By Daniel Buckwalter
A lovely concert filled the air on Feb. 28 at Central Presbyterian Church in Eugene, even if the outside world succeeded in leaving a very different and intrusive mark.
There was my phone, quietly vibrating with updates and images of atrocities masquerading as necessary war a world away, not to mention the shrill updates and images of local protests and counter protests. The harm we do to ourselves never ceases to amaze me.
Then there was the house party across the street, a reminder that Central Presbyterian Church sits at the heart of the University of Oregon neighborhood, and college kids do like their thumping bass music.
Still, the Oregon Mozart Players — under the relaxed and understated leadership of artistic director David Amado — came through with elegance and grace in its After & Before program in front of a healthy-size audience. It was a needed balm to the fractious surround sound of the day.
OMP highlighted the works of contemporary composer Caroline Shaw as well the majesty of Igor Stravinsky and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Shaw’s Entr’acte, which opened the program, is a delicate walk on a tight rope that has to be heard. Softly played, it’s wonderfully chaotic in spots, and it ends with the tenderness of a cello solo (Julia Weldon).
That was followed by Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, a miniature portrait of the ballet’s full musical score. Like many ballets (and operas), Pulcinella tells a fanciful story of self-serving characters who flirt, spread gossip and toy with affections.
The central character even fakes his own death. Upon his “resurrection,” the ballet ends joyfully as everyone gets married. Stravinsky had fun with the composition, and the audience had fun following the often spritely and jovial music.
As for Mozart — well, his Symphony No. 40 in G minor needs little explanation. From its iconic first movement to its romantic second movement, its intense third movement and its expressive call-and-response final movement, the symphony is a treasure that can be heard over and over, and OMP nailed it.
As noted earlier, it was a much-needed reprieve to the anger and hostility that surrounds us, and it’s the reason I keep coming back to the arts. It allows me to breathe in peace, if only for an afternoon or evening.
Long live the arts …
