hear the entire pre-concert presentation.
The presentation was terrific.
Conductor James Lowes' introduction to today's program was illuminating and stimulating and so was his interview of today's featured piano soloist, Mackenzie Melemed.
2. This weekend's concert opened the Spokane Symphony's 81st season. I wasn't expecting the season opening concert to begin with the symphony playing "The Star Spangled Banner", but that's exactly what they did!
We then got to hear the 20th century Soviet/Russian composer Dimitri Kabalevsky's energetic overture to the opera Colas Breugnon.
I enjoy very much being introduced to composers and compositions unknown to me. Kabalevsky's overture was sparkling. It took full advantage of the entire orchestra and, like all the pieces we heard this afternoon, created fascinating and often fun interplay between the orchestra's different sections.
The orchestra then played 19th century American composer Amy Beach's gorgeous and romantic Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor. Beach was a piano virtuoso and this forty to forty-five minute concerto in four movements presented soloist Mackenzie Melemed with mind-boggling challenges at the keyboard. He met these challenges with elan and his own virtuosity. As Romantic compositions so often are, many passages in Beach's composition were lush and emotional, giving Melemed and the orchestra long and gorgeous passages of interplay and deep feeling.
Until today, I'd never heard of Amy Beach. I learned that this concerto we heard today has rarely been performed. It was thrilling to have James Lowe decide to bring this composition out of obscurity and to entrust its many challenges not only to the orchestra, but to the zestful Mackenzie Melemed.
3. Having accepted the roars of the audience's approval and a lengthy standing ovation, Melemed then returned to the piano and played a medley of several favorite American tunes including "The Star Spanged Banner" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy", sending the audience into the intermission uplifted.
Conductor James Lowe opened the concert's second half with a tribute to Charles "Chuck" Karscheny who passed away this past June after playing French horn in the symphony and later serving as Production Manager. His career with the Spokane Symphony spanned more than 40 years.
Then, in a deeply touching further tribute to Chuck Karscheny, a quartet of French horn players stepped forward and played "Evening Hymn" from Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel.
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet presents a complex blending of a long feud between the Capulets and Montagues, the accompanying dark hatred and street violence, the high hopes of Friar Lawrence, and the passions, frivolity, and optimism of young Romeo and Juliet.
Sergei Prokofiev, a 20th century Russian/Soviet composer, wrote the music for a Romeo and Juliet ballet, and a suite of selections which constituted the second half of today's concert.
As with the concert's previous pieces, Prokofiev wrote compelling parts for instruments across the orchestra, even surprising us with gorgeous passages for the tenor saxophone.
For the duration of this suite, we felt the many emotions of Shakespeare's play and marveled at how beautifully Prokofiev fleshed out the complexity of the characters and the story in his marvelous composition.
The story of Romeo and Juliet features the death of the ill-fated, star-crossed lovers, and Prokofiev's composition ends with their tragic demise. The orchestra played the solemn final notes and James Lowe held the audience in silence for a short while -- the audience obeyed -- and then released us into a sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation.
In a move that startled me (really!), James Lowe responded to this solemn conclusion by telling the audience he just couldn't bear to have the concert end so sadly.
And, so, as an encore intended to send us all out of the hall in a more chipper mood, the orchestra played an uplifting and short Modest Mussorgsky tune (I couldn't hear what Lowe said its title was) and this move seemed to accomplish Lowe's goal.
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