Stray Dane: glo and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra perform Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' in Bass Hall, January 31, 2025— Robert Spano, conductor, lauri stallings, choreographer. (credit: Karen Almond)

FWSO and glo merge movement and music in a bold pairing of Russian masters

CONCERT REVIEW:
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
January 31, and February 1 & 2, 2025
Bass Hall
Fort Worth, Texas – USA

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Robert Spano, conductor; glo, lauri stallings, choreographer.
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade, Op. 35
Igor STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du Printemps (1913)

Gregory Sullivan Isaacs | 2 FEB 2025

On Friday evening in Bass Performance Hall, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra presented an unusual concert that used dance as an element. More frequently, when an orchestra merges genres, a symphony will present operas in semi-staged versions. But music director Robert Spano likes to forge new partnerships with other arts organizations. One of them he brought with him from his tenure in Atlanta is the “social practice choreographer” lauri stallings, who prefers lowercase letters for her name. He connects especially well with her “intersectionality-centered movement platform” (dance company), glo.

The program featured two Russian compositions that are related by the teacher-student relationship of the two composers—teacher Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and student Igor Stravinsky.


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The program opened opened with Scheherazade, Op. 35, a symphonic suite composed by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. It is a showpiece for a virtuosic orchestra, and the FWSO certainly showed its merits. Originally, the composer thought this work might become a violin concerto and he preserved lots of that solo work in the final product. In the able hands of Concertmaster Michael Shih, these concerto remnants dazzled everyone. Also, all the other principal players were equally impressive in their own moments to shine.

On the podium, Spano started his take on Scheherazade in a calmer manner than is usually heard. But, this allowed him to give the entire work a slow build to the crashing waves of sound that end the suite.

The glo dancers were featured in the program’s second half with Stravinsky’s revolutionary 1913 ballet, Le Sacre du Printemps (“The Rite of Spring”).


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These two works were written over a decade apart. Stravinsky’s modernist harmonies and confounding cross rhythms would have baffled his teacher. However, Rimsky-Korsakov’s influence can be keenly felt in Stravinsky’s orchestration. Hearing these two masterpieces, one after another, made this abundantly clear.

However, right from the first note of Stravinsky’s wondrous score, he forges a new path. He creates a haunting, eerie, and other-worldly effect by using the solo bassoon in its extreme upper range. Principal bassoonist Joshua Elmore played it magnificently.

While the score calms down every once in a while, it is mostly savage and brutal music. The “R” rated storyline comes from ancient Russian folklore and depicts primitive spring-related rituals, after which a carefully chosen young girl dances herself to death as a ritual sacrifice.

glo and the Fort worth Symphony Orchestra perform Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring.' (credit: Karen Almond)

glo and the Fort worth Symphony Orchestra perform Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring.’ (credit: Karen Almond)

Stallings’ dancers, all female and dressed in diaphanous gowns, moved in energetic, constantly changing, and rapidly shifting patterns and groups. There were even some purposely awkward lifts and severe backward leanings. One consistent and violent gesture was centered on the abdomen, or perhaps the womb. In just this one viewing, it was difficult to ascertain exactly what the choreographer had in mind all the time. But, the final death scene was convincingly portrayed.

Spano delivered a vivid reading of this amazing score, with sudden explosions of sound contrasted with more vacant and lyrical passages. His tempo throughout kept a keen edge on the forward push through Stravinsky’s violent score.

It was a fascinating evening. Hearing these two scores, one after another, pointed out the stark differences as well as the striking similarities. More usually heard as a static concert piece, the welcome addition of dance delivered a new understanding of Stravinsky’s score.


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About the author:
Gregory Sullivan Isaacs is a Dallas-based composer, conductor, and journalist. He is also a coach and teacher with a private studio.

Read more by Gregory Sullivan Isaacs.
This entry was posted in Symphony & Opera on by .

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