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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > November > 22 > Entry
Review: Austin Symphony Orchestra and Francisco Ladron de Guevara-Finck
It’s sad that Aaron Copland is probably the best known composer of Mexican orchestral music. “El Salon Mexico,” written in the 1930s, combined folk rhythms with a wickedly catchy melody, but it persists after 80 years.
So, it was a revelation to hear the Austin Symphony Orchestra and conductor Peter Bay tackle the darker and more daring depths of Mexican symphonic work.
Galindo’s “Sones de Mariachi,” is a single movement that whirls through mariachi tunes, with an off-beat so prominent it practically becomes the beat. It’s fun music to watch, because it breaks some instruments out of their shell: take the cellos, who become guitarrons, strumming along without bows.
But none of these folk tunes lack precision. On the contrary, Galindo, who studied under Copland, was equally enamored with difficult and mercurial time signatures. And for Manuel Ponce’s “Violin Concerto,” the complexity increased.
Dressed all in black, with a flowing dress shirt and chin-length hair, soloist Francisco Ladron de Guevara-Finck cast a moody and modest presence. This lifted as soon as his bow touched the strings — he has a sweet tone that’s almost bird-like.
The Ponce concerto seemed a tough sell on the audience though, and that’s understandable. The orchestra and soloist have beautiful melodies, yet they never seem to intersect. The entire work was written at an interval that’s almost grating to the ear.
Luckily, long and gorgeous cadenzas and triumphant endings of movements got the crowd excited.
After intermission, the spirit picked up again with the cinematic “Suite from ‘Redes,’ ” by Silvestre Revueltas, a Mexican composer with an Austin connection: he attended St. Ed’s from 1916-18.
And we ought to claim him as one of our own. The two movements are miniature epics, recalling Hollywood’s golden age and foreshadowing the ghostly scores of westerns to come.
“Redes” was a lot of work for the brass, who did good work setting the mood with shrill themes. Still, it was welcome to return to hummable and danceable themes with Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2.” and “Huapango” by Moncayo.
The percussion was kept busy all night, with precise work on bass drum and timpani, as well as a variety of blocks and shakers.
The concert was perhaps a touch more challenging than expected; less folky, more abrasive. But bravo to the ASO for keeping the crowd on its heels. With an amazing variety of motifs and unusual orchestrations, there were enough moments of brilliance to keep everyone entertained.
Luke Quinton is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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