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ASO plays Dawson and Gershwin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CONCERT REVIEW
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Friday in Symphony Hall. Program repeats Saturday at 8 p.m. www.atlantasymphony.org.
“A Dawson Celebration” is the name of Emory University’s three-day symposium on African-American music, race and identity. For these discussions and concerts, which conclude tonight, the starting point is Alabama-born composer William Dawson (1899-1990).
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is contributing, too, performing Dawson’s most famous work, the “Negro Folk Symphony.”
As heard in the ASO’s taut, committed performance Friday in Symphony Hall, conducted by Robert Spano, Dawson’s symphony is in a conventional, late-19th-century European style.
Premiered in 1934, however, it was conservative in the extreme. Where Dvorak and Brahms, two audible models, dipped into their homelands’ Czech or Gypsy dance themes for inspiration, Dawson’s innovation was to incorporate spirituals into his music.
His symphonic ideas are interesting and polished, his orchestrations are colorful, and the logic is compelling through all three movements. It’s a capable, engaging symphony, and I suspect that its infrequent but secure place in the concert hall — the ASO plays it every five or 10 years — seems about fair when you balance its quality (and its role in U.S. musical history) with the vastness of the active symphonic repertoire.
In performance, it’s plain that the Dawson lacks the snap of genius, which elevates a potent folk melody into a joyously memorable tune.
This brings us to George Gershwin, the best pure tunesmith America has ever had. His shortcoming concerns his lack of craft and formal musical education. If only Gershwin had had Dawson’s technical polish! (How’s that for dispelling all those nasty stereotypes? Here the white Jewish guy was the natural, “intuitive” talent and the black man was the disciplined intellectual. Perhaps they each needed a little of the other’s strength.)
The ASO’s concert performance of “Porgy and Bess” strung together about 45 minutes of highlights. “Summertime,” “I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’,” “Bess, You Is My Woman Now” — these are peerless numbers in the Great American Songbook, even if, as a complete opera, “Porgy” often feels lumpy in the theater.
The glee clubs of Spelman and Morehouse colleges joined three vocal soloists, who covered all the parts.
Atlanta native Indra Thomas’ enormous voice can be thrilling — her soprano holds mystery and charisma — but her diction was muddy and she didn’t invest much emotion. Bass Kevin Deas’ singing was robust and clean, if a bit wooden. Thus theatrical tenor Michael Forest, who sang Sportin’ Life’s shyster anthem “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” was allowed to carry off the show in grand fashion.
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