The Music for America String Orchestra presented a highly varied program, mixing music from the classical and popular spheres, on July 23 and 29 at Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale. Led by multi-talented pianist-conductor-composer-educator Lorenzo Turchi-Floris, the ensemble exhibited cohesion and a fine corporate tonal blend.
Two movements (I. Allegro and III. Presto) from Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, K. 136 were assayed with smooth articulation, fleet pulse, finely terraced dynamics, and pristine classical style. Turchi-FloriAs sustained the elongated lyrical line of Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor without losing momentum. David Charles Dunlap’s organ underpinning was strongly present and concertmaster Orlando Forte’s glowing tone embellished the violin solo. Turchi-Floris took Karl Jenkins’ Allegretto from Palladio at a brisk clip, imbuing the familiar theme with urgency.
Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E minor is a masterpiece of the chamber orchestral repertoire and the ensemble’s performance took the full measure of the score. Turchi-Floris captured the pastoral lyricism of the opening Allegro, the strings’ silken sonority luminous. He fully encompassed the songful eloquence of the Larghetto (second movement). The agitated forward thrust of the finale capped a reading that did full justice to this superb work. Throughout the three movements, the playing remained consistently beautiful.
Several members of the group were featured as soloists. The rich, darkly burnished tone of Barbara Kammer’s viola engendered gravitas in 18th-century composer Johann Georg Benda’s Grave. Astutely accompanied by Turchi-Floris and the players, her noble phrasing enhanced Benda's musical paths. Violinist Charlotte Orcel displayed spare vibrato and an admirable sense of classicism in Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F Major, an example of the gentler side of the titan from Bonn. A splendid arrangement of Granados’ Oriental-Spanish Dance No. 2 spotlighted the mahogany-toned cello of Illaria Calabró Altan. Granados’ haunting melody took on added resonance with the instrument’s depth of sound.
Turchi-Floris brought out the Italianate romanticism of Nino Rota’s theme from The Godfather. His straightforward reading of the Harold Arlen standard Over the Rainbow removed the accumulated dust from this evergreen and revealed its songwriting mastery anew to wonderful effect.
A standing ovation brought an encore of the Latin classic Celito Lindo. Turchi-Floris and his players gave a refreshingly vibrant account that reclaimed the song’s lilt and joy. The audience clapped in time to refrain, bringing the performance to a spirited conclusion.
