The Sound of The Academy Chamber Orchestra
By Roberta Kanive
The Academy Chamber Orchestra played on a recent Saturday night in the rectangular, concert-hall shaped Haller Lake United Methodist Church, under a northwest timbered ceiling. The pews were filled.
Looking at the orchestra before the concert, you knew their sound would be big. There were 45 musicians: bass, violins, percussion, some winds and brass. However, the size still did not prepare me for the rich, full sounds of the opening chords of Schubert’s Quintet. It was a moment akin to hearing your very favorite piece after turning up the volume so you can hear every single note. We were all captivated by the opening sounds.
I was somewhat distracted during this first piece, trying to understand: How did they manage this fullness?
I found some explanation when I looked at the players. Young and very confident, with full and controlled bowing, they were into the music. The conductor, Alan Futterman, was the enhancing, directing element, and with his choices for programming, the performance was all good taste, style and panache — a real treat.
Futterman’s placement of Prokofiev’s “Midnight at the Ball” from Cinderella at the center of the concert was perfect. Paired with this orchestra, the energy and dance rhythms, as well as Prokofiev’s swagger and humor, were more than convincing — they were fun. We were at the ball.
Another notable feature of this concert was Futterman’s rapport with the audience. The maestro introduced each piece with just enough backstory and engaged the audience with questions — sometimes rhetorical, other times expecting an answer — and made us curious about the piece we were about to hear.
The end of the program was dedicated to the music of living composers: Romanze by Werner Kaminsky and Turkish Dervish/Casbah Music by Futterman himself. The Romanze, with its tender melody, allowed the orchestra to perform the beautiful sonorous tone of the strings. The Dervish, with prominent and lively rhythms — slow, slow to as fast as the instruments could be bowed — gave the musicians one last opportunity to demonstrate their mettle.
The concert was over too soon. Entertaining and at times dramatic, this was a program that would captivate even a preteen. It sent a clear message: classical music is alive, fun and doing very well, thank you.
The Academy Chamber Orchestra performed at Haller Lake United Methodist Church on June 6, 2015. Guest contributor Roberta Kanive performs with the Ravenna String Orchestra.
Originally published at https://livemusicproject.org on June 19, 2015.
