By Daniel Buckwalter
And we’re off and running to find the next artistic director of the Oregon Mozart Players.
OMP’s Artistic Director Festival kicked off on Oct. 5 with the first of three candidates for the artistic director position. Kevin Fitzgerald conducted the chamber symphony through the works of composers David Lang, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven in front of an ample audience in the sanctuary of Eugene’s Central Presbyterian Church.
From the light and fresh sweet-air piece by Lang to the glorious violin play of guest soloist Sunmi Chang in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and, finally, Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 7, the Saturday night concert had something for everyone, and the audience rose for a standing ovation for both Fitzgerald and OMP.
This being an audition for the artistic director position — David Amado follows on Oct. 19, and Daniel Cho takes his turn at the podium on Nov. 23 — most of the audience’s attention was focused on Fitzgerald, who has held many posts and is currently the associate conductor at the Jacksonville (Florida) Symphony.
He is barrel-chested and an imposing figure on the podium with a soft conducting touch that, it seems, seeks to encourage the musicians. Wonderfully, he did not make himself the center of attention during Chang’s virtuoso performance in the Mozart concerto. He let the music, and Chang, speak for themselves.
Fitzgerald was more demonstrative in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and that’s understandable. After all, it is a boisterous, energetic piece with rhythmic drive and some dance-like elements. It is fierce, it is fun, and Fitzgerald and OMP nailed it.
The highlight of the night was Chang’s play of the Mozart concerto, and if you missed it, don’t despair. She will be featured in the same piece twice more during the festival, with Amado and Cho leading the orchestra.
Chang’s encore piece on this night was a violin arrangement of Amazing Grace, and how sweet the sound was. I look forward to hearing more of her performances.
