With a glass of prosecco and a toast to 30 more, the final concert of the 30th Music in the Mountains festival came to an end Sunday after the Festival Orchestra and Maestro Guillermo Figueroa transported the crowd to la bella Italia.
They had their work cut out for them on the transporting part, because far from the sunny skies of Tuscany, we were at Purgatory Resort, and it was a true gully-washer, pouring through much of the concert and dropping the temperature to a point where it was downright chilly. They were more than up to the task, though.
While Frank Martin’s Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Percussion and Strings showcased Jean Larson Garver on flute, Erin Hannigan on oboe, Paul Garner on clarinet, Laura Leisring on bassoon, Scott Strong on horn, Russell Campbell on trumpet and Christopher Oliver on trombone in a tour de force of woodwinds and brass, former Fort Lewis College professor John Pennington looked like he was having the most fun on the timpani cadenza.
I happened to be seated where I had a great view of the percussion section, and they put on a show throughout, particularly on Tchaikovsky’s “Capriccio italien.” Another former Fort Lewis College professor, Jonathan Latta, put on a show on the tambourine for the capriccio – I didn’t know one could pull all those different sounds from what appears to be such a simple instrument.
The concert was also a reminder that much as we enjoy the talented soloists brought in each summer, this Festival Orchestra has more than enough talent on its own to delight an audience.
Sunday may have been the cherry on top, but this season was a banana split of delights. (Sometimes beginning with a metaphor leads one into a strange sentence to avoid the dreaded mixed metaphor, but I liked the cherry part.)
On Saturday, guest conductor Carl Topilow, with technical help from Gordon Thomas and a little shtick mixed in with the patriotism by concert sponsor Walter Dear, lived up to the Space Spectacular title at the Community Concert Hall. (Dear not only played the piano for an audience sing-a-long of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “America the Beautiful,” he made an appearance as Darth Vader to conduct the “Imperial March” from the “Empire Strikes Back” before Topilow returned in a Superman costume to conduct the Man of Steel’s theme.
One patron noticed I was taking notes and put in a plug for the concert to be repeated, because it was so great.
A lot of families came, and Judah Azulai, 7, the son of Naomi and Lior Azulai, who is an aspiring trumpeter, said he really liked the concert. His mom thought the visuals from NASA added to his enjoyment. Kids of all ages enjoyed the music from “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and other appropriately star-themed music.
The concert also introduced outstanding Ohioan vocalist Connor Bogart to Durango.
The previous weekend, though, might have been one of the best in the festival’s history. Stephen Prutsman, who was new to the festival this year, absolutely stunned on Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 on July 23. And returning favorite, Vadim Gluzman, whom I had the honor of interviewing for a profile that ran earlier in July, more than lived up to his billing the next day. Exquisite was the only word that came to mind for his performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor. The standing ovations and “Bravos!” went on for several minutes before he came out to perform a haunting solo encore.
And that was after a first half that included a moving performance of Bach’s “Magnificat” with the Durango Choral Society, featuring two talented Durango women. Audiences have learned to expect nothing less than a stellar performance from soprano Gemma Kavanagh, but mezzo-soprano Kerry Ginger, an assistant professor of voice at FLC, has a glorious range perfect for the “Magnificat.” The two male soloists, Michael Hix and Cory Klose, were also excellent, but they were just visiting. It’s the hometown talent we will have a chance to hear again and again.
One of my favorite parts of the festival is the free preconcert lectures by FLC Professor Emerita Linda Mack Berven. She doesn’t miss any opportunity to dress up, use props and delve into the stories behind the music, but what I appreciate most is the preview of the music we’re about to hear. “Listen for this,” “Look for that,” “Guillermo will have a sparkle in his eye on the ‘Huapango’ (by Moncayo).”
This year, she added a Bach wig to her closet and went full-bore Italian for the final concert.
The “Huapango,” which was great, by the way, reminded me how much I appreciate Figueroa’s inclusion of Latin American composers as part of his offerings. They are often overlooked by classic music lovers who focus on works by dead, white male Europeans. (That’s not to disparage the classic music greats, just to say they’re not the only talents who have added to the richness of classical music heritage.)
I managed to grab Garver for a couple of minutes after the concert Sunday. As the only musician who has performed all 30 seasons, I wondered if she had a special memory or two. But what she really has noticed, she said, is the passage of time.
Her son, Glen Larson, was 10 the first season, and this season, he’s 40, and his daughter, Ginger Larson, is 10, making the festival a multigenerational occasion for the family.
As someone who has attended at least one concert for all 30 seasons, what I most remember is being overwhelmed with wonderful music every summer, whether it’s the 11 musicians the first summer with Maestro Mischa Semanitzky or more than 80 this summer under Figueroa’s baton.
I do know that I regret, in many ways, that we have three intense weeks of memorable, moving music, with little opportunity to savor them between one performance and the next, then boom! The musicians return to their daily lives, as do we, marking the calendar for the first San Juan Symphony concert (Oct. 8, including Stravinsky’s “Firebird,”) and our next opportunity for classical music. But, of course, also marking our calendars for the 49 weeks until we meet again at Purgatory Resort in 2017.
One other thing has remained consistent over the 30 years, and that is the quality provided by everyone behind the scenes to make it happen, including stage manager Steve Blaylock, librarian Diann Wylie or the staff, led by Executive Director Angie Beach.
Bravo to all!
Trying not to get washed away with the monsoonal rains for their birthdays are Michelle Martin, Wanda Ollier, Mary Chapel, Nancy Peake, Gordon Thomas, Debbe Speck, Lillian Ciluffo, Bob Sieger, Raymond Walker, Stephanie Bowles, Maren Stransky, Dianne Millarch, Susan Johnson, Sonya Fleming, Susan Plvan, Michael Rohren, Gracie Goldman, Beau Smith, Kyler Harbison, Katie Knuckles, Esai Gomez, Jeff Davis, Eva Sophia Gomez-Cruz, Pat Wainwright, Lynda Berger, Spencer Bogle, Emily Robertson, John White, John Priaulx, Evan Hening, Shirley Newby, Brad Stamets, Christine Priaulx and Anna McBrayer.
It was a week late, but that may have been for the best when Jean-Pierre and Rebecca Bléger held their traditional Bastille Day party on July 21. They were actually in Paris for the big day, which turned tragic after the Nice terror attack.
The tragedy made the local party a tad bittersweet, as guests reflected on the celebration juxtaposed on the attack, but it was still a chance to catch up with old friends and enjoy the Blégers’ bountiful hospitality.
The champagne and wine were flowing, people were savoring the buttery-garlic escargots in puff pastry, canapés and les fromages, a host of cheeses from la belle France. And oh, the desserts: éclairs, cream puffs, macarons ... what else can one expect from a French baker?
Merci beaucoup, et Bon Jour de Bastille!
Nothing says happy anniversary like strawberries and champagne for the anniversaries of Scott and Robin Southworth, Craig and Charlotte “Charlie” Wright, Kirk and Ginny Dignum, Jim and Kathie Hudson, Mick Souder and Linda Schwinghammer, Bruce and Jane Carman, Robert and Shirley Newby, Preston and Renee Knight, Ted and Nancy Carr and Scott and Carol Wallace.
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