Review: Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra’s season opening concert offered professional level playing of not-so-easy works

Imagine the pleasure of having enjoyed a delicious, satisfying meal. Most of the fare may have been familiar, but it was prepared and presented with as much care as if this were the first time anyone had seen it. Think of the additional pleasure of finding something truly extraordinary on the menu, something that would cause people to cross continents to find, and succeed only rarely. Now think of the joy that would come from having tasted such pleasure in the past, and knowing that several more opportunities to do so would be yours in the next few months.

It is just such pleasure that was enjoyed on Monday night by the audience at the first concert of the season by the Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra led by its Music Director Kevin Hekmatpanah, launching his 30th season of these concerts. The sense of fulfillment which everyone carried with them from the concert was the inevitable result of Hekmatpanah’s determination that it be, above all else, enjoyable for the audience and the orchestra members, most of whom are students at the university and members of the community. Hekmatpanah considers it his responsibility to foster their love of music and further their education in the art.

The familiar fare on Monday’s program was the much-loved Symphony No. 9 in E minor Op. 95 “From the New World,” by Antonin Dvorak. The extraordinary treat was a group of selections from French opera and operetta performed by soprano Dawn Wolski, whose husband, Mateusz Wolski, had the unaccustomed pleasure of sitting in the audience, rather than in the concertmaster’s chair, as he does at concerts of the Spokane Symphony.

Frequently as it may be heard, the Dvorak “New World” Symphony is not easy to perform, a quality it shares with all of the works Hekmatpanah chooses to program. Though most of his players are not professional, he never shrinks from selecting professional-level repertoire. As is usual in these concerts, the performance of the Dvorak symphony was exceptionally fine, providing perhaps even more of certain musical virtues than one encounters in a professional performance. I think most would agree there is a high level of energy in the performance of someone straining to achieve mastery that is not always present in the work of one who has long since attained that level, and that level of energy was in evidence throughout the concert.

The warmth and volume of tone we heard came also from the sheer size of the Gonzaga Symphony, some sections of which are considerably larger than those of a professional band. When Dvorak asks the first violins or the cellos to introduce one of his grand, stirring tunes into the orchestral fabric, and nearly twenty players respond, rather than eight or nine, the impact is considerable. Even when such a large group plays softly, as when the strings softly accompany the famous “Going Home” theme voiced in the second movement by the English Horn, the effect was breathtaking.

That lovely solo, by the way, was played, not by a student, but by Sheila Armstrong, a regular member of the Spokane Symphony. Several members of the symphony joined the Gonzaga orchestra on this occasion, as part of the Spokane Symphony’s significant mandate to support music education throughout our community. Think of the impact it must have for a young student of the oboe to sit 2 feet away from a player like Armstrong as she rehearses and then performs to perfection her part in a famous musical work, or for an aspiring trumpet player to work with Larry Jess, principal trumpet of the Spokane Symphony, and a professional of 50 years standing!

There were, however, many solo passages performed by regular members of the Gonzaga orchestra at a level indistinguishable from that of a professional. The fully exposed and crucial flute solo in the trio section of the second movement was played with beautiful tone and great character by Angela Merritt, and the same may be said for Brent Allen’s stirring rendition of the famous horn passage in the final movement.

One wishes that the treat of seeing Dawn Wolski as a soloist were so rare a treat as it is. Perhaps her appearance at Gonzaga so soon after her recital at Hamilton Studio last month augurs well for more frequent opportunity to enjoy her exceptional gifts. She certainly does an admirable job of fulfilling the demands of such large concert works as “Carmina Burana” and Brahms’ “German Requiem.” Still, she shines so brightly when she holds the spotlight as she did at Gonzaga, one hopes to be dazzled more frequently.

But for a Draconian editor, one could write a paragraph, not only about her voice, but about each note in her voice, so full is each one with its own wide range of color and character. Most of the numbers she chose – all by French composers of the period 1850-1930 – gave ample opportunity for the display of her extraordinary vocal range and agility. It was her gift for dramatic narrative and characterization that was most remarkable, however. All of her selections were brief, and yet Dawn Wolski managed to convey a complete character – even, in some cases, the full import of a scenario, whether it be the silly cynicism of Andre Messager’s “J’ai deux amants” from “L’Amour Masqué,” or the pathos of “Adieu, notre petite table” from Jules Massenet’s “Manon.” Dawn Wolski’s ability to lead us through such a range of feeling and imagination in such a short time made us feel indebted to Hekmatpanah and Gonzaga University for the chance to treasure this jewel in our midst.