The sold-out audience at Centennial Hall last Saturday night waited until Joshua Bell and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields had finished the final movement of "Spring" — the first segment of Vivaldi's four-part "The Four Seasons" — before bursting into applause.
Then like clockwork, as each movement ended — 12 in all — the audience applauded. Not obnoxiously so, mind you, but applause nonetheless.
Now, some would say this is embarrassing: Shame on us for breaking decorum and letting our emotions get the best of us. How culturally backward we are, indeed!
Then there's the school that I subscribe to: If the music's good, applaud. That's how they did it in the 17th and 18th centuries, after all.
Now, there are limits: You might not want to applaud while the orchestra is still playing. They might lose their concentration. And a standing ovation at any time other than the end of a piece is probably akin to sucking up. Save that grand gesture until the final note has been struck.
Anyone among the 2,400-plus packed into the hall for the UApresents concert will tell you: Violinist Bell and the London chamber orchestra deserved the applause. Not only was the performance technically stunning, it was just plain fun to watch. Here was an orchestra, and a guest soloist/director, having a blast, and it didn't matter if anyone from the audience broke ranks and clapped out of turn. The musicians didn't seem a bit fazed by it all.
In addition to "Four Seasons," the orchestra played Brahms String Quintet No. 2 in G major, arranged for string orchestra. Bell, who stood at the front of the ensemble to perform the Vivaldi, sat in the first chair of the violin section and led the group through subtle gestures from his seat — a quick nod of the head, a wave or two of his bow, swaying his whole body.
It was exciting seeing Bell graduate from guest soloist who plays a piece then leaves the stage to being the man responsible for shaping and interpreting the music. He guided the group more as a teammate than a leader, applying a soft touch that no doubt left the group feeling just as responsible for the music's shape as the man loosely charged with shaping it.
Saturday's UApresents concert was a precursor to Bell's January 2008 concert with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Single tickets go on sale in September; call 882-8585.
