THE VALLEJO SYMPHONY

I hesitate to talk about The Vallejo Symphony for fear there’ll be no seats available at the next performance.  Yet I must declare the Vallejo Symphony is the jewel in the crown of all our city’s treasures.  How a far-flung backwater burg like ours managed to pull this off is beyond me, and tells me there’s more to Vallejo than what meets the eye. 

In my opinion The Vallejo Symphony Orchestra can stand proudly among the best in the world.  On October 30^th,  our new musical director/conductor, Marc Taddei, performed magnificently, as did the brilliant orchestra under his baton. 

For the opening performance of the season, Mr. Taddei’s first on the podium for us, he brought in pianist Sara Davis Buechner, whose electrifying rendition of the Prokiev Piano Concerto #3 was so powerful she could have whipped all the forces of evil in the world.  She bounced and pounced all over the keyboard like a madwoman, yet in perfect control and mastery of her art.  It was pure power & emotion.  Not only did Ms. Buechner leap out of her seat while she played, we in the audience were propelled out of ours’ as well, unable to contain ourselves during her explosive performance. 

We also heard superb performances of Haydn’s Symphony No. 6, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5, as the salutation to Vallejo from Mr. Taddei, in an unforgettable afternoon of great, thrilling music.

I was an usher during the reign of David Ramadanoff, the previous conductor, because I had a friend who had a friend connected to that also wonderful conductor.  Many Sunday matinee performances, not only did I enjoy taking tickets, handing out programs, & chatting up fellow music-lovers, I got to sit in on the concert for free.  How I’d love that job back again. 

One more thing:  We need to give our magnificent Vallejo Symphony a proper concert hall.