I don't make New Year's resolutions but each musical season I promise that I will occasionally flee the riches on offer in the major venues of New York City to find exciting music that I know can be found elsewhere. On Sunday I decided not to go to the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall and instead headed to the Chelsea Symphony's concert held...in Chelsea, of course. St. Paul's Church on West 22d Street, a Lutheran church that still holds services in German, was the space for this orchestra of young musicians. Perhaps a few were over thirty, the majority looked like recent graduates of a youth or conservatory orchestra - delivered a compellingly interesting performance.
The Chelsea Symphony boasts two conductors and today they divided podium duties. How often can you hear an orchestra led by two conductors in one concert? Not very. The audience, largely of local denizens, had their attention sharply directed to the front with two trumpets announcing the beginning with Stravinsky's Fanfare for a New Theater. The playing was excellent, the sound perhaps slightly overbright because of the church's acoustics. A short work by Aaron Dai, Waltz from the Unionville Suite, put me on notice that this ensemble of obviously joyful musicians were up to the mark. The piece tells a story - it's based on a play - with an ascending and descending line that captivates. Were I not in Chelsea, what chance would I have had to ever be introduced to this composer? I would love to hear it again. At this point I wondered how the orchestra would do with music I knew well. The answer came immediately with clarinetist Steven Zielinski joining the orchestra under Miguel Campos Neto's direction for Copland's wonderful Concerto for Clarinet, Strings and Harp. Mr. Zielinski's reading was taut, incisive and in perfect sync with the musicians. Well, after intermission Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 was on the program and I admit voicing skepticism to several Chelsea Symphony fans as we waited. How could a small orchestra really do this monumental symphony well? The answer turned out to be - very much so.
Now under the direction of Benjamin Rous, the work proceeded coherently, beautifully. I still prefer large forces for my Beethoven but the Chelsea Symphony made a convincing case for effective and moving treatment by a smaller ensemble. Small orchestras in New York exist in the shadow of world renowned organizations that bring in both tourists and traditional concert goers.
The Chelsea Symphony made a compelling case today why it should flourish. We've recently lost the EOS Orchestra and the outstanding Jupiter Symphony didn't survive Jens Nygaard's premature death. What the Chelsea Symphony needs is a broader audience, folks who love great music well performed in intimate spaces and who can face the challenge of a subway ride to a neighborhood not associated with classical music.
One non-musical criticism that may say more about my values than anything else: the Chelsea Symphony will gain more credibility if one of its members of supporters, perhaps with a degree in English and patience, proofreads the program. Misspellings in the program like "condutor" and Copland's name given as "Copeland" don't convey the professionalism that the musicians certainly project.
I expect to attend more of their concerts.