With a guest trumpeter, orchestra offers fine fare

A trumpet's copper bell helped make the performance exceptional.
BY ROBERT ROLLIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
If a good concert can be compared to a fine meal, then Saturday night's Youngstown Symphony program at Powers Auditorium was a varied repast, indeed.
The main course was served up by Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Trumpeter George Vosburgh, who returned to Youngstown as a sequel to his wonderful "Brandenburg Concerto" performance a few years ago.
This time he played the "Trumpet Concerto" by Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Hummel, a child prodigy like Mozart, was sent to live with him. Hummel also studied with Salieri and Haydn, but sadly, was overshadowed by his great contemporary, Beethoven.
Vosburgh's concerto rendition sparkled in its clear articulation and neat and efficient phrasing. His tone was dark and pearly, and his nuanced accents helped propel the fine first movement performance forward as the orchestra accompanied with flair.
Vosburgh played the expressive arioso long lines of the Andante beautifully and was supported by some lovely oboe solos as well. The fast third movement began without pause, and here the soloist's rapidly articulated repeated notes, and aggressive arpeggios were again accompanied effectively. Afterward Vosburgh explained that his trumpet's copper bell helped provide the dark, mellow tone that made his performance so exceptional.
Local luminaries
Maestro Isaiah Jackson provided a special course to clear the audience's musical palate by enlisting Vosburgh and local luminaries Frank Marzullo, A.C. McCullough, Sylvester D. Patton Jr., Dan Rivers, and Kelly Stevens to help a reduced orchestra play the "Toy Symphony," a light piece sometimes attributed to Haydn.
The local folks provided an amusing percussive counterpoint to Vosburgh's simple trumpet lines in the form of harsh ratchet sounds, bird calls and whistles, triangle ringing and toy drumbeats along with a cue-card person signaling "applause" and "stand by" in between the three movements. A good time was had by everyone.
The wonderful "Italian Symphony" of Mendelssohn amounted to yet another main course, and Jackson and the symphony presented an exceptional performance of this musical treat. The piece is the work of a great compositional genius at his height. The vivacious first movement fairly races through its formal boundaries, and the orchestra handled it beautifully, with a lovely pairing of clarinets, a lively string fugato, fine woodwinds and brass, and graceful cellos and basses.
Haunting melody
The second movement is one of the great moments in all music, and an expressive oboe and bassoon doubling presented the haunting melody over a steadily moving bass. The lyric third movement reminds one of the composer's "Songs without Words," and had outstanding flute solos by Principal Kathleen Scott. "Presto" had good ensemble, closing this first-rate performance with enthusiasm.
Ravel's light and airy "Tombeau de Couperin" was the opening appetizer that set the stage with a strong performance.