The Oakland East Bay Symphony presents music of Jack Perla, John
Corigliano, Wagner and Dvorak, with Guest Conductor Patrick Summers.
Paramount Theater, Oakland, CA, 15 March 2002.

Reviewers rightly focus on the several intervals of music making that
constitute the meat of a concert.  But what about the episodes between,
the gaps for the claps? Guest Conductor Patrick Summers came up with a
revolutionary concept for the fourth Oakland East Bay subscription concert,
taking one of those gaps and using it for the mind to link two works rather
than the hands to judge one.

The theme for the concert was 'Altered States,' taking the name of
the film from which composer John Corigliano extracted his suite 'Three
Hallucinations.' On the podium before commencing this music, Summers mini
- lectured on Wagner, whose Prelude to 'Lohengrin' would follow, pointing
out that were he alive today, Wagner would undoubtedly be a successful
film composer like the Oscar-winning Corigliano. Summers then proffered
a remarkable request, that there be no applause between the two works.
Instead, he asked for a fusion in place of a gap so that the similarities
between the two works could be contemplated, proposing that both the Wagner
and the Corigliano offered 'strange visions, hallucinations, religious
images stretching the mind.' 'Prepare to be altered!' warned Summers.


tO the surprise of this reviewer, Summers' innovation was taken to heart
by everyone in attendance - not a sound was heard between the 'Rite of
Spring'- like third 'Hallucination' and the ethereal descent of the Holy
Grail depicted in the Prelude.  What did it all mean? To this listener,
the hoped-for similarities between the two works were instead overwhelmed
by the vast gulf between them.  It was significant that the earlier work
was performed last, arguing more for a see-how-much-we've-lost than a
see-how-far-we've-come interpretation of spiritual, if not musical history.
The orchestrational skills of Corigliano today are on a par with those of
Wagner in his time, far superior to those praised in Peter Maxwell Davies'
'Antarctic' Symphony recently.  Ah!  But the metaphysicality, what we
would call today naivety, of the simple strings in high register and
triadic harmonies - such purity is gone.  Instead, as represented by the
Corigliano, we have postmodern irony in vast and acerbic doses: 'Rock of
Ages' played offstage on a honky-tonk piano, butchered by dissonances in
the orchestra.  Our apotheosis, as portrayed in the music and film, is a
descent to the physicality of our animal roots.  Yes Virginia, how far
HAVE we come? So the coupling suggested.

But we should not overlook the opening work on the program, the world
premiere of Jack Perla's 'Pixels at an Exhibition,' a title borrowed from
an article on digital photography in the Atlantic Monthly.  The piece was
more of a 'Overture to Pixels at an Exhibition,', since it consisted of
only two movements, 'modules for a larger work,' as described by the
composer:

   "... whereas Mussorgsky's music magically captures the feeling of
   undisturbed, lengthy contemplation at a quiet gallery, our experience
   is ...  different. ... I was working on a film/music project about
   global warming that involves some spectacular earth images. Each day
   I received links to more spectacular images, which I'd click through
   while replying to email ...  Other images also piled into the inbox
   - JPEGs of new children ... All these images jumbled together while
   working on the piece ... pixels and the mouse click replace brushstroke
   and the slow promenade."

Given such an introduction, the first 'module' heard was a surprise.
The beautiful 'promenade' theme given on oboe was worthy of an English
pastorale in the manner of Moeran.  Only in the second module did a
Minimalistic reel suggest racing electrons, followed by brass flourishes
and a chorale.  Even though much is missing, the work as it stands
serves very well as an overture.  After all, opera overtures are by their
nature incomplete with respect to the operas themselves.  They are just
tantalizing hints of what is to come.  Judging from what was heard and the
bravos, this reviewer and many in the audience are VERY tantalized and are
wishing for more from Mr. Perla.

Following Wagner, the revolution was over: a long intermissionary gap
was followed by a nod to traditionalists, a brilliantly executed Dvorak
Symphony no. 8.  Minds could relax now, or overstimulated by the first
half of the concert, continue to marvel at the meanings prompted by gap
lack.

Jeff Dunn
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Alameda, CA