Conductor Allan Pollack

SONIC JUXTAPOSITION AT MENDO FESTIVAL'S ORCHESTRAL CONCERT

Mendocino Music Festival’s centerpiece each year has been the symphonic concert in the big tent, and for the 38th season conductor Allan Pollack programmed July 24 compositions of expected audience appeal but with mixed performance achievement.

The conductor’s own From and Ancient Book was in over 12 minutes an atmospheric suite that was approachable with faint John Adams musical references and concise architecture. There were also references to the Sibelius tone poems and Delius. The first theme in the oboe (Thomas Nugent) gave way to the harp and misty top strings, marimba, triangle and Daniel Lockert’s solo piano.

In the middle the piece gathered momentum to a potent climax, a flower bursting open, and then the long line slowed to a shimmering conclusion. The audience loved the work, as did I.

Stravinsky’s early Suite from the Firebird Ballet closed the first half, and Mr. Pollack crafted a pungent and colorful reading over 21 minutes that had ample dramatic power. Bassoon (Carolyn Lockhart) and Eric Kritz’ clarinet solos were lovely, as was deep sound from the nine cellos and five bass players. There was no rush to get anywhere in the lushly scored sections, the sound direct even with the tent’s legendary no reverberation acoustics.

Towards the end the now familiar Stravinsky rhythms were fully exploited by the conductor, with careful underscoring and control of his instrumentalists – xylophone, pizzicato strings, a sad bassoon theme and a beautiful and long shimmering fadeout over Molly Langr’s elegant harp playing. With Mr. Pollack’s exemplary “Book” it was the evening’s highlight.

Magisterial virtuoso Jorge Bolet told his Curtis Institute piano students that the “hardest thing they will ever do when playing with an orchestra is to tell the conductor that the orchestra is too loud. There are 100 ways of doing this, and you will have to simply find a way.” In the concert’s second half’s Rachmaninoff C Minor Concerto the performance was underwhelming with the orchestra blasting away and soloist Keisuke Nakagoshi unable to bring to bring commanding pianism to the popular work. One could see him playing but not hear him.

Over 36 minutes the splendidly romantic work unfolded without much interpretative interest, the orchestra’s brass often covering the soloist, playing from score. Wind duos with the piano line in the Adagio were convincing. The finale (Allegro) enjoyed less blaring symphonic sound that helped Mr. Nakagoshi’s uninspired playing to overcome pesky wrong notes and memory lapses to finish the work to a roaring audience ovation.

Mr. Pollack acknowledged players in the sections and took numerous bows with the soloist.