D. Ferreira and D. Canosa Sept. 30 (Abby Wasserman Photo)

ECHO'S RICH MUSICAL TAPESTRY IN MARIN

Marin’s Echo Chamber Orchestra unfurled a glorious tapestry of Mozart, Weber and Respighi music Sept. 30 in San Anselmo’s First Presbyterian Church. The church, located on the grounds of San Francisco Theological Seminary, boasts a ceiling high enough for angels to fly, and its quiet setting and acoustical warmth enhanced the musical experience.

Conducted by Daniel Canosa, the ambitious program opened with Mozart’s last Symphony in C major, K. 551, the “Jupiter.” Composed in 1788, it demands a “Mozartian” perfection of sonic balance and clarity of expression. Mr. Canosa’s tempos were brisk, and the orchestra’s sections, some in this performance comprising a single instrument, blended admirably. The first chords (“Jupiter’s thunderbolts”) of the opening allegro vivace produced a palpable thrill that lasted through the movement. In the pastoral andante cantabile second movement the six violinists in the section, led by concertmaster Wendy Loder, carried the singing line while the mourning voices of the woodwinds reminded one that perhaps Mozart was working on his Requiem Mass when he composed this Symphony. A light-hearted and finely articulated minuetto followed.

The tour de force finale, allegro molto in five-part fugue, emerged here in shaky ensemble, with the strong brass section too often dominating the string’s soaring melodic lines. The final six identical chords capped the performance of a monumental piece.

Carl Maria von Weber is famous for his operas, and his E-flat Clarinet Concertino Op. 26 (J. 109), is an operatic piece for an instrument that arguably is most like the human voice. The Concertino introduced the piece in operatic style with the clarinet projecting the music like a great diva. Soloist Dan Ferreira, the orchestra’s principal clarinetist, illuminated every note with emotion and style. Weber wrote the one-movement piece (adagio ma non troppo-andante-allegro) so that the clarinet never has to compete with the orchestra for sonic clarity. Each lilting and cascading solo passage holds the stage, as a singer would. The ensemble lets loose when the clarinet rests, and in this performance their entrances were sometimes overly emphatic. Mr. Ferreira’s expressive performance of the piece was convincing and elegant, and he was received with a prolonged ovation.

There was no intermission in the program, but none was needed. Mr. Canosa continued with Respighi’s Trittico Botticelliano (Botticelli Triptych), a suite of tone poems inspired by three famous paintings by the early Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. Respighi was a master of highly colored and intricate orchestration, and a music scholar who often incorporated fragments of early music into his impressionist compositions.

The triptych opens with Primavera. Here the Echo ensemble achieved an exquisite balance of sound, and a chorus of birdsong, gentle breezes, and exuberant life springing from the earth were musically evoked by the various sections. L’adorazione dei Magi (The Adoration of the Magi) was reverent and celebratory, yet contained subtle musical intimations of tragedy to come in the life of the newborn Jesus. The Christian hymn, ”O Come, O Come Emanuel” is intertwined in this tone poem, with intriguing modulations. Notable among the soloists in L’adorazione were oboist Bennie Cottone, flutist Carol Adee, bassoonist Chloe Watson and percussionist Kevin Neuhoff.

The third piece, La nascita di Venere (the Birth of Venus) intersperses calm and quiet with a bountiful gathering force of sonority. Echo’s strings sections were especially virtuosic here. At the end, the audience held their applause for a moment, and then gave an enthusiastic standing ovation.

A reception followed in the church’s social hall with the musicians and conductor. Now in its fourth season, Echo Chamber Orchestra is gathering attention, attracting musicians from as far away as Mendocino, and the performance launched an auspicious four-concert series.