Belshazzar's Feast

Here's a cool review of the concert Catherine participated in last week. We went on Thursday night -- very impressive! And, no...I couldn't pick Catherine's voice out of the crowd....

Stockton Symphony ends its season with a big finish

Rhonelle Runner
Special to The Record
Published Saturday, Apr 8, 2006

At first glance, the final concert of the Stockton Symphony's 2005-06 season appeared short and sweet, with only three pieces on the program.

Appearances can be deceiving, however, and that was certainly the case here. One piece is short, one piece is sweet, but the third is something else entirely. The program will be repeated tonight at Atherton Auditorium.

The concert opened with Aaron Copland's brief "Outdoor Overture" from 1938, featuring solo trumpet passages nicely played by Brian Anderson. The orchestra performed well but without much distinction. Fortunately for the audience, the players seemed to become more engaged as the evening progressed.

Next on the program was Johannes Brahms' tuneful "Variations on a Theme by J. Haydn" which included some wonderful moments for the woodwinds, especially the oboes. The choice to program this particular piece proved timely, as conductor Peter Jaffe announced that Bob and Marcia Davis, two of the symphony's three oboists, were retiring after 25 years with the orchestra.

The focal point of the evening was William Walton's massive oratorio "Belshazzar's Feast," featuring baritone soloist Ralph Cato and the combined voices of the Stockton Chorale, San Joaquin Delta College Concert Choir and choral ensembles from University of the Pacific. The work also featured members of Pacific's Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, who were seated in the aisles of the auditorium.

Though first performed in 1931, seven years before Copland's overture, "Belshazzar's Feast" sounds newer and more modern, thanks in part to the use of some very challenging rhythms and harmonies. For the most part, the musicians rose to the challenge and turned in spirited performances.

As the soloist, Cato was ideal. His powerful voice, stage presence and self-assuredness set just the right tone for the work.

Under Jaffe's baton, the instrumentalists did a fine job of supporting the choirs without getting in their way, and the nearly 250-voice choir managed to make most of the lyrics comprehensible. While not perfect, the performance was nuanced and had a real dynamic range, a pleasant surprise for such a large ensemble.

Since "Belshazzar's Feast" employed the talents of well over 300 individuals, it was surprising to find that the performance could have benefited from more sound, especially toward the top of the choirs' dynamic range. Even so, a thoughtful, dynamically shaded performance is always better than an unrelentingly loud one, and this performance is definitely worth hearing.