SONOLUMINA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, AUTUMN CLASSICS MUSIC FESTIVAL, Cathedral of the Madeleine, Sunday.
The Sonolumina Chamber Orchestra, under guest conductor Scott Yoo, closed out the inaugural season of the Autumn Classics Music Festival Sunday, with stellar performances of serenades by Antonin Dvorak and Johannes Brahms.
Formerly known as the Cathedral Chamber Orchestra, Sonolumina is now part of the annual summer Park City and Salt Lake City Music Festival, of which the autumn festival is an offshoot. It is festival co-directors Leslie and Russell Harlow's goal to incorporate chamber-orchestra concerts into both the summer and fall festivals. Consisting of members of the Utah Symphony, along with a number of free-lance musicians, Sonolumina is a welcome addition to the local classical-music scene, where chamber orchestra concerts are a rarity.
Playing in the Cathedral of the Madeleine Sunday, Sonolumina wholly lived up to its name (a derivative of the scientific term "sonoluminescence" or "sound/light"). It played with lucidity, fluency and articulate eloquence. And Yoo, who is a talented conductor, brought out the best in the small ensemble. With his refined interpretive sense, he allowed the musicians the freedom to let the music unfold naturally. It was a winning collaboration, one which hopefully will be renewed here at future festivals.
The two works that were played Sunday — Dvorak's Serenade, op. 44, and Brahms' Serenade, op. 16, have much in common. Both use woodwinds together with low strings, a combination that results in darker, mellower sonorities. Yet there are some distinct differences between the two. The Dvorak is much more impassioned and driven with romantic emotions. And while the Brahms adheres more closely to the traditional, classical, concept of a serenade as entertainment, it is still filled with an earnestness that elevates it to a higher and more sophisticated level.
The Dvorak began the concert. Yoo did a wonderful job eliciting a nuanced and dynamic performance. He captured the lyricism of the work, while bringing out the stylized stateliness of the first movement, the lightness of the minuet, the wistfulness of the andante and the vitality of the finale.
The Brahms was equally well-played. Yoo's reading allowed the orchestra to revel in the warmth and textured richness of the music. He revealed the subtle expressiveness underlying the score in a performance that was fluid, dynamic, articulate and, above all else, expressive.
The ensemble played both works magnificently. The performances were marked by sensitivity to detail in terms of expression and articulation. And the interplay among the individual musicians and sections was remarkable for its finely crafted execution.
E-mail: eriechel@desnews.com