Paul Freeman receives a grand farewell bow
Chicago Sun-Times
By Bryant Manning
May 24, 2011
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In a jubilant yet heartfelt performance Monday night at Symphony Center, Paul Freeman conducted his last concert as the Chicago Sinfonietta’s music director. The orchestra’s 75-year-old visionary founder appeared for only a few minutes at the end, but his presence was felt all evening. With a poignant video tribute, a live broadcast on WFMT-FM, a world premiere and even Freeman’s trademark auditorium-wide sing-along “We Shall Overcome,” the Sinfonietta commemorated the outgoing maestro in grand fashion.
Mei-Ann Chen, the orchestra’s new music director, effective July 1, was especially charged with gratitude for Freeman’s social courage. In his youth, Freeman had been denied roles because of his color, and his strong sense of social duty paved the way for minorities in classical music.
“I still can’t believe he’s willing to give me his baby!” she said while holding back tears. Even a pre-taped Yo-Yo Ma, who met Freeman as a child, expressed that an entire evening celebrating his honor was “pretty cool.”
If there was any solace to be taken from Monday night, it was that the orchestra has in its wings a talented new leader. Chen was masterful in Dvorak’s “Scherzo Capriccioso,” which had been selected to honor Freeman’s tenure as music director of the Czech National Orchestra. Given the evening’s focus, it was easy to forget that these subscription concerts were titled “Women in Classical Music.” Works by two Pulitzer Prize-winning composers — Jennifer Higdon and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich — appeared alongside pieces by Gwyneth Walker and Renee Baker. Higdon’s “blue cathedral” (2000), which Chen called a “celebration of life,” conveyed longing and triumphalism buoyed by an uplifting solo from concertmaster Paul Zafer.
Since it is only 18 minutes long, it would’ve been satisfying to have heard Zwilich’s Symphony No. 1 (1982) in its entirety, but only the last movement was performed Monday. With its roiling intensity, this snapshot had a flavor of the Second Viennese School but lost its full impact out of context.
Walker’s and Baker’s works were distinctly more American. Walker’s “An American Concerto” (1995) employed rock, folk and jazz idioms as guest violinist Elena Urioste soloed with great style in the three-movement whirlwind.
The program’s premiere, Baker’s “Divertimento notte blu,” cast in a series of dream episodes, possessed an adventurous spirit. Its six featured soloists weren’t always clear or audible, but sounds from the didgeridoo to the vibraphone offered a funky alternative to the program’s traditional offerings. Conducting the work herself, Baker cooked up a stew of frenzied strings, idiosyncratic rhythms and primal energy — to varying degrees of success.
When Freeman finally appeared to conduct Ginastera’s “Danzas del Ballet Estancia,” the audience erupted. For the hand-holding of “We Shall Overcome,” as guided by surprise guests, soprano Elizabeth Norman and the Apostolic Choir, the moment came naturally, all led by a man who had once arrived in Chicago with the hopes of bringing more people together.
Bryant Manning is a free-lance writer and critic.