Review: Simone Porter evokes crystaline Glass concerto with Oregon Symphony exudes lushness in Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony

Simone Porter began her artist-in-residence with the Oregon Symphony with impeccable playing (October 4) of Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Glass piece was a somewhat unusual choice because it doesn’t have the bravura fireworks for the soloist, but, in an odd way, it paired well with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, which splashed across the second half of the program, making a nice balance for the orchestra under its Music Director, David Danzmayer.

This concert marked the second appearance of Porter, who grew up in Seattle, with the Oregon Symphony. She debuted with the orchestra in June las year, making a terrific impression as a last-minute replacement Astor Piazzolla’s “Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas” (“The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”). This time around, she chose the Glass concerto in which the soloist plays long, sustained lines and occasional slinky filigree slightly above the repetitive, slowly changing background from the orchestra. The result is a comfortable ride that offers some slightly edgy moments to keep things interesting. The minimalistic style of the piece gave it a throbbing pulse that was mostly meditative and slightly introverted.

For my taste, the reiteration of musical lines needed a jolt of coffee. The audience, which filled the hall fairly well, seemed to include a lot of Glass fans, who cheered and kept the applause going until Porter returned to play an encore. That turned out to be Andrew Norman’s “Sabina.” It flashed extended techniques – like the beginning in which Porter created scratchy tones from the bridge of her instrument and gradually introduced a series of glassy tones that wiggled into something akin to folk-ish fiddling before straightening out to a few elongated tones that grew quieter and quieter until it vanished.

The second half of the concert was devoted to Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, which the orchestra played just a little over a year ago when bad weather hit the city so that only one concert took place. The time around the orchestra delivered a full-bodied sound, emoting the lush melodic themes with a lovely sonority – plus the accelerandos were thrilling. Highlights included the many exposed parts for various musicians, including Concertmaster Sarah Kwak, Principal Clarinetist Mark Dubec, Associate Principal Hornist Joseph Berger, Assistant Principal Clarinetist Todd Kuhns (on bass clarinet), and English hornist Jason Sudduth.