By John Atkinson, Standard-Times correspondent
If, to paraphrase an adage someone once wrote, variety is the spice of music, Wednesday night's opening concert of the eagerly awaited 2002 Buzzards Bay Musicfest provided ample proof.
Providing a large audience in the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts at Tabor Academy with music on the lighter side by Bach (father and son), Sibelius and Haydn, indefatigable Conductor Russell Patterson led his 30-piece orchestra through a very relaxing program. I call the music by these prolific composers "lighter" in comparison to, say, the St. Mark, Matthew and John Passions for which J.S. Bach is best known.
The three movements of J.C. Bach's Sinfonia in D Major, Op. 18, No.4 includes no percussion, relying, instead, on strings, flutes, oboes and French horns, now and then. The intonations throughout, however, are typically Bach -- a man who, even in death, remains a work in progress as far as revelations of his life are concerned.
The three movements of his Sinfonia in D have a ballet quality to them with the French horn coming through very clearly in the Rondo-Presto.
For the Sibelius Pelleas and Melisande Op. 46, Conductor Patterson brought in the entire orchestra, which sounded like a much larger aggregation, especially in the first of the nine movements. To emphasize what I call the lightness of the program, the titles of the movements say it all: "At the Castle Gate," "At the Seashore,""A Spring in the Park," "At the Spinning Wheel," and others. During "At the Seashore," we can assume the rolling sound that wafts in and out is meant to be waves rolling in on the shoreline and receding. "A Spring in the Park" is a bouncier segment, while the movement "The Three Blind Sisters" has an ominous sound.
In "Pastorale," flutist Wendy Rolfe had an opportunity to show why she is at the top of her form. Many in the audience would have been disappointed had she not had a solo opportunity, no matter how brief, since she's become a favorite of Musicfest audiences in the six years they've attended these concerts.
At the very last moment of this Sibelius composition, the musicians paused as if cast in stone in the midst of playing.
The second half of the concert belonged to Haydn, although it opened with a short piece by J.S. Bach "Air for Strings" (from Suite No. 3, BWV 1068). In that short number, only the strings -- violins, violas, cellos -- were on stage, filling the hall with the most beautiful sound you could ever hope to hear from 15 virtuosi.
The full orchestra came back for the Haydn Symphony No.101 in D ("The Clock") in four movements, giving flutist Barbara O'Brien her individual place in the spotlight. In one of the movements, Maestro Patterson had the music fade until almost silent,then come back in full force. Very effective.
The Musiciest continues Saturday night with a chamber concert at 8 p.m. and, at 2 p.m. Sunday, another concert by the full orchestra. Admission is free.
Greatly appreciated is the cooperation of the Marion Art Center, Tabor Academy and the people who open their homes to accommodate the musicians during their stay in town for the Buzzards Bay Musicfest.
This story appeared on Page B2 of The Standard-Times on July 12, 2002.