In our preview of “Bach and Bluegrass,” the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert in the Roy Cockrum Chamber Series , we made liberal use of the word “connections” to describe the interesting juxtaposition of works on the program. On paper, the comparing and contrasting of works from different genres and time periods can—admittedly— feel a tad synthetic. However, last Sunday afternoon’s audience at the Bijou learned all too enjoyably that the inventiveness of the Baroque and J.S. Bach, contrasted with the melodic freshness of contemporary composers and their music combined for a musical experience that was simply intriguing. KSO music director and conductor Aram Demirjian had created a very compelling environment for hearing and absorbing both Bach and “BlueGrass-y” works in a different context, one that was enlightening and satisfying.
As Maestro Demirjian admitted to the audience, the official focus of the afternoon was not actually Bluegrass, but rather the unique musical instrument, the mandolin, and Jeff Midkiff, the guest soloist on hand to perform on it. In truth, the mandolin has a broad history in different musical genres—and was the centerpiece on the program, notably in Jennifer Higdon’s Mandolin Concerto, made even more intriguing by the composer’s own introduction to her 2022 work.
After a concert opening of Midkiff’s creation, A Visit from the Muse, Demirjian and the orchestra offered their beautifully detailed visit from J.S. Bach, the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major. Intrigue was an ongoing theme, so perhaps the most compelling moments of the afternoon came in two segments which featured a pair of contrasting works performed back-to-back with minimal pause and applause in between, something that would have destroyed the fascinating mood that had been created. The first such segment was the performance combination of Bach’s poignant and familiar “Air on the G String” from his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major with Mark O’Connor’s Appalachia Waltz, a comforting work in a comparable vein that plumbs the depths of roots music emotions and rhythmic energy.
The second segment of comparison came after intermission, this time a familiar chorale by Bach from his St. Matthew Passion, “Erkenne mich, mein Hüter.” Following this was contemporary composer Caroline Shaw’s contrasting Punctum, for String Orchestra. Shaw introduces the chorale melody intact, before dialing in gentle distortion that descends into a marvelous polyphonic cacophony. Again, thanks to the Chamber Series audience for holding applause until the conclusion, allowing this marvelous exercise to work its full effect.
Of course, such a concert would not have fulfilled its promise without summoning up a real bluegrass motif. The choice was an arrangement by Midkiff of Bill Monroe’s energetic romp, Monroe’s Hornpipe, a tune that became a repertoire favorite and defines the reason for popular gravitation to Bluegrass.
In addition to A Visit from the Muse, Midkiff seized the energy once again with his romp, Run For Your Life!
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But wait, there’s more Bach—and mandolinist Jeff Midkiff— on the way. Midkiff will be the guest of Concertmaster William Shaub on the upcoming KSO Concertmaster Series in a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, with the added charm, intrigue, and novelty of Midkiff performing the Second Violin solo part on mandolin.
Keeping with Concertmaster Shaub’s practice of shorter virtuosic pieces for himself and pianist Kevin Class, he will open his performance with Fritz Kreisler’s Variations on a Theme by Corelli, Mozart’s Sonata in E minor for Violin and Piano, and J.S. Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, from Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin.
Knoxville Symphony Concertmaster Series “Mythic Proportions”
Knoxville Museum of Art
Wednesday and Thursday, October 7 and 8, 7:00 PM
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