August 6, 2024

I remember in my student days and the early years of my career, some music “professionals” would diss Rachmaninoff…too sappy, too saccharine, too syrupy (I suppose those are all redundant), nothing “inventive”, too old-fashioned.

In Donald J. Grout’s “A History of Western Music” at the time the standard textbook for college sophomore music history, Rachmaninoff was allotted a whopping 1 paragraph, and a short one at that, only two sentences. The first sentence begins “Of some interest is the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff….” The second sentence just lists of few of his popular works. Even Rimsky Korsakov got a page and half.
 
Most audience members seem to have known better. They love him,  and I think those of us actually performing his music know better too.  We can leave those negative opinions to the ivory towers.
 
True, Rachmaninoff was very conservative for a composer living into the 20th century, but he was by no means un-original. He developed his own unique style: unique in color, texture, ambience,  and expression. He  even has his own harmonic language, however rooted in tonality. He reaches the audience in a powerful way, and keeps them coming back.
 
His music is also challenging to perform with its intricate details, free-flowing pulse, complex textures and expressive demands. Chautauqua’s Music School Festival Orchestra rose to the occasion in usual form and brought all the precision, clarity, style and expression to the composer's Third Symphony one expects in Rachmaninoff’s music. They also were wonderful in the other two works of the evening, Gala Flagello’s Bravado, and Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, the latter beautifully conducted by our conducting fellow Samuel Hollister.
 
Next for me is a very interesting project indeed. Still in Chautauqua, the final concert of our season will be with Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus. We will be performing Mr. Marsalis’ epic All Rise. PBS will be on hand as they are filming a documentary on Chautauqua and this performance and our rehearsals will be featured. Should be a memorable time!
 
NEXT UP
 
August 21 and 22, 2024
 
Music School Festival Orchestra
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater
8:15 p.m.
 
MARSALIS       All Rise

#wyntonmarsalis #chautauquamusicfestival