Winston-Salem Symphony's "Cello-bration" is memorable program

Let's all cello-brate.

The Winston-Salem Symphony is giving us many reasons to do so, whether they showcase excellent cellists, solo-cello repertoire or pieces in which cellos play a prominent role.

"Cello-bration" will be presented one more time, on Tuesday, at the Stevens Center. It is not only one of the most memorable symphony programs in recent times but also one of the most eclectic.

It begins with Matthew Troy, the symphony's associate conductor, leading soprano Elizabeth Pacheco Rose and eight cellists in Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 5." And it ends with Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, in which the solo material of principal cellist (Brooks Whitehouse) complements that of many other instrumentalists.

Along the way, Whitehouse, who is also an instructor at UNC School of the Arts, assumes a starring role. He solos in Ernest Bloch's divinely heroic "Schelomo, Hebrew Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra," and he leads a small ensemble of cellists that plays the opening bars of Gioachino Rossini's "Overture to William Tell" (best known for its "Lone Ranger" theme).

Robert Moody, the symphony's music director, conducts everything except the Villa-Lobos composition. In that piece, he appears as one of the eight cellists, making his symphony debut on an instrument he studied seriously, in addition to voice.

During Sunday's concert, which was reviewed, Whitehouse did a bang-up job, earning well-deserved thunderous applause. This was not a foregone conclusion. The Bloch, while known and revered, isn't performed often because it's so difficult for soloist and orchestra and because it doesn't end with a bang, as Whitehouse pointed out in an interview before the concert.

"Schelomo" also requires a soloist with exceptional gifts who can make his cello convey the authority of a king, namely Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes, and create great visceral excitement in the process. (As David Levy of Wake Forest University points out in program notes, "Schelomo," from 1916, is Bloch's "musical response to the words from the Book of Ecclesiastes: 'I (Solomon) have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit … All is vanity.'")

Whitehouse demonstrated such gifts in abundance. He made his rich and singing instrument recall the wail of a cantor amid sounds as reminiscent of the Holy Land as they are of the Western symphonic tradition. He also showed us what it means to listen: "Schelomo" pits Solomon against the orchestra, which, if you will, represents the world and all that is futile in it. On Sunday, Whitehouse's Solomon reacted to the world with the wisdom of a man who has truly understood it.

The orchestral playing in "Schelomo" was first-rate. Even if you couldn't relate to the extra-musical meanings of the piece, you could certainly admire everything from precisely played fanfares of the brass section to a very spare section in which winds emerged with delicacy and color.

As for "Bachianas Brasileiras, No. 5," it impressed, albeit for different reasons. Here, Villa-Lobos aimed to pay homage to the contrapuntal side of Bach, using the sounds of his native Brazil as inspiration. The cellists showed a command of their parts, playing them with suppleness and precision.

Rose is now known to fans of Piedmont Opera and the UNC School of the Arts, where her husband, Saxton Rose, teaches bassoon. She brought solid operatic credentials to her singing, making the more familiar melodic material soar with a powerful, exciting sound. She also held a sustained piano in pleasing fashion, and in general, she accompanied her singing with dramatic gestures that enhanced the poetry in the text she was singing.

And a bonus: Her grandparents, both doctors, came to the U.S. from Brazil. She grew up hearing her father speak Portuguese, though she doesn't speak the language. This background, along with some coaching, doubtless contributed to the confidence with which she sang a language that, unlike Italian, German, or French, seldom figures in the training of a classical singer.