The Newport Symphony will be performing two concerts this coming weekend. The first will be Saturday, Jan 18, at 7:30pm and the second on Sunday, Jan 19 at 2pm. We will perform:

Handel –  Water Music Suite no. 2
Bach/Webern – Musical Offering: Ricercare
Hindemith – Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64

The Mendelssohn is, of course, one of the great violin concerti, a required piece for any serious violin soloist to learn. Of it, famed violinist Joseph Joachim said:

“The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, most uncompromising is Beethoven’s. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive, was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart’s jewel, is Mendelssohn’s.”

– from The Concerto: A Listener’s Guide by Michael Steinberg

Our soloist, world-renowned soloist and acclaimed chamber music specialist, Anthea Kreston, played it effortlessly with little warm-up during our first rehearsal last weekend. In fact, after our first read-through, she exclaimed, “that was great! We’re ready for the concert!” Maestro Flatt jokingly responded, “okay, folks. We’re done here. See you next week!”

The Handel piece will be familiar as it is often played for weddings. I find maestro Flatt’s interpretation adds new life and energy into the old standard.

The Webern is beautiful and a bit ethereal, transforming a Bach melody into a wonderful musical game of password, where the melody is passed, often one note at a time, from instrument to instrument. Although written in 1935, the listener will find it much more romantic and melodic than most 20th symphonic century music, I think.

The Hindemith work is a towering piece. Although it has some of the dissonance and occasional bombast one might expect in a 20th century work, several musicians and I agreed that portions of the piece sounded like excerpts from a John Williams movie score. Be sure, also, to watch the percussion section, particularly at the end of the first movement. They have a lot going on and it’s interesting to watch and hear the interplay, like parts in a machine, whirring, clanging, and pounding in a complex coordination.

A wholly different reason to come to the coast is to see the spectacular Oregon coast winter storms. Combined high tides, winds, and king tides offer visitors rare views of roiling seas, giant breakers, spouting horns, and billowing sea spray.

Whether you come for the concert or the winter storms (or both), you will enjoy your visit to the Oregon coast. If you come to the concert, do come up to the stage and say hello!