Published on: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

By David Cannon

For its return engagement at the Music Center at Strathmore, the Orquestra de Sao Paulo had one familiar work anchoring the program, and quite a few smaller, more modern pieces for the remainder of the program.

That well-known piece was the Brahms Second Symphony, one of the sunniest and easily accessible works by this composer. Conductor Kazem Abdullah emphasized that pastoral aspect of the work, especially in the charming third movement and the more rollicking finale. The slow movement could have been more focused and it tended to wander, but the opening certainly did not lack drama, despite the often simple and seemingly naïve tunes.

The remaining works were all more modern and less familiar. The best known would be the “Veni, Veni Emmanuel” by Scotch composer James MacMillan. This is essentially a concerto for percussionist and orchestra, with Dame Evelyn Glennie as the soloist. The percussion instruments were arranged all across the stage – with the final bells in the back – so Glennie was kept in motion throughout the work, which often had the soloist moving quickly from one instrument to another in the space of a few musical bars. There was an extended portion of the slow movement where Glennie stayed with one instrument, emphasizing the unusual tones of the bass marimba.

I thought Glennie was amazing in the work but I am not sure this is a great percussion concerto. It uses the title song (better known here as the holiday tune “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”) as the basis for the work, but it goes from Copland style rhythms to brutal dissonance to simpler harmonies. The percussion lines were often very independent of what is going on in the orchestra. Perhaps I need to hear this piece again but on first hearing I found the work interesting but not immediately appealing.

The remainder of the concert was shorter pieces by South American composer Camargo Guarnieri. While not well known here, these are charming and short calling cards from Brazil. The Three Brazilian Dances that opened the second half were short but each had its own mood – joyous to lyrical to intense. The opening Encantamento (“Enchantment”) managed to combine lush Impressionistic sounds with more traditional Latin rhythms.

Even the short encore, with the musicians stamping their feet and jumping from their chairs at the end captured the infectious rhythms of Brazil.

Coming up at Strathmore in the coming weeks will be Dee Dee Bridgewater in “Lady Day: a tribute to Billie Holliday” on Nov. 6 and the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic on Nov. 10. Plus two nights of “Ballroom with a Twist” on Nov. 20 and 21, and later the Temptations and the Four Tops on Dec. 9.

For more information, call 301-581-5100 or go online to www.strathmore.org.