The Sphinx Virtousi and guest percussionist Josh Jones, opened their Sunday Gardiner museum concert with Jannina Norpoth’s chamber arrangement of the Overture to Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. The first violins took the happy, straightforward opening with gusto. As this theme passed to the lower strings, the mirth and joyfulness remained, albeit with an earthier sound. Articulation of the theme contrasted with seamless glissandi scattered throughout. As the narrative progressed the players realized the dramatic moments beautifully. Tremolo and rapid movement in the strings communicated the franticness of Priscilla’s (Treemonisha’s mother) attempted escape from slavery, the marimba added its mellow quality to moments of wistful nostalgia and the snare drum added tension and drama. The piece ends with the return of the opening theme, now played ff by the entire orchestra. The stateliness with which the orchestra played this final iteration underscored the peace and stature that accompanied Treemonisha’s role as a leader of her community.
In Novellette I from Four Novelletten Op 52, Samuel Coleridge Taylor crafts an enchanting movement out of an opening theme consisting of a half step and a fourth. Trills, pizzicato, octave doublings and staccato add constant surprise to traditional melodic material. Add to this tambourine and triangle and one truly has a new take on the string orchestra. The Sphinx propelled the musical action through finely distinguished articulations and unified dynamic motion.
Movement III from the same set finds a mp violin solo floating above the well-executed, crisply percussive pizzicatos in the celli and basses proved mesmerizing. The forward momentum halts in two or three moments when the entire violin section re-takes the opening theme ff. Again, the ensemble expertly conveyed the changed character of the main motif. At the end, nostalgia washes over the remaining fragments of thematic material.
Derrick Skye’s American Mirror Part One “…reflects on the coming together of cultures in our society.” Seamlessly, the score blends American elements of melody and harmony. The group exhibited its versatility, the strings mastering the woody, earthy sound called for by Aaron Copland, while in the next moment all strings united in a whispering shimmer to evoke our vast landscape. Bluegrass dominates the final episode, the musicians communicating enthusiasm for life and one another through their bravura playing of intricate melodies. The final lush chords sang out with the unity of the American experience.
As described in the program notes, Drill for Prepared Drumset and Strings by Curtis Stewart responded to life in New York during the pandemic. “We would sit on Broadway and let the chaos of the outside world soothe our restless souls, including the muscular roars of passing motorcycles and the wide cadence of “Drill music” up and down Broadway. The work’s multifariousness goes way beyond evoking the sounds of the city. Jazz and rock elements are recognizable. Jones put his virtuosity, amazing physical coordination, and musicality on full display with varied percussive elements holding everything together. The strings met the challenge, trading short, virtuosic motifs with ease or (the celli in particular) expressing the principal rhythmic elements. Drill ended with a strident rising scale that expressed a determined engagement with the forces of nature.
Through varied articulation and a disciplined control of dynamics, the Sphinx Virtuosi communicated the universality inherent in Juantio Becenti’s Hané, drawing us into thoughts of the beauty of nature, and the universality of the human experience. Theresa Carreno’s Serenade for Strings brought us back to the sounds of the string orchestra heard at the beginning of the concert. The orchestra again pulled off the rapid changes expertly. We loved the growling celli and basses at m. 91 and 92 which introduced the final combination of all elements in a wild, almost ironic display of everything the string orchestra can pull off. Sphinix kept control over its own destiny through tight ensemble work and control of cadence and flow.
The audience undoubtedly recognized that the first four notes of the final selection are a quote from Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” In Daydreaming, A Fantasy on Scott Joplin, composer Levi Taylor uses Joplinesque elements throughout, ie, syncopated rhythms, chromatically rising scales and motifs, as well as counterpoint to explore the extent to which his own music is inspired by Joplin. The result is arresting and ambitious, yet retains the wistfulness for which Joplin is so loved. An appropriate end to an innovative, varied and thrilling concert.