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Pomona College Orchestra: Eric Lindholm (conductor); Lucie McGee (clarinet). Mozart: Overture to Don Giovanni; von Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 2; Simpson: Symphony No. 7; Dvorak: Nocturne. Bridges Hall of Music, Claremont, CA.
The exciting piece on the program that attracted my attention was the Symphony No. 7 by the relatively unknown British composer Robert Simpson (1921-1997), and this was only the second time the work was performed in the United States. The symphony has many wonderful sustained sounds with sweeping tones. It is a dark, brooding work that is quite unsettling. After numerous dramatic climaxes of doom, the work ended quietly, with a sense of cataclysm. Lindholm wisely asked for no applause at the end of the Simpson, so he could end the concert with the Dvorak Nocturne - a very beautiful and peaceful piece for strings alone.
Lucie McGee, a senior at Pomona, performed the Weber Clarinet Concerto competently. Her playing was powerfully clear but also with a sensuously sweet tone when appropriate, and without any exaggerated vibrato or stage theatrics. She has justly been honored with a number of awards at Pomona for the quality of her musicianship.
Pomona College is located in Claremont in Southern California, about a half hour drive from Los Angeles. The Pomona College Orchestra is formed from students studying in the music department and also from other areas at Pomona.
The conductor Eric Lindholm is a full-time faculty member at Pomona's music department. His conducting was sweeping with no theatrics and complete attention to the flow of the music. His choice of the Simpson, and also the Dvorak, is a rare example of the courageous programming that we wished professional orchestras would do more frequently.