THE INEXTINGUISHABLE

Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Master Series Concert
Monday, November 12, 2007 – 8 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church – Hilton Head Island

The third Master Series concert of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s current season, presented Monday night at the island’s First Presbyterian Church, featured two imposing pieces of orchestral repertoire – one pleasingly familiar and the other perhaps less well-known, but no less engaging. Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green led the orchestra in well-disciplined and elegantly refined performances of works by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen and the popular Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak.

One of our country’s leading instrumentalists, the New York Philharmonic’s principal cellist, Carter Brey, appeared as soloist in the appealing Dvorak Cello Concerto in B Minor, Opus 104. The First Presbyterian Church was filled to capacity with an appreciative audience which responded enthusiastically to the performers’ impressive efforts.

The first half of the program was devoted to Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable.” Conductor Green explained in some brief preliminary comments that the symphony consisted of the usual four movements, but they are played without interruption. The nickname “The Inextinguishable” was assigned by Nielsen himself and refers to his optimistic view of the ultimate survivability of life against all odds.

Green and her players gave full vent to the symphony’s turbulent opening bars which exploded with startling, dramatic effect. The two excellent timpanists stationed on either side of the orchestra contributed to the unsettling effect which ultimately culminates in their duel in the final movement. The second section was less intimidating and seemed almost lighthearted in contrast to the surrounding sections. The woodwinds and plucked strings provided a respite from the complexities of the other movements.

In the third section, they waxed more rhapsodic with lush string sound, then the horns and trombones rose to a climax, skirmishing in different keys. The last section achieved the ultimate dramatic and heroic impact with the two sets of timpani erupting in violent outbursts which they exploited to the hilt.

It is obvious why Nielsen’s symphony is not more frequently heard. It is not easy to bring off and takes a dedicated and accomplished ensemble to do justice to its formidable technical demands. In its 26th season, the Hilton Head Orchestra has become capable of such an accomplishment. Maestra Green and her forces undertook the difficult task with remarkable success.

In the second half of the program, guest soloist Carter Brey joined Maestra Green and the orchestra in a forceful and beautifully nuanced performance of the Dvorak’s Cello Concerto. Playing a tonally splendid 250 year old Guadagnini cello he once referred to jokingly as his “million-dollar piece of Italian Renaissance lumber,” Brey gave the concerto a masterful interpretation, capturing the sense of longing and melancholy in the first two movements and the joyful atmosphere of the third with the complete command and authority of the master that he is. Maestra Green and the orchestra gave him excellent support throughout. At the conclusion of the performance, the woodwinds and horns were recognized by the conductor for their fine solo work. Brey responded to the spontaneous standing ovation by the audience with a special encore: an arrangement by Douglas Moore of John Philip Sousa’s march “The Thunderer” for four celli. Three cellists from the orchestra joined Brey in this good-natured romp, bringing the well-spent evening to a happy and satisfying close.