CRITICAL REVIEWS OF THE
Available Reviews:
(listed in reverse chronological order)
By Jon L Lehman
Published in The Patriot Ledger, November 13, 1998
"In its fall concert ... the Quincy Symphony Orchestra showed it
is an organization that -- like its enthusiastic conductor, Yoichi Udagawa
-- loves making music and loves communicating the joy of it to others."
"The members played with commitment and passion.."
"The Shostakovich's Festive Overture ... is a vivacious and ultimately
bombastic piece that shows off almost every section of the orchestra. The
Quincy musicians made the most of it. A brassy fanfare turned into a lilting
quick step played with great brio by the by the oboe and flutes. There were
pounding, martial figures from the trombones and a neatly executed, tension-building
pizzicato passage for the violins."
"The orchestra gave quite a respectable performance of the piece
(Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony). Attacks and cutoffs were precise, and the
woodwinds, horns and trombones especially distinguished themselves. Clarinetist
Mark Margolies turned the little street dance solos of the second movement
into jazzy but controlled riffs, and there was a very nicely handled bassoon
solo as well."
"The violins effectively conveyed a sense of anxiety in a series
of descending figures in the first movement..."
"...the generally upbeat ending provided a satisfying finale to the
concert."
By Joel Altman
Published in The Patriot Ledger, March 5, 1998
"The brightest moments came during the stirring and optimistic
Meistersinger overture and in the solo passages of the lush, exotic Scheherazade,
admirably played by harpist Judith Ross, principal bassoonist Stephen Wright,
principal flutist Sally Tucker, principal clarinetist Mark Margolies and
principal oboist Sally Davenport."
"Rosemary Way's straightforward violin in Scheherazade, (was) structurally
clear and accurately played..."
"The orchestra was at its best in Scheherazade's loud, unified passages."
"(Perry) Johnson (III) faithfully observed the concerto's mood changes
in the Adagio movement. In fact, throughout he took pains to play the concerto
carefully, attentively and respectively."
By Joel Altman
Published in The Patriot Ledger, Tuesday, November 11, 1997
"In choosing a wonderful emerging artist as soloist and selecting
a well-balanced program, Yoichi Udagawa proved to be the binding force for
the enthusiasm generated by the Quincy Symphony Orchestra in its season-opening
concert Friday night."
"Joining Udagawa and the QSO players was 26-year-old Korean pianist
Yeon-Jung Kim. ... Kim delivered a beautifully expansive performance of the
Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto."
"...Udagawa employs lean, modest conducting gestures, but he elicited
a whirlwind of spirited playing from the orchestra. Udagawa's remarkable
candor, both musical and verbal (the later on display when he informally
addressed his audience before the Schubert) is not only contagious in its
appeal but his words and approach to the music transform what might otherwise
be an intimidating orchestral performance into a more intimate experience
akin to chamber music."
"...it was obvious before Friday night's audience leaped to its
feet to applaud Kim's performance (also shared by the clapping, broadly smiling
orchestra), that Kim has a wide variety of pianistic ammunition in her arsenal.
And she effectively used it to absorb and thrill her listeners."
"...the QSO does have many fine players, particularly in the brass
and woodwind sections. It's always a pleasure, for instance, to hear Mark
Margolies' clarinet solos - his playing was particularly lovely in the Adagio
of the Rachmaninoff. Trumpeters Leonard Epstein and Brian Hickox were among
the positive forces, and the French horn section, led by Mary Ellen Sweeney,
was even and poised."
By George W. Harper
Published in The Patriot Ledger, Wednesday, February 18, 1987
"Not many community ensembles are as audacious as the Quincy
Symphony Orchestra. It took real nerve to plan Friday night's concert around
`Knoxville: Summer of 1915', Samuel Barber's tone poem for soprano and orchestra.
Conductor Robert Brown's daring paid off, though, with a fine reading..."
"The QSO played with confidence and a surprising degree of polish.
Especially fine was the contribution of the woodwinds. Robert Brown and his
players have every right to be proud of this performance."