By Charles Clark
ON THE SCENE/FONT>
Maestra Miriam Burns pulled yet
another rabbit out of her hat as she
led Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra to another crowning achievement.
On Feb. 16 at McMahon Memorial Auditorium, Burns and the LPO
were joined by pianist Jeffrey
Biegel, of New York for the first
half of the evening.
The program opened with Ellen
Taeffe Zwilich's "Millennium Fantasy". Though many members of
the orchestra were new, and
younger, faces to the Lawton audience (there was a ballet in Oklahoma City that night which pulled away many of LPO's regular musicians) Burns had them in top form. Biegel displayed amazing skill at
the piano. Though arriving just the
day before (his first trip to Oklahoma), the Long Island native had
only a couple of run-throughs with
the orchestra before stepping on
stage to a near full house. Though
young in years, Biegel's performance showed the depth of his experienced and professionalism.
The Zwilich piece is one Biegel is particularly close to. It was composed for him by Zwilich, a Pulitzer
Prize winner and the l999 Musica
America Composer of the Year.
Having premiered the work in September of 2000 with the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra, he had most
recently played it last week in
Kenosha, Wis., where Burns was
also conducting.
The audience's reaction was
more cautious than usual. Perhaps
they were simply stunned, not unlike someone experiencing "modern art~ for the first time. It struck
me as worth listening to time and
again to catch all the missed nuances.
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Nothing was lost, however, the next selection, George
Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".
But, it, too, was something of a
slightly different tune. This particular 17-minute version was
the fully restored 1924 manuscript. So, the LPO audience was treated
treated to two Oklahoma premieres in that concert. The
standing ovation and encore
bows offered Biegel showed this event was not wasted on the
ever-growing classical music audience in southwest Oklahoma.
The rest of the evening belonged to Franz Schubert. His
Symphony No. 9 in C Major,
'The Great", went from the joyful and lively first movement An
dante, marching through the
more somber Andante con moto
and livelier Scherzo to the grand
conclusion, Allegro vivace. LPO
under Burns presented a worthy
rendition, topping off a night of
true artistry.
Coming up on
the LPO calendar:
• Denim, Dinin' and Dancin',
the popular annual fundraiser
featuring a chili dinner, cowboy
dancing and more, 6:30 p.m.
March 23, Great Plains Coliseum.
• Pre-concert dinner, 6- p.m., April 6 at the Lawton Country Club.
• "Orchestral Roof Raiser" LPO's final concert of the season
featuring guest artist Monte
Maxwell on organ, 8 p.m. April
6, McMahon Memorial Auditorium. There will also be a reception after the concert in the lob
by in honor of LPO's 40th anniversary. Cake, punch, and
you're invited This will also be
the first opportunity to renew
your subscriptions for next season.
For reservations or information, call LPO at 536-2229.
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