Stowe festival closes with Mexican flair
By Jim Lowe Times Argus Staff
August 30, 2005

STOWE – The Stowe Summer Music Festival closed with a splash of vibrant color Sunday afternoon in the Stowe High School Auditorium, as the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas introduced the music of Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas. This fine chamber orchestra of young New York professional instrumentalists, conducted by founder Alondra de la Parra, also delivered youthfully exuberant performances of masterpieces by Mozart and Aaron Copland. But it was de la Parra and the orchestra's performance of "Homenaje a Federico García Lorca," homage to the Spanish poet, that lit up the enthusiastic audience. The varying musical moods, tonal with some spicy harmonic language, ranged from the sunny and extroverted to hauntingly introspective. With an odd instrumentation that included flute, tuba and piano, but no cellos, the fleet work featured a variety of instrumental solos, played expressively and effectively by these 20-something musicians. De la Parra led a cohesive, attractive, and actually fascinating performance. De la Parra is a 24-year-old up-and-coming conductor and pianist who trained in her native Mexico and New York. Last year, she brought together friends from New York's various conservatories to create the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Her father, Manelick de la Parra, is a part-time Stowe resident, and founded the festival three years ago with his wife, Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Tarásova, who was heard in concerts last week. The other big success was Copland's "Appalachian Spring," the colorful ballet written for Martha Graham that is full of Americana and, as Alondra de la Parra pointed out from the podium, a bit of Latin Americana. De la Parra and the orchestra used Copland's original 13-instrument version (plus an extra cello), and the success came from the intimacy and quality solo playing, as well as the cohesiveness of the performance. These fine qualities drew the enraptured audience into this perennial favorite. Russian native Alexander Gusev delivered a solid and virtuosic performance of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4, K. 495. Although he could have afforded a little more drama within his phrases, he played Mozart's glorious melodies smoothly and lyrically. De la Parra and the orchestra responded exuberantly, though not always in a refined manner, but with enthusiasm. The concert opened with Revueltas' entertaining "Ocho por Radio," a potpourri of Mexican themes that erupted as if a radio was changing stations. The orchestra thoroughly enjoyed the colors – and so did the audience. According to Manelick de la Parra, the next festival is scheduled for the last weekend in 2006. It's a welcome thought.