Review: Bassoonist Fei Xie shines in Minnesota Orchestra program also featuring Wynton Marsalis pieces

Principal bassoon Fei Xie has a chance to shine with the Minnesota Orchestra performing a concerto by th century French composer Andr Jolivet in a project that also features selections from Wynton Marsalis gorgeous Blues Symphony and a symphony by Romanian composer George Enescu from the turn of the th century Minnesota Orchestra principal bassoon Fei Xie will perform Jolivet with the orchestra at Orchestra Hall on June - Aoe Prinds Minnesota Orchestra Conducting the concert is the Grammy-award winning Cristian M celaru who attended graduate school with Xie at Rice University in Texas years ago Speaking with host Ariana Kim before the performance M celaru disclosed that while they were in school he and Xie made a commitment to each other that they d perform the Jolivet concerto together one day The Jolivet is one of those unicorns in the bassoon repertoire because it s so challenging and so laborious M celaru reported M celaru also has a friendship with Wynton Marsalis whom the conductor often selects in programs I so believe in his genius and in his artistry he revealed Starting off the scheme the orchestra performs Swimming in Sorrow and Danz n y Mambo Choro y Samba from Marsalis Blues Symphony It s an epic work that infuses a New Orleans sound into an orchestral report Swimming in Sorrow evokes the stormy seas of the middle passage where enslaved people were transported in chains across the Atlantic ocean Cymbals and other percussive instruments create the sound of thunder and waves lapping against the ship while the music ebbs and flows like the tumultuous sea Principal trumpet R Douglas Wright s solo brings a melancholy blues feeling to the movement while another solo performed by principal clarinet Gabriel Campos Zamora recalls the clarinet part in Gershwin s Rhapsody in Blue After a pause the movement moves into syncopated rhythms both sad and celebratory like a funeral march on the streets of New Orleans Then in the second movement Danz n y Mambo Choro y Samba Marsalis carries on with the juxtaposition of jubilation and sadness adding Afro-Latin rhythms and narrative interludes like the sound of a police whistle followed by a frantic chase scene The work is frenetic and alive Fei Xie is terrific in his solo from Andr Jolivet s Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra performed with the Minnesota Orchestra s string instruments With bent knees and elbows slightly jutted out the musician is in full concentration playing the demanding material The range of notes in particular is impressive as Xie s instrument explores both very high notes and incredibly low pitches played remarkably promptly From the explosive first movement to the more dreamlike second movement Xie brings a sweetness to the tune After intermission the orchestra performs Symphony No in E-flat major Opus by George Enescu a work that first premiered in Paris in From its uplifting first movement Assez vif et rythm it moves into its second movement Lent evoking a picturesque summer day A repeated three-note phrase becomes especially intriguing when those notes become like an echo becoming softer and softer as the sound drifts as if into the distance Then in the last movement Vif et vigoureux the orchestra delivers a swirling explosion of music Notably in the concert one orchestra seat is adorned with white roses in honor of Arek Tesarczyk the Minnesota Orchestra cellist who passed away last month after a long illness In dedicating the performance to Tesarczyk principal cello Tony Ross commented that he remembered his colleague as humble kind and true He was also devastatingly funny he explained I thought of him as our rock because he created such a lush and beautiful sound and that sound enhanced our entire cello section Fei Xie Plays Jolivet When Friday June at p m Where Orchestra Hall Nicollet Mall Mpls Tickets - Capsule Fei Xie performs one of the preponderance complex concertos in the bassoon repertoire in a concert led by Grammy-winning conductor Cristian M celaru Related Articles Review Opera star Minnesota Orchestra mesmerizing Review Flute contestant s range and skill make for impressive concert with SPCO Review Charismatic performer makes the event for saxophone in classical music Classical music to welcome spring and summer Review Under-the-radar gems from SPCO