Among Boston’s musical offerings are several excellent music schools such as Berklee, the Boston Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory (NEC). The NEC String Chamber Orchestra recently performed a free concert at the beautiful Jordan Hall, just down the street from our beloved Symphony Hall. In many ways, the hall shares many of the acoustical trademarks. I’ve seen just a handful of concerts here, mostly Boston Symphony Chamber Players, but I thought I would try and hear what some of the other orchestras in town were doing. The NEC Chamber Orchestra was self-directed with no conductor and appears to be comprised of young musicians, perhaps younger than college age, but I do not know this for sure. For this concert, I sat in my favorite seat in the hall, which is dead center but slightly raised from the first section. (Yes, I could tell you the seat number, but I’d prefer to keep it to myself!)
The group played Alberto Ginastera’s Concerto for Strings and Astor Piazolla’s Cuatro Estaciónes Porteñas (Four Seasons). Both are relatively modern pieces that I had not heard before. My initial expectation favored the Piazolla, which would be confirmed by the concert. The Ginastera was nevertheless interesting, and I was glad that the group performed such an interesting piece that seemed in some sections to pit the violins against the lower frequency stringed instruments in a back-and-forth exchange that was at times complementary and other times on the verge of violent. At some point, I peered up at the reflective ceiling over the hall, and watching the distorted image of the orchestra playing in the ceiling added to the eerie quality of the piece.
The Piazolla Four Seasons was a great piece, especially as it featured four of the young violinists who all had clearly different personalities that seemed to fit the season to which they were assigned. The piece starts in the summer, and since this is Buenos Aires, one can imagine a sweltering atmosphere, which is well-captured in the music. The soloist here was dressed for the tango and commanded the stage quite brilliantly — a showperson for sure. I believe it was autumn that was fittingly played by another girl who appeared much calmer, with perhaps a hint of shyness that again seemed to fit the season well. All four of the soloists, along with the orchestra as a whole, were clearly talented musicians. Their passion was on display, and though there were a few noticeable technical miscues, these are easily curable and did not detract from the overall enjoyment.
To have a young artistic community like NEC who perform regularly for free is an under-appreciated sector of Boston arts, especially at their level of quality. I look forward to a great season of their performances.
