Energetic Youth Symphony Packs a Punch

Between conductor and pianist Symbiosis creates an astounding experience at May 31 Cape May Music Festival concert By ED WISMER Cape May Star and Wave Critic CAPE MAY — The large audience attending the Cape May Music Festival concert on Thursday, May 31 got more than their money's worth. The lengthy list of goodies the music lovers received includes the Cape May Festival Orchestra in all its glory, under the lively baton of Music Director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. Then there was the outstanding program the orchestra played and the dazzling piano soloist Fabio Bidini. The musical cornucopia was literally overflowing. Gioacchino Rossini had a knack for writing frothy and frivolous overtures even for his allegedly tragic operas. In the midst of the crashing about in the orchestra's percussion section is always a flute sounding like a demented magpie. Thursday night's opening of the composer's "Semiramide Overture" was vintage Rossini. Radcliffe gave it a reading worthy of Toscanini or Muti. It was a tooth rattling and percussive tour de force. The French horn quartet early in the piece was played lushly, as was the work of all sections of the orchestra. Contrasted with Rossini's bombastic boomer, the Schubert "Symphony No. 8," or "Unfinished Symphony," could only be described as tranquil and poetic. Mendelssohn is often described as a composer who never wrote an ugly note, and Schubert could be in the same category. The amount of music he turned out in 31 years, cut short by typhoid fever, is prodigious. His oeuvre amounted to 1,500 pieces. Schubert started to write the Symphony No. 8 when he was 25. He never returned to the project, but he more than earned the right to abandon it considering all the other music he wrote. Radcliffe and the orchestra gave the symphony its due in a haunting rendition that displayed the sonority of the strings and marvelous harmony in the winds. Bidini's advance billing called him a passionate pianist, thus qualifying for the understatement of the year. The Prokofiev concerto is probably one of the most difficult to play in musical literature. It is a deft mixture of melody and dissonance reminiscent of "Rocky IV." Bidini's interpretation was a display of manual dexterity that inspired me to depict him with as many hands as a Hindu idol. His dynamic digits were a mere blur. Artists of Bidini's caliber are what have made the festival grow in stature and reputation. Although essentially hidden behind the concert grand, Radcliffe was a strong presence. His collaboration with the pianist was exquisite. The symbiotic relationship between the two artists was quite evident. Numerous standing ovations were well earned. Cape May Star and Wave June 7, 2001

Press | Symphonic Reviews

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Energetic Youth Symphony Packs a Punch

By Philippa Kiraly

If I could choose only a few concerts a year to attend, those by the Seattle Youth Symphony would have to be on the list.
It goes without saying this is a good orchestra by any standards, but what sets it apart is the excitement: You can feel it in the air at its concerts — in the audience with many family members and children who otherwise might not attend many performances at Benaroya Hall, but it’s most palpably on stage, where upwards of 115 young musicians, some of them very young, are performing great works of classical music for the first time.

Each piece is a premiere for them, and the energy they put out, the work they’ve put in, and the thrill of being part of a heritage of performance that goes back centuries combine to make every performance something special to hear.

Sunday’s final performance of the season at Benaroya was no exception. Music director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe pulled no punches in choosing the program. It included Beethoven’s “Leonore” Overture No. 3, Richard Strauss’ tone poem “Death and Transfiguration,” and Ravel’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales” as well as his “La valse, poeme choreographique.”

None of the selections is easy. To perform Beethoven with a large orchestra and keep its transparency is a feat at any time, and they did it. The distant trumpet call (from the back of the top tier) sounded suitably heraldic, and there was particularly nice work from several sections. Strauss’ subject is a far cry for most of these kids, but Radcliffe kept the work balanced and shaped, while both Ravel works had a great sense of movement — exuberant, even rollicking at times, more sedate at others, but always giving the sense of swirling dance.

Radcliffe conducted throughout without score. He doesn’t appear to micromanage the orchestra, but it’s evident how well trained it is. Plucked string work was closely together, phrasing had flow.
Radcliffe asked for applause for all of the orchestra’s coaches at the end of intermission, which was enthusiastically given. The players voted by secret ballot for this year’s Inspirational Award, which went to concertmaster Benji Bae.


Seattle Post-Intelligencer packs a punch TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2008 Energetic Youth Symphony packs a punch BY PHILIPPA KIRALY Special to the P-I If I could choose only a few concerts a year to attend, those by the Seattle Youth Symphony would have to be on the list. It goes without saying this is a good orchestra by any standards, but what sets it apart is the excitement: You can feel it in the air at its concerts — in the audience with many family members and children who otherwise might not attend many performances at Benaroya Hall, but it’s most palpably on stage, where upwards of 115 young musicians, some of them very young, are performing great works of classical music for the first time. Each piece is a premiere for them, and the energy they put out, the work they’ve put in, and the thrill of being part of a heritage of performance that goes back centuries combine to make every performance something special to hear. Sunday’s final performance of the season at Benaroya was no exception. Music director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe pulled no punches in choosing the program. It included Beethoven’s "Leonore" Overture No. 3, Richard Strauss’ tone poem "Death and Transfiguration," and Ravel’s "Valses nobles et sentimentales" as well as his "La valse, poeme choreographique." None of the selections is easy. To perform Beethoven with a large orchestra and keep its transparency is a feat at any time, and they did it. The distant trumpet call (from the back of the top tier) sounded suitably heraldic, and there was particularly nice work from several sections. Strauss’ subject is a far cry for most of these kids, but Radcliffe kept the work balanced and shaped, while both Ravel works had a great sense of movement — exuberant, even rollicking at times, more sedate at others, but always giving the sense of swirling dance. Radcliffe conducted throughout without score. He doesn’t appear to micromanage the orchestra, but it’s evident how well trained it is. Plucked string work was closely together, phrasing had flow. Radcliffe asked for applause for all of the orchestra’s coaches at the end of intermission, which was enthusiastically given. The players voted by secret ballot for this year’s Inspirational Award, which went to concertmaster Benji Bae. MUSIC REVIEW SEATTLE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WHEN: Sunday afternoon WHERE: Benaroya Hall

Bass Clarinet Shines in Smart Concerto

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL - October 22, 2004 Bass clarinet shines in smart concerto Under guest conductor’s baton, Chamber Orchestra debuts commissioned piece By TOM STRINI Journal Sentinel music critic Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, guest conductor and certain candidate for the open Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra podium job, presided over an exceptionally engaging MCO program Thursday evening at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The centerpiece was the premiere of James Grant's Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Strings, commissioned and performed by William Helmers of the MCO. Grant exploits all of Helmers' great skill and the virtuosic potential of this instrument, which appears so rarely in the solo spotlight. But this concerto is more than a showcase for Helmers and the bass clarinet. Grant here has made music that is structurally smart, emotionally probing, rhythmically clever and harmonically subtle. The clarinet darts about the strings like a bird in a forest in the first movement, "Levity." In the second, Grant casts the soloist as a lonely wanderer speaking a soliloquy in a landscape of Impressionist chords. Any one of those harmonies is gentle and beautiful, but they slowly gather surprising climactic force. The wrenching climax justifies Grant's long, melancholy denouement. Strings and woodwind scamper and chase through the lively, ever-unfolding melodies of the finale, "Emphasis," which is more than a mindless romp. The momentum builds to some hair-raising hyena howls that had the audience howling back in approval when the 15-minute concerto ended. Helmers wasn't the only soloist to succeed in a big way Thursday. Harpist Danis Kelly played Debussy's "Danses sacrée et profane" with sensitivity and panache. Her finely shaded touch and dynamics gave each chord vivid, distinct presence in the Schwan Concert Hall, the perfect venue for Debussy's shimmering sonorities. Radcliffe and the orchestra framed both soloists beautifully. Balanced, well-tuned string playing lit up Debussy's chords, and Radcliffe and the orchestra showed an easy command of Grant's tricky rhythms. They framed the program with Serenades for Strings by Dvorak (Opus 22 in E) and one of his prize students, Josef Suk (Opus 6 in E-flat). The Dvorak was a little bland under Radcliffe's baton. And I wish he'd at least lifted a finger to try to sort out the all-too-predictable messiness that cropped up in the more intricate passages for the violins in both Serenades. But Radcliffe did well overall and showed particular sympathy for Suk's restless, chromatic harmonies and searching, sprawling melodies. He heard the drama and made it gripping.

Press | Symphonic Reviews

Friday, October 22, 2004

Bass Clarinet Shines in Smart Concerto

By Tom Strini

Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, guest conductor and certain candidate for the open Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra podium job, presided over an exceptionally engaging MCO program Thursday evening at Wisconsin Lutheran College.

The centerpiece was the premiere of James Grant’s Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Strings, commissioned and performed by William Helmers of the MCO. Grant exploits all of Helmers’ great skill and the virtuosic potential of this instrument, which appears so rarely in the solo spotlight.

But this concerto is more than a showcase for Helmers and the bass clarinet. Grant here has made music that is structurally smart, emotionally probing, rhythmically clever and harmonically subtle.

The clarinet darts about the strings like a bird in a forest in the first movement, “Levity.” In the second, Grant casts the soloist as a lonely wanderer speaking a soliloquy in a landscape of Impressionist chords. Any one of those harmonies is gentle and beautiful, but they slowly gather surprising climactic force. The wrenching climax justifies Grant’s long, melancholy denouement. Strings and woodwind scamper and chase through the lively, ever-unfolding melodies of the finale, “Emphasis,” which is more than a mindless romp. The momentum builds to some hair-raising hyena howls that had the audience howling back in approval when the 15-minute concerto ended.

Helmers wasn’t the only soloist to succeed in a big way Thursday. Harpist Danis Kelly played Debussy’s “Danses sacrée et profane” with sensitivity and panache. Her finely shaded touch and dynamics gave each chord vivid, distinct presence in the Schwan Concert Hall, the perfect venue for Debussy’s shimmering sonorities.

Radcliffe and the orchestra framed both soloists beautifully. Balanced, well-tuned string playing lit up Debussy’s chords, and Radcliffe and the orchestra showed an easy command of Grant’s tricky rhythms.

They framed the program with Serenades for Strings by Dvorak (Opus 22 in E) and one of his prize students, Josef Suk (Opus 6 in E-flat).

The Dvorak was a little bland under Radcliffe’s baton. And I wish he’d at least lifted a finger to try to sort out the all-too-predictable messiness that cropped up in the more intricate passages for the violins in both Serenades.

But Radcliffe did well overall and showed particular sympathy for Suk’s restless, chromatic harmonies and searching, sprawling melodies. He heard the drama and made it gripping.

NEW YORK POST TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1990 Mini-operas make comeback By DALE HARRIS CLASSICAL review FRIDAY evening's concert by the New York Chamber Ensemble at Florence Gould Hall was at once enjoyable and enlightening. Led by Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, the group resuscitated one of the most interesting events in the history of 20th-century music: the program of four miniature operas given at the Baden-Baden Festival of 1927. The year 1927 was a time of crisis for music in general and for opera in particular. In their very different ways, Hindemith's "Hin und Zurueck," Kurt Weill's "Mahagonny Songspiel," Ernst Toch's "Princess and the Pea" and Milhaud's "Rape of Europa" were all modernist manifestoes, provocative attempts to reanimate the corpse of post-Wagnerian opera. The operas, naturally enough, caused a great deal of friction in conservative German musical circles. It's no accident that within a few years every one of these composers was a refugee from the Nazis. The Hindemith mocks the conventions of tragedy, the Milhaud of classical myth, the Toch of fairy-tale romance. Historical importance is one thing, agelessness another. It was edifying to hear these three. It was exciting to hear the Weill, the only one that looks as though it will last another 50 years.

Beethoven Performed in Seemless Fashion During Symphony Concert

Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 Sioux City Journal Vol. 139 No. 150 • Sioux City, Iowa • METRO EDITION Beethoven performed in seemless fashion during symphony concert By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer [REVIEW] At Saturday's Sioux City Symphony concert, pianist Ursula Oppens did what so many guest artists don't. She listened. Throughout Beethoven's Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major, Opus 73, Oppens complemented what the resident musicians did; she didn't just expect them to keep up with her. The result was a seamless performance that must have been as exciting for the orchestra as it was for the audience. Ironically, the piece was one Beethoven wrote after he had lost his hearing. Filled with rapid runs, it could have been a "look at me" turn for the two-time Grammy winner. Instead, Oppens played as if she had been a member of the orchestra for years. Slipping into the stormy duel between the cellos and the violins, she gave the work the understated surprise it needed. In the second movement, she created the piano equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, a fluid aria that got Oppens to embrace the piano and dig into the music's very definite structure. She even nodded her head in ways that suggested the fire of the work's creator. Because the orchestra and the guest artist were so well matched, heat seemed to rise from the stage. In truth, the building's thermostat was set a bit high. But the musicians could have melted ice with their performance. Unfortunately, the first ("Overture to Fidelio") and last (Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Opus 92) offerings didn't have as much heat as the centerpiece. The timpanist was challenged on both, but overwhelmed in the former, impressed in the latter. The oboes got a chance to solo in the symphony as well. But this was really a night for strings. In all three selections, the pace was intense. The workout was a good one. While the overture wasn't as memorable as it could have been, it made the concerto all the more special. The symphony, as a result, was a bit of a let-down, even though it asked more of its players and reeked of the familiar. There were sections that have been lifted for film scores, movements that have served as inspiration for others (including Schubert). The play "Amadeus" made much of Mozart's excess ("too many notes, the royal said). But Beethoven insisted every one he put on paper was important. When the symphony was performed in 1813, Mozart's old nemesis Antonio Salieri led the percussion section. It's easy to see the necessity of every melody, counter-melody and beat. The stuff works because it's so intricate. One look at conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe revealed as much. He got the best exercise of all. And he enjoyed the perks of a guest performer who wasn't around for the glory. She was there for the workout, too.

Press | Symphonic Review

Sunday, February 2, 2003

Beethoven Performed in Seemless Fashion During Symphony Concert

By Bruce R. Miller

At Saturday’s Sioux City Symphony concert, pianist Ursula Oppens did what so many guest artists don’t.
She listened.

Throughout Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major, Opus 73, Oppens complemented what the resident musicians did; she didn’t just expect them to keep up with her. The result was a seamless performance that must have been as exciting for the orchestra as it was for the audience.

Ironically, the piece was one Beethoven wrote after he had lost his hearing. Filled with rapid runs, it could have been a “look at me” turn for the two-time Grammy winner. Instead, Oppens played as if she had been a member of the orchestra for years.

Slipping into the stormy duel between the cellos and the violins, she gave the work the understated surprise it needed. In the second movement, she created the piano equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, a fluid aria that got Oppens to embrace the piano and dig into the music’s very definite structure. She even nodded her head in ways that suggested the fire of the work’s creator.

Because the orchestra and the guest artist were so well matched, heat seemed to rise from the stage. In truth, the building’s thermostat was set a bit high. But the musicians could have melted ice with their performance.

Unfortunately, the first (“Overture to Fidelio”) and last (Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Opus 92) offerings didn’t have as much heat as the centerpiece.

The timpanist was challenged on both, but overwhelmed in the former, impressed in the latter.

The oboes got a chance to solo in the symphony as well. But this was really a night for strings. In all three selections, the pace was intense. The workout was a good one.

While the overture wasn’t as memorable as it could have been, it made the concerto all the more special. The symphony, as a result, was a bit of a let-down, even though it asked more of its players and reeked of the familiar. There were sections that have been lifted for film scores, movements that have served as inspiration for others (including Schubert).

The play “Amadeus” made much of Mozart’s excess (“too many notes, the royal said). But Beethoven insisted every one he put on paper was important. When the symphony was performed in 1813, Mozart’s old nemesis Antonio Salieri led the percussion section. It’s easy to see the necessity of every melody, counter-melody and beat. The stuff works because it’s so intricate.

One look at conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe revealed as much. He got the best exercise of all.

And he enjoyed the perks of a guest performer who wasn’t around for the glory.

She was there for the workout, too.

Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003 Sioux City Journal Vol. 139 No. 150 • Sioux City, Iowa • METRO EDITION Beethoven performed in seemless fashion during symphony concert By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer [REVIEW] At Saturday's Sioux City Symphony concert, pianist Ursula Oppens did what so many guest artists don't. She listened. Throughout Beethoven's Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major, Opus 73, Oppens complemented what the resident musicians did; she didn't just expect them to keep up with her. The result was a seamless performance that must have been as exciting for the orchestra as it was for the audience. Ironically, the piece was one Beethoven wrote after he had lost his hearing. Filled with rapid runs, it could have been a "look at me" turn for the two-time Grammy winner. Instead, Oppens played as if she had been a member of the orchestra for years. Slipping into the stormy duel between the cellos and the violins, she gave the work the understated surprise it needed. In the second movement, she created the piano equivalent of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, a fluid aria that got Oppens to embrace the piano and dig into the music's very definite structure. She even nodded her head in ways that suggested the fire of the work's creator. Because the orchestra and the guest artist were so well matched, heat seemed to rise from the stage. In truth, the building's thermostat was set a bit high. But the musicians could have melted ice with their performance. Unfortunately, the first ("Overture to Fidelio") and last (Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Opus 92) offerings didn't have as much heat as the centerpiece. The timpanist was challenged on both, but overwhelmed in the former, impressed in the latter. The oboes got a chance to solo in the symphony as well. But this was really a night for strings. In all three selections, the pace was intense. The workout was a good one. While the overture wasn't as memorable as it could have been, it made the concerto all the more special. The symphony, as a result, was a bit of a let-down, even though it asked more of its players and reeked of the familiar. There were sections that have been lifted for film scores, movements that have served as inspiration for others (including Schubert). The play "Amadeus" made much of Mozart's excess ("too many notes, the royal said). But Beethoven insisted every one he put on paper was important. When the symphony was performed in 1813, Mozart's old nemesis Antonio Salieri led the percussion section. It's easy to see the necessity of every melody, counter-melody and beat. The stuff works because it's so intricate. One look at conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe revealed as much. He got the best exercise of all. And he enjoyed the perks of a guest performer who wasn't around for the glory. She was there for the workout, too.

Cape May orchestra: Solidity by the sea

The Philadelphia Inquirer 174th Year, No. 4 • South Jersey C • TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2002 • www.philly.com • 50 C Review Music Cape May orchestra: Solidity by the sea By David Patrick Stearns INQUIRER MUSIC CRITIC CAPE MAY — Gamboling beachgoers in this Victorian-styled resort have an opportunity to cool their sunburns with late-afternoon symphonic music performed literally on the beach. The 18-concert Cape May Music Festival (through June 23) imports ensembles from jazz to early music (including Philadelphia’s Piffaro), the core of it all being the Cape May Festival Orchestra. The group is made up of current and recently graduated conservatory students on what must be hugely enjoyable three-year fellowships, playing alongside principal players drawn from the New York Chamber Ensemble. Sunday’s venue was the 800-seat Convention Hall. The 5 p.m. concert was late enough to leave time for body surfing but early enough to watch dolphins surface not far offshore during intermission. With the stiff ocean winds whistling atmospherically around the Convention Hall, does it matter if the music-making is any good? It always matters, and here, though there’s nothing particularly original in philosophy or concept, solidity is everywhere. With a 44-piece orchestra (half the usual size) in an acoustically dry hall, that’s no small accomplishment. Where weighty sonorities are customarily heard in the slow movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, music director Stephen Rogers Radcliff went for something intense and penetrating, since weight just wasn’t available to him. The intoxicated high spirits of the symphony’s final movement are often conveyed by the sheer breathlessness of so many players with so much velocity; Radcliffe pushed the accelerator to the floor even higher, while maintaining elegant fleetness. His rhythm has a sense of gravitational movement, shaping as well as measuring the notes. And there were surprises, mostly from the presence of Beethoven’s rarely heard "Leonore Overture No. 1," which was written for the opera Fidelio, minus the majesty that’s such a key factor in later, more appropriate overtures. With any festival, there’s a luck-of-the-draw element. I had the bad luck to miss the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the fascinating Matt Haimovitz on Thursday and the worse luck to hear Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor") with Ursula Oppens. Hers is a magic name in contemporary music circles, thanks to her fearless and resourceful championing of great, modern musical explorers, such as Elliott Carter and Conlon Nancarrow. However, the special pleading that works on the cutting edge led to horrifying results with Beethoven. Oppens was relentlessly loud, graceless and ham-fisted. How could such a performance receive a standing ovation? Trickery: She jumped ahead of the orchestra with greater frequency and with broader leaps as the performance went on, generating artificial though highly unmusical tension. Contact David Patrick Stearns at 215-854-4907 or dstearns@phillynews.com. The next Cape May Festival Orchestra event features pianist Horacio Gutierrez at 8 p.m. Thursday at Convention Hall, Beach Drive at Stockton Place. Information: 609-884-5404 or www.capemaymac.org.

Press | Symphonic Review

Tuesday, June 4, 2002

Cape May Orchestra: Solidity by the Sea

By David Patrick Stearns

CAPE MAY — Gamboling beachgoers in this Victorian-styled resort have an opportunity to cool their sunburns with late-afternoon symphonic music performed literally on the beach.

The 18-concert Cape May Music Festival (through June 23) imports ensembles from jazz to early music (including Philadelphia’s Piffaro), the core of it all being the Cape May Festival Orchestra. The group is made up of current and recently graduated conservatory students on what must be hugely enjoyable three-year fellowships, playing alongside principal players drawn from the New York Chamber Ensemble.

Sunday’s venue was the 800-seat Convention Hall. The 5 p.m. concert was late enough to leave time for body surfing but early enough to watch dolphins surface not far offshore during intermission. With the stiff ocean winds whistling atmospherically around the Convention Hall, does it matter if the music-making is any good?

It always matters, and here, though there’s nothing particularly original in philosophy or concept, solidity is everywhere. With a 44-piece orchestra (half the usual size) in an acoustically dry hall, that’s no small accomplishment.

Where weighty sonorities are customarily heard in the slow movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, music director Stephen Rogers Radcliff went for something intense and penetrating, since weight just wasn’t available to him. The intoxicated high spirits of the symphony’s final movement are often conveyed by the sheer breathlessness of so many players with so much velocity; Radcliffe pushed the accelerator to the floor even higher, while maintaining elegant fleetness. His rhythm has a sense of gravitational movement, shaping as well as measuring the notes.

And there were surprises, mostly from the presence of Beethoven’s rarely heard “Leonore Overture No. 1,” which was written for the opera Fidelio, minus the majesty that’s such a key factor in later, more appropriate overtures.

With any festival, there’s a luck-of-the-draw element. I had the bad luck to miss the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the fascinating Matt Haimovitz on Thursday and the worse luck to hear Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) with Ursula Oppens. Hers is a magic name in contemporary music circles, thanks to her fearless and resourceful championing of great, modern musical explorers, such as Elliott Carter and Conlon Nancarrow.

However, the special pleading that works on the cutting edge led to horrifying results with Beethoven. Oppens was relentlessly loud, graceless and ham-fisted. How could such a performance receive a standing ovation? Trickery: She jumped ahead of the orchestra with greater frequency and with broader leaps as the performance went on, generating artificial though highly unmusical tension.

Contact David Patrick Stearns at 215-854-4907 or dstearns@phillynews.com.

The next Cape May Festival Orchestra event features pianist Horacio Gutierrez at 8 p.m. Thursday at Convention Hall, Beach Drive at Stockton Place. Information: 609-884-5404 or www.capemaymac.org.

The Philadelphia Inquirer 174th Year, No. 4 • South Jersey C • TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2002 • www.philly.com • 50 C Review Music Cape May orchestra: Solidity by the sea By David Patrick Stearns INQUIRER MUSIC CRITIC CAPE MAY — Gamboling beachgoers in this Victorian-styled resort have an opportunity to cool their sunburns with late-afternoon symphonic music performed literally on the beach. The 18-concert Cape May Music Festival (through June 23) imports ensembles from jazz to early music (including Philadelphia’s Piffaro), the core of it all being the Cape May Festival Orchestra. The group is made up of current and recently graduated conservatory students on what must be hugely enjoyable three-year fellowships, playing alongside principal players drawn from the New York Chamber Ensemble. Sunday’s venue was the 800-seat Convention Hall. The 5 p.m. concert was late enough to leave time for body surfing but early enough to watch dolphins surface not far offshore during intermission. With the stiff ocean winds whistling atmospherically around the Convention Hall, does it matter if the music-making is any good? It always matters, and here, though there’s nothing particularly original in philosophy or concept, solidity is everywhere. With a 44-piece orchestra (half the usual size) in an acoustically dry hall, that’s no small accomplishment. Where weighty sonorities are customarily heard in the slow movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, music director Stephen Rogers Radcliff went for something intense and penetrating, since weight just wasn’t available to him. The intoxicated high spirits of the symphony’s final movement are often conveyed by the sheer breathlessness of so many players with so much velocity; Radcliffe pushed the accelerator to the floor even higher, while maintaining elegant fleetness. His rhythm has a sense of gravitational movement, shaping as well as measuring the notes. And there were surprises, mostly from the presence of Beethoven’s rarely heard "Leonore Overture No. 1," which was written for the opera Fidelio, minus the majesty that’s such a key factor in later, more appropriate overtures. With any festival, there’s a luck-of-the-draw element. I had the bad luck to miss the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the fascinating Matt Haimovitz on Thursday and the worse luck to hear Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor") with Ursula Oppens. Hers is a magic name in contemporary music circles, thanks to her fearless and resourceful championing of great, modern musical explorers, such as Elliott Carter and Conlon Nancarrow. However, the special pleading that works on the cutting edge led to horrifying results with Beethoven. Oppens was relentlessly loud, graceless and ham-fisted. How could such a performance receive a standing ovation? Trickery: She jumped ahead of the orchestra with greater frequency and with broader leaps as the performance went on, generating artificial though highly unmusical tension. Contact David Patrick Stearns at 215-854-4907 or dstearns@phillynews.com. The next Cape May Festival Orchestra event features pianist Horacio Gutierrez at 8 p.m. Thursday at Convention Hall, Beach Drive at Stockton Place. Information: 609-884-5404 or www.capemaymac.org.

Brahms • Franck

Gramophone September 2001 Brahms • Franck [N] Brahms Serenade in D, Op 11 (nonet version, reconstr Boustead) Franck Pièces brèves (arr Büsser) The New York Chamber Ensemble / Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe Roméo Records 7209 (55 minutes: DDD) A fresh, lyrical account of Brahms’s Serenade in its near-to-original chamber version Brahms’s Serenade No 1 in D major, Op 11, is known largely in the orchestral guise the composer devised in 1859. But he conceived the piece first as a chamber work for flute, two clarinets, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and bass. The original 1858 version, in a reconstruction by Alan Boustead, is the chief fascination on this disc from the New York Chamber Ensemble under Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe. As Clara Schumann suggested to Brahms, the score claimed a symphonic character that seemed to cry out for more instruments. Even so, the chamber version places the music in intimate relief, pointing out the long-breathed lyricism and lilting personality of the pastoral material. Brahms even provided a hint in the orchestral version that he was fond of the smaller incarnation: the Menuetto I and II in the former are scored for flute, two clarinets, bassoon, first violins, violas and cellos. Boustead’s reconstruction may be speculative, but it honours Brahms’s sound world even as it embraces the music’s charm, poetry and moments when the sun slips behind the clouds. The disc’s other novelties are three of Franck’s Pièces brèves, organ miniatures from the last year of the composer’s life orchestrated by Henri Büsser. They are delightful trifles beautifully cast for winds, brasses, strings and percussion. The New York Chamber Ensemble, which made this recording in November 1992, brings ample polish and expressive depth to both scores. The Brahms, from a studio performance, is rendered fresh as motivated by Radcliffe’s judicious tempos and attention to detail and his players’ vibrant interweaving of lines. Donald Rosenberg

Press | Recording Review

Gramophone Logo

September 2001

Brahms • Franck [N]

Brahms Serenade in D, Op 11 (nonet version, reconstr Boustead)

Franck Pièces brèves (arr Büsser)

The New York Chamber Ensemble / Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe

Roméo Records 7209 (55 minutes: DDD)

BRAHMS / FRANCK BRAHMS: SERENADE #1 IN D, OP. 11 (ORIGINAL CHAMBER VERSION RECONSTRUCTED BY A. BOUSTEAD) FRANCK-BUSSER: PIÈCES BRÈVES THE NEW YORK CHAMBER ENSEMBLE ROMÉO 7209

A fresh, lyrical account of Brahms’s Serenade in its near-to-original chamber version

By Donald Rosenberg

Brahms’s Serenade No 1 in D major, Op 11, is known largely in the orchestral guise the composer devised in 1859. But he conceived the piece first as a chamber work for flute, two clarinets, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and bass. The original 1858 version, in a reconstruction by Alan Boustead, is the chief fascination on this disc from the New York Chamber Ensemble under Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe. As Clara Schumann suggested to Brahms, the score claimed a symphonic character that seemed to cry out for more instruments. Even so, the chamber version places the music in intimate relief, pointing out the long-breathed lyricism and lilting personality of the pastoral material. Brahms even provided a hint in the orchestral version that he was fond of the smaller incarnation: the Menuetto I and II in the former are scored for flute, two clarinets, bassoon, first violins, violas and cellos. Boustead’s reconstruction may be speculative, but it honours Brahms’s sound world even as it embraces the music’s charm, poetry and moments when the sun slips behind the clouds.

The disc’s other novelties are three of Franck’s Pièces brèves, organ miniatures from the last year of the composer’s life orchestrated by Henri Büsser. They are delightful trifles beautifully cast for winds, brasses, strings and percussion.

The New York Chamber Ensemble, which made this recording in November 1992, brings ample polish and expressive depth to both scores. The Brahms, from a studio performance, is rendered fresh as motivated by Radcliffe’s judicious tempos and attention to detail and his players’ vibrant interweaving of lines.

Gramophone September 2001 Brahms • Franck [N] Brahms Serenade in D, Op 11 (nonet version, reconstr Boustead) Franck Pièces brèves (arr Büsser) The New York Chamber Ensemble / Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe Roméo Records 7209 (55 minutes: DDD) A fresh, lyrical account of Brahms’s Serenade in its near-to-original chamber version Brahms’s Serenade No 1 in D major, Op 11, is known largely in the orchestral guise the composer devised in 1859. But he conceived the piece first as a chamber work for flute, two clarinets, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and bass. The original 1858 version, in a reconstruction by Alan Boustead, is the chief fascination on this disc from the New York Chamber Ensemble under Stephen Rodgers Radcliffe. As Clara Schumann suggested to Brahms, the score claimed a symphonic character that seemed to cry out for more instruments. Even so, the chamber version places the music in intimate relief, pointing out the long-breathed lyricism and lilting personality of the pastoral material. Brahms even provided a hint in the orchestral version that he was fond of the smaller incarnation: the Menuetto I and II in the former are scored for flute, two clarinets, bassoon, first violins, violas and cellos. Boustead’s reconstruction may be speculative, but it honours Brahms’s sound world even as it embraces the music’s charm, poetry and moments when the sun slips behind the clouds. The disc’s other novelties are three of Franck’s Pièces brèves, organ miniatures from the last year of the composer’s life orchestrated by Henri Büsser. They are delightful trifles beautifully cast for winds, brasses, strings and percussion. The New York Chamber Ensemble, which made this recording in November 1992, brings ample polish and expressive depth to both scores. The Brahms, from a studio performance, is rendered fresh as motivated by Radcliffe’s judicious tempos and attention to detail and his players’ vibrant interweaving of lines. Donald Rosenberg

Between Conductor and Pianist

Between conductor and pianist Symbiosis creates an astounding experience at May 31 Cape May Music Festival concert By ED WISMER Cape May Star and Wave Critic CAPE MAY — The large audience attending the Cape May Music Festival concert on Thursday, May 31 got more than their money's worth. The lengthy list of goodies the music lovers received includes the Cape May Festival Orchestra in all its glory, under the lively baton of Music Director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. Then there was the outstanding program the orchestra played and the dazzling piano soloist Fabio Bidini. The musical cornucopia was literally overflowing. Gioacchino Rossini had a knack for writing frothy and frivolous overtures even for his allegedly tragic operas. In the midst of the crashing about in the orchestra's percussion section is always a flute sounding like a demented magpie. Thursday night's opening of the composer's "Semiramide Overture" was vintage Rossini. Radcliffe gave it a reading worthy of Toscanini or Muti. It was a tooth rattling and percussive tour de force. The French horn quartet early in the piece was played lushly, as was the work of all sections of the orchestra. Contrasted with Rossini's bombastic boomer, the Schubert "Symphony No. 8," or "Unfinished Symphony," could only be described as tranquil and poetic. Mendelssohn is often described as a composer who never wrote an ugly note, and Schubert could be in the same category. The amount of music he turned out in 31 years, cut short by typhoid fever, is prodigious. His oeuvre amounted to 1,500 pieces. Schubert started to write the Symphony No. 8 when he was 25. He never returned to the project, but he more than earned the right to abandon it considering all the other music he wrote. Radcliffe and the orchestra gave the symphony its due in a haunting rendition that displayed the sonority of the strings and marvelous harmony in the winds. Bidini's advance billing called him a passionate pianist, thus qualifying for the understatement of the year. The Prokofiev concerto is probably one of the most difficult to play in musical literature. It is a deft mixture of melody and dissonance reminiscent of "Rocky IV." Bidini's interpretation was a display of manual dexterity that inspired me to depict him with as many hands as a Hindu idol. His dynamic digits were a mere blur. Artists of Bidini's caliber are what have made the festival grow in stature and reputation. Although essentially hidden behind the concert grand, Radcliffe was a strong presence. His collaboration with the pianist was exquisite. The symbiotic relationship between the two artists was quite evident. Numerous standing ovations were well earned. Cape May Star and Wave June 7, 2001

Press | Symphonic Reviews

Thursday, June 7, 2001

Between Conductor and Pianist

By Ed Wismer

CAPE MAY — The large audience attending the Cape May Music Festival concert on Thursday, May 31 got more than their money’s worth.

The lengthy list of goodies the music lovers received includes the Cape May Festival Orchestra in all its glory, under the lively baton of Music Director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. Then there was the outstanding program the orchestra played and the dazzling piano soloist Fabio Bidini. The musical cornucopia was literally overflowing.

Gioacchino Rossini had a knack for writing frothy and frivolous overtures even for his allegedly tragic operas. In the midst of the crashing about in the orchestra’s percussion section is always a flute sounding like a demented magpie. Thursday night’s opening of the composer’s “Semiramide Overture” was vintage Rossini. Radcliffe gave it a reading worthy of Toscanini or Muti. It was a tooth rattling and percussive tour de force. The French horn quartet early in the piece was played lushly, as was the work of all sections of the orchestra.

Contrasted with Rossini’s bombastic boomer, the Schubert “Symphony No. 8,” or “Unfinished Symphony,” could only be described as tranquil and poetic. Mendelssohn is often described as a composer who never wrote an ugly note, and Schubert could be in the same category. The amount of music he turned out in 31 years, cut short by typhoid fever, is prodigious. His oeuvre amounted to 1,500 pieces. Schubert started to write the Symphony No. 8 when he was 25. He never returned to the project, but he more than earned the right to abandon it considering all the other music he wrote. Radcliffe and the orchestra gave the symphony its due in a haunting rendition that displayed the sonority of the strings and marvelous harmony in the winds.

Bidini’s advance billing called him a passionate pianist, thus qualifying for the understatement of the year.

The Prokofiev concerto is probably one of the most difficult to play in musical literature. It is a deft mixture of melody and dissonance reminiscent of “Rocky IV.” Bidini’s interpretation was a display of manual dexterity that inspired me to depict him with as many hands as a Hindu idol. His dynamic digits were a mere blur.
Artists of Bidini’s caliber are what have made the festival grow in stature and reputation. Although essentially hidden behind the concert grand, Radcliffe was a strong presence. His collaboration with the pianist was exquisite. The symbiotic relationship between the two artists was quite evident. Numerous standing ovations were well earned.

Between conductor and pianist Symbiosis creates an astounding experience at May 31 Cape May Music Festival concert By ED WISMER Cape May Star and Wave Critic CAPE MAY — The large audience attending the Cape May Music Festival concert on Thursday, May 31 got more than their money's worth. The lengthy list of goodies the music lovers received includes the Cape May Festival Orchestra in all its glory, under the lively baton of Music Director Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. Then there was the outstanding program the orchestra played and the dazzling piano soloist Fabio Bidini. The musical cornucopia was literally overflowing. Gioacchino Rossini had a knack for writing frothy and frivolous overtures even for his allegedly tragic operas. In the midst of the crashing about in the orchestra's percussion section is always a flute sounding like a demented magpie. Thursday night's opening of the composer's "Semiramide Overture" was vintage Rossini. Radcliffe gave it a reading worthy of Toscanini or Muti. It was a tooth rattling and percussive tour de force. The French horn quartet early in the piece was played lushly, as was the work of all sections of the orchestra. Contrasted with Rossini's bombastic boomer, the Schubert "Symphony No. 8," or "Unfinished Symphony," could only be described as tranquil and poetic. Mendelssohn is often described as a composer who never wrote an ugly note, and Schubert could be in the same category. The amount of music he turned out in 31 years, cut short by typhoid fever, is prodigious. His oeuvre amounted to 1,500 pieces. Schubert started to write the Symphony No. 8 when he was 25. He never returned to the project, but he more than earned the right to abandon it considering all the other music he wrote. Radcliffe and the orchestra gave the symphony its due in a haunting rendition that displayed the sonority of the strings and marvelous harmony in the winds. Bidini's advance billing called him a passionate pianist, thus qualifying for the understatement of the year. The Prokofiev concerto is probably one of the most difficult to play in musical literature. It is a deft mixture of melody and dissonance reminiscent of "Rocky IV." Bidini's interpretation was a display of manual dexterity that inspired me to depict him with as many hands as a Hindu idol. His dynamic digits were a mere blur. Artists of Bidini's caliber are what have made the festival grow in stature and reputation. Although essentially hidden behind the concert grand, Radcliffe was a strong presence. His collaboration with the pianist was exquisite. The symbiotic relationship between the two artists was quite evident. Numerous standing ovations were well earned. Cape May Star and Wave June 7, 2001

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings

Your Online Guide to Classical Music ClassicsToday.com JUNE, 2001 ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings JOSEPH SUK Serenade in E-flat JOHANN STRAUSS JR. Pizzicato Polka JOHANNES BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No. 5 Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Stephen Rogers Radcliffe Romeo - 7206 (CD) Reference Recording - Dvořák: Wolff/Teldec; Suk: Belohlávek Artistic Quality 10 / 10 Sound Quality This is an exceptionally fine string orchestra disc. Although Dvořák's Serenade for Strings certainly does not want for excellent interpretations—Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic and Hugh Wolff with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, for example—but Stephen Rogers Radcliffe's approach is so fresh, his rubato so natural and sensitive, and his instinct for the music's Czech essence so true that you come away not wanting to hear anybody else's. When is the last time you heard the Waltz movement start with a slight hesitation in the tempo, and then organically pick up speed as the phrase continues? How often do you hear the beautiful Larghetto so lovingly caressed, or the finale's note values so scrupulously observed that they give the music an added zing? Rogers Radcliffe is exceptionally attentive to the music's vertical dimension, drawing a remarkably sonorous yet clearly detailed sound from the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Listen to the burnished tone of those sustained double bass notes in the first movement. Delicious! These same qualities are found in Josef Suk's delightful Serenade in E-flat, where Rogers Radcliffe's lightness and sensitivity to nuance provides a marked contrast to Belohlávek's comparatively more measured performance with the much richer sounding Czech Philharmonic strings—nowhere more so than in the slow movement, where the added intimacy of the smaller Hungarian band creates an atmosphere of such intense beauty you wish it would never end. The remaining items, fetching renditions of Strauss' Pizzicato Polka and Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, give these marvelous musicians yet another opportunity to strut their stuff. Czech music and string orchestra fans shouldn't even think of not buying this one, and the richly resonant recording fully supports the beauty of the playing. —Victor Carr Jr.

Press | Recording Review

June 2001

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
Serenade for Strings

JOSEPH SUK
Serenade in E-flat

JOHANN STRAUSS JR.
Pizzicato Polka

JOHANNES BRAHMS
Hungarian Dance No. 5

Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Stephen Rogers Radcliffe

Romeo – 7206 (CD)

Reference Recording – Dvořák: Wolff/Teldec; Suk: Belohlávek

By Victor Carr Jr.

This is an exceptionally fine string orchestra disc. Although Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings certainly does not want for excellent interpretations—Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic and Hugh Wolff with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, for example—but Stephen Rogers Radcliffe’s approach is so fresh, his rubato so natural and sensitive, and his instinct for the music’s Czech essence so true that you come away not wanting to hear anybody else’s. When is the last time you heard the Waltz movement start with a slight hesitation in the tempo, and then organically pick up speed as the phrase continues? How often do you hear the beautiful Larghetto so lovingly caressed, or the finale’s note values so scrupulously observed that they give the music an added zing? Rogers Radcliffe is exceptionally attentive to the music’s vertical dimension, drawing a remarkably sonorous yet clearly detailed sound from the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Listen to the burnished tone of those sustained double bass notes in the first movement. Delicious!
These same qualities are found in Josef Suk’s delightful Serenade in E-flat, where Rogers Radcliffe’s lightness and sensitivity to nuance provides a marked contrast to Belohlávek’s comparatively more measured performance with the much richer sounding Czech Philharmonic strings—nowhere more so than in the slow movement, where the added intimacy of the smaller Hungarian band creates an atmosphere of such intense beauty you wish it would never end. The remaining items, fetching renditions of Strauss’ Pizzicato Polka and Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5, give these marvelous musicians yet another opportunity to strut their stuff. Czech music and string orchestra fans shouldn’t even think of not buying this one, and the richly resonant recording fully supports the beauty of the playing.

Your Online Guide to Classical Music ClassicsToday.com JUNE, 2001 ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Serenade for Strings JOSEPH SUK Serenade in E-flat JOHANN STRAUSS JR. Pizzicato Polka JOHANNES BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No. 5 Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Stephen Rogers Radcliffe Romeo - 7206 (CD) Reference Recording - Dvořák: Wolff/Teldec; Suk: Belohlávek Artistic Quality 10 / 10 Sound Quality This is an exceptionally fine string orchestra disc. Although Dvořák's Serenade for Strings certainly does not want for excellent interpretations—Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic and Hugh Wolff with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, for example—but Stephen Rogers Radcliffe's approach is so fresh, his rubato so natural and sensitive, and his instinct for the music's Czech essence so true that you come away not wanting to hear anybody else's. When is the last time you heard the Waltz movement start with a slight hesitation in the tempo, and then organically pick up speed as the phrase continues? How often do you hear the beautiful Larghetto so lovingly caressed, or the finale's note values so scrupulously observed that they give the music an added zing? Rogers Radcliffe is exceptionally attentive to the music's vertical dimension, drawing a remarkably sonorous yet clearly detailed sound from the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Listen to the burnished tone of those sustained double bass notes in the first movement. Delicious! These same qualities are found in Josef Suk's delightful Serenade in E-flat, where Rogers Radcliffe's lightness and sensitivity to nuance provides a marked contrast to Belohlávek's comparatively more measured performance with the much richer sounding Czech Philharmonic strings—nowhere more so than in the slow movement, where the added intimacy of the smaller Hungarian band creates an atmosphere of such intense beauty you wish it would never end. The remaining items, fetching renditions of Strauss' Pizzicato Polka and Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, give these marvelous musicians yet another opportunity to strut their stuff. Czech music and string orchestra fans shouldn't even think of not buying this one, and the richly resonant recording fully supports the beauty of the playing. —Victor Carr Jr.

Conductor, Cellist Create Romantic, Phenomenal Performance

Press | Symphonic Reviews

February 20, 2001

Conductor, cellist create romantic, phenomenal performance

By Shari Fey

For all the sweethearts who forgot to present their Valentines with a pair of symphony tickets for this past Thursday night’s performance of Dvorak, tsk-tsk.
The Symphony of Southeast Texas produced a wonderfully romantic affair, brimming over with lovely music and a sensational performance by guest artist Matt Haimovitz, a cellist.

Guest conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe, one of the four visiting maestros vying for the job vacated by Diane M. Wittry, chose a program filled with romance.

The selections came from Glinka, Dvorak, Mahler and Elgar.
“The Dvorak (Concerto in b minor for Cello and Orchestra) is a beautiful, romantic piece, and the cello is perhaps the most romantic of all instruments,” Radcliffe said.

His thoughts were echoed by symphony president Michael Truncale, who said, “The Dvorak concerto is a favorite of audiences everywhere.”

Indeed, the concert drew a crowd that included a special member of the audience, Wittry, who, though gone as the symphony’s maestra, remains as artistic adviser.

It was a lush program beginning with Glinka’s “Russlan and Ludmilla Overture,” followed by the highlight, a performance by Matt Haimovitz.

Haimovitz, a twentysomething cellist who is considered one of the best in the world, brings an incredible beauty and passion to playing the cello. His performance of the Dvorak concerto was breathtaking. The intermission — following a tremendous ovation for Haimovitz — people could be heard saying, “That boy can really play that cello.”

Act 2 also was a fine moment for the symphony with Mahler’s “Blumine No. 1” and Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.”

Through it all, Radcliffe kept the orchestra at a perfect performance level.

In a pre-concert interview, Radcliffe, who is the current music director of the Sioux City (Iowa) Symphony and directs the Cape May Music Festival in New Jersey each summer, said that it was a “great privilege” to make music with the Symphony of Southeast Texas.

“You have very fine musicians who take joy in making music,” Radcliffe said. He added that musicians at the big, national symphonies sometimes have forgotten the passion that makes music not a job but a joy.

Radcliffe said the music he performs with other musicians from around the world is the best thing about being a conductor. The challenge of conductors everywhere is convincing the public that “the symphony is not some old, archaic jewel box that should be opened every once in awhile.”

A symphony is a living, breathing institution, he said, and to have a symphony orchestra is a great benefit to any community. The trick is in getting the message out that the symphony can be fun for average people — people who mow their yards and drink beer, just like Radcliffe does.

Being a missionary for classical music means building an appreciation for it. Radcliffe said that when people tell him that they’re not educated in the ways of orchestral music, the conductor says that people go to the movies all the time and they’re not necessarily educated about the topic they’re seeing. You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy science fiction.

Likewise, newcomers to Dvorak on Thursday didn’t need to be experts to know it was beautiful. Thanks to Radcliffe, Haimovitz and the entire Symphony of Southeast Texas, it was especially so.

Orchestra presents monumental symphony in ‘The Resurrection’

Sioux City Journal April 12, 1998 Orchestra presents monumental symphony in ‘The Resurrection’ By Judi Hazlett Journal staff writer [Review] There may be bigger orchestras performing Mahler in bigger cities, but you’ll have to look long and hard to find any that will beat what happened right here in Sioux City Saturday night. It was a monumental musical event as the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra played a monumental symphony. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, "The Resurrection," is a work of gigantic imagination and creativity in itself, but performing it takes on superhuman proportions. For the orchestra, its length and challenges loom large. Logistically, to get a huge orchestra on the stage at Eppley Auditorium, plus a huge chorus, two soloists and the conductor takes more than just a bit of doing. But the SCSO did it — with lots of style, class and panache, thanks to music director and conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. He kept everything together in a performance that was sustained and deliberate, through the revealing slow and soft parts as well as the Mahler "tornadoes" that whirl everything up and around, then just as quickly suspend you in the storm’s peaceful center before whirling you around some more. Radcliffe never rushed it, but kept it unfolding and growing right into the magnificent finale of the fifth movement. That’s when the meaning of the word resurrection hits home. Out of Mahler’s beginning first movement — a funeral march — themes move through four more movements with moments depicting earthly bliss, turmoil, despair, mourning and the ever-present specter of death. Finally, Mahler realizes death can be transcendent, which, as Radcliffe pointed out, makes this symphony an appropriate one for the resurrection of Christ celebrated by Christians at Easter. The fourth movement introduces a solo voice but the fifth movement pulls out all the stops. It featured knockout performances by mezzo soprano Lucille Beer and soprano Sara Seglem as soloists. Their voices were added to the smooth, full vocalizations of the combined voices of the Siouxland Master Chorale, directed by Gregory Fuller; the Northwestern College Choir, directed by Kimberly Utke; the Wayne State College Choir, directed by David Lawrence; and the Siouxland Community Chorus, directed by Shirley Neugebauer-Luebke. As good as this all was, the evening really belonged to the orchestra, which underwent a resurrection of its own with Saturday’s performance. The musicians play almost every minute of the two and a half hour work, and work it is. Kudos to the brass and horns, which were brilliant, and the strings for providing the glue. Clearly there are the resources here for big works like this.

Press | Symphonic Review

Sunday, April 12, 1998

Orchestra presents monumental symphony in ‘The Resurrection’

By Judi Hazlett

There may be bigger orchestras performing Mahler in bigger cities, but you’ll have to look long and hard to find any that will beat what happened right here in Sioux City Saturday night.

It was a monumental musical event as the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra played a monumental symphony.

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “The Resurrection,” is a work of gigantic imagination and creativity in itself, but performing it takes on superhuman proportions. For the orchestra, its length and challenges loom large. Logistically, to get a huge orchestra on the stage at Eppley Auditorium, plus a huge chorus, two soloists and the conductor takes more than just a bit of doing.

But the SCSO did it — with lots of style, class and panache, thanks to music director and conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. He kept everything together in a performance that was sustained and deliberate, through the revealing slow and soft parts as well as the Mahler “tornadoes” that whirl everything up and around, then just as quickly suspend you in the storm’s peaceful center before whirling you around some more.

Radcliffe never rushed it, but kept it unfolding and growing right into the magnificent finale of the fifth movement.

That’s when the meaning of the word resurrection hits home. Out of Mahler’s beginning first movement — a funeral march — themes move through four more movements with moments depicting earthly bliss, turmoil, despair, mourning and the ever-present specter of death.

Finally, Mahler realizes death can be transcendent, which, as Radcliffe pointed out, makes this symphony an appropriate one for the resurrection of Christ celebrated by Christians at Easter.

The fourth movement introduces a solo voice but the fifth movement pulls out all the stops. It featured knockout performances by mezzo soprano Lucille Beer and soprano Sara Seglem as soloists. Their voices were added to the smooth, full vocalizations of the combined voices of the Siouxland Master Chorale, directed by Gregory Fuller; the Northwestern College Choir, directed by Kimberly Utke; the Wayne State College Choir, directed by David Lawrence; and the Siouxland Community Chorus, directed by Shirley Neugebauer-Luebke.

As good as this all was, the evening really belonged to the orchestra, which underwent a resurrection of its own with Saturday’s performance. The musicians play almost every minute of the two and a half hour work, and work it is. Kudos to the brass and horns, which were brilliant, and the strings for providing the glue. Clearly there are the resources here for big works like this.

Sioux City Journal April 12, 1998 Orchestra presents monumental symphony in ‘The Resurrection’ By Judi Hazlett Journal staff writer [Review] There may be bigger orchestras performing Mahler in bigger cities, but you’ll have to look long and hard to find any that will beat what happened right here in Sioux City Saturday night. It was a monumental musical event as the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra played a monumental symphony. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, "The Resurrection," is a work of gigantic imagination and creativity in itself, but performing it takes on superhuman proportions. For the orchestra, its length and challenges loom large. Logistically, to get a huge orchestra on the stage at Eppley Auditorium, plus a huge chorus, two soloists and the conductor takes more than just a bit of doing. But the SCSO did it — with lots of style, class and panache, thanks to music director and conductor Stephen Rogers Radcliffe. He kept everything together in a performance that was sustained and deliberate, through the revealing slow and soft parts as well as the Mahler "tornadoes" that whirl everything up and around, then just as quickly suspend you in the storm’s peaceful center before whirling you around some more. Radcliffe never rushed it, but kept it unfolding and growing right into the magnificent finale of the fifth movement. That’s when the meaning of the word resurrection hits home. Out of Mahler’s beginning first movement — a funeral march — themes move through four more movements with moments depicting earthly bliss, turmoil, despair, mourning and the ever-present specter of death. Finally, Mahler realizes death can be transcendent, which, as Radcliffe pointed out, makes this symphony an appropriate one for the resurrection of Christ celebrated by Christians at Easter. The fourth movement introduces a solo voice but the fifth movement pulls out all the stops. It featured knockout performances by mezzo soprano Lucille Beer and soprano Sara Seglem as soloists. Their voices were added to the smooth, full vocalizations of the combined voices of the Siouxland Master Chorale, directed by Gregory Fuller; the Northwestern College Choir, directed by Kimberly Utke; the Wayne State College Choir, directed by David Lawrence; and the Siouxland Community Chorus, directed by Shirley Neugebauer-Luebke. As good as this all was, the evening really belonged to the orchestra, which underwent a resurrection of its own with Saturday’s performance. The musicians play almost every minute of the two and a half hour work, and work it is. Kudos to the brass and horns, which were brilliant, and the strings for providing the glue. Clearly there are the resources here for big works like this.

Cape May Festival Orchestra Performs in its ‘Pops mode’

THE SENTINEL-LEDGER Ocean City, NJ June 19, 1997 Cape May Festival Orchestra Performs in its ‘Pops mode’ By ED WISMER Sentinel-Ledger Critic CAPE MAY — Good things come to an end entirely too soon. Fortunately citizens and visitors to Victorian Cape May have another two weeks to savor the musical riches provided by Stephen Rogers Radcliffe and his merry menage of musicians. The Cape May Music Festival runs to the end of the month. Radcliffe becomes more and more adept at programming music to please every taste and even to stir up a bit of controversy. A music director can't get in too much trouble with classical, chamber music, pops or even jazz but just let him try some avant garde and he (or she) can stir up a hornet's nest. The great thing about Radcliffe is that through talent, charm or even chutzpah he seems to get away with anything. He is a pleasure to review and even when the music is not our cup of tea it is usually over with so soon that we don't notice that we've been had. Bravo! On Sunday night, the Cape May Festival Orchestra was in its Pops mode and the concert was of such quality that it could hold its own with anything we might hear and see on PBS or Arts and Entertainment. The concert featured soprano Lynne Vardaman, tenor Mark Heller and baritone Richard Holmes along with a stage full of 40 instrumentalists and their kinetic conductor. We hope that Radcliffe, in a burst of enthusiasm, doesn't someday throw himself off the podium like the late Dmitri Mitropoulos. The two male soloists immediately established their credentials with the rollicking We're Gondolieri from G&S's The Gondoliers. They gave the duet a strenuous workout which brought a delighted audience response. They did more with the rapid fire patter of G&S and were joined by Lynne Vardaman in some tender love duets. They got seriously operatic with excerpts from La Boheme. The orchestra was in fine fettle with lush Pucciniesque support for the singers. Heller was tender and effective as Rudolfo but had a little vocal difficulty at the climax of Che gelida manina that he could have resolved easily by clearing his throat. This simple move was prevented by not cutting off his remote mike for a moment. He recovered nicely while Vardaman was performing a limpid rendering of Mi chiamano Mimi. They handled the duet O Soave fanciula in grand style which made the audience eager to hear more. Heller was great singing Freddie Aynsford Hill's On the Street Where You Live. Many do not realize that the song was sung in the film version of My Fair Lady by Jeremy Brett who later went on to become the quintessential Sherlock Holmes in the BBC television series. The Holmes of the evening, Richard, delivered an impassioned "Were Thine that Special Face" from Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate. Radcliffe pointed out the ascending chords in excerpts from Phantom of the Opera were "borrowed from Puccini's lending library called Tosca." Speaking of, you should pardon the expression, stealing, we detected some unauthorized theft from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in the concert climax's Leonard Bernstein's hits, or was it the other way around. Who gave the imaginative excuse for musical plagiarism by saying "There are only so many notes to work with?"

Press | Symphonic Review

June 19, 1997

Cape May Festival Orchestra Performs in its ‘Pops mode’

By Ed Wismer

CAPE MAY — Good things come to an end entirely too soon. Fortunately citizens and visitors to Victorian Cape May have another two weeks to savor the musical riches provided by Stephen Rogers Radcliffe and his merry menage of musicians. The Cape May Music Festival runs to the end of the month.

Radcliffe becomes more and more adept at programming music to please every taste and even to stir up a bit of controversy.

A music director can’t get in too much trouble with classical, chamber music, pops or even jazz but just let him try some avant garde and he (or she) can stir up a hornet’s nest.

The great thing about Radcliffe is that through talent, charm or even chutzpah he seems to get away with anything. He is a pleasure to review and even when the music is not our cup of tea it is usually over with so soon that we don’t notice that we’ve been had. Bravo!

On Sunday night, the Cape May Festival Orchestra was in its Pops mode and the concert was of such quality that it could hold its own with anything we might hear and see on PBS or Arts and Entertainment.

The concert featured soprano Lynne Vardaman, tenor Mark Heller and baritone Richard Holmes along with a stage full of 40 instrumentalists and their kinetic conductor. We hope that Radcliffe, in a burst of enthusiasm, doesn’t someday throw himself off the podium like the late Dmitri Mitropoulos.
The two male soloists immediately established their credentials with the rollicking We’re Gondolieri from G&S’s The Gondoliers. They gave the duet a strenuous workout which brought a delighted audience response. They did more with the rapid fire patter of G&S and were joined by Lynne Vardaman in some tender love duets. They got seriously operatic with excerpts from La Boheme.
The orchestra was in fine fettle with lush Pucciniesque support for the singers. Heller was tender and effective as Rudolfo but had a little vocal difficulty at the climax of Che gelida manina that he could have resolved easily by clearing his throat. This simple move was prevented by not cutting off his remote mike for a moment. He recovered nicely while Vardaman was performing a limpid rendering of Mi chiamano Mimi. They handled the duet O Soave fanciula in grand style which made the audience eager to hear more.

Heller was great singing Freddie Aynsford Hill’s On the Street Where You Live. Many do not realize that the song was sung in the film version of My Fair Lady by Jeremy Brett who later went on to become the quintessential Sherlock Holmes in the BBC television series. The Holmes of the evening, Richard, delivered an impassioned “Were Thine that Special Face” from Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate.

Radcliffe pointed out the ascending chords in excerpts from Phantom of the Opera were “borrowed from Puccini’s lending library called Tosca.” Speaking of, you should pardon the expression, stealing, we detected some unauthorized theft from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in the concert climax’s Leonard Bernstein’s hits, or was it the other way around.

Who gave the imaginative excuse for musical plagiarism by saying “There are only so many notes to work with?”

THE SENTINEL-LEDGER Ocean City, NJ June 19, 1997 Cape May Festival Orchestra Performs in its ‘Pops mode’ By ED WISMER Sentinel-Ledger Critic CAPE MAY — Good things come to an end entirely too soon. Fortunately citizens and visitors to Victorian Cape May have another two weeks to savor the musical riches provided by Stephen Rogers Radcliffe and his merry menage of musicians. The Cape May Music Festival runs to the end of the month. Radcliffe becomes more and more adept at programming music to please every taste and even to stir up a bit of controversy. A music director can't get in too much trouble with classical, chamber music, pops or even jazz but just let him try some avant garde and he (or she) can stir up a hornet's nest. The great thing about Radcliffe is that through talent, charm or even chutzpah he seems to get away with anything. He is a pleasure to review and even when the music is not our cup of tea it is usually over with so soon that we don't notice that we've been had. Bravo! On Sunday night, the Cape May Festival Orchestra was in its Pops mode and the concert was of such quality that it could hold its own with anything we might hear and see on PBS or Arts and Entertainment. The concert featured soprano Lynne Vardaman, tenor Mark Heller and baritone Richard Holmes along with a stage full of 40 instrumentalists and their kinetic conductor. We hope that Radcliffe, in a burst of enthusiasm, doesn't someday throw himself off the podium like the late Dmitri Mitropoulos. The two male soloists immediately established their credentials with the rollicking We're Gondolieri from G&S's The Gondoliers. They gave the duet a strenuous workout which brought a delighted audience response. They did more with the rapid fire patter of G&S and were joined by Lynne Vardaman in some tender love duets. They got seriously operatic with excerpts from La Boheme. The orchestra was in fine fettle with lush Pucciniesque support for the singers. Heller was tender and effective as Rudolfo but had a little vocal difficulty at the climax of Che gelida manina that he could have resolved easily by clearing his throat. This simple move was prevented by not cutting off his remote mike for a moment. He recovered nicely while Vardaman was performing a limpid rendering of Mi chiamano Mimi. They handled the duet O Soave fanciula in grand style which made the audience eager to hear more. Heller was great singing Freddie Aynsford Hill's On the Street Where You Live. Many do not realize that the song was sung in the film version of My Fair Lady by Jeremy Brett who later went on to become the quintessential Sherlock Holmes in the BBC television series. The Holmes of the evening, Richard, delivered an impassioned "Were Thine that Special Face" from Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate. Radcliffe pointed out the ascending chords in excerpts from Phantom of the Opera were "borrowed from Puccini's lending library called Tosca." Speaking of, you should pardon the expression, stealing, we detected some unauthorized theft from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in the concert climax's Leonard Bernstein's hits, or was it the other way around. Who gave the imaginative excuse for musical plagiarism by saying "There are only so many notes to work with?"