Oregon Symphony Sets Bar High in Salem Opener

Acting Concertmaster Peter Frajola, a Salem native, stepped onto the stage Friday night and was greeted by rousing applause, cheers and whistles that are generally reserved for accolades following a tremendous performance by a visiting artist.  Under the direction of Music Director Carlos Kalmar, the orchestra performed the Star Spangled Banner while the audience sang along and the 56^th season of the Oregon Symphony in Salem was underway.  

Kalmar prefaced the performance of the first piece, Phaethon by contemporary composer Christopher Rouse, by likening the piece based on Greek Mythology and the story of the son of the sun god Helios to the first time your son takes out your Cadillac and ends up totaling it.  Kalmar who likes to challenge his audiences by introducing them to contemporary works along with classics of the genre told the audience that they would be hearing the Oregon Symphony Premiere of this piece and likely would never hear the piece again.  The piece was a cacophony of sound that made musical sense when performed by this orchestra.  It was obvious the bar was being set for what is sure to be another season on the rise for this once overlooked regional orchestra.  

When Alban Gerhardt joined the orchestra on stage to perform Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto the audience was immediately captured.  While many reviewers of spoken of the way Gerhardt makes the cello sing, there is really no other way to describe the oneness that he has with the instrument as he performs.  The rich tone and almost superhuman fingering in this flawless performance had the audience on their feet before the last note had ceased sounding in the auditorium.  

Kalmar was wise to program Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “Music From the New World” to close out the program.  As one of the best known classical works among contemporary audiences it caused much more of an audience known for leaving after the visiting star performs to stay for the second half of the performance and they were not disappointed.  The orchestra’s performance was breath taking and section leaders were spot on in their solo passages leaving the audience right where Kalmar wants them, wanting more.