Julien Benichou, MSO Music Director. Photo by David Harp
The MSO’s Holiday Joy concert Thursday night December 5 at the Avalon was an evening of wonder and merriment. Mary Losty & Keith Davidson from “Trumpeter Swan Antiques” decorated the lobby with brightly colored balls, lights and a tableau, which centered appropriately for this occasion on Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Bells” while Suzy Moore, Al Bond and Carolyn Jaffe did all they could to make this a wonderful experience and succeeded.
For two hours the packed house was enthralled by the magical sound of the Mid-Atlantic Orchestra under the direction of Julien Benichou. The program ranged from Anderson’s rollicking “Sleigh Ride”, Vivaldi’s “Winter” from the “Four Seasons” with Nicholas Currie’s brilliant violin solo, to Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” which was sung by bass-baritone Kevin Short with resonant sensitivity. Esther Jane Hardenbergh held the audience spellbound and breathless with her moving, radiant rendition of “Ave Maria”. Young singers from The Frost School of Music added liveliness with the “Twelve Days of Christmas” “Baby it’s Cold Outside” and “Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella” as they passed the melody back and forth. The special arrangement of the old favorite “Silent Night” was fresh and lovely and in the spirit of the holiday were two more solos by Kevin Short in “O, Holy Night” and Esther Jane Hardenbergh in “Gesu Bambino”
“Klezmer Nutcracker” and “Caribbean Sleigh Ride” provided humor and showed off the versatility of the orchestra, which at times imitated a big band sound with its astonishing dynamic range. Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker selections included the less frequently played “Final Waltz and Apotheosis”
By the time the conductor asked us to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah”, the audience was in such a cheerful mood that the theatre resounded with exuberant voices.
One encore “The Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss, Sr. had everyone clapping to the music; another, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” brought this glorious concert to a close with cheers and a standing ovation. Concertgoers streamed out to Dover street with smiles of joy on their faces– a night to remember. A musician, voice teacher and conductor who heard this orchestra for the first time said it was “a once in a lifetime experience” and marveled over the beautiful voices and sound of an orchestra playing with rare and unusual unity and naturalness in communication with each other and the audience.
Don’t miss the next three concerts of this orchestra on March 6, April 10, and May 15, 2014 at the Easton Church of God on North Washington Street and hear the premiere of Julien Benichou’s new work, an exciting piece by the Argentinian tango composer, Piazzolla, and two of the most exciting emerging artists on the international scene, Tine Thing Helseth on trumpet and Felix Hell on his own organ. Other pieces will be Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings”, Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40” and “Symphony No. 2 in D Major” by Brahms. Individual tickets are $35, a subscription for all three concerts is $85, and for two subscriptions to all three concerts, $160. Information: 1-888-846-8600 or website: www.midatlanticsymphony.org.
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