Third's a charm

Larry Rachleff on RIPO's 54th season

by Michael Caito

Howard Zhang

There are many facets to a Philharmonic season, from Pops and Family series to three traveling operatic troupes -- putting up La Traviata, Die Fledermaus and Madama Butterfly -- which the organization is hosting at Vets.

But this week from Houston, we spoke with conductor Larry Rachleff primarily about the Classical Series, and the auditions being held here to replace recently-retired performers. Rachleff's first two seasons at the podium have met with widespread praise, and RIPO's ticket sales, according to Pam Kennedy, have been strong, as Rachleff enters the third of his initial three-year pact with the Philharmonic.

Q: You had previously arranged programming in the Classical Series loosely around a theme, such as dance. Did you go with that this season?

A: This season it's perhaps even looser. Last year we kind of spanned the globe, and after looking at those two [seasons] what I thought we needed more than a theme this year, to help the development of the orchestra, was a series that will stretch the orchestra artistically. So I wanted to come up with programs that were strongly diverse, and would ask us to play a great variety of styles and languages. That seemed to override the need for a season-long theme.

There will be some revisitations of some important concepts over the first two years, programming concepts, that is to say. A couple of major Beethoven works will continue, the Leonora Third Overture and Fourth Piano Concerto, a Charles Ives piece, another work of a living American composer, Scott McAllister, another important symphony of Mahler and another important symphony of Dvorak. One place we didn't stop last year in our spanning of the globe was France, so we're going to do an all-French concert to end the season. I also wanted to again introduce pieces that haven't been done before, or in a very long time, like the Bartok Miraculous Mandarin Suite, the Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto and things of this kind. The opening concert is built around the idea of, if you will, the virtuoso orchestra. We'll have this major classical overture, two shorter concerti for violin that requires a very flexible orchestra accompanying, the Afternoon of a Fawn which is Impressionism at its zenith, and of course the famous Firebird, which is one of the great masterpieces of any century, but requires a certain kind of transparent playing that none of the other works do.

Q: Fidelio was renowned as a struggle for Beethoven. Hadn't he reworked this Overture numerous times?

A: He wrote different overtures for the same opera, and these appeared in different acts, and the only thing that really survived of any significance were these sets of overtures. And like all of Beethoven's writing they were revised and edited and revised and re-edited countless times. But it is a very significant piece of music. It's 16 minutes long, as long as most any movement from any of his early symphonies. It's a major musical statement, and requires one heck of a good orchestra to play it.

Q: And so you've demonstrated faith in them.

A: I believe in them, Itrust them, they have continued to work incredibly hard and grow wonderfully, and have taught me a lot.

Q: To touch on the human drama of the audition event . . . a potential career-defining moment that will be over in a flash. Some take the stance that you may want to soften the blow for them, try to make it as, well, un-arduous as possible, perhaps remembering how nervous you were when you were in the auditioning mode. The other side says it should be arduous, since you're essentially separating wheat from chaff in the big picture. Do you fall between those extremes?

A: The audition is a necessary evil of the profession. We certainly want to attract the very best people we can, because it's gonna be the best for everyone else who's in the orchestra, and then ultimately for the music, and finally and most importantly for the audience. My particular feeling is you set up the audition so that they are as humane, respectful and regardful as you can, and give people the opportunity to show off their best, one hopes, and be very grateful to each and every one for coming. It is a bit icy. The preliminary rounds are always behind a screen to protect everyone involved. There's no great way to do it. I'll be there to hear all the finalists, as one who tries, as should everyone who listens to auditions, to be compassionate and at the same time to pick as carefully as they can.

Q: What is one thing a person who heads into an audition will forget, more often than not?

A: I think they probably forget, because of their effort to prepare as perfectly as possible, that personality is important also in one's playing. You certainly want to hear [an] accurate performance, but you also want to hear someone saying something. One without the other is not complete, and it's true of conductors as well.

Q: Nervousness would be natural heading into a first or second season, but has it changed as your third season approaches?

A: There still is a great excitement, looking forward to the promise of a new year. Of course, the more I'm involved, the more I'm there, the more Ithink there are less mysteries. Thankfully [given] wonderful staff, the leadership of Alan Hopper, a fabulous board and its leadership, and the musicians' intentions, we've been able to do some important things for the community, and I pray that we'll still be able to.

Q: Are you happy with the results of the Sunday repeat performances so far?

A: The musical playing has always done very well on Sundays; the trick has been to attract audiences. It's one of the things we're still trying to find the best answer to, and I think this season we'll be more successful than we have been to this point.

Q: Any specific goals for this season?

A: I just want to bring to the audiences as vibrant, alive and electrifying music-making as we can, and Iask for strength to do that.

The Philharmonic's Classical Series Opening Night is on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, and includes works of Beethoven, Sarasate, Saint-Saëns, Debussy and Stravinsky, featuring guest soloist, violinist Howard Zhang. The program will also be presented on Sunday at 3 p.m.

STARS & BARS. The recent-release assault has slowed, but not for punk 'n' power-poppers the Double Nuthins, whose debut on North Providence's Baby Doll Records (of Ashley Von Hurter & the Haters fame) is killah vinyl three songs deep. Not as heavy or searing as fellow trios like DropDead and Arson Family, theirs is a nod to perma-wry Gringo and maybe Nuthins' pals the (now-in-the-middle-of-a-lineup-change) Highway Strippers, finding bassist Jay Litchfield pinning together the winking humor / bash 'n' pop chords of singer Ted Rao and the kit of Matt McLaren, a kit cat who's never met amplification his playing has really needed. "Goin' to Sh-Booms" is as rapier-like a bit o' ridicule you'll hear this side of the late Neutral Nation's "Hey Dick, Lick Me." Solid debut.

The Safari Lounge continues to host Purple Ivy Shadows' month-of-Fridays residency. The band bring in Slow River labelmate Tom Leach along with his fellow Bostonians Cherry 2000, while around the corner The Agents celebrate the release of their 2nd full-length, recorded in New York City, with guests the Brunt of It, the Loutz and the Itchies. Same night, more impossible choices:Royal Trux hit the Century with Mother Jefferson, the L.U.V.s and Erotics. Gruvis headline there Saturday. Heads up for the return engagement of Kilgore next Friday (10.23) at Lupo's. The Met has a fab lineup Wednesday with Barbara Manning and Kiwis The Renderers in the sleeper show of the week, bar none.