(Above: Eric Alterman, cellist with the popular Delgani String Quartet, was guest soloist at the Riverside Chamber Symphony’s latest concert; photos by Paul Carter)
By Randi Bjornstad
I’m chagrined to say it, but I was not really aware enough of the Riverside Chamber Symphony ever to have attended one of their concerts before March 14.
That has been my loss, and apparently also that of many in Eugene-Springfield and environs, because the 30-member ensemble led by conductor Philip Bayles played for a rather sparse crowd. Anyone who wasn’t filling a seat that evening at the Wildish Theater in downtown Springfield missed a satisfying experience.
First of all, the program was wonderfully constructed. It opened with Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and then moved into the world premiere of a Romance for Cello and Orchestra, Strolling by the Brook, a winsome piece composed and conducted by Samuel Lord Kalcheim with a sublime solo by Eric Alterman, who plays with the popular and and uber-accomplished Delgani String Quartet.
Those pieces were followed by French composer Gabriel Fauré’s beautiful Élégie and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s energetic Symphony 31, aka the Paris.
Bayles did a good job of introducing each element of the program, giving each the context that maximized the understanding and appreciation of the audience, who applauded prolifically for what they heard.
Bayles himself is worth the price of a ticket, except that there isn’t one. The Riverside Chamber Symphony suggests a donation of $10 for its concerts, but money is not the object — those who attend pay what they can afford, and if they truly can’t, they are welcome anyway, because fine music, after all, is beyond value.
The maestro, now in his early 70s, came from a family in which his father was a psychiatrist and his mother a dietician. He was born in New York City but grew up in Colorado, Kansas, and Texas, the latter location in Houston, where he graduated from high school and had the distinction of being the youngest person to have been organist and choir director in the Episcopal Church’s Texas diocese.
By then, Bayles had studied clarinet, piano, and organ. He attended the University of Kansas, where he majored in English and philosophy. His master’s degree came from the University of Oregon, in musical composition, although he also paid considerable attention to computerized and synthesized music, working in musical styles and genres from the 17th to the 20th centuries.
Bayles founded Eugene Opera, where he was artistic director and conductor for 10 years and also has been involved with many other musical organizations locally and throughout Oregon.
He founded the Riverside Chamber Symphony 20 years ago. The group, which consists of accomplished but nonprofessional musicians, plays as many as a half-dozen concerts each year, under his direction.
Bayles also is music director at United Lutheran Church in Eugene, where he directs the choir, plays the organ, and composes liturgical music.
Kalcheim, assistant conductor for the Riverside Chamber Symphony, is a doctoral fellow at the University of Oregon. He composes in the Classical and Romantic forms but also is well-versed in “new” music. He has written a one-act chamber opera and plays violin, viola, and organ.
Next Performance of the Riverside Chamber Symphony
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 16
Where: Wildish Community Theater, 630 Main St., Springfield
Admission: Open seating; suggested donation $10
Information: psb@efn.org or Riverside Chamber Symphony on Facebook
