The Partial Observer by Karolina Hopper

Return of Fenimore Chamber Orchestra ‘Brilliant’

Fenimore Chamber Orchestra made an eagerly anticipated, not to say brilliant, return to Christ Church in Cooperstown on March 18. In all aspects, this was another virtuoso concert program that the public has already come to expect.

The story of Don Juan and his just deserts was the thread that brought together the entire program. The concert began with Gluck’s ballet, “Don Juan,” and immediately got to the rather sardonic situation. This orchestra, under the leadership of Maestro Maciej Żółtowski, played sumptuously and offered brilliant cascades of string and woodwind playing. The strings played as one unifying voice and the winds offered the color to bring the story alive. The swaggering overture preceded a much-needed idyllic episode with atmospheric and elegant playing from oboist Susan Kokernak.

The final section of the ballet is known to opera lovers as the “Dance of the Furies,” reused by Gluck in the French version of his “Orfeo ed Euridice.” This is an apt description of Don Juan being dragged to Hell. What could bring grief to other orchestras was dashed off at this concert like some daring child’s play. Every member of the orchestra responded to the dare in the music and dispatched all with a disarming ease. The very same can be said of the rarely encountered Boccherini “Symphony Op 12, no 4,” aptly titled “La Casa del Diavolo” (The Devil’s House). Boccherini built up his devilish symphony as cunningly as Don Juan would seduce his women, while the reprobate’s justice is meted out in a frenetic ending. Again, the orchestra dispatched all of this with devilish ease.

The center of the program brought Mozart’s “Violin Concerto 5,” known as “Turkish,” played by Fenimore Chamber Orchestra Concert Master Uli Speth. Speth is justly renowned worldwide for his style, grace and gloriously unfailing sense of pitch. His tone is lush and warm, yet brilliant and large. Speth is also a master of creating an atmosphere. At the end of the gloriously spun adagio, one could have heard a pin drop at Christ Church. There was a real standing ovation that went on for some time. The audience was awarded an encore by way of Gluck’s “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from, again, his opera “Orfeo ed Euridice”! It is a wonder that Fenimore Chamber Orchestra has been able to secure such a magnificent violinist for concert master.

The entire program was brought together, again, by the multi-faceted talents of Maestro Żółtowski. He led the orchestra with an assurance and ease that brought out every nuance, as one would expect. At the conclusion of this delightful concert, the audience was treated with a truly elegant rendition of Boccherini’s famous minuet, gracefully arranged by Maestro Żółtowski. What is interesting is the program itself; who else could have thought of such a devilish selection of music? And, for that matter, who would have ever thought a trip to Hell could be so . . . enjoyable?