“This weekend marked the end of the New Jersey Symphony’s 93rd season—and the conclusion of Jacques Lacombe’s tenure as its 13th Music Director,” writes James C. Taylor in Wednesday’s (6/15) Star Ledger (Newark, N.J.). The program “opened by showing the orchestra’s outreach toward new music by young composers [including] ‘Night in the City’ is a short orchestral piece by Chris Rogerson, who was one of the four inaugural members of NJSO’s Edward T. Cone Composition Institute…. Lacombe … a low-key presence at the podium … brought out the very best in the orchestra with two pieces by Maurice Ravel. In ‘La Valse’ Lacombe gave the 1920 piece a bouncy tempo and excellent balance. Ravel’s music contains both color and texture, and it was all audible—plus performed with panache. This continued in the Suite No. 2 from ‘Daphnis and Chloe,’ which opened with a flourish of swirling arpeggios [in] a crisp account of the 1912 score. Ravel’s melodies were gracefully articulated, with just the right amount of impressionism. The music breathed with life and felt vital. Bravo, Maestro Lacombe—this was a fitting conclusion to your tenure with the NJSO.” Also on the program was Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with soloist Joyce Yang.
Posted June 17, 2016
