Latest News

Nov 8, 2004

WILMINGTON – On November 6, the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra performed under the direction of Steven Errante in Kenan Auditorium on the campus of UNC-Wilmington. The program offered three 20th-century works: two contrasting suites flanking a concerto for clarinet and strings.

...

The highlight of the concert came before the intermission with Bryan Crumpler's performance of Gerald Finzi's Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra, composed in the late 1940s. The work's form is traditional (it includes, for example, a Rondo finale), as are the melodies and harmonies, which generally reflect back to the 19th century. Crumpler, a Wilmington native, engaged the audience with his musicianship and his stage presence. Instead of standing rigid and emotionless, he obviously was moved – literally and figuratively – by the music, turning the bell of his clarinet to the left and right of the hall and animating his execution as an actor might recite a soliloquy. The Concerto's Adagio was the movement I enjoyed most, as it showcased Crumpler's sensitivity toward phrasing. He molded each phrase with what might be called "syntactical logic;" in other words, he was saying something. Had the violins not experienced some intonation problems playing in the upper registers, this movement would have been almost flawless. Nevertheless, Crumpler was magnificent throughout the entire Concerto, and he made the work sound better than it actually is.

This article originally appeared in th Reviews section of Classical Voice North Carolina and can be found online at:
http://www.cvnc.org/reviews/2004/november/WilmingtonSO.html