Music Reviews

Oct 10, 2005 - The Reno Philharmonic's two world concert with Native American cedar flutist Nakai

By Jack Neal

American Native R. Carlos Nakai made an unassuming but nonetheless impressive Reno Philharmonic debut Sunday afternoon (10/9/05) at Reno's Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. Conductor Barry Jekowsky and the orchestra were somewhat less unassuming but were equally impressive. Mr. Nakai was in Reno to play James De Mars' Two World Concerto.

The Two World Concerto for Cedar Flute and Orchestra, composed in 1993, is difficult to label. And that's as it should be. With such titles as "Spirit Call: 'Paint for us the times to come...,'" Lake That Speaks: 'this trembling of beings and things...,'" "Crow Smoke: 'shaping worlds as fire burns....'" the three-movement work is distinctly Native American - not so much a concerto as an utterance of faith in the wonder and goodness of the world we inhabit.

Mr. Nakai's playing and Mr. De Mars' concerto have been linked to a New Age sound. I know New Age music when I hear it and this concerto doesn't fit into the New Age blur of euphoria. Euphoria is partly an apt description of the Two World Concerto's sound, but its clustering of sounds, textures and tonalities is much more than a blur of euphoria. It's a mysticism, that is not so much understood as it is felt, admired and loved, played out in the abstract symphonic recreation of the sounds of nature.

Undoubtedly, the Two World Concerto will be played by other artists. But it is so closely linked to the temperament and spiritualism of Mr. Nakai anyone hearing him perform the work is hearing it as it was conceived - with all the depth, nuance and skill (virtuosity, to be exact) it takes to make the concerto soar as if on the wings of a haunting song. Mr. Nakai has the disposition, the rapture of sound, the enviable technique, and - above all - the soul that makes the Two World Concerto a memorable encounter with transfixing music.

The collaboration between Mr. Nakai's exquisite work, the extensive teamwork and conducting skills of Mr. Jekowsky and the responsiveness of the Reno Philharmonic helped make the De Mars a sublime sensation of sensitive expression.

A sensation, too, was Maestro Jekowsky's superb reading and the orchestra's splendid playing of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 in G Major. More than any other composer from the European tradition, Antonin Dvorak relished the American experience and turned his folk-music interests into rich melodies and exciting rhythmic and harmonic structures.

While the Symphony No. 8 is Bohemian rather than American, Maestro Jekowsky's talent for textural coloration, thematic rubato, and impassioned rhythmic vitality has created a marvelously intuitive programmatic companion for the De Mars. Loaded with great tunes, vibrant rhythms and gorgeous harmonies, the symphony - especially in Mr. Jekowsky's hands - becomes a romantic, swashbuckling world that thrills.

Kudos to a host of the orchestra's principle players - Philip Ruder (violin), Mary Miller (flute), David Ehrke (clarinet), Jeef Leep (bassoon), Marianne Maytan (English horn), Steve Caplan (oboe), John Lenz (French horn), Robert Lightfoot (timpani) - for all of the assured and quite beautifully brought-off solo moments. Kudos to the entire orchestra and its conductor for another major-league performance.

The concert will be repeated Tuesday (10/12/05).

All Reno Philharmonic MasterClassics concerts are performed at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. Sponsored by the Reno Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchesta conducted by Leonard Slatkin will perform a program of Bernstein, Barber, Ives, Hovhanness and Tchaikovsky October 27 (2005), and play a special children's concert, "Flying Around America," conducted by Emil de Cou on October 28. Both concerts are at Reno's Pioneer Center.

The next series of Reno Philharmonic concerts will be played on November 13 and 15 (2005) and will feature violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and a program of Rossini, Shostakovich and Beethoven. For information about all Reno Philharmonic concerts and events call 775-323-6393.