The Carson City Symphony did itself proud Sunday afternoon at the Community Center in a concert featuring Swiss pianist Frank Levy. David Bugli, who also plays piano for the Mile High Jazz Band, was in white tie and tails and conducted with his usual quiet-but-sure style.
Visiting star Levy dazzled with cross-handed playing of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, racing across the keys when needed, but slowing the pace at the right moments. As usual, with a live performance, one gets so much more of a sense of the structure of the composition. A standing ovation rewarded the soloist and the orchestra.
Assistant conductor Chris Ruzin led the orchestra in "Elsa's Procession from the Cathedral" by Wagner. It was his last performance in Carson City before he and his wife, Katie Ruzin (who plays the timpani), head back to Ohio.
A highlight of the afternoon was "The Refugee Child, " a new work receiving its Carson City premiere, by Canadian composer Matthew Tan-Adams.
It was keyed to a Vietnamese children's song and played in Fallon on Saturday when the orchestra traveled there. The piece is delicate, with a clear Asian lilt.
Also on the program were the "España Rhapsody" by Chareier and Schumann's Symphony No. 4. A nearly full house was on hand as Levy offered a subtle and quiet encore.
As Levy said later, "Not many towns this size support an orchestra like this." And he's quite right. The city is lucky to have so much musical entertainment on hand, not only the pop music in bars and taverns, but also like the symphony and, earlier on Thursday, the music of Ed Gerhard at Comma Coffee, where a sold-out house listened to original guitar and Weissenborn (a Hawaiian guitar-like instrument with a deeper tone) compositions.
The symphony is a play-for-free organization, and considering that, it's little short of amazing how well the sections hit the mark. And since they don't get paid for playing, let's give them a nod and thanks right here, particularly percussionist Sally Higgins, who played the wooden Asian notes for the new piece and the cymbal for the Rachmaninoff. Here they are:
Violin I: Ginny Tilton, Trudy Gonzales, Bill Sell, John Novak, Elinor Bugli, Sue Domina and Lorraine Dean
Violin II: Laura Gibson, Salli Blair, Wendy Andrews, Nan Kreher and Alicia Murphy
Viola: Sue Kitts
Cello: Lou Groffman, Larry Aynesmith, Jane Johnson, Janelle Zahtilla, Nancy Irwin and Diane Kotik
Bass: Paul Zahtilla, Tom Martin
Flute/piccolo: Allison Smith
Flute: Carol Grenier, Edith Isidoro-Mills
Oboe: Greg Mindrum
Clarinet: Tony Chieffo and Dan Lancaster
Bassoon: Chris Hanson and Bob Hiestand
Horn: Alan Pefley, Jen Sturm, Bob Beach and Alice McDowall
Trumpet: Bob Masters, Rolf Johnson and Alan Catron
Trombone: Dean Carter, Chris Ruzin and David Johnson
Tuba: Jill Tighe-Reed
Timpani: Katie Ruzin
Percussion: Sally Higgins, Karen Jenkins and Wendy Humphries
Harp: Mary Margaret Niebuhr
