Music Reviews : Violinist Sheryl Staples With Chamber Orchestra

With the seemingly endless proliferation of chamber orchestras, one needed a good reason to attend a performance Sunday afternoon by our latest local entrant, the Southern California Chamber Orchestra. But one wasn’t provided by founder Clyde Mitchell or his fledgling ensemble.

Fortunately, soloist Sheryl Staples turned what might have been a frustrating, run-of-the-mill affair into a memorable experience.

Her performance of the Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor by Max Bruch gave every indication that her enormous potential is nearing fulfillment. Except for lacking the last measure of interpretive maturity in building the Adagio from start to finish, one waited in vain for any sign that the young artist was not taking the full measure of the work.

The incessant double stops of the outer movements never posed problems, and the exceedingly rich, vibrant tone Staples produces perfectly matched the work’s lush phrases. Mitchell’s accompaniment suited her impassioned approach without any miscalculation of balances--no small feat in the United University Church at USC.

But the acoustical deficiencies thoroughly sabotaged the young ensemble in their ensuing attempt at Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. The cavernous hall made the 42-member group seem twice as large with a resultant sound of half the clarity one would hope for--or else why perform this work with a reduced size, modern instrument group at all?

Not surprisingly, neither Mitchell nor his orchestra (about half of whose members are USC students) have garnered enough experience to provide any new insights into this landmark work. They fared well though in an energetically controlled Scherzo, and the last third of the Marcia Funebre gave ample evidence that both orchestra and conductor may yet produce memorable performances sans soloists.

The Overture to Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” opened the concert, revealing that Mitchell does possess a true gift for sustaining a legato line.