Tchaikovsky By Any Other Name Would Sound As Sweet…
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra continued its season openers this past Sunday afternoon—this time with the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra and resident conductor James Fellenbaum starting off their 2021-22 Chamber Classics Series in the crisp acoustic environment of the Bijou Theatre. The KSO string sections took the first half of the afternoon with ensemble string works by Jessie Montgomery and Josef Suk. After intermission, woodwinds joined the party for the Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky String Quartet No. 1 that was “reimagined” into a chamber orchestra work by contemporary American composer Christopher Theofanidis.
Opening the afternoon was Jessie Montgomery’s string orchestra version of Strum, a work originally designed around a cello quintet. Strum does what its name implies, sets up pizzicato textures that undulate in waves and drives the rhythmical sense of movement. Hints of folk melodies that somehow defy identification morph into a remarkably energetic and expansive conclusion.
Maestro Fellenbaum probably has a natural attachment to Josef Suk’s Serenade in E-flat for Strings, as it was a work on the first Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra subscription concert he conducted 12 years ago in November, 2009. In my review for Classical Journal, I offered this on that concert:
“The orchestra ventured a little deeper into the sun-dappled woods with the Suk, a more complex piece than the Elgar, but entirely friendly and conversational. The waltz-like second movement is a flirtatious courtship between string sections. That romance turns serious in the Adagio third movement, where heartfelt and amorous glances are exchanged. The orchestra really breathed life into the changing tempos of the finale movement.” [Review: KSCO, “Serenade for Strings”]
Happily, I can double down on those 12 year old comments regarding Sunday’s performance, but with some important additions. In those 12 years, the KSO has crossed several thresholds of technical and artistic achievement, now joining the performance tier of orchestras belonging to much larger cities than Knoxville. Credit for this inspiring evolution goes to Maestros Fellenbaum and Demirjian and to all corners of the orchestra’s players, but especially to the example of exceptional ensemble playing set by the orchestra’s section leadership and Concertmaster William Shaub.
Judging by applause, the big hit of the afternoon was a “hybrid” work from 2018, Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 arranged into a piece for chamber orchestra by Christopher Theofanidis. Theofanidis’ contributions included adding a flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, two horns, and timpani to the string complement, not only shifting some of the charming melodic and textural opportunities to the woodwinds, but also allowing the woodwinds to add depth in ways that supported the strings. The second movement that has its own reputation as a stand alone work (Andante Cantabile) was simply enchanting with the woodwind textures adding a bit of poignance to an already very poignant melody. I suppose string purists might have had some complaints, but I certainly didn’t hear any.
[It’s worth noting that the orchestra has two new members in the woodwind section, Principal Flute Devan Jaquez and Principal Bassoon Justin Cummings. We’ll have more on the new KSO personnel in days to come.]
• • • •
The next installment in the Chamber Classics Series comes on November 28 with the always popular “Classical Christmas.”
This week’s offering by the KSO is the Concertmaster Series at the Knoxville Museum of Art—“William Shaub and Friends: Tour of Italy”. Shaub will be joined by pianist Kevin Class for a number of violin virtuoso works. On the second half, Shaub’s colleagues (Audrey Pride, violin; Kathryn Gawne and Jennifer Bloch, violas; and Andy Bryenton, cello) will join the Concertmaster for Mendelssohn’s Viola Quintet No. 2 in B-flat. There are two evenings to catch that program, Wednesday and Thursday, October 6 and 7, at 7:00 PM. Tickets and Information.
