BSO dresses for fun at first Casual Concert

BANGOR – This past Saturday evening, The Bangor Symphony Orchestra dropped its formal attire and added a few promising young musicians, entertaining a packed house at the Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School. This concert, the first of two Casual Concerts to celebrate the opening of the Maine Discovery Museum in downtown Bangor early next month, was built around the idea of celebration and fun in general, with lots of activities to engage and amuse even the youngest child.

Before the concert, a troupe of colorful clowns in the lobby rapidly created balloon animals to the delight of all; more about those balloons later. Ludwig van Beethoven dressed up in breeches and powdered wig, while the orchestra dressed down for this

concert, replacing formalwear with color-coded shirts; red for the string section, yellow for the woodwinds, blue for the brasses, green for the percussionists. Four white T-shirts were scattered throughout the orchestra, allowing the audience to easily pick out guest musicians Chris Downes, Colin Graebert, Will Barrett and Jeremy Viner, all music students at Bangor High School.

Aaron Copland’s’ “Fanfare for the Common Man” acted as a true fanfare, a celebratory preface, a flourish to stir the senses and exhilarate the soul. Featuring only the brass and percussion sections, this short piece startled many young listeners who may have thought music needed to be amplified to have any power.

After the “Fanfare,” director Christopher Zimmerman told the audience, “This evening’s concert is designed to be a selection of appetizers to … er … seduce you into the great wide world of classical music!”

And a smorgasbord of sound it was, including the first movement of Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8,” balancing light wind motifs against dark Slavic melodies, the “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman,” with a marvelous performance from principal percussionist Nancy Rowe Laite, as well as the powerful final movements of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5.”

One highlight of the evening included a lovely performance of Richard Strauss’ “Horn Concerto No. 1.” After a few tense moments, young soloist Michelle Bolton relaxed and confidently performed this exacting piece with great poise and verve. Even the firecracker sounds of some of the aforementioned balloons did nothing to break her concentration, for which she was rewarded by a curtain call and a standing ovation from the audience and the members of the orchestra. Another crowd pleaser was the “Triumphal March and Ballet,” from “Aida” by Verdi, with its romantic Italianate melodies and exotic faux-Egyptian touches.

The final Casual Concert, featuring the same program but with Camden area students Elise Kopesky and Nathan Curtll, will be performed at the brand-new Strom Auditorium at the Camden Hills High School in Camden, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3. Information on this and other concerts by the BSO may be obtained by calling 942-5555 or (800) 639-3221.