On paper, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra’s 130th season ended on a triumphant note in a program filled with the works of American composers titled “Our American Story.”
In reality, Sunday’s performance of selections from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono had audience members straining to hear and understand the soloists, who did not use microphones, over the orchestra. I sat in the sixth row from the stage and could not hear and understand all the words they sang. Concertgoers in the balcony said they could not hear one word that soprano Denisha Ballew and baritone Keenan McCarter, both accomplished professionals, sang.
The chorus, made up of members of the University of Maine’s Oratorio Society and the University Singers, carried the choral load. Directed by Francis John Vogt, their voices soared over the orchestra, floated through the concert hall and reached every ear.
The musicians clearly loved playing Gershwin’s score that blends elements of opera, jazz and American popular song but they unfortunately drowned out the soloists despite Conductor and Music Director Lucas Richman’s efforts to get them to tone it down. Except for that misstep, the concert was a glorious conclusion to “A Season of Symphonic Storytelling.”
The concert began with two stunning fanfares: Joan Tower’s 1986 “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” and Aaron Copland’s World War II-era “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Both pieces showcased the orchestra’s brass, percussion and timpani sections and powerfully paid tribute to the women and men of America.
Valerie Coleman’s “Umoja (Anthem of Unity)” brought “together elements of African, African American and Afro-Caribbean musical traditions with classical forms, creating a language that emphasizes groove, lyricism and connection,” according to the program. The piece takes its title from the Swahili word for unity. It was a fine example of Richman’s effort to include works by composers of color to increase the diversity of the symphony’s offerings.
“New England Triptych” by William Schuman rounded out the first half of the concert. The composer based the 1956 three-movement piece on three hymns — “Be Glad, Then, America,” “When Jesus Wept” and “Chester” — written in the 18th century by William Billings. The piece beautifully reminded concertgoers of the country’s rich choral history rooted in its church choirs.
The symphony’s next season, announced Sunday, will include a new work by Richman along with pieces by Robert Schumann, Ludwig Van Beethoven, J.S. Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Bela Bartok, Leonard Bernstein and Gustav Mahler. In May 2027, Richman will conduct the John Williams’ score to “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” while the movie is shown.
“Our American Story” is being streamed at watch.bangorsymphony.org through May 15.