Alison Balsom
Saturday's IRIS Orchestra concert was an evening of wit, virtuosity, delicacy and grandeur.
The star was trumpeter Alison Balsom, the U.K. phenom who co-owns the instrument along with the angel Gabriel. Her treatment of Hummel's Trumpet Concerto was exquisitely refined and beautifully turned.
Alison Balsom
With a sound that was authoritative but never harsh, Balsom delivered each note with delicious precision and fullness. The fanfares were stirring, the trills elegant and crisp, the reach seemingly effortless.
This is Balsom's second appearance with IRIS, having appeared three years ago to considerable acclaim. She further sealed her popularity here with an encore, Ástor Piazzolla's "Libertango," a rollicking work that allowed Balsom and the orchestra to tear up the Germantown Performing Arts Centre.
Starting the evening out was Haydn's Symphony No. 96 in D major, a robust piece with plenty of Haydnesque wit. The composer knew all the rules and he knew how to creatively break them, resulting in works both delightful and provocative. Clearly Maestro Michael Stern and the musicians were having a terrific time.
Ending the evening was Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A minor ("Scottish"), the enduring record of the composer's travels to Scotland. IRIS brought the requisite strength to the work, beautiful in the quieter passages and tremendous in the grand ones.
All in all, a rounded and beautifully performed evening.
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