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Cecile Cooper newspaper clippings, 1966-1987
""Opera star Estes thrills concert-goers""
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Opera star Estes thrills concert-goers Review By BILL McELWAIN Dispatch Entertainment Editor A guest artist of Simon Estes' caliber doesn't come along every day. That's why Tri-City Symphony audiences this weekend are really fortunate to have the privilege of hearing one of the great bass-baritones of the Metropolitan Opera. The Centerville, Iowa, native, who has scored operatic triumphs all over the world, gave Symphony patrons a rousing performance Friday night in Augustana College Centennial Hall. The crowd was on its feet applauding and cheering the man who had thrilled them with his vocal pyrotechnics. The warm reception given Estes was in direct contrast to the lukewarm applause accorded composer Nicolas Roussakis after the world premiere performance by the orchestra of his tone poem "Fire and Earth and Water and Air" earlier in the evening. More about that later. IN THE FIRST part of the program Estes demonstrated his expertise at singing oratorio when he presented the recitative and aria, "Thus Saith the Lord" and "But Who May Abide" from Handel's "Messiah." Estes sang the stirring Handel music with conviction and with an ease that belied the difficulty of the oratorio passages. After the Handel, Estes took us into the world of opera with a masterful performance of "Wehe, wehe mir der qual" from Wagner's "Parsifal." The booming bass-baritone voice with its magnificent tonal quality soared beautifully over the orchestra as Estes stepped into the role of Wagner's Amfortas and sang the aria with a sensitivity rarely heard. After intermission, Estes turned Verdi's "Macbeth" and sang the "Perfidi! All' Anglo contro me v'unite!" and "Pieta, rispetto, amore" with a tremendous dramatic force. It was the kind of treat that makes some concerts absolutely sparkle. Estes skipped the programmed "Se vuol ballare" from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" (because his management had neglected to send the music). Instead, he substituted the popular "Toreador Song" from "Carmen." I'm sure no one minded the switch. Estes sang the well-known aria with a lively bravado that had the audience giving him a standing ovation when he finished the number. ESTES TOLD the audience that it was good to be home again, back where his roots are. Although Friday night he was a little confused on his geography when on an Illinois stage he commented how "thrilled I am to be back in Iowa." It's a mistake Illinoisans will quickly forgive and forget if Estes will come back and sing for us again sometime. Estes is no stranger to the Quad-Cities. He spent his college days at the University of Iowa and often visited an aunt, Cecile Cooper, in Davenport. She now resides in Coralville, Iowa, but was planning to attend the weekend concerts by her nephew. EARLIER IN the evening we had another of those world premiere performances which seem to be popping up at the symphony concerts with regularity. This time it was Nicolas Roussakis' tone poem "Fire and Earth and Water and Air." The 21-minute work is based on Plato's "Timaeus" -- the creation of the four classical elements. Probably the best way to tell you what the music was all about is to quote from the composer's own description of the work: "The symphonic poem opens with a musical description of Primordial Chaos, in which each individual member of the orchestra begins playing casually, with not much concern for the other musicians. The conductor starts beating time only after the Chaos has been under way for a while and cues the musicians one by one, bringing the universe to order from disorder." Does that give you a clue as to what the music sounded like? Someone sitting near me thought the orchestra was tuning up during the period of Primordial Chaos. The music progressed to various sections of highly descriptive phrasing. But descriptive of what, I was never quite sure. It was just a relief to have it all over with and to get on with Simon Estes. Roussakis, the composer, was in the audience and conductor James Dixon called him onstage after the performance to receive a polite bit of applause from the audience. Roussakis is on the music faculty of Rutgers University. I observed in the program notes that the work was commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts. Does that mean that your tax money and mine went to Roussakis for the composition of the number? It's something I'd rather not think about. ORCHESTRAL highlight of the concert was Tchaikovsky's "Serenade in C for Strings." It's a sumptuous bit of music -- well known to most concert-goers -- and the orchestra played it in a broad, sweeping style. What sheer joy to sit back, relax and listen to the Tchaikovsky after the dissonance and harshness of "Fire and Earth and Water and Air." Concert opener was another audience favorite, the overture to Weber's "Der Freischutsz." Final concerts of the season will be April 13, 14 and 15 when violinist Elmar Oliveira will be guest soloist. Moline (Ill.) Dispatch (?) Ca. Fcl 1984 [[Photo caption]] SIMON ESTES
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Opera star Estes thrills concert-goers Review By BILL McELWAIN Dispatch Entertainment Editor A guest artist of Simon Estes' caliber doesn't come along every day. That's why Tri-City Symphony audiences this weekend are really fortunate to have the privilege of hearing one of the great bass-baritones of the Metropolitan Opera. The Centerville, Iowa, native, who has scored operatic triumphs all over the world, gave Symphony patrons a rousing performance Friday night in Augustana College Centennial Hall. The crowd was on its feet applauding and cheering the man who had thrilled them with his vocal pyrotechnics. The warm reception given Estes was in direct contrast to the lukewarm applause accorded composer Nicolas Roussakis after the world premiere performance by the orchestra of his tone poem "Fire and Earth and Water and Air" earlier in the evening. More about that later. IN THE FIRST part of the program Estes demonstrated his expertise at singing oratorio when he presented the recitative and aria, "Thus Saith the Lord" and "But Who May Abide" from Handel's "Messiah." Estes sang the stirring Handel music with conviction and with an ease that belied the difficulty of the oratorio passages. After the Handel, Estes took us into the world of opera with a masterful performance of "Wehe, wehe mir der qual" from Wagner's "Parsifal." The booming bass-baritone voice with its magnificent tonal quality soared beautifully over the orchestra as Estes stepped into the role of Wagner's Amfortas and sang the aria with a sensitivity rarely heard. After intermission, Estes turned Verdi's "Macbeth" and sang the "Perfidi! All' Anglo contro me v'unite!" and "Pieta, rispetto, amore" with a tremendous dramatic force. It was the kind of treat that makes some concerts absolutely sparkle. Estes skipped the programmed "Se vuol ballare" from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" (because his management had neglected to send the music). Instead, he substituted the popular "Toreador Song" from "Carmen." I'm sure no one minded the switch. Estes sang the well-known aria with a lively bravado that had the audience giving him a standing ovation when he finished the number. ESTES TOLD the audience that it was good to be home again, back where his roots are. Although Friday night he was a little confused on his geography when on an Illinois stage he commented how "thrilled I am to be back in Iowa." It's a mistake Illinoisans will quickly forgive and forget if Estes will come back and sing for us again sometime. Estes is no stranger to the Quad-Cities. He spent his college days at the University of Iowa and often visited an aunt, Cecile Cooper, in Davenport. She now resides in Coralville, Iowa, but was planning to attend the weekend concerts by her nephew. EARLIER IN the evening we had another of those world premiere performances which seem to be popping up at the symphony concerts with regularity. This time it was Nicolas Roussakis' tone poem "Fire and Earth and Water and Air." The 21-minute work is based on Plato's "Timaeus" -- the creation of the four classical elements. Probably the best way to tell you what the music was all about is to quote from the composer's own description of the work: "The symphonic poem opens with a musical description of Primordial Chaos, in which each individual member of the orchestra begins playing casually, with not much concern for the other musicians. The conductor starts beating time only after the Chaos has been under way for a while and cues the musicians one by one, bringing the universe to order from disorder." Does that give you a clue as to what the music sounded like? Someone sitting near me thought the orchestra was tuning up during the period of Primordial Chaos. The music progressed to various sections of highly descriptive phrasing. But descriptive of what, I was never quite sure. It was just a relief to have it all over with and to get on with Simon Estes. Roussakis, the composer, was in the audience and conductor James Dixon called him onstage after the performance to receive a polite bit of applause from the audience. Roussakis is on the music faculty of Rutgers University. I observed in the program notes that the work was commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts. Does that mean that your tax money and mine went to Roussakis for the composition of the number? It's something I'd rather not think about. ORCHESTRAL highlight of the concert was Tchaikovsky's "Serenade in C for Strings." It's a sumptuous bit of music -- well known to most concert-goers -- and the orchestra played it in a broad, sweeping style. What sheer joy to sit back, relax and listen to the Tchaikovsky after the dissonance and harshness of "Fire and Earth and Water and Air." Concert opener was another audience favorite, the overture to Weber's "Der Freischutsz." Final concerts of the season will be April 13, 14 and 15 when violinist Elmar Oliveira will be guest soloist. Moline (Ill.) Dispatch (?) Ca. Fcl 1984 [[Photo caption]] SIMON ESTES
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