Chamber orchestra pleads the "Fifth"

The name Beethoven, often alongside Mozart and Bach, has been drilled into most heads from an early age as being the cream of the crop; one of the pure-bred masters. And that composer's fifth symphony has perhaps the most famous motive of any work in history. Most anyone could play "Name That Tune" with the infamous "ta-ta-ta-TUM" and win.

So when an institution like the Con chooses to play the notorious Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 on an otherwise stale Friday night in Finney, concert-goers were buzzing. The fact that conductor Paul Polivnick would take on such a well-known piece (a risk for his reputation given that any moderately educated audience member could easily pick out any flaws) was enough to tantalize any listener.

There weren't many, considering. In fact, given their feat, the Chamber Orchestra played rather well. However, the entire piece was taken at a very up-tempo, obvious from the start when those aforementioned "ta-ta-ta-TUM"s sounded like they were on fast-forward at times. Polivnick conducted the entire program, including the opener, Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, without score. Though this decision might have been made to make the concert all that much more impressive, assuming Polivnick has the entire Fifth memorized backwards and forwards, it seems the orchestra did not benefit, and even fumbled a few cues as a result.

Despite a few flaws in the Allegro con brio, however, the third and final movement was a success. With its incredibly contrasting hushed and blaring crescendos, the Allegro-Allegro was the perfect opportunity for the Chamber Orchestra to gain back what it had lost during its anxious opening movement. Senior Concertmaster Katie Baker played with poise, and was only outdone by second chair Double-degree senior Simos Papanas during an excited strain in the long haul of the finale. Also outstanding was the entire cello section, who made their cameos with grace or vigor, whenever appropriate.

The orchestra responded to Polivnick's passionate swoops of gusto, to be sure, despite their initial timidness. Throughout the last movement's build-up to the climax, the audience was engrossed. And by the time the very last two chords finally finished off that never-ending series of cadences, any flaws in the first movement were long forgotten, or at least waived, to make way for three curtain calls.

In theory, Polivnick and the Chamber Orchestra succeeded with their performance of Beethoven's Fifth. But in retrospect, had it not been set against such tough competition, the Hindemith stands out as the true medal-winner of the evening.

Shaped around loud, powerful peaks over four movements of Weber's grandiose writing style, the four-movement work spanned from a jumpy Allegro to a much smoother Andantino and ended with a full-effort Marsch, leaving quite an impressive dent on the audience for the first half of the concert. It was during this composition that the orchestra was pointed and together; perhaps it was because the piece was treated lightly in comparison to the grand finale of the Fifth. Whatever the case, the percussion was sharp, the woodwinds were bright, and even while Polivnick led his orchestra with no script from the start, they nailed it.

Friday's audience may have attended the concert with a preemptive knowledge of what the pieces were meant to sound like, but no one really knew what to expect when it came down to accuracy, save for the orchestra members themselves. Though Polivnick could have matched Beethoven's score to a T and kept his pace at a predictable, standard tempo, he bravely chose a different direction. True, some elements suffered here, but in the end, the orchestra was able to pull its own weight. Regarding orchestral performances, it's what the audience hears last leaves the strongest and most lasting impression; Friday was no exception.