Caleb Mitchum

Concert Review No. 1

OKC Philharmonic

I attended the opening concert of the OKC Philharmonics 2014-2015 season.

The slated program material was an interesting mix and the soloist appeared to be
a younger, rising musician which I was interested to see. It was an excellent
performance with many moments that were musically impressive.
The first piece on the program was a Berlioz overture. I thought it was an
interesting choice to begin the season. Berliozs music has always struck me as a
little odd, but the Overture to Benvenuto Cellini was not particularly striking in any
way. It was not a piece that I was familiar with at all, which was nice. The orchestra
played it very well, illustrating the dynamic and textural extremes of the score quite
well. The balance between the strings and winds was particularly good, and the
sections featuring the winds were the greatest redeeming quality of the piece which
I found otherwise unremarkable.
The next piece on the docket was Richard Strausss Don Juan. In the last year
I have fallen in love with Strauss and his many tone poems, so I was excited to hear
this piece performed live for the first time. Having studied the score a little I
understood the difficulty of this monumental piece, particularly for the string
section. This particular performance was the most virtuosic I have heard from the
Philharmonic in recent memory, and it was done quite well. The many independent
lines of melody and countermelody were well balanced and articulate. The different
sections of the orchestra got to show off, which was a joy to see. My favorite part of
attending these performances is getting to see my mentors do what they do best.
Enescos Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1, was next. This was another piece with
which I was not familiar. I am not particularly familiar with Enescos work but for his
singular piece for flute. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this piece. The
opening dialogue between clarinet and oboe was an interesting way to start.
Woodwinds were quite prominent throughout the piece which was of course a joy for
me. The flute feature was quite fun to hear.
The last piece of the evening was Lalos Symphonie Espagnole, the only other
piece on the program that I was familiar with. I was excited to hear Ms. Lamsma
perform as I had heard a couple of recordings of her and it sounded as if this piece

would be particularly suited to her style. The main facet of this piece that I enjoyed
was the rhythmic complexity and variety, which Lamsma highlighted quite well. Her
playing was accurate and exciting if sometimes lacking a bit in expression. There
was one particular section during which I was hypnotized by the percussion section,
which, as a flutist, never happens!
Overall I enjoyed this performance very much. It was nice to see a mix of
familiar and foreign repertoire and the soloist was very impressive. I look forward to
the rest of the Philharmonics season and hope to attend many more of the
concerts.