Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan, right, chats with symphony guest soloist Cecile Licad and Vallejo Symphony Vice President Jim Sotiros at a post-concert reception. (Photo by Suzie Peterson)

The Vallejo Symphony performed the first concert of its 2017-18 season to a packed house Sunday, celebrating its new permanent home at the Empress Theatre with a trio of classical works spanning the 18th to 19th centuries.
Piano soloist Cecile Licad thrilled the packed house with impressive technical proficiency and careful sensitivity in the exciting Chopin concerto. Licad will be the featured soloist for all of the symphony’s performances this season.

TCHAIKOVSKY

Tchaikovsky’s “Symphonia Fantasia,” a tone poem based on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” hums in a near monotone in its opening movement, before strings roll up the pitch for a slow wave of increased volume and power. Soon the flutes, which sounded strikingly pretty in Sunday’s performance, pierce through above the droning strings. An ominous feeling persists throughout, like deceptively calm seas subtly hinting at some invisible force below.
As the prevailing theme gains strength, the mood shifts to a sense of forward motion, evoking the image of a promenade marching confidently through the muted turmoil, before the first “tada” moment arrives, marked with a flurry of timpani beats.
Solemn horns follow, with a serene melodic theme taking center stage. As strings rejoined the party at this point in Sunday’s performance, the orchestra began to reveal some imperfections in congruency, most notably in its failure to remain tightly synchronized in rhythm. The sound returned quickly though to harmonious agreement, in time for a lovely combination of soothing strings and precious horn play.
The recurring themes then began to seem monotonous, perhaps for a deficit of variation inherent to the composition, as the piece approached its conclusion. A serene foundation was punctuated with a fantastic combination of horns and timpani before a final crescendo frenzied up toward its crisp apex, then fell back to a gentle reminder of the rumbling sea, a conclusion with a profound relief.

MOZART

The mood of the afternoon lifted considerably with the second selection, Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major. A galloping theme introduces the piece, which kick-started a much more exciting musical experience.
After a brief first movement, the beat turned positively swingy, though the orchestra’s execution felt somewhat sluggish. The work contains such great, happy beauty, though, an asset prevalent throughout Mozart’s diverse repertoire, it would be a challenge to mask it. The highlight of this selection came in a sweet if muted violin interlude in the fourth movement.

CHOPIN

The orchestra shone most brightly in the Chopin concerto, starting right off with exquisite accuracy in pitch and timing. Perhaps the most exciting moment of the concert came in soloist Licad’s first licks, perfectly synchronized with the now more energized ensemble. Transitions between sections were executed by all with precision and nuance. The work’s conclusion – a dramatic fade to silent – was executed with tremendous sensitivity, a sublime end to the overall enjoyable performance.
The Concerto No. 1 is extremely challenging for the pianist, with lightning-fast passages in almost every solo segment. Licad kept perfect rhythm throughout, seemingly unshaken by either the somewhat tinny timbre in the instrument’s upper register or the occasional technical errors. The orchestra followed the soloist’s decisive rhythm and emotion supremely. That consistent, energetic beat and Licad’s impressive overall execution held the audience rapt and earned her an extended standing ovation – so enthusiastic, in fact, that her third return to the stage included a brief but exciting encore.

If You Go

The next Vallejo Symphony concert, “Revolution,” will take place Jan. 28, 2018 at the Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St., Vallejo, featuring Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Shostakovitch, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. Individual tickets are $35 to $55 and are available online at vallejosymphony.org or through the box office at 707-643-4441, open Monday through Thursday 1 to 4 p.m.

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