Two different concerts, both spectacular.
Two orchestral concerts this weekend fell on opposite ends of several spectrums: One was swinging, one somber. One celebratory, one reflective. One full of some of the most popular tunes in American music, one featuring works rarely heard.
But the two concerts did have something in common: Both were spectacular.
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song,” with an exuberant program featuring three Broadway vocalists and directed by Larry Blank. Meanwhile, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park paid tribute to three black composers, underappreciated in their lifetimes because of their race.
Though she faced racial bias throughout her career, Fitzgerald was definitely not under-appreciated, winning multiple awards and selling millions of records. The Philharmonic concert hit all the bestknown numbers — a Caribbean island-evoking “ATisket, A Tasket,” a jazzy “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” a high-energy “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”
Capathia Jenkins showed her amazing vocal range on a sultry “Blues in the Night.” Aisha de Haas showed she can scat with the best of them on a rollicking “Mr. Paganini.” Harolyn Blackwell, with the most operatic sound, delivered a shimmering “Summertime.”
The three women, each with a distinctive style, forged a strong blend when they sang together on classics, such as “Strike Up the Band,” “Mack the Knife” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing” — though that last number sounded a bit too controlled for such a freewheeling song.
For the Bach Festival Society, conductor John Sinclair admirably kept control of two large choirs, an orchestra and multiple soloists. The “African American Masterpieces: Symphonic Spirituals” concert presented three 20th-century works that weren’t given their due in their time because their composers were black.
Each piece blazed with emotion — and showed why they deserve to be titled “masterpieces.”
William L. Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony” had an inviting tone, with warm instrumental solos, tuneful melodies and a stirring finale punctuated by strong percussion. The combination created that undefinable quality that makes a work sound “American.”
William Grant Still’s “And They Lynched Him on a Tree” built to such a shattering climax, it felt almost intrusive to applaud and disrupt the atmosphere, laden with regret. The Bach choir pounced on the angry white mob’s opening lyrics. The Bethune-Cookman Concert Chorale displayed a beautiful richness of tone as the black mourners.
The final line, sung by all, still haunts me: “Clear the shadow that falls across your land.”
Soloists got more of chance to shine in the complex and moving “The Ordering of Moses,” by R. Nathaniel Dett. None shone brighter than Samuel McKelton, whose tenor was a clarion call to hope and joy. The choir matched him in exuberance as the singers exhorted “O praise the Lord,” their voices ringing out like the pealing of victory bells.