Guest role leads to longer engagement
Lexington Sinfonietta
Inaugural concert with Jonathan McPhee
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Preconcert talk at 7 p.m.
Hancock Church
1912 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington
$20-$25 adults, $10-$12 children
781-863-9581
www.lexingtonsinfonietta.org
For all of its musical prowess, the Lexington Sinfonietta has had the sizable task of making itself better known to the community, starting with its new conductor.
''I wasn't really aware of the group until I guest-conducted," said Jonathan McPhee, a Sudbury resident who is best known in this area as the music director for the Boston Ballet. ''But I was impressed by the level of the playing, and the people in the organization."
On Saturday, McPhee begins a two-year stint as the sinfonietta's principal conductor and artistic adviser, leading a concert that gives a glimpse of the types of programs he is planning.
''I'm trying to build programs in which audiences will always find something they know and love," McPhee said, ''and then we carefully introduce pieces they may not know, but may be attracted to."
For this concert, the familiar piece is Tchaikovsky's tuneful ''Serenade for Strings." The less familiar are Hindemith's 1944 ballet ''Herodiade, based on a work by the French poet Stphane Mallarm, and the version of Stravinsky's ''Pastorale" that is scored for winds and strings. McPhee said he was introduced to the Stravinsky piece in 1974 by conductor Leopold Stokowski in London.
At full strength, the sinfonietta has 55 musicians, which, McPhee said, allows more versatility than some may think. ''When you have an orchestra the size of Lexington's, there's a tendency to get stuck in one period, maybe playing Haydn or Mozart, and there are only so many good classical works," he said. ''But there are actually many pieces from other periods that use a classically sized orchestra."
That range will also be on display at the Feb. 12 concert, which will consist of Beethoven's violin concerto, Ravel's ''Le Tombeau de Couperin," and Stravinsky's ''Danses Concertante."
In addition to his work with the Boston Ballet, McPhee has conducted such dance companies as the New York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Royal Ballet, and Martha Graham Dance Company. He also has conducted such orchestras as the BBC Scottish Symphony, Hague Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and National Philharmonic Orchestra in London.
Before each of the Lexington Sinfonietta's concerts, McPhee will give a talk introducing the music for the evening.
The performers are a group of musicians who have diverse offstage lives, with jobs ranging from music teacher, to hedge fund manager, to corporate lawyer, to MIT scientist.
''Some people opted out of a musical career that they could have pursued," said Rebecca Hawkins, a violinist for the group and a member of the publicity committee. ''But they obviously continue to practice and play at a high level and play for the love of the music."
The ensemble was founded in 1995 by Hisao Watanabe, who eventually moved to North Carolina. McPhee was chosen after a two-year search that included a guest conducting appearance last February.
Hawkins said that having McPhee at the helm will help the orchestra reach a higher level. ''Just having him around is inspiring us to meet our goals, and to practice hard each and every time," she said.
''When we play with him," Hawkins said, ''we don't just play notes. We play music."
DEAN INOUYE
