Tuesday, November 09, 1999
Northern Kentucky Symphony emerging
CONCERT REVIEW
BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — Northern Kentucky has put itself on the map lately, with Newport's $80 million aquarium and a Millennium Bell. But there's more. Now in its eighth season, the Northern Kentucky Symphony (NKS) has been developing a steady following south of the Ohio River.
On Sunday in Greaves Hall at Northern Kentucky University, the orchestra, led by founding music director James R. Cassidy, performed an ambitious program of Richard Strauss, Philip Glass and Brahms. The concert stretched its players, some of whom are University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music students; other members have played in ensembles such as the Dayton Philharmonic and Richmond (Ind.) Symphony.
What the performance lacked in polish at times, it made up for in energy and committed playing by the musicians. The result was a satisfying afternoon of music making by the group Mr. Cassidy calls an “alternative” to the big-budget Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Cassidy is not a showy conductor. His flamboyance comes before the show, in his stumping for the orchestra — which has big-name sponsors and an official airline, Delta — and in his relentless quest for an angle to lure his audience.
It seems to be working. Starting as little more than a community orchestra, the NKS now has a budget of $440,000, and pays a salary to 44 of its 75 players. (The others receive a small stipend.)
Mr. Cassidy's “spin” on Sunday was called “Critics' Choice,” in which he invited the local media from press and radio to comment on their jobs and the music during the concert.
But the most intriguing part of the program was violinist Alyssa Park's performance in the area premiere of Glass' Violin Concerto (1987).
Ms. Park, a CCM graduate who toured with the CSO as soloist on its 1995 European tour, has a clean, effortless technique and a lovely tone. In this minimalist piece — based upon the repetition of rhythms and melodic snippets — the violinist alternated between etude-like arpeggios and soaring lines, while the orchestra bubbled underneath.
Her cool restraint fit the pulsating, endless rhythms of the first movement, but the slow movement's haunting theme offered a chance to project more “romantic” expression. Ms. Park provided brilliant fireworks in the finale, her bow flying across the strings in a hypnotic dance.
Mr. Cassidy kept a good balance, although the orchestra overpowered Ms. Park a few times. Technically, I wished the strings had played with more intensity, but the result was an impressive performance.
The program opened with Strauss' Don Juan. A few transitions were shaky in this tone poem that traverses many moods, but the orchestra demonstrated solid playing and a well-balanced sound. The performance was enhanced by fine playing by orchestra soloists, including principal oboist Richard Basehore and concertmistress Mari Thomas.
Mr. Cassidy conducts clearly and his tempos are generally well-chosen. Brahms' Symphony No. 1, which closed the program, was broadly paced, with a wide dynamic range and tasteful phrasing. The second movement had a tender quality, with its wonderful dialogue between oboe and clarinet.
The brass struggled a bit in the third movement. But the horns, which had been somewhat inconsistent through the program, played admirably in the finale and the brass chorale was round and balanced. Mr. Cassidy whipped up considerable excitement in the coda, which brought the audience of 310 to its feet.
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