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The Lawyers’ Orchestra
www.lawyersorchestra.org
Late Fall Concert
All Dvorák Program
David Bernard, Conductor
Maxine Neuman, Cello
Andrea Berger, Chair, Lawyers’ Orchestra Committee
At
The Pope Auditorium
Fordham University
113 West 60th Street
NY, NY
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
December 17, 2005
(See May 13, 2005 Lawyers’ Orchestra Review).
Program:
Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904)
Carnival Overture (1891-1892), Op. 92
Cello Concerto No. 2 in b minor (1896), Op. 104: Allegro, Adagio ma non troppo, Finale, Allegro moderato
Maxine Neuman, Cello
Symphony No. 8 in G major (1889-1890), Op. 88: Allegro con brio, Adagio, Allegretto grazioso, Allegro, ma non troppo
With a rousing introduction, Mr. Bernard, Conductor, engaged his packed audience at The Pope Auditorium at Fordham University to follow the fairly brief Carnival Overture in this all- Dvorák program through melodic, melancholy, and mesmerizing themes. Some racing string passages were especially energized.
Dvorák’s second Cello Concerto brought some atonal and edgy cello solos into the Allegro movement, and Maxine Neuman was skillful and secure on her 1772 J. B. Guadagnini cello in golden hues. The first movement ended with a marching allusion. Throughout the second and third movements, I heard elements of Czech folk dance and bucolic, evocative cello solos against the orchestral passages and accompaniments. This Concerto seemed to showcase the cello in combination with partial and full orchestral themes. There were repetitious passages that built in volume and emotion. Mr. Bernard kept the solo timing and cello-orchestral blending to perfection with an obvious comfort with Dvorák’s complex work. Ms. Neuman created some very solemn and soft tones with extended final sounds, in the Finale.
Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 was magnificent, with horns opening with brief, heraldic invitations, prior to the nine celli and flutes developing a fervor and flourish. The second movement brought out deep-toned brass, celli, and violas, plus faint, echoing violins. Horns were muted, elegant, and regal. The flutes were especially surreal, with song-bird qualities that led to clarinet and string passages, enhanced with drum rolls. This movement ended with muted horns and flowing strings.
A waltz introduced the third movement, with intriguing imagery. Melodic trills added ornamentation to this dance motif. Racing strings drove this dance to a driven dervish. Trumpets burst into the Auditorium for the fourth movement, with scintillating flutes in a repetitive theme that rose and fell in folkloric tones. A melancholy mood ensued in this Symphony, exuding with warmth and earthiness. Natural and pastoral effects could be heard just prior to Mr. Bernard’s leading of the full-flared finale. Kudos to Antonin Dvorák.
David Bernard, Conductor, Post-Concert
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Maxine Neuman, Cellist, Post-Concert
Photo courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
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