Review: 'Season's Greetings' showcases orchestra members

LANCASTER – "Season's Greetings with Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio and Friends" validates the premise that the Lancaster Festival Orchestra is the foundation of the festival, making a diversity of programming possible.

Having quality musicians on-site throughout the 10-day celebration of the arts enables the presentation of chamber music and ensembles, with little limitation in instrumental voicing. The concept is genius; the result is fine programs like this one, a thoughtful assembly of pieces related in ways other than simply their titles.

All the music performed related to a season of the year, such as classics like Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and Mendelssohn's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Astor Piazzolla is a lesser known composer, but his "Four Seasons in Buenos Aires," in Leonid Desyatnikov's arrangement, is a tribute to Vivaldi's earlier work.

It was immediately obvious that Sant'Ambrogio has the technique demanded in Vivaldi's "Winter," as she soared through the difficult passages at a brisk tempo. Piazzolla's "Winter" followed; although his early childhood exposed him to the tango, an early move to New York exposed him to both jazz and classical study, and all of that was evidenced in the selection.

The Festival Woodwind Quintet was stunning in its performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." A remarkable sense of ensemble was demonstrated in members' delicate shadings and releases, chords changing perfectly in unison, and excellent balance and intonation. The third movement was absolute precision, and they were rewarded by being called back for another bow.

Following the intermission, the Quintet returned, and although the brevity of MacDowell's "Autumn" surprised the audience, all five players returned to the level of excellence exhibited in the first half with their rendition of "Saint-Saens Danse Macabre," much to the delight of the audience.

Returning to complete the program, the Festival Strings did so beautifully. Vivaldi's "Spring" gripped the audience's attention, with the playful violin passage in the first movement and with their control on the demanding delicate passages in the later movements.

And the "Spring" to follow would have pleased composer Piazzolla, as everyone enjoyed themselves, audience and musicians. Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio and Friends is a nice way to describe this event, and on Tuesday, she certainly was hanging out with the right crowd.