By Tim Gaylard, Special to The Roanoke Times

The famed Irish flutist Sir James Galway and his wife, Jeanne, were the featured artists with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra at the Performing Arts Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Maestro David Stewart Wiley led the appealing program of Glinka, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Cimarosa for a sold-out house of more than 2,000 audience members.

Galway, who has been a leading classical performer for decades, played a joyful rendition of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major. Galway applied the sound of his golden flute with admirable breath control, and he displayed sensitive nuances in the dynamic shadings of his instrument, most notably in the sustained beauties of the slow movement.

The audience was lucky to have not just one Galway but two, when Sir James’ wife, Lady Galway, joined him to perform Cimarosa’s Concerto for Two Flutes in G major. The couple sailed through the elegant and graceful score, playing off each others’ musical lines with a unified approach and delightful repartee. The audience responded to this expert partnership with a well-deserved standing ovation. The Galways reciprocated by playing a number of encores, the highlights of the whole concert.

Sir James amused the audience with his Irish wit and charm as he introduced the items. He and his wife played a zippy arrangement of Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca,” followed by Cindy McTee’s beautiful arrangement of ”Shenandoah.”

Then Sir James took the stage alone. He played two Irish folk tunes, the latter an absolutely ravishing “Danny Boy.” Then a Bach “Badinerie,” taken at breath-taking speed, was repeated at an even more miraculous presto tempo.

Wiley provided a supportive orchestral sound for the soloists, and let the RSO shine in three crowd-pleasers for the orchestra alone.

In the second half of the program, Wiley conducted Mendelssohn’s beloved tone-poem, known as either the ”Hebrides” or “Fingal’s Cave” overture. In this piece, the audience heard some of the best orchestral wind playing of the concert, especially from the clarinets.

Finally, as the audience was leaving, Sir James appeared one more time and played an Irish tune on his own. The crowd responded with clapping.

Timothy Gaylard is music professor at Washington and Lee University.

By Kevin Kittredge, Special to The Roanoke Times

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and music director David Stewart Wiley kicked off their 2011-2012 season at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre on Monday night with a crowd-pleasing program that featured a distinct American theme.

The bill included Leonard Bernstein’s overture to “Candide” and the ever-popular “New World Symphony” by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, written on a visit to America in the 1890s. The audience of more than 1,600 even got into the act, singing along with the RSO’s opening rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The highlight of the evening, however, was surely the world premiere of a concerto for mandolin and orchestra written by Roanoke’s own Jeff Midkiff. Midkiff, a local educator and clarinetist, is also a virtuoso mandolin player. His concerto, “From the Blue Ridge,” was commissioned by the RSO.

Blending elements of multiple genres and including lyrical solos on the piccolo and bassoon, the 18-minute concerto was a long way from “Rocky Top.” Midkiff himself played the mandolin, switching from percussive rhythm work to do dazzling solo runs, in the process expanding this listener’s knowledge of what a mandolin could do, and be. There were times when it sounded more like Flamenco guitar than a bluegrass instrument. The last movement, aptly titled “The Crooked Road,” was where Midkiff showed his Appalachian roots. In one memorable passage, Midkiff and concertmaster Akemi Takayama played a searing bluegrass duet that would have drawn hoots and cheers in less august surroundings. This audience reserved the hollerin’ for the end of the piece, which got a standing ovation.

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 is one of the world’s best-loved orchestral pieces. The composer was a little vague on whether its fetching melodies were based on African-American or Native American roots, and some feel they draw mostly from his native Bohemia. Either way, it’s an early statement about the power of America’s polyglot culture that still resonates today.

The RSO did the piece justice. The ravishing English horn melody in the slow movement, played here by William Parrish, was enough to bring tears to the eye. Some of the more boisterous parts lacked punch in this difficult room, however, especially in the right loge — despite the fact the RSO had placed its horn players up on risers. But the strings had a warm, buttery sound up there, lovely to hear. All in all, it was a satisfying night, and a powerful argument for keeping Wiley, now in his 16th season, around forever.

Maestro David Stewart Wiley
Soprano Leah Marer Wiley
Flutist Julee Hickcox

A Gala Musical Evening with the Wileys Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7pm

Talmadge Hall, Hollins University, Roanoke Va

Benefiting Community School’s Yamaha MIE Music Lab and featuring favorites from hit Broadway musicals, Italian opera showpieces, and jazzy duos for flute and piano.

Tickets $25.00 available at:
www.communityschool.net or 540.563.5036
www.jeffersoncenter.org

September 2, 7:00 p.m.
“Duo Piano Fireworks: From Sea to Shining C” will be presented on Friday September 2, 7:00 p.m. and will feature Tracy Cowden from Blacksburg and David Stewart Wiley on duo pianos.

David Stewart Wiley

Tracy Cowden

September 4, 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 4th at 3:00 in the afternoon, the halls of Trinity Ecumenical Parish will again be reverberating with three vocal stars, Philip & Tara Bouknight and Leah Marer Wiley joining Maestro David Stewart Wiley in an afternoon of favorites, “Labors of Love: from Boheme to Bernstein”.

Leah Marer Wiley

Philip & Tara Bouknight

Get your tickets early, for this popular afternoon concert during labor Day weekend is sure to sell out.

Both performances will be held at Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Rt. 122 at Lakemount, Moneta.

Tickets are $20 each performance or $35 for both performances
Available at the SML Visitors Center, Print-n-Paper and The General Store
Or send check to SMAC, P.O. Box 70, Moneta, VA 24121
(Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope)
For further information Call Marty 297-0965 or 540-309-1676
E-mail: martyyb@moneta-va.com

Maestro Wiley in Lake Effects recording session.

RSO conductor and Music Director David Wiley and collaborator Kazimir Boyle wrote original pieces for the movie score. Wiley said he had been involved in discussions for almost two years with Sarah Elizabeth Timmins, the young producer of Lake Effects, about the project. Timmins came to an RSO pops concert as a guest and asked Wiley afterwards about contributing to the soundtrack.

“It seemed really like a wonderful possibility,” said Wiley, who splits his time now between the Roanoke Symphony and the Long Island (NY) Philharmonic. “It’s all come together and we’re all terribly excited.”

Seven short selections were recorded; Wiley isn’t sure how much of the music recorded by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra will survive the editing process but is hoping for 5 to 10 minutes worth. Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” was also recorded by the RSO for the film, which employed many local actors, extras and production personnel.

Wiley has scored arrangements for musicians like Bruce Hornsby and Billy Joel but had never been involved with a movie project. One of his early mentors, the late Leonard Bernstein, often talked about his work for “On the Waterfront,” the Marlon Brando flick from the early 1950’s. “One of his great scores, in addition to ‘West Side Story’ …” noted the curly-haired maestro.

Scoring for movies is “a very different art,” says Wiley, who “loved the script” for Lake Effects. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful film.” Wiley also used scenes from the movie as inspiration as he wrote the score. “I needed to find music that supported the characters and the feel for this.”

Walking around the set at the lake also helped provide motivation. He’s not aware of other regional orchestras being involved in such a project; usually studio orchestras from big cities like Los Angeles, New York or Seattle are contracted for symphonic movie soundtracks. “Our players are excited to try new and different things,” said Wiley, “and they worked very closely with us to make this possible.”

He had met Jane Seymour (an early “Bond girl”) in 1993, recalling the veteran actress as “incredibly gracious and warm … the antithesis of the Diva,” but did not get to meet her during the Lake Effects shoot. Wiley said he has probably staged at least thirty concerts over the years that featured music from films. “I’m a huge fan of movie scores … and classic films. This is another joy for me in that regard.”

Maestro Wiley with Lake Effects star Jane Seymour at Hotel Roanoke

Sarah Elizabeth Timmins is “the driving force behind [Lake Effects] and an incredible lady,” said Wiley, “her energy and enthusiasm … was infectious from the beginning. This was a really collaborative project.” Finding new ways to bring their music to audiences – like the pops series and now the Lake Effects sound track – is one reason Wiley thinks the RSO has been successful and stable. “We are constantly refining our business model for what we do.” Going to the movies “is a new experience for [the RSO players]. It’s always a fun process.”

Wiley also hopes Lake Effects will help attract more film business and visitors to the region. “Projects like this don’t come along very often. When they do, they bring attention to the beauty of our area and the diversity of music in our region – this can be a real tourist destination – I think that is a ‘win-win.’ The Symphony, I think, is part of that. We contribute to the quality of life; we’re a local business. I am hopeful that it will bring attention nationally and internationally to our region.”

The new RSO season starting this fall will be announced in the next few weeks. “I think this is an exciting time for us,” said Wiley, “Our community is going to be, I hope, excited and inspired by some of the things we have planned for next year as well.”

The Long Island Philharmonic has had four Music Directors since its founding in 1979, but none of them has been as effective at communicating intimate, nuanced music with the audience as David Stewart Wiley. Its Music Director for almost ten years, Mr. Wiley enjoys speaking to the audience before many of the pieces the orchestra performs, and those in attendance clearly enjoy it, benefitting from musical examples that accompany that talk because they get a preview—much like a movie trailer—and know what details to listen for. And the Long Island audience needs this added familiarity more than in a major city, where a Mozart symphony isn’t exactly a foreign affair.

Before the performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 39, Wiley interestingly noted that the first movement may be the first time the waltz (opposed to the Minuet) was incorporated into a symphony. He also rightly mentions the countryside, folk aspect to the symphony as a whole. And that inspires an analogy: Mozart brings the countryside to the symphony, and the Long Island Philharmonic brings the symphony to the countryside, enriching the musical experiences of thousands of Long Islanders, who do not have to leave the suburbs in order to hear great music—or great music-making. Perhaps—quite fittingly—the suburbs of Long Island are the perfect place to hear intimate music.

The performance of the 39th Symphony was indeed given a polished, sparkling and elegant account. The sound of the orchestra is in terrific shape, with special mention going to the solo clarinet and the French Horns for handling difficult moments with effortlessness and beauty. In Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, excellent pianist Joseph Kalichstein, who often modestly collaborated like he was one of many solo instruments within the orchestra rather than the main soloist, nonetheless gave the kind of briskly-paced performances—in the outer movements—that didn’t always mesh with the ensemble behind him. Still, it was impressively played on both technical and musical fronts, with the slow movement the undeniable highlight, as its darkly solemn and sublime moments were performed with tremendous conviction.

In Bartok’s Romanian Dances, which opened the program, the clarinet solos were playfully and endearingly shaped. The Piccolo solo was played with great sensitivity, creating the character of a wandering, lost soul. Wiley set the mood before each dance and achieved deeply committed performances from the players. The first violin section played with unity of movement—often using their bows fully, from the lower part of the bow (the ‘frog’) to the very tip, which can be a rarity for orchestras.

The intimate musical repertory the Long Island Philharmonic explores is sorely needed, as many orchestras concentrate on the more ostentatiously grand symphonic music and stay away from the more delicate gems. Yet Long Island audiences appreciate the nuances of this delightful music because David Stewart Wiley allows his audiences to savor it all—during the performance, but also before it.

-Anthony Aibel for New York Concert Review; New York, NY

Available online at: http://www.nyconcertreview.com/blog/?p=556