LSO And Muffitt Continue to Impress

One of the reasons for Music Director Timothy Muffitt's continued success with the Lansing Symphony is his imaginative and thoughtful programming. Muffitt has the rare ability to put together a concert with pieces that complement each other while giving the audience and evening of variety and interest.

On Saturday's (1/8/11) concert, dubbed "Exotic Sketches", Muffitt gave us music by Rossini, two harp showpieces - one by Argentinian composer Ginastera and another by the impressionist Debussy. He ended the program with the blockbuster Pines of Rome by Respighi. It made for an concert of surprises and excitement.

Of course the most unique aspect of the evening were the two harp pieces, featuring virtuoso harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. I would wager that fewer that 5% of the audience has ever heard a harp concerto.

And Kondonassis was the perfect person to introduce this elegant and lovely instrument to Lansing audiences. A long limbed and confident woman, Kondonassis showed us the difference between a soloist and a player. She is a true soloist - dramatic and confident who takes control of the stage and performs with flair and rubato. The four-movement Ginastera was a smorgasbord of sounds and rhythms. The orchestra was on the edge of their seat, making the most of the Latin personality of the music while the harp blended and contrasted with unusual groupings of instruments.

The audience was mesmerized as Kondonassis worked her magic on her golden harp - beautiful glissandi, snappy plucking and every other effect the instrument is capable of giving.

The short Debussy piece was more of what the audience expected from the harp, which seems be an instrument created for impressionist music. Yes, we've all heard a harp glissando before, but I have never heard it with so many inflections and colors as I heard on Saturday.

For the concert opener, Muffitt gave us the tried and true Rossini overture, La Gazza Ladra. Always a crowd pleaser, the Rossini was played with a clean and fresh style, with great work by the woodwinds. The opening snare drum roll was different - Muffitt had two snare drummers standing on either side of the orchestra creating an antiphonal effect. It added some intrigue to a piece that is familiar to everyone.

But the real fireworks was saved for the end of the concert - the rousing Pines of Rome. Respighi pulled out all of the stops for this piece, especially the huge and majestic Pines of the Appian Way movement. Respighi wanted a big sound for the orchestra and he got it.

He scored it for full orchestra and then some: for good measure, he added piano, harp, organ, contra bassoon, euphonium, bass clarinet and extra brass players stationed in the audience. Muffitt conducted without a score a brought out the full sonic glory of the Lansing Symphony.

There were some wonderful individual solo parts, especially an absolutely liquid and lovely clarinet solo by Emmanuel Toledo and an ethereal English horn solo by LSO veteran, Gretchen Morse.

But what everyone remembers about the Pine of Rome was the over-the-top ending, and the orchestra and Maestro Muffitt give was what we wanted. I could swear that my seat was vibrating or maybe it was Wharton Center's entire floor.