LI Philharmonic Celebrates with 30th Birthday Concert
November 17, 2009 by stephanie
Filed under Long Island Philharmonic, Recent Updates
by Bruce Von Bryan, special to The LI Press
There was anticipation and electricity in the air for several thousand concertgoers at the Tilles Center on Saturday evening, as the Long Island Philharmonic & Chorus performed a program by Mozart, Schubert, and Beethoven exactly thirty years to the day of the first concert in 1979. The chorus filled the back of the stage and joined the orchestra as Music Director & Conductor David Stewart Wiley energetically led the musicians in Wiley’s own full orchestration of the Star Spangled Banner. Mozart’s piano concerto in A Major K. 488 comprised the rest of the first half, featuring pianist Seymour Lipkin. Lipkin, no stranger to Tilles audiences, has been a visible figure in orchestral music on Long Island, having been conductor of the Huntington Symphony until 1979. Lipkin brought an elegant pianistic touch to the Mozart, although a few memory slips were in evidence. Wiley and his players provided a sympathetic and stylistic accompaniment, with beautiful woodwind solos in abundance. The final allegro brought the audience to grateful applause.
After intermission and a recognition of the orchestra’s founding members, Wiley and the musicians presented the so-called “Unfinished” Symphony in B Minor by Franz Schubert. The performance demonstrated beautiful phrasing, dramatic and compelling silences, and wide dynamic contrasts. Particularly notable were principal oboe Diane Lesser’s oboe solos and Pascal Archer’s clarinet playing. Wiley, conducting without a score, chose a moderate allegro tempo for the first movement which allowed the second theme to shine, and the flow of the second movement andante seemed to unify the two movements convincingly as one. This performance demonstrated that the LI Philharmonic has grown artistically into an impressive regional orchestra under Wiley’s leadership, and deserves continued support and attendance. The full Tilles Center audience expressed its appreciation with sustained applause.
The final work on the concert was Beethoven’s early experiment with the “Ode to Joy” theme — the Fantasy for chorus, orchestra, and piano. Lipkin provided the opening cadenza and launched into the variations with orchestra with great energy. The 120-member LI Philharmonic Chorus, expertly prepared by Frances Roberts, demonstrated clear diction and powerful choral sonority, led by a well-blended sextet of soloists positioned in the center. Wiley and his ensemble seemed to be relishing every moment, communicating the raw power of Beethoven’s music. It was an exciting way to conclude this birthday celebration event, and the audience responded with an immediate and sustained standing ovation. The satisfied crowd was rewarded by Maestro Wiley and his musicians with an encore performance of the finale of the Beethoven.
The LI Philharmonic and Broadway star Franc D’Ambrosia will perform with the LIP this coming Friday at the patchogue Theater. www.liphilharmonic.org
