Review: Portland Chamber Orchestra rings in a Viennese new year

Camilla Ortiz singing with Nicholas Fox leading the PCO

Waltzing dancers swirled about the lobby of the Patricia Reser Performing Arts Center as part of the pre-concert festivities for Portland Chamber Orchestra’s “New Year’s in Old Vienna” concert (December 30). The warm Gemütlichkeit spilled into the hall for an evening of music from the ensemble and soprano Camille Ortiz under the direction of Nicholas Fox, and the audience, which filled almost every seat, was treated to a delightful evening of musical bon bons.

Although the program was packed with waltzes, polkas, and a couple of overtures from Johan Strauss Jr’s operas, the selections that featured Ortiz, who has sung internationally and teaches voice at the University of Oregon, provided the best moments. Her pure, lyrical voice excelled in “Ruhe sanft” from Mozart’s opera “Zaide” and in “Il Bacio” (The Kiss), a popular song in the style of a waltz written by Italian composer Luigi Arditi. Ortiz’s radiant tone highlighted “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss” from Franz Lehar’s “Giuditta” and “Vilja’s Lied” from Lehar’s “The Merry Widow,” but the orchestra was just a tad too loud when the music hit the climatic points.

The purely instrumental numbers by Strauss Jr. flowed fairly smoothly for the most part. The “Emperor Waltz” put a refined style on display versus the rambunctious “Peasant’s Polka” with the musicians joyfully chiming in with “la, las.” The “Pleasure Train Polka” whirled by with Fox adding a blustery noisemaker and the “Pizzicato Polka” put the strings on point with Fox eliciting beguiling plucking from beginning to end. But “Voices of Spring” and “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” suffered from glitches that would have been solved with one more rehearsal. The Overture to “Die Fledermaus” and “Der Zigeunerbaron” went without a hitch as did Dvořák “Slavonic Dance” No. 4. The “Ohne Sorgen Polka” by Strauss Sr. included a humorous sound from the timpani (played by Caryn Corbin) that provided a brief diversion.

Concertgoers loved every minute of the program and cheered with great gust after each piece. That brought Fox back to center stage, and the orchestra kicked up the ever-popular encore, the “Radetsky March” (by Strauss Sr.) and everyone had a fun time clapping along – urged on enthusiastically by Fox. That sent listeners home with a big smile and in good spirits – a great way to usher in the new year.

Judging from the full house, it seems that the PCO might consider presenting two of these year-end concerts in the future. That will double the fun for its patrons.