A Triumphant
Season Finale for Symphonia Boca Raton
By Skip
Sheffield
The Symphonia
Boca Raton ended its 2013-2014 season on a triumphant note Sunday, April 6 with
an all-Mozart program under the baton of guest conductor Gerard Schwarz.
Schwarz is quite
a contrast to previous guest conductor James Judd. Judd has let his graying
hair grow quite long, and is constantly moving about, coaxing the players,
looking more like a rock star than staid conductor.
In his conservative
charcoal gray suit, white shirt and trim haircut, Schwarz looks more like a CEO
than musical maestro. Make no mistake though, Schwarz knows his stuff, as he
ably proved on Mozart’s intricate, seven-movement Serenade No. 9 in D major, K
320.
As gorgeous as
was the No. 9, the real highlight of the afternoon was Clarinet Concerto in A
major, K 622. Soloist Jon Manasse doesn’t just know this piece, which he played
entirely from memory, he lives, breathes and feels deeply this late
composition- Mozart’s only clarinet concerto- written for his friend Anton
Stadler, who was the finest clarinetist of his time.
The joy of classical music is that when everything is really working, everyone feels the emotion.
Manasse, who is on the Lynn
University faculty and is
co-artistic director (with pianist Jon Nakamatsu) of the Cape Cod Chamber Music
Festival, was rewarded with one of the most enthusiastic and heartfelt standing
ovations I have even seen at a classical music concert. Though the Symphonia
audience skews older, Manasse’s performance was invigorating for even the most
elderly patron.
It was hard to
miss some young and beautiful members of the audience. After intermission
Symphonia President Steven L. Pomeranz revealed the young people were special
invited guests: dancers from HARID Conservatory, a world-class dance school
adjacent to Lynn University.
It just so
happened to be the birthday of Symphonia benefactor Martin B. Stein, who was
duly serenaded by the orchestra and the entire audience. Bravo Mr. Stein, for
all your good work.
While this
year’s season is over, season subscriptions for the forthcoming tenth
anniversary season are now on sale. The four concert season features guest
conductor David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra Dec. 21;
Gerald Schwarz returning Jan. 11; Alexander Platt returning Feb. 22, and the
passionate, peripatetic James Judd returning April 12.
“I just saw the
New York Philharmonic last week,” remarked my older friend, author and radio
host Hal Spielman. “These musicians are every bit as good.”
Call
561-376-3848 or 866-687-4201 or go to www.bocasymphony.org
for more information.
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