Garden Concert @ Orchestra of New Spain
—Gregory Sullivan Isaacs
Dallas sports a wealth of musical ensembles. There really is something for everyone, and the Orchestra of New Spain, specializing in Baroque music by Spanish composers working in Mexico (which at the time, of course, included present-day Texas and New Mexico) proves that statement.
For this group and others, COVID changed everything, including live music, which vanished for the safety of performers and audiences alike.
Though ONS was one of the first classical organizations to return to limited performance—they gave a (masked) live concert in Dallas in 2020—the pandemic hiatus gave music director Grover Wilkins III time to reassess, and to make some significant changes in the orchestra’s direction. While still focusing on the music of the Spanish Baroque era, Wilkins has broadened the programming beyond the New and Old World Spanish courts to include other Baroque traditions, and with an eye to engaging a wider audience.
These changes, which Wilkins called “refreshing” in his program note, were evident in the Orchestra’s Garden Concert performance on the evening of May 14, held on the grounds of a private home on White Rock Lake.
In keeping with the informal outdoor setting, the order of play skewed “casual” as well, not always following the printed program. As I was hearing many of the pieces for the first time, I found myself relying on what I knew of the distinctive style of the composers to be sure I always knew what was what.
But it didn’t matter. The excellence of the performers under conductor Wilkins’ baton made for a dazzling concert under an energetic sun. Fortunately, most of the poolside audience was in some shade, and the garden’s stone performance space made a memorable setting for music-making.
The selections covered a wide historical range. Among other fine works, we were delighted to hear a Chiaconna by Andrea Falconieri (1585 -1636); the Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D Major by Luigi Boccherini (1743 -1805); and the famous Caprice No. 24 by Niccolò Paganini (1782 -1840).
This last piece was familiar to almost all of the audience, if not in its original version as heard here, but in Brahm’s use of it for his popular pseudo-piano-concerto, “Variations on a Theme of Paganini.”
After the concert, we were treated to a treasure chest of tasty food that was packed in layers. This created a series of surprises as we ate our way to the bottom of the box, and brought the concert to a perfect end.
The performers: violinist Dina Nesterenko, violinist Sara Rodriguez, violinist/violist Mark Landson, violinist Valory Hight, violinist Grégory Langer, cellist Sydney ZumMallen, guitarist Noe Garcia Jacinto, and pianist/journalist Laurel Ornish (who surprised us with a lively turn with—on?—the castanets).
WHERE: ONS will present its next concert, “Celebrating Juneteenth and Black Composers,” on June 9 @ Zion Lutheran Church; June 10 @ Lewisville Grand Theater; and June 11 @ St. Paul Lutheran Church (Oak Cliff).
WEB: For information go to: orchestraofnewspain.org or phone 214-750-1492.
