Conductor James Stopher

FATEFUL TRIUMPH IN COM'S TCHAIKOVSKY FIFTH

A nonprofessional orchestra tackling a demanding symphony is an exciting experience for everyone involved. The Sonoma County Philharmonic recently climbed the mountain with Mahler’s Fifth, and the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra followed suit May 12 with the Tchaikovsky Fifth in the school’s James Dunn Theater.
Before a full house that included numerous members of the musician’s families, conductor Jim Stopher fashioned a performance over a quick 47 minutes without score that featured committed orchestral playing and interesting interpretative choices.

After short and informative remarks from the stage the conductor, a COM faculty member, chose brisk tempos in the opening Andante-Allegro that underscored thematic projection and minimal ritards at the two sweeping emotive points of second theme introduction. Here I found the lack of rhythmic flexibility missed the composer’s romantic conception that is echt Tchaikovsky, but it certainly was part of the conductor’s brisk overall musical image which brought out clarinet solos from Shelley Hodgen and Bassoonist Donna Wiley, and rigorous trumpet and trombone sound.

Playing in the first movement continued to a sonic boiling climax, the strings and woodwinds sounding forth until dying away into darkness. Magisterial music well performed.

After a pensive introductory section, one of the symphonic literature’s more famous horn solos begins the Andante movement, a heart-tugging two-minute love song aptly played by hornist Jon Oldfather and morphing into a duet with oboe (Brian Thompson) and then cellos. Mr. Stopher’s phrasing here was fluid and captivating, deftly balancing instrumental sections that were alternatively very loud and then livened with pizzicato chords from the strings and plaintive oboes notes.

At this point the hall’s acoustics, with minimal reverberation but lucid clarity, favored the third movement’s melancholic waltz and the conductor’s suave conception, as on the podium he seemed to deeply bend and move with the tune’s every charm. Not quite Leonard Bernstein’s agility and sweat, but also equally in command.

A faster tempo resumed in the famed finale, energetic throughout with strong high string playing from the large violin section, all seated stage right under the conductor’s vigilant baton. After previous movement’s dramatic but somber character, hearing Mr. Stopher craft potent music in major keys was exciting and refreshing and though played fast, the finale never quite went off the rails.

The final potent chords generated a rousing standing ovation where the conductor recognized soloists and entire sections, and copious flower bouquets were received by the smiling musicians.

A nine-minute composition Rising Embers by Joshua Darr opened the program, and the composer, seated in the violin section, acknowledged applause by his colleagues. That said, the afternoon belonged to Mr. Stopher’s virtuoso conducting mastery.

Richard Mani, Abby Wasserman, Potter Wickware and Judy McNeill contributed to this review.