Stretching the Bounds of Classical

In some respects, vocal wizard Bobby McFerrin’s appearance Saturday night as conductor in the Music Academy of the West’s 50th anniversary season might have seemed a bit out-of-character. After all, his pathway into the classical world has been anything but linear, intentional or academic, having come up through jazz, pop and permutations of his own devising.

In another way, though, McFerrin’s committed work in orchestral conducting in the past several years, and his fresh, irreverent approach could be viewed as just what the classical scene needs. He shines, whether leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic or the gifted student ranks of the Music Academy orchestra, who gave him their considerable all on Saturday.

From the first urbane splash of Bernstein’s Overture to “Candide” to the encore, a sing-along finale of the “Mickey Mouse Club”--with Music Academy faculty member Marilyn Horne lending her own gilded voice to the mix, no less--this was a rousingly good and musical evening.

As impish as he can be at times, McFerrin attends to his duties seriously, conducting without baton or scores, applauding frequently, shrugging off ovations, and winning the respect of his comrades.

One obvious distinction between McFerrin and other aspirants to the podium is that he has spent a fair amount of his musical life in pursuit of improvisation, a notion almost entirely foreign to the classical experience. Or is it?

As smartly rendered as the orchestra’s reading of Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and Bizet’s First Symphony were, the highlight of the concert was McFerrin’s free-spirited improvised section. To start, he set up one of his signature is-he-really-making-all-that-sound-himself? pieces, followed by a soulful version of the Beatles’ cult classic “I Want You/She’s So Heavy,” no doubt the first time that tune has been performed in this hall.

He then turned to the orchestral ranks, brought up bassist Peter Seymour to play “Blue Monk,” and violist-turned-violinist Ryan McKasson to play Scottish fiddle music. Thinking bigger, he then had the entire orchestra wing a version of “Also Sprach Zarathuastra,” without written music. The result was rough around the edges and beautiful to the core.

When, during his improv segment, McFerrin launched into a mock aria, calling out chords to harpist Ellen Foster while conjuring up bel canto phrases on-the-fly, it was funny and musical, a combination he has no trouble accommodating. Closing the improv segment, he sang the linear part of the Bach prelude while assigning Gounod’s “Ave Maria” melody to the audience, which included sterling vocal students in the house and Horne, again.

Unlike almost anyone on the scene, McFerrin somehow manages to lampoon the propriety of classical music, while also showering the music with love. His is a deceptively casual approach to the maestro business, imparting to musicians and audience alike an attitude that could be described as “Don’t worry, be happy, but, at all costs, be musical.”

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Student Music, Part II: Speaking of live-wire musical characters, Oxnard-based composer Miguel del Aguila unveiled the first public performance in the ambitious new “Voices” program, which he started last fall. The goal of the educational program is to nurture the development of young composers in Oxnard. Several of the more mature participants showcased their work at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center last week, in a surprisingly impressive display.

The iconoclastic del Aguila showed up in a bathrobe and with his pooch, Chelsea, to emphasize the informal nature of the concert. He also relayed a tale about getting pulled over that day by a police officer for allegedly running a stop sign, after which the officer handcuffed del Aguila and prevented him from getting to the cleaners to pick up his formal wear.

The composer then kindly offered us the officer’s name and badge number, before segueing, slyly, into testimony concerning both the importance and the dangers of artists breaking rules. “I am the funniest part of this concert,” del Aguila said, before the music commenced. It was true.

Young members of the “Voices” ensemble switched roles throughout the concert, from composer to performer to page-turner.

The compositional voices varied, from pianist Michael Fortunato’s rhapsodic, arpeggio chordal patterns in a semi-pop direction, to the promising neo-romantic craftsmanship of David Schneider. Schneider’s Piano Sonata No. 1, played by the composer, proudly banked on its echoes of Chopin.

Some of the concert’s most original music was by Justin Messina, who shifted from a cool reflective air to an antic waltz on his piano solo, “Passionate Lunacy,” and then worked up an almost Kurt Weill-ish wit for “Alleyways,” with Messina on piano and Dwight Parry on saxophone.

Flutist Danny Black and guitarist Daniel Beirne performed Christina Apostolina Beirne’s “Catchin’ a Breeze,” a piece with a vaguely Peruvian harmonic flavor, marked by effective simplicity.

Nicholas Bridgman’s “The Hidden Lake” lived up to the enigma of the title, as its spare motif grew increasingly dark, complicated by the tangled dialogue with Parry’s oboe.

Closing out this engaging performance of fresh new music was Terran Olson’s fetching “Trio for Borrowed Saxes.” Olson, who played sax along with Fortunato and Parry, has devised a maze of chugging quasi-minimalist lines that evoke the music of John Adams more than jazz, despite the natural jazz association when saxes enter the picture.

The overall impression of this concert was one of young minds at work, exploring ideas--and borrowing saxes if necessary--to get the job of self-expression done.

At a time when music education is in peril, and the promotion of young composers virtually unheard of outside college settings, “Voices” is one Ventura County’s cultural projects worth supporting.