Sinfonietta, Poi Dog team for rich rock orchestral trip

Chicago Sun-Times
By Wynne Delacoma
Classical Music Critic
Published March 23, 2005
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If it’s true that opposites attract, the Chicago Sinfonietta and its founder and music director, Paul Freeman, have never been ones to fight the attraction.

In the Sinfonietta’s 18 seasons, it has invited such jazz artists as Ellis Marsalis and Ramsey Lewis to share its stage. There have been concertos for orchestra and steel drum, for orchestra and harmonica, orchestra and “artistic whistler.” It was just a matter of time before the Sinfonietta turned its collaborative eye to rock ‘n’ roll.

The choice of Poi Dog Pondering, the accomplished and popular Chicago-based rock collective, for the Sinfonietta’s venture into new musical territory Monday night at Symphony Center, was a good one. Founded by singer and guitarist Frank Orrall in Hawaii in 1986 and based in Chicago since 1992, Poi Dog’s sound is sophisticated and lush. Along with the usual rock lineup of drums, guitars and synthesizers, it includes the strong, darkly lyrical line of Susan Voelz’s amplified violin, Alison Chesley’s equally arresting amplified cello and Paul Von Mertens’ smooth, rich flute, clarinet and saxophone.

The hook for the collaboration was Dvorak’s “New World” Symphony. On the first half of the program, the Sinfonietta played the complete symphony, along with the zesty “Danse Negre” from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “African Suite.” After intermission Poi Dog took the spotlight alone, performing four songs by Orrall, including “Angelika Suspended,” full of smoky harmonies and wistful melodic turns.

To close the evening, the Sinfonietta came back for three pieces with Poi Dog, the last of them “Fantasy and Remix of Themes for Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony” composed by Orrall and Voelz and arranged for Poi Dog and the Sinfonietta by Von Mertens. Visuals are a regular part of Poi Dog concerts, and Orrall created an often dizzying set of images projected onto a giant screen hanging above the stage during the “Remix.”

The short Dvorak piece, along with “Big Constellation,” written by Orrall and Dag Juhlin and arranged by Voelz, was a generally effective blend of traditional orchestra and nontraditional rock band. Dvorak’s famous themes melted into a heady 21st century brew. The balance between the amplified Poi Dog and unamplified Sinfonietta was often jarring, however. The orchestra’s normally full-throated sound frequently paled against the resonant, penetrating tone of Voelz’s violin and the bite of Poi Dog’s guitars.

Doubtless, the issue could be solved if the groups continue to work together. Voelz and Von Mertens grasp what orchestral musicians need. In “Big Constellation,” the orchestra was an equal partner, adding its highly colored voice to the austere, transparent musical texture. With a little more experience, Poi Dog and the Sinfonietta could become a match made in heaven. Judging from Monday’s flood of applause and whoops well past the final notes, an audience would be ready and willing to listen.