London, Winter Park come together for a beautiful evening of music

BEACON PHOTO/JEFF SHEPHERD
Musical treat — Soloists are front and center as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park present a nontheatrical version of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in Daytona Beach May 2.

BEACON PHOTO/JEFF SHEPHERD
Memorable — Memorable solos highlighted the London Symphony Orchestra performance of Orff's Carmina Burana in Peabody Auditorium May 2.

BEACON PHOTO/JEFF SHEPHERD
Final concert — The London Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park treat a capacity audience to Orff's Carmina Burana and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite in Peabody Auditorium May 2, the LSO's final concert of the festival year.

BEACON PHOTO/JEFF SHEPHERD
Farewell for the year — May 2 marked the last day of the 2009 Daytona Beach International Festival. The London Symphony Orchestra takes a bow after its Saturday-night concert.

BEACON PHOTO/JEFF SHEPHERD
Crowded stage — Daniel Harding conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park on the stage of Peabody Auditorium May 2.

International Festival wraps up for another year

By Jeff Shepherd
BEACON COLUMNIST

posted May 4, 2009 - 1:25:37pm

The London Symphony Orchestra's trans-Atlantic collaboration with the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park was greeted with wild enthusiasm by a capacity crowd in Peabody Auditorium May 2.

For the LSO, under the direction of Maestro Daniel Harding, it was the final concert in the series of classical programs offered as part of the 2009 Daytona Beach International Festival, which ended Saturday evening.

The Peabody stage was also filled to capacity with the choir and the orchestra. The Bach Festival Children's Choir sang from the near-stage exit portals, adding about 30 more voices to the grand ensemble's powerful performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana.

Three soloists were featured in the piece, which includes the widely recognizable "O Fortuna."

The opening strains of the hour-long work feature a strong timpani downbeat, then the whole chorus singing in unison, fortissimo, a phrase that has been used in movie soundtracks, featured in techno and house dance tracks, and is heard in TV and radio commercials.

The soloists — a soprano, a concert tenor and a baritone — performed superbly. Their attire was formal, with the men in tails and the lady in an exquisite gown. This was not a theatrical interpretation of Orff's gritty cantata.

The Latin libretto came from texts traced to a medieval Benedictine monastery and is pagan, and sensual in its content. The 24 poems are divided into three larger parts: "In the Spring," "In the Tavern," and "The Court of Love." A more theatrical interpretation would typically have the soloists in less formal attire, in keeping with the vernacular.

Harding led the orchestra magnificently. There were only a couple of noticeable challenges during the show. During a verse in Part III, The Court of Love, some voices and the orchestra were separated by perhaps half a beat. Also, at one point, there was a little imbalance in volume, causing difficulty in hearing the baritone. These details didn't detract at all from the overall performance.

Janet Middleton, an alto in the chorus, enjoyed the opportunity to be part of such a momentous occasion. She especially appreciates the chance to learn more.

"It's been very enjoyable to get a new perspective from a different director," Middleton said.

A three-year veteran of the Bach Festival Choir of Winter Park, Middleton thought highly of something Harding did after the music had finished.

"I was very impressed when Harding brought out John Sinclair," she said.

Sinclair directs the Winter Park choir and had worked to prepare the singers for this show well in advance of the symphony's arrival for the festival.

Middleton, along with the other choristers, are not paid for their participation. Middleton is a civil engineer with Inwood Consulting in Oviedo.

"I thought it was really impressive that the LSO collaborated with a local company," Dan Smith of DeLand said after the show.

Middleton is a former employee of the Florida Department of Transportation where she met Kristee Booth of DeLand.

"I will always remember my friend singing," Booth said, adding, "and the baritone."

After an ovation of more than four minutes, and bows from the performers, Harding returned to the stage for an encore.

A video screen above the stage displayed the Stars and Stripes, and the orchestra stood and played "The Star-Spangled Banner," as many in the audience sang along. Then the image of the Union Jack came on the screen while the orchestra played "God Save the Queen."

It was a stirring finish to a wonderful evening of music.

The evening had begun with the LSO's rendition of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.

This piece was originally commissioned and performed as a ballet; this performance didn't feature dance.

Both Carmina Burana and the Firebird represent very well some of the best of 20th-century classical music. The story of the Firebird comes from Russian legend. The scenario, according to the program notes, is a story of a good fairy who, with Prince Ivan's help, struggles against the immortal, evil magician Kashchei.

The orchestra's execution was very dynamic, featuring several breathtaking crescendos. The horn solo near the end rose above the string's tremolo. The strings then adopted the melody of the solo horn to build to the emotional finale. The LSO's Firebird was tremendous.

And the evening had just begun!

— shepz@mpinet.net

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