Symphonia Domestica Philharmonic

Detroit Institute of Arts, August 5

The Symphonia Domestica Philharmonic, a newly-formed orchestra headquartered at the Detroit Institute of Arts, made their debut performance on Thursday, August 5. Considering that the orchestra had held only three rehearsals prior to the concert, and that the average age of the members is only 23, the opening was very well performed indeed.

Unfortunately, the program was much too long, and both Wagner's "Siegfried" (which should have been left out of the schedule altogether) and Revuelto's "Redes" (a Detroit premiere of this work by the Mexican composer) lacked vitality and intonation. The Ravel "Le Tombeau de Couperin" was very well performed, however, with the audience particularly excited by the fourth and final movement, "Rigaudon," which would have been an excellent conclusion for the concert.

Also worthy of note were Debussy's "Fetes" and Haydn's Symphony No. 104, the "London Symphony." The Haydn work was especially well done, with the orchestra demonstrating considerable proficiency on the complex triplets and other moving parts of the piece.

Although he seemed technically quite correct, the conductor, Eduard Perrone, was rather rigid and unemotional, which detracted somewhat from our enjoyment of the music. As far as the playing itself was concerned, the only major drawback was to be found in the violin section–the concert master and his assistant were excellent, but the rest lacked maturity and good technique. On the other hand, the wind instruments did a commendable job and the cello section, which was the most musically sensitive segment of the orchestra, gave a fine performance.

Such a varied and uneven presentation is to be expected for any orchestra's first time out, and we were really quite surprised by the talent and ability exhibited by this newborn symphony organization. Classical music is a tough business to be in if you're not "number one"–college grads often find they can't gain acceptance by a major symphony because they lack experience, but to get the experience necessary they must join a noted symphony. It is an unjust, vicious circle and one that almost totally excludes musicians of color from possibilities of employment. They merit an opportunity, such as this, to establish themselves in their own right. (Al least a third of Symphoria Domestica is black, a situation unheard of in any of the big-name organizations. These musicians are working diligently to prepare for their futures, and they're making; much fine music in the process.

One suggestion: the prices tor tickets $5.50, $6.50, and $7.50 are a little steep, and lowering the admission fee would help attract a wider audience. The Symphonia Domestiea continues its performances weekly at the Detroit Institute of Arts Auditorium.