O happy fall! ICO and its principal oboist draw glowing 'Autumn Sketches'

The woodwind principals of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra are among its current glories under the music directorship of Matthew Kraemer.

Leonid Sirotkin shone in Vaughan Williams.

On Saturday night, it was the turn of the Russian-American oboist Leonid Sirotkin to occupy the spotlight, soloing in the oboe concerto of Ralph Vaughan Williams. The orchestral repertoire is loaded with oboe solos, often vivid sketches of sorts. There has been ample opportunity to appreciate Sirotkin's  playing as ICO's first-chair player over several years. Thus, his expansive solo opportunity in this concerto conveyed a gentle irony, given the concert title of "Autumn Sketches," no doubt suggested by the work chosen to open the second half, Esquisse (Sketch), by the Swiss composer Frank Martin.

This uniquely laid-out concerto — with movements labeled Rondo pastorale, Minuet and Musette, and Finale (Scherzo) — places the solo instrument against strings. Thus, the oboe is responsible for the lion's share of tonal color across the spectrum.  Its peculiar singing appeal is set among outbursts of virtuosity and a shifting range of tempo, especially in the last movement. 

Phrasing demands run the gamut, and variety of mood also falls to the oboe to define. Both its penetrating and its pastoral qualities have been exploited from the time of Beethoven and Berlioz on, though it was also a favorite of 18th-century composers. 

Vaughan Williams exploits its nimbleness and precision, and asks of the soloist both acerbity and tenderness of tone. Sirotkin exhibited his command in the finale in particular. His tone was secure in all registers, his articulation was magisterial, and that last movement also displayed pinpoint coordination between solo instrument and orchestra. 

It would be a treat to hear him take the solo role someday in the Elliott Carter concerto, with its jaw-dropping interval leaps at the start, like a cat jumping surefootedly off a bookcase. I expect to encounter that only in my dreams.

Kraemer opened the concert with Heitor Villa-Lobos' fetching Sinfonietta No. 1 for small orchestra. Its motoric energy in the first movement was dominated by the ICO's well-blended brass.  That contingent also sounded splendid in its chorale at the outset of the finale, which progressed to a crisply accented, rushing dance for the whole orchestra.

The Martin piece showed a wittier, more imaginative approach to writing for chamber orchestra. The subtle opening was characterized by solo harp, and there were good woodwind solos and feathery string figures; the composer seems to have let no opportunity go by to put his full palette to work. Martin is one of the 20th century's  most charming, least cloying composers. "Esquisse" sounded exquisite, without a trace of banality, as played Saturday night under Kraemer's baton.

All was well prepared for the concert to be crowned by Mozart's Symphony No. 35 in D ("Haffner"). I want to highlight especially the performance of the slow movement, stately but full of feeling. The minuet that followed was notable for how well the Trio section was contrasted with the main material. 

The performance confirmed my favorable impression of the Schrott Center overall. Its acoustic is lively but never glaring (at least for unamplified music). I'm guessing the musicians can hear each other onstage as well as the audience can, and they played as if they enjoyed what they were hearing. It seems like a perfect alignment of venue and performance. The rafter-ringing reception of Sirotkin's concerto performance in the packed 475-seat hall was enough to confirm that.