By Dennis D. Rooney Guillermo Figueroa conducted the Lynn Philharmonia in its first concert of the season Sept. 25 in the Wold Performing Arts Center, on the campus of Lynn University in Boca Raton. The program presented one novelty, Jennifer Higdon’s Blue Cathedral, and two staples of the classical repertoire, Tod und Verklärung (Op. 24), by Richard Strauss, and Ludwig … [Read more...]
‘Fantastique’ swaggers at Lynn, while Nakamatsu plays it cool
By Dennis D. Rooney Although unmentioned by him in his prefatory remarks, Guillermo Figueroa’s scheduling of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with the Lynn Philharmonia on the weekend before Halloween was a happy accident if not a deliberate choice. The stupendous innovation of the work, composed only three years after the death of Beethoven, embraces a … [Read more...]
At Lynn, a laudable ‘Te Deum,’ compelling Copland
We are going to be treated to a lot of Berlioz at the Lynn Philharmonia over the next year or so, thanks to the championing of the French composer by its director, Guillermo Figueroa. Truth to tell, Berlioz has already loomed large on Philharmonic programs. Figueroa has presented the song cycle Les Nuits d’Été and the dramatic symphony Romeo et Juliette in previous seasons, … [Read more...]
Flutist Torres gives excellent account of charming new concerto
By Dennis D. Rooney The sixth and final concert of this season’s Lynn Philharmonia programs April 22 ended with rollicking Latin-American rhythms and gaudy colors after opening with the gentler tones and tints of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (No. 6 in F, Op. 68). Conductor Guillermo Figueroa achieved a solid exposition of the score and high-quality playing from the … [Read more...]
Sheng concerto proves admirable feature of Lynn Philharmonia concert
By Dennis D. Rooney South Florida is extremely fortunate to have the Lynn Conservatory of Music. The all-scholarship school attracts outstanding students internationally. Their studies are punctuated by participation in public concerts. The Lynn Philharmonia is the institution’s student orchestra. It offers six programs per season under the musical directorship of … [Read more...]
New American violin concerto satisfies at Lynn Philharmonia opener
By Dennis D. Rooney In its initial concert of the current academic year, the Lynn Philharmonia and its conductor, Guillermo Figueroa, offered a satisfyingly meaty program of standard repertoire and a novelty. The latter was a violin concerto by American composer Richard Sortomme (b. 1948). Elmar Oliveira commissioned the work and premiered it in Savannah last year. In … [Read more...]
Figueroa’s Bartók, Robertson’s Elgar end Lynn Phil season in strong fashion
During the current concert season, Guillermo Figueroa has made two big statements about repertoire for the student orchestra at Lynn University that he directs. In February, he presented the Roméo et Juliette of Hector Berlioz, his favorite composer, and a work almost never encountered in full in area concert halls (to say nothing of any of its constituent parts). And this … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 21-23
Art: This Saturday, there will be demonstrations across the country in defense of science and the environment, both of which progressives think are under attack by the new administration in Washington. Whatever your political leanings, giving a thought or two to Mother Earth on Saturday is a laudable thing to do, and a small Lake Worth art shop, the Clay Glass Metal Stone … [Read more...]
Late review: Despite flaws, Berlioz ‘Roméo’ marks a Lynn milestone
Guillermo Figueroa has been an advocate of the music of Hector Berlioz for decades, and in his time as the conductor of the Lynn Philharmonia, he’s pursued that advocacy with presentations of major works by the composer. A season ago, it was the song cycle Les Nuits d’Éte, and on Feb. 25, it was his hard-to-classify “dramatic symphony,” Roméo et Juliette. Joined by three … [Read more...]
Berlioz’s epic take on ‘Romeo’ set for weekend at Lynn
Sitting at a table in a new Boca Raton diner, Guillermo Figueroa opens his cloth-bound, dark blue Bärenreiter edition of the music and points to a page, marked with various colored pencils. The score he’s pointing to, explaining the perils of this or that passage, is the playbook for this weekend, when the violinist and conductor will lead the Lynn Philharmonia, the Master … [Read more...]