Music Reviews : Glendale Ensemble Begins Season

Conductor Christopher Fazzi was the deciding factor when his Glendale Chamber Orchestra opened its season at Glendale High School Auditorium on Saturday night. He is young, obviously ambitious, energetic and aggressive, and he bears watching.

He launched into Rossini’s “Semiramide” Overture with the air of one who knows what it is all about. He fused the need for contrast and shadings, which he exacted from his players with certainty and precision.

Both he and his players found Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony a bit of a handful, however. One heard the gist of what Beethoven had in mind, with gusto and spirit and a fair idea of essential contrasts. The tough places were still plainly tough, but the drive and conciseness of the first movement, the serenity of the second movement, the mystery of the Scherzo and the shouting of the finale were sufficiently realized.

The soloist of the evening was Daniel Pollack, a pianist of wide experience, virtually faultless technique, and an urgency related to the music. He aroused cheers from an obviously partisan audience for his way with Chopin’s Concerto in E minor.

His playing had the keyboard glitter that comes from equalized fingers and a reliable method of producing contrasts of color and dynamics. He made the piano sing lyrically while proceeding in a businesslike manner.

The audience cheered repeatedly and was awarded with two Chopin encores--the Waltz in E minor and the posthumous Nocturne.