De Vries had mastery over a tricky instrument. She managed the rapid changes in mallets well, coordinating four at a time.
CYBER SUMMER FESTIVAL CONCERT 2
Recorded at Cape Town City Hall on January 27, 2022
Streamed February 24- 28, 2022
Conductor Bernhard Gueller
Soloist Magdalena de Vries (marimba)
Allan Stephenson Toccata Exotica (1984) for Marimba and Orchestra
Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op 27
Review by Dr Martin Goldstein *
The second and final concert of the Cape Town Philharmonic’s Cyber Symphony Summer Festival, which was streamed on 24 February 2022, featured several eclectic elements and ended a two-concert series that saw a dialectic between the more conventional and the eccentric.
Stephenson’s Toccata Exotica was written in 1984 for Robert van Sice, the American percussionist. However, the work hasn’t had many performances, featuring only on odd occasions such as the concerts staged by Artscape in 2004 and in 2008 at the Beau Soleil Music Centre in Cape Town. Interestingly, it bears many similarities to Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints, Op. 211 composed by Alan Hovhaness. However, Hovhaness’ work was written for xylophone. Both compositions have distinctly Oriental elements and other similarities in terms of form and orchestration. It is thought that Stephenson may have been influenced by Hovhaness’ work because it was among the recordings which Van Sice gave him. In the orchestra’s performance of the work, the soloist was Magdalena de Vries. She is regarded as one of South Africa’s leading Classical marimbists. She has won numerous local music competitions and has received several scholarships which enabled her to pursue her postgraduate studies in Japan. She enjoyed a fruitful period in the UK which included several concert tours and recordings. She has performed as an orchestral percussionist with various international and local orchestras. She continues to fill important roles including that of teacher and adjudicator. Notable are her efforts to promote the Classical marimba as a recognized solo instrument. Before the orchestra’s performance of the work, De Vries gave an introduction discussing Stephenson’s skill in devising beautiful melodies and in creating lush orchestration. She noted how this work allows the marimba to be in conversation with the orchestra and how the cadenza allows it to display its full range of tones. Finally, she reminisced about her reunion with the CPO. In the orchestra’s performance of the work, there was an ominous mood with a hypnotic entrance in the marimba. It was clear that the marimba is an instrument that lends itself to this sort of atmosphere. De Vries had mastery over a tricky instrument. She managed the rapid changes in mallets well, coordinating four at a time. The rapid chromatic passages were beautifully juxtaposed against the flute. In the cadenza, the music was wispy and conjured up the image of smoke and mist. There were stirring sonorities and dissonances. It was clear that the marimba is capable of creating rich harmonies using broken chords. Stephenson’s characteristic English folk music style emerged during the work. An interesting eclectic work that brought together seemingly irreconcilable styles.
The period commencing at the beginning of 1906 was the most productive of Rachmaninov’s life and it was at this time that his style reached its full maturity. Following several fairly unproductive years after the unfavourable reception of his First Symphony in 1897, his style began to develop considerably. His music became more harmonically rich with intensely lyrical melodies. The opening bars of his Second Symphony, like those of his First Symphony, contain the seeds of thematic unity. However, in his Second Symphony, Rachmaninov allows this thematic material to undergo a more leisurely expansion and development than in his First Symphony. The Second Symphony’s long phrases need room to mature. Likewise, the slow movement is endowed with expansive melodies. Before the orchestra’s performance of the
work, renowned Principal Guest Conductor Bernhard Gueller gave an introduction. He outlined the events surrounding Rachmaninov’s composition of the work and its premiere in 1908 in St Petersburg. He also discussed the disastrous premiere of Rachmaninov’s First Symphony about ten years before this and how this set him back as a composer. In the orchestra’s performance of the Largo there was much sadness and longing. The Allegro moderato saw rousing harmonies and passionate playing in the cellos. The music soared to great heights with its lush harmonies. In the Allegro molto, the atmosphere was intensified by the rising chromatic line. Gueller excruciated over the subtle effects. The brass played with much fury. There were swooning Romantic phrases in the strings. Towards the end of the movement, the trombones introduced the beautiful Russian Orthodox chords with their modal harmony. In the Adagio, the clarinettist Féroll-Jon Davids provided a beautiful yearning melody. This was one of the highlights of the concert. The audience particularly enjoyed this movement with its stirring melodies. In the Allegro vivace, there was growing excitement and a triumphant ending.
Dr Martin Goldstein holds a PhD in Music from Bar Ilan University in Israel, a Masters of Music from King’s College London and a Bachelors of Music from the University of KwaZulu Natal. He lectures at the University of Fort Hare. His area of research is stretto in Bach’s instrumental fugues; he plays the piano, violin and pipe organ and also writes reviews on KZNPO concerts.
