Bangor Symphony women sparkle in MCA show

The stage of the Maine Center for the Arts became a showplace Saturday night for the varied strengths of women in the musical arts, as guest conductor Kay Gardner led a 40-member orchestra of female members of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra through a repertoire of seven vastly dissimilar works, all by female composers. The music, selected by Gardner, ranged from a late baroque sinfonia to the premiere of a new work, written by the symphony’s own principal clarinetist, Beth Wiemann.

The weakest moments of the evening came during The Sinfonia in C of Marianne Martines. The piece itself, written by this student of Haydn, and contemporary of Mozart, was competent enough. The performance, however, lacked the precision and apparent effortlessness which this rational, almost mathematical, style demands.

Next on the program was Heralds and Heroines, a short work by Wiemann, commissioned for this performance. With broken fanfares performed by the horn and woodwind sections fleshing out the sound, and sparkling little musical figures drawn on a ground of drawn-out chords, the piece came to an abrupt and exciting conclusion.

A series of three bittersweet waltzes, Suite en Forme de Valsesby Melanie Bonis, showed this ensemble at its best. Beginning with a lovely sad waltz , a subtle use of percussion and plucked strings added piquancy to the otherwise sweet melody. The second waltz was dominated by the umber tones of woodwinds and strings while the last waltz, less poignant, more Viennese, brought the suite to a satisfying close.

The final piece of the first half of the concert was an energetic modern work by composer Chen Yi. Based on rhythms and images of women working in the fields , the piece was disturbing, combining humanistic and mechanistic elements. Angular passages sounding like vast machinery set in motion were layered with folk melodies and primitive drumming.

After a brief intermission, the audience was greeted by a stage filled only with empty chairs and music stands.

The orchestra itself had split into three sections deploying itself to various spots throughout the hall. Conductor Kay Gardner explained that the following music was “aleatoric” music of chance, and never the same twice. Gardner advised the audience to “sit back and do deep listening. This music is extremely subtle, and meditative. Go where you will.”

Guided only by a set of rules, instead of a score, the performers played a series of self-chosen notes in long drawn out combinations. As colored lights on the stage changed from red through yellow and on to blue, the number of notes a performer could play varied, leading to a more dense, atonal vibration from the triphonic orchestra.

This piece was interesting and might have been truly enjoyable. However, its premise of long unchanging tones was shattered by some intonation problems, breaking the meditative spell.

Next on the program was a delightful 20th century impressionist piece, Deep Forest by Mabel Daniels. Daniels spent 24 summers in the woods near Peterborough, New Hampshire, and this lush pastoral piece evoked both the majesty and mystery of the New England forest. With just enough dissonance to firmly plant this work in the 20th century, this lovely music was performed with great emotion and empathy .

Last on the program was the Piano Concerto in A minor of Clara Wieck Schumann, written when she was only a teen-ager. This piece, intrinsically ripe with yearning, was so emotionally charged in this context – perhaps because we know Schumann’s professional life was largely overshadowed by her more famous husband, Robert Schumann, and because we know of his premature death and that of four of her eight children.

Piano soloist Patricia Stowell gave a virtuosa performance, coaxing the full range of emotion and audio dynamics from the Steinway concert grand. And Gardner managed to get a big orchestra sound from this small orchestra, while also nudging the ensemble to yield to the voice of the piano.

The rousing climax with piano and orchestra trading crashing chords brought the small but enthusiastic audience to its feet for a standing ovation and a number of well-deserved curtain calls.

That is what happened musically last Saturday night. But there are unanswered questions touching on society as well as music: Why is it still necessary to separately showcase the musical talents of women? Why are there so few women who hold directorships of orchestras? How good would this ensemble sound if it got the chance to play on a regular basis? When will these pieces be included on programs more often? And why did so few people attend this major concert?

The Classical Celebration of Amazing Woman was part of Women’s Week 2000, which includes a number of events and activities through Friday, Oct. 20, including an appearance by poet, educator and historian Maya Angelou at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at the Maine Center for the Arts.

Helen York is a classical music host on Maine Public Radio. She also works behind the scenes at WERU Community Radio in East Orland.