KELSEYVILLE – It has been said that the most perfect musical instrument ever conceived is the full symphony orchestra. However, occasionally an inspired leader will join with equally inspired musicians to create a program of stunning individual performances, and this is what happened at Sunday's annual Mothers Day concert at Kelseyville High School.
During the course of the two-hour program no fewer than a dozen of the orchestra's 50-plus members were saluted by conductor John Parkinson and the audience for their outstanding work.
Among them were trumpeters Gary Miller, Jay Johnson and Tom Woodville, who brought the audience to its feet with their dazzling performance of Leroy Anderson's o brass classic "Bugler's Holiday" and Nick Biondo and Peter Stanley who teamed up on Anderson's other instrumental hit "Clarinet Candy."
Others winning individual recognition were flautist Catherine Hall, Oboist Beth Aiken and trombonist Larry Price and two percussionists, Sean Chiles on timpani and Scott Wise on drums. Special recognition was accorded keyboardist Tom Aiken who swapped his usual instrument to play an ancient Royal manual typewriter in a rendition of Anderson's campy "The Typewriter." At its conclusion Aiken ceremoniously ripped the paper from his typewriter and presented it as a memento to a bemused Parkinson.
The three numbers, along with the ever-popular "Blue Tango" was the symphony's salute to Anderson, a leader in America's light classical musical genre on what would have been the composer's 100th birthday. In his tribute to Anderson Parkinson noted that he had been a fixture for many years as an arranger for the Boston Pops, then conducted by Arthur Fiedler. He also took time to preface most of the orchestra's other numbers with brief explanations about the songs and their writers and performers.
The concert opened on an upbeat note with "The Trolley Song" and continued with a series of numbers drawn from MGM's 1974 movie "That's Entertainment'" which also was the theme of the concert, which – with the exception of the Leroy Anderson pieces – focused almost totally on music from Broadway and Hollywood.
Included among the latter were "Singin' in the Rain," "The Boy Next Door," "You Made me Love You," "Broadway Melody," "Over the Rainbow" and others. From the former came "An American in Paris," a medley from "Chicago," "April in Paris," "Mack the Knife," "I Got Rhythm," Peg O' My Heart" and "It's Only a Paper Moon."
On this special day with many mothers praying for sons and daughters on distant battlefields, the symphony's moving rendition of John Williams' "Hymn to the Fallen" from "Saving Private Ryan" was especially poignant, particularly with the concluding muted drumbeats by percussionist Wise.
Following intermission the 14 youngsters representing the CLPA Youth Orchestra took the stage, with three numbers: "Dance" by Bela Bartok, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" and Richard Meyer's "Tangerine Rag." Orchestra director Wes Follett, who was acknowledged by Parkinson for his role in training and inspiring young Lake County musicians, noted that his was truly an all-American program, since Bartok had spent the final years of his life in the United States.
The Youth Orchestra will present a special concert at Kelseyville's Presbyterian Church on Sunday, June 8 at 8:30 pm. The public is invited and admission is free.
Paula Samonte, the Ukiah jazz singer who has often teamed up with Parkinson in past performances, then took the microphone to render three numbers that were especially arranged for her by Parkinson. They were "I've Got the World on a String," "Don't Get Around Much Any More" and "Orange Colored Sky."
Her sultry delivery and precise timing brought sustained applause from the 300-plus people in attendance. She also announced that she was booked for two performances at the newly-opened Soper-Reese Community Theater in Lakeport, to take place in September.
With the exception of one year, when illness forced her to withdraw, Samonte has been a fixture at the annual CLPA Christmas concerts, but announced today that she would have to skip this year's holiday concert due to the fact that she has been invited to appear in a featured role at an international music festival taking place in Rome. Conductor Parkinson, the orchestra and the audience all joined in wishing her well.
After the concert the entire orchestra posed for a photo, staged and shot by trumpeter Jay Johnson, who doubles as a professional photographer. Clear Lake Performing Arts plans to use his picture extensively for printed materials and also on the group's Web site at www.clearlakeperformingarts.org.
CLPA concert arrangements chairman, Hope Brewer, is busily planning for the fall and winter concert season which will include two Lake County Symphony performances. Dates, times and locales will be announced when performances are booked.
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