Stellar performances mark the beginning of Gabriela Estévez’s time as Cornell’s newest conductor.
The stone steps were slicked with rain as audience members entered Bailey Hall on Saturday for the first concert of the semester featuring the Cornell Chamber Orchestra and the Cornell Symphony Orchestra. Everyone was eager to see the debut of Maestra Gabriela Gómez Estévez, a flutist and director of the two ensembles. The program showcased a diversity among music, from the contemporary American composer Jessie Montgomery to the world-renowned composer of the Romantic Era Antonin Dvorak.
Silence fell upon the hall as Estévez took the stage, and Montgomery’s “Starburst” opened the program with a cacophonous dialogue between shifting groups of violins, violas, and celli. Fresh pizzicati emerged from the chaos, the twenty-or-so instrumentalists creating a sound akin to the gentle flapping of butterflies in a sweet, spring afternoon. The increasing waves of sound accumulated into a tumultuous tone, creating a sense of urgency before finally arriving at bright chordal streaks. The unexpected ending pulsed through the hall; its abruptness eliciting a moment of quizzical silence followed by enthusiastic applause.
The chamber orchestra moved the audience from the high-voltage energy of Montgomery’s animated adventure to a contemplative meditation with George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings,” showcasing the work of the first African American composer to win a Pulitzer Prize in Music. The subtle blossoming of this introspective work increased the audience’s desire for more as the strings swelled. True to viola form, the section was a bit flat in their melodious tunes, but the audience did not have time to linger on it as a sudden modulation following the flowing lines recaptured their attention. The celli were strong in their entrance, maintaining a steady balance with the rest of the ensemble regardless of the three cellists against a dozen violinists. Although there were out of tune notes, the issue was mitigated by the mystical atmosphere created by the articulated dynamics.
This transcendence gave way to the woodsy, rustic charm of Czech composer Leos Janácek’s “Suite for Strings.” Its chorus-like opening made me expectant to see Tolkein’s Wood Elves leaving the forests of Middle Earth straight into Cornell’s Botanical Garden for the winter. (None were spotted, much to my chagrin.) The original seven-movement piece was pared down to three. While the celli proved their strength in the previous piece, they were outshone by the violins’ opening– a shame to hear. While they stumbled through some of the notes, the orchestra had no problem in following Estévez’s gestures, even though it seemed like they never looked up from their stands, and the suite was quick to end, concluding the first-half of the program.
During intermission, there were listeners tottling about as a myriad of pleasantries and salutations were exchanged. Girls in groups of three-or-more banded together in search of the bathroom, quickly moving to return before the second segment of the performance began. Twinkles of laughter overlapping with last-minute practicing filled the hall as the Cornell Symphony Orchestra members took the stage. The lights dimmed as Estévez emerged once more.
A delightful opening of Mexican pianist Jose Pable Moncayo’s most famous work “Huapango” reeled the audience in as the lively melody was passed back and forth between the strings and the winds. The dialogue between the trombone and trumpet created a fanfare-like mood, encouraging the other instrumentalists to join in on the fun.
The energetic atmosphere soon calmed as the melancholy opening of Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8 in G Major” permeated throughout the hall. The melody pulled the audience into a trance before the playful calling of the flute opened it up to a grand fanfare. The violas and celli were in musical cahoots, their tones mixed in a harmonious way. The constant climbing created friction in the development that was later resolved in a flurry of sound, and the subsequent foreboding modulations allowed the end of the movement to shine brightly.
The Wood Elvish aura returned as the second movement featured a lyrical opening of strings, but it was quickly rebutted by an interchange with the winds. The competition between the two sections created an atmosphere of friendly tension, and the marcato motif provided markers of space between the interactions. The beautiful violin solo guided the flutes (and later the rest of the orchestra) through the development and to the next theme. The flute motif was recalled but with a minor twinge accompanied by the clarinets, which soon turned into a beautiful, well-rehearsed duet in the woodwinds. While the exchange of chords was Tchaikovsky-esque– reminiscent of the opening to “Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture”– it provided a mystical feel to the piece. However, the fullness of sound was distinctly Dvorak, bringing the second movement to a close.
Unfortunately, in the middle of the third movement, the stamina and consistency of the rhythm began to lag– not at the fault of one section in particular, but the ensemble as a whole seemed to have lost its coherence. They quickly regrouped after a few measures and continued strong. The oscillating feel of the music mimicked the swaying of a ship, accompanied by the romantic, yearning in the violins as they slid up and down the fingerboard. The lightness of pizzicati and a singular chord made a simple ending to a zesty movement.
The principal flautist, sophomore Abigail Black was hard at work in the final movement, leading the ensemble into the next theme. The work’s seamless transitions between melodies was executed flawlessly by the ensemble. The celli returned with a lyrical melody for the last time, joined by the violins’ sweet tones. The strings enjoyed a last walk through a harmonious field of melodies before passing it along to the winds. After a moment of pianissimo from all sections, the fanfare was back with a whirlwind, and the piece closed with fast-paced eighths contrasted with long, broad chords, ending the program with a bang.
The thunderous applause was immediate, and as it continued, the audience began to stand in ovation for the stellar performance. As Bailey Hall began to empty, compliments and praise were bestowed upon the musicians for their high-caliber performance, bringing a fitting end to an impressive musical display.