Chris Brubeck
Although it wasn’t a “pops†concert, it sure was a crowd pleaser! On Sunday afternoon the Monterey Symphony treated us to multi-media presentation of photographic images by Ansel Adams projected on a screen above the orchestra to the accompaniment of a commissioned work by Dave Brubeck and his son Chris. Chris Brubeck was on hand to greet the audience and to explain certain aspects of the score. A charming and articulate man, he alluded to the oft-quoted Ansel Adams remark that a musical score has much in common with a photographic negative — one has to be manipulated into a print and the other has to be realized in a performance by musicians, for otherwise they are lifeless and abstract.
In addition to well known iconic images of Yosemite’s Half Dome, “Moonrise Hernandez†and “Tetons and Snake River,†we also saw more personalized images of Ansel Adams as a child, as a young man, as a bridegroom, and as the obsessive and creative photographer who helped define photography as a fine art. The slide show was beautifully choreographed so that often as a new image appeared, the musical score changed dramatically and went off in a new direction. The music was imaginative and eclectic, blending classical and jazz elements, and it was effectively scored for orchestra. It also contained a few piano solos reflecting the fact that at one stage in his life Ansel Adams was a serious pianist. Watching these images and imagining you were watching a slide show without music, you could instantly realize how static it could have been. This was the true test to the effectiveness of the score, for it did add another and vital dimension to the images. Of course, we can also say that Sunset Center here was a vital part of the show, for the renovated hall, with its excellent sound and projection capabilities, was made for just such a performance.
After intermission we heard Dvořák’s “New World†Symphony, and it was also a winner! Only a few weeks ago we heard the Santa Cruz Symphony perform Dvořák’s “New World†Symphony at Civic Center in downtown Santa Cruz, and it was nowhere near as effective. Of course Santa Cruz’s Civic Center is a glorified basketball stadium and can’t compare to Carmel’s Sunset Center. Although some of the players and principals perform in both orchestras, the real difference between the two performances was the more polished and disciplined playing we heard from the Monterey Symphony. Often one of the significant characteristics of a great orchestra is the velvety smooth ensemble of the string sections and their ability to create pianissimos that are soft and controlled, but still have character and are musically expressive. During the performance yesterday, since I was seated on the extreme right side of the hall, I had ample opportunity to observe the marvelous subtleties of the bass playing, both pizzicato and arco. In addition to this, of course, I heard lots of lovely playing, not only from the strings, but also from many of the excellent soloists.
As we all know, the discipline needed to produce such beautifully controlled sound doesn’t happen all by itself, and for this Max Bragado-Darman can take some well deserved credit. The orchestra really sounded great!
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