NCCO Open Rehearsal

Monday morning I heard an open rehearsal for this week's concerts by the New Century Chamber Orchestra. They worked on Vivaldi's 4 Seasons. Each movement features a different violinist of the orchestra as soloist, with music director Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg in the 1st & last spots. Dawn Harms was virtuosic in the 1st movement of Summer, & she joked around with her stance when Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg admonished her not to face the cellos during her solo. Candace Guirao was capricious in the 1st movement of Autumn, playing with a lot of contrasts. Iris Stone played the slow movement of Winter deamily, & Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg called out a "bravo" to Karen Sor's strongly grounded 3rd movement of Summer. Each musician simply stands up for her solo turn, so Jennifer Cho, playing the Adagio from Summer from the back of the stage, expressed concern that she could not hear the rest of the orchestra.

This was a working rehearsal, & the musicians engaged in discussion after each movement. They do not hesitate to make suggestions or request cues, & the atmosphere is supportive. Changes occur incrementally. It was interesting to see them decide on using a single viola for the slow movement of Winter through a process of negotiation rather than fiat, after Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg warned the violas not to sound like chihuahuas. Liza Zurlinden had a very detailed list of notes for the ensemble for the last movement of Autumn, including the use of col legno.

The mid-morning audience was sparse but engaged, & they applauded each of the soloists. During the break complimentary coffee & donuts were served. This rehearsal covered all of the Vivaldi, but the complete program includes Handel's Entrance of the Queen of Sheba & contemporary works by Clarice Assad & Lera Auerbach.

§ New Century Chamber Orchestra
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Music Director

Open Rehearsal for Soloists of New Century

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Le Quattro Staggioni, Op. 8, nos. 1-4
(The Four Seasons)

La Primavera (Spring), RV 269 in E major
I. Allegro    Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Violin
II. Largo    Hrabba Atladottir, Violin
III. Allegro    Anna Presler, Violin

L'Estate (Summer), RV 315 in G minor
I. Allegro non molto    Dawn Harms, Violin
II. Adagio    Jennifer Cho, Violin
III. Presto    Karen Sor, Violin

L'Autunno (Autumn), RV 293 in F major
I. Allegro    Candace Guirao, Violin
II. Adagio Molto    tutti violins
III. Allegro    Liza Zurlinden, Violin

L'Inverno (Winter), RV 297 in F minor
I. Allegro non molto    Robin Mayforth, Violin
II. Largo    Iris Stone, Violin
III. Allegro    Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin

Monday, December 10, 2012, 10am
Herbst Theatre, San Francisco